Chapter 51.51 Double...
Several tens of minutes before Chuuya Nakahara arrived at N's location, Verlaine, relying on the information Dazai Osamu had given him earlier, plus the information he obtained from Detective Murase, successfully located N's location.
Originally, he wanted to get rid of Dazai Osamu, but Dazai made a deal with him: in exchange for giving him the confidential information he needed about the Hong Kong underworld, he would mercifully postpone Dazai's death.
The materials Dazai provided weren't extensive, mostly containing confidential information about the Port Mafia and Mori Ougai's recent schedule. However, a sentence highlighted in red on one page immediately caught his eye: "According to investigation, N is currently the only known person to have read the missing pages of the book on artificial superpower programming written by Maki during his lifetime."
The veracity of this statement is impossible to verify, but Verlaine didn't need absolute certainty. Even with only a one in ten thousand chance, he had to confirm it. Even if it was ultimately proven false, N was already on his elimination list; this intelligence merely elevated his priority to the top.
He recalled the iris-colored eyes of Dazai Osamu when he handed over the information; they held not fear or flattery, but a familiar sense of loneliness, a void as if he were outside the world. It was this sense of kinship, and the sincerity with which the other party offered crucial information, that led Verlaine to temporarily move Dazai's name from first to last on the assassination list. Moreover, regardless of the truth of the information, he could find and kill him at any time; this was his absolute confidence in his own abilities.
Therefore, he temporarily abandoned the idea of forcing his younger brother to submit by eliminating those close to Chuuya Nakahara. Doing so would be too drastic and easily alert the enemy. If N truly knew the secret, he would undoubtedly be constantly monitoring his movements. Therefore, he needed a more covert approach.
Relying on the clues provided by Dazai and other channels he had access to, he first identified N's public cover—his younger brother, Detective Murase. Then, following this lead, he successfully located N's whereabouts.
Verlaine easily entered N's underground lair; the so-called tight defenses were utterly useless against his absolute power. He moved with composure, leaving only ruins and corpses in his wake. When N discovered his presence, he attempted to escape in the chaos by helicopter, but the helicopter was pulled back to the ground by an invisible force after only a few meters of airlift, turning into a burning wreckage.
N was lifted from the explosion like a chick by Verlaine and taken to the top of the steel frame of a nearby unfinished building. A cold wind howled past, and N was placed on the edge of the steel frame, clinging tightly to a cold steel beam, shivering. He dared not look down, for the height was dizzying.
Verlaine hovered lightly on a steel pipe, hands in his pockets, coldly watching N. His icy voice carried on the wind to N's ears: "Tell me the contents of 'The Secret of the Gentle Forest,' what was written on the destroyed page?"
N begged for mercy incoherently, swearing he would give up all his possessions just to save his life, but he knew nothing about the topics Verlaine posed. He behaved exactly like an ordinary scientist who was afraid of death.
It wasn't until Verlaine lost patience and slowly reached out, preparing to push the noisy man hundreds of meters in the air, that N shouted that he did indeed know a little about it. His survival instinct overwhelmed everything, so he revealed some things about Rimbaud, letting Verlaine know that Rimbaud was the one who truly deleted the project, and also revealing things Rimbaud had previously kept hidden. After saying this, N stated that he truly knew nothing about the missing page information.
The information N provided differed from Verlaine's previous understanding, which resonated with him, but it wasn't the core information he was looking for. Once he realized N could offer no more useful information, his patience with the man vanished instantly, and the authenticity of the document was greatly diminished in his mind.
He glanced coldly at N, who was still trembling and pleading for help high in the air, and thought that leaving such a useless person to fend for himself was the best outcome for him. So, he leaped and landed lightly on the ground, ignoring N's desperate cries.
He decided to continue his assassination list, with his next target being Mori Ougai, the leader of the Port Mafia.
Unbeknownst to Verlaine, N had still managed to escape from the high-rise building. It could only be said that this man still had quite a few trump cards up his sleeve to save his life. However, before he could leave, he was captured by the Flag Society members.
Capturing N was one of the secret missions assigned to them by Dazai Osamu. Based on the intelligence provided by Dazai, they had already been lying in wait along N's most likely escape route.
...
