Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia Vol 8 Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – G.o.d of Happiness and Sadness

Part 1

Hokuto was lying down on the bed in her room. In the short while of a fine afternoon, Hokuto liked to drift about in a peaceful nap.

“Hokuto-sama. Please stop being irresponsible and wake up.”

A female that was taking personal care of her called out with a gentle voice.

“Uun……I don’t wannaa”

“You are not someone who can talk selfishly. If Homura-sama don’t get a hold of yourself, our world will be ruined.”

Hokuto woke up reluctantly.

“You are really exaggerating.”

She changed clothes into the one prepared for her and exited her room. When she walked inside the palace, she pa.s.sed by various people. The people working in the palace showed happy smile when they saw Hokuto’s figure and bowed their head. Hokuto liked seeing the smiling face of such people. Moreover, the fact that they made her smiling further made her happy and proud.

For that reason, she could endure even the long distance from her room until the throne.

However actually she was thinking that if she had to walk all the same then it was better to do it in the city. There were a lot of store in the city, there were a lot of delicious thing in the city, everyone was smiling joyfully.

‘――I want to be taken along to city again.’

She pestered to the people around her for that, but the chance for her to go outside was not many. Even her meal, she was told that the food of the ma.s.s was bad for her, she wasn’t really let to eat those kind of foods.

But, the next time she went, she would absolutely want to try to eat the food in that stand. Thinking of that made her getting excited. While she was thinking of such thing, she arrived at the hall of the throne. She jumped and sat on the throne, then an old man with splendid clothing came along. Who was this person. Hokuto felt like she knew well who this person was, but she couldn’t recall no matter what.

Come to think of it, the faces of the many helpers and officials around her were hazy, she also didn’t know their name. She didn’t know who they were. However, since Hokuto was born they had be of a.s.sistance to her all along, she had good relations.h.i.+p with them and they should be in a manner of speaking a family for her.

That family of her was gathering in succession. In the blink of eye the room was filled with many peole.

And then when the door of the throne hall was left open, a vast courtyard entered her eye. Several thousand of people were gathering there.

“Just why is everyone here like this?”

When Hokuto asked that, the old man in the most front row raised his head reverently.

“Today is the day of farewell, so we are offering our parting salutation with all of us present like this.”

“……Farewell?”

“It’s a little different from farewell. We are becoming a part of Hokuto-sama. Everything in this world is going to be entrusted to Hokuto-sama.”

“Then this is not a farewell? We can meet again after this? Playing together?”

Thereupon the old man made a disturbed face. Even the people lining up behind him were making sad faces.

“No way……I don’t wanna! I don’t want any farewell.”

“This star is already on its end. There is no other path for us except ruin. We are entrusting the future to Hokuto-sama in our final moment, there is no one but you who can do this. That’s why, Hokuto-sama――”

‘――I don’t wanna!’

Hokuto’s eyes opened.

“……Eh?”

Hokuto was on top of the bed in her room.

She had no need to sleep. That was because her body was one that wouldn’t have any problem even if she didn’t take rest. Even maintenance was carried on without any suspension on her body.

That was why she wasn’t supposed to see anything like dream.

However when she checked the data of the past, something like this happened sometimes.

“Everyone……”

People that she awfully missed.

The people living in the world of the far past.

This uninhabited city was the same like that.

This s.p.a.ce was something she created with her ability to generate natural matter by relying on the her slightly remaining memory. The objective this world was created for was different from Lemuria and Atlantis.

She wanted to reproduce the appearance of the days of yore of the world that she once lived at.

She understood that such an act had no meaning whatsoever. Thinking logically, it was a really pointless waste of energy. However she couldn’t help but doing it.

The people she loved and missed.

She had to protect those people.

She had to protect the world those people lived at.

This world she created was a mere copy. A fake that she created as imitation. A modest miniature garden.

She missed those people so much her chest felt pained. Those people whose faces she couldn’t even remember, just who and where in the world they were. She couldn’t even remember their name anymore.

――But.

Everyone lived inside her.

“That’s why……even though for everyone’s sake, it’s no good……if I’m not feeling happy.”

Hokuto forcefully made a smiling face and jumped out from the bed.

“No―w then, what to do today――”

At that moment, she felt an abnormal presence.

“This feeling……!?”

Someone arrived in this world.

“Thanatos? Or else Osiris, don’t tell me it’s Odin……”

The presence she felt was different from any of those.

Something she didn’t know, something other than herself.

An uninvited guest arrived in this world.

Part 2

“Not a single soul is here……”

“It seems so. Even though there is sign of living……what a mysterious feeling.”

Kizuna and Himekawa, also Nayuta stepped their feet toward the city of the alternate world they had emergency landing in.

This city appeared to be a city of the ma.s.ses. There were orderly lined up districts, but the inside was actually a mess. The red bending tile roof and the white wall had commonness, but the buildings with various sizes were built up without any sense of unity.

{Is there no danger?}

Communication window from Reiri opened in front of Kizuna.

“Yeah, it seems there is no problem for now. There is no trap or anything, there is also no existence of living thing or machine at all.”

The inspection of battles.h.i.+p Ataraxia was finished and flew away from this island. If Hokuto was in this island, in that case they wouldn’t know what kind of danger would there be. Right now the battles.h.i.+p had chose one of the floating island with slight distance and in the state of hiding at the shadow of that island.

{Immediately report if anything happen. Don’t do anything rash no matter what.}

“I understand already. It will be troublesome if the communication is detected, so I’m cutting it off now.”

When the window was closed, silence arrived once more. Kizuna once again looked around the surrounding.

Any of the buildings facing the street seemed like shop, they put up colorful billboard and attached decoration as they pleased. The letters were different, but the place like shopping district somewhere in earth. It had the atmosphere like a really bustling and lively town, but because there was no a single person, it instead drifted off an eerie atmosphere.

The shopfront of the stores lined up their products, and there was steam rising up from the pot of the stand. The situation felt like there were people here until just now, but something happened and all of them went somewhere all at once.

“Actually this is really interesting.”

It was only a little, but Nayuta’s voice felt a little cheery from delight. It was rare for Nayuta who usually didn’t show her emotion to be like this. Kizuna looked at Nayuta who was walking ahead and spoke to her.

