Volume 6, Chapter 14: The Devil War, Part 1

That’s right! I’m Yurushia!

With those memories back, I have all of my power now. Looking now, I can see my golden hair and pale, porcelain hands after a long absence… It really is a completely different body from ‘Yuzu,’ who was just human.

Both bodies were ‘Me,’ but while being in Yuzu was familiar for my mind, this body of Yurushia is completely optimized for handling my demonic powers.

I thought that this form came from a demon possessing a dead baby, but this body had the same features as ‘Yuzu.’

What do I mean by that?

Not to say that it isn’t still creepy, it’s just that this body has attributes from this [Incarnation].

Eh, it’s fine anyways.

“Where… is this?”

Around me is something like a field of lightning, shining lights suspended in the air.

I can move my arms and legs normally, and can see the daytime sky above, but my other surroundings are blocked by the lights and I can’t see past them.

“Hn?”

Just then, I saw a black dot falling from the sky right above me.

“[Yurushia!]”

“Rinne!”

The same [Black Cat] that I had seen as Yuzu landed on my shoulder.

Honestly… after such a long time apart.

“Rinne… Sorry. It was hard for me to remember.”

“[No, it’s okay.]”

Now that I look closer, the amount of magical power that Rinne feels like he has is much smaller.

“Did you get weaker…?”

“[… I used the seal that Yurushia made to interfere with [The Past]. I could barely even take my ability to speak with me like this…]”

‘… Thank you.”

As I touched Rinne’s face, he gave my face a gentle lick.

“… What was that? You’re really not a dream?”

“[This is unmistakably [The Past]. The history of the world has changed accordingly.]”

… if that’s the case I died not because of sickness at 15, but of being stabbed and dying before I even reached 12.

When I thought that, I got a bit mad.

That woman… If that “Matsuri” is still in this world, she’d better be ready.

“So, when is it?”

“It’s been… six months since we’ve came to this dimension.”

“Half a year…”

It was quite a long time to be sealed.

That reminds me, it feels like my arms and legs have grown.

I see… without knowing it, I turned 12 years old.

This past year, half was spent fighting [Demon Road]’s Hi… Hira… what was it, something like Nurarihyon over and over, the other half I spent in a seal.

So anyways, I’m 12 years old now…

“… I see”

Back then, Onzada said the technique was called something with “12” and “Hourgla.s.s” in it.

Maybe the original technique was meant to keep a presence away from being a baby up through being 12 years old.

Since Yusushia was close to 12 years old, was the original ceremony cheated?

If that’s correct, I would have been completely destroyed when Yuzu, or rather Yurushia now, reached age 12, but since I traveled to the past, it couldn’t crush my life and tried to re-start at age 6.

Due to the ambiguity from the memories of “Me” remaining, as well as the interference from Rinne’s sacrifice, I was able to regain my [Demonic] power.

That irritated the [Presence]. So, using a person like Matsuri, who interfered with the completion of the technique, a fight happened that allowed me to awaken before I was twelve years old.

… something like that?

“Rinne, I’ll be escaping form this ‘cage’ for now”

“[… And then?]”

Since Rinne seemed to understand my plan, based on his tone, I gave a little smile.

“An Extermination.”

This is the first time I’ve been made into such a fool…

“…[Shine the Light of Terror]…”

The cage of light isn’t holy attribute, but it had the effect of sealing a ‘Demon.’ So, my anti-demon weapon [Sacred Series] won’t work.

So I was making a new type of magic from the spiritual world, something I’ll need to defeat other hostile non-demons.

“…[Pierce!… Spear of Night]…!”

A jet-black spear more than 5 meters long appeared, and I sc.r.a.ped the cage of light with it.

*Pakyiiiiiiiiin*

The struck light cage made a sound like gla.s.s breaking.

… Is this a temple? No, a Shrine? It’s surrounded by forests, but since I can see skysc.r.a.pers in the distance, it shouldn’t be far from Tokyo.

“……”

Looking around, hundreds of priests were surrounding me within a dozen meters.

Their eyes were filled with awe and fear as they looked at me. So, as I looked away from them, I took in my unreal features and made a face.

Among the men, one wearing only casual clothes and a leather jacket with another person were being held back by the surrounding people.

That person… where’s he going.

“…Yuzu!”

The voice is different, but something sounds nostalgic about how he said that word.

*Shara*… the thin black chain appeared that stretched from my hand straight to that person.

No way…

“Onzada-kun!?”

When I yelled out, the men finally seemed to get back their bearings after the shock.

“It can’t be…”

“The dark one has been let out…”

“This guy got in the way…”

“Be calm, I will restart the ritual ceremony.”

“… For world peace.”

“Work together.”

“Gyaaa”

“Guuaaaaaa!”

“Who is that!?”

Something was coming from behind them.

