The Eternal Tale

The Eleventh Chapter - Some Things Have To Be Caused

"Things don't look good, do they?"

Aoi's even tone was rather at odds with her statement, but she had never been one to give in to panic. And that remained true even though their group was outnumbered five-to-two in terms of effective combatants. She simply crossed her arms and continued to observe the two separate battles that Sakura and Keisei were fighting.

Shion raised up her sketchbook in her customary manner. It was a method of communication that everyone had already grown completely accustomed to. (If only we could do something to help them!)

"It sure looks like we can only watch, Itou-san. President! Why are we still in a situation where the three of us don't have our powers yet?" Ken questioned Mikado, who was standing next to the group of observers.

"Who knows? That's not a question that you should ask a servant of the 'story'. There's nothing I can do. If you really want to help them, then just believe in them with all your heart. It sounds ridiculous, but I've seen more than one miracle happen from something due to something as meaningless as that. No matter what, 'story'-like actions will always be the right choice here."

So said the student council president who claimed that there was nothing he could do. It was quite a surprising amount of advice.


Ugh! I so sure that I was dead! Then again, with this famous regeneration of mine, I'm still somehow hanging on. It doesn't make for much of a cliffhanger, huh?

A constant torrent of blood flowed freely from between Sakura's fingers as she clutched at her wound.

The deep gash on Sakura's body was so gruesome that it utterly disfigured the image of a cute girl like her, but thankfully nobody was really watching her. Such a grievous wound would have normally knocked out any high school girl, but Sakura found herself quite conscious, and was maintaining her flight with no problems. Even the sense of pain that should have accompanied the wound was not entirely unbearable. It was most likely yet another side-effect of the 'ability' that the story had granted. Normal teenagers would never be able to fight in battles like these without some suppression of their sense of pain and fear.

But still, that was not to say that she was unaffected by Asagiri's attack. That was far from the truth. Even with her superhuman constitution and regeneration, 'damage' was still a concept that existed for her. Alll it meant was that she could recover from it, given enough time. Nor was she truly immortal - this was something that she knew instinctively. In other words, it was very much possible for her to die if she took a few more of these attacks.

It'd be great if I could buy some time for my wounds to recover, but I guess that won't work out well, huh?

She was truly at a loss over her next move. Regeneration was an ability suited towards long battles, but Asagiri's [Elsword] had the ability to strengthen itself with each swing, rendering it impossible for her to win the war of attrition. Charging head-on at him seemed like the best answer in light of that, but Asagiri was quite clearly more powerful than her in his current state.

Sakura took a deep breath and eyed the giant metal blade that Asagiri held.

Seriously, just what should I do next?!


"You can't run forever, Keisei-kun!"

Asa called out after him in a light-hearted manner.

She sounds like an obsessive stalker, Keisei thought as his legs continued sprinting. It was quite a frivolous thought in light of his current situation. Numerous spheres of red light filled the space around him, resembling a galaxy of crimson stars. They were no different from the initial sphere that Asa had summoned - other than their greater numbers - and thus Keisei knew just how to deal with them, thanks to those eyes of his.

[Material Ruler] was an ability that had to be controlled. The type of readings it gave were determined by the user, and Keisei had used it to determine the composition of Asa's ability - [Future Nova]. From there he had discovered that the red spheres were composed of hydrogen gas, and after that he had tried his luck with one more type of reading.

'The time left until the explosion of the gas'. Keisei had aimed for that. He had been reasonably confident that it would work - in the end it was still 'time', a easily expressed quantity, that he was trying to measure with his eyes.

And it had succeeded. Looking at the 'time left', Keisei had realized the true nature of Asa's ability quite easily. 27.8 seconds until explosion. Quite a lengthy period of time in a battle like this. He could have escaped from the blast radius with no problem. After all, Asa was relatively close by, and she was not likely to get herself hurt by her own ability.

But the initial sphere had been just that - the beginning of Asa's assault. The busty girl kept firing more of the same kind of ball from her hand, each taking up a different location. Passing his eyes over them, Keisei saw a multitude of different timers on each sphere. Each one had a time lag of at least a couple of seconds.

Creating time bombs with individual fuse times - the spirit of [Future Nova] was probably something like that. No two bombs would explode at once, but it looked like Asa was quite unrestricted when it came to the number of bombs she could create.

With just a few glances, Keisei had been able to figure out all of this. Any other person would have still been stuck wondering what the function of those red spheres were, but that was exactly the type of ability [Material Ruler] was. It did not provide much direct combat potential, but it was also able to defang the opponent by figuring out their ability. In that sense, it was unlike any other ability that had been exhibited thus far.

And thus began Keisei's dance with death.

