Confrontation (2)
Shura's eyes were hollow.
"Just kill me instead."
Nane's sutra recitations that had gone on all night now made even the hills and trees tremble.
Shura was pressed against the outer edge of the shelter Gestalt's power had formed, but the sound didn't seem to be getting any quieter.
Rrrrrr—
The vibration rolling in from afar snapped Shura back to her senses.
"Huh?"
Seismic waves surged in fast and bore toward where she stood.
When Gestalt collapsed and the curtain of illusion vanished, the mountain range stretching all the way to Bashka came into view.
"What's happening?"
Having learned many things following the Buddha, she could make a guess.
It wasn't natural.
If a quake of this magnitude began at the coast, a tsunami should be sweeping across the continent.
It was the power of apostasy. A few names flickered through Shura's mind.
Shirone, Rian, Gaold…
But none of them, for all their might, seemed capable of producing a quake that could shake the whole continent.
"The heavens have opened."
It was only natural that figures from heaven—practically hometown people—came to mind first.
I have to tell them.
Nane was still absorbed in chanting, but Shura pushed off the ground and ran to him.
Inside the hut where Amy lay unconscious, Nane's voice filled the room.
"Mahābaniya…"
The sounds spilling from Nane's mouth piled up like solid matter.
"Kuan-yin…"
As Nane's voice cut off, a small tremor shook the building.
"Hmm."
He hadn't stopped simply because he sensed an earthquake.
Amy, struck by countless revelations yet unable to wake, seemed to receive a signal; her eyes slowly opened.
"…You've awakened?"
Groggy, she didn't even realize Nane's voice was human speech.
Where am I?
Like an arthropod, she had no feeling in her limbs and could only move her eyes.
I definitely…
Terrible memories surfaced one after another.
During the escape with her comrades she'd encountered Division Commander Parkma and been annihilated.
Belik.
She wasn't the kind to die so easily.
Only one survived. She had been saved by a man's kindness.
Who am I?
Suddenly Nane's face intruded into her vision.
"Are you all right?" Amy stared at him for a moment.
Who is he?
The tattoos carved across his face made him almost unrecognizable, but his eyes resembled someone she missed dearly.
Shirone.
The moment that thought reached her, all the scattered information flowed in and a single conclusion formed.
"Nane!"
Nane looked down at the startled Amy with a kindly smile.
"Yes. It's that Nane."
Amy hastily sat up.
"Uaaaaa!"
A burning pain ripped through her muscles and she collapsed back onto the bed.
"You're like a newborn. Not just the pain—if you force yourself to move you could injure your body."
"Why are you here?"
A Buddha of the age.
She couldn't look kindly on someone who judged the world by justice and sought to close the universe.
Above all, he stood opposite Shirone—clearly an enemy.
"You're still not well."
Nane covered Amy with a blanket, rose, and walked to the door.
"I'll prepare something to eat. Until then—"
He stopped speaking and turned slowly.
"Haa. Haa."
Amy climbed down from the bed, supporting her trembling body, and glared.
Gritting her teeth, she said, "Answer me. Why are you here? What did you do to me?"
Nane gave a little wink.
"Well, this and that…"
When Amy's face went ice-cold, he corrected himself at once.
"You were consumed by the Fire Realm. Its power burned even your conscious spirit. That's why I woke you."
"You woke me?"
The scene returned to Amy.
Driven mad by Belik's death, she had raised her firepower at the cost of giving up on life.
How did you wake me?
It would take too long to explain, so Nane turned back and said, "Rest for now. I'll bring something to eat."
Since Nane's help seemed to be a fact, Amy kept quiet for a moment.
Then she sprang up, eyes wide.
I'll take out the Buddha. When she thought about it, all the outcomes so far had stemmed from Nane's presence, hadn't they?
He'd also been central to her parting from Shirone—she couldn't deny that.
Her pupils flared crimson as a vast flame rose in her hands.
As if wiping away the last speck of reason, its power far exceeded what it had been.
Even if it's cowardly, I can't help it!
Intent only on subduing Nane, Amy thrust her hand forward without restraint.
"Die—"
A dull, wet sound. A blade sank straight into Amy's solar plexus.
Seolbeop—thud.
The sword, which had shone a blood-red light, scattered like a mirage and sparks flashed across Amy's eyes.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Unimaginable pain swept over her and both knees hit the floor.
Shura, who'd heard the scream from outside, flung the door open and shouted.
"Nane??????!"
Before she could form words at the scene, Nane turned his head to Amy.
"Yahweh creates what does not exist, but the Buddha realizes what exists. If it is painful—"
"Ughhh!"