“Did you understand something?”

Nayuta stood still and twirled to turn at him. Her cheek was slightly blus.h.i.+ng, telling him that his mother’s excitement was the real thing.

“I think this place is unmistakably the world that Hokuto created. I feel her existence.”

Nervousness ran through Kizuna and Himekawa.

“It’s just, there is no mistake about that but……there is something that is a little strange.”

“I understand that it’s strange looking at his. Even though it’s a city that look this lively, there is not a single person here. It’s strange enough, even eerie.

“There is that but”

Nayuta entered the shop they happened to pa.s.s as if she thought of something. Looking from the many clothes lined up there, it seemed that it was a shop that handled clothing.

“Oi, where are you going?”

Perhaps she didn’t hear Kizuna’s voice, Nayuta kept advancing deeper without paying it any notice. Kizuna and Himekawa looked at each other and entered into the shop following behind Nayuta.

“This is……”

When they entered inside the shop, there were clothes in China style lined up. But, it was a little unusual.

“There are only the same clothes here……”

“Besides the sizes are all almost about the same aren’t they.”

When Himekawa took the clothes in her hand, she also tried lining up several of them. Thereupon, certainly all of them had about the same size. Kizuna suddenly thought, if Hokuto was in her human size without the Gear, wouldn’t these clothes fit her just right?

“Both of you, please try to come here.”

There was a door inside the shop, Nayuta was beckoning them from in front of that door. They guessed that likely there was a warehouse or office there. Kizuna opened that door.

“……What, is this?”

Inside there was no room or anything, only wall of rock was soaring up.

They tried to peek at the other shops and buildings, but they all had mostly the same feels. Looking from the outside, the outward appearance was properly arranged, but at the inside there were only rock surface or door or window that was fixed still.

“For some reason, this is like a movie set.”

“It’s something similar isn’t it. This is the world Hokuto created……no, a fake good that is created to imitate something. In addition it is also like a bad copy with quite a bad make.”

“Copy……wait, what does that mean?”

“For example, the Ataraxia that I created is something reproduced from the data of the real thing in Lemuria. However this city is something created in imitation by looking at the real thing.”

At first it looked like a gorgeous and splendid city, but they gradually came to look at the city like something flimsy. When they looked even closer, there were several shops with the same construction. Himekawa tilted her head with a complicated face.

“However even if you say that this is imitation……what is this imitating of?”

“Most likely, the world she once existed at. And in addition, perhaps it was before she became G.o.d.”

‘――Before she became G.o.d?”

Kizuna once again looked around at the deserted townscape. Its gorgeous adornment caused its emptiness to be even more highlighted instead. His eyes caught a single poster pasted at a street corner.

“Is something the matter Kizuna-kun?”

“No……this picture photographed there.”

Himekawa and Nayuta also approached that poster.

“This, is it……Hokuto?”

The photo had a great number of people with a single girl at the center. It was like a commemoration photo, but they didn’t understand what the poster was for. The face of that girl was exactly the same with Hokuto. But her body was not that of the machine G.o.d’s appearance, but that of a human. She displayed a smile that was happy from the bottom of her heart, just from looking they could feel how happy she was.

However what was curious, was the people around her, their faces. One person had gradation on the face, other person was painted off, another one had only the face part torn off, there was no human inside the picture that had their face pictured.

“Somehow……it looks scary.”

“Yeah. Just what in the world, this means――”

Fierce explosive sound thundered, tremor was transmitted underneath them.

Kizuna took off his eye from the poster and out his guard toward the direction where the sound came from.

“You all……how did you come into my world?”

The ground caved in and a fissure traveled along the ground. Vapor and dust cloud were rising up from the ground. Inside that mist, there was a girl in red China dress at the center of a depression on the ground.

“……Deus ex Machina Hokuto.”

However her figure was without armor. She looked exactly like human.

――She was similar.

With that girl in the poster.

And then she showed the same smile like the girl in the poster. But, even though it should be the same it looked different somewhere. That smile had a hidden side that was different somehow.

“This saves the trouble of looking for you all, is what I want to say but……just how this happen? Before this too you all suddenly vanished and I couldn’t even chase after you, how did you come here――”

Hokuto’s eyes stopped at the little girl with the smallest body among them.

“……I see. This is your doing isn’t it.”

“Yes. It’s an honor to be noticed once more.”

‘Hmph’, Hokuto sniffed her nose.

“To use that Genesis and trying to becoming the same like us……”

“However my completion rate is still lacking. I will have you hand over your data for reference together with the data of our worlds.”

“I won’t return that data just so you know. Because the experiment failed we cannot continue, but with the harvested data as the base, it will serve as the clue to restore my world.”

“Restoring……your world?”

Kizuna couldn’t understand the content of what Hokuto was talking about. But, they could understand that different from Kizuna and others, the world where Hokuto once existed at was unable to be restored because of some kind of reason. This world was also this badly made because of that.

“That’s why, it helped that you all come here by yourself! I’ll also turn all of you into data here and retrieve it cleanly!”

Lines of light ran over Hokuto’s body. Metallic lump and complicated machines materialized from there. That was a sight that ignored law of physics. From Hokuto’s slender body, machine and armor that no matter how one saw it couldn’t possibly be stored inside there were pouring out. The materialized machines interlaced mutually and became enlarged. It was like unseen hands were performing a.s.sembling work. And then in the blink of eye Hokuto’s body was wrapped in an armor that was shaped after Kirin.

Looking up at that figure, Kizuna’s breath got caught. He was overwhelmed by Hokuto who displayed her figure as Deus ex Machina. Originally they planned to invest all their battle strength in an all-out battle including Vatlantis and Izgard. But the fact was currently they were in a situation where they had to fight with only Kizuna and Himekawa. Nayuta too if she exerted her strength as machine G.o.d then she would become a battle strength, but it was unknown how much useful she would be in the current state. Besides, she was someone they couldn’t trust in the first place.

But, there was no other choice but to fight.

“Here we go! Eros!!”

Kizuna’s body was wrapped in jet black armor. It was the Heart Hybrid Gear that was just like usual. The black armor that already became completely familiar to his body had pink lines of magic power running over it. Although his Core had been reinstalled, the appearance didn’t change at all. But――,

“Neros!!”

