Chapter 9: End of a rule
10:14 AM (Japan Time), Saturday October the 23rd…
"Morning! Why did you tell us to come here, Subaru – kun? Knowing you, it must be important, right?"
"He's got tickets for a new horror film!"
"Come on, Gonta – kun… Be serious."
"That guy can only think of food!"
"I have an idea of what it's about…"
"My, my!"
"Probabilities of a surprise happening clock at 95%..."
"Buro~! Snap outta it, Gonta!"
"I bring disaster along! That of yesterday evening had to be my work, too!
"What? You mean that murder in Akita City in which the author wrote the Alphabet letter "A" in the victim's back because he was named Ames? Come on. That's gotta be a lunatic's work, War Rock!"
"That means that Ms. Pres did it!"
"WHA~T?"
"Jeez. I mean a crazy guy! Don't take things literally!"
"Akatsuki will have to go survive Queen Tia's Royal Diet of Death!"
"Is that how he calls it? Jeez. He and his sarcasm…"
The group had gathered in the school's gym.
"Sorry for the delay. Here we are!"
"Tsukasa – kun!?"
"It's been a long time…"
"They finally found you!"
Akatsuki walked in, pushing Tsukasa's wheelchair.
Tsukasa wore a brown winter coat over his clothes.
He also had a wool cap and gloves.
"Don't worry about this. It's temporary. I'll soon begin rehabilitation!"
"Thank goodness!"
"He came back a few days ago, but asked to keep it a secret until he had enough strength to come meet you… Don't ask him many questions, though, because it was a nasty experience…" Akatsuki explained.
"Understood!"
"Akatsuki! Trouble!"
"What trouble, Mr. Ogami?"
"The clown has snuck through my defensive lines!"
"What!?"
Akatsuki replied to a call on a transceiver he carried and gasped.
"The actors have finally been gathered! Time for the scriptwriter to make an appearance! Today I win! That bothersome Rock Man will be deleted!"
"By all the… Not the clown again!"
They gasped upon seeing Phantom Black standing on the balcony over the main stage.
"Hyde… Stop bothering us and go collect lilies!" Subaru growled.
"Is that…?" Tsukasa asked.
"A bandit!" Luna cursed.
"One of the Mu Continent crisis instigators… Phantom Black! Real name: Hyde!" Kizamaro announced.
"The Mu Continent crisis? I remember that! It was before I was abducted, and when I last met Subaru – kun!" Tsukasa gasped.
"Today I win!"
"Not so fast, you lowlife!"
"Burai! You lowlife~!"
"That's my motto!"
Burai had showed up from behind Phantom Black and began to deliver some kicks and punches to him while also striking his armor using the Laplace Blade.
"Relax. It's an ally!" Akatsuki told them.
"I thought that that man was dangerous, though?"
"Hyde? Not really! The clown is predictable and stupid!"
"I heard that!" Phantom Black growled.
"Don't you dare to run away. The battle isn't over yet. I'll defeat you!"
"Bring it on, bludger!" Phantom Black taunted.
"Did you think that using Australian slang is gonna have any effect at all on the guy's behavior, Hyde?" Phantom sighed.
"Hyde! When that crazy guy reaches the "H" letter then they'll be coming for ya~!" War Rock laughed.
"Wha~t?" Phantom Black growled.
"Hmpf. Eat this!"
Burai delivered an array of kicks and punches all over the foe's body.
The foe growled while he tried to use the stick to block some of them and not recoil so much.
Burai hit his lower jaw, he lost balance and fell into the ground.
"Activate! "Vanishing"!"
A familiar eyeball device formed next to Burai and formed a black hole with a purple edge on the ground.
Phantom Black sunk into it and tried to use his stick to cling to the ground.
Burai dived into the hole, too, and yanked his neck from behind.
"I WILL HAVE REVENGE~!"
"Shut up!"
The hole and the device vanished after both fell inside of it.
"Don't worry. It's but a warp device… Burai took the clown to somewhere isolated to give them a lesson with no-one to interfere…"
"Sorry. I was distracted because a swarm of Viruses assaulted a nearby device and the programs!" Wolf Forest apologized.
"No-one's perfect. Let's be more careful, though!" Akatsuki sighed.
"We shall deploy additional barriers…" Acid announced.
"I've been too careless, with my attention taken away by the fugitive…"
"At least it's not Prisoner 426, come from the future to change history!"
War Rock appeared on mid-air and laughed again.
"I'm sure it's not something funny to begin with. Maybe you wanted 150 consecutive battles with Viruses that have 999HP each?" He challenged.
War Rock gasped and nervously looked around before vanishing.
"At least I found a new way to keep tabs on the man!" He sighed.
"Mr. Akatsuki. Could you please take a photo?"
"Naturally!"
