curupiracue

[curupiracue]

???

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...

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...And Aripurucue laughed.

[curupiracue]

Epilogue

“(sigh...)”

“Are you ok, Nim?”

“Oh, definitely fucking not.”

...Well, I kinda’ expected that.

Nim was looking through the windows of the rapidly changing background. Buses sure are good around here… Maybe they can afford to be a little faster because there’s so little traffic?

...Well, that’s hardly relevant. I think Nim’s randomness rubbed on me, of all things that could have.

“I knew you weren’t, that was more a “do you want to talk about it?” sort of conversation beginning phrase.”

“Well, what if I don’t?!”

“Then, I’d still want to know for me, unless you mind that.”

“...Ugh. Why the hell did he have to die like that?! I didn’t get my fucking answer out of him! For all his talk of “doing things the right way”, he must have messed up when he jumped out of that window! He didn’t do it right, so he bled to death! GAAAH!!” Nim slammed a nearby seat, concerning even more a fellow concerned train passenger:

“Uhh-”

“If you don’t stop moving that tongue, I’ll tear it out of your mouth!”

Having silenced them, Nim fell back to his seat, sobbing.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do, as usual. So I simply sat alongside him, looking a bit aimlessly through the windows.

Eventually, Nim “calmed down”, and wiped away his tears.

“Ugh… Sorry, that was unfair with you...”

“Perhaps. I did press quite a bit, though.”

“Yeah, but only because you know I like to talk about my problems and how I feel. Only because you know how weak, and pathetic I am...” I was about to say something, but Nim predicted it, and so, interrupted me: “Honestly, though it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I can get over his death. Rather, I will. But… I kinda’ gotta’ wonder about what he was talking about...”

“About human lives?” I asked, figuring he wouldn’t be too bothered by the art part.

And indeed, Nim nodded.

“Well… If you’re bothered by that, Nim, then couldn’t you just say that, since there’s no inhere-”

“NO! ...I don’t want that. Justifying things through use of nihilism… I feel like I would lose what little I have of myself if I did that. Even if that wasn’t the case, I can’t agree with it. It might be pointless, but that doesn’t matter. Not as much, anyways.”

So, he would suffer for that.

“...But then, what are you going to do? You don’t have an answer, do you? For starters, this wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t utilitaristic, but I’m guessing you don’t want to abandon that either.”

“Yes. It’s consistent, and, even if I ran away to some other moral philosophy, I’m sure I’d have hung-ups over them. Still… If I say that happiness has meaning, what does that mean for life itself? ...Oh, and before I forget...”

“?”

Nim took off his safety belt and started looking through the floor.

“Ah, there it is.”

“AAHH! Nim, is that a…?!”

“Yup, it’s a bomb. Wims put it here. Also, shield your eyes, please.” He smashed the window and looked through it for a moment, before throwing the bomb away.

BOOOOOM!!!

“...Well, someone can deal with the fire, I don’t give a shit. It’s Wims’ fault anyway!”

“Nim you… Ugh… Whatever, I don’t even care. I can see how you��d treat the bomb itself with nonchalance, but why aren’t you worried that Wims tried to kill you?”

“Meh. It’s because of my nonchalance, you see. Something like this couldn’t be called an attempt on my life.”

“...Well, that doesn’t mean you can treat it like it’s nothing…!”

“She was just pissed we stole her kill, geez. She isn’t that bad to the point of killing me, even though that might just be that walking rotting carcass’ only redeeming point. She knew I would notice, for I am great, and so she decided to do this just to piss me off. But now now, if that was her intention, then I surely can’t let that get to me... Wah ahahaahahahaha!”

“...Anyway! Where are we going now.”

“Honestly? Wherever. With some luck, we’ll find something interesting. But for now, I have no clues or plans to investigate a good incident.”

“Yes, I did predict that, it’s far from novel… But where are we going? Even if any place’s fine, we need to choose one.”

“Novs, I didn’t even check where this bus was going.”

“Oh. That might be a bit unfortunate. ...Well, whatever, I don’t care.”

Nim suddenly put his head on my shoulder, making use of his superior height.

“Well, I don’t care either. Any place is fine, so long as it is with you~”

...Well, that came out of nowhere.

Still though, it’s not like I care.

Because…

“I guess for us two, that might just be the usual.”

[curupiracue]

How utterly pointless

It seems as if… Nim defeated him.

Ienorb… Is at the ground, without any strength left.

“Took you long enough!”

“...I got here immediately after you beat him.”

“Ah, I had beaten him a while ago.” Ugh.

“Im… possible...”

? Ienorb is speaking up…

“How could I… Be defeated…?”

“You lost because you lost. It’s not a matter of meaning, Ienorb. In this world, it’s neither good nor evil that prevails. Nor is it the strong or the weak, or the smart or the dumb, the few or the many. Those that prevail are those who have power. The fact that you lost, means that the collective sum of my power, my intelligence, my abilities, what I can and can’t do, and the circumstances I was in, where superior to yours.”

“Ugh… So… You’ll now kill me, won’t you?”

“Yes, quite! ...I don’t suppose you’d prefer me to make it impossible for you to murder, would you?”

“Bah! To murder was… My greatest joy. It is through that joy that I build art, great art. I’m scared of death, but I prefer it to this crippling to my life.”

“...” Nim seeming lost on thought… Or maybe, just angry. He opened his mouth, left it open for a moment, and only then spoke: “What a waste.”

“...?”

“You’re a great individual. I’m just thinking what a waste it is that you’re dying here. Not only that, I’m thinking of what you could have been, were you not committing murder. Perhaps… You’re a victim to yourself, the greatest of fools. If so, then you’re much like me, and I don’t feel right disagreeing and killing someone like that. Maybe it’s right, maybe not, but it feels like hypocrisy. Ugh, what I’m even saying...? Anyway! What’s relevant is that it’d be good to give you this chance. Murder is your passion? Maybe, but will it be? Our minds dominate us, but that doesn’t mean they’re immutable. You can change for the better. So… Please, come with us.”

“...” Ienorb stayed silent for a moment, perhaps thoughtful, and opened his mouth…

...Which was then corroded in a silent scream of agony as his body began to glow, stretch itself and explode.

“WHAT?!”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected in a different sense)

A large wave of mentalities, memories, emotions, skills, thoughts... and a single conscience flew through us as we braced ourselves. It hardly lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed like a blink of an eye. What irony.

“Hahah...”

“Nim...”

“Hahahahaha! HAHAAHAHHAAHAHAH!! Oh, I get it…! So… He died from blood loss, hmmmm? From when he jumped through that window...” I was smiling. And crying.

“He… Never had a chance!”

[curupiracue]

Ascending Art Train

! He is advancing towards me...! I need to erase myself from existence, fas-

FOOOOOOOM!

“Guh!”

“Novalue!”

“This thing... It's not quite as strong as the arm, but it's way too fast... In but a second it rammed me and pushed me along while it started to fly…”

“Fast indeed! And it will only get faster as time goes on and I consume more mentality.” Ienorb warned, his upper body stretching from the top of the train and right in front of me, while his arms ripped off Jesus. Did he turn his entire lower body into a train?

“This train represents my unending desire to improve my art! It’s full of risks and as such, I’ve never once used this before, but still! It’s what’ll ensure my victory…!”

Guh… All this… Is just his love for art given form? What an obsession… And that’s not all. He’s linked to it, so it’s linked with the very depths of his mind. It’s his core… No wonder it has such power.

Well, but I never cared for sheer power. Risks, you say? Weaknesses? I can think of two… Since you’re taking a chunk of your mind out, and since it’s your first time using this… I bet you can’t think straight while using it. And linked to that… You probably don’t have access to your other constructions.

Moreover…

“...Sorry to say, Ienorb, but my Unreality all but ignores “strength” or “resistance”. It erases everything, no matter how powerful. ...Well, it’s limited by range, so I won’t be able to get rid of you that quickly.”

“However...”

That will not stop my escape…!

Zwooosh!

...Nor my date with the ground.

“Nim… It’s not like I care that much how I fall, but… You could have caught me, yes?”

I escaped by turning part of it unreal, but not only can it easily escape from that, I also can barely move… At least this will give me som-

PROP.

FOOOOOOOM!

W-What? I thought it would escape from it… But instead… it broke…?

It broke the unreal area?!

How strong is this fucking train?

I look back and see the train descending right at me. Only now could I have a glimpse of it, which immediately made me wish I hadn’t. Of course, mentalities are weird in general, but that monstrosity was beyond words, and only vaguely looked like a train...

It started with a long stairway which gave birth to a train at about a third of it’s length, while also separating itself and becoming multiple stairs that accompanied the rest of train, some floating, others being loosely tied into it, and many of them broken. The train itself was made of a mix of broken wood, distorced steel and many kinds of living tissue, starting with simpler lifeforms and working their way into plants and animals at the top. From the tissue there came giant eyes the size of a human, connected by a red optical nerve.

The eyes moved and stared around frantically, nervously, chaotically, and seemed to summon illusions wherever they looked. Nearing the end of the train, at Ienorb's general area, lied a ring with a metal pipe connect to a hornet that made it's hellish sounds, and all sorts of random objects could be seem stretched around.

FOOOOOOO-

Zwoosh, Plash!

Before the train could hit me again, and before I could enter unreality, I felt a cold liquid enveloping me and pulling me away.

“Sorry… I didn’t react in time before… Are you okay?”

Before I could answer that worried question, the train hit the ground, shattering into many pieces and splinters, some of which flew at us.

“That’s goo-”

FOOOOOOOOM!

It rearranged itself and flew upwards, before making a curve towards us.

This… Is truly indestructible… It has no weaknesses…

“Guh… Why am I not even surprised…?” I say, while trying (a bit futilely) to get up.

“! What the hell are you doing!? YOU’RE HALF DEAD, FOR… Ugh! Your powers aren’t fit to fight this thing! J-Just hide! NOW!”

As much as I hate to admit, he is right... Still, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't get a jab in before...

