The Asterisk War, Vol. 6: The Triumphal Homecoming Battle

by Yuu Miyazaki

  Her whole body was trembling, her eyes wide with shock.

  “Don’t tell me…”

  “Julis?”

  She seemed to be staring at a car that had just sped through the slum’s streets. It had been moving at considerable speed, and had disappeared out of sight.

  “…No, it couldn’t be…”

  She gritted her teeth, something close to anger burning in her eyes.

  “Julis? What is it?”

  “I’m sorry, Ayato. Go back to the orphanage. There’s something I have to do,” she muttered, before dashing off at full strength.

  “Julis, wait! What’s the matter?”

  She might have told him to go back, but he couldn’t leave her alone like this, so he chased after her.

  They soon left the outskirts of the town, and found themselves surrounded by snow and forest. Julis must have been chasing after the car they had just seen.

  The winding road appeared to head toward the mountains. There were no other cars around, so it couldn’t have been a major road.

  As he had hoped, he was the faster runner. “Julis!” he called out, jumping in front of her to block her path.

  “Get out of the way, Ayato! I’m in a hurry!”

  “I can see that! But I can’t let you go like this! I don’t know what’s wrong, but you can’t rush into things in this state of mind!”

  “That’s…!” She leaned forward, snarling at him, but quickly lowered her eyes. “Do you think I don’t know that? I’m begging you, Ayato, let me go!”

  He couldn’t turn down such a desperate plea. “…Okay. But I’m going with you.”

  “Fine.” She nodded, taking off.

  After a short distance, she branched off from the road and dashed into the forest without any hesitation, as if she knew exactly where the car was heading.

  Proceeding through the snow-covered forest, they finally came across the car, parked in a clearing. Julis slowed down, Ayato following suit behind her.

  It was only then that he realized it: There was something strange about their surroundings. The trees were different from those they’d seen before. Looking carefully, he noticed they were stunted and shriveled, as if only barely holding on to life.

  The farther in they went, the worse it got, until they thinned into a wide opening around the car. If they could have seen it from above, it might have looked like a gaping hole in the middle of the forest.

  Julis showed no interest in the vehicle, instead keeping her gaze fixed on a point in front of her. Beyond the car, a set of footprints led into that plain of pure-white snow.

  Ayato continued behind her, until he realized that the ground beneath them felt strange.

  He squatted down and brushed aside a section of snow, and then a pungent stench assailed his nose.

  Is the soil…rotting…?

  The snow, fluttering down around them, seemed to be getting stronger.

  It could turn into a blizzard at this rate.

  Peering into the distance, he could see the outline of what looked like an abandoned building in the middle of the clearing.

  It seemed to have mostly fallen in, and there was little left to discern its original form, but it must have once been quite large.

  And in front of it stood a lone shadow.

  Julis came to a stop, before calling out to the figure:

  “It’s been a long time, Orphelia.”

  CHAPTER 5

  THE WITCH OF SOLITARY VENOM

  Ayato caught his breath at the sound of that name.

  “Orphelia,” he whispered. “Don’t tell me—” A feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his chest—it was indescribable, something unnervingly close to being unsettled, and it took hold of him.

  “…Why did you come here?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at them.

  She was wearing a Le Wolfe uniform, but despite standing in the middle of the snow, the only additions to that uniform were a pair of long gloves that stretched up to her elbows and some white tights. She wasn’t even wearing a coat. Her voice was as cold as ice, dark and hollow as if echoing up from deep underground. There was no failing to take notice of the incredible amount of prana burning through every corner of her body.

  But what was most striking of all was her long, white hair, seemingly melting into the snow around her, and her red, ruby-like eyes. Like her voice, there was a darkness in those eyes, similar to a pair of blood moons portending disaster. It was a look of utter desolation that could freeze a person where they stood. But in spite of that, her face was full of sadness, as if she might break out into silent tears at any moment.

  “Is it really her…?”

