Chapter 305: Myriad Celestia Trailer — "A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33"
「 "Finally, Constance… my most ambitious child, my most exceptional child, I have nothing left to teach you. Only remember… make the midnight of Penacony wither and decay, take away everything you love, and leave behind only a grave of Remembrance!" 」
「 ..... 」
〜Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid World〜
"W-Wow, this demon is so powerful…"
Kanna stared entranced at the image of Duke Inferno on the sky curtain, her eyes wide with awe. She tugged at the hem of Tohru's maid outfit and lifted her small face.
"Lady Tohru, this demon actually dares to initiate combat against so many Paths at once. He must be…"
Kanna raised her chubby little hands, mimicking the explosion of fireworks, throwing them up with a "whoosh":
"Super strong, right?"
"Of course, Kanna. This kind of demon is absolutely a calamity-class existence capable of destroying worlds. If you encounter him, there is no doubt you will die."
Tohru showed a rare expression of seriousness.
"But I have a question. Why does he seem to know exactly which Path factions will appear in Penacony? He's already arranged his candidates well in advance."
"Maybe he's using his flames to conduct surveillance? Did he learn about the participating factions ahead of time?"
Kobayashi adjusted her glasses, the lenses reflecting the raging flames from the sky curtain, revealing a puzzled expression.
"However, what kind of banquet would actually allow the Masked Fools of 『 Elation 』 to participate?"
In Kobayashi's eyes, the factions of 『 Destruction 』 and 『 Abundance 』 were already bad news. But going further down the list, the Masked Fools of 『 Elation 』 were the most unpredictable. A faction that is completely loyal only to their own amusement, with absolutely no regard for others, should also be kicked out of the festival.
In short, given the pursuits of this bunch, if they saw the Charmony Festival proceeding smoothly without any twists or turns, it would probably be more painful for them than death.
—
「 "Hahahaha… it won't be her turn to take the stage."
Wild laughter tore through the stagnant air. A woman dressed in hot, provocative attire, with a chain ball beneath her foot, pulled the brim of her hat low, obscuring half her face and revealing only the upturned corner of her lips.
With a snap, a finger-snap sparked crimson embers, illuminating the sharp contours of her jawline.
"I alone am enough!"
"Caterina, it is better to be pessimistic…" A woman in a white formal gown walked slowly from behind her, the fingertips of her snow-white gloves resting lightly against her chin. The shadow cast by her wide-brimmed hat shrouded half of her porcelain-white face, leaving only the faint, enigmatic curve of a smile visible.
But if one looked closely, a wisp of spectral blue light was ignited within her pupils, like the flickering will-o'-the-wisps in a midnight graveyard, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
"Perhaps we will all die, you know."
"Shh…" The man behind them lowered his voice. The instant his violin bow swept across the strings, a streak of blue flame leaped up, as if to raise the curtain on this grand play. "Since when have desperadoes walking the path of 『 Destruction 』 ever feared death?"
"But we ought to plan for a rainy day…"
A little girl in a white Western-style dress walked over. She held a bright red apple in her hands, as if she were about to present it to the demon on the throne in the very next second, had she not suddenly been suspended in mid-air.
The word "Father" caught in her throat, her sweet, childish voice twisting as if the tape had jammed. Her neck shifted at an impossible angle; it turned out she was merely a marionette strung by a puppeteer.
"This journey is perilous; what is the retreat route?"」
「 ..... 」
〜One Punch Man World〜
In the dim underground hall of the Monster Association, Homeless Emperor was trembling all over as he looked up at the woman in the white formal gown on the sky curtain.
The moment he made eye contact with that woman, he felt the world suddenly collapse into a long, narrow tunnel. The spectral blue flames in her pupils seemed to spread along the tunnel, burning, burning continuously… climbing along his optic nerves like a living creature.
(No… this isn't right…)
When he jolted awake, he realized cold sweat had unknowingly soaked his entire body. Under that woman's gaze, it was as if he had reverted to the homeless man curled up in the corner of the park. Even though that woman's netherfire couldn't physically burn him, it felt as though it was burning away his shell of being "God's Chosen" inch by inch, exposing the ordinary mortal essence underneath…
"Oi, oi, what are you shaking for?"
Black Sperm's sharp voice suddenly pierced his eardrums. It tilted its head, looking at him with a face full of curiosity.
"Did you wet yourself or something?"
"Are you joking?"
Homeless Emperor forced a sliver of a smile, trying hard to maintain his composure. To this day, monsters like Black Sperm had no idea: apart from his light sphere ability, he was just a useless ordinary person. He had to maintain his aura of superiority at all times to avoid arousing suspicion among the monsters.
"I'm just excited… finally encountering a decent monster outside of the Executives."
"Just decent, huh? You guy, tsk…"
Black Sperm was somewhat repulsed by the Homeless Emperor's posturing. In its view, any one of those guys on the sky curtain, picked at random, was a Dragon-level monster or higher, the kind that could casually beat the tar out of Homeless Emperor.
In the entire Monster Association, perhaps only Orochi could handle them… but it was also possible he couldn't. But that didn't matter; in short, if it encountered them, it would absolutely flee at the first opportunity.
If this bunch from 『 Destruction 』 came to Earth, their modus operandi would probably be even more ruthless than the Monster Association's. They might even destroy the Association right along with everything else while killing humans and causing chaos.
Thinking about it this way, it suddenly began to hope that someone could manage these guys—just please don't let them discover Earth.
—
「 "Retreat route?"
The sound of a cane tapping the ground echoed rhythmically through the hall, each step like the lingering resonance of a death knell. Duke Inferno, Ifrit, walked leisurely forward, seemingly quite dismissive of this serious question.
"As always, it has never existed. 『 Destruction 』 is a magnificent instant; if one craves despicable survival, this life is far too long."
"Enjoy Penacony. Enjoy her invitation."
Raging flames were reflected in his lenses. Within the fire, countless human figures seemed to be wailing and weeping, but eventually, all were devoured completely, leaving not even ash behind.
"…Let this beautiful dream be prepared to welcome its new master from Tophet."
"Duke Inferno, Ifrit — The Ever-Flame Mansion." 」
「 ..... 」
〜Monogatari World〜
In his room, Araragi Koyomi was lying on his desk, repeatedly replaying Duke Inferno's words in his mind.
"Enjoy Penacony's invitation…"
He scratched his hair, which was sticking up, ninety percent—no, a hundred percent—baffled.
"This isn't logical, is it? Penacony should know what Duke Inferno does, right? They're like terrorists who destroy wherever they go. Inviting this bunch… did the people of The Family collectively get their heads caught in a door?"
Oshino Shinobu sat on the bed, a donut in her mouth and cream smeared on the corner of her lips:
"It is not difficult to understand. I, for one, believe there are three possibilities~"
The young girl held up three fingers:
"First, Penacony is extremely confident in its security and The Family's strength; second, we have wrongly underestimated Duke Inferno's strength and his preparations before departure. As for the third…"
—
( Translator-kun: The next chapter would be the first chapter of Penacony Arc. )