“Aw... look who is worried…” I manage to say before...

...vanishing.

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

At the moment, I was so shocked and... scrd, that I could not react in time, only watch as Novalue dated the ground.

“Nim… It’s not like I care that much how I fall, but… You could have caught me, yes?”

Oh g-nobody, is he alright? I swooped in closer, in spite of the sheer needlessness of doing so in the mental world.

Thankfully, he seemed well.

...in spite of my sheer incompetence.

PROP.

FOOOOOOOOM!

W-W-What...? It destroyed the unreal area?

Novalue looked upwards in fright, as the train descended on him.

Before there could be any showdown, however, I quickly grabbed and pulled him out of the way.

“Sorry… I didn’t react in time before… Are you okay?” It was a senseless question, but at the moment I said so, I was overcome with more fear and sadness than anger.

Before he could answer, the train did a sharp turn while hitting the ground and then rearranged itself, like someone making up their new identity after coming out of the closet, mmcept nowhere near as cool given the circumstances.

“Why am I not even surprised…” Novalue said, before doing a motion I recognized as trying to get up.

What. THE. FUCK!?

“! What the hell are you doing!? YOU’RE HALF DEAD, FOR… Ugh! Your powers aren’t fit to fight this thing! J-Just hide! NOW!”

“Aw... look who is worried…”

In spite of saying so, he obeyed, hiding in an unreal area.

But still...

That... THAT IMBECILE. Ugh!

"At least he is safe now..." I push this thought out of my mind. Not necessarily because the situation called for a clear state of mind, I would have done it anyways...

FOOOOOOOOOM!

“Hmmph. I don’t know how to harm you, so a direct confrontation won’t do me any good. Water Rope!”

Plashplashplashplash!

For now, I suppose I’ll run away…

FOOOOOOOOOM!

The train made a sharp turn towards me, breaking a large part of it that rather quickly reassembled itself.

“Oh come on!” He lost some speed, but it wasn’t as much as I was hoping. Making my escape will be rather difficult…

“I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you won't be able to escape.” Ienorb said, with a hint of melancholy “The train has already picked up speed! And any attacks you unleash on it will only spell your doom, as it will absorb them to grow and ascend to an ever higher speed…”

“It really is faster than before... However! You would do well not to underestimate me! Since the properties of water are much more valuable than those of fear, it is easier to forget that this emotion is the origin of this power of mine. But in doing so, you would fail to realize that it only grows stronger when I'm in a pinch! Just try and corner me with that speed of yours! Try it! My own speed will only grow stronger, giving me the edge! In addition... Take this!

Floosh, PLASHU!

“So I see you have restricted my train with those water tentacles of yours... I must say, they have grown quite the incredible reach... However.” at this point the train split in half at the part enveloped by my rope, and then promptly reunited itself again, without losing any speed or suffering permanent damage.

“W-what the...!?”

“Hahahah...! You were saying things about underestimation, but you've made the hypocrisy of underestimating my Ascendent Art Train! I have complete domain over how it moves, keeping it functional even when shattered to pieces!”

”Impo... Ugh! What about this then!?” I threw various water balls behind me, making then explode. In response, the train did a sharp turn backwards and then turned around to my direction, barely getting scratched by the pseudo bombs.

FOOOOOOOOOM!

“Oh for...! GAAAH!!”

How can I even beat this? It's got to be the strongest power ever!

No, thinking back, he lost quite a bit of speed in that dodge over there... If that train is the manifestation of his desire to achieve objective art, it makes sense that it reacts badly to emotions. The explosion managed to hit him, if barely, and that area is now burned off. It was permanent damage, or at least semi-permanent. This thing… It might be as unstoppable and implacable as his desires in ordinary circumstances, but it still gotta' have some weak spots. And considering how he refrained to use this until now, I'm guessing they must be pretty big, nothing as simple as just getting more hurt by emotion-based constructions This is no novel where the villains and heroes always wait until the last moment to unleash their strongest powers, after all…

Still... To think I would fight a manifestation of self-improvement, of all things... This irony is biting my chest...

Perhaps more pressingly than that, even if I can damage it with certain metaphors, that still leaves hitting that damn blitz... I guess I could try to wait for it to lose steam and slow down, but I have a feeling I would lose a battle of endurance and attrition here… In fact, I can already feel myself becoming a bit tired, my mind, numb. It’s not like I used my powers that much, but I got hit quite a bit, and using Water Rope at these speeds is putting a very much serious strain on me.

“...If you're just gonna' get faster and faster, I guess I'll have to stop you on your non-existent tracks right here.”

In response, he glared at me:

“...hmm…”

“Suspicious? Hehah, for good reason. I have a little theory of mine…”

“...that I'd like to test!”

There! I threw quite a few more Water Bombs…

...With a space in the midst of their collective explosion for the train to neatly pass through!

It’s a great deal… He doesn’t lose speed, nor does he get hit. Ienorb wouldn’t let this pass, specially if his mind and judgement is too clouded to consider traps. Unless of course…

...The train made another sharp turn backwards.

“HEEHEHEHHAHAHAAHEHHAH! Hell yeah! I got it right! Ienorb, that train of yours… has acceleration and speed, while also being able to make sharp turns. However… They’re too sharp! You have a powerful handle, but not an accurate one! Just like your researches into art, it’s aimless! Meaning, it must feel like driving a car with a slippery wheel, am I right?!”

“No, it feels like driving a train with a slippery wheel. This is a train, not a car.”

...

So anyway. Not only is the train not suited for precise movement, he is also in a dream-like state… There’s a way to defeat it then.

First off, I’ll start going upwards as well as forwards with my Water Rope…

“Don’t think of it, Nim! The train can easily make a curve towards you!”

“Yeah, but who said that wasn’t what I desired, unintelligent Ienorb?”

“?!”

“I mean, think about it… You’re now behind me and below me, simultaneously. Meaning, I can do… this!”

I threw some Water Bombs… not behind me… But right on front of me!

And that explosion send me backwards, the train now being below and in front of me…!

“You think you can escape by changing your trajectory like that? It won’t work… Don’t underestimate my reflexes Nim!”

FOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly, the train did one of it’s usual sharp turns, breaking part of itself in pieces and coming straight towards me.

“...Hah.”

And in response, I merely grabbed it with Water Rope and pulled. He immediately broke that part in pieces, but that was hardly a problem. I had already gotten what I wanted…

...Getting a boost to go downwards!

And while passing through a shocked Ienorb, I made sure to tell him:

“I’ve managed to properly analyze your train. It loses speed and power when in pieces, and your imprecise movement also cripples your reconstructions, making them take longer than they could. Well, up until now, you’ve handled sharp turns well… But they were only moderately sharp. Now, I wonder how you like… this 270º turn!”

“What?!”

“Don’t underestimate my guile. Ienorb.”

PUFF

“What the?! He went straight to the ground? Darn… I can’t be sure where he is… The psychic, mental dirt is covering his signals, and my Identification is rendered weak by this form… Bah, no matter! I’ll merely enter the dirt and go after him!”

FOOOOOOOOOM!

Hmmm…

Ienorb will lose some speed before making the full turn. Meanwhile…

PUFF

“Hmmm… I can’t see very well here… Still… I can feel some sort of power nearby. Meaning, Nim can’t be far...”

PLASH

“Huh?! I hit something?! ...But this is...!”

“Water Rope. More specifically...”

I pull and swing it, taking the train out of underground and slamming it.

BRAAAAAMMM!!!

FOOOOOOOOOM...!

“A net made of Water Rope!”

“How can this?!”

“I entered the ground before you. That gave me a few moments… To build a net with Water Rope there, catch you in it like a fish, and then easily smash you!”

“Guh! You caught me by surprise…. hence, why I failed to divide in time. But I’ll escape this net! It’s caused some damage, but hardly anything significant… I’ll just divide myself!”

FOOOOOOOOOM!

“Hee. Thank you, Ienorb.”

“?”

“You’ve helped me much indeed! Since it’s on pieces right now, the damage inflicted will be much larger...”

BBBAAAAAAAAMMMMMM!!!

“The damage inflicted by the collect explosion of all the ropes that composed that net, that is.”

foooosh…

The wind blew, and the smoke cleared, revealing Ienorb and his train, in pieces and smaller than before, as well burnt and crushed.

“Guh… This won’t stop me! You’ve made the mistake of letting the train be pointed towards you! I don’t need any curves, I’ll just go straight towards you and finish you off!”

“It’s all but outright pulverized, and almost unrecognizable… Yet you can still control it?”

FOOOOOOOOOM!

“However, it’s useless.”

FOOOOOOOOOM...?

“What?! What?! Why can’t I mooooove!? AH!”

“You finally noticed? One of the Water Ropes that composed that net didn’t explode. That’s because I put an overclock to increase it’s resistance to explosions. I made it go around your train and maintain itself as a circle, and then I left it there, with no further contact or imput to and from me. And I also put another overclock on it… One that increased it’s weight.”

“YOU… UGH! Fine! I’ll divide, and run away!”

FOOOOOOOOOM!

BAAAAM!

The two overclocks exploded alongside the Water Rope, and tossed half of the train away, making it impossible for Ienorb to reunite himself with it.

“Just at the time I predicted. And now, Ienorb, you’ve lost.”

“Hah! Nim, you believe I’ll make the curve too late, don’t you? It’s true, I’m in an awful shape… but still! I can make that curve way before that! I won’t get close enough to you and your Water Ropes! I’ve totally wo-?!”

“What the… Why… Did the train suddenly sprint like that? Why did it go with increased speed? This isn’t the train’s natural speed, so what boosted it…? ...! NO! It can’t be!”

“It can. I put an overclock to you while I was rising to the surface. You were too preoccupied with the Water Rope to notice it. That overclock… Increased your speed...”

“No, no, no!”

“...And in doing so...”

“NO NO NO NO!!!”

“Brought you right to my...”

“STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!”

“MY RANGE, IENORB YENRUOJ! TAKE THIS! WATER ROPE!”

PLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASH

WAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!

