bakapervert
patreon
Maou Gakuen Vol 3 Chapter 4
🕑 Added 2020-06-10 05:26:10 +0000 UTC
Chapter 4 – The Confrontation of Star and Moon
.
Part 1
「Alriiiight. Hoshigakoka Stella-san, it’s okay nooow. Thanks for your hard wooork!」
The voice of the assistant director loosened the tension in the studio in one stroke.
「Stella-chan, great wooork!」
「You did great too today, Stella-chan. Good work.」
「Ahaha, thanks for your hard work everyoneee. Then I’ll go aheaaad.」
Stella left the studio after the recording for the popular song program had ended. She was walking alone through a plain corridor while still wearing her flashy studio outfit.
She didn’t have manager.
She was her own manager. That was her policy.
She returned to the waiting room and quickly removed her studio outfit.
Her figure was gradually showing skin in the mirror.
It was an alluring figure that would make her fan turned into beast in heat in one shot if they saw it.
Stella’s waiting room was specially made. It was fully equipped with shower room and powder room that weren’t inferior at all compared to a hotel. She was sweaty thanks to having the studio’s lighting concentrated on her while dancing heavily. She was going to quickly take a shower first before going home.
The time was eleven o’clock at night.
She would be able to return home before the date changed.
She hung her studio outfit on the hanger and entered the powder room with her bag in one hand while wearing only her underwear. She put her hand on her back and unhooked her bra’s hook. Her breasts were released from their binding and changed shape as though they too had released their tension.
Her breasts with the trace of bra remaining on them were displayed on the mirror. She thought that they had a pretty shape if she said so herself. There was also nothing more elegant than the nipples with the faint coloring that dimly surfaced on her white skin.
Her fingertip softly touched on the tip.
Would the day come that the hand of someone else other than her touched this?
She suddenly recalled the figure of Lizel whose breast was massaged by Yuuto.
Although it couldn’t be helped because it was Lovers……she was amazed by Lizel’s doing.
She muttered inside her heart in exasperation and also in admiration. She took her hand from the tip of her breast because it felt like it would feel like she was being touched by Yuuto.
Her fingertip traced the soft curve of her left chest. It stopped at the small star near the valley of her chest.
「Fufuh」
Stella smiled in satisfaction. She caressed that star lovingly.
It looked like tattoo, but it wasn’t one.
That star changed color while shining beautifully.
「No man who can easily touch my chest will appear as long as I have this.」
After muttering that, she put her hand on her panty this time and pulled it down. Her white and smooth bottoms became exposed and she lifted up her legs to pull them out from the panty.
Her front nude body with not a single string covering it was displayed on the mirror. Stella was immersed in a feeling of satisfaction.
Her beauty was also enhanced with the stage outfit, but as expected there was no matching this beauty.
This figure without anything covering it was the most beautiful. Although this figure couldn’t be showed to other people that easily.
However, it might be alright to at least do a swimsuit gravure this summer──she thought about her future plan while heading to the shower room.
She pulled up the lever of the faucet and cold water flowed out slightly at first, but soon it changed into a flow of warm water.
「Aaa……it feels good……」
She unconsciously let out a monologue.
She bathed her whole body with warm water while keeping her hair from getting too wet. Water splashed on her skin and it became drops that flowed down her whole body without leaving any spot untouched.
She intended to take a proper bath when she returned home, so it was enough for her to lightly wash her sweat here. Stella stopped the hot water and returned to the powder room. She took the bath towel that was prepared there. With that, she wiped the water drops on her skin carefully as though she was wiping an expensive piece of art.
Her radiant skin was truly a piece of art. There wasn’t any scratch or stain on it. She also couldn’t let any to mar her skin from her on too.
However she only treated her skin with the body lotion that she was always carrying with her. She would do the proper treatment after taking a bath in her house later.
She took out the new underwear that she had just bought from her bag. It was a setup from a high class brand of France. It consisted of a white half-cup bra and knickers.
Its use of embroidery and lace was bold. Her skin and nipples were faintly visible.
Those who saw this would be unable to stop themselves from kneeling. It was a figure that made people felt that sexiness was strength.
It wasn’t like she would show this to other people. However, the fact that there was beauty hidden under the clothes would lead to self-confidence and appeared at the surface through the person’s atmosphere and bearing.
Of course she was also beautiful and cool even when clothed.
What if those clothes were peeled off? It would be completely opposite from peeling off the plating of an item. Rather, under this wrapping people would find a figure that overwhelmed them even more. The mysterious thing was that such aura would be transmitted to other people even without actually showing it.
Stella lightly winked at the mirror and hung her Chanel back from her shoulder. Then she exited the powder room.
