The Land of the Nascent Wolves / Undead Busters 1

Translated by: @garmadoncar

Proofread by: Eliman7

※Spoilers for Volume 39 (Arc 9 Phase 1). Please read after finishing the main volume.
1

???: [Aa~aa~nyaa~~! Let’s play!]

???: [――Die.]

Waving his hand energetically, Cecilus called out in a cheerful tone, and, accompanying the quiet yet fiery voice from across the door, was an unbelievable shockwave.

Centered on the shack that did not really serve its function as a house, there was enough might to transform the surrounding flatlands into a plain even flatter than the name suggested. The space exploded in a manner akin to taking a full swing at a mountain of fallen leaves with a broom; pure destruction with no discretion or mercy whatsoever.

Die, it was a ruthless blow seeking a result in exact accordance with the word that had been uttered.

???: [――――]

Eyes wide in amazement, Spica was left speechless by the absurd scene unfolding before her.

She had viewed herself as being quite an agile individual, but if she had been standing at the site of that explosion, she would have been blown away without any doubt. ――Truly, this fight was on another level.

Cecilus: [Good grief trying to drive me away without even showing your face first is rapidly making you more of a stay-at-home gal each and every day and that’s just not good y’know? I don’t intend on telling you time and time again to get out and feel the sun and the wind but when you’re all cooped up in there like that there’s just no other way to get your spirits up after all. Though with that said I’ve never experienced anything like shutting myself away in a room or facing downward so I can’t really say for sure!]

Spica: [Uau!?]

Then, hearing that spirited voice from behind her, Spica jumped up in surprise.

The person responsible for causing that reaction laughed “Haha” in a lighthearted tone,

Cecilus: [Sorry for surprising you. But you’re glad you listened to my warning now aren’t you? This rocky area is just out of the range of Anya’s tantrums. That’s why it shouldn’t be dangerous at all for you to watch us battle from over here maybe!]

Spica: [Aau, uu?]

Cecilus: [Woah there. Do be careful not to do anything heedless. For the time being Boss has entrusted you to me so I intend to provide you as much convenience as I can but there’s a limit to that. The one to decide on that limit is not me but ultimately your own actions. With that said I’ll give you one serious warning.]

Spica: [――――]

Cecilus: [To rise to the stage that lies ahead is only possible with adequate qualifications. Since I’m the only one dancing with Anya right now it’s a stage for two, but… how about you?]

As he said that, Cecilus hopped off of the rocky area that Spica was standing on. To the fore, out from the shack that was still intact despite being the site of an explosion, came the heavenly maiden clad in enough light to dazzle one’s eyes―― Arakiya, slowly revealed herself.

Once again today, the First and Second of the Vollachian Empire commenced an unproductive battle.

Placing her hand to her chest in light of that fact, Spica brimmed with determination as she gazed at Cecilus’s back――,

Spica: [Uu!]

Cecilus: [Yes, yes, thank you so very much for your cheers! Without ever averting turning or blinking your eyes, bear witness! The leading actor, the star role of this world is coming through!!]

Spica: [Aau!?]

A shrill voice resounded, and Cecilus’s winking visage disappeared out from thin air. And after a flash, the report of an impact giving the impression that the world had fractured thundered throughout the sky.

Cecilus was someone to whom words never seemed to get through, despite the impression that they might; however, Spica had not taken the one-sided layup from him in the slightest, either. That was frustrating.

With how things were going, her great determination for remaining in the Empire―― the day upon which she would fulfill her promise to Subaru and Rem, seemed quite distant indeed.

2

――The Great Disaster that had assailed the Vollachian Empire, and the subjugation of all the undead who had served as its vanguard.

That was the reason why Spica had parted ways with Subaru and the others to remain in the Empire, and the condition that she needed to fulfill for herself to proudly reunite with Subaru and everyone else in the Kingdom.

The name Spica, and the title of Sin Archbishop of Gluttony―― those were the blessing and curse bestowed upon Spica, who was a mere nobody, and they were things akin to the two sides of a coin.