The Water Ropes… Pierced and whipped and slashed and crushed and destroyed the train.

And then…

BBBBAAAAMMM!

All of the Water Rope I had left… Exploded.

Leaving the train in small pieces floating in the air.

TAM!

Vish…

...Which were disintegrated when the speed overclock reached it’s end.

Pam.

“Looks like your objective art... was an illusion, after all.”

[curupiracue]

The End is Nigh...

“Tsk... He caught the bullet…”

“Oh yes, Novalue... I almost forgot about you... But really, oh dear dear dear dear dear dear deeeaaaaarrrrrrrr... You almost caught me off-guard there... Hah. But, it should be common sense, that an arm possess far greater power than a bullet, you know?”

“...Mmm… Not bad, I suppose. Well, I didn’t expect you to get hit. By the way...”

“Hmm?”

“I rather like your style. That suit is not only elegant, but though it’s simple, I find that the color scheme meshes well with your blond hair. The top hat doesn’t hurt, either.”

“Ahahahahahah! Well, that’s certainly amusing. You’re the first person, I think, that I’ve ever heard complimenting a serial killer...”

“Well, you’ll soon be dead. So I figured I should compliment you now, while I still can.”

“...Hah. ...Aren’t you arrogant, hmmm? Nim is incapacitated for now… So I’m sorry to say, you won’t be any trouble at all… Hahahaahahah! How pitiful! I shouldn’t, but I think I’ll indulge myself a bit. I’ll let you fire one bullet at me before I kill you. Honestly, I’d rather spare you, but, that’s too much of a risk. So consider that small chance a compensation. Not like you could hit me with a bullet...”

“Pff. I have to agree with you... There is no way you would let yourself be hit by a bullet…”

pop.

Wait. That sound... It can't be...

“...But what about FIFTY?”

”Fifty!?”

I didn't even have to look behind me to understand: He had made it so that 50 bullets were made unreal, and popped the unreal area back into existence... And from the sound, the feeling of practicality that came from behind me... I-It can't be... This direction...!

I-I can't summon my arm to protect myself at this angle! There are no objects in sight other than my own body and the bullets! The bullets are too small, and Novalue is unblinkingly observing the front of my body, so even if I managed to observe my back... Even if I did that... I wouldn't be able to summon iiiit...!

C-can I summon an object, to use it as a cover? No, it's not possible! the bullets are too fast... And I would have to concentrate to summon the object! Not to mention... Fifty bullets! FIFTY! Even the arm can't grab them all in time... And I can't just summon it behind Novalue... He positioned himself between me and Nim, so Nim is observing HIS back!

How...?! How can this be happening!?

...No... I can't think like this. I might be organized, but I refuse to let ANY unpredictable circumstances bring me down! ANY!!! Whenever one faces imminent disaster, they must remain calm and optimistic and try their best! That is all! That is all that is necessary to win!

I'll just summon the arm from my back, throw a knife at him, and summon an object behind me to protect me from the brunt of damage! I'll summon a computer, representing practicality and algorithm!

Novalue! This ends NOW!

SWIN! SWOOOOOOOON...!

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

“Unreality.”

Zwosh.

“This knife no longer exists.” I gave a small skip to the side “Whoop. There we go. Now the knife can re-enter reality.”

Pop.

OOOOOOON...?!

Syn.

Though the knife didn't even touch it, it made a small crack at my cheek.

“...what...?” Ienorb said, with emptiness and despair...

POMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOM!

...Moments before being hit by my bullets.

“GWAAGH!”

PAH.

And the bullets came back to my gun.

“Looks like you managed to save yourself, just barely, by summoning that computer... I probably should let you know, then, that the bullets were aimed back at my gun. They simply hit you because you were an obstacle, which reduced their effectiveness. But you know, I figured that, if you managed to pull any tricks…” I cocked the pistol and took aim at him “I would be glad to not be out of bullets.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Y-YOU...

“AGHHHH! Ah, ah ah…” I summoned the arm from behind me again “Novalue... This is nooooot... Not over... yet. You said it yourself, didn't yooou...!? That you would be out of bullets were it not for these coming back? Then... Then...! THEN THERE ARE NO MORE GODDAMN TRICKS UP YOUR DAMN SLEEEEAVES! ahaahahahahahaha!”

“There are no more bullets hidden in unreal zones! AnD! yoU CAN't ShOOt FaSTer ThAn ME... And... And I've already defeated Nim!”

I felt a hand on my shoulder. And it was only then, that I realized something of great importance:

Nim was no longer at the ground behind Novalue...

“Ah, yeah... I'm feeling pretty defeated right now…”

“uuuh...! UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Ienorb panicked a bit, screaming and jumping away from Nim, and falling rear-endedly into the ground.

“Impossible... impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLESMLEISEMPIELISEMLISMLSEMILSEMILPSEMLPIEMLIPSEMIPLEMLIPSEMSELISEMSMEOPIMESPOLLPMOSESEMILPSEMILPSEMOPIESMOIESMPOSEMIOPSEIMPESOMILPSEOMILPSEMLIPESOMLIPSEOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Huh.”

“That's fun…” Nim said after rushing to my side, with a sad grin and blatant insincerity.

“...well. Let's just end this, I guess.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

How can this be…? It just can’t! It cannot! Why am I suddenly having to deal with this?! I was living normally just a few days, when suddenly… I was thrown into this inferno! Why…? I should have been untouchable...

This is it. I’ll die. I won’t be able to defeat them. And if I could, would I be right? At this point, there’s no such thing as will… I can only give up… And yet, what bothers me more than any of this… What saddens me…

...

...What saddens me more than anything… is not being able to finish it…

My art… Will never reach the apex… I won’t be able… to do draw even once more on the canvas…

My art…

My art…?!

“Guh...”

What… What am I doing?

I’ve been rotting for years… Only breathing when I’m performing my art… Yes, that peace was nice, but at the same time, it was… sedentary, wasn’t it? It’s not like… It’s what’ll save me now… What I need is my most inner self… I must embrace it… Get the strength that I’ve forgotten… In order to defeat these men! I’ll do it… I’ll show them who Ienorb Yenruoj really is! And I’ll not restrict myself! I’ll let it all flow out, what I’ve been drawing, and what I’ve long forgotten… After all...

I am my art, and my art is me!

FOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

“Ascending Art Train!”

“WHHAAAAT?!!?”

“His lower body… turned into a train?!”

[curupiracue]

A God Chicken Against a Slumbering Dragon

“Hey ah Ienorb, my supah buddy! How are you doing, I ask?”

“Not too good, I’m afraid. Especially with you here...”

“Not too good, huh… Heh! If there’s one thing that I really hate, it’s assholes who are a bit too sure of their own selves. So it’s nice seeing you diminished to this oh, so deplorable state you’re in.”

“I might be cornered, but still. Victory will be mine...”

“Oooh~ Didn’t know you were suicidal! Nice, nice, molto bene~ Now can we hear about your tragic backstory?“

“Well, talk about overconfidence. Let’s see if that holds up, Nim. With this distance, I know you won’t utilise the Overclocks. You’ve never used anything that had good range, so I shall assume you don’t have something like that… Meaning, you’ll use the Water Rope. I know that for a fact...”

“Ah yup~ Can’t try melee right now. You’ll just throw a knife at me, and then I’ll die! That wouldn’t be very nice. Water Rope is the way to go. It’ll defeat you, for sure. ...Oh come on. Don’t screw with me. Do you really think you can just throw a knife and win?”

“Why, I do! After all, that “for sure” comes with a but, does it not?”

“Pff. You’re betting that we’re at the right range… Where I can’t just use the Water Rope to pull myself away and dodge… but also can’t overwhelm you with physical blows. The perfect balance… Not too far, nor too close. Bravo! Pero c’est impossível. Ya’ can’t count on ya’ luck so much, freund!”

“I wonder? It seems like it might just be it to me. And I can see you trembling, Nim. You know that you must attack me. If you can make me close my eyes, avert my gaze, or die, then you can just close your eyes, and no knife will ever hit you. It will be your victory… Assuming you can’t dodge and attack in between these dodges, and nor can you hit me fast enough to incapacitate me in some shape or another, victory is mine.”

“Yes, yes, quite. And I guess you must be thinking: at this distance, he can’t dodge. As for incapacitation, I’m not so sure, but I have a trick on my sleeves… My thrown knife will cut down some of those Water Ropes… and that should be enough to keep me safe. Since Nim will have to attack from the sides...”

“Yes… Quite… And what’s the problem with that thesis, hmmm?”

“Simple. The Water Rope… is a construction that represents fear. Not fear of death, so it won’t exactly fit in… But the second layer of interaction cannot be forgotten. Even if it’s just a bit… The presence of the intent to kill will, symbolically, increase the power of fear. Hence, while it might seem like a buena idea to cut down the Water Rope with the knife… It will actually be trying to douse fire with gasoline! Since it’s liquid, at first glance, yeah… It seems like a nice plan. But in reality… death! Death awaits you!”

“Oh come now. Such a pitiful bonus can’t be called that. Because in this case, the flames will be doused… It’s just that the ones that aren’t, will end up even stronger. So, you can’t possibly mean what you said...”

“Not the gasoline part, no. But certainly the death part.”

“Oh hoh! Then we have nothing left to do but to test this, yes?”

“I do believe so~”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Now! THE ARM!”

“Ugyyyah! WATER ROPE!”

Swi~in!

Floosh!

Swooooooon!

I threw the knife! Now I just need to...

PLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASHPLASH!

What?!

“Heh. I don’t need to overwhelm you per se… I just need to grab your head and force it to the side!” Heh. “?! WHAAAAT?!?!!”

“Don’t… underestimate me… I won’t let you move my head any further than this… My will… shall prove victorious… NIIIM!!!”

“Geh!”

Blooshu!

“GARGH!”

Paft.

Gah… Even if I endured, all those attacks still send me backwards… What power…! But still… This is good! That was a direct hit against him!

?! Wait, but he’s not that damaged… What?!