He placed the wheelchair before the stage as the others took position around him.
"Say cheese!"
"CHEESE!"
"Wonderful!"
10:22 AM (Japan Time)…
"… Mr. Amachi! It's terrible, sir!"
"What happened, Utagai – kun?"
"T-the vending machine, sir…! The can compartment is full of blood and there's a severed human hand inside, sir…!"
"WHAT?"
"What, what?"
"A human hand!?"
"The Akita murdered showed up here?"
"Impossible!"
Utagai, who was pale, ran into the Command Room and raised the alarm, to everyone's shock and consternation.
"No one panic!" The Chief commanded.
"Calm down!" Dr. Yoiri added.
"How did that thing end there?" Daigo wondered.
"Send someone to check it out!"
"Chief, sir! They're holograms, sir!" An officer reported.
"Kuroban's idea of a cruel joke?" The Chief cursed.
"It could be! Sir!"
"Or rather…" Queen Tia muttered.
"Catching up, Royal Highness? The Kansai Butcher has come here~!"
"War Rock. That was of a very poor taste, and you know it!"
Omega showed up behind Queen Tia as the whole room was filled with sighs and grumblings.
"Leonel! What have you done now?"
"Ask Brad Shad! He was busy playing with Kiboyama!"
"Blood's on a patrol, Kiboyama is in Kodama Town and Sigma went for a patrol as well! We must TALK about these escapades and about setting off fake alarms!" Vadous growled.
"Tell that to Moon Ace as well!"
The purple gateway formed behind War Rock and pulled him inside before it closed, and everyone sighed in relief at getting rid of him.
"How childish!" Queen Tia sighed.
"Really…" Daigo fumed.
"Thank goodness it wasn't real!" Utagai muttered.
"That was so idiotic…" Cygnus grumbled.
"We all agree with that…"
"What happened? I was in the break room when I heard the fuss!"
"Rocky was being a kid again, Misora…"
"Sheesh. It had to be him!"
Misora rushed into the room, but Harp explained what had happened.
"Guess he needs another endless battle as punishment!"
"By the way! Sir! The fortuneteller said Cancer is lucky today!"
"You're an engineer, Utagai – kun. You're going to rely on that?"
"Feels like a contradiction…" Cygnus sighed.
"Maybe we need Cancer Bubble to patrol, too…"
"Wouldn't hurt to ask him… The more fighters, the better…"
"OK. I'll go join the others and go greet Tsukasa – kun, too…"
"Enjoy. Let's resume the analysis, gentlemen!" Daigo encouraged.
That armored jerk doesn't scare me! Hibiki Misora has spoken!
23:39 PM (Japan Time)…
THUD!
"… Did you do it?"
"True. This foolish elder is no more!"
"I'd rather say this gramps got busted!"
"What foolishness! One man to rule the world? Secret maneuvers? Complots, deposition of governments, internal sabotage, spies? Cowards! Wars over resources? No! Wars are fought to defend your territory from the invader. Why do you think battlements were erected, if not? And the world is not property of a single fool!"
"As always, ya are right in everything. But since I owe ya big, then I'm interested in tagging around. That's our deal, right?"
"It is, Gray…"
Kuroban, loomed over a man lying face-up on the ground.
The man could be his 60s given his gray hair and facial wrinkles.
He wore white cape and blue silk clothes decorated with golden patterns.
A cauterized sword burn could be seen on the middle of his chest.
"Gotta say your forms rocks!"
"Hmpf. Thanks for the compliment…."
The armor was purple on the outer edges but black on the center.
The helmet design was compact and thick.
The helmet body was purple and black.
Black shades covered his eyes.
There was silver plating surrounding the neck.
A green symbol shaped after a unicursal hexagram and having runes written on its circular edge was painted on the forehead.
The same symbol was set on the middle of his chest.
His shoulders were black ellipsoids with purple outer edges and green, fluorescent runic symbols drawn over them.
His arms "skin" was black and the armor over the forearms had an external golden rim from which three parallel golden lines extended until the fingertips.
The feet armor started at the knees and used purple for the outer edges.
Silver lines extended parallel to each other until the feet fingertips.
The unarmored body "skin" was also black and had intricate green, fluorescent patterns running down its sides, front and rear.
"Things are about to turn interesting, yessir!"
Kuroban's companion, "Gray", couldn't be seen because he stood in an unlit corner of the square room.
The room had white tiles in the floor, ground and ceiling.
Two closed oak doors were set on the western wall.
The eastern one had a large world map drawn on it.
The south wall had two open balcony doors.
The north end of the room had an elevated platform with three stone steps climbing until they reached a white marble throne.
"Now I shall dispose of the body. The fools down there will eventually begin to think of what could have happened. Yet, when I reveal myself, they will already have assumed that I was chosen to replace this elder. Ultimate Orb! Warp!"