Dazai, who was originally going to arrest this person himself, had to stop the operation a few hours earlier because he fell ill midway through the process—but the Qi Hui and the others did not know this—his body was frozen in a secluded alley.
Dazai Osamu once again fell into a state of uncontrollable absent-mindedness, this time even losing consciousness for a period of time. His soul sank into a swamp beyond the world, unable to perceive his own existence and thoughts, and had even lost the concept of perception itself.
It is a state of nothingness, like becoming an embryo sealed by amniotic fluid, where all senses and touch become blurred, and consciousness has not yet been formed.
Until a voice called to him from a very distant place, his brain subconsciously identified the voice—it was Chuuya's. Although he couldn't hear what was being said, he knew the other person was calling his name.
Ah, no. He quickly realized that this wasn't coming from his mind, but from the earpiece that was paired with Chuuya's, hanging in his ear, and was Chuuya's voice calling out, seemingly trying to contact him. But Dazai couldn't respond for the time being.
Because of Chuuya Nakahara's shouts, Dazai Osamu's scattered consciousness finally began to regroup with difficulty, and his consciousness struggled to take back control of the out-of-control body.
By the time he finally regained control of his body and dragged his still somewhat sluggish limbs to the vicinity of the planned location, the situation had already taken a further turn.
In Dazai's plan, having the Flag Association control N should avoid the situation mentioned by his former counterpart, where "ordinary members went to arrest people but were killed instead." Although he still had reservations about this statement, sending someone qualified to become a cadre to arrest a researcher who wasn't particularly strong should be more than enough.
With N under control, there's a high probability they won't have time to launch missiles. This means they'll only need to deal with Verlaine's upcoming first-stage form, making things much easier.
However, sometimes reality doesn't go as planned.
Before being captured by the Flag Society, N had already sensed their presence. He finally realized that his movements had been monitored, and knew that he had most likely been set up, and that being caught was only a matter of time. So, before stepping off the steel bars onto the ground, he quickly pulled out a uniquely shaped signal gun from inside his white coat and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger into the sky.
At that moment, Verlaine was preparing to assassinate Mori Ougai, who was sitting in a black car heading to an underground research facility on the outskirts of the city for refuge. His body was thrown back by Hirotsu Ryūrō's supernatural ability the instant he made contact with Mori. Simultaneously, countless elite troops, under the command of Dazai Osamu, began a massive, coordinated attack on Verlaine. Meanwhile, Nakahara Chuuya was already seated in a fighter jet hovering high in the sky, ready with Adam to attack Verlaine if he were to unleash his final form.
As the signal flare exploded into rainbow-colored metallic fragments in the air, the monster capable of unleashing the inhuman entity within Verlaine was finally released. Even with the initial advantage, some things were unavoidable.
Because of the signal flare, Verlaine's ability was no longer released proactively but passively. He screamed in pain as the energy within him surged uncontrollably, his body swelling into a singularity. Uncontrolled, violent power erupted from within him, creating a powerful gust of wind centered on him.
The original plan, intended to force Verlaine to unleash his power under relatively controlled circumstances, was completely shattered. The unexpected turn of events forced Dazai to issue retreat orders to his subordinates lying in ambush near Verlaine via walkie-talkie. However, the disaster spread far faster than the retreat orders could be relayed, and the walkie-talkie continued to report on the casualties. This was a catastrophe beyond human repair.
Dazai's face was expressionless. He closed his eyes, listening to the constant reports of casualties from various squads over the walkie-talkie, knowing that the Flag Society's mission had failed halfway. All around him, the mournful cries of the dying mafia members echoed—a calamity that could not be mended by human intervention.
Amidst this chaos, the black behemoth formed from gravitational energy materialized at an astonishing speed. Its body was so enormous that it blotted out the sky, and when its head was raised, it directly touched the height of the fighter jet circling high in the sky—Chuuya Nakahara and Adam were inside that jet.
As the familiar darkness engulfed the fighter jet, Chuuya Nakahara felt little fear. He had been through it before and knew what was coming.
Within the indescribable space inside the behemoth, Adam's core program, stimulated by external forces, recalled his true mission as set at the time of his creation. Therefore, when he finally reunited with Chuuya Nakahara inside the monster, Adam attempted to sacrifice himself to give Chuuya a chance to escape. This still moved Chuuya, but he was no longer saddened, knowing that Adam would return.