???: [If from here on, you are to live under the name that he has bestowed upon you, then you must not forsake the accursed title that bears the opposite side of that meaning. If you consider that too heavy a burden to bear, then you would be better off establishing a wholly different name and position for yourself.]

With those words, the busy Emperor earnestly listened to Spica’s appeal, and presented her with an option.

His eyes had a scary look to them, and his voice was also stern, but Spica accepted that as the Emperor showing consideration in his own way. The Emperor likely understood the “burden” that Spica would end up carrying to a degree greater than Spica herself, and thus presented her with his honest advice.

However, in order to reach the future that Spica desired, that advice was not something she could listen to.

???: [――I see.]

Therefore, Spica had no choice but to shake her head sideways to that advice.

However, with a brief response to Spica’s choice, the fact that the Emperor―― Abel, appeared so modestly satisfied that it was difficult to tell if he actually was, did not seem to just be Spica’s imagination.

With that sequence of events, Spica remained in the Empire, and would subjugate the undead who survived the Great Disaster with her Star Eating, entrusted with the cleansing of their souls. On top of that, saying that he would have trouble sleeping at night if Spica failed, the Emperor who never slept much in the first place was so courteous as to present her with escorts to assist with her work.

Granted, that was a decision made due to his newlywed wife, Medium, scolding him to “Treat her better!”, but she was still very grateful.

Grateful, she had indeed felt that way, but――,

Spica: […Aa~u].

Brimming with motivation, Spica wanted to set out on their journey as soon as possible, but contrary to those feelings of hers, she was completely out of sync with the pace of her escorts, who were crucial to her purpose. Or rather, it was not even a matter of being out of sync.

Among the two escorts that the Emperor had endorsed, the owner of abilities indispensable for this work―― Arakiya, was someone Spica had never met nor ever exchanged greetings with. She had asked Cecilus for advice in regards to that, but from the outset, Cecilus had not received greetings from Arakiya either.

――Ultimately, without having fulfilled the objective she had in coming here, Spica merely observed the world crumbling from a distance.

The battle that had commenced with Cecilus’s salutation uttered in mischievous jest, had become a fierce battle of such immense scope that she could only recall one or two of the battles amidst the Great Disaster that could rival it.

Spica: [Eius, Aaiya.] [1]

Basking in the tremors that reached this rocky area from several kilometers away, Spica muttered the names of the two combatants.

Cecilus spoke in a brisk and cheerful manner, and Subaru had told her time and time again that while it was fine to believe in his strength, and that alone, she must not let him do as he pleased in regards to anything else. Spica was apprehensive about her future prospects with him, given he would not fully understand her words, but she wanted to do her best so that things would go well.

And, while the strength of Arakiya, who she had yet to exchange words with, was certainly being assured, Spica also feared that she would be extremely difficult to deal with, so she also wanted to do her best to get on good terms with her.

For the wish and objective Spica wanted to fulfill, her own abilities were completely insufficient. ――Thus, in order to reach the high places upon which she had set her sights, she would need to mimic Subaru’s methods.

For the existence who had received new life as Spica, Natsuki Subaru was the ideal role model.

And that was precisely why, she thought thus. ――Could her desires really be fulfilled by standing still here on these rocks?

???: [I can’t remember ever doing anything properly, and so I don’t have any self-important things to tell you, Spica-chan. Even so, please remember this. That I… that both that person and I, have been saved countless times by you, Spica-chan, who never once gave up in trying to get close to us.]

Those were words spoken to her by Rem, who, when Spica decided to remain in the Empire, had spoken to her countless times, tried to convince her countless times, eventually admitting that Spica’s resolve would not bend.

As an empty being, Spica had been without any understanding of what she was capable of, yet she was still fervent in her desire to not part with the hands of bright warmth present in her immediate vicinity; and of that girl, Rem had given such an evaluation.

In that case, that which Spica could do was――,

Spica: [――Uau.]

3

From within their body, impulses overflowed without cease.