Okay, look at the timers...

Shockwaves battered Keisei's body as he started running, with the spheres exploding magnificently into brilliant yellow crosses behind him, one by one. Even the form of the explosion was surreal...but Keisei was quite sure that they would be just as lethal as a regular explosion if he got hit by one. The waves of heat that washed over him even as he dodged the explosions were no joke.

Due to the time difference and the pattern that Asa had placed on her bombs, it was still very possible for him to evade the blast radius of each bomb. Dodge an explosion, look carefully amongst the sea of spheres that surrounded him, identify the next one, and move away from that. It was a cycle that was actually easier to repeat than it sounded, because Asa had chained her bombs such that the bombs would explode sequentially. In other words, after an explosion, the next sphere that was set to explode would be right next to the previous one.

But that's actually a bad thing, damnit, Keisei grumbled in his mind.

Asa's intent was quite clear to him. The gradually detonating spheres were easy enough to evade, but they were also directing his path of motion. After all, he was forced to move away from the string of explosion. Finding himself unwittingly guided by the bombs, Keisei knew that he was dancing on the palm of Asa's hand. But there was nothing he could really do about it, either. And as he continued down the path laid out for him...

He ran into the inevitable obstacle that he knew he would meet, right from the start.

With a bomb behind him due to explode in a second, he saw yet another sphere right in front of him that would explode in three. It was the same sphere that Asa had placed right at the beginning, and the same sphere that he had been conscious of during this entire deadly sequence of events. He had known all along that Asa's plan was to lead him back to this bomb, but there had simply been no opportunity for him to do anything about it. His hands were already full with dodging one bomb at a time.

With death awaiting ahead and chasing up behind, Keisei was left with two options. He shrugged and picked left, jumping away.

He still had enough leeway to avoid getting caught up directly in either of the ensuring explosions, but the shockwaves slammed into him - first from behind, then from the front. It was akin to getting invited to a game of tennis with two giants, with yourself as the ball.

Ugh. Am I dead? Well, of course not. Not if I can think that.

Keisei slowly picked himself up off the ground, getting to his knees. The damage that he had taken was considerable, but luckily it seemed as though nothing had been broken just yet. Of course, the amount of pain that he was experiencing could not be ignored either, but...

This is too unnatural. It should be hurting more than this.

It was not the first time that he was experiencing this, but Keisei could not help but still be bothered. Pain was the body's way of warning a person that they were reaching their limit - dulled senses would only make their battles even more dangerous. It also had to be said that their physical endurance was similarly enhanced by the 'story', which suited the reduced sense of pain, but Keisei did not like it at all.

"I told you you couldn't run forever, Keisei-kun."

Asa strolled over towards him, as red spheres continued to wink into place next to her during her walk. The sweet smile on her face made Keisei feel somewhat sickened.

"You know...Are you messed up in the head?"

The smile disappeared in an instant, and Asa frowned. It was a simple reaction and exactly how you would expect a normal person to react.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"You just tried to kill someone, you know. How can you not feel anything about that?"

"Of course I don't really want to kill anyone, but surely you got the same kind of talk we did. It's not so easy for someone to die in this school," she replied with a shrug.

Keisei nodded in response. He had already expected that they knew that as well. "That's true, but you never know. What if you do accidentally end up killing me? You can't tell me that you'll be okay with that."

Asa tilted her head. "Well...I've considered that too, of course. But the boss told me that you're really strong and won't die so easily, so I didn't hold back. Was that wrong of me?"

DAMN YOU, AMAKAWA!

With his true frustrations vented out in his mind, Keisei coughed and redirected his attention to the situation. He had discovered that the 'villains' - or Ikeda Asa, at least - had not 'lost themselves to the story' in the way that Sakura had during the fight against Toudou Hayato. The plan that he had just thought of could very well work, but he needed more information -

"Besides, if you really think about it, this power of mine isn't really suited for killing people, you know? Fire and explosions and stuff just aren't lethal in a 'story'. So you probably won't die, Keisei-kun." Asa winked at him cheerfully. She raised her hand again and yet more spheres blazed into being next to her. She was probably preparing to make a more concentrated attack to finish him off.

"Well, thanks. At least I know you're normal." Keisei replied with a humourless smile. He took stock of the situation. He had no way of overcoming Asa's power by himself, and he could not even get close to her, thanks to all of those explosions. Offence was impossible, and he already knew that he could not dodge her explosions forever, so even a defensive strategy would only be fruitless. It was just as he had suspected.

There is no way for me to win. I can't win. I can't win, but -


Just as Sakura was pondering her next move, a sudden development saved her from having to make a choice with no right answer. Namely, the appearance of Keisei. He was, from the looks of it, running towards her as quickly as he could. Behind him, a continuous chain of explosions provided the reason for his haste.