Stella felt a slight discomfort when she came out of the waiting room.
……?
After thinking for a moment, she realized the true identity of her discomfort.
There was no presence of people.
There should be still a lot of staff and people concerned coming and going busily at this time. And yet far from figures of people, not even sound or presence of human could be felt.
She headed toward the elevator hall while harboring a strange feeling.
Usually there would be staffs waiting for the elevator to arrive in irritation, but there was no one right now.
The deserted hall was coldly illuminated by the bluish white ceiling’s lighting.
Anxiety was slowly crawling up her spine.
Stella pushed the button for going down and waited for a while.
The lamp that was displaying the position of the elevator was moving tantalizingly slowly.
The door opened with a cold electronic sound.
An eerie monster that was shining with slimy glint was in it.
「Tsu!?」
The disgusting monster attacked with several tentacles that looked like the combination of jellyfish and octopus.
The tentacles stretched out with sticky sound *jubu jubu*.
「Tsk!」
Stella immediately moved to deploy a Barricade.
「Eh!?」
However it didn’t activate for some reason.
It was impossible for someone like her to fail like this.
In that case──m
Stella backed away while parrying the tentacles with her bag. The bag that cost hundreds of thousands of yen became a sacrifice and the cosmetics and used underwear were scattered on the floor.
「Ohoh! That’s the panty and bra of Hoshigaoka Stella yeah!」
A man with vulgar laugh appeared from behind the monster.
She felt like she had seen him before in the academy. In that case as expected he was the Card who was attacking her.
「Is this monster your doing? Whose Card are you?」
However that man didn’t answer and only made a nasty grin.
「Hmph. It’s a disgusting monster but, it’s perfectly suited for the casters.」
That man didn’t show any sign of feeling offended even after being insulted. He even looked delighted instead.
「Hehe, I like tentacle things after all.」
At that time, another two electronic sounds rang out and the other elevators opened.
The ugly figure that appeared from there made Stella showed her displeasure.
One was a monster that looked like jellyfish. Its shape was like an even fatter version of the first monster that appeared. Its height was two meters. There was a mouth at the top of its fat body and drool was dripping from there to swallow its prey.
And then the other monster was a man with horse head. However a huge male genitalia was standing tall on its crotch.
「As for me, I like both tentacle and vore.」
「No no, I completely prefer bestiality!」
These guys, they are planning to make these monsters rape me?
Stella felt exasperated rather than angry.
「Haa……to make me face this kind of opponent, your boss must be a big idiot.」
「Hmph, it’s pointless even if you act tough. This building is surrounded by a special barrier.」
「Yep yep. It’s a barrier that forbid the activation of new magic!」
So that was why these guys were so confident.
She didn’t know how they summoned this monster, but they could move even inside the barrier if they were summoned beforehand.
「Hmph……is, that so!」
Stella dashed toward the window.
However, a sound like static electricity repulsed her finger the moment she tried to touch the window.
「……tsu!」
There was definitely a magic circle of barrier on the window. The men’s condescending laughter echoed from behind.
「Ahaha, you’re desperate! Pointless, pointless, there isn’t anywhere for you to run!」
「Aa, I can’t wait. To think that I’ll be able to toy with that Hoshigaoka Stella……isn’t it a waste to make our figurines violate her?」
「Yeah. As I thought, we should torment her with the figurines before we……」
Stella turned her back on the window and faced the three men and three monsters.
「I’ll give you a warning beforehand. You guys are going to die if you try to do anything further than this to me you know?」
「Nice, as expected nothing beats humiliating an arrogant woman.」
「Yeah. Even a devil king candidate is just a woman if she can’t use magic.」
Stella didn’t look scared at all. She put her finger on her forehead as though she had a headache.
「Look here……there is no way that the like of you guys can defeat this me. Don’t you guys understand that you are just being used as disposable pawn?」
However the three men were staring at Stella’s body as though they were licking her body with their gazes.
「……I touched the barrier just now. It’s certainly preventing the construction of a new magic formula. But it’s meaningless against magic that is already deployed you know?」
「Hihih, it’s pointless even if you bluff. Your defensive magic that was previously put up in this studio has been dispelled beforehand after all.」
「Aah geez! Either your boss is a big idiot or he is just using you guys as a bait──」
She noticed one of the men reaching out toward her underwear that were scattered on the floor.
「Wait! Don’t touch that!」
「Ohoh! Could it be this has been used!? Awesome!」
The man put the crotch part of the panty on his nose and inhaled.
「……You」
Stella’s face twisted in disgust.
「Stop screwing around already!!」
She started walking toward the man without even fearing the monsters. Right after that──,
Suddenly a fierce sound of destruction resounded.