Blowing, blowing all of that out, they would shape the world to their will. It was the same as breathing. If one continued to inhale a large, large breath, at some point it would become painful until they let it all out in an exhale.

With immense power incomparable to breathing, that same phenomenon was occurring.

What differed was that no matter how much they exhaled, that which they had inhaled would not ease in the slightest; if anything, as they continued to exhale, the absurdity of continuing to inhale simultaneously persisted.

Everything, all of that was――,

???: [――Princess.]

The exceedingly important, unwavering light that they had placed at the core of their own being, had disappeared.

Now that it had departed to a place unreachable by their hands, the pitiful existence for whom that light had illuminated the world―― Arakiya, had been cast down into a realm of pure darkness.

???: [Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta――!!]

With the report of a cacophonous yet familiar voice, the familiar sight of pale blue light charged ahead whilst leaving behind clouds of dust.

No matter how many times she rejected or drove him away, the odious man would come at her with a nonchalant face. Since long ago, he had been odious. But now, he was even more odious than back then.

Arakiya: [Why, didn’t you kill me?]

In the midst of that battle, he―― Cecilus, certainly had the opportunity to kill Arakiya. Arakiya, too, had wished for him to do so. She had wanted to be killed.

By being killed along with the Great Spirit she had taken in, there was a chance to bring down the enemy’s plans.

If that had come to fruition, just if, Arakiya’s light might still be――,

Cecilus: [You should really stop averting your eyes from reality, Anya. But what if just maybe so on and so forth. If you continue saying such things it’ll be a denial of the future that person triumphantly secured.]

Arakiya: [――Hk.]

As Cecilus seemed to see through Arakiya’s emotions, his words were accompanied by slashes of lightning speed, and Arakiya’s body, unable to dodge, was obliquely bisected. ――However, she would not die.

Arakiya’s body, having taken in the power of the Stone, Muspel, could deliberately switch her state between a physical and a Mana-based body. The standard method to kill a Mana-based body was to exhaust its Od, but since she was supplied with Muspel’s inexhaustible stores of Mana, Arakiya was effectively immortal.

But, being immortal was far from making the world what she wanted it to be.

Arakiya: [Triumphantly secured…? Even though, the Princess, is no longer among us…]

Cecilus: [Yeah. But I won’t revise what I said nor will I apologize for it. This is a brand new stage triumphantly orchestrated by your princess sister and the many other actors who laid down their lives in that battle. So, as a part of this new production, we ought to dance and speak with flamboyance. ――So that the world does not forget her.]

Arakiya: [――Hk, I wanted to! I wanted to disappear together with the Princess!]

Screaming, belts of light began to emerge from all over her body. The light belts, which would evaporate anything they made contact with, rampaged, however, the beams of light tearing the world apart could not erase that lone lightning.

For what reason, why, how, would the sun ever rise for her again――?

???: [――U~au!]

A hell in which even the tears emerging at the corners of her eyes were vaporized by the heat she herself was emitting.

An absolute domain where none could survive save for azure lightning, and she, who had fused with the vast lands of the Empire. That battlefield of certain death that rejected all who lacked the qualifications to enter, had been reached by a voice and weight that ought not have been there under any circumstances.

Arakiya: [――――]

Understanding that as the weight of somebody clinging to her back, as Arakiya shed tears of blood from her lightless eyes, she attempted to forcibly shake that person off. For that purpose, she need not even exert her arms. By merely unleashing the power overflowing from within her, she was reduced to an existence that served to destroy the world.

Even so, she had been unable to save Priscilla――,

Cecilus: [――Anya!]

The power to blast away the person on her back, was beaten back by an inundation from a storm of sword attacks.

No matter how much he attempted to cut her, the inexhaustible supply of Mana would just restore Arakiya’s body, but if she used her reserved stores of Mana for that purpose, she would run out of Mana to use for offense. Thus, these slashes served to keep the person clinging to Arakiya’s back alive for longer.

To use his power for the sake of another, was entirely not like Cecilus in the slightest.