TAM!

BOOOM!

“AGH!”

Puf, blank PAH.

“He... Had used an Overclock to improve his defense…? Intelligent, Nim, very intelligent... If I understand how that explosive overclocking of yours works... Ugh…” I gasped a bit for air, still not quite ready to get up “”It must not have been linear... The equation was definitely exponential, and though I can only wonder to what degree... cof, cof… or manner... It's quite clear that there was a point of perfection... A single point of strength with that overclock, that, if exceeded, would cause too much damage on the explosion, but if not met, would cause damage from the knife.”

“You managed to find that point, and thus you're still alive even after being hit twice... And what's more, differently from me, who found a similar point with luck, you did it by yourself. Gah... T-That's truly phenomenal... I must admit, the one who deserved to win this battle... was you.”

“But! You've made ONE grave mistake... That Overclock... You should have used it for attack, attack instead of defense! Then you would have incapacitated me before the knife could hit. As it stands, I've won this... It matters not if you survived…”

Swwiiiiiiiiin...

“AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Because thanks to your own cowardice, you're now incapacitated and an easy target for a last attac-!”

Bang!

“Huh?! Darn! THE ARM!”

Swon!

[curupiracue]

This Man is Ienorb Yenruoj (2)

“Darn it...”

Well… Nim will be here, soon enough… I could stop the blowing wind, or I could use The Arm to gain some distance… But frankly, if I have to fight him, I might as well do it now. There’s also another advantage… Blowing wind on my hand, biting it and keeping The Arm active are all simple and continuous actions. They don’t require my constant attention. I’m pretty bad at Maintenance, but I think I can go back to the real world for a bit, and try to do something there… I actually managed to earn a few seconds, I think. That’s quite a lot here, but I don’t think it’ll be worth much there… still, if I can get a car, or maybe dress up my wounds…

...Yes. Let’s do just that.

(And now, may reality torture us once more)

“Oh! You’ve woken up! Are you feeling ok?!” The moment I come back to my senses, I notice a store clerk with a cellphone on hand

So, I’ve met with someone else. First that thief, and now this man… What a recurrent disgrace... I enter a momentary bad mood, cleared by the realization of what embraced that man's wrist. Hoh. I suppose I can, one more time, make use of this...

“Ah... N-No, no, it's not-nothing... What... Time is it?”

“It's 8 o'c-clock; aah, sir, are you sure...? I’ve called an ambulance, they will be here soon but...”

“Hahahah…”

“S-sir!?”

“Oh no... It's nothing. It just seems like I'll be late to my work... My identity has been found out by not one, but rather two highly skilled psychics, my clothes have been ruined, I'm hurt and bleeding all over, I've wasted the last few days on these terrible events rather than indulging in my art, and I'm going to be "late" to work. Heheheh... Get it? Because I might die... Heh. Hahah. Truly, what an awful day…” before I can receive his reply, he fell to the ground, alongside some curious passerby.

“Here, compensation for the trouble I have caused you…” I put some money on the pocket of the polite clerk.

I look to the sky. It’s cloudy today… Or is the sun setting? I can’t see very well...

“...”

“...Hah...”

“...Hahahahah… Hahah… Well… Would look at that… (sniff) (sniff) Waaugh… (sob) ughhhhh…! GAAAAAAAAAH!!! HAAAAAAA! (sob) (sob) Bwaaaah!!! (sniff)”

Pzzz.

Huh...?

Nim is already there?

...Very well.

[curupiracue]

The Wind Blows Before the Final Battle

Vooosh...

“Hmm? What is this? Nim, are we going…?”

“What, what, what is it?! I’m going through a hell of a high, so why must you disrupt my apex?!”

“...”

Voooosh….!

“Fine. Sorry. What do you mean?”

“I feel like we’re going slower… but also, faster? I can’t quite put my finger on why...”

Huuuh. So he wants me to think for him? Well, that’s easy. Now that he told me, I think I know why it is so. ...But, it’s...

Vooooosh!

“Um, well, we are going slower, it seems. Because the scenery is not so blurry. On the other hand, the wind is blowing-”

VOOOOOOSH!

“?!”

“Nim, what is this wind?!”

“I-I don’t know!” Wait!? Don’t tell me… “It must be Ienorb!”

“Guh, so he… Is using some other wind blowing construction on his real arm… And the wind is manifesting in a The Arm around here and blowing us away with a power that’s dozens of times the original’s…? Damn, this is...”

!

“NOVALUE!”

He… He got blown away!

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

This is it! Precisely what I needed! If I bite my hand like this to keep it near my mouth even when it’s numb, and blow wind on it… It’ll manifestate on the arm!

Though, I’m now no longer flying per se, just going with inertia forwards and downwards. But it’s not like I’ll hit anyth-

CRASH!

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

“Don’t worry about me! Go after him! This wind may be capable of pushing and blowing things away, but it’s not that powerful…! I’ll be fine, so go! You can’t let this chance be in vain!”

“Guh...”

He’s too far away… I won’t be able to grab him…

DAMNIT!

This serial killer… I’ve underestimated him! He’s untrained, yes, but were it not for that, he’d be a fearsome adversary! That’s because he’s much like me… An absolute tactical genius! And the more time we give him to evolve, to worse it gets! But even still…

Even still...

This is all my fucking fault… True, it was thanks to bad luck that I lost grip of him… The wind blew in a way convenient to Ienorb… But, it was avoidable bad luck! Had I kept a more firm grip… He wouldn’t have…

UGH! Just shut up, you absolute IDIOT! Now’s not the time to start crying about your own stupidity! Or do you want to be crying more later?!

I wipe out my tears.

Gotta’ go now… Find Ienorb! And finish him off, for good!

[curupiracue]

The Final Fight (5)

I see.

So that was his full plan…

What that in essence was… was an attempt to turn the fight into a competition of brute force. However simple that may be, it was still elaborate in practice. In addition… It came full with some insurance.

Inside this unreal area I’m in…

...There’s some Water Rope ready to explode.

At any moment, I could pop the unreal area, and these would explode in a flash. Of course, most likely... the explosion would go directly ahead.

The Arm… Requires someone to be seeing it. So, if you’re enveloped in flames, it can’t hit you. It’s such an obvious weakness, identifying it isn’t even worth of praise. True, that would make us lose speed in these circumstances, and would mean that the whole trap arm thing would fail… That is, if it even worked with a The Arm that had it’s tangibility boosted, though if Nim believes it would, I believe it too. But, in spite of all that, it’s still a critical flaw. It beats dying, no?

However, if Nim tried to take advantage of it, he would need to pay attention to the knife. He would need to consider when to give up. When it was no longer possible to do anything… The distraction wouldn’t really be problematic, but the worry that came with it, even if it strengthened Water Rope a bit, would be deadly. So, instead… He left that choice with me. He trusted me to ascertain the situation well, and react fast enough to save us both.

...Thank you Nim. You’ve really grown a lot...

“Hey, Novalue, prepare yourself. I’m sending some Water Rope there to catch ya’.”

“Alright.”

Pop.

Splash!

“There we are… Now… This is our one chance. I can go faster than him, so I just need to outspeed him while he is incapable of putting obstacles.”

“Finally… This battle is entering it’s last throes.”

[curupiracue]

The Final Fight (4)

“Ugh...”

“Well, well! Aren’t I in luck? It’s true… In a straight fight, I have no chance against you. It might as well be impossible… But! With the aid of luck… With destiny itself on my side… It’s possible! I could end you right here!”

“Nim...” I looked over my shoulder, and in his face, I saw…

“Novalue, just hide!”

“Got it.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

“Oh, but what is this? Novalue is hiding on unreality… And you’re coming after me, Nim? Well, how reckless! True… if both of you hid, then I’d escape… But! You can’t use Unreality now! Did you forget? Or did you never find out? The Arm can turn intangible… So, without Unreality, you can’t defend yourself! And Novalue is gone… No way I can go wrong with the perspective! Should he come back, I can stab him instead! Indeed, by having Novalue hide, you pretty much told me you couldn’t defend you both!”

“I don’t need defense right now… What I need is speed. Or did you not notice? Because you used both arms, your flight got slow for quite a while… And, if I can just get close to you…!”

“Admirable attempt… Really, I’m impressed! But it’s doomed to fail, I’m afraid… Look to your belly! The Arm has already appeared there! It will stab you now! ...Don’t even bother moving your hands, you can’t touch it even if-!”

“Heh.”

“?!”

Nim is holding… Some chains and… a clock?!

“There’s something else I have to show you, Ienorb. This is… Overclock. I may not be able to touch your The Arm, but I can still put the clock on it… Well, I actually find that it makes it easier to do so!”

flooowshbobobo... Tiiick... tick... tick. tick, tick ticktic-taum!

“You put some liquid on it… and…?”

“Alrighty, lemme’ explain it to ya’, since you’re pretty much screwed anyways. This is a construction that allows me to boost a characteristic of anything I desire in certain proportions, for pretty much as long as I wish. Then, when the timer hits down, whatever it was attached to explodes, disintegrates, or loses animus in proportion to the time and potency of the overclock.”

Huh? But this is…

“...And? Even if you say you want to immobilize The Arm with the third penalty, I can see that it takes a little while. I’ll be stabbing you first, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, is that right? Buuuut~ What about the booost?”

PLASH!

?! What the… How…?

It’s intangible, so… How did he grab it...? With that Water Rope…?

Well, no matter… I’ll just unsummon it…!

“Huh? Why… Why can’t I-”

“Unsummon it? Of course you can’t do that. That would mean it would go away… Afraid it can’t do that right now. Can you turn off a refrigerator that is magically receiving electricity? Course not. Not even if you pull the plug, darling~”

“W-What do you mean…?”

“Teehee. In other words… I improved it’s tangibility.”

“W-W-W-W-W-WWHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT?!?!??!!”

“Oh, goodness. I explained my power to you, and you still couldn’t get it? Well...”

PLASH!

PLASH!

PLASH!