A spheroid with four corners colored blue, green, brown and purple became visible.
It had two black, metallic rings circling it vertically and horizontally.
The spheroid lodged on the center of the chest armor.
The whole thing hovered into the air and emitted a golden glow.
"Destination! Pacific Ocean! Random Point! Execute Program! Aayos muteous yazei! Let the Royal Authority express its will!"
A circle with a purple edge formed around the corpse.
The ground inside of it displayed an aerial view of somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, where a storm was happening.
"Sink and never rise again! Foolish elder!"
The corpse "sunk" into the image and the circle vanished.
Kuroban lifted the "Ultimate Orb" to be over his head.
"That whelp out there must be wondering what happened on Wednesday. Maybe those clever guys will catch up, but it'll be way too late by then!"
"Obviously. I realized that you had potential which could be unleashed and so I used the technology that I found at the "flying palace" to allow for you to gain it. And the new form I have given you should be enough to complement it! Close the balcony doors. We do not need the rain to soak the room, Gray…"
"I don't mind being called "Gray", but my real name is Futaba Hikaru! Maybe I should change it by something cooler!"
Futaba Hikaru came out of the spot while toying with a strange device, which he had on his right hand.
He wore the same style of clothes Tsukasa did, yet his eyes' irises were red.
"I just thought of one! I'll be Eisei Aaron! From now on, I'll be Eisei Aaron!"
He brought the left hand to his chin and came up with a name.
"So be it. Eisei…"
He closed the balcony doors while pulling the curtains shut, too.
Kuroban climbed up the steps and sat down on the throne.
"Ya had never sat down on one before, right?"
"How could I? My father was still alive when the last battle. Only the real King could be allowed to sit on it. Close family members stood at his sides, but vassals had to kneel in front of the first step without touching it!"
"Aren't those weapons bulky?"
"True. Program Cancellation! Aristeros Shield! Dexia Sword!"
The shield and sword dematerialized while Eisei pocketed something on his pants' right pocket.
"So… What now?
"We both need to train. I have only battled for real once. And you still must get used to your new form in which you have to battle alone and no longer worry about coordinating with your other half… We shall be busy. And once we are ready, then the real thing will begin…"
"By "real stuff", do you mean that "Elite Unit" which you told me that you were intended in creating, partner?" Eisei guessed.
"Correct, Gray. An "Elite Unit" trained in the usage of the transformation! If you want to defeat the enemy and turn the tides then use their techniques against them! I guess that Burai would have a terrific outburst of anger seeing how others can copy his power, and spitting at his feet… Or, rather, at the foolish Mu Empire! I would love to see his face, but I am afraid it shall not happen. And you know the reason I built that machine, right? Gray?"
"Of course! Tsukasa… You were too much of a whelp! At least you unwillingly provided me with something interesting and entertaining during that endless darkness… I've learned several arts and I will put them to good use one day…" Eisei muttered.
"I see that you are motivated. My research proved that nobody lives in this floor of the building and access is restricted. We can procure everything we need easily. We can choose a room each and I am sure there shall be plenty of others to use for future "Elite Unit" members. Everything is proceeding just as planned! Hmpf. The knowledge that that "Overlord" left behind sure was useful…!"
"We can create a fake document to tell the cook that we're in charge, too! I know modern food, too, and I could go buy groceries. The organization that this gramps leaded has huge pockets. Who's gonna miss a small meaningless portion to begin with?" Eisei suggested next.
"Clever reasoning, Gray. Now… Let us see who will challenge me! Come at me, foolish plebeians! The "High One" is thirsting for your blood! And then His thirst shall be soothed!" Kuroban eagerly exclaimed.
"Those who try to play clever get a ticket to the Beyond. Come anytime~! I'll pound ya a hundred times! I'm invincible, ya see~! And ya can't hope to go back alive~! We'll rise to power!"
"Wonderful motivation, Gray…"
"How couldn't I? I'm finally freed from the shackles that hindered me!"
"Shackles? Interesting choice of words…"
"I won't ask questions about where you come from or such. Simply tell me what's to be done, and I'll do it…"
"Excellent. I see that that darkness did make you stronger…"
"Too bad I can't go say "thanks" to that Tanaka rascal, but oh well…"
"Matters not. As you said, you will have chances to make use of it…"
"Of course, it's strictly at a personal level. I won't involve you on it…"
"That is the behavior of an adult man, indeed…"
"Adult man? Sure. Why not…"
He rubbed his chin with the left hand, amused at Kuroban's compliments while Kuroban merely intercrossed his fingers.
"Let us show those fools what real power is about…"
"Delighted. They'll be pleading for mercy!"
"The might of the On'Setsu shall be reborn!"
THE END