  Orphelia Landlufen—two-time champion of the Lindvolus, and the Le Wolfe Black Institute’s top-ranked student. She was said to be one of the strongest Stregas in all of Asterisk’s history, on a level comparable to even Helga Lindwall.

  He recognized her from the news. There was no doubt about it. The young woman standing in from of him was Erenshkigal, the Witch of Solitary Venom.

  “It’s been nearly a year, hasn’t it? I didn’t think I’d see you here.” Julis’s expression was grim, but her voice seemed to be pleading for something.

  “I told you not to get involved,” Orphelia responded coldly, her mournful expression unchanging.

  Julis bit her lip, a shadow of regret clouding over her for the briefest of moments, before turning her piercing gaze on the other young woman. “I wanted to tell you the same thing I said last year. Come back, Orphelia. That isn’t where you belong.”

  “…Don’t, Julis. I’m just following my fate. You can’t change it.” She shook her head weakly, but there was no mistaking her resolution.

  “I won’t accept it!” Julis all but shouted.

  “…” Orphelia looked down in silence, raising a hand to her school crest. “My fate is here now. If you want to change that…”

  “Fine, if that’s how you want it! But it won’t be like last year!” Julis declared, mana beginning to swirl around her.

  “H-hold on, Julis!”

  “Keep out of it, Ayato!” she yelled without even turning around. “This is between me and her!”

  Ayato stopped in his tracks at the steely determination that rang through her voice.

  “I’m going to smash that crest this time, Orphelia!” The air shimmered with heat as more than a dozen balls of fire erupted into existence around her, coalescing into burning disks—chakrams of pure flame.

  “Burst into bloom—Livingston Daisy!” She arched her arm, and the searing chakrams sped toward Orphelia.

  But just before they reached her, the disks at the head of the volley spun off course, plunging into the ground.

  They instantly melted into the snow, steam and small flakes of ice rising up around them.

  It might have been no more than a simple diversion, but it was enough to block Orphelia’s line of sight for a brief moment.

  And at that very moment, the remaining chakrams parted to either side, catching the frigid girl in the middle of a pincer attack.

  Nice move, Julis!

  It was the perfect combination of timing and distance.

  At the very least, it should have been enough for her to take the initiative, but…

  “—!”

  …just then, Ayato felt a shiver run up his spine.

  Behind that screen of white mist, an unbelievable amount of prana had begun to swell.

  The level was beyond what should have been possible. He was confident in the amount of prana he could control, but there was no comparison whatsoever to the young woman in front of him. It kept pouring out, with zero sign whatsoever of slowing, seeming to have no end.

  He couldn’t even begin to measure that overwhelming force, that ominous surge of energy.

  A wave of mana that Julis couldn’t hope to match raced forward, sweeping away the spray of snow in an instant. The air itself shook violently as a ferocious outpouring of energy was release
d, strong enough to crush everything around them into the ground.

  And in the middle of it all stood Orphelia’s calm figure, a seemingly endless stream of corpse-like arms rising up at her feet like smoke. Those odious, blackish-brown arms writhed around her in a haze, more deadly vapor than solid form.

  The arms flew in every direction, catching each of Julis’s burning chakrams in midair. The disks struggled to break free, spinning faster and faster, their blades of flame washing over those dead arms in waves.

  And yet, those talon-like hands continued to hold firmly on to them.

  “So this is Orphelia Landlufen’s ability…”

  Ayato had heard of it before. Erenshkigal, said to be the strongest Strega in Asterisk, had the power to control a toxic miasma.

  “…It’s no use, Julis. You can’t stop it,” Orphelia murmured, her voice filled with sorrow, as the miasma crushed the disks into oblivion.

  Ayato finally understood the feeling that had consumed him just before.

  It was a warning.

  He had understood, on some intuitive level, that Orphelia was dangerous. Too dangerous. That had to have been it.

  Only now did he remember what Helga had said: She’s fundamentally different from you or me.

  He had thought the woman had been speaking metaphorically, but that was a mistake. Instead, she had been stating a simple fact.

