The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 339 Boss Quan (20) - He and She 'Queen', with her hands clasped behind her back, slowly circled around Qiana, continuing to speak as if singing. "Once, beside the 'Anomaly Slayer' there was a cat named Pago. He disguised himself as an 'anomaly' that dealt with humans, but in truth, he was an invader from another world." The Dreaming God's power is formidable. Defeating it head-on is extremely difficult. That was why the invader resorted to cunning. Inside the god. He tried to break the god's own laws from within. "Originally, this world was like a paradise for us anomalies. Humans were nothing but beings to be hunted and trampled — standing against anomalies was simply impossible." But the invader gave birth to an irregular known as the Anomaly Slayer. Because of that, a narrative contrary to the law the god had originally set — [Humans are beings who possess the strength to fight against anomalies] — was carved into existence. Thus espers came into being, and anomalies were weakened. They lost most of the power that once let them toy with humans through all manner of unreasonable rules, and freely manipulate the human mind through illusion and cognitive distortion. "That's why our parent split the world into two. One was the original world. The other was a world that could 『claim to be that world's future』." Qiana furrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, a world that can 'claim' to be its future?" "It's a kind of simulated ghost story, so to speak. From the very moment the world was made, the result — 'the Anomaly Slayer died' — was already decided, and the cause of death was fitted in afterward." Queen drew close to Qiana and met her eyes. Two faces, mirror images of each other yet wearing utterly different expressions, drew close enough for their breath to touch. "That 'cause and effect' is us. The strongest anomaly. The Queen who triumphed over the Anomaly Slayer." In this world, the Anomaly Slayer is the very symbol of the law that humans can stand and fight against anomalies. If that's so, then should the Anomaly Slayer die at the hands of an anomaly, it would prove, after all, that 'humans are beings hunted by anomalies.' Qiana shoved Queen away. "That doesn't make sense. We never actually 'won' against the Anomaly Slayer to begin with. A draw, maybe, but not that." "Ah, that was indeed a problem. Originally, the Anomaly Slayer was simply supposed to die mercilessly at our hands, but her narrative was so overwhelmingly powerful that even fighting with the conclusion of her defeat already decided from the start, the story wouldn't hold together unless it took the form of mutual destruction." But that was all, Queen said. "The Anomaly Slayer, being human, cannot be revived. But we, like this, are attempting revival." If Queen is revived, the contest between the two strongest — human and anomaly — is settled as Queen's victory. And once that happens, the Dreaming God will join the two worlds it had split apart back into one. Then it no longer matters how much the Anomaly Slayer of the original world, not the separated one, rampages. Because the cause and effect that she is destined to lose to Queen in the future will be fixed in place. It's a shackle completed using an entire world as its material. Even the Anomaly Slayer, whose very existence is the natural enemy of anomalies, cannot possibly resist it. Humans will never be able to surpass anomalies. Never. Qiana bit her lip. Only now could Qiana fully grasp the truth behind Queen's claim that it didn't matter even if she herself were consumed. The continuation of her self, the upper hand in personality — none of it mattered at all. As long as the being called 'Queen' was revived, one way or another, the Dreaming God would win. "And that's why the invader sent yet another clone. To stop our union." Qiana growled. "Don't be ridiculous. The boss, that human, has─" "─Brought you this far? Helped you merge the fragments?" Pity rose on Queen's face. It was an expression like one looking at an ignorant child. "Have you ever thought about why he did that?" "What?" "I'm asking whether you've thought about why that man helped you gather the fragments." A sweet persuasiveness settled into Queen's voice. Qiana couldn't tell whether it was an extension of 'Mimicry' meant to lower her target's guard, or the intervention of the parent lying beyond Queen. "Don't you find it strange? However strong that man is, his power has its limits. He couldn't possibly handle a fully revived Queen of Anomalies. Which means he'd no longer be able to control you by force. So why would you think he'd allow that so obediently?" "Because, well, that's what he promised." "Don't you think that's a flimsy reason, even as you say it yourself?" Qiana was at a loss for words. As if to persuade her, Queen went on speaking in a soft, coaxing tone. "The answer is simple. He never intended to keep his promise to begin with. Right now, while we're attempting to merge — if he kills us in this most defenseless moment, that's the end of it." "Nonsense. If that were true, we couldn't possibly be chatting this leisurely. We'd already be dead." At Qiana's firm denial, Queen smiled. As if she had been waiting for exactly those words. "─Yes, and that's exactly why we're in danger right now." The next moment. Crack! Queen's neck tore away in a spray of blood, as if some beast had bitten into it. Qiana didn't even have time to properly react in shock. Because her own side had suddenly been gouged out just as badly. As if she'd been struck by a bullet. To the wide-eyed