Amy clutched both arms and lifted her head; her gaze remained unbowed.
"Then assume that that is my pain."
Having experienced everything in this world, Nane's voice carried the weight of truth.
Shura stepped closer.
"When did you wake?"
"A little while ago. By the way, it looks like a major quake happened."
"It'll be the army of heaven. They probably came here to meet you."
Nane gave a meaningful smile.
Even if he'd swallowed Anke Ra's dream, his philosophy differed from what the angels pursued.
They'll find us anyway. Even Gestalt's power can't hide us from the angels' senses.
Despite her pain, Amy listened in on their conversation.
The army of heaven? With Nane alone it had already been overwhelming—if they joined in, humanity stood no chance.
"Let's wait for now."
Just before Nane opened the door to leave, Amy asked, "Wait. What are you planning to do with me?"
There was no way the Nane who'd been shrouded in mystery would suddenly save her life for no reason.
He knows.
That she was Shirone's lover.
"I won't get what I want even if I hold you captive. I'd rather die than be used." She had no intention of becoming a hostage.
"Haa. Persistent, aren't you."
Indeed, that was why among countless beings Nane's interest had been piqued.
"What I plan to do with you—"
Nane, who'd been staring at the ceiling in thought, met Amy's eyes and smiled.
"Is to feed you first."
Since the hut had no table, the three of them sat in a circle on the floor and ate.
It was a simple meal of greens, but any nutrition was precious to Amy.
"Ugh."
Pains she hadn't felt when she'd been flushed seeing Nane kept troubling her.
"You should avoid overdoing it for a while. Once you return to normal, do whatever you want."
Amy slammed the dish down.
"I don't understand. You know who I am and you still do this? What on earth are you after?"
Shura jabbed a finger.
"How dare you speak informally like that—to the Buddha! Did you forget we saved your life?"
"Then tell us why you saved me! If you saved me just like that, what about all those who died to the demons until now?"
"That is—?"
Even Shura was honestly puzzled.
"You were saved because…" Nane opened his mouth.
"Yes. Because you are Shirone's lover."
"What?"
Hearing it out loud felt absurd.
"Shirone and I are companions on the path to enlightenment. Though our directions differ, the distance we travel is the same. I respect him personally. I wondered: the Yahweh of universal love—what kind of woman could he hold dear above all else?"
"You're mistaken. Shirone's just a friend I met in school. He has nothing to do with universal love."
"Is that so."
Leaving only that brief reply, Nane brought his bowl to his mouth and moved rice to it.
Amy, however, didn't touch a bite and kept glaring relentlessly.
Finally Nane set his meal aside and continued.
"If someone threatened to kill you, would Shirone give me the path?"
The answer came immediately.
"No. Never."
"Wrong."
Nane shook his head.
"Shirone would give it up. To save you, he might abandon the entire world."
Amy's eyes snapped open fiercely.
"So that's why you saved me? Because if I die he can't be threatened?"
"No. It's the opposite. I want to understand Shirone. I want to accept all of him."
He didn't care what he would become afterward.
So—
If, after understanding universal love, Shirone's philosophy of justice remained unchanged, then he would be a true Buddha.
"May I love you?"
A grain of rice flew out of Shura's mouth.
Pff!
It was absurd; Amy felt the same, and an awkward silence stretched through the hut.
"No."
Amy came to her senses and spoke.
"Do you think that makes any sense? Why would you love me? What do you even know about me?"
"You'll learn from now on. And isn't loving someone a personal freedom?"
Amy thought of Belik.
"Of course, but you're not loving me—you're loving the person Shirone loves."
"Yes. But everyone's the same. Nothing in this world is loved without reason. At first it's a trivial thing. Then the feeling grows and grows until it becomes something you can't replace with anything. You were an unnoticed reason, but now you've become something precious."
"I'm not forcing it. Recover in peace. I only spoke honestly about why I saved you."
Nane rose first, considerate toward Amy, and left the hut.
What is this situation?
Still dazed, Amy chewed slowly under the burning glare on her brow.
Looking up, Shura was watching her with displeasure.
"You must feel like you own the world now. Yahweh, the Buddha… at this rate you'll unify the universe."
"What? What did I even do?"
Though Amy was the one feeling wronged, Shura seemed oddly choked up.
"Anyway, recover fast. Once heaven's army starts moving, the world will end. Even if you die, shouldn't you at least see your lover before that?"
She couldn't nod, but Amy knew Shura was right—recovery was the immediate priority.
Irritated by Amy's continued silence and glare, Shura threw down his dish and walked out.
"You do the dishes."
The door slammed shut with a bang.