A hole was opened on the ceiling and the floor where Stella was standing until now also had a hole in it.
「……Eh.」
Stella turned around. Cold sweat trickled on her cheek.
「Wait! Is this also you guys doing!?」
「Eh……eh?」
The three men only stared at each other’s face in bewilderment.
「Speak clearly!」
Stella passed beside the monsters and headed toward the men. But midway,
「Wha-!?」
Her feet slipped for some reason.
She staggered and reflexively put her hand on the wall.
In that instant,
An unknown shockwave passed through just a few centimeters beside Stella.
The fat jellyfish monster was pierced and its body composition was blown apart. Stella averted her face so that dirty filth wouldn’t get on her face, but there was only plastic fragments scattered around her.
「This is……」
Stella looked up. As expected, there was a hole opened at the ceiling. And then at the floor too──,
「!!」
Stella broke into a run while the men weren’t looking. She ran from the elevator hall back to the corridor that led to the waiting room.
Holes were then opened one after another at the ceiling and floor as though following behind her.
「Gugih──」「Gah──」「Geoh──」
Behind her, there were three screams of death agony resounding. However she had no leeway to look behind to confirm the corpses.
Someone was attacking her from a building’s rooftop?
Which devil king candidate it could be?
What kind of characteristic magic this was? It was extremely close to a physical attack……no, it seemed like it was really a physical attack.
Even so, she never thought that someone would use their own Cards as disposable pawns to distract her.
It was truly sleazy.
Perhaps she should admire that point──!?
Someone was there.
There was a man in front of the waiting room.
He was standing at the middle of the corridor without doing anything special.
Red hair.
He had a kind hearted face that strangely felt like a mask.
Stella stopped running with three meters of distance remaining between them.
「……Are you the boss of those trashes?」
「Nope. Their master is the Tower.」
However, this man was inside a place that was locked by a barrier. This man too wasn’t an ordinary person.
「And……who are you?」
That man smiled with an expression that looked like he couldn’t even hurt a fly.
「The death god.」
「Tsu!?」
Cracks entered the whole surface of the ceiling.
It was crumbling!?
Stella’s eyes immediately searched for a place to escape, but she only saw cracks spreading on the wall and floor.
However the man before her eyes was calm.
Gimme a break, there is no way I’m going along with your double suicide!
Stella lost her foothold when she was about to dash away.
「……Tsu!!」
The floor crumbled and fell.
There wasn’t any place to run away to.
She was helpless.
Right after that, the ceiling fell.
.
Part 2
The building that was a recording studio for a television station was crumbling with a tremor.
When the dense smoke that was rising up from it settled down, there was a woman laughing loudly above the mountain of rubbles that was once a building.
「Ahahahahaha! You see that!? This is the strength of Strength! Strength is justice! Strength is power!!」
The devil king candidate of Strength, Sannou Rikimaru was showing off her arm muscle with a guts pose.
Rikimaru was on standby on the building’s rooftop. She was given the role to finish off Stella from above if Stella escaped from the barrier using some kind of method.
However, she was unable to endure while sensing the presence of prey under her feet.
So she swung her fist against her better judgment.
It resulted in an attack that was like a cannonball attacking Stella. The shockwave pierced from the rooftop of five storey building until the underground.
And then the last attack possessed a might that destroyed the building itself.
「Even the Star Hoshigaoka Stella isn’t a big deal at all! But that’s only because Rikimaru-chan is too powerful!」
But, it wasn’t just Stella who she finished off.
The Cards of Tower and also Lost inside the building were dragged into the destruction.
Marios who was watching everything from start to end from the parking lot adjacent to the building turned pale after seeing the crumbling building.
「YOU BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!? What the hell did you do just now!! Fucking hell!!」
The people sent into that building was three Court Cards of Tower. Naniwa, Karasuma, and Yamashita. Now they were buried under the building’s rubbles.
Normal magic couldn’t be used because of the barrier that was laid out. Surely those three were unable to protect themselves or escape the destruction.
They were in alliance even if it was just for a brief time. And yet Rikimaru sacrificed the Tower’s Cards and Death without any hesitation. However the culprit didn’t seem concerned at all.
「Ahahaha, it was the best chance! Well, the result is all right so no problem!」
「What is all right!? All of them died because of you!!」
Rikimaru’s bright laughter completely changed into a cruel smile.
「Aa……it was unfortunate buut, it couldn’t be helped. This is the Devil King War after all. The weak can only die here~」
Marios clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.
「Shit-……the worst, this is the worst……ku, kukuku」
There was a part of himself that was enjoying this situation. He never expected to lose his Cards in this kind of form. But, he had a hunch that it might become like this.
Joudogahama Lost was a death god──no, a god of pestilence.
