CH 229

Rikka’s balde swung down.



It was a strike without even a hint of hesitation. 



It was definitely a strike that would slash Katsuragi’s head in one stroke.



But



“――Wait a minute!”



Just before the blow landed, a voice sounded from behind them.



When Nishino and the others turned around, they found Igarashi Toka gasping for breath and staring at them.



“Hah …… hah …… oh, Sasaki, you mustn’t kill her…….”



“Class President….. Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in charge on the other side?”



Instead of the confused Rikka, it was Nishino who asked the question.



“I left it to Mayor Uesugi and my father. There were no big monsters over there. …… Well, I left Shindo and Shiro over there just in case……”



She must have rushed all the way here.



She was walking unsteadily as she held the side of her stomach.



She was not as strong as Ichinose but she was confident in her physical strength.



“Anyway, I’m glad I got here in time….. If you would have killed her, it would have been too late….”



“Too late?”



“Yeah, she’s got a bomb on her.”



“A bomb?!”



At her words, everyone present was taken aback.



Even Katsuragi, the one with the bomb, was shocked.



(W, what are you talking about? Bomb?)



Even Katsuragi was confused, she really did not carry such a thing with her.



“P, President, what bomb are you talking about?”



“It’s a skill she has. The skill “Souvenir”. It is the deadliest skill that can be triggered by the death of the skill holder. It is a rare skill possessed by high-ranking undead monsters, and she possesses it.”



“Wha……”



It was Katsuragi, of all people, who was more surprised by these words than anyone else.



She had checked her status just before the fight.



But I don’t have any such skills.



“I’ve just confirmed it with ‘Appraisal’. I’m sure of it.”



“Wai, wait! What do you mean? I have no idea what that skill is!”



Katsuragi instinctively asked Touka if Nishino’s ‘Order’ had turned sluggish.



“It is natural that you don’t know. That zombie planted this skill inside your body without your knowledge.”



“Wha…!?”



“It looks like ‘Arrogance’ can directly manipulate the system. He must have sneakily used his authority and rewritten the skill.” 



“W, why does the President know about that? I mean, rewriting your skills? What do you mean?”



Nishino and the others could not hide their surprise.



Where had Toka gotten such information from in the first place?



As Nishino and the others were confused, Toka explained.



“I was watching the battle between Kazuto and that zombie through the spirits I had summoned by ‘Spirit Summon’. Not only can I share sight, I can also hear what the spirits hear. And during the fight, that zombie himself said. The true power of ‘Arrogance’――”



According to that intelligent zombie, Arroganz, the true power of ‘Arrogance’ is to intervene and tamper with the system.



If that was true, Toka realised, then it would be possible to give others the skills he wanted.



Turns out that my intuition was right. 



She realised this when she appraised the zombies that were chasing them. 



The zombies that had appeared in front of them were all former residents of the ‘Safe Zone’.



Yoshida and the others, who were once Nijo’s and Shimizu’s colleagues, and the former employees of the City Hall who had died in the battle against the Queen Ant, were all people who would stimulate their trauma.



They were extremely difficult to fight, but they still fought and killed the resurrected ones once more.



Then, their former comrades who had attacked them suddenly began to writhe in pain and blew up.



If it was not for Shibata’s treatment, they would have died. 



When Toka used her appraisal to find out the cause, she noticed that her enemy’s skills had changed to ‘Souvenir’.



(I see… It’s honestly a smart tactic if I look at it logically….)



He resurrected familiar people, and even if we somehow managed to defeat them, it would be followed up with a “Souvenir”.



It’s a demonic strategy.



Even Toka couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.



(If that’s the case, there’s a good chance that the people that Ichinose and Aisaka are fighting will have stronger “Souvenirs” stored within them……)



They were the backbone of this safe zone, including Nishino who went to support them.　



If they were to fall prey to the “Souvenirs”, it would be a disaster.



That’s why Toka ran all the way here without a break, to stop the disaster from befalling them.



“That’s… That’s not good…”



Listening to Toka’s explanation, Rikka’s face contorted at the sheer viciousness of their enemy.



Nishino and Ichinose must have felt the same way.



Then, Toka shifted her attention to the stunned Katsuragi.



“Now, what should we do, Katsuragi?” 



“Huh…?”



“You’ve checked your status and you should know right? That I’m not lying. You were just a pawn for that zombie.”



“……”



“Don’t you feel frustrated? Don’t you feel annoyed? Don’t you want to kick that zombie’s a**?”



“……”



Toka silently held out her hand in front of Katsuragi.



“If you feel that way, why don’t you fight with us? Let us help you get your revenge.”



“……”



“Now―― will you fight with us?”



Katsuragi stared at Toka’s outstretched hand.



Nishino and the others watched the situation in silence.



If she really joined them, the situation would turn around at once.



The Wolf King and his followers here would have no reason to fight them.



They could even end this battle.



But,



“N. O.”



Katsuragi used her remaining strength to sneer.



“Who’s going to join you?! Me?! I have decided to live my life the way I want to this time.”



She stuck out her tongue.



“He is just using me? Ha! I have known that from the beginning! After all, if I was in my darling zombie’s position, I would have done the same thing.”