Cecilus: [The act of experiencing something also means the act of gaining something. If you had thought that my selling point was an invariable way of being then how charming of you! You acquire things by losing and losing then gaining. All things in life are either flowery makeup or warpaint.] [2]

Arakiya: [What are you…]

Cecilus: [And that’s not just limited to me but also applies to you and that girl on your back.]

With a powerful flash of swordlight, Arakiya’s chest was pierced, and the upturned blade assailed her in an attempt to lop off her head. Faced with that tremendous sword attack, Arakiya thought that she might as well surrender her life to it.

However, the slash that ought to have lopped off Arakiya’s slender neck, did not connect.

Arakiya: [――――]

For a moment, her vision blurred, and Cecilus disappeared from in front of her.

Confusion began to brew in Arakiya’s head, wondering just what had occurred. Only, she was in a place where the height and angle of the scenery she saw now differed to what it had just been a moment prior――,

???: [Uu!]

Then, she belatedly realized that the one who had done that, was a small child triumphing behind her.

With that sensation, Arakiya turned around to face the person behind her. The one who had spun through the air and landed on all fours, was a young girl with a strong will dwelling in her blue eyes.

With her serious gaze intact, the young girl seemed to point her finger straight at Arakiya, and――,

Girl: [Aaiya.]

That was, while not pronounced very well, a call towards Arakiya.

Then, the young girl directed the finger that had been pointed to Arakiya to the one standing beside her, Cecilus,

Girl: [Eius.]

And finally, pointing to herself,

Girl: [Ica.]

With that, she had continued so.

Arakiya: [――――]

Dumbfounded, Arakiya stood stock-still at the young girl’s actions. Ignoring her reaction, Cecilus returned his katana to its sheath and looked at the young girl before shrugging his shoulders,

Cecilus: [It was quite brave of you to rise to the stage and participate in the battle between me and Anya. That should be recognized without any complaints. And so, Anya, this girl has a duty that she needs and wants to fulfill with our help. Both you and I, Anya, were already ordered to cooperate by our director, His Excellency, so――]

Cecilus was already brazenly acting as if he were the young girl’s comrade. Those words of Cecilus were suddenly interrupted. The reason was simple. ――Arakiya had fallen to her knees, unable to remain standing, and placing both her hands on the ground before Cecilus and the girl,

Arakiya: [Bleurghhhhhhh…]

With her eyes darting around, the upsurge of a hurling sensation drove Arakiya into a corner, rendering her incapable of action.

The inexplicable fluctuation in the world from a moment earlier―― albeit Arakiya was unaware, was a teleportation in space brought about by the young girl. That had greatly perturbed the insides of her body and head, causing the immortal Arakiya to become incapable of even standing up. An unthinkable method to render her powerless.

Cecilus: [Haha I see now this is quite unexpected! I don’t think His Excellency could have foreseen this, but… it seems that Spica-san also has the qualifications to rise to the stage!]

Arakiya: [Di… e…]

As Cecilus lightly spoke with an expression indifferent to Arakiya’s anguish, she surged with murderous intent towards him. However, the ferocious hurling sensation hindered that intent, preventing it from taking shape.

That was vexing, pathetic, and Arakiya spilled out weeping groans.

Thereupon――,

Girl: [Aaiya.]

The young girl crouched down beside her, and patted her on the back. ――At that sensation, though still unable to lift her face, Arakiya had no choice but to continue cowering.

But, for the first time since she had lost her light, tears that found their genesis in a place outside of the domain of anger, streamed down her cheeks.

《End》

Translation note:

[1] – In this story, Spica is not actually using consonants to refer to the names, but I’ve included a few to add clarity of the name she is referencing. I felt that stuff like “Ia” for “Spica” is a tad too estranged, and “Eius” instead of “Eiu” is more easily identifiable.

[2] – Cecilus’s idiom here is not real, essentially nonsense, but it resembles a real idiom 人間万事塞翁が馬 (All things in life are the old man’s horse) which refers to a story about an old man losing his horse but then other good things happening. It essentially means that all things in the future are unpredictable, so one should not get emotional over good or bad things since fortune can always turn things around.