※Below was translated by Sephallia. Thank you very much.
A slash that cuts magic―Null Blade.
A slash that projects outward―Extant Blade.
Those two techniques would be very reassuring in this situation, but I could use neither.
Even so, my heart remained strangely calm. In my last fight against the endless wave of monsters, I felt that I was on the verge of grasping something new.
And now, faced with Yunu, another formidable enemy, I felt that something was taking shape.
Neither null nor extant. Something in between―what if I could cut that boundary?
The world was defined by meaning and the divisions between. Boundaries exist between one thing and another, they serve to distinguish their respective meanings.
In that case, If I could destroy those boundaries―for that moment―I’d be able to cut everything.
(Power isn’t what I need. I also mustn’t rely solely on visual information.)
A slash ascertains and cuts through the boundary between one meaning and another. If I could do that, I could cut anything and everything.
(I must cut the very thing that makes something that thing. What’s important is ascertaining that boundary.)
I looked directly at Yunu. While she retreated to make space, she also fired off black orbs one after the next. Each orb on its own was lethal to me. If one so much as touched me, the fight was over. Swiftly dodging the orbs in the air, I took deep breaths, readying myself.
“Did you give up?”
“…”
“I see you no longer have the luxury to retort.”
“…”
“How bori―”
Everything seemed to grow distant, but close at the same time. Even distance itself had begun to lose its meaning. Now, in this moment, my heart reflected everything.
All around me were countless clusters that made up countless things. Within that, I sensed one edge that contained especially dense meaning. As conscientiously as I could, gently, ever gently, I severed that edge.
“!? Wha!?”
In that moment one of the black orbs vanished from existence and Yunu’s face twisted in her shock.
“… What did you do?”
“…”
I repeated the same, extinguishing the meaning of each and every orb that approached. As the orbs lost their meaning, they returned to null.
“Grh…”
“I see all, and within all is my victory. Surrender.”
“Don’t treat me as a fool!”
Yunu made many times more orbs than she’d ever created before, launching them all at me. I, however, remained calm.
“Huff…!”
With a sharp exhale and a swing of my sword, I connected the orbs at their shortest distance, extinguishing their meaning and returning them all to null. Cutting through nothing, cutting through something, cutting through meaning itself―I decided to name it Boundary Blade. The Boundary Blade was powerful, but because it required me to perceive the boundaries between meanings, the burden on my senses was extreme. It wasn’t something I could keep up for long.
However, without so much as hinting at that,
“Had enough yet?”
“Why you…!”
I calmly asked that question, causing Yunu to tremble in her anger as she yelled back.
I’d already cut her connection to the other demons, so her commands no longer reached the monsters. That said, it appeared the special providence she received was something that transcended meaning, so it was still in place.
But even then, I’d already become able to see the boundaries between Yunu and the world. If I cut that boundary, Yunu would meet her end. However, there was something else that shrouded her boundaries.
“Yunu, might you be disguising your true form?”
“… Sure, not that it matters.”
As she muttered that, her form began to shift. From that of an animal to that of an insect, almost like that of a queen bee.
“Your appearance, I feel as though I’ve seen it…?”
“You must’ve met my grandfather. My grandfather was one of the Three Great Archdukes.”
“You’re Rates’ granddaughter?”
Among the Three Great Archdukes, Rates was the demon with the strongest power. Mei, Rodd-sama and I had fought him together.
“… Hurry up and end it. At the end of the day, the strong prey on the weak and you’re stronger than I am, that’s all there is to it.”
“You have no intention to surrender peacefully?”
“I wanted to put an end to that natural law. Even if I were to live today, what would tomorrow bring? If all returns to nothing, we will finally have eternal peace. Why can’t you understand that?”
“…”
Even now, Yunu and her demons showed no intent to meet us halfway. The demons yearned for nothing while humans continued to yearn for something. Could that divide truly never be bridged?
"!? Simone!? Just how did you―”
The sudden voice had come from Simone, it seemed that she was using telepathy.
“Talk? But you know she’s a demon right?”
“…”
Admittedly I felt some resistance to the thought of allowing Yunu and Simone to talk. Of course I trusted Simone but she was a half demon herself. If they talked and Yunu somehow convinced Simone of her ideologies, I may regret that forever.
“―!”
Coexistence. Simone had been thinking about such a thing.
“I understand. Would it be enough to extend the telepathy to her?”
“Very well, I ask that you wait just a little longer.”
Ending my telepathic conversation with Simone, I returned my attention to Yunu.
“There’s someone that wants to talk to you.”
“Talk? Just what could there be to talk about at this stage?”
“I think it’ll be a worthwhile conversation. She’s half human and half demon, someone who’s lived looking from both perspectives.”
“―!”
Yunu’s expression entirely changed. Different from her gloom that had long grown tired of life, and the expression she’d shown me filled with hatred, it was one of pure surprise.
“… Just what are you saying will come from this conversation.”
“Well, we can only find out after having the conversation. Come along now, follow me.”
Flapping the wings on my back, I flew to guide Yunu. While Yunu appeared to hesitate, she eventually followed behind.
◆◇◆◇◆
When we returned to the checkpoint, I saw countless monsters on the ground. It appeared it was a hard fought victory here too. With the battle over, the injured soldiers had begun patching themselves up.
“―A demon!?”
Considering the circumstances, the resulting commotion was inevitable when we came into view. I raised my hand to stop them.
“She’s already been incapacitated. Simone wanted to talk to her, so I’m bringing along.”
“What is there to talk about! Do you even know how many died―!”
“It’s the same on the side of the demons.”
“But that doesn’t mean there’s any grounds for talks!”
“Kill and be killed, hate and be hated, I’m sick and tired of this cycle, do you feel differently?”
“―!”
“Simone said she wanted to find a way to coexist. If there truly is a way we can coexist without fighting, wouldn’t that be for the best?”
“… That’s just unrealistic!”
“Perhaps, but I believe it is worth trying for.”
The soldiers definitely were not on the same page. But what more could I expect? During the battles there’d been far too many losses. They wanted to avenge their fallen comrades with the enemy leader’s head, and that enemy leader was right there in front of them. It likely took all their restraint just to stop themselves from charging at her. It might have been their fear as well.
“Alea!”
“Simone, here she is.”
Simone came rushing out from within the checkpoint to meet us and her expression stiffened the moment she saw Yunu.
“Thanks Alea. From here on I’ll do the talking.”
“Alright. However, if she does anything suspicious, I’ll cut her down immediately.”
“… Got it. I’ll do my best so that doesn’t happen.”
Simone and I switched positions.
I looked around searching for Lily-sama and found that she’d already begun healing the wounded. Not just our soldiers, but the demon worshipers too. It was likely something no one else wanted to do, but she’d volunteered herself. That was very much like her.
“Now, Yunu, there’s like a mountain of things I want to say, but lemme start with this.”
Simone looked Yunu straight in the eye as she spoke.
“The nihilism you demons advocate for―I do think y’all have a point.”