“...Guess I’ll just be thanking you for conveniently summoning it from behind me, where I can easily pull it away~”

“Guh! Don’t tell me… This was your plan from the start…?!”

“Awww, I wouldn’t say “From the start” or “plan”... You do flatter me though~ I just had the idea lying around… You seemed so confident that your real arm couldn’t be affected though The Arm, but… Just the fact that it goes limp proves otherwise, no? So long as I managed to keep you from unsummoning it, first by improving it’s tangibility, and then by paralyzing it, you would lose use of one of them... and then you made your move, and placed that rock on us~! My intuition warned me that I shouldn’t destroy that rock… And since it warned me a moment before, it saved the entire plan… Ya’ know, intuition was once compared to a fire alarm. Sure, if you turn around the corner to look… or if you await a little bit… You will notice the fire! That’s a fact… There will be the flames… The heat… The smoke and it’s smell~ However, you can’t go looking for fires for no reason! That would certainly be distracting, yes? So that leaves waiting… Waiting until the fire becomes obvious. But isn’t it dangerous!? If you wait… You might see the fire when it cover the door! Too late, too sad, too bad, barbecue on plate! So, instead! Fire alarms, baby~ They save lives, they solve crime! That warning I got was enough! And what’s more! It didn’t have that flaw! That flaw of intuition… The possibility of being wrong! Good intuition comes with an impartial mind… That is, an intuition that doesn’t waver! That’s what did you in! Ienorb!”

“Ugh… That was truly brilliant but… but…! The Arm is still moving towards you, in spite of being pulled! Regrettably, your arrogance will kill you Nim! It’s just about to land a blow! It’ll do so before the Overc-”

TAM!

“-lock does this~?”

“I can’t move it! Not at all! T-This cannot be!”

“Oh, it sure can be. You know how it can be? It’s because of me, see. Because I’m talented! Because I’m tactical! Because I’m experienced! Because I’m powerful! Because I’m creative! Because I’m intelligent! Because I’m… PEERRRRFEEEEECT! Perfect, and so much better than you!”

[curupiracue]

The Final Fight (3)

The Arm and the cloth vanished… and instead, there’s a rock? What is the meaning of this?

...Nim seems shocked… This is probably bad… ! Wait, don’t tell me… It’s…!

“Well, well. Nim probably understood this immediately, but I wonder about you, Novalue. About how I managed to put that rock there… And the answer is quite simple, really! I summoned The Arm and grabbed it...”

“What?! But… how? We would be able to see it if you summoned it on our side of the cloth, and you couldn’t summon it on your side… Because there was no cov- No, wait… Do you mean to say…?”

“Ah, indeed I do! That cloth… you thought it was in just a random circular shape, but that’s not true at all! It was at a “9” shape. In other words, it was hollow! I saw one side of it’s exterior, and you saw the other… but neither of us saw the inside! The inside, the very existence of it was what guaranteed my success!”

“I summoned it from the inside, to my side of the cloth, and I used it as a cover not for summoning purposes, but to guarantee you wouldn’t see me pick this rock! Since it was a real rock I picked with the The Arm, it didn’t vanish when I unsummoned both of them… Well, Novalue, you’re smart, so… I do believe you can understand what I want to do it with this rock?”

Tsk… An arm… Is coming from the rock. To catch us by surprise… I could either listen to him and waste time I could use getting ready, or not listen, and get caught by surprise. One way or the other, he won here. Now, the question is…

“Should I hit you first, or should I aim for Nim?” ...Exactly that. “Hmmm… That’s a tough choice… Heh...”

“But I think I’ll go with Nim first! The Arm! Stab him, right this instant!”

Damnit... Should we close our eyes? Then it would vanish, but we would be open to other attacks… I’ll have to catch it with Unreality instead… Tsk… I wasn’t expecting something like this. In particular, since he can only use two at a time and is using one to fly… I’d think he would want to summon two of them only for an instant, but instead… Wait. Two of them? But doesn’t that mean that he will…?

...!

...There’s another one coming for me. Using the first one as cover... Damn… This will be complicated… Nim…

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Well, well.

Psychic battles, like many battles, can be very quickly ended. Like, say… a gunfight. It pretty much boils down to who shoots who first. Humans are very fragile after all… A shot in the stomach, shoulder, chest, neck… All of these can be very much fatal! And in the Mental World, there’s no such thing as bleeding or dying later thanks to complications… No! It’s right here, right now! So, first attacker wins… Or who can block the shot. Novalue, you might have thought that you could easily block that shot, that is, my knife… True, it’s easy. In most circumstances, it would be easy. You would just have to shoot the opponent, and win. But say… what if the opponent suddenly teleported when you were about to make the shot? Could you hit them? And then, what if they started moving before shooting themselves? Of course not… It would be very difficult indeed!

Not that I expect that this will end you...I’m sure you have means of countering this. In fact, you can just hide in Unreality if you wish. What I plan to gain here is… time. Time, and information. If I can force you to lose some precious few moments… Or force you to reveal one of your powers, specially Nim’s… Then I would definitely have an advantage! It might just tip the scales on my favour enough… For me to make a safe getaway! So… What will you do, Nim? Novalue?

“Tsk…” Oh? Nim is speaking up... “Ienorb… Sounds like you won this fight… I’ll reveal it. The secondary ability of my Water Rope.” ? That water on his hand… is flaring up? Will it…? “...Explode!”

BAAAAM!

!

It exploded! And what’s more… That wasn’t just a random, spherical-like blast… It was like a cannon blast, explosive fire coming from his hands and aiming for the…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

“Pfffha…! Hahahaha…! AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

“Guh...”

“Nim! I cannot believe this! It’s true… It’s certainly a fact that I, Ienorb Yenruoj am aware of… That no matter how likely something is to happen, it can still fail. The result can still be the more unlikely one! Hence, no matter how good you are… There’s no guarantee you won’t make a mistake! It might be a billion in one chance… Something that will only happen once or twice in your entire life! Yes, I was fully aware of that… But what I didn’t know, was that it would happen with me! Right here! Right NOW!”

“Nim… You...”

“Oh, yes he did, Novalue. He...”

“...Missed that rock!”

[curupiracue]

The Final Fight (2)

What the?!

I’m throwing some knives randomly at them, but they’re blocking them… No, that’s not even the issue here.

What speed… These tentacles made of water are, perhaps, even faster than my knives.

“...That way, they’ll reach me…! What do I do…?!”

?

No wait… They’re going quickly sure, maybe faster than me, but not that fast. If all of these fast things were pulling them, they’d be going with much greater speed…

“...Hold on… I think I got it. Random things in the nothingness only pose a threat to beginners of the psychic arts. So they’re fragile… When you’re at this divine level, our divine level, they can’t withstand much strength. Hmmm...”

It’s a miracle he can actually pull like that. It’s probably thanks to the fact that it’s water… Well, even considering this, he must have an astounding level of concentration and skill. Otherwise it would break. Those pillars, walls, trees, giant ropes made of human entrails he’s pulling… they would break. That water… is a metaphor for fear. Novalue’s constructions are more reserved, to the point that I’m still not sure what that unreal thing actually is, but Nim’s are honest. To the point. Open. I can also sense something else… The capability for anger, fire?

Well, one way or the other, I should avoid scaring him too much. Instead… I should put obstacles in their path.

I mean, from the moment I started to run like this, I forgoed actually attacking them. I gave up on being a threat. I just need to slow them down! Slow them down, if only a bit… So that I, Ienorb Yenruoj can escape!

But just tossing knives, like what I’m doing now won’t work. They would predict that, and would block them. It’s good that they block them, so that Nim’s fear isn’t intensified, but I want to get them to waste time blocking! And Novalue’s construction… No, Nim might also have something along the lines of that as well. A construction that can easily block... And since it’d be just as predictable to spawn it on their bodies… That’s out. It could work if they weren’t looking at the bodypart, in which case I’d be observing it. But they’re keeping a formation to guarantee this is difficult… They’re back to back and looking mostly down! That limits my options, and since it’d be near, they’d feel the construction… I can’t attack at range, I can’t attack up close? I can’t?! I can’t?! Then am I supposed to roll over and die, like the Aztecs against the Spanish?! Madness! I-

! Wait… Yes… That’s an idea…

“Heheeheh… At the last moment, I evolved! I thought of something… If I attack with good consideration to the angles...”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

“So Nim?”

“Mhmm. Got it. I can see where he’s going with this. He wants to attack… manifesting The Arm where he can see it, but we can’t. And then throw the knife from this odd angle, to make sure we would only realize it at the last second. But still… That’s all pointless. One way or the other, we c-”

“What’s up Nim?”

That’s…

Suddenly, I turn my head to look more to the right. And there it was… Just like I felt it, The Arm. But… It was holding...

“! Oh no! That’s bad! Absolutely bad, Novalue!”

“That’s… some cloth? Why would it… Oh… Don’t tell me…?”

“I think we can assume that, yes! He will be summoning another arm using the cloth itself as cover. And since the cloth is being swung, it’s an odder angle that the throwing knives, or a normal attempt at stabbing… A flail! He made a flail with two arms and a cloth! ...Novalue, can you…?”

“...Well, yes, I can. I’m still calm, so I can use Unreality and banish the tip. However, if I need to take into account that it’s swinging like that, making an arc and wobbling… then, even if it’s low, there’s a chance I’ll fuck it up.”

“And should that happen...”

Novalue “nodded”

“This isn’t a situation where we can afford that. A direct hit… would kill me outright. As for you… since you’re damaged, it might kill you, but you regenerate your barrier fast, so it’s possible you’ll survive... but it’ll only be barely. You’ll be barely hanging on, and if he figures out a way to use The Arm to instead cause small amounts of damage on a larger area, then you’d die.”

“...Oh wow, I’d survive~! But if that’s how it is, then I’d still be as good AS FUCKING DEAD, would I NOT?!”

“Mmm. Quite.”

“...Ugh.”

Novalue looked at me for a moment, then spoke.