That guy was making him fell.
His body shivered.
The pleasure of falling. The degenerate bliss from the situation turning hopeless for him in misfortune.
He was gradually losing sight of himself whether her was aiming to become the next devil king or whether he was wishing for his own ruin.
But, even that was over.
Even Lost who might be leading him to a tumble was under the rubble right now. There was no saving him.
Fortunately, he still had his Ace and Queen Cards with him.
He would hide for a while──,
「What……?」
A part of the mountain of rubbles shook violently.
「Heave ho」
The rubbles collapsed. Behind them there was a tunnel.
Walls of concrete and steel frames were interlacing together in a stroke of fortune and crated an empty space inside the mountain of rubbles.
A beautiful girl with skin that had thin coloring appeared from inside there wearing a uniform that was attached with fur.
「Good grief, you guys weren’t holding back at all……I have regular show in this station, what I’m going to do now?」
That was the devil king candidate of Star.
「Ho……Hoshigaoka Stella!?」
There wasn’t a scratch on her.
As expected her clothes got dusty, but that was all.
Rikimaru who was standing on top of the rubbles whistled in admiration.
「This is surprising! I can’t believe you are safe!!」
Stella got out of the rubbles and looked up at Rikimaru.
「As I thought, that brutish attack was from you wasn’t it, Sannou Rikimaru?」
「Hahaha. It’s disappointing that Rikiamaru-chan can’t beat you directly, but this is as far as my role goes! I’ll leave the rest to the bunch who are lovey dovey with Stella!!」
Rikimaru leaped down to the other side of the rubbles and vanished from view.
「What is she saying……which lovey dovey bunch she means?」
Stella looked around and her gaze stopped on Marios who was standing in a corner of a parking lot.
「Does she mean you?」
「I……I’m……」
Marios sweated heavily from his forehead.
──Shiiit, I got into the worst situation!!
He left behind his masterpiece in his workshop. He should retreat when the building collapsed.
Marios started to back away slowly, but then the headlight of a car that was parked nearby lit up.
「!?」
The beaming light illuminated Stella.
Stella put her hand over her face because it was too bright. And then she narrowed her eyes and glared at the car.
It was a high class Italian sport car. The door of the passenger seat opened and a girl got out.
「Stella~, it’s not that one who is heads over heels with you.」
「That voice……Sansa isn’t it? That means──」
Kitakami Lunatic showed up from the driver’s seat.
「As I thought, it’s you two……good grief. There is no end to you guys……」
Stella looked fed up. On the contrary Lunatic was making a thin smile.
「The moon is beautiful tonight. It’s a good night for a journey. Hoshigaoka Stella.」
Lunatic walked toward Stella with the car’s headlight as his background.
「Do your beeest♥ Luna~!」
Sansa’s elbow leaned on the car and she waved her hand.
Stella turned a cold gaze toward such Sansa.
「You aren’t joining in?」
Sansa replied to the glaring Stella cheerfully.
「Yes. I’ll just cheer from here♪ I’m leaving this to Luna.」
「Is that alright? I’ll murder him though.」
「Fuh……how confident of you.」
Lunatic stopped walking and raised his chin as though to look down on Stella.
「However, I’m amazed that you’re unharmed. How did that happen?」
「Star govern over everything’s destiny. The star of fortune is on my side.」
「……Nonsense. The puppet users at the beginning was just a feint, but Rikimaru’s attack isn’t something that can be dodged by luck. Was there a hole in the barrier somewhere?」
「The barrier was well made. But, the barrier is pointless if it can’t affect magic that is already activated beforehand. Well, that kind of barrier would be noticeable when it’s activated though.」
「So it’s a magic with special effect……?」
Stella stared at Lunatic with an upward gaze while her fingers started to unbuttoned her coat. In addition she also unbuttoned her shirt’s button and opened the front to expose her chest.
It was a white and beautiful valley that any man would be unable to avert their eyes from.
There, a star that changed color while emitting light was clinging on the skin.
「The star of fortune is literally on my side. This is the star of fortune from my characteristic magic HoroscopeDestiny Reservation.」
In a glance, it only looked like a star shaped sticker that was pasted on the skin.
Lunatic frowned and fixed his gaze on the shining star on Stella’s chest.
「That thing……is informing you of danger?」
Stella proudly snorted ‘fufun’ and hid her exposed chest with an air of importance.
「It’s producing fortune that automatically protect me. It’s a perfect magical security system that is active 24 hours.」
Lunatic’s gaze became increasingly grimmer.
He understood the theory.
This magic……its practical application was close to a barrier that protected a certain space. However, barrier was normally applied on unmoving land or building. And yet this barrier was applied on a living and moving thing continuously.