  The power of the young woman in front of him clearly went beyond that of ordinary humans—even Genestella. He understood it instinctively, just by looking at her.

  However—

  “It’s not over!” Julis bellowed, as if she had been expecting this turn of events, and prepared to launch another attack.

  Julis…!

  An overpowering wave burst forth from Orphelia, and he froze in place. That Julis was able to continue her attack in spite of it was a source of surprise and admiration for Ayato.

  Judging by what Julis had said, the two seemed to have fought against each other before. Which meant she was definitely aware of Orphelia’s power. Perhaps that was why she was able to face that overwhelming display of power without faltering.

  Without an incredibly strong force of will, it would be impossible not to lose heart against such an opponent.

  Or maybe her reason for fighting is so important that she can’t afford to surrender…

  That was probably it.

  “Burst into bloom—Anemone Coronaria!”

  Julis raised her hands above her head, and a huge flower of flame opened its petals.

  That anemone emitted a dazzling explosion of light, like a miniature sun illuminating the snowy field. The scorching heat was so strong that it even reached where Ayato was standing, watching the battle from a distance. This was the first time he had ever seen it, but there was no mistaking that this was one of Julis’s strongest techniques.

  “This is it, Orphelia!” she shouted as she swung her arms down, forcing the giant fireball to speed toward her opponent.

  But Orphelia, her expression unchanging, merely raised her right arm, palm outstretched.

  “Wha—?” Ayato doubted his eyes.

  He’d thought she was going to use some kind of defensive ability—but somehow, she managed to stop that giant fireball barehanded.

  Her white glove burst into flame, turning to ash in less than an instant, vanishing in the wind, but there was no sign of even the slightest burn to her pale skin.

  “I don’t believe it… Did she stop it with only her prana…?”

  It was theoretically possible to deflect an attack by focusing one’s prana on defense. But in practice, such techniques usually only reduced the amount of damage sustained. It should have been impossible to completely withstand an attack. One’s prana would be consumed in an instant. Especially considering the strength of that fireball.

  Yet, Orphelia’s prana was as strong as ever.

  “Impossible…” Julis stood wide-eyed in disbelief.

  “…I told you… Your fate is weak…” Orphelia frowned tiredly, before clenching her fist. The huge fireball exploded, fading away like mist.

  The miasma spiraling around her sped up in force, the countless roiling arms merging together into one gigantic, serpentine shape.

  “Return to the dust,” Orphelia murmured, and that huge, withered arm dived toward the ground, speeding toward Julis.

  “Aaaauuuugh!”

  She screamed in agony. The roiling mass had caught her.

  “Julis!” Ayato cried.

  As he watched, it lifted her dozens of meters into the air, and then slammed her down mercilessly.

  Ayato leaped forward to catch her just before she could hit the ground, but the miasma’s force was so strong that, once the two schoolmates collided, they were flung almost a dozen meters across the snow.

  “Julis, are you okay?!” he pleaded, holding her in his arms.

  “Ugnnh…”

  She seemed to have lost consciousness. And what’s more, her clothes had started rotting where the arm had grabbed her. Her complexion had turned poor as well.

  So this is Erenshkigal’s miasma…

  People said that a simple touch of that poison was enough to consume its victims. It looked like that was no exaggeration.

  “…Are you Ayato Amagiri?” Orphelia asked, as if only just noticing him. Her gaze was cool, considering him without so much as a shred of interest.

  “It’s over! Julis might have been the one to issue the challenge, but any more would be—”

  Before he could finish speaking, a cloud of miasma began to rise up around her—or rather, from her—building up around her exposed, white skin where her glove had been burned away.

  “It’s a pity, but even I can’t stop someone’s fate once it’s been set in motion… You should leave now, if you don’t want to get caught up in it.”

  “I can’t do that,” Ayato said, holding Julis firmly in his arms, as he activated the Ser Veresta.