“Nim. Calm down. You can, without a shadow of a doubt, think of some solution to this, so long as your heart isn’t playing loud music. And it doesn’t have to, I’m sure of it.”

“...”

“Anyway… I’ll follow whatever plan you come up with.”

“Plan huh? Oh yeah… There WAS that… That one idea I had… Oh hoh… gehehehehehehe! Ok, I think I got it...”

“Good. Even if conversation can be sped up, we’ve still wasted a lot of time. It’s nearly on top of us.”

“Rightie~ As for following my orders, well… I’m sure you know me well enough. So let’s just prepare for that kniiiiii-? Huh? It’s not…?”

Hold on a second! The cloth is pretty much on top of us! Why is there no knife? Why is there no ARM?! How can it be? Does he want to attack at the last second? ...No, that’s not it. My intuition warns me of something else… It gives me a ominous feeling, like the muscle pains that precede a terminal disease. He… Has another plan, right?

poof!

“W-Wait-!?”

“This is…?”

“Heh… Yes you two. It is, indeed, some random rock.”

[curupiracue]

The Final Fight (1)

Where could they be…? Just were…?

Here? Here? Maybe here? Or there? Or…!?

This… This feeling… like passively drowning in a swamp, like floating in ephemeral clouds of ashes… This must be Novalue!

“Aah… Aah… Calm down… If I start panicking, they will find me… Though. This sure makes it wors-”

They’re there! And what’s more, they’re still! So, in other words, they have not gone to the Mental World… They must be either setting a trap or running away. If they haven’t noticed me yet, this is my one and only chance!

“The Arm! Manifest yourself from behind me! And then I’ll observe, umblikingly, the knife you’ll throw at the- W-What?!”

They’re suddenly gone?

D-Damnit! I dropped the knife on my hand, making it easier to defend myself if need be.

But… Where could they be?

“That Arm might seem pretty good at defense, since you can summon it close by… But it will flounder at many easily reached circumstances. In other words… You can’t reach me if I attack from behind.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Since it requires looking at things, and things that obscure your view, angle, direction and naturally obstacles need to be considered when battling Ienorb.

Unless he looks over his shoulders, he cannot summon the arm behind. He can summon it from behind him, but that’s different. The only way he can quickly block attacks from that direction is if someone else is looking at him from behind. Thanks to the most brilliant tactic of closing our eyes, we’re not looking at him. His only method of attack would be to pick some other spot and throw a knife at us from there, but that would be too far away, given we’re at point blank melee range.

And as such, we can attack with free reign.

“Nim, you can go first.”

“Gotcha’! It’s Showtim- Wait… There’s something wro- ! Novalue!”

Instinctively, I opened my eyes. And I saw…

A knife flying on my direction.

Nim jumped over me.

The knife hitting Nim instead.

And Ienorb, close to both of us, his back still turned, but his neck slowly moving so that he could look at us. Ienorb, in that helpless position, covered by the fog of his mask… and behind that fog, he had three arms and an aura of darkness.

“Closing your eyes actually worked on my favor, see. Though, I admit that was not part of the plan… It still worked perfectly towards it. I was so very afraid… that you’d notice the me here is not actually me at all… HEheehehehee. ...Everything I grab with my real arm manifests in the illusory one. I’ve learned my lesson about you types: if I just go running towards the fight, I lose, if I attack from a distance, I lose. One way or the other, you get me. So I decided, you wouldn’t get me! And would, instead get this decoy! HAH! And doing it was as simple as finding a vertical wall and a grabbing my own torso! An arm for a decoy, and another one in a blind spot to finish you off by throwing a knife while you’re distracted! All while I, Ienorb Yenruoj, stand away in safety!”

“GUH!”

“Nim!” I took a step forward, preparing myself to catch him. He… Seems alright. In the sense, that he won’t die when the damage is resolved. But still… He’s badly hurt…

! No time for feeling worried. Seems like there’s more knifes coming. In fact, many knives, in rapid sequence.

“Oh, and about these knives… Turns out, since The Arm’s state reflects the real one’s, so long as I keep my knife in hand, it will always reappear in it’s hand! That, coupled with it’s speed, means that I can machine gun fire KNIVES, baby!”

“Damn… (deep breath...) Unreality.”

All of a sudden, we’re in a void.

“Nim?”

“...I’m here.”

“...Are you ok…?”

“...I’m better than you would be, were you hit with that thing.”

“...Didn’t really mean it like that.”

“Yes. It’s obvious.”

“So?”

“...” Wait for it… “...I’m pretty angry. You could probably guess that too. We can talk about this later. But, I’m not angry at you.”

“...Yeah. I guessed that too. No, rather… I just knew.”

“Can you hear me from over here?” Suddenly, Ienorb’s voice came out, with a bit of hesitance and unease that made me feel pride in my construction.

“Sure can.”

“Oh, so we can communicate. How friendly.”

“...You sure pulled out something smart there.” Nim interrupted.

“Oh? My, my… Thank you very much for the compliment, however begrudgingly it might have been given.”

“Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Ah? Go right ahead. I don’t quite figure I can, uhh, do much when you’re in that… that… that.”

“Who are you?”

“? Haven’t I told you? I’m Ien-”

“No, I didn’t mean that! You’re giving me your name! That would be what you are. I want to know who you are, what fills your mind.”

“Now hold on there! You’ve mixed it up. Indeed, you even said it yourself, “what fills your mind”, in other words, you should have asked what I am. That way, I could’ve talked about my characteristics, my memories, and such. But these are not necessarily my identity! They change with time, after all.”

“Huh?! Ugh… Now is not really the time to defy my judgement. Look. It’s simple. A name is a mere designation. It’s a thing attached to you. And it can also change, so no way is that an argument! Who I am is my identity, and that is the characteristics that make me me! Pfff… Meme… Ahem! Moving on, they might be called things in of themselves, “whats”. But they compose a who. Well, you could argue that a who is a what as well, unless, or maybe even without some sort of essential essence such as a soul. but for practical purposes, this is what it is!”

“Ah! Blasphemy! You can’t comprehend! If we’re talking about practical purposes, then naturally it’s better to just use the default system of giving your name when asked who you are.”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t care about that, see? It’s a thing of identity, of mind, of what’s inside the Mental World, not just some cheap label!”

“That label encompasses your entire existence, all those characteristics. Just like calling a sofa a sofa can immediately allow people to picture a sofa.”

“Yeah, but I’m trying to tell you, that people won’t know about you just from the label. It’s different, the sofa example is the example of a group name. It’s like saying: “I’m a human!”. This will allow people to know you’re not a manifestation. But they won’t know about you as a person, and giving your name won’t allow them to.”

“Ugh! But it’s not about allowing to them to know about it, I’m talking about what’s most appropriate!”

“Oh, don’t come with cheap terms!”

“...Shut up you two.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just difficult to do so. I tend to get worked up a lot when it comes to how things should be. Hah, funny that it’d be worded like that.”

“? Whaddya mean?”

“It’s just that I believe there’s never an appropriate what, but rather, an appropriate “how”.”

“That can mean a bunch of shtuff.”

“Well… I’m a man who likes things to follow a proper order, see. Because ultimately, nearly everything has an algorithm, a path that is ”perfection”, or tends towards it. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t do, mind you. Hence, why I insist that it’s the how, rather than the what that bothers me. You can date people of all genders, classes and ethnics, but you must date well. Though, it’s a tad complicated getting into the specifics of a good romance, so maybe a more down to earth example… You could eat omelettes or make some toast for breakfast… But  say you’re going to make the omelettes… Then the right way to go about it, which I always use, is to break two eggs, in separate containers, and then, after mixing them, put half of one of the containers away.”

“Two containers…? And you divide one…?!”

“Yes, quite. So that I end up with one egg and a half, which is the right amount. I store the leftovers for future use, of course, said use belonging to a very close future so as to avoid having them spoil. After I’m done with that,” he continued, now gesturing with his hands the actions described “I’ll put them in a frying pan, with oil already boiling. The right way to proceed then, with my cooking devices at least, would be to wait for a moment of around one minute, maximum margin of error being 15 seconds (not 16, never 16) and then flip it. Wait for exactly ¾ of the time you waited originally, turn off the fire, put it in a plate and eat it. Then, when you’re done, you clean everything up, and only then you may go about doing something else. It is the proper way to do things, and it is the how I do it, all the time.”

“Amazing… What about the salt though?”

“SALT?! Are you MAD?!”

“...I see. You’re obsessed, in other words.”

“Hm? Yes, quite. Though these are merely idiosyncrasies. My true obsession is, as you know, in my attempts to find true art.”

“Hah. Finding true art, huh… We’re not that different. So lemme’ tell you something good: it’s precisely because of that obsession that you will never find the truth.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t this… contradictory? I’m obsessed with pursuing the truth… and thus I won’t find it?”

“Yes, quite. People can’t see the truth because they don’t want to. And they don’t want to because they want to see something else. Emotions, beliefs, attachments… in other words, desires. These are what cripple truth-seeking. However, without any desire, there can’t be any seeking in the first place. That’s why it’s so difficult being a philosopher. It’s a oxymoron. A borderline paradox. Without understanding that, you may get far, but you will never reach the truth.”

“Hah! This is quite ridiculous, I must say. Enough talk. It seems apparent you can’t attack me from there. So? If you won’t come out, then I might as well steal a car and drive as fast as I can.” Proof of his sheer ignorance: pretends to steal a car rather than a hundred.

“We WILL come out, Mr. Ienorb.” I said, sticking my head out. “And I rather believe that this difficult situation is a perfect match for my own weapon...” And then my hand comes out of Unreality, holding… “It’s A Gun.” I said, and shot it (BLAM) as a “demonstration”.

“...A gun? A gun?! Are you mad?! This can’t be. A gun… A GUN! Of all things, a gun! Surely, common sense dictates that an arm possess greater force than a gun!”

“Is that right? Well then, let’s test that.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

BLAM!

Hmm… He shot it.

That bullet… Is making an arc?

“And now for the second one.”

BLAM!

