Chapter 81: Song of Mercy, Kyrie Eleison

Kill. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!!! I’ll fucking kill you!!!

"Die!!! Right now!!! Die, rot, and die!!!"

"Gah—!!"

Ahh… the feeling traveling up my fist—it feels so damn good. I could stay like this forever. But I want to kill them already. As soon as possible.

"Hah… hahahaha…!!"

Well, that doesn’t change what I have to do. I’ll just keep punching until this one dies.

"Gyahahahahahahaha!! Hah-aaah!!!"

"You—!! Get out of the way!!"

"Gah!?"

Ow. Guess I got punched and sent flying.

"Ohhh, what the hell am I doing? Calm down, will ya? That’s not the point, right? Killing her’s supposed to mean something."

Ahh, right. I can’t let the pleasure take over. One good hit to the head and I’m back to my senses. I’ll kill her properly—according to plan. That’s what I should do, right?

"But really, Beatrice-sama, what’s with that face? Is it blooming season? From a bud to a flower—and if you keep growing like that, you’ll skip the flower stage and turn straight into a fine fruit. Not a cherry boy, but a cherry girl. What a fittingly ugly sight for a menopausal hag."

"Kh…! Silence! What are you—"

"Shut up."

"…!!"

Ahh, good. So the killing urge inside me hasn’t withered away after all.

"You. Yeah, you. You’re the one who hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt them—made them suffer. It’s all your fault. That’s why you have to die. I want to kill you. I’ll fucking kill you."

Because right now, I can actually believe it—I can believe I want to kill this thing standing right here.

"What are you talking… ah, I see. So that’s how it is."

Even Beatrice must already understand what’s happening here in Arius. Her eyes—now like the eyes of a congregation itself—fix on me, and a dry laugh escapes her lips.

"So it’s you, Kirihana Suou. You’re the one behind all this."

"Oopsie~. Talking like that to a little flower, huh? Should I give you a gold star?"

"…Your betrayal, I admit, caught me off guard. When did it begin, I wonder?"

Not taking the bait, huh? I thought a pompous thing like her would, but I guess that just shows how cornered she really is.

"If you wanna know, then beat it out of me, you self-proclaimed great adult… oh wait, was it ‘the guide to all pilgrims’? Eh, whatever. Point is—it’s time to pay the price, you damn hag."

"…It seems you’re misunderstanding something."

Beatrice had already transformed into that monstrous form. Her ribs jutted out, her body impossibly thin for any living thing. Her blood-stained hands and those flowerlike wings, studded with eyes, gave her a hideous presence. Capping it all off were those withered, branch-like wings and… a crimson halo. Grotesque, yet angelic.

That transformation—her trump card—meant she was truly cornered. And yet—

"Did you really think I wouldn’t anticipate a betrayal of this level?"

"Knew it’d come to this…"

With a sharp snap of her monstrous fingers, figures appeared—students cloaked in black veils. The Justina Council of Saints, recreated as Mimēsis.

It wasn’t unexpected. Back in Blue Archive, even when Beatrice was supposedly sealed, she still controlled the Justina Council of Saints, nearly killing Atsuko. We’d already suspected she’d been secretly creating replicas elsewhere. And that theory turned out to be right.

On top of that, the faculty must be heading here too. However—

"Hah, that’s a good joke… but you could only copy part of the Justina Council of Saints, right? The stronger ones can’t be duplicated so easily."

"How do you… know that? It seems there are questions I must ask you."

"Too bad. You’re gonna die right here."

Not that I’ve got much leeway either. Some of the Council has to guard Arius District’s entrance… and as for Barbara—Beatrice’s own creation, crafted without any of the Maestro’s so-called aesthetics—if I could use her, she’d be one hell of a weapon. But wishing for what I don’t have won’t help.

In short, this is it. If I can’t kill her here and now, I’ll never get another chance.

"You seem awfully confident."

"If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be doing this. Sorry, but I’ve forgotten how to sing a Kyrie… I can’t do it like Mika. So I’ll handle this the brute-force way."

I summon every Justina Council member I can and raise my gun. Ammunition’s topped off—no need to worry about running dry.

"……"

The wounds from my fight with Mika still throb painfully. And that last hit—my left arm’s basically useless now. The shoulder pulses with a deep, foreign ache.

"…Confess your sins. For being born into this world. For hurting everyone. Etch your regret into your body and die with it, Beatrice."