So his last words to the little robot that day were: "Adam, we will meet again, I know you will come back." Although his voice was somewhat distorted in such an unusual environment, Adam could hear that his tone was unusually certain.
Adam's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't press for details, but simply smiled and said "okay." Although he didn't know why Chuuya—whom he already considered a friend—was so certain, sometimes, only by holding onto hope can one continue walking in such a world.
So Adam didn't utter any denials, but instead firmly and carefully helped Chuuya Nakahara escape from the beast's body. Adam chose to detonate himself, perishing together with the beast. The beast behind him temporarily disintegrated under the impact of the self-destruction, but the unstable energy factors in the air told him that it was far from over. Sacrifice had been made, but some sacrifices were to contain a greater catastrophe to the smallest possible extent.
Just then, the familiar voice finally came through the earpiece on Chuuya Nakahara's left ear, which had been silent for a long time: "Turn around, Chuuya."
Chuuya turned around as instructed, his gaze catching something flying towards him, and he instinctively reached out to catch it. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Verlaine's hat, which had been blown away by the wind when he transformed into a giant beast, but Dazai Osamu had somehow found it and returned it to him.
He looked up and saw Dazai Osamu standing at the edge of the woods. Without time to ask further questions, he casually pulled his hat over his head, knowing this was no place to linger. The beast wasn't completely dead, as he could hear its repeated, chaotic sounds. So he grabbed Dazai's wrist and pulled him towards a tall enough building in the distance, preparing for the upcoming battle.
Once again, Chuuya Nakahara stood on the workbench atop the spherical storage tank, just as before. The night wind ruffled his clothes and ochre hair, while further away, the black behemoth, which had reformed, seemed even larger than before. It strode heavily toward the center of Yokohama.
Dazai Osamu stepped onto the metal steps and walked to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as they gazed at the moving natural disaster. His voice was unusually calm, as if he were discussing the moonlight tonight: "Chuuya, you still have the right to choose whether or not to use your [Impure]."
Dazai Osamu turned his head to look at Chuuya's profile. He paused, his tone devoid of any encouragement or dissuasion, and said in a barely inflected voice:
"Think it over carefully, Chuuya. This is the only chance we can see if you're even human." They all knew what this meant.
After saying that, he quickly added, his voice so soft it was like a sigh: "It's okay if you don't agree, Chuuya."
Chuuya Nakahara turned his head, his cobalt blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight, devoid of any hesitation or confusion, reflecting Dazai Osamu's image. He looked at his young partner, a smile curving his lips, and said decisively, "My choice was made years ago, Dazai."
Dazai Osamu stared into those eyes, remaining silent for a few seconds. A complex emotion seemed to flash across the depths of those iris-colored eyes, ultimately settling into a single sentence: "I'm sorry, Chuuya."
Even though they already knew a lot of information beforehand, Chuuya still lost the chance to learn the truth. It's such a pity.
Nakahara smiled; he understood Dazai's meaning, but shook his head. "No need to apologize, Dazai. You've done enough. I know."
Then, he took a step forward and, without hesitation, leaped off the edge of the platform. A dark red gravitational light instantly enveloped his body, propelling him straight toward the colossal beast about to trample the city.
Dazai Osamu stood still, his gaze following the shrinking figure until it disappeared into the deeper darkness in the distance.
What followed unfolded much like what Chuuya remembered, yet with slight deviations. Under Dazai's command, the casualties among the [unclear] members were less than in his memory, and Chuuya's combat experience and control over gravity were also stronger than before.
When he finally stopped suppressing himself and completely unleashed the Desolate Tyrant, twisted and mysterious black and red patterns, as if possessing a life of their own, instantly covered his exposed skin, and his cobalt blue eyes were completely engulfed by inhuman light. Instinct drove this body, transformed into a Desolate God, to engage in the most ferocious battle with the behemoth before him.
A black hole capable of swallowing everything condensed in Chuuya's hand, which he then hurled at the behemoth. In retaliation, the monster unleashed a similarly concentrated ball of dark energy, imbued with gravity, at the Aragami. The two similar energies collided violently in mid-air before canceling each other out, the spilled energy shockwaves spreading wildly in all directions. Wherever they passed, mountains crumbled, the earth cracked, and the surrounding battlefield was utterly reduced to scorched earth.