The radiance wrapping Himekawa’s body made Kizuna’s eyes almost got blinded. The strength of that brightness was displaying sublimity, it had the meaning that the level of what she equipped was different from anything until now. Even the radiance of the magic power Himekawa emitted, and the thickness of the light particles also had wide difference than before. The brightness enveloping her body didn’t shrink and expanded widely like wings.

The beautiful dazzling light spreading several times bigger than Himekawa’s body finally stopped expanding and instead the magic power condensed and increased in thickness.

And then when the veil of light was cleared away, a new Heart Hybrid Gear manifested.

“……This is!?’

After the brightness cleared up, the first thing that Himekawa felt out of place about was the difference in scenery.

The location of her point of view was high. Kizuna’s face that looked up at her in shock was located around her waist. And then when the armor wrapping her body entered her eyes when she looked down, she opened her eyes wide.

“Amazing……”

Himekawa breathed out a sigh of admiration. The armor she equipped wasn’t the Neros that Himekawa knew. Red large fuselage. It was as though it was a fuselage of the same rank with the Deus ex Machina floating in the air, however it also had the trace of Neros in it.

A sharp silhouette even with its large scale. Form with a close resemblance like a polished j.a.panese katana. If the previous Gear was like a casual outfit, the armor attached on her body right now was like a battle outfit with heavy armament. No, perhaps it was more fitting to say it like an infantry turning over into jet fighter.

While the fuselage itself was large, there was no pointless protector attached on the body of Himekawa herself. It could even be thought like an expression of confidence, that no harm would reach the pilot. Because of that, her beautiful body line looked even more emphasized.

Armor was increasing little by little from her visibly exposed shoulders until her elbow before the armor was changing into a tough mechanical arm that extended the length of Himekawa’s arm.

Her point of view became high because the armor part of her leg was large. The armor enveloping her thigh stretched until her toe and underneath it there was mechanical knee joint. A blade was mounted around her waist like a j.a.panese katana that was mechanized, on her back four sharp blades were floating like wings. Their whole length was less than two meter, there were thrusters in each part while radiance of magic power was flowing on the blade. In a glance, rather than calling them sword it was more fitting to call them as outrageously slender aircraft. It was like they were impatiently waiting for Himekawa’s order anytime that they were hovering while moving up and down.

‘――There are, the new Blades.’

Regardless that what she wore was a completely new Gear, Himekawa could comprehend everything of it.

“This is……the rebirth Neros.”

Looking up at the new Neros, Nayuta nodded in satisfaction.

“Great craftmants.h.i.+p. With that, surely it’s possible to oppose even Deus ex Machina.”

Himekawa looked down at Nayuta.

“Can I really……fight against that Deus ex Machina? Before this I cannot do a single thing against her.”

To Himekawa who directed anxious eyes at her, Nayuta replied back kindly.

“The reinstall is for that sake. I don’t do anything meaningless. Saying it in reverse, the only one who can protect this world right now are only you and Kizuna.”

However Kizuna’s appearance looked exactly the same just like before in Himekawa’s eye. Could he really fight against Deus ex Machina? Even Kizuna might be anxious, he was showing a grim expression and faced Nayuta.

“Hey, do I really have to test that you-know-what?”

“Yes. I was convinced after looking around at this city. Other than using that method, defeating Deus ex Machina is impossible. The reinstall so far is the groundwork for that sake.”

Inside Himekawa’s head became fully filled with question marks. She couldn’t understand just what were they talking about.

Was Eros failed to power up? In the first place Eros was a unique Heart Hybrid Gear. Perhaps this time it also accomplished a power up that was different from usual.

“At any rate, I have to be the one standing as the vanguard right?”

Himekawa unsheathed the Sword dangling down on her waist. Matching with Neros’s body size, it also became really large. Its destructive power should be raised remarkably.

“It looks considerably different…….the before this isn’t it?”

Hokuto glared at Himekawa. As expected even Hokuto was putting her guard toward the lump of vast energy that suddenly appeared.

“But, just by getting a little stronger, there is no way you all can be a match against the creator that is me right? Our origin is just different after all.”

“Overwhelming difference in ability. And then the only one that can fight is me……I have”

Red light traveled through Sword’s blade. The Blades on her back instantaneously got up and pointed their tips at Hokuto.

“Already finished experiencing that!”

Sparks scattered in front of Hokuto’s eyes. The Blades and the octagon s.h.i.+eld of light deployed in front of Hokuto pushed at each other. Two lights of magic power clashed fiercely, scattering particles of light everywhere.

The Blades sliding out from Himekawa’s back instantly attacked.

“To stop that just now, as expected from Deus ex Machina. I’m filled with awe.”

“Hmph……looks like it become quite fast, but――”

Himekawa kicked the ground. The ground dented and the stone tiles were thrown up. Wind pressure and shockwave gouged the surface and rolled up dust. Neros’s thrusters emitted flash and Himekawa’s body was brought before Hokuto’s eyes in an instant.

“Wwha-!?”

Hokuto immediately evaded Himekawa’s sword. That slash looked only like a glimmer of an instant. Himekawa’s Sword was swung down in one go. The shockwave split apart the ground, bisecting into two the ten odd-storey building behind Hokuto.

“!>:

Although she evaded it, the blade of light elongating from Sword scratched the arm protector of Hokuto.

For Hokuto, it was something really unexpected. She fixed dumbfounded eyes at the single line carved on her arm.

“Thi……this is”

Hokuto’s face warped in rage. Flame jetted out from the armor that was modeled after Kirin. That flame hardened into a shape of a sword. When Hokuto grasped the flame, it changed appearance into a weapon with crimson blade, [Hakke Kirin].

“How dare you wound my body!”

“Please don’t think that this will end just with a wound of that degree!”

“――!!”

Blades swooped down from the sky with an incredible speed. Hokuto immediately widened her wings and protected her body. Blades mercilessly cut apart those wings. Together with sparks, the armor of wings were shaved and wounded.

“YO, YOU BASTAaaRD!”

“I said it already. That this won’t end with just that much wound!”

Hokuto kicked on the ground. A fissure appeared and dust rolled up as if an explosion happened. Hakke Kirin drew an arc above Himekawa’s head. That slash was blocked by Sword.