Katsuragi giggled as she desperately tried to move her body which was frozen.



Nishino’s current ‘Command’ was that powerful.



If she moved against that order, her body would be put under tremendous pressure.



“After all, this is a world where the strong rule over the weak! The weak are just used and destroyed! What’s wrong with that! Why should I bend over and beg for my life like a fool? Ha! I’m never going to do that again!”



With a giddy smile, Katsuragi looks around.



No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move her body.



I can’t activate the bomb that was planted in me – the “Souvenir”.



Then what should I do?



It’s simple. Just let someone else kill you.



“You goddamn dogs! This is your last job. Kill―― me!”



Immediately after, darkness erupted from underneath Katsuragi’s feet.



It was a tyrannical darkness that swallows, crushes, and grinds down everything in its path.



“I’ll be watching you in the world beyond! Let’s see if you f*ckers can beat my zombie darling!”



The darkness swallowed her, but Katsuragi smiled nonetheless.



This is good.



This time, she could live her life with no regrets.



That alone was enough for her.



For the second time, she accepted her death.



But…



“――not good.”



At that time, a hand reached out to her.　



The hand of salvation that she could have never hoped for.



“Katsuragi, you can’t just kill yourself like that, okay?”



A warm and sweet scent invaded Katsuragi’s brain.



Sparkling and dazzling light washed over her mind.



“You are our precious ‘comrade’ so don’t give into something as unsightly as ‘darkness’.”



“Huh…?”



Her mind was shaken.



She was enveloped in a pleasant feeling, as if she was floating in the air on fluffy cotton candy, surrounded by endless happiness.



Oh, yes. I wonder, why was I trying to fight against her?



The girl in front of me is more important than Arroganz who brought me back to life.



“Ah…. Eh? I…. I, why was I trying to fight Toka sama…”



This is unforgivable.



I have no idea why I was going to do that.



My brain hurts, no, it feels good.



“It’s okay. We all make mistakes. Now, why don’t you put away that murky darkness?”



“Ye…s….”



In a daze, Katsuragi withdrew her darkness.



“Touka…sama… I really… like you…”



“Yes, even I like Katsuragi a lot. Hey, won’t you fight with us?”



“Yes, of course.”



Katsuragi obeyed Toka’ s words devotedly, as if her previous words and actions were a lie.



This scene was familiar to Nishino.



A feeling of dread ran down his spine.



“P, President, don’t tell me…?”



“Yes, I used ‘Charm’ on her.”



As he had guessed.



“Well, I knew this would happen. So I took my time to ‘Charm’ her while we were talking.



“…… ah, Toka-sama, Toka-sama……”



Nishino looked at Katsuragi with an indescribable expression as he rubbed and wrapped his arms around himself.



“……Were you planning to do this all along?”



“Yes, because if the zombie had included her death in his plan, this was the only way to overthrow it.”



“But…”



But something feels strange.



It doesn’t make sense.



Just like Nishino’s command, Toka’s ‘Charm’ was not effective on those who were at a higher level than themselves. 



It would be impossible for Igarashi to completely “Charm” the current Katsuragi.



The only reason Nishino could ‘Command’ Katsuragi was because he had evolved into a ‘Celestial Being’ and upgraded his ‘Command’.



“Hm? Is it so weird that my ‘Charm’ works on her?”



“Yes, well….”



How is she doing that?



“Fufu, isn’t it obvious?”



Toka Igarashi put her hand on her chest.



“――Even I have ‘evolved’.”



“““……!?”””



Those words surprised not only Nishino, but also Ichinose and Rikka.



“I evolved before the attack, too. I’m a ‘Celestial Being’, like you. So I raised my ‘Charm’ to a higher skill.”



“No, but President hasn’t reached lvl 30 yet―― no way.”



She had lied about her level.



If you think about it that way, it makes sense.



“Yes, the truth is that I had already reached a level where I could evolve. I was just waiting for the right moment to do so.”



“But why ……?”



You will be able to train your status and skills more if you evolve in advance rather than at the last minute. Why would you take such a risk?



“I was always thinking about traitors and the possibility of an attack happening. If it’s a ‘Celestial Being’ that can convert its skills into higher-level skills, it can be a force to be reckoned with even with a last-minute evolution, and I thought it would be best to save the evolution until the last minute in order to outsmart the enemy.”



It was a good decision.



Arroganz didn’t count Toka, who didn’t evolve until the last minute, as an enemy force, and as a result she succeeded in ensnaring Katsuragi.



“Fufufu, I guess skills are useful….. I can’t believe how rebellious Katsuragi has become.”



“Heeeeh…….”



Nishino broke out in a cold sweat as Toka smiled at him.



Yes, it was just that Kazuto and Rebel were too extraordinary, but she was also an excellent person.



She must have been hiding in the shadows of the giants and sharpening her claws for a long time.



It was all for this moment.



“Now, the tables have been turned. Now it’s all up to you―― Kazuto.”



After saying that, Toka gazed into the distance.



Now that the demon hunter Katsuragi had fallen, the only enemy remaining was Arroganz.



The time for the showdown was drawing nearer by the minute.



Author’s Note: 



Thank you for reading. 



They are very close in the book version, so I made them close in the web version too!