Dazai Osamu stood on high ground, the strong wind ruffling his hair and clothes, yet he seemed oblivious. He simply stared blankly at the figure that belonged to Nakahara Chuuya, yet was not entirely Nakahara Chuuya. He felt no fear, only astonishment at Nakahara Chuuya's unconscious state. This was… Arahabaki?
Although he already knew this, this was the first time he had ever seen Chuuya's Araha-suke appearance in person. It still brought him an indescribable sense of shock.
Until he discovered that under that continuous high-intensity output, Chuuya Nakahara's body was beginning to show signs of collapse. His skin and muscles began to crack, and his movements became somewhat sluggish, while the behemoth's attacks remained as ferocious as before, still targeting Chuuya's body.
So, Dazai used a walkie-talkie to give the order to the scattered mafia members: "Attack the behemoth with all your might."
The order was given, and the remaining members of the mafia rushed out from their hiding places, unleashing all their firepower at the indescribable behemoth. The behemoth had no reason; it only instinctively attacked any target hostile to it. Thus, mafia members were continuously annihilated by the behemoth's indiscriminate attacks, but they continued to advance wave after wave, following Dazai's orders, buying Chuuya a sliver of breathing space.
In the time he gained, the Aragami gathered his strength for his final attack. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and an even more solid energy sphere rapidly formed, causing the surrounding space to slightly distort. Then, he swiftly slammed the black sphere, imbued with all his power, into the core of the behemoth's body.
The dazzling white light from the collision of energies nearly engulfed everything. When the light faded, the terrifying black behemoth had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed. Only the ravaged earth remained, testifying that the divine battle that had just taken place was no illusion.
The figure hovering in the sky, having lost all its power, plummeted straight to the ground. Dazai Osamu, having already calculated Chuuya's landing point, was waiting there, his outstretched arms catching the falling figure with perfect accuracy. The ability of [No Longer Human] activated silently, easily shutting down the outlet of Chuuya's supernatural power, completely dispelling the inhuman markings and characteristics.
The person in his arms had their eyes closed, their face as pale as paper, and their breathing weak; they were clearly in a deep coma. Their clothes were badly torn, and their exposed skin was covered with large and small wounds from the battle.
Dazai Osamu looked down at Nakahara Chuuya's peaceful sleeping face. Those blue eyes, always burning with defiant spirit and vitality, were now tightly closed, long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath his eyelids. He was silent for a moment, and finally, in a voice almost inaudible, he said:
"Thank you for your hard work, Chuuya."
The subsequent cleanup and rescue work was quickly launched under the efficient organization of the port mafia. The wounded were sent to the hospital, the bodies of the victims were recovered, and the assessment and reconstruction plan for the damaged surrounding environment was put on the agenda.
Everything is over for now.
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Author's Note: It's finished! Thank you to all the readers who have made it this far. It was truly a difficult feat to finally finish this book. This was a brainstorming project I had in middle school, and I thought it would be unfinished indefinitely. But five years later, it suddenly got a contract, and then I had you all willing to follow it this far, which allowed me to keep writing until now. It was so hard-won.
This book has many, many shortcomings, because the earlier parts were all short stories. [My initial idea for this book was that Dazai could only dream of Chuuya, and that was it; I hadn't thought about the ending before.]
This is my first time writing a long novel, and I'm not very good at perfecting outlines. I might have to revise it extensively later. The main plot will likely end around age 16 (if I continue, it might take much longer because I've forgotten some plot points; I've been rereading Bungo Stray Dogs lately). Dazai's illness will continue until he's 18, and those who would otherwise die will have a chance to live. I feel Mori Ōgai's apprehension will lessen considerably. Other subsequent plot developments might be released as side stories/fan service later! (If I remember!)
I'll probably release a few more side stories soon; I've already written about half of them. There will also be some random fragments that weren't used in the main text.
The next book is a Demon Slayer fanfic in my column: Doma says he's not an Upper Moon.
Finally, thank you again to all the little ones who followed us this far! [heart][heart]
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