“DO YOU KNOWWW! My body is not something that is mine alone! How dare you hurt everyone, everyone’s world like this!”

Hokuto’s wings emitted light. The propulsive force raised remarkably and it scattered particles while pus.h.i.+ng Himekawa back. The sword and sword emitted fierce light while the bodies of the two were flying in a state that was slightly floating above the ground.

“-……what stupid poer!?”

“Don’t you get carried away just from getting a little power up!”

They flew until the end of the main street instantly and crashed at a twenty-storey building at the end of the road. The wall broke and the two of them pierced through the walls inside the building one after another while still locking sword. And then they broke through toward the opposite side. The wall was smashed as if it was exploded, fragments flew everywhere. The foundation that was destroyed couldn’t bear the weight of the building and it tilted violently. And then the houses and shops nearby got swallowed up, they were collapsing while raising up violent dust cloud.

“This is the world that you created right!? And you just destroy it like this!”

“It’s just a fake after all! Who cares about it!”

Red light ran over the Kirin armor.

It seemed that she was going to attack with some new attack. Judging that Himekawa struck first.

“Blade!”

The moment Himekawa called, soaring swords appeared from the two sides of the street. The blades cut apart the shops and ran in parallel while destroying stone walls and blocks. And then they slashed at Hokuto from four directions.

“Aah! That’s just troublesome!”

Hokuto flew up to the sky. The Blades that lost the target cut empty air, however without giving up the swooped up. They were chasing after Hokuto with acrobatic movements.

The four Blades were turned back by Hokuto using Hakke Kirin and s.h.i.+eld of light. However the Blades doggedly hounded her times and times again, slas.h.i.+ng at Hokuto persistently.

“How obstinate! Then!”

The whole blade of Hakke Kirin s.h.i.+ned red.

“That is!?”

The sky suddenly became clouded. Black cloud was whirling, the surrounding became dark in the blink of eye. Amidst that, only Hakke Kirin that Hokuto held was emitting ominous red light.

Inside Himekawa’s brain, the memory of the attack that Hokuto released at Ataraxia was revived. That power which turned Ataraxia into scorched earth in an instant.

“I won’t let you!”

Himekawa put one of her hand upfront. Magic circle that was s.h.i.+ning radiantly got deployed from the fingertips.

“Liberation and severance from everything of this world――come”

A hilt of sword appeared from the magic circle. The mechanical arm of Neros grasped that hilt and she pulled out.

“Corruption Armament [Gladius]!!”

That was a sword with two blades. It had two wide and very long curved blades, lining up parallel to each other. The blade that severed apart the relation with this world. The huge sharp blades that were nearly two meter were just right for the current Neros.

“Here I come!”

Fully opening the thrusters on her back, Himekawa approached in front of Himekawa in one go.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Two flashes ran from one attack.

Red shockwave attacked the enemy from the movement of Gladius.

The red blade of Hakke Kirin repelled the silver blade of Gladius.

“Hah!”

Himekawa reversed the point of her sword and slashed horizontally aiming at Hokuto’s torso.

“Kuuh!”

The flas.h.i.+ng slash released particles of light, the shockwave reached until the ground. That pressure blew away the roof of the building.

Gladius slashed up from below. It struck the body of Hakke Kirin, bouncing up the blade tip above.

‘――Got her!’

“HUAAAAAAAH!”

Together with a shriek of fighting spirit, Himekawa’s returning blade cut at Hokuto’s left arm. There was a definite feedback. The two blades certainly dug into Hokuto’s armor. The next instant, Hokuto’s left arm danced in the air.

One of the machine G.o.d’s arm, was bisected.

“Eh……?”

Unable to believe what she saw, Hokuto stared at her arm that was separating from her while rotating in the air.

“Lies, that……”

When she looked at her left arm, certainly her arm was not there. It was like there was no armor at all starting from her elbow since the beginning, it was bisected with clean cut.

“U, u, uWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Hokuto’s scream thundered in the sky. The wave of impact was transmitted to the dark cloud, undulating like a sea.

“This is not funny, not funny, something like this, like this――”

Hokuto’s abnormality made Himekawa’s countenance changed.

“!? That’s!”

The light traveling all over Hokuto’s body converged at her cut left arm. Lines of light drew the contour of her lost arm, in succession the lines also drew the arm’s internal structure like drawing a plan. And then like fitting on puzzle pieces, the part surrounded by lines were changing into armor.

“No way……”

Himekawa’s eyes clouded in shock.

Hokuto’s left arm that should be bisected was reconstructed.

Hokuto wailed while her eyes were gathering tears.

“Something like this is not fun at all!”

Cold sweat trickled down Himekawa’s forehead. The same like Nayuta. Nayuta could also immediately recovered from the damage she received.

‘――Against that, won’t we be unable to defeat her forever?’

That feeling of powerlessness and dread was spreading in her heart like dark cloud. Himekawa tried to shake it off with her willpower and encouraged herself.

“Then I’ll do it no matter how many times!”

Himekawa once again attacked with Gladius. However Hokuto also moved her Hakke Kirin. The two swords with supernatural ability clashed in the air.

It was a sword locking contest where Gladius extinguished the flame Hakke Kirin gushed out. The damage was enormous even just from that influence. Flame scorched the sky and the heat blazed up the buildings of the city.

With fierce shockwave, the whole city sunk down with the two as the center. Even buildings that reached several ten of meter were crumbling down as if they were crushed from above. The houses crumbled as though they were stepped on by giant, fissures were spreading in radial shape from the concaving ground.

“I’m counting on you! Gladius!”

“Hakke Kirin!”

When Hokuto shouted that, the flame of Hakke Kirin became even fiercer. Intense heat and shockwave attacked Himekawa. Even her fingers that were holding Gladius became trembling.

And then Hokuto roared as if to spout her soul.

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

At that moment, Gladius snapped.

‘――No way.’

Flame spread like a nuclear explosion. The flame licked the city, thunder destroyed buildings. Shockwave gouged out the ground, and stone blocks were flying up one after another from the street.

The beautiful lake adjoining the city boiled instantly, the forest was blazing up. Shockwave that shook the whole floating island even cracked the solid rock supporting the ground.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Himekawa who was in the center of that received the direct attack and her consciousness flew away in an instant. Blown away by fierce shockwave, she was then falling to the ground. Even the armor of the reborn Neros broke, scattering in pieces from Himekawa’s body. Himekawa was with a dim gaze at the ground which was approaching near.