"You won’t kill me that easily, Kirihana Suou."

We glare at each other. As if on cue, the Justina Council of Saints clash in battle.

Despite the damage I thought I’d done earlier, Beatrice still looked composed. Most likely, she’d built the same kind of defensive system into herself as Atsuko’s mask—nullifying nearly all the harm I’d dealt.

Still, I managed to break through her safety net at least once.

"……"

If that’s the case, then there’s still a way. Just once—just one clean hit is all I need. If I can land the “bomb that destroys the halo,” that alone will be my victory.

"Oraaah!!"

I accelerate with the bomb in my right hand, leaping over the battling Saints toward Beatrice. But—

"Someone like you… doesn’t even deserve to trade blows with me."

"—!?"

Before I can reach her, something appears—a grotesque being, a black hole gaping through its head.

"Ambrosius…!!"

So she’s already succeeded in duplicating that one…!

"Kh—!"

Blue flames—like spiritual fire—burst from its palm. I brush them aside with my coat and ride the motion up to its shoulder.

Didn’t even deserve to trade blows, huh? Maybe that was true ten years ago. Back then, my rage, my will to kill, my fists, my bullets—none of it could reach Beatrice.

"But you know what you are now, don’t you…!"

But now. Right now.

"Don’t you dare!! Get out of my way!!"

"Ugh…!!"

I’ll reach her. I’ll make it count. No one’s going to interfere. That’s what these ten years have been for.

"Hah!!"

I punch Ambrosius square in the face with my right arm, slam the bomb imbued with mystic power into the hole in his head, and detonate it—sending him reeling backward. Riding that momentum, I use Ambrosius as a springboard and leap forward, accelerating straight toward Beatrice.

"…It seems I underestimated you just a little."

"Gah!?"

Immediately after, a heat beam bursts from Beatrice’s eyes. Like compressed flames, the attack slices through both Ambrosius and me.

"Very well. I, Beatrice—the illusion of all pilgrims—shall be your opponent."

"Don’t get all high and mighty now after running around like a coward!! I’ve been planning this from the start, you damn hag!!!"

Beatrice’s basic attack method is fire. Whatever mechanism she uses, she can at least generate red flames from her palms and eyes. She doesn’t use firearms.

"Die, and rot!!"

"Ugh…!"

Then there’s her massive body. With enough skill, even sheer size becomes a weapon.

"Hah!!"

"You little—!!"

I strike Beatrice with my right fist, but her branch-like wings block the blow and slam me into the ground.

"…!"

Even so, normally I could fight her on equal footing—or better. But I’m too exhausted from my fight with Mika.

"Quite worn out, aren’t we? Such an undignified appearance… Crawling like that, I suppose I’ll have to tame you again?"

"Hahaha! You’re really talkative, aren’t you!? You planning to chat while sipping tea like a proper middle-aged lady!?"

Still, even with all that, the reward tied to the “halo-destroying bomb” is too valuable to pass up. Even if it doesn’t work on Beatrice, it can destroy the Justina Council and force her into a corner.

"Don’t think you’re clever just because of your short-sighted schemes, old fool!!! One hour from now, it’ll be you crawling on your belly!!!"

"Such vulgar language… Truly, children who lack proper education are so foolish, aren’t they?"

Flames erupt from Beatrice’s palms. My instincts flare—something’s wrong. I glance at the ground and see a crimson glow.

"…!!"

Danger. A voice inside me screams to move. I leap, and an instant later, the ground erupts violently beneath me.

Unable to land on the blazing earth, I grip the shotgun tight, maintaining partial acceleration midair.

"Such high-class education and yet so little wit, huh!? I’ll knock some sense into you!!"

"Foolish…"

A massive arm swings from the side. I toss the shotgun upward, yank the pin on a bomb, accelerate sharply, and dodge. Then I kick the hand cannon free from my boot to line up a clean shot.

"……"

Tracking the countless eyes across her wings and body, I lock my aim and pour mystic energy into the attack. Beatrice lunges forward, relentless. Ignoring the burning pain spreading through my skin, I fire directly at her eyes.

"Gyah…!"

"Strike!!"

Six bullets hit their mark. Not enough to destroy all her eyes—but enough to hurt, to draw blood, to force her to look away.

"Hah…!"