Furthermore, this barrier wasn’t simply hiding the user from the enemy’s sight or blocking attack.
It continued to monitor threat from all directions and also within a wide range, granting the user ability to automatically dodge even attack that the user themselves didn’t notice. And if such barrier was active 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, regardless whether the user was awake or asleep──,
Such magic was already at the level of miracle.
It was no different than obtaining an absolute luck. But──,
「Just how much mana you are consuming in order to making such magic a reality……」
Lunatic couldn’t even calculate the amount.
Nobles were exploiting energy from the humans. They were converting the mental energy that occurred from the fluctuation of human’s heart into mana and collected that.
But, if a noble was actually trying out what Stella was doing, they would immediately fall into ruin even if they possessed a considerable amount of territory.
「My populace doesn’t exist in my territory. They exist everywhere all over the world.」
「What?」
Stella grinned and smiled fearlessly.
「I’m not using my own mana. The mana for this all come from the offering of my fans. They are offering me so much mana that they are even shaving off their own lifespan……understand?」
「What did you say……? Something impossible like that──」
「It’s possible.」
Stella brushed her light brown hair that was closer to platinum color and twisted her body.
「I ask you to not look down on my fans. They are all hardcore warriors. They are constantly thinking of me, my figure, my voice, and my performance in intoxication. All their hearts are become energy for me.」
「Something like that……will soon run out.」
「Even if I say lifespan, what I’m taking from each of them is only a small quantity of the whole. Even so their number is vast. Furthermore my fans are always growing with new fans. There is no limit to my energy source.」
Stella stared at Lunatic triumphantly.
They continued to stare at each other like that for several seconds.
「Fufufu……」
Lunatic let out a meaningful chuckle.
「So that’s how it is. Now I understand the secret of your strength.」
Lunatic stretched out his left hand to the side theatrically before he snapped his fingers.
Then the car’s headlight vanished.
The surrounding became enveloped in darkness──or it should be.
However, something big and round and bright was still floating on Lunatic’s back.
Nervousness ran through Stella’s expression.
「……Don’t tell me!!」
It was a shining silver moon.
「You better carve this sight into your eyes. The characteristic magic of this me, Queen of NightBeauty Under the Moon.」
Stella reflexively looked up above her head. The moon that she was used to see was floating there.
What was behind Lunatic’s back was another moon that was created by his characteristic magic. However, she wondered what kind of effect it had.
Stella focused into the star on her chest.
The star of fortune was still in effect──in that case, was that moon had no harmful effect?
Lunatic brushed up his front hair, but his hand stopped moving in the middle. He gazed at Stella from between his flowing hair.
「Stella. Your star of fortune is really something. However, it has a large flaw.」
「Flaw?」
「That’s certainly a star that bring you fortune. There is no doubt that even the attack of this me won’t be able to get close to you.」
「So you get it.」
──And yet, what was with this confidence of Lunatic?
「But, what if it’s you who attack yourself?」
「Ha?」
What was this guy saying?
For her to be her own enemy──,
「──Don’t tell me」
Stella noticed, at the same time Lunatic brushed off his silver forelock.
The moon behind him shined mysteriously.
「Oh Queen of Night! Drag out Stella’s own fear from the bottom of her heart!!」
As expected──it was a mental attack.
Stella snorted.
「Too bad. Something like a hackneyed mind attack won’t──」
Her field of vision shook.
「……Eh?」
That’s impossible.
With my Horoscope, even mind attack can be resisted──,
That’s right.
What did this guy said just now?
The one who is attacking, is myself?
「Don’t group my Queen of Night with brainwashing or hypnotist. This characteristic magic isn’t attacking or directly interfering the opponent at all.」
「What……did you say?」
「What Queen of Night is doing is simply releasing your own fear, the trauma inside your subconscious mind, the beast lurking in your heart, that’s all. However──」
Lunatic smiled with a blazing gaze.
「That beast will invite you to madness and destroy yourself.」
「Kuh……!」
The scenery before her eyes started to distort and rotate.
「Anyone possess madness at the depth of their heart. No matter who they are, they are stifling themselves and raising a beast of madness. It’s a monster that cannot be released or tamed. It will devour your mind──and become a living corpse.」
「Something like that……there is no way this me will lose to that!!」
「One’s greatest enemy is your own self. It’s not other people who make you fall. Anyone is corrupting themselves.」
Her consciousness was dragged to a deep part of herself.
Don’t! I have to hold my ground somehow!!
「It’s pointless. You are already charmed by the moon.」
「Yo……you! Don’t underestimate the Star Hoshigaoka Stella!!」
She held up her hand to fire an attack magic.