A dust cloud like from a small tornado was blowing, the priests and monks being blown away while screaming.

Past that, there was a black mask wearing figure holding a huge sword… That’s Yuuki!?

Oops, I entered audience mode without thinking.

I descended to the ground and called to where Onzada-kun was detained.

“Put up a holy based defense!”

“Haa!?”

“Hold on!”

“[Penetrating light… Radiant Spear]…”

Yuuki came over in a hurry and flow to Onzada-kun’s side, putting up a holy magic barrier up, at the same time, my [Unholy Spear] blew away all the priests.

… well, some were blown away then rolled back towards me, though.

Still, I don’t think it will be over with just this…

“[Everlasting Light… Celestial Bow]…”

Hundreds of golden arrows shot from the shining bow and struck the priests.

Those who ran, those who tried to fight, those who were stunned in place, everything was blown away by the carpet bombing of my attack.

If they’re lucky, they’ll still be alive.

It’s been a while since you’ve fought an enemy so one-sidedly.

After the annihilation of light, two stunned people came closer.

“““……”””

When we stepped forward, we looked at eachother with mixed expressions. Then, Onzada-kun opened his mouth first.

“…Is it… really you, Yuzu?”

Yes, though now my name is Yurushia… Onzada-kun sure has gotten old.”

“I’m not old!”

Onzada’s appearance has changed a lot.

He was older, about 30 years old. Well, if you were a modern person at age 30, you’d still look young, but it still has a little of the old person scent coming from you.

“Should I shave my beard?”

“Hahaha… this feeling, it really is Yuzu.”

When he came claser to me, Onzada-kun dropped to his knees like he’d lost all his strength.

“… thank… G.o.d… I didn’t believe you were dead… if the deal had gotten you, I…”

I’ve been looking into how to save you forever, I was lucking to get in the way just before the final stage of the ritual.”

“…Yuuki-kun”

Yuuki lowered his mask and showed a slim face.

Is he also in the latter half of his twenties? Maybe because I looked at Onzada first, the impression was less.

I was able to remember everything because they helped me.

“Thank G.o.d…? Here, let me help you up.”

“… You’re a bit more of a terrifying “Demon” than I thought, but I don’t mind the way you took care of all the priests. Besides… now I can return what I owe.

“…What a serious look.”

As normal, his gaze is hard… wait, is it becoming warmer?”

“I can not forgive that [Presence].”

“… That’s right.”

The Presence sensed my return and trapped all of the people in the country within its seal.

Even though it’s powerful, it feels young in how it does things, and it feels like it is being used by the shrine maidens, rather than being worshiped.

“Yuzu… or Yurushia now, let me give you the memories I’ve recorded. It should help you understand what I found out about the Presence.”

“…Do it”

Yuuki-kun casted a layered spell wrapped around me.

When I let the magic power pa.s.s through me, the events up to now flowed into my head.

… Something is coming. It was like a scattered scene without sound, but I was able to understand it.

Koto-chan got married to Dad-chan…

Yuuki-kun and Misa also married? I didn’t get my chance at the shovel speech…”

It seems like Yuuki-kun is the second in command of Dad-chan’s shop.

Ooba-nii-san has become the president of my family’s company.

Dad and Mom are still fine…

Kouki and Kako have gotten together too, and there are already babies.

Ouji-kun… thank goodness. He has a normal, full-bodied wife as well.

Onzada-kun was not a monk at his family’s temple, but at a shrine. I wonder if it was because he didn’t like what his older brothers did.

It seems like Onzada-kun and Yuuki-kun were studying together.

And…

Matsuri seems to be in the middle of a circle of shrine maidens now.

Although she was able to have me killed, she wasn’t able to control it? Maybe there was a wavelength of thought in young people.

So… maybe that’s where the [Presence] gets its power.

“Is this the truth…?”

“Oh, you shouldn’t be awake yet.”

“Yeah… it’s too soon.”

In a distorted world with little magic, it went inot hibernation, but the directions the departing “Souls” takes went wrong.

It was supposed to be born in the future, but it still responded to it.

Human “Desire” dug it out.

“… …”

I raised my golden bat wings to the sky.

“Wings! Where are you going, Yuzu?”

I heard Onzada-kun’s voice, but ignored it, there was something I needed to confirm.

While flying high into the air, there were huge cities all over the place.

I recognized the [Presence]… when I looked through my eyes, I saw a huge thing overlapping with the town.

The center of culture, the city that doesn’t sleep. A huge city recognized all over the world.

Desire… Longing… Emptyness… those feelings gathered, human selfishness created this [Presence] in this world.

A true [G.o.d] born only in this world, from a new, human ideal…

“… [True G.o.d – Tokyo]…”

Author’s Notes:

Next time, the army of G.o.d versus the Devil’s army will begin!