Now’s the opening. Judging so, I snatch the shotgun I threw earlier, detonate it, and accelerate sideways. Another bomb slides from my pocket into my palm, ready to ignite.

"Ugh…! You—!!"

"Ugh…!!"

I twist just in time to avoid the incoming heat beams from her remaining eyes, maintaining my speed as I press close—right up to her face.

"I think it’s proper to pluck the wings first. Wait… are these petals? Then let’s do a little flower fortune, shall we!!"

"…!"

I grab the wings sprouting from Beatrice’s head and prepare to rip them off.

"…!?"

Suddenly, darkness swallows my vision.

"Disappear!!"

Beatrice’s voice echoes. Her wings close, enclosing me within. I realize what’s coming—but too late. The area around us glows crimson.

"You’ve been using those eye beams a little too much…!"

Grumbling, I pull out another bomb, infuse it with dense mystic energy, and detonate it without hesitation.

"Ugh…!"

"Ah…!"

We both scream as the explosion sends shockwaves tearing through the enclosure, blasting us free of the closing petals.

"Huh…!?"

No time to breathe. I weave through flame after flame fired like finger pistols—dodge, dodge, dodge.

"Damn…!"

Those attacks are nasty. Flames manifest just from a finger’s direction. Quick to trigger, barely any wind-up… and definitely hotter than ordinary fire. Were they customized for us students? I can’t tell.

"Either way!! I’m not getting hit by that again!!"

Scorched from head to toe, I channel mystic energy through my right fist, combine it with a bomb, smash the ground, and dive underground.

"Wh—what are you—"

"Haah!!"

Before Beatrice can finish, the ground explodes upward, sending debris flying.

"What—no!"

"That flame of yours! I don’t know what kind of trick it runs on, but—"

There’s a limit. If her fire could reach anywhere, she’d have ignited me from the inside by now. More importantly, several of her attacks didn’t hit me directly—they ignited the air or other spots instead. Which means—

"Your flames ignite whatever lies in a straight line from where you’re pointing!!"

"Tch…!"

I dart between falling rubble, weaving through the shadows as I close in. If she’s truly flower-like, then her “roots” must lie underground—but even after overturning the earth, I find nothing resembling them. So that option’s out. Which means—

"I’ll shoot you again, and again, and again—until you’re dead!!!"

I fire the shotgun straight at her face. The spread of bullets pierces the gaps between her hands, striking several of her eyes dead-on once more.

"Guess that works better for blinding you…!"

As she recoils, I surge forward. Closing the distance, I jam the shotgun’s muzzle against her chest.

"I’ll blow a hole through your heart and let you bleed out where you stand!!"

The shells are overloaded with mystic energy. I fire every round in the chamber, one after another—until the gun clicks empty.

"Enough—already!!"

"Guh…!"

Her enormous hands clamp around me, crushing and slamming me into the ground.

"Kh… hahahaha! Getting desperate, are we!?"

"Silence! You… how dare you—!"

The impact rattles my skull, my body going numb. Beatrice raises both hands skyward, and above her, a massive sphere of flame begins to form.

"Ah… yeah. I’ve seen that move before somewhere…"

Was it in my past life? In Blue Archive, when Beatrice used that same attack? Or maybe in another game… or a manga? Hard to remember anymore.

"You’ve… let your guard down…"

That fleeting moment of arrogance—this is what I’ve been waiting for.

"Fuu…"

Quietly, without letting her notice, I slip a halo-destroying bomb from my pocket.

"Alright… I’m counting on you."

Ever since that day—since losing Cyan and Anna, since getting my hands on the prototype halo-destroying bomb—I’ve been thinking about this moment nonstop.

"That glowing ring…"

The red circle of light floating behind Beatrice. Could that be a halo? If it is, then why does she have one? Halos are proof of being a student. That much is certain.

There are exceptions—the divine lineage of Eligma, the artificial angel Hieronymus, and even this world itself… Kivotos. What do they all share? Mystery. Fear. The Sublime. Each embodies at least one.

So what about Beatrice? What does she possess? What is the source of that halo?

She sought to approach the Sublime by absorbing Atsuko’s Mystery. And what is Mystery? Simple—it’s one half of the Sublime. The other half… is Fear.

───Even the Sublime cannot be perfectly harnessed by Gematria. What they created were only imitations of fear.

To approach Fear… what could that mean? The Council of Saints, perhaps? That’s part of it—but even before that, she must have already been close.