「The king of moon rule over this night sky. It’s only natural that the star that approach the moon become invisible.」
Lunatic narrowed his eyes and showed a cold smile.
「Fall. In the end you are just a shooting star.」
「──Tsu!!」
Stella’s sight became pitch black.
She felt like her legs were grabbed and she was dragged into a deep valley.
Fall.
Sink.
Drop.
When she noticed, she was standing on a soft carpet.
「……eh」
A nostalgic room.
It was the living room of her home in the devil world. However, the room was excessively wide and the furniture looked big.
She realized the reason. Her view point was awfully low.
She had returned to become a child before she noticed it.
「Onee-sama.」
Her little brother was sitting on the sofa.
「What’s wrong Stella? Don’t just stand there.」
Otou-sama was at the sofa near the window.
「Now, let’s eat. Stella too, sit on your chair.」
Okaa-sama.
No.
That person would come soon.
Everyone was in danger.
「Eat a lot and grow strong. After all Stella is the star of hope of our family.」
Otou-sama was in a good mood. Her little brother was also looking at her with respect.
「Onee-sama, you are really strong. You surely won’t lose against anyone.」
Yes. I never lost against my friends of the same age.
My magic doesn’t even lose against adult.
I’m surely the strongest.
No matter what happen, I’ll protect my family.
The me at this time believe that.
──Until that person came.
My little brother’s neck was beheaded.
Otou-sama was crushed flat, Okaa-sama was scattered in pieces.
I ran away.
With tears and drools and snots dripping down.
Why am I going through something like this?
I couldn’t do anything to resist the unreasonableness that suddenly came barging in.
I ran away while begging for forgiveness and desperately speaking words of apology.
But, that person is pursuing.
If I’m caught, how would I be killed?
I let out a meaningless sob while hiding inside a thick ticket at the garden.
That person comes.
I held my mouth so that my voice won’t leak out.
A large black shadow comes.
This isn’t the place for me to take revenge for my family.
I prayed so that I’m alone will be saved.
That person is coming.
I’m shaking all over and tears won’t stop flowing.
It’s scary to even listen to the footsteps. It’s scary to even look at that person.
But it’s also scary to close my eyes, close my ears, and tremble in place while not knowing when that person will come.
It’s scary no matter what I do.
Powerless.
I’m in despair, because I can’t do anything by myself about my destiny.
I was an existence that was this weak and meaningless.
I felt enlightened and resigned──and yet,
When that person stopped in front of me,
My fear exceeded the limit.
.
「NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!」
.
Stella let out a shriek.
It was a shout that would make even the listeners felt fear.
The shriek trailed on and it vanished before long.
Stella stood still at the center of the parking lot.
Her hands dangled limply on her sides and tension completely left her body. Her eyes were opened, but those eyes weren’t looking at anything. Her slightly opened lips were whispering something with a voice that couldn’t be made out.
There was no radiance of a star from that figure like before. She looked like a living corpse.
Lunatic sighed ‘fuh’ with a smile.
「……The Star has fallen.」
Sansa sent an applause while still leaning on the car’s door.
「Aamazi~ing♪ As expected from Luna! So cooooll!!」
Marios was dumbfounded seeing Stella’s figure that was a mere shadow of her former self.
「So this is……the power of Moon.」
That Stella was turned into an invalid with one attack……? What an absurd monster.
But with this he now understood that guy’s power.
He could do it. He could win using his Babel Tower.
If he was careless then they might bring each other down simultaneously, but when he imagined himself getting devoured to death by his madness, it made his heart exhilarated on its own way.
Marios grinned inside his heart while looking at Lunatic who was walking toward Stella.
「It’s said that a star shine the brightest just before it explode. Your radiance too is a momentary spark──」
「Fu……fufufufu.」
A laughter came out from Stella who was still looking down.
Lunatic’s face clouded.
「──What?」
「I’m thankful to you, Kitakami Lunatic. For making me remember.」
「……Impossible.」
Lunatic stared at Stella with a disbelieving gaze.
「The Queen of Night has completely made you……」
「Yes, thanks to that I remember it after so long……」
Stella’s eyes were shining like star when she lifted up her face.
「Recently, I was completely a peace idiot……it was troubling that my desire for revenge was fading despite myself.」
「You……」
Lunatic’s face stiffened.
「As the token of my gratitude, I shall present you with my treasured star.」
Stella’s right hand slowly rose up and pointed at Lunatic’s face.
「Kuh!」
Lunatic jumped a long distance behind. He backed away until the car where Sansa was at with a single jump.
He didn’t know what Stella was going to do right now.
However, he felt an outrageous danger.
What in the world was she planning?
However, it seemed he was able to avoid danger for the time being.
Lunatic didn’t let his guard down and observed Stella.