"You don't look like you're doing so well, Hayami-san," he said as he got close to her.

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "Neither do you," she replied.

Keisei was still panting hard from all of the physical exertion that had been required of him.

"I really don't want to hear that from someone who's almost sliced in half," he muttered. Getting jibed about his physical capabilities by a girl rubbed his ego the wrong way.

"I'm a vampire! I won't die so easily. More importantly, is it okay for you to just stop here like this? Those explosions looked pretty serious." Sakura herself was still flying and did not have to worry as much about the spheres that Asa were summoning at ground level.

"She won't recklessly use her ability with her ally around," Keisei said as he eyed Asagiri, who looked somewhat surprised at Keisei's sudden entrance. "Besides, her explosions are on a timer, like time bombs. I can see them with my [Material Ruler]."


"Wow, you sure messed up that vampire girl hard, Asagiri. You bad boy ~ " Asa grinned.

Asagiri shook his head furiously. "D-don't talk in lewd ways like that, Asa. I'm p-p-pretty wounded too. But my [Elsword] - as you can see..."

He brandished the steel blade as though it weighed almost nothing in his hands.

"Mmhmm. Let's finish this, then."

The spheres of [Future Nova] shot out across the battlefield as Asagiri charged towards their enemies.


"So the plan is to avoid Asagiri as much possible?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. Just don't get hit by that guy with the giant sword. You might just get cut in half and lord knows regeneration isn't saving you from that. And if I get hit - "

Keisei drew a finger across his throat.

What he had said was very true, but Sakura failed to see how that strategy alone would be enough to let them win. They were outgunned by both of their counterparts. It sounded like Keisei wanted to focus on Ikeda Asa to take her out of the fight first, but that was much easier said than done. Nevertheless, Keisei had been right in their previous fight against Toudou Hayato, and Sakura found herself quite prepared to follow his instructions.

She thus led the charge, with Keisei following behind her more cautiously. Sweeping the area with his [Material Ruler], he said, "There aren't very many spheres that are set to explode immediately next to Ikeda. She probably plans to prioritize attacking rather than defending due to how confident she is. Just follow my instructions and we'll be able to take her out, Hayami-san."

Sakura nodded. Rising high up in the air, she prepared for a diving attack. Once she arrived at the apex of her ascent, she angled her body downwards and moved in a blur, resembling a human-shaped rocket. With her 'trauma' overcome, there would be no hesitation on her part this time. On the ground, Keisei gave her the directing signal for the path she should follow, pointing with his finger.

But of course, the final combatant in this fight could hardly be ignored so easily. Asagiri closed the distance with prodigious speed and leapt into the air, chasing down Sakura in the blink of an eye. He grasped his sword with a two-handed grip and prepared for a powerful thrust -

Sakura snapped her fingers while in mid-descent, and out of nowhere a dark ball spiralled into place right in front of Asagiri, splitting up to form her trademark bats. Asagiri himself would have no problem dealing with the bats, but they still formed an almost entirely solid wall of bodies that he could not circumvent immediately. With the bats forcibly stopping Asagiri's momentum, Sakura had free reign to go after Asa and did precisely just that. There were a few spheres in her path, but Keisei had already said that they would not explode.

And yet, with less than a metre to go, Asa only had one thing to say. "What are you guys doing?"

One of the crimson spheres blossomed into a blinding, red-hot fireball.

Caught almost directly within the radius of the blast, Sakura had little time to react. She tried to reverse her direction as best as she could, but the blast was more than large enough to engulf her. When the explosion finally receded, the vampire simply fell like a crash-landing rocket, slamming into the ground.

It was testament to a vampire's regeneration and tenacity that she still managed to hang on to a sliver of consciousness even after that. It took tremendous effort, but she was able to look out of her corner of her eye. Her vision was slightly blurred, but there was no mistake. Keisei had been hit by the explosion as well, and was lying supine. His eyes were closed, and she could not detect any movement from him.

I hope he's not dead...But...how did that happen...Did they trick us somehow?

A multitude of question ran through her mind, but Sakura's body was not up to the task of allowing her to answer them. Her eyelids finally fell shut as her consciousness deserted her.


"Hmm."

Amakawa Daisuke's eyebrows rose and he flexed his fingers curiously. Flicking open his lighter, the winds around started to swirl and shift. In a few moments, the puff of fire from the lighter had been remodelled into a miniature figure of himself, complete with a tiny scar on its cheek.

The limiter on his powers had been removed.

The 'final boss' of the arc could not help but stare at the dark-haired boy lying on the floor.

