Capítulo 107: Am I Still Human?
"Are you sure… you want to know?"
The voice, slightly hoarse yet childlike, with the timbre of a girl going through puberty, questioned Kurumi.
"Know… what?"
Kurumi gazed forward in mild confusion. Before her lay a dimly lit plaza, all light sources seemingly cut off. The square was paved in black and white tiles, resembling a chessboard.
In her distant past, back in her school days, she had seen such things—a vast chessboard stretching into the horizon, black and white squares interwoven.
Sitting across from her was a figure cloaked in shadow, an indistinct outline that seemed to ripple like water.
Kurumi fell into a mysterious silence, her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears like a gong. She could hear her blood coursing through her veins, thrumming insistently, questioning her very essence.
"Weren't you the one who questioned me first? Why the sudden reversal?"
The shadow, seated on the ground, gestured towards a small chessboard between them. "How sly of you."
Holding a white piece, it beckoned Kurumi with a wave.
"Care to play a game? Let's wager on finding the answer to everything."
"Isn't it what you've always wondered?"
"Aren't you the one who's been lost all this time?"
"Why not join me… in this game for the ultimate answers."
The figure extended its hand towards Kurumi, a blue ribbon tied around