Roa Taikyoku Denki SS - 01/19/24

[nebulancer]

🐼The voice at the forefront of conflict🐼

 

※Taikyoku Denki -Kanka Soran- Prologue

 

My world was dark forever.

 

“You’re a Gokuzoku, so of course you’ve always lived in a dark world,” you say?

 

Yeah.

 

I thought the same thing.

 

But that was wrong.

 

——There was a world made of true darkness, even darker than what I knew.

 

＊＊＊

 

Gokuzoku don’t need to sleep.

We don’t need to eat.

As long as there was Yin energy in the world, we were able to survive. There was no such thing as a natural enemy to us.

 

Since we’re formed from crystals of energy, breathing in energy is simple, about as easy as breathing air.

We can use magic spells, we can strengthen our bodies. The riff-raff of beasts and demons out there were no match for us.

The Jinzoku said stuff about us being the perfect, ultimate species; the legendary species; or whatever. Despite that, we had one weakness we couldn’t do anything about.

 

The light of the sun.

 

Because the sun is a mass of Yang energy, if we, crystallized Yin energy, were to bask in it......

 

Take a guess. What do you think would happen?

 

It’s easy.

An explosive reaction would take place, and we’d be vaporized without a single trace left.

 

No matter how strong we were, no matter how capable we were at using spells, we couldn’t stop that reaction we had toward the light.

An ending that haunted us regardless of individual capabilities.

 

Which was why, during the time the sun was out, all Gokuzoku ended up living in ways where they’d quietly await the nighttime. We’d live in places where the light didn’t shine, such as underground, or deep inside caves.

The only exception...... I’d heard that the very first Gokuzoku had greater resistance toward the sun compared to others, but...... well, fundamentally, we don’t have any resistance at all.

I was the same.

On that day, I was lounging around, relaxing in the cave I’d called home.

 

Even now, I still remember it.

 

It was around the season when I could feel the presence of spring making its way in.

It was livelier than winter, a season when the colors were vibrant and vivid.

I guess I was a little carried away. I’d let down my guard.

I thought I felt a strange presence near the entrance of the cave—when I realized that, a disgusting smoke blew in......

 

And then

 

Darkness.

 

For a long, long time

 

Forever

 

And ever

 

I was trapped

 

In another dimension filled with nothingness.

 

＊＊＊

 

it would’ve been better if i’d gone insane.

 

but i didn’t go insane.

 

...

 

...

 

i was alone.

 

i felt like the boundaries of what made my “self” were disappearing.

 

i was scared.

 

i was lonely.

 

which was why i cried.

 

i was crying the whole time.

 

until that warm voice called for me.

 

＊＊＊

 

“Hello there. You’re the legendary species... A Gokuzoku, correct?”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I surprise you?

It’s fine. Please, calm down.”

 

“You’ve been freed already, you know?”

 

“You’re free now.”

 

“Sorry, are you hurt? Or suffering in any way?”

 

“......No, that’s not it.”

 

“Aah...... I see.”

 

“You were...... lonely, weren’t you?”

 

“...”

 

“......I apologize. Jinzoku did this to you.

They desired strength. They tried to make use of you.”

 

“They sought out things that didn’t belong to them, so......

No, that doesn’t matter right now.”

 

“......”

 

“...Um, well.”

 

“......Do Gokuzoku have names, too?

If you do, could you tell me your name?”

 

“I see. Your name is Roa?”

 

“Roa.”

 

“Ro-a.”

 

“Mm.”

 

“It’s a great name.”

 

“It’s an adorable name that makes me feel like my tongue is dancing in my mouth.”

 

“Me? I’m......”

 

＊＊＊

 

“REI!!!”

 

I ran, shouting out that name which was so precious to me.

I kept running atop the palace’s roof as fire arrows rained atop it.

 

The large royal palace connected numerous buildings.

Palaces built for the sons of the most important person in the kingdom.

As many palaces as there were imperial princes.

The second palace was completely engulfed in flames.

 

The pillars collapsed, gunpowder was hurled about, and as the servants shrieked in fear while they ran, a great number of soldiers chased them out.

Clad in armor, they swung their swords as they chanted a single name.

 

I didn’t know what was going on anymore.

The only thing I knew was that I had to find Rei before them.

 

This “contract” relieved me to no end.

Thanks to our souls being connected by this thing known as a “contract,” I could somehow tell that my partner was still alive in this horribly disorderly mess of a situation.

But I couldn’t tell if he was injured, or what circumstances he was in.

Like a foreboding premonition, my sense of danger kept getting spurred on and on.

Danger was likely drawing near Rei.

 

“——Rei! Where are you!?”

 

Three cheers for His Majesty, the new emperor?

Shoot at the insurgents?

 

Explosions.

Fires.

Debris falling from above my head.

 

Sprays of blood.

Chunks of meat.

I don’t care.

I don’t care.

I don’t care about anything else!

 

Rei,

Rei,

 

Rei-san!!!

 

“———hh!”

 

My body moved faster than I could think.

 

I made a big leap backwards. A black fireball had completely gouged out the roof where I’d been standing just a split-second previously.

“Hmph!”

Without a second’s moment of waste, I kicked up the next fireball that came flying over at me, smashed it with my hand, and hurled a good deal of them back.

 

“GAAAH!!”

“Urgh—!”

“......Hgh—!!”

 

I felt several definite responses from all four directions. I could hear heavy things falling from rooftops and collapsing.

Did I take them out?

No, not yet.

There were still too many of them.

I’m surrounded.

“Tch!”

I involuntarily clicked my tongue.

If Rei were here, he would’ve laughed wryly as he chided me.

Come on, say it.

Say your, “Hey, stop that,” with that slightly bothered, but still smiling, face of yours.

 

“......So, you’re the second imperial prince’s bodyguard?”

 

“......”

 

“What a filthy-looking Gokuzoku......”

“...Tell us. Where is the prince.”

“Where is he.”

“Tell us.”

“Where is he.”

“Tell us.”

 

“......”

 

I felt around for the presences.

40?

No, 48.

15 to my right, 10 to my left, 13 in front, 5 behind and 10 underneath.

Aagh, what a pain.

They were full of ranks that were actually quite capable, who made sure to be on their guard against a Gokuzoku.

 

“Where is he.”

“Tell us.”

 

They repeated their words like they were machines.

Reacting to those hoarse voices which were accustomed to stifling emotion, I felt a beastly growl rise from the depths of my throat as if I were defying them.

Aargh, I hate it.

......They’re just like those bastards who trapped me.

 

Tons of black ones.

 

Horribly dark Yin energy.

 

Jinzoku dark arts practitioners?

Subordinates of the new emperor?

 

I didn’t care.

 

I didn’t need to care.

 

The only thing I needed to remember was that one name.

Because that’s the only name I needed to say.

 

“......You’re in my way, you pieces of trash.”

 

“......!”

“It’s coming!!!”

 

I’ll go wherever your voice comes from.

Because I’ll protect you.

 

Like a bird reborn from the depths of the flames, I’ll show you I can brilliantly cut open a path.

 

So please,

 

Call my name.

 

# Taikyoku Denki