Just what did you do, Hikage?

As much as he hated to admit it, Amakawa Daisuke was completely at a loss as to what was happening.


Ikeda Asa and Asagiri Kenji walked over to the fallen bodies of their enemies. Asa prodded Sakura's body with the tip of her shoe, but the vampire was quite clearly out cold.

"Looks like we've won, Kenji. What now? Gonna kill them?" she asked lightly.

Asagiri was so shocked that he nearly lost his grip on his weapon. "D-d-d-d-d-d-d-don't joke about things like that, Asa!"

"Well then, I guess I'll capture Keisei-kun. I mean, we have to do our job as the villains, after all?"

"Your t-t-true intent is written all over your face, Asa," Kenji replied, shaking his head. He turned to Sakura and raised his sword.

Asa had to ask. "Um? What are you doing, Kenji?"

"I-I have to make sure. I have to make sure. This girl has a vampire's powers, doesn't she? That means that she could come back any time. We can't risk that."

Asa had just been feeling curious earlier, but alarm bells were definitely ringing in the busty girl's head now. Asagiri did not even sound his usual, timid self. "Wait, so you're going to stab her like that?"

There was no response from him.

What? Kenji definitely isn't acting normal. Could it be Rina's possession? No, she didn't come anywhere near him, she couldn't have used [Matryoshka], and she wouldn't have a reason to control one of us...

A sudden recollection came to Asa.

At least I know you're normal. I didn't understand what Keisei-kun really meant at the time. So the 'story' is controlling him as a 'villain'? But I can't stop Kenji with my power, even if I know this. It's hardly effective against him, and I don't have much time!

And thus, Asagiri's [Elsword] was allowed to fall naturally on its path to severing Sakura's neck.

And accordingly -

A fan darted in underneath the blade, stopping its motion completely. Shortly after, a tendril of electricity zapped through the air, aimed straight at Asagiri, who barely dodged it with his enhanced speed.

A moment like that was nothing less than begging for an interruption.

"My, my. Surely you know how ungentlemanly it is to attack a woman? Especially when she's unconscious like that."

"You're the only person who would consider something like that here, Shinki-san."

Shinki Aoi and Takahiro Ken. Up until now, despite being part of the group of heroes, they, along with Itou Shion, had possessed no powers. It was necessary for them to be in a situation that fulfilled the necessary requirements. This was a 'story', after all. Everything is written for a reason. In other words, a reason had to be provided for their powers to awaken.

And the current desperate situation, needless to say, was more than fitting.

"You two. Your 'abilities' have awakened?" Asagiri questioned in that uncharacteristic cold tone of his.

"Yep," Ken replied. "Convenient, huh?"

"You don't say...So is this the benefit you get as the 'heroes'...?" Asa muttered. As she continued thinking the situation over in her mind, a sudden, unsettling suspicion came to her.

Could we have been the ones played like fools...?

It was a terrifying thought. But she did not have the time to spare on that right now.

In her hand, Shinki Aoi held onto a fan which had been durable enough to effortlessly ward off a strike from Asagiri's powered-up [Elsword]. As for Takahiro Ken - the mere sight of him was enough to shake even a battle-hardened warrior.

Lightning bolts crackled through the air around him, creating what seemed like an amorphous shroud of electric-blue death around his body. Countless tiny tendrils of lightning continued to spark from that conspicuous eyepatch of his, and they were so concentrated that it really seemed more like a solid mass of electricity had gathered around his eye.

A visage of sheer power.

"Well, in any case, the two of you have done quite a number on our comrades. You can't complain if we fight back, can you?" he asked.

Asagiri shook his head and readied [Elsword] with a flourish. "Of course not."

Ken grinned. "Let's go, then. Gather, [Supercell]!"

The electric shroud around him flared up, creating blinding levels of light. All around the room, it was possible to feel the shock of static against bare skin.

"Those boys over there are getting so fired up, aren't they?" Asa asked. She was talking to her female counterpart on the 'hero' side.

"It is only right to give your all in a serious battle, after all," Aoi replied, using her fan to shade her mouth as she spoke.

"Oh, really? You know...I really hate prim and proper girls like you."

The two girls stared at each other.

"Do not worry. I bear a special dislike towards women such as you as well. But, that's no reason for me to be rude, now is there? I'm not familiar with this just yet, but apparently it is only polite to announce the name of your 'ability'?" asked Aoi.

Asa folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "That's right. So what's your 'ability', oh Miss Prim-and-Proper?"

Aoi smiled and spread her fan out, bowing deeply.

"My name is Shinki Aoi. Allow me to welcome you to my performance - [A Comedy of Manners]."