Chapter 32:

Xúmat (Eschaton), Part III

Knights of the Monad

While Sachiko remained planted firmly where she was seated atop the Kotsu-Oh, Noe and Justo gripped on to its antlers for dear life. Their stomachs felt every lurching turn, their faces the whipping wind, their arms and shoulders cold mist mixed with a burning strain (and Noe’s more so because she was also trying to keep Byakko-maru from slipping out of her hands).

“I SHOULDA LISTEEEEEENED!” screamed Noe.

“Quiet,” said Sachiko. “I need to focus. Hang on with everything you’ve got.”

“I’M ALREADY DOING THAT!”

“Then keep doing it,” Sachiko strained out. Turning back ahead, she stuck the index of her right finger out, and clasped it with her left hand.

“S—Sachi!” shouted Justo. “Is that your mudra?! This summon’s gotta be takin’ enough of a toll on you already! If you go any further…!”

“I can handle it!” shouted Sachiko back. “I know I’ve messed up before, but this’ll only be a few seconds…”

“…Then take my energy, too.”

Against one of the many little fractalizing branches of the Kotsu-Oh’s antler, Justo pressed his thumb until blood began to flow. He smeared this on his index and middle fingers, and then, bracing one arm fully around the antler, took the blood-smeared fingers and pressed them directly against Sachiko’s eye. Crimson intermingled with yellow, but did not mix; the streaks running down her cheek turned into swirling helixes of blood and gold.

Sachiko blinked. Justo’s hold on the antler began to relax, but Sachiko reeled him in, spreading him out over her lotus-seated legs. Then, pinning him down with her elbows, she re-formed the mudra and took up her mantra.

Noumaku Samanda Bazaradan…

KAN!

A flash of white slowly swallowed up the Kotsu-Oh.

In the next instant it re-appeared, flashing back into being. As the light traveled past Azazel, one could witness the Kotsu-Oh’s tail coiling around its legs, and its body constricting the majin’s trunk and arms. Azazel, forced to stop in its tracks, let out an unholy bleat once again and pushed back against the dragon’s grip.

Meanwhile, the Kotsu-Oh’s head came level with Azazel’s, and Sachiko level with Niiro. Noe, still bracing her own antler, slowly opened her eyes as she came to the realization that they had stopped moving.

“Numasaki!” Sachiko called out. “Ijyuin can’t fight! He transferred all his energy to me! Please!”

Pushing herself away from the antler, Noe took in the situation. There, sitting before her, was Sachiko. It was clear that she was the one in control of the Kotsu-Oh, and, though this beast had the upper hand, that she and it were struggling. Sachiko’s eyes were bloodshot, and tears of blood flowed from one eye, gold from the other; her teeth were clenched, her nerves shot, the veins at her temples ready to burst at any moment. On her lap was Justo, barely conscious and fighting to get up, though Sachiko would not let him.

They were suffering.

Down on the ground below, Shunji, Merry, and Leonor were likely suffering along with them, anxious yet powerless over their fate here.

Out in the streets, the people of Kokura were suffering, frightened by the earthquakes and believing they would never be able to return home again.

Along with them the emergency personnel were suffering, working tirelessly in spite of the hour to evacuate the city.

In the pit, in the crypt of Don Francisco, Karen Koizumi was suffering, abandoned and without reason to live.

Back home in Seikyo, Patricio and Rocco were likely suffering, wondering when Noe would finally come back home.

Before Noe, atop the crest of Azazel’s head, Jotaro Niiro was suffering, hardly even a shadow of a man now; swallowed up by darkness, with only a sliver of light left in him.

Within Noe, Chigadaira Torajiro was suffering, his soul seeking rest and release after four hundred years.

And Noe suffered right along with them.

For she wanted to put an end to all this.

Her heart raced. Her breaths grew long and deep. Her right hand felt like it might break Byakko-maru’s hilt, or be broken first.

She took one step forward. Then another, passing Sachiko now. Niiro took heed of this. The damage being taken by Azazel was very clearly reflected in him, as he grunted with each step he took toward the head of the Kotsu-Oh, but he was undaunted.

Not even a foot of open air separated them now.

Chigadaira, thought Noe, help me end this.

Her skin glowed a soft, rosy hue.

VWSSSSH!

Seven, eight feet Noe’s body soared into the air, tumbling over but quickly righting itself; Byakko-maru primed for one final swing.

BOOM!

Earth flew up before her in clumps, in a cloud. But she had not struck flesh; Niiro had fallen back. Noe looked up. Through the dust, she saw a faint glimmer, glowing brighter, brighter—

TING!

A long blade of dark steel cut through. Noe barely had enough time to bring her sword upright to guard, and she was driven back by the sheer force of Niiro’s rush nonetheless, pinned against one of Azazel’s rocky horns.

The dust cleared. Blood gushed forth from Niiro’s crown and spilled forth from his eyes, still a bright red in spite of the anti-aura about him. The blade with which he strove against Noe was fixed to his right arm, jutting out from his wrist. And, on his left, there was another—

SHNK!

Noe tried to dodge, but something cold brushed against her rib. Then it turned hot. Blood gushed out from her side. She cried out in pain and dropped Byakko-maru.

“NOE!!!” shouted Sachiko.

Now, unarmed, her only support the horn of Azazel, Niiro drew his right arm back, ready to deliver the finisher to Noe. But then he halted. Lowered the blade and laughed.

“Ahhh, I forgot,” he said, though it did not sound like his voice was alone. “You’re not a mage. There’s no value in spilling your blood. But I know what there is value in…”

The general hunched down.

“Chigadaira. For your sin of having aided these mages, let’s see how you like being cleft from your host by your own blade.”

He picked up Byakko-maru.

He picked up Byakko-maru?!

“And I’m sure,” he continued, “this will be far from the most innocent person this sword’s life has—”

Drip.

Drops of white fell from Niiro’s arm, releasing vapors as they hit the earth below.

“What?”

“What—What is this… NO! Why won’t you—MY HAND! OPEN, DAMMIT!”

Niiro’s hand had melted around the hilt of Byakko-maru, engulfed in flame.

“RRRRRGHH! No, don’t go any furth—YEAAAAAARGH!!!”

Once the flames reached the sleeve of his jacket they spread quickly, turning the man into an effigy. He flailed, screamed, rolled around, but to no avail. Noe could only watch as the aura around him slowly faded, giving way the sight of his face boiling and melting away in turn.

“My…war…” he eked out. “WARRRRRRRRRR!!!”

His lungs gave out. He collapsed to the ground, sword still clutched in his molten grip.

And, in similar fashion to Niiro’s own body, the giant earthen body of Azazel began to crumble apart, splitting under the coils of the Kotsu-Oh.

“Shit! NOE!” Sachiko piloted the Kotsu-Oh once again, boring its head through that of the goat’s, and scooping Noe up in turn.

Now the dragon climbed into the sky, untwisting itself, before shooting back down to the earth. It roosted upon the clearing where the dirt road and the old ruined monastery sat, and then it too dissipated into a mere pile of bones and dirt, some fifty feet wide and ten feet high.

Sachiko knelt down, the bones reaching up to her thighs. At her right, Justo lay unconscious, but breathing. Sharing his magic energy with her had sapped him of his physical energy as well, but he would recover. At her left was Noe, curled on her side in a fetal position. Her breathing was shallow, and she clutched her wound, staining her hands and the bones she was laying on in blood.

“NOE!!!”

Sachiko rushed over to her and rolled her on her back. She yelped in pain.

“Sachiko… It…hurts…” she managed to say through heavy gasps.

“I know, just hang in there!” Sachiko searched through her jacket. Surely her fuda slips were still there, right?

Yes!

She leafed through them, drew one out of the stack, and lifted Noe’s shirt up to where the wound was.

“Alright, Noe, this might hurt for a sec.”

She stuck the fuda slip directly over the gash. Noe flinched again, and the fuda began to soak up blood.

But before long, it stopped. Noe’s face relaxed.

“Better…already…”

“Good. …Wait, your AURA!!!”

“Wuh…?”

“Your aura’s gone. Which means… NO! Hang in there, Noe! Don’t die on me, PLEASE!”

Tears began to well up in Sachiko’s eyes.

“…What did you say?”

“NOEEEE!”

Noe held a finger up to Sachiko’s mouth.

“Sssh. Not you. Chigadaira. …Really? …You’re fine with this? …Okay. Take care.”

“…What the?”

“Chigadaira’s leaving,” said Noe, with a smile on her face.

Sachiko looked all around her, hoping to see a trace of the ghost somewhere. Instead, she caught Shunji, Merry, and Leonor, all rushing into the clearing and up the steep pile. Merry got to them first.

“Sachiko-chan!” she called. “Are you all alright?!”

Sachiko nodded. “Yeah, we’re fine.”

But her words did not stop Merry from panicking upon seeing Noe and Justo lying next to her.

“Oh, my God!” she cried. “Noe! Justinho! What happened to them?!”

“I…I’m fine,” Noe eked out.

“Ijyuin gave his energy to me,” said Sachiko, pointing to her still-bloodshot eye. “Noe fought with Niiro…and killed him. It’s over.”

Shunji arrived next.

“Numasaki!” he exclaimed. “Sachiko! Her aura’s gone! What’s the meaning of…”

Sachiko looked back down at Noe.

“You’ll have to ask her to find out.”

But before he could do so, Merry broke down and knelt by Noe, weeping aloud and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, my God…” she said. “Noe… I’m so sorry…”

Leonor arrived last. Her eyes widened with shock upon seeing her friend wounded.

“Noe…” she muttered, then clenched her fist. “That bastard… He’s gonna pay for—”

“Niiro’s dead, Yang,” interrupted Sachiko.

“What…? Really?!”

BONG!

Somewhere in the neighborhood, a church bell rang out through the quiet of the morning air. The Knights, curious to see what was going on, turned to see what was going on. Noe, following them, rolled her head over to the side.

Police barricades had been propped up all around the mountain, but up against them the people of Kokura, having returned from their evacuation, formed a thick crowd, thousands strong, stretching all the way back into the hazy morning mist. And that was another thing to note: it was morning. The sun’s light, though dulled by the fog, had prevailed over the night once again.

BONG!

The bell tolled again.

BONG!

…

Six times it tolled in all, and then fell silent. Six o’clock. The Angelus bell. Many in the crowd fell to their knees. Others simply stood with their arms crossed, their heads bowed. They prayed as one.

Noe, too, said a silent prayer in her heart; for the souls of all those who had lost their lives, for her friends gathered here, for her family, and for all the people she could see out in the throng.

Then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Merry Anjos メリー案徐洲, 21

Justo Ijyuin ジュスト伊集院, 16

Sergio Inouye シェルジョ井上, 61 ✝

Sachiko Godoh 後堂福禄子, 17

Shunji Godoh 後堂瞬次, 19

Julio Hasegawa ジュリョ長谷川, 37

So Hayakawa 早川宗, 35

Sho Hayakawa 早川尚, 35

Karen Koizumi (née Dokkakuji) 小泉 (独覚寺) 火蓮, 23

Haruki Kuroda 黒田春樹, 33 ✝

Gensuke Minamoto 源原助, 65