‘――I lost.

Even though I’ve come this far. Even the power that I obtained by going as far as doing that kind of embarra.s.sing thing is not useful.

The new power that I obtained by combining power with Kizuna-kun.

――Kizuna-kun.’

Just before she crashed on the ground, someone embraced and stopped her body.

“Hayuru!”

A worrying gaze staring at her. Arms wrapped in black armor embracing her body.

“Kizuna……kun”

Kizuna landed on the ground holding Himekawa’s body. Nayuta was waiting there, looking up at Kizuna with eyes s.h.i.+ning in antic.i.p.ation.

“Now, this is the right time to act. Now is your turn.”

Himekawa separated her body from Kizuna and supported her body alone even while staggering.

“Ho, however, even Neros and Gladius aren’t a match against her. No matter how much Kizuna-kun had done Climax Hybrid with me, using the same thing……”

“No, it’s not the same.”

Not understanding what it was about, Himekawa stared at the back figure of Kizuna. Kizuna faced the blazing city, pondering of something.

“Honestly, I’m not inclined to use this weapon. Also calling its name is just, you know.”

“However, we have no leeway for option.”

As if resigning himself, Kizuna sighed. And then he raised his gaze with resolve.

“I’m going!”

He put his right hand forward. Magic circle was deployed from the fingertips there. Not just a layer. Magic circles were floating up in the air one after another, creating a tunnel of light.

“Corruption Armament [Nayuta]!!”

Kizuna stepped into the tunnel of magic circles. Each time he pa.s.sed a magic circle, the shape of Eros was changing. Eros’s armor evolved, it disa.s.sembled and the internal construction became clear to see. There new armor was installed. Each time he pa.s.sed through a magic circle his armor increased with the shape transforming. Becoming even firmer. Even larger. Connecting into Kizuna’s biological tissue, surpa.s.sing the framework of Heart Hybrid Gear, attaining a transfiguration toward an even more evolved appearance. And then, when he went through that tunnel what existed there wasn’t a Heart Hybrid Gear. It was a fantastic shape, as though it was something different altogether.

That figure was like a machine G.o.d, but not a machine G.o.d.

Rather it was a demon.

The Hybrid of Eros and the figure of Nayuta as machine G.o.d.

The armor’s build that didn’t compare unfavorably against machine G.o.d hinted at its hidden combat ability. The continuing arm from the square shoulder was a tough steel arm. Leg part carrying speed and destructive power. And then the mechanical wings with sharp edgy shape. That appearance was close to a machine G.o.d, but there was no sacredness in it. Rather it was the reverse. It could only be said as ominously sinister.

Jet black armor where one could feel not light but darkness. Calamitous pink radiance ran from the gap of that armor.

That armor made the one seeing it to harbor ill omen and dread.

It was the completely changed figure of an angel who had broke the taboo and fell from heaven in the end.

Nayuta floated a wicked smile.

“There is no other way but turning into demon to win against G.o.d. Isn’t that right, Kizuna?”

It was the form of Heart Hybrid Gear that was based from magic armor that accomplished even further evolution. A pioneering greatness achieved from devilish act and forbidden technique.

――It was, the ultimate final magitech.

“You are already demon right from the start.”

After Kizuna said that acidly. He moved his gaze at Himekawa below him.

“Hayuru. I need to ask you a favo――”

“Ju, just, what is this-! Do, don’t tell me, Kizuna-kun, you-, with Professor Nayuta did, Cli-, Cli-Cli-Cli-Climax Hybrid!?”

Himekawa shouted while her eyes were rolling round and round.

“Eh? N, no, calm down Hayuru. Right now isn’t the time for――”

“We did an act that was similar with that.”

Nayuta nonchalantly answered. That answer made Himekawa stiffened.

“O, oi. Hayuru? This is for the sake of winning against Deus ex Machina .”

“IMPOSSIBLEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Preposterous! It’s morally, ethically, socially, impossible!”

Himekawa raised a large explosion. However Nayuta explained with a composed face.

“What I did wasn’t Climax Hybrid. It was reinstall. You don’t need to worry, from here on too we will borrow the strength of all of you for Climax Hybrid.”

After making a relieved face for a moment, Himekawa’s face turned bright red.

“I, I’m not worrying about something like that! It’s about the preposterousness of――”

“This is different from the [Mode] that become possible after performing normal Climax Hybrid. This is the result of performing the reinstall where I share my combat ability that I have as a machine G.o.d to Eros’s Core. With this, it’s possible for Eros to mount the Corruption Armament [Nayuta]――”

The ground cracked. The attack of Hakke Kirin carved a large trench at the ground where the three were. The ground was dug up and rocks whirled up.

“You change your appearance again? But, no matter what you do, surpa.s.sing this me is impossible you know?”

Kizuna jumped to the sky while still embracing Himekawa. Escaping from Hokuto’s attack, he flew toward a different floating island.

“Hayuru! In order to defeat that girl, there is one more thing that we need to do no matter what!”

Right near Himekawa’s face was Kizuna’s face. Regardless of the kind of situation they were currently in, Himekawa’s chest throbbed strongly.

“I, if it’s something I can do……”

“I see. Thank you.”

‘――But, just what is,’

The lips that was going to say that was plugged by Kizuna’s lips.

“                                                                        ! ? ? ! ! ※◯▲×■？♥♡！◯♂♀★？？！！♥！×××！！！”

Himekawa fell into pandemonium.

‘――EEEeeE!? Wha, what is the meaning of this? That’s, we have done various kind of amazing things until now but, even so a ki-, kiss! ……Ki, Kizuna-kun, don’t tell me♥’

“Nn-, n♥ ……kufuh……nn”

They tasted the texture of each other lips frantically. Himekawa’s eyes were closing ecstatically.

‘――Aa, my first kiss is in this kind of situation……but♥’

Brus.h.i.+ng aside her enraptured feeling, Kizuna’s tongue slipped inside Himekawa’s mouth. Himekawa reflexively opened her eyes.

‘――Thi, this is what I heard from rumor, a, adult kiss!?’

