Episode 180: The Angel’s Perfect Plan
To the angel, it was an unforeseen event.
Six calamities and the final disaster to come.
It was a trial given to people, something for all of humanity to endure suffering, conflict, and hardship in order to overcome.
But what about the current situation?
The First Angel and the Second Angel were each killed by separate intruders.
Incredibly, humanity had already prepared for their downfall. They had made the supernatural power of Dungeons their own.
Thus, facing the Third Angel were three individuals.
The assassins humanity sent against the electronic turtle that could kill everything on this planet were only these three.
“This… is somewhat unexpected,” muttered the man from one of the buildings in Central City.
No, he was originally a man, but now he was nothing more than a vessel for the angel.
A large visor was attached to his face, and several cords extended from it to the massive monitor behind him.
The main body of the angel was swimming leisurely inside that monitor.
“Humans… Is there really such a disparity in strength? I believed that numbers were our advantage…”
The angel muttered these words.
Then, the next moment, the man’s body trembled, and his mouth opened wide roughly.
“Hey, what’s going on! I signed up because you said S-Rank could be easily killed… But so far, there’s no way we can win!”
The man regretted his decision.
A few days ago, a monstrous being claiming to be an angel suddenly appeared before him.
Believing its promise of granting him a king’s throne if he lent a hand, he fully entrusted both his organization and his body to the angel. However, the current situation was dire.
With damage far exceeding expectations, they couldn’t even mobilize the Board of Directors; the mere deployment of three S-Ranks resulted in complete annihilation.
“…Gamma was killed by the Star Reader’s Staff thirty minutes ago. Beta is currently in combat with two other S-Ranks, but the chances of victory are slim. All that remains are my vessel, Alpha, and you.”
“If this keeps up, I’ll die too! What a joke! This way, I’ll die before I can drive everyone in the Academy City insane!”
On the man’s visor, numerous pieces of information flowed in thanks to the angel’s authority.
However, all of them pointed towards his own defeat.
“Damn it! Isn’t this supposed to nullify other explorers if we had the abilities of Reiko Hyououdou?”
The man struck the monitor in frustration.
Yet, the angel continued to swim around in the monitor as if indifferent to his plight.
“Hey! Give me more power! Not just some imitation of S-Rank! Give me greater strength! Aren’t angels supposed to be amazing!?”
“Of course. However, dealing with the Star Reader’s Staff takes precedence. It should not interfere in the pruning of humanity. Thus, it is my duty to expend my very existence to eliminate it.”
“…Hey, what does that mean? You sound like you’re talking about committing suicide!”
“Partially correct. We are the sixfold destruction. There’s no need for me alone to guide humanity to ruin. Hence, my mission is to kill the Star Reader’s Staff.”
“Don’t screw around! I don’t care about any of that! Destruction or missions, none of that concerns me!”
A hand was placed over the man’s mouth.
After pondering for a moment, the figure sighed.
“The Star Reader’s Staff gained power through a contract with a human and effortlessly killed the Second Angel. I thought I could achieve the same by contracting with a human… but it seems I was mistaken.”
“Shut up! Just become stronger yourself!”
“I consider this contract to require mutual equality. Therefore, the reason for this failure lies not with me but with you.”
“What!? An angel should have foreseen this much, idiot! It’s just three measly S-Ranks!”
The man went berserk, continuing to pound the monitor.
Yet, his mouth moved with remarkable calmness.
“That classification is incorrect. Those three called S-Rank have each reached their current state through unique approaches. Thus, one method can only kill one of them.”
Realizing that his anger would accomplish nothing, the man sighed and slumped into a chair, rubbing his fists while throwing his legs onto the desk.
“At least keep me alive… As it stands, my organization under my command and the team I lent Dive Gear to have been completely wiped out. Fulfill at least one of my wishes.”
“When the Star Reader’s Staff and its contractor have been dealt with, I will release you.”
“Don’t spout words I don’t understand…”
The information streaming into the man’s mind was incomprehensible to him.
However, with the control of his body seized, he had no choice but to comply.