Qiana, Queen spoke. "Right now, in reality, our body is being attacked by that man Quan. If you don't hurry and absorb me, both of us are going to die just like this, you know?" *** ─Bang!! The bullet Quan fired pierced through the Director's head. Blood and brain matter scattered, and her hair fluttered down like torn silk. A merciless, gruesome scene of slaughter. The unmistakable shape of a corpse, beyond any doubt to anyone who saw it. At the very least, so long as one is human, coming back alive from such a wound is impossible. "Impressive. I never imagined you'd be quite this strong." In other words, if one isn't human, coming back alive is entirely possible. The blood that had soiled the floor moved as if it possessed a will of its own. Flesh, hair, brain matter — all of it flowed back toward its owner, as if time itself were being reversed. And so, restored to a perfect form, the Director looked at Quan. And spoke as if mocking him. "My, you don't seem very surprised, do you?" "I never thought you were human to begin with." Keeping his distance from the agents naturally reviving around him, Quan reloaded his pistol. "─'Mimicry' is Queen's specialty, isn't it. Think about who would make the most delicious target for you people, and narrowing down the candidates is simple enough." Quan let out a breath close to a habitual exhale, even though he had no cigarette. "While that Qiana girl was off gathering information, I did some history studying of my own, here and there. Take the current Director's life story, for instance. It's such a famous tale within the Bureau that even someone reviled like me had no trouble getting my hands on the information." As if finding Quan's words interesting, the Director raised a hand and halted the agents' movements. "Do go on." "The vacuum right after Queen's subjugation. Every organization besides the Bureau fell apart completely, and the Bureau alone had to cover every area those groups used to handle. And all that after losing a symbolic figure like the Anomaly Slayer, while also dealing with anomalies and criminals empowered by Queen's fragments." No matter how massive and powerful the Bureau was as an organization, with this many adverse conditions piling up at once, it was bound to be worn down. Countless people collapsed from overwork, and the agents who scrambled to fill the resulting gaps collapsed from overwork in turn, or made mistakes that cost lives — a vicious cycle took hold. And unable to simply watch this happen, the one who stepped forward was Hinosaka Ai, one of the founding members who had already retired from active duty by that time. Using a hidden legacy left behind by the Anomaly Slayer, she reclaimed her prime appearance and formidable strength, appeared directly in the field, and, through countless achievements, bought the Bureau time to recover. The Bureau had lost the Anomaly Slayer, but in her place, it had gained a new symbol. "─That's the story that was staged, I suppose." There had never been any hidden legacy to begin with. The appearance and strength weren't reclaimed because Hinosaka Ai had used some 'relic.' It was merely the anomaly known as Queen making use of the shell and false identity of Hinosaka Ai. "Thanks to that lie, you got your hands on unchecked power within the Bureau, and the Bureau, of all places, had its very brain occupied by an anomaly." That result was exactly the agents now standing off against Quan. A grim sight — the very finest force meant to defend humanity against anomalies, betrayed by none other than their own chief, reduced to nothing but puppets of an anomaly. Clap clap clap! A cheerful sound of clapping rang out. The Director — no, 'Queen' — smiled as if impressed he'd figured it out. "Correct. Ninety percent of it, anyway." "Ninety percent?" "My Mimicry isn't some lowly power that only copies appearances. It's a power that devours and reproduces the target's memories, abilities, and personality — all of it." The Anomaly Slayer. No — the friendship and grief felt toward Hanamori Popuri were not lies. Nor was the will to protect humanity and stand against anomalies a mere disguise. Because a hollow facade alone could never have earned the absolute trust and goodwill of the people within the Bureau. Queen wore Hinosaka Ai's personality as her outer layer, and in truth, ninety percent of what Queen had done up until now were things Hinosaka herself would have done exactly the same way. Only ten percent. Only in the deepest core of the outer persona called Hinosaka could Queen's will govern that ten percent of actions. And once the principle behind one's actions shifts by even ten percent, even the most sublime of saints transforms into the worst hypocrite in the world. As if to prove it, Queen's next move could truly be called vicious. "Everyone, change targets." At Queen's command, the agents who had until now been raining down brutal attacks on Quan rolled their eyes toward a new direction. Swords, baseball bats, grimoires, firearms — every manner of weapon the Bureau had collected or painstakingly crafted turned toward a single point. Not Quan, but beyond him. Toward Qiana, entangled as one with Queen's fragments. "Tch...!!" Realizing his opponent's intent, Quan spat a curse as fire burst from his gun barrel. He knocked aside blades, crushed the hands gripping bats, and blocked countless other attacks besides. But with the agents' monstrous regenerative ability letting them attack relentlessly without any regard for protecting themselves, he couldn't stop every last one of them from reaching Qiana. Fwish! Crack! Slash! The fragments, clustered