Hmm… No… That arc is directed towards me. If it keeps going like this, the first bullet will hit me. Novalue managed to use this to pinpoint my location, and, as such, the second one is aimed straight at me. If so, they might impact at the same time… Or he might intend to make me worry more about the first one while the second one makes a beeline towards me and catches me off-guard.

…!? No, wait, this is…!

“THE ARM!”

Pum.

“Hah, hahaahaah… Well… That was sneaky. Thought I wouldn’t be able to catch it in time. Novalue, you tried to distract me with figuring out the details of your homing bullets, as well as the mind games of the “first” and “second” bullets… So much so, that I forgot about the actual first one. The first time you shot… Since you weren’t aiming anywhere, I just passed it off as a demonstration, as you showing off… By the time I learned that you didn’t need to aim anywhere to hit me, I was no longer focused on it. But still, these bullets are weak! The Arm can easily catch them, so long as I see them coming! They’re fast for you, but I’m on a whole other level!”

“Tsk...”

“Oh hoh! I see the third bullet coming! It’s going on a straight line towards me! This will be even easier! The Arm!”

I can see it clearly! I’ll easily block this… Since they’re constructions of similar symbolism, The Arm can even absorb these! I’ll just…

...Is Novalue smiling at the distance?

Why is he…? …!

The bullet! Made a sharp turn?!

“You’ve got everything wrong. The first one was a fake sneak attack. In reality, I just wanted to find out where you were. You should have focused more on the second bullet. By the time I shot it, I knew your location, so I could make my gambit. I shot it off in a perpendicular angle to the straight line towards you. That way, it would be off to the sides, and you wouldn’t see it that well… And it’s better off like that. Because it wasn’t aimed at you at all.”

“?!” Suddenly, I see, from the corner of my eye, a book flying away from behind me, almost disintegrated… and a bullet on it’s cover.

“See, it was aimed at that book over there. And that’s not all. The third bullet, too, was aimed at that book. Since you were in the middle of the line between the book and the pistol… you probably thought that it was aimed at you. But that would be a mistake. And now that the second bullet has arrived right on schedule and knocked that book away...”

“The bullet has made a sharp turn right outside of your reach…! And don’t worry… I’ve calculated it well. It won’t go so far off as to miss you entirely. So Ienorb?”

“Ghh… I-I’ll block this bullet nonetheless! There’s time... ! With my superior speed! THE ARM!”

Vwooosh!

POM!

“Block the bullet? I don’t quite believe you can block it by ramming your chest towards it… but nice try at the impossible nonetheless. Impossible, since your speed too had been well calculated. See, though Nim may be powerful, he is far too impulsive. When I move, it’s because I’m already certain that victory is mine.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Ienorb, whose position was now more clear and visible to us, flew backwards with great force and crushed the bookshelf, which then fell on top of him.

“Ouch.” That in itself couldn’t cause any actual damage to him, but still…

It’s like getting your arm hugged with intense force, while someone rubs their cheek on your shoulder…

Wait, what?

“OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO COOL!” Yes, Nim, part of that reason being that you were quiet the whole time. Thank you for that. “Way to show him who rocks, Novalue! Esfregaesfregaesfregaesfrega…!”

“Uhh, thanks...” I looked down at him, and he looked back at me with shining eyes.

“...It’s too bad you’re short though. I hate having to kneel to do this.”

“...Well, if my shortness is such a concern…”

BRAM!

“...!? Seems like he’s up again.”

“Oh, so you’re useless after all.” Nim said, pouting “He already blew up the bookcase.”

Ienorb got up, and scratched the small crack in his chest. It was very subtle, but that part was off colour: rather than white like the rest of the suit, rainbow tones flew from it in small doses. Thanks to it being a small wound, noticing that was quite the herculean feat, however.

“Well, well. You did outsmart me, fair and square. However, Novalue… That construction of yours, is not strong at all. Were you to fill me with bullets, like a pincushion with needles, I would still fare reasonably well.”

“True, I suppose. But Ienorb, we already know your position. What now? I can gift you some more bullets for you to block with your body, if you wish.”

“Hah. That trick won’t work twice. Next time I defend myself from a bullet, I won’t try to grab it, and will instead block it with two arms, as well as making sure there’s plenty of coverage in my small shield. Oh, idea! I will just use something as a shield. I could even use myself again. Heh, I, Ienorb, am truly an evolutionary creature, a “magikarp” as they say.”

“You gonna keep chatting, or ya gonna’ summon that knife behind our backs? ...From behind our backs. Literally.”

“Just so that you can hide away in nothingness? No thanks. In fact… Difficult as it was, I’ve made my decision.” Ienorb jumped, and summoned the arm to hold his torso “The Arm! allow me to FLY!”

“Wait, you can’t mean...”

“Yes I can! Though it’s immensely regretful… well, this was the place I was born… I’ll still risk it all and run away! It’s evident you two are much too strong, and I’m working with a time limit, I believe.”

“Nim!”

“Yeah, I got it! Hang on tight!”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Suddenly, Novalue is enveloped by water forming tendrils. These tendrils, being used as a rope, were, in turn, connected to my arm.

“Water Rope. Time to see who’s faster, Ienorb~”

Then suddenly, countless more of these came from me, and latched on to multiple objects, before pulling.

...And then Novalue and I went flying.

[curupiracue]

Ienorb Yenruoj’s Preparations

Hmm... They left a bit of a trail, but now I seem to have lost them. This is quite the disaster, I can't let them get away with knowledge of my identity. If they warn that woman… Well, I must avoid that. But to do so... Should I go left or right...?

“You there!”

I turn my head around, and my eyes lock on the gun of a street punk, and vice versa.

“I've got you on my sights, so don't try any funny business. Just pass the cash and I won't hurt you.”

I sigh and turn my whole body around to face him. I don't have time for this... Though, while the positioning and directions make this unlikely, he might just have the information I need...

In just a moment, I psychically wrestle control of his mind. Hardly even a fight. I indulge myself a little, and erase the memories of the conflict, making him even more shocked at his sudden predicament...

“Hm...? What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure you've got yourself in your sights.” Indeed, thanks to my power, he was now pointing his gun to himself.

“Wh- D-Don't kill...! - I make him shut up.”

“Relax, I don't have any reason to take your life. Would be quite the hassle to erase all records of your existence anyways…” stopping a bit to appreciate his shocked look, I continue “just tell me this; and it's okay if you don't have the answer: Have you seen two men, one ah, red haired with sparkly blue eyes, the other black haired with amber eyes, running through here? And in what direction did they go?”

“T-Them...? They went to the lef-”

He fell to the ground, unconscious and without any memory of the last hour whatsoever. I begin to sprint.

Goodness gracious. I do realise I am stressed, but I still indulged myself much more than I shoul-

“Gargh!” Ugh… I might be straining myself a bit too much… running like this after jumping out the window… I wonder how much blood I lost already?

But well… No choice, I guess…

First things first… Are they preparing a trap for me? Or are they trying to run off to warn that woman?

If the first, then I shouldn’t follow them directly. I should instead estimate their general location and arrive by some other direction than they’re expecting. It’s not a guarantee that it will foil their trap, but it’s a good safety measure, and if I don’t pursue them, they will change plans to the latter. If, on the other hand, I believe that it’s more likely for them to try and run off to their one ally, then I should ignore all caution and go after them full speed. They don’t even have to find her: I don’t know how it works, but those crows… It seems likely that they’re her spies, of sort. Which means that, so long as they find a crow, whether by intention or even by luck, they will be able to warn her, and then all will be ruined. I’ll either have to risk it all on a fight against all three of them, which is about 90% likely to result in my death, or I’ll have to flee town and live laying low, something I very much don’t desire. In other words: every single photon that reaches their eyes, every single vibration of sound that might carry a Craa! with it, spells a possible doom to me!

Well… There might be a third choice, now that I think about it. I might be able to search for them in the Mental World’s Nothingness. It’s true, being a bit far away in the real world will make this more difficult… Nim seems better at suppression than I am, too. But. Novalue is quite a bit weaker than I. It’s possible for me to track him down.

If I fail, then it won’t matter whether they’re setting a trap or running of to get help: one way or the other, they will manage to reach her. On the other hand, whether it’s a trap or not won’t matter at all if I succeed. Which means, in other words, that this would leave my fate at the hands of my abilities, rather than my own luck. Not only that… I’d get the first strike. I’m 100% sure I could kill Novalue with one thrown knife of The Arm. As for Nim, I would either kill him outright, or leave him very close to that. Assuming they don’t have some form of defensive construction that is automatic and thus can protect them from sneaky attacks, but, oh, what are the odds?

“Yes… This is the plan. I’ll finish them off!”

[curupiracue]

Nim and Novalue’s Preparations

“Where are we going, Nim?”

“Hey, you ok?”

“That wasn’t my question.”

...Well, fine, I hope you broke a bone, jackass!

“Hmmm… We could get Wims’ help… The closest place with a crow would be the library… Or I could just stop after building some space between us and try to connect with her… But honestly, it might be for the best if we fight him alone.”

“...Really? I know she’s not built for combat, and the serial killer is not that strong, but...”

“Nope, no questions! Also, I got a trap laid for him as well~”

“Nim. That’s not-”

“Besides! If that bitch Ienorb realises we have Wims with us, he will want to flee town! And it’s not like she is faster than him, so if that happens, in the event I can’t catch him, he might be capable to go somewhere else and go into hiding. If enough time passes that he can grow a beard, then Wims’ crows will probably find it hard to recognize him. We will need her as our gatekeeper of sorts.”

It was exceedingly obvious for him, or, rather, it could only be so, that I had other intentions in trying to take Ienorb without her help.

Yet…

“...Fine. What’s the plan?”

...He agreed.

[curupiracue]

Question 1: Do you like windows?

“We’ll fight. But not now.”

“?”

“Ku ku ku ku… You see, there is an window here. This is an window.”

“Yes, that’s an window.”

“Do you know the meaning of the word defenestrate? Self-defenestration?”

“You can’t mean...”

Ienorb smiled.