The tongues of the two were entangled at each other inside Himekawa’s mouth. Her moist eyes once more closed ecstatically.

Tongue that was not hers was moving around inside her mouth. The tongues lovingly touched and caressed each other repeatedly. Himekawa’s throat moved. It was a deep kiss where their tongues entangled plenty.

Why was she kissed so suddenly? Such question was blown away already, that was how much she sweetly experienced Kizuna’s kiss. She didn’t know that having the inside of her mouth violated by other people’s tongue could feel this good. As that feeling heightened, particles of light began to rise from the bodies of Kizuna and Himekawa. That brightness was gradually increasing in intensity.

‘――KIZUNA-KUuUUUUNNNNN!’

When Himekawa’s pleasure and feeling reached the climax, Himekawa’s body emitted dazzling light.

Explosion of light that blinded the eye.

And then that light settled down, when their eyes could open again, there was Himekawa’s body wrapped in pink light standing there.

When their lips separated, Himekawa’s cheeks were dyed flaring red and she looked up at Kizuna with a feverish gaze.

“Kizuna-kun you dummy……that’s mean. What are you doing so suddenly. But, this is……it means that isn’t it? Kizuna-kun, you l……”

At that point Himekawa’s face became even redder. And then she murmured mumblingly with a voice so small that couldn’t be heard.

“Lo-, lover……n, no, to go out together with marriage as the premise……in, in other word, I, I am, Kizuna-kun’s wife――”

Kizuna worriedly called out to Himekawa whose condition was strange.

“Hayuru? What’s the matter?”

“Hyah!? Nya, nyathing at all suu-!”

Kizuna made a dubious face for a moment, but he turned his face to a serious one and informed her solemnly.

“This is, the other trump card remaining to us. The [Kischarge Hybrid].”

Himekawa raised one of her eyebrows and made a complicated expression.

“Hy……Hybrid?”

Himekawa finally noticed too late that her body was s.h.i.+ning in pink color.

“This is……my body, is s.h.i.+ning?”

“Yeah, that’s the proof that the Kischarge Hybrid succeeded.”

“Then, the kiss just now is for……”

Himekawa’s expression frozen and her lips twitched.

“Yeah. With this power, I could win even against Grace and Kaa-san. This is not something to replenish the Hybrid Count. It’s a Hybrid that used up the remaining Hybrid Count in one go. It only work for a short time of less than several ten of second, but it’s able to exhibit ability several times of the normal Climax Hybrid.”

“Is……is that so……”

Himekawa showed an expression of disappointment, but she shook her head and pulled herself together.

“And, what should we do?”

“Lend me Neros’s Corruption Armament [Gladius].”

“Eh? But……”

Even Himekawa’s prided Gladius didn’t work against Hokuto. It was snapped by Hakke Kirin.

“It’s fine. Summon Gladius one more time for me.”

“I understand.”

Himekawa put her hand forward and opened a magic circle one more time. And then she grasped at the hilt protruding out from there.

‘――Ah?

It’s different.

What――is this?’

The sword that showed its appearance was a sword with three blades.

The blades increased by one from the usual Gladius, changing into a sword with three blades lining up.

The glistening blades also increased in brightness, as if it was being happy in its reborn self. The three blades resonated to each other and it felt like they were playing a tranquil sound. That sound was pleading to Kizuna and Himekawa, I want to quickly fight, try out the new me, like that.

Kizuna grasped the handle of Gladius and propped up Himekawa’s hand.

“Now, let’s go Hayuru.”

“……Yes.”

Eros’s thrusters spouted out fire. It was Eros’s serious acceleration. It was a sensation as if the time of the surrounding stopped. The world around was slowly flowing. Even the motion of flame Hokuto raised was stopping as though they were looking at a photo.

Kizuna and Himekawa readied Gladius that now had three blades and slashed at Hokuto.

“HAAAAAAAAAA!”

However Hokuto reacted. As expected of a machine G.o.d, she couldn’t be taken by surprise even with this speed.

“You……how obstinate-!”

Hokuto readied Hakke Kirin and flew up. Both sides clashed at each other with speed that looked like teleportation. Sparks scattered between the swords.

The mutually unleashed attack and pa.s.sed each other.

Hokuto blew out flame that was conspicuously dazzling and beautiful from her body. She raised Hakke Kirin to the sky, her wings spread and red light was emitted from her whole body.

“That’s-!?”

Kizuna remembered seeing that radiance before. The light Thanatos fired when she terminated Zeltis. It was that red light.

‘――This is bad!’

“Vanish altogether with this fake world!”

From Hokuto’s whole body, red light was fired toward Kizuna.

The light that erased the world.

No one could oppose that light of G.o.d’s judgment.

However that light split into two.

“Wha!?”

Hokuto spontaneously raised her voice.

Kizuna and Himekawa was thrusting Gladius forward. That sword of three blades met the red light, cut it apart, and extinguished that light of destruction.

“That’s right huh, Hokuto! Say farewell to this kind of fake!’

“No way……lies.”

No matter what kind of weapon it was, defending against that light should be impossible. That was the light that reset the world. The light to return back the world into nothingness.

Why was that light, could be cut?

That sword, these guys――,

“Just what the h.e.l.l, is this-!?”

“Even if you shut yourself in this kind of fake world to fool yourself, it won’t bring about anything! At this rate, no matter how long time pa.s.sed you cannot become honest to yourself! Are you planning to keep living lying to yourself, forever like this!?”

Hokuto’s rage and impatience grew violent from this situation that just wouldn’t move as she willed.

“This is not fun at all! If I’m not feeling happy then――”

“I don’t understand the detail. But, you are just pretending to be happy. All this time since I met you for the first time until now, I have never seen you making a truly happy face!”

“Wha……”

“For whose sake is that? Creating this kind of lonely world, doing a one person show, what’s all that for!”

“Shut up, SHUT UUUUPP! You impertinent guinea pig!”

Hokuto kicked the air and rushed at Kizuna. It was a speed that could traverse from a corner of this world to the other corner instantly. With that speed, Hakke Kirin was swung down at Kizuna.

The blade of G.o.d, that was the rage of G.o.d that was given to human. That flame clashed with Gladius. The sword of three blades was supported by two people, Kizuna and Himekawa. Hakke Kirin and Gladius, the two supernatural blades scattered sparks.