together like a massive crystal mass, were easily shattered, and Qiana's body, buried within them, was likewise stained with red blood. Considering that the fragment mass itself was Queen's own body, it was an act nearly indistinguishable from self-harm, but the effect was undeniable. If only to protect Qiana, Quan had to push himself to block every one of his opponents' attacks, and unleash more firepower than was strictly necessary. And no matter how strong Quan was, in a situation like that, his injuries were bound to keep piling up. No — if anything, the very fact that he was somehow managing to keep the fight even in a situation like this was proof of Quan's absurd combat prowess. Queen, wearing Hinosaka's mask, was impressed by this, but she wasn't the least bit anxious for it. In the end, she was nothing but a clone. Because even at this very moment, Queen's 'True Body' was steadily carrying her scheme forward. *** What kind of terror is it, to be pinned down by sleep paralysis so vicious you can't even open your eyes, forced to simply feel someone else methodically smashing your body apart, piece by piece? Qiana's current state was exactly like that. She had no way of knowing what was actually happening in reality. But she could clearly feel the sensation of her body being destroyed by something. And as if fanning that anxiety into flame, Queen kept pouring words into Qiana's ear. "We're somehow managing to protect our body with the fragments, but even that has its limits. If we don't hurry, that man Quan is going to end up killing us, you know?" In reality, right now, it was Quan who was attacking Qiana. Queen was protecting Qiana, but even that had its limits. At this rate, it would soon reach that limit. Of course, it was a lie. But Qiana currently had no way of confirming that. All she could feel was the fear-laced certainty that her body was being destroyed, bit by bit. "Then send me outside right now!!" "That's impossible. We were originally one, after all. Regardless of my own will, the fusion is already underway, and it won't finish unless one side or the other takes control of the mind." Truth and lies, mixed together. Blinding her eyes and ears, cunningly steering her toward a conclusion. "What are you hesitating for? I'm telling you I'll let you absorb me, purely and simply. All you have to do is be revived as the perfect Queen, while still remaining yourself." This too was a lie. Handing over control of the body's movements was true, that much. But in reality, everything Qiana saw, everything she heard, the very process by which she perceived the world, would all remain under Queen's control. Once returned to reality, Qiana would see not Quan struggling to protect her, but Quan with bloodshot eyes, desperate to kill her, and consumed by betrayal and rage, she would kill him. And then everything would be over. Even if Qiana were to learn the truth afterward, there would be no way to bring back a Quan who had already died. The narrative of an anomaly mingling with humans, truly becoming one of their own, would draw to a close in the worst way possible. Qiana's lips trembled faintly. Her eyes, filled with fear, took on the tint of self-rationalization amid her anxiety. When Qiana reluctantly held out her hand, Queen took it in delight. They became one. Soul and body intertwined. The Queen of Anomalies revealed herself once more in this present world. So that Qiana wouldn't notice anything amiss, most of the body's control was handed over to move as she willed. Only the sensory organs that perceived the world remained solely under Queen's control. Qiana's gray eyes opened in reality. The Director outside, another clone of Queen, and the agents attacking Qiana under her control, were stripped entirely from her perception, leaving only a false image of Quan wearing a demon's face, bent on taking Qiana's life. As if enraged by the gun barrel pointed at her, Qiana transformed her right hand into a blade and readied herself to strike. With everything unfolding exactly as planned, Queen was satisfied. At last, everything was returning to how it should be, and the Dreaming God laughed with delight. Fwish! Qiana's right hand pierced through flesh, and blood came gushing out. ─Not Quan, but her own heart as the target. Amid the shock of those around her, Qiana spoke in a voice mixed with fury and grim satisfaction. "The boss, you know. He'd never make a face like that, you idiot." Centered on her heart, countless blades tore through the inside of Qiana's body. The ultimate body, capable of transforming into anything, ran rampant as if trying to destroy itself. Queen tried desperately to reclaim control of the body, but taking back the wheel she had once handed over to deceive Qiana was no easy task. Realizing that staying like this would only mean mutual destruction alongside Qiana, Queen hastily fled Qiana's body and shifted her base to that of her other host, the Director. The Director — no, 'Queen' — having absorbed the blood and flesh Qiana had scattered and made it her own, glared at Quan and Qiana with terrifying eyes. Unlike Queen, who didn't bear so much as a single visible wound, the two who stood off against her were both battered ragged, each for their own reasons. The blood-soaked man asked. "Looks like we've still got a ways to go. You got anything left in the tank?" The blood-soaked woman answered. "I think I'd have plenty left if you tore up that damned slave contract of mine." The man laughed, sounding delighted. The woman, too, curled up the corner of her mouth in a sharp, feral grin. The final act had arrived.