“YES! I’M JUMPING OUT THE WINDOOOOWWWWW!!!!”

CRASH!

Pum.

WHAT?!

Nim seemed to share my reaction and stayed still dumbfounded.

“Crap, we need to go after him! Come on Nim!” I started running, but I soon stopped, realizing who wasn’t following me.

“Nim, are you...”

“Shut up.”

Well, fuck me.

“...I was just thinking… Why is he running? He flat-out admitted that he would fight us. Indeed, there’s no advantage in escaping: we already know who he is, so the absolute best option would be to get rid of us, right here, right now, right in these circumstances. Trying to go back into hiding won’t work, and trying to escape the city would be dumb: like a bear that knocks a beehive and then proceeds to go knock another while been chased by bees. And no honey! And he also made sacrifices to escape: I mean, it’s the second floor, but who goes to work post-defenestration?!”

“You mean to say… That he wants to build traps for us?”

“Precisely. And as such we should…?”

“Run away from him, to turn the tables. Maybe even try and find Wims or one of her crows.”

“AWWWW YEAH! I’m so freaking proud of you!”

“...Don’t treat me like I’m your son.” Little brother is fine, though.

“So, you came this far. Obviously my plan is obvious by now?”

...!

“You can’t mean...”

Nim smiled

“YES! I’M JUMPING OUT THE OTHER WIINNDOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!”

Crash!

“NIM YOU FUCKING MADMAN!”

Pum.

“YIPEEheehehehehahahahahahahaahahhahahaha! HELL YEAH! Let’s go Novalue!”

“Oh for fuck’s...”

We’ll be talking about this later. Oh, yes we will, onii-san.

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Whew.

I’m hurt all over, but… I got away.

Now, as for the next traaaaaaaaaaaaa… aaaaaaaaaaaaa…? aaaaaaaaaa?!

Did they… Did they just… Run away?

Awww… no.

I turn back and start running towards the opposite direction.

“I must find them! Otherwise, I’m doomed! ...Though I do wonder if I don’t deserve this for not stopping to think this through well.”

[curupiracue]

LET’S INTERVIEW A SERIAL KILLER! (OH BOY!)

“Oh dear… You two managed to avoid my trap… I was hoping that the pain from losing your fingers, both physical and psychological, would dull your combat capability, but, ah well. I must congratulate you. I am now trapped.”

“Wait, trapped? Really? You had no other plans?”

“I mean… I was improvising...”

“Nah nah nah nah! You should have had a plan B at least! You put yourself in such an awful situation, and got nothing out of it?! Really?! Your plans suck. You suck! You’re a loser, an imbecile, a failure as a serial killer, a failure as a HUMAN BEING, a complete sucker…!”

“Ugh… Er, wasn’t one insult enough?”

“I’ve got more~” I said, clasping my hands and smiling.

“Hah hah hah…! No thanks...”

“Anywaaaayyy… So we finally meet, face-to-face.” I declared, taking a step closer to the killer and having Novalue stay behind me.

“It’s a pleasure too, is what I would say, but I’m afraid it would be just for politeness’ sake… I mean, how can meeting your worst enemy and possible-life-ender possibly be a pleasure?”

“I mean, it sure is for me~ Probs ‘cause you’re neither to me, and the fact that I have my reasons.”

“Oh?”

“Namely… INTERVIEWING A SERIAL KILLER! (Squees)”

“What.”

“OMG OMG OMG! Like, how’s life? Is it like anybody else's’? What are your views about this world? Do you have friends, true friends, like friends friends? How was your childhood like!? Huh huh huh?!”

“Nim, calm down...”

“I’m too fucking excited for that!” I said, clasping his hands and getting close, while turning my back to the killer.

“Breaaaathe...” He said, while putting a finger on my lips.

“AAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhh… Whew. Ok, I’m calm now. So let's get this little interview going!"

"Eto... Por hora... What's... hmm... onore-sama no namae wa?

"Hahahah... Well, aren't you an amusing one. Ultimately, it doesn't matter... because I'm about to eliminate you.

"Um, I'm sorry... is it Mr. Wellarentyouanamusingoneultimatelyitdoesntmatter Becauseimabouttoeliminateyou or HahahahWellarentyouanamusingoneultimatelyitdoesntmatter Becauseimboredofsayingstupidlylongnames?

"..." The killer seemed somewhat shocked, and thus stayed in silence.

"..." Novalue is not shocked at all, and thus stayed in silence. ...Jerk.

“Oh, sorry. Is it MISS Wellarentyouanamusingoneultimatelyitdoesntmatter Becauseimabouttoeliminateyou?”

“Oh, come now, don’t go making these sort of jokes. They might not be transphobic per se, but they do help in maintaining the overall environment, you know? And were it to be one here, I’m sure a biologically male girl would be at least a bit offended.”

“Ah, bueno! Boa observação! But, it could also offend someone who, regardless of their biological sex, identifies as a guy or a girl occasionally, ya’ know?” I replied, internally triggered.

“Hm? And there is such a thing?”

“There sure is~ It’s called genderfluid, if I recall. There’s also the gender neutral, people who don’t identify with any gender, and a buncha’ other stuff!”

“Ah, how nice! I see that today is actually a good day, for I have learned something new and of value!”

“...Irredeemably crazy, both of you.” Novalue said.

"What do you mean, kono hijo de puta! I" pose "am" pose "very" pose "insulted" pose "by" pose "your" pose "statement" pose "of" you're probably tired of this, aren't you? "hatred" fuck you though~ pose "towards" pose "my!" POSING INTENSIFIES "person"

“Er… Hahahahah… anyways… hah… Since you insist: It’s Ienorb. Ienorb Yenruoj. Remember it well, for it is the name of the man that will kil-”

“NOW, you’re cooperating~ Also, shut up. Sooo… what are your motivations for murder?! Do you have a tragic backstory?!”

“Meh, not really.”

“...Meh?”

“I simply desire for others to be killed by my hand. I don’t necessarily want to see them dead, nor do I want to see them killed by me, though.”

“Ah.” ...Well… I’m in a disappointed mood right now. A murderous disappointed mood.

“If there is anything...”

“MM?!”

“...Is that I simply desire to see art in it’s completitude...”

“Huh? Be more specific...?”

“Because… Isn’t art something that deserves better than a void? A void, an empty outer space where all it’s practitioner can do is float, and float aimlessly… No. Art must be like a science, with guidelines, and objectives to fulfill! But which are which? What is a fail, and what is a win? I wish to discern that, because otherwise all that is artistic shall be meaningless and pointless.”

“(sigh...) for an artist, you sure are a dumbass… Can you paint over what’s already been painted? The basis for all art is a blank canvas. Out of all the numbers, 0 is the only one that is infinite.��

“Is that right? But I myself wonder if you really think like that. It’s not restricted merely to art either. Morals, values, interpretations, the entirety of the abstract, and perhaps even the “objective” observable reality. Can you really accept a world where all belief is a lie?”

“...It’s not about whether one accepts it or not. The truth is unflinching to any and all feelings. Besides, even if one’s beliefs cannot match a reality by default, or if they can but you can’t be sure of it… You can still try your best. I think painting is more fun than having paintings. Maybe there’s no objectifiable meaning to your art, but people can create ones that they agree on, or have fun trying to do so. “What is art?” They might question. And they say that this is what makes a win, and they say that this is what makes a fail, and they argue. Such is life, beneath the curtain of the lies and false promises of truth.”

“Outrageous! What is this madness of half truth that you propose!? And even if “true”, why must your theory have it decided by oth-”

“Ultimately, does this really matter when you’re killing people for it?” Novalue butted in in the conversation, realising it was getting long.

“(Sigh...) Mr… Sorry, what’s your name…?”

“Novalue. And he is Nim.”

“Mr. Novalue, there are no consequences to my actions. My victims are made to disappear, don’t you realise? As it is so, none can be sad about their demises… I cause no misfortune at all, except for the removal of life. And what is life worth, anyways? It’s merely a way of creating feelings, which in optimal scenarios are positive, on both one’s self and others. A factory of happiness and work, which in itself is nothing but a way to acquire more happiness. Isn’t that an utilitarian way to look at it? It has value, but it’s not sacred, and said value can be negative as well.”

That… actually sounds... pretty reasonable. Horrible... but reasonable...

“Hold on.” Novalue once again interrupted: “You say that, but it’s quite convenient for you that they “are made to disappear”. Do you really believe any of that? Or are you merely trying to justify your actions making use of selfish acts?”

“Even if I am… What is it that is being punished here? Me by my actions, or me by my intentions? To judge someone by their intentions is not only problematic, as they’re most likely obscure, but also unnecessary: someone evil that does good, or at least doesn’t do evil, is perfectly harmless, and as such, there is no reason to engage in brutal acts that only result in unhappiness. Specially with psychic powers: it might have been fair two centuries ago, but now, in a time where’d be impossible to imprison me… Will you really criticise my murders when you’re about to commit one yourselves? No… Mr. Novalue, what you accused me of doing actually applies more to you than it does for me.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Not. I was just scared that Nim might be sympathizing with you too much, Ienorb.

“Huh? But you’re going to kill us as well. And you can’t use Shadowy Killer to eras-”

“How do you kn-”

“Shut up. And well… Do you have anyone that would miss you?”

“Well… I contribute to society...”

“While keeping a hell of a low profile.”

“Geh… Ok, only with small things...”

“So, if you’re wrong, we need to kill you to stop the murders. And if you’re right, then we don’t need to kill you, but there is also no reason not to do so, and in addition, you shouldn’t kill us.”

“(sigh...) Well, I don’t care that much if I’m in the wrong. I’ll fight for my life, if need be. However… Should you really risk your existences to do something so very pointless? Think… What’s life? What’s death? What does those things mean to you, if anything? I must survive… But merely so that I can reach the pinnacle of art, that which I’m convinced exists. Perhaps, just like you two, I’m being cowardly and running away from a lack of meaning. But, that is what I’ve dedicated my life to. And as such, we must fight.”