“I’ll show you, how I liberate you, liberating your soul! For that sake!”

“……!!”

Cracks entered Hakke Kirin and the blade broke. The sword snapped in the middle and its tip danced in the air.

‘――That’s absurd!?’

The existence made from the compression of all the weapons in the world where Hokuto was. That Hakke Kirin snapped. Furthermore who did it was the life-form that was born from the world that they created.

“Something……like this is”

Unbelievable.

“Hayuru!”

“Yes-!”

Their thinking matched each other just from calling the other’s name. The Gladius that the two of them held was swung down from right above, impact pierced Hokuto’s body.

“GUAUH!”

Hokuto also piled up s.h.i.+elds of light and blocked Gladius. However, in front of Gladius that extinguished even existence itself, Hokuto’s s.h.i.+elds were meaningless. One by one they were being smashed up.

“Kuu, such thing……such thing”

Hokuto gritted her teeth.

“No good, this is no good……if I don’t feel happy, that’s not good.”

She forcefully floated a twitching smile.

But, that smiling face was stiff.

Finally Gladius destroyed all of Hokuto’s s.h.i.+elds and blown away even her body.

“Such thing-! SUCH THINGGGGGGGGGG-!”

Even while being blown away, she burst out flame from her whole body and controlled her posture. But exactly at that moment when she became defenseless, that was the chance of victory that Kizuna was waiting eagerly for.

Kizuna released his hand from Gladius and clenched his fist strongly.

And then, he kicked the air with all his might.

Himekawa embraced the sword of three blades on her chest and saw off the back of Kizuna who instantly became distant.

With his firmly clenched fist as weapon, Kizuna traversed the sky.

“Here I go, G.o.d!”

The light running over Kizuna’s armor increased in brightness. That light was sent to his arm and condensed toward his fist.

His left and right fists s.h.i.+ned calamitously and blazed up.

He held up the s.h.i.+ning fists.

With a speed that even Hokuto’s eye couldn’t follow, Eros’s fist struck out.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

Hokuto covered her body instantly with both her arms.

Eros’s fists mercilessly pulverized the guarding arms of Hokuto. Eros’s fists sank into Hokuto’s arms, crushed them, and smashed them. Brus.h.i.+ng aside the arms that became pieces, Eros’s fists dug into Hokuto’s body.

At that moment, along with dazzling brightness, the destruction program Nayuta prepared was sent.

That was a gospel of curse that destroyed the existence of machine G.o.d from the inside until nothing remained.

Melody of despair resounded until the bottom of Hokuto’s body.

Power that destroyed the existence of machine G.o.d cut loose the fusion of Hokuto’s flesh and the armor.

The legs, wings, those armors were amputated altogether.

The biological, mechanical, magical construction and circuit that composed Hokuto’s body. All of those were crumbling. This was exactly the trump card of anti-machine G.o.d that the Corruption Armament [Nayuta] possessed.

“――[Reincarnation(Machine G.o.d Reincarnation)]!!”

Eros’s fists stopped, Hokuto’s body fluttered in the air.

The armor integrated to her body disa.s.sembled, torn down, the body that became thoroughly small was falling down toward the ground.

“Kizuna! Hokuto will soon recover. Deal the finis.h.i.+ng blow!”

Nayuta’s voice resounded out of nowhere.

“Ou!”

Kizuna chased after the falling Hokuto. Hokuto’s body missed the island where the city was at and fell into a cloud. He didn’t know what was below the cloud, but Kizuna also flew in toward the cloud.

{Kizuna-kun! This finis.h.i.+ng blow……in what way?}

A floating window opened and the worried face of Himekawa was projected there.

“Aa, leave the rest to me! Hayuru, you return back to battles.h.i.+p Ataraxia! The effect of Kischarge Hybrid will run out after five more seconds, so be careful!”

{Ah, wait, Kizuna-kun!}

Closing the window of Himekawa that still seemed to want to say something, Kizuna chased after Hokuto. While he was flying, pink light was crumbling off from his body. It was the end of Kischarge Hybrid.

‘――With this, if [the way to finish off machine G.o.d] doesn’t work at Hokuto…….’

“That will be the end of the line.”

Kizuna accelerated even further and caught up until where it just took a little more until his hand could reach out.

Hokuto who now looked the same like human was falling while being flapped by wind pressure. Her eyes were closed where it looked like she fainted, but lines of light were coming to the surface of her body. It was a slowly moving light, but lines of light were being carved on Hokuto’s body like drawing a blueprint.

‘――Is that a preparation for her to recover?’

But right now her recovery ability was still not working normally.

“Now is the only chance!”

Kizuna embraced Hokuto’s body.

“Fuah!?”

Hokuto’s eyes snapped open.

“Wha……what are you doing-! Let go-!”

Kizuna didn’t let go of Hokuto that was struggling violently and firmly put his hand on her back. Right now in this moment, Hokuto could only exert power like average human. That was because the virus stock of the sure kill technique [Reincarnation] that Nayuta created was repressing the machine G.o.d function inside Hokuto’s body.

“I’m going to have you accompany me for a little!”

“I refuse! Something not fun like――nyaaaah!?”

Kizuna’s hand groped Hokuto’s breast. The large breast that was imbalanced with her pet.i.te body was being shaken by wind pressure. Kizuna grasped the struggling breast and gently rubbing with his palm to make her docile.

“Wha-, whaaaahhh-, what, are you doing-, nn!”

His fingertips rolled the tip while his palm was groping. Thereupon, Hokuto’s legs stretched tautly.

“Aaah! What’s, this-, it’s stra-, strange, naaau”

‘――As I thought. This girl had never got s.e.xual pleasure.’

Kizuna became convinced of the method that was entrusted to him from Nayuta beforehand.

That method was, so to speak the [method to finish off machine G.o.d].

But, it was impossible to implement that method in the air. He had to move somewhere. However he also only had little remaining Hybrid Count. Even if he used his thrusters and returned to battles.h.i.+p Ataraxia, perhaps the energy would run out in the middle.

But, he also couldn’t stay like this where he was continuing to fall. When he came out of the cloud, there was still blue sky and cloud visible below. It seemed that the sky was continuing forever.