What should he do to defeat this woman?
A woman who endured his Queen of Night.
No, that was impossible.
In that case……it must be her Horoscope that was at work to hinder his characteristic magic.
「……What a troublesome woman.」
Stella kept pointing at Lunatic. She had a self-assured smile on her face.
「How is it? Is it to your liking?」
「……?」
There wasn’t anything strange with his body.
There was also no trace of magic being used.
Was it just a bluff? If so then this──,
「Luna……what, is that?」
Sansa pointed at Lunatic’s cheek.
「?」
Sansa touched his cheek, but he himself couldn’t see it.
「Is there something on my cheek, Sansa?」
「On your cheek, there is a star……」
「!?」
He kept vigilant against Stella while taking a glance at his car’s side mirror.
Certainly, there was a black star on his right cheek.
「Wha……」
It wouldn’t vanish even after he rubbed or scratched on it.
「You……what’s this?」
Stella folded her arms and declared with a cruel grin.
「That’s the star of death.」
「……Tsu!?」
「You have one more day to live. You will be able to put your affair in order with that much time right? You should do your best to hold dear to your remaining time in this world.」
Cold sweat drenched Lunatic’s whole body.
「Fuh……what a nonsense.」
「Do you think that Horoscope can only be used for protection?」
「……Tsu!?」
「Lunatic, you are already dead, it’s only a matter of time. Which do you want, to die after taking your time to prepare, or die right now?」
「Fu……」
Lunatic held down his uneasiness and fear, then he smiled.
「I choose none of them……until I kill you first!」
He snapped his figners, then three girls appeared from a car that parked in some distance away. They were the Cards of Moon, the Queen, the Knight, and number II Swordia.
However Stella didn’t look concerned at all even though the Moon’s reinforcement arrived. She made a composed smile and put her fingertip under the fur around her neck──,
「Strangely, there is no one who choose to live longer isn’t it……」
She took out a card.
It had the picture of stars that shined in the sky and a naked woman──the arcana of Star.
「The Star govern the destiny. It announce that your destiny ends here.」
The Cards of the Moon rushed toward Stella.
A huge moon floated once more behind Lunatic’s back.
「I’ll draw out your madness one more time! Even with your Horoscope, you won’t be able to endure it that many times!!」
Stella’s green eyes shined and a sadistic smile formed on her lips.
「Then, you better do it before that thing fall.」
She held up the Star arcana toward the sky.
「Galaxy ZeroCelestial Body Dead Ball!!」
「!?」
Lunatic’s gaze snapped at above him.
A shining sphere was floating.
It wasn’t the moon of Queen of Night.
What was that?
The moment he thought that.
It was a shooting star──a falling meteor.
There wasn’t even any time to raise his voice.
The celestial body with speed that far surpassed the speed of sound mercilessly crushed Lunatic’s body.
The moon floating behind him was smashed.
The ground quaked from the impact like an earthquake.
The shockwave of a falling star produced huge flame and shockwave.
「──Tsu!?」
The Cards of Moon were swallowed by the flame. At the next moment, five bodies were sent flying by the shockwave.
The incomparable blast gouged the ground. Asphalt was lfited up and surged to the surrounding like a tsunami.
The parked cars were all blown away. They slammed on the walls of the surrounding buildings. Then the buildings’ walls were cracked and glasses were all smashed up.
When the explosion died down, there was a large crater formed at the place that was a parking lot.
Stella spat out her words at the center of that explosion.
「──You are just a mere satellite. Don’t act arrogantly in front of a fixed star.」
Galaxy Zero was completely different from Horoscope. It was Stella’s other characteristic magic.
It was a genocide magic that possessed overwhelming destructive power.
「You still want to have a go?」
Stella asked the other fixed star here.
It was the Sun Sansa who had quickly withdrew to some distance away from the edge of the crater.
「Luna……is dead.」
Sansa stared in a daze at the crater. Marios was also behind her with a pale face.
She thought that she might also got either of them if she was lucky but──,
……Even a joke like them were still devil king candidate. They weren’t so easy that they could be dealt with just by getting mixed up in an attack.
Stella smiled triumphantly and asked once more.
「Are you going to face me alone? Or perhaps, you who are shivering behind there are the one going to fight me?」
Marios twitched and his shoulders shook. However it seemed that Sansa didn’t even take any notice of Marios. Sansa covered her face with both hands as though to hide her tears.
「Aa……this is, horrible……Luna. Luna is……」
「The talk won’t progress like this……」
Stella got tired of it. Then she noticed the other silhouette that was standing at the opposite side of the crater.
「Hee……」
It was a blindfolded girl.
If she heard correctly……she was one of the Cards that Lunatic called out.