  “That’s a shame…,” Orphelia replied, and all at once countless arms sprung forth from the miasma to strike at the pair.

  “Amagiri Shinmei Style, Middle Technique—Yatagarasu!”

  He swung around, slicing cleanly through those arms before they could reach him.

  Orphelia’s eyebrow twitched. “Ah, so that’s the Ser Veresta…”

  Her miasma seemed to be impervious to normal weapons, but the Orga Lux, capable of burning through anything, seemed to be a different matter.

  It would be best if she decided to withdraw now, Ayato thought—but if she didn’t, he might be forced to fight her.

  I don’t think I can win, though…

  Holding Julis in his left arm, and the Ser Veresta in his right, he began to carefully back away.

  Fortunately, Orphelia neither moved nor seemed to be readying for an attack.

  I might be able to get out of this after all, he thought, when his feet suddenly grew weak.

  “Wha—?” he gasped, suddenly choking, as if something had gotten caught in his throat. His hand holding the Ser Veresta began to tremble uncontrollably. “Don’t tell me…”

  “…”

  He entered the state of shiki, probing at his surroundings. There was clearly something strange about the airflow around him.

  Orphelia must have already set up a barrier of miasma around him.

  “Ha… Odorless, invisible gas…? I should have seen that one coming…,” he rasped.

  “…I’m sorry. You’ll soon be at peace.”

  The arms of miasma reached high into the air, preparing to slam down on them.

  He could still move, if barely, but it was only a matter of time until they were caught.

  But he couldn’t give up. He tightened his grip on the Ser Veresta, searching desperately for an opening, when—

  “Could I ask you to hold on for a moment, young lady?” came a clear, out-of-place voice, echoing across the snow.

  The man from the previous night stood at the edge of the field with a sm
ile.

  “You see, I’ve been requested to take care of these two myself. In fact, my fee is contingent upon it. So if you wouldn’t mind handing them over…”

  Orphelia merely glanced at him with disinterest. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Gustave Malraux.”

  “Never heard of you,” she replied curtly, when all of a sudden, an air-window opened up in front of her.

  “Hey, Orphelia! Where the hell are you? How many times have I told you not to leave the lab?”

  There was no picture, but the voice was unmistakable. It was the Le Wolfe Black Institute’s student council president, Dirk Eberwein.

  “…I won’t be long,” Orphelia answered, and the ominous feeling that surrounded them abated.

  She turned to Gustave. “Suit yourself,” she said with a sigh.

  “I appreciate it,” he said, tipping his hat with a graceful bow.

  Orphelia remained silent, turning her back to Ayato as if nothing at all had happened. Just like that, she returned to the car, without looking back even once.

  “Well, that was a close one… I’ve heard all about her, but it seems like she really is a monster. Thank heavens she’s gone,” Gustave murmured with a shrug, as if warding off a cloud of misfortune. He turned to Ayato. “Now then, back to business.” He smiled, summoning a pair of magic squares at his sides. Just like the previous night, the magic squares filled with mana, a huge double-headed dog creeping out the one to his right, and a similarly-sized three-headed dog appearing out of the one to his left.

  They were both smaller than the chimera he had summoned before, but the mana that comprised their bodies was considerably stronger.

  “Allow me to introduce you to my little masterpieces, Orthrus and Cerberus. What do you think? Quite a spectacle, wouldn’t you say? They’re exactly as described in Greek myth. My dear guard dogs. They once made a real bloodbath of those valiant fools in Stjarnagarm… Well, they were no match for the commander, I’ll give you that,” Gustave added disappointedly, even as his smile didn’t waver. “But I’ve improved upon them a lot since then. They should be more than enough to deal with wounded prey.”

  “Argh…!”

  Taking a defensive posture, Ayato scanned his surroundings, looking for a way out of the situation. Even though Orphelia’s miasma had abated, the injuries caused by its poison remained. He wouldn’t be able to fight at his full strength—and moreover, he would stand no chance at all if he had to protect Julis, too.