“The preparations for the contractor have been completed. When the Second Angel was killed, he was bathed in the blood of an angel. By now, it must have turned toxic and spread throughout his body.”
“…Hey, why didn’t you mention such an important detail?”
“Shouldn’t that data already be engraved in your head? Lamenting the present without attempting to understand it is one of humanity’s most foolish behaviors.”
“You bastard…”!
Clutching his fists, the man slowly lowered them.
Indeed, unfamiliar memories existed within his mind.
The detailed plan to kill the contractor of the Star Reader’s Staff using the angel’s poison was clearly etched into his brain.
“So, all we have to do is wait for the contractor to die from the poison?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are we in such a tight spot? Shouldn’t we just hide until the contractor dies?”
“We wouldn’t be able to kill them entirely. It seems the Star Reader’s Staff can operate independently due to the magical power obtained from the contractor. Therefore, we needed a means to strike the main body.”
“You should have told us beforehand…”
“I thought I had engraved it in your brain.”
“Stop doing that!”
The angel didn’t understand why the man was angry.
However, it knew how to handle the situation.
This man was weak to absolute power.
Hence, the angel retrieved something from its expansion domain.
“What is this?”
“It’s a weapon created based on the data of infected individuals, designed specifically against explorers. All the abilities of the infected can be utilized.”
The man picked up the oddly elaborate device, which seemed unsuited for Dive Gear.
At that moment, new information was engraved into his brain.
Understanding its usage the moment he touched it, the man twisted his lips into a smirk.
“Ho ho, isn’t this a fine piece of equipment?”
“I’ve said it before. For each S-Rank, a specific countermeasure is required. The number of abilities equates to the number of effective trump cards.”
Explorers could be considered the greatest weapons of modern humanity.
Each one was unique, and when used improperly, some could even destroy humanity itself.
“Humans will bring about their own demise through their own power.”
If all these powers could be unified, it could be regarded as the culmination of weapons on this planet.
“With this, I can kill that Star Reader’s Staff, right?”
“The Dive Gears given to Gamma and Beta were merely prototypes for data collection—essentially sacrificial pawns. This is the completed version. And now, we will begin the final test for this Dive Gear.”
As the angel announced this, the door to the room was shattered by an explosion.
“If you are my contractor, surpass this trial. Wisdom and weapons have been bestowed upon you.”
“…So the test involves two S-Ranks?”
From the swirling black smoke emerged two girls.
“Are you the mastermind? Choose between death or surrender.”
“Oh, look Mizuki. That’s the angel inside the monitor! It smells delicious. Let’s cook it in a pot!”
“Don’t do that.”
While exchanging absurd banter, Mizuki hurled the man she had been carrying on her arm.
It was the man known as Beta who had been granted Rei’s power.
“Do you want to end up like him?”
“…Hell no! That’s why I have to fight!”
“I see. Then from here on out, it’s a battle to the death.”
“He looks tasty too~”
Shadows writhed, flames danced,
and the temperature in the room plummeted rapidly as various abilities mixed together, illuminating the room.
Thus began the third decisive battle between the angels and humanity.
■
Meanwhile, at Factom General Academy,
Kei Natatakai, whose body was invaded by poison, was heard saying—
“Look at me!”
“Peace sign!”
The sound of a shutter clicking echoed through the room as innocent smiles and peace signs were captured.
“Kyaa! She’s so cute!”
“Hey, Nameless, let’s dress her in this maid costume next.”
“No, let’s do the mascot pajamas first!”
Desire-filled Rinka and Clam examined the many costumes brought by Nameless.
Seeing the adorable outfits, Kei’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“Wow! So many cute dresses! Um… I want to wear this next!”
“Alright! Let’s go with that then!”
Laughing happily, the four of them seemed to be having a great time.
The Third Angel’s biggest miscalculation?
That the poison had been neutralized by an absurd magic that caused infantilization.
And furthermore—the Star Reader’s Staff had already transformed into a monster far beyond the angel’s predictions.
ni hyōi tensei shita ore wa TS o akiramenai, かませ役