Although she limited the magic’s power to only affect limited area, to be able to escape from that explosion……this girl was quite something.
However with her master dead, it was impossible for that girl to attack her any further.
Her appearance also wasn’t bad. Perhaps she would scout her next time.
While thinking that──Stella returned her gaze to Sansa.
「And, what are you going to do in the end? Are you going to take revenge here?」
Sansa grieved and moaned her partner’s death, but she suddenly lifted up her face.
「Why?」
There wasn’t any trace of tear on her face. Her expression was puzzled.
Even Stella was slightly surprised by that reaction.
「Why you ask……he was your partner right?」
Sansa looked up slightly to the side and hummed 「Hmm」 before,
「But, he is already dead. I’m going to look for other partner.」
She easily answered.
Then what was her grieving until just now?
Stella asked one more with a slight exasperation.
「Didn’t you like him?」
Sansa smiled thinly and folded her arms.
「I wonder about that. Though I called him my partner, he was a man who cannot shine without me.」
「You haven’t changed……I don’t hate that side of you but, I also don’t like it.」
「Is that so? But I hate you, you know?」
「I know.」
They glared at each other for three seconds before Sansa turned her back toward Stella and left.
Marios who was behind her also disappeared following Sansa.
Only Stella remained behind.
She sensed her surrounding to confirm that there was no more enemy. After that she finally let go of the tension in her shoulders.
「Haaaa~……that was a bit dangerouuuus……」
She got carried away and used her characteristic magic too much.
「Sheesh, I lavishly used the star of death with Horoscope that cost a lot, then I used Galaxy Zero……just what were I doing killing someone twice like that.」
She understood the reason. It was because she was shown something like that.
Because of that she completely lost her senses against her better judgment.
「Well, no matter. This will become a page of my legend.」
「Exactly, that was magnificent.」
Something cold ran through her spine.
She immediately constructed the magic formula of Barricade while turning around.
Over there was the mountain of rubbles of what was formerly a building.
It was half blown away by Galaxy Zero’s shockwave and only half of its height remained.
A man was sitting on top of the rubbles while looking at her with a smile.
「As for me, it was really a sight of sore eyes to be able to see two such extravagant things.」
「You……」
A red haired young man.
Since when he was there……?
「……So you are also safe. How did you escape from there?」
「Escape?」
That young man stood up and dusted off the dust on his trouser.
「I didn’t run away. I was buried under this all this time.」
「Buried……?」
She didn’t know whether he was lying or not. Was he a devil with similar ability like her?
「You said that you’re a death god or something didn’t you? Introduce yourself properly. Who are you?」
That young man cracked a smile.
「I guess I should. Sorry. I’m Joudogahama Lost. The devil king candidate of Death.」
「──Tsu!?」
Stella completed the construction of Barricade that she did halfway and deployed it in front of her.
She prepared an attack magic while cursing inside her heart.
This guy was Death!?
The existence of Death’s devil king candidate hadn’t been made clear until now.
It was unknown who was chosen for it.
A devil king candidate with mysterious identity.
That candidate……was this guy?
She didn’t feel any intense presence from this person’s appearance or content.
Rather she felt anticlimax.
However he shouldn’t be an ordinary person as the one who possessed the arcana of Death.
Aa──geez! As expected I used too much mana!
While Stella’s uneasiness was fanned up, Lost waved his hand listlessly.
「Aa, don’t worry, I don’t have any intention to fight here.」
She couldn’t easily say Is that so and believe that. Stella didn’t let her guard down and continued to glare.
「Then, you only came for greeting?」
「It’s for invitation. You, how about joining our alliance?」
「Alliance, you say?」
「Yep. It’s for teaming up temporarily and take care of the troublesome opponents.」
「……」
Troublesome opponents……huh.
「I refuse. I won’t receive any order from anyone, I also hate to be tied down. And above all else──I don’t believe other people.」
「Yeah, I expected that answer. Well, I too just want to ask that.」
Lost took off his gaze from Stella and got down the mountain of rubbles. He then walked toward the exit of the parking lot.
「Then I’ll go ahead. I might kill you next time, but still, best regards.」
「……Someone like you, can you do that?」
Lost tilted his head just a little and turned toward Stella.
「Don’t you know that bringing death is the specialty of Death?」
Eyes that looked like corpse coldly caught Stella.
「──I’ll bring death to all of you. You should remember that, young lady of noted noble family.」
Stella’s skin got goosebumps.
What?
What’s with this guy.
He wasn’t a normal devil.
Something was different.
Besides,
If, this guy got serious──,
She would really get killed here right now──she got that feeling.
「Kuh……」
Stella didn’t even take a step from that place until Lost’s figure vanished from her sight.