Mystery and Fear are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. So what happens when someone absorbs both?

───“Through Mimesis, we observed the reverse side of Mystery—the essence of Fear. The question is, can it be adapted into a living student?”

The words of that man in black echo in my mind. Maybe it wasn’t a living student… but something else. Something that did adapt. Something that did take it in.

"Begone!!"

And wouldn’t you know it—there’s one person here reckless enough to try.

"Haaah!!"

The halo-destroying bomb—I saw its power firsthand with Cyan. When her body grew too frail to withstand bullets, when it pulsed through her veins—that was Mystery. So this bomb, it doesn’t destroy flesh—it destroys Mystery itself. A weapon born of Fear. Opposite forces, yet fundamentally alike. Beatrice had taken that imitation of Fear into herself.

"T-this…!"

That bomb will work on you. I know it will… Beatrice.

Time shifted back slightly. The squad that had let Suou escape was now rushing toward the Arius District.

"This is the worst…! Of all things, she had to use that airship…!"

"Anyway, we need to hurry. We might still make it in time."

"Yeah… but still…!"

The airship Kirihana Suou had boarded and fled with was originally sent to Hanuma Makoto as a token of goodwill. Of course, in the short term, Suou could probably move faster on her own—but her likely destination, the Arius District, was far from where Saori and the others currently were. Over that distance, the airship could demonstrate its full capability.

"…This is bad. Should we try to steal a car or something?"

"Does anyone here even know how to drive…?"

"I-I can’t…! And Suou never taught us, remember…?"

That was true. But they quickly realized they didn’t have the luxury to dwell on that kind of memory.

"Besides, the roads are blocked with debris, and the footing’s bad. Driving’s not even practical right now."

"…Yeah, that’s true."

Even so, Azusa couldn’t think of a better alternative. Her exhaustion only gave her enough clarity to focus on one simple solution.

"…Anyway, for now, we run! There’s nothing else we can do!"

"…Yeah, I guess that’s true… but it feels kind of unsatisfying."

"Yeah…"

To conserve energy, they began discarding unnecessary gear and hurriedly preparing to move.

"Ah!! The squad’s safe!!"

A familiar voice they thought they’d left behind rang out behind them.

"Kashiwa Mayumi!"

"Just call me Mayumi already…"

Despite her cold tone, they couldn’t help but laugh as she slid down a slope of rubble with a loud “szzzaa” scrape.

"You look pretty worn out… want some ramune?"

"Ah, yeah… that helps…"

"Oh? And where’s Kirihana Suou?"

The crisp crunch of the ramune echoed as Mayumi bit into it, the sweetness briefly reviving her. But her question immediately snapped everyone back to reality.

"R-right! That idiot Suou got away!"

"…You could’ve mentioned that first!? And here I was, casually eating ramune during an emergency!?"

"M-M-my bad…!"

Mayumi flustered, ignoring the fact that she’d brought it up in the first place. Even for her, it was hard to believe the squad had failed to stop Suou.

"She fought Mika and still got away…? Just how monstrous is she…!"

"Not that it’s surprising. That’s exactly why we have to catch up."

"Right! You guys, get ready—fast!"

Most of their preparations were already done, but they still needed to sort supplies and refill their water. They hurried to finish the last of it.

"Eh? What are you doing? We need to leave now! That can wait!"

"I get that you’re impatient, but this needs to be done. Who knows when we’ll get another chance to resupply? That goes for you too… Wait—how are you so clean? You were just in battle."

Until recently, Mayumi had been holding off several powerful Justina Council of Saints on her own. She must have struggled hard—but her clothes were barely torn.

"A secret trick, a secret trick. Besides, replenishing your energy… can be done while moving."

"…No, we already agreed that using a vehicle isn’t practical."

"What are you misunderstanding?"

With a smug grin, Mayumi tapped the watch strapped to her arm—and in the next moment, a deafening roar shook the ground.

"Who walks slowly on the ground anyway!? This thing can fly!!"

"Wha—!"

"What… is that…!"

"Let’s go, get on!! …But first, we’re picking up sensei! He’s close by… and we need to collect that, too!!"

A massive shadow loomed overhead, shifting and writhing as the sound of machinery filled the air. Its armor gleamed with a blue sheen that left everyone stunned—everyone except Mayumi, who was grinning from ear to ear.