“Yo, you……using strange technique like this……”

Hokuto was grinding her teeth and glared at him. Lines of light once more ran through her body, trying to start recovering. Kizuna pinched the tip of her breast without delay.

“Hiah! Aaaan♥ Aa, don’t……stop, if you, do that……strength cannot enter.”

The lines of light vanished from Hokuto’s body.

‘――If I don’t hurry, this hard to get chance will turn to nothing. What to do…….’

{Kizuna!}

Reiri’s yelling voice resounded. It was a sound produced from speaker.

“Nee-chan!? Where are you?”

{Right here!}

When he came out of the cloud, right at his side a large transport appeared. Perhaps its engine was turned off because it was continuing to fall naturally parallel with Kizuna. The rear hatch opened and there was Nayuta waving her hand there. Reiri was sitting on the c.o.c.kpit and she was yelling something into the headset she wore. That voice reached Kizuna’s ear with slight delay.

{Use your remaining Hybrid Count and rush at the rear hatch!}

“Roger!”

Kizuna kept embracing Hokuto closely while igniting his thrusters and followed at the rear side of the transport. And then he carefully flew in. The moment his feet touched the floor of the cargo room, his Hybrid Count met its limit and the safety device urged Eros to cancel. Using the Gear more than this would endanger his life. Kizuna obeyed the safety device and released the Heart Hybrid Gear.

“Way to go, Nee-chan!”

Kizuna yelled at the direction of the c.o.c.kpit. Hearing that, the rear hatch closed and the sound of the engine’s output rising could be heard.

{We are returning to battles.h.i.+p Ataraxia after this. Kizuna you finish off Hokuto!}

Kizuna nodded at Reiri’s voice that was audible from the speaker. And then he stared at Hokuto who was in his arms. If he didn’t immediately dealt the [method to finish off machine G.o.d], she would completely revive.

“Kizuna. Use that.”

Nayuta pointed at the depth of the cargo room. There was a hastily made bedroom there. It was only a simple mattress spread out there, but there was some sensor and scanning device lined up around it. Surely it was for the sake of taking data of the act with Hokuto after this.

Kizuna laid down Hokuto on that bed.

Her breathing was rough, Hokuto looked up at Kizuna and Nayuta.

“To do something like this……to this me, uu……you all, who are……”

“I am exactly like what I said in my introduction before. If I have to add something, this is Hida Kizuna. My son……in other words, the child that I created.”

“Son……child? Created you say?”

Hokuto returned a reaction that showed she didn’t really understand.

“I see. Living things left behind offspring. So you have forgotten even such a common fact.”

Nayuta climbed on the bed.

“You cannot be defeated with common method. You aren’t machine or living thing, but an aggregation composed from great number of life-forms and a world. The ultimate existence, you are truly fitting to be called a G.o.d. The way to defeat such you, that is――”

Nayuta raised her index finger and waved her hand lightly. Thereupon the clothes of Nayuta and Kizuna disappeared as if they were erased.

“Wha-!?”

Hokuto was taken aback by the two body that appeared when the clothes were removed. The lined bodies of the two obviously were made differently.

‘――This is male and female? Certainly I think there is that kind of data. Manufacturing one’s own duplication with reproduction act.’

However, the detail of that act wasn’t preserved as data. Hokuto was mostly clueless regarding that act.

Kizuna also climbed on the bed and hung over Hokuto.

“Wha, what? What are you planning to do to me?”

She shrank her body fearfully. That gesture was more like an innocent girl rather than a G.o.d.

Kizuna touched the cheek of Hokuto. The texture was no different than human, it was soft and warm. He caressed her cheek, from there he caressed down from her neck to her collarbone.

Hokuto’s body twitched in reaction.

“Wha, what’s, this?”

Stimulation was transmitted inside her body from the touched spot, her back was s.h.i.+vering. When her body was touched in the air just now was also like this. This was the first time she experienced this kind of sensation.

Before this, she had completely forgotten the sensation of being touched by other people.

Kizuna’s hand that caressed down from her chest then tightly grasped at Hokuto’s voluptuous breast.

“~~-!?”

Hokuto raised a soundless scream. It froze Hokuto’s thought circuit for an instant. When Kizuna separated his hand, the sensation a.s.saulting her whole body was pulling back little by little.

“……Ju, just now, ahih!”

This time he pinched at the tip of the braest.

“Hi, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!?”

The body that endured every kind of attack, the system that could process any kind of information threw in the towel at the blink of eye.

‘――Wha, what is, this attack. I, I cannot resist.’

Strength left her body, she couldn’t put strength in her waist even when she tried to stand, her arms and legs wouldn’t listen to what she said.

“Wha……abnormality appears in the system?”

“No. That’s the correct reaction, Hokuto-sama.”

Kizuna brought his face closer to Hokuto’s breast and sucked at the pink tips.

“NYAAAAN-!”

Hokuto’s spine bended backwards remarkably. Kizuna continued to persistently sucked at that breast. Each time his tongue rolled the tip of that breast, the stiffness and largeness were gradually increasing.

“FuaAAAH! NO-! DON’T-! I, I BECOME STRANGE!”

Her arms and legs struggled violently, but she couldn’t put any strength at all. Her G.o.dlike power in the middle of battle had suspiciously vanished somewhere, her strength now was no different than a normal girl.

While sucking the breast, Kizuna’s hand caressed Hokuto’s back.

“Fuhih! A, a, AAAAAAAAAAAAH”

His fingertips were deliberately going to and fro on her spine, as if to tickle her purposefully. Drool was dripping from Hokuto’s kept opening mouth.

Kizuna separated his mouth from the tip of her breast and crawled his tongue all over her breast teasingly. And then he was licking up through her neck.

“Nkyaah! I, it’s tickli……ah, is this, ticklish……sensation?”

“So you also don’t understand something like that. Just how in the world you pa.s.sed your time until now?”

Kizuna peered into Hokuto’s eyes. It was a close distance where their noses touched each other. Their lips almost touched.

“Ah……”

Hokuto’s remembered her situation and her cheeks reddened.

“This is just strange, my temperature increase, the tissue all over my body open. Besides……”

She was drawn in to Kizuna’s lips. Why did she want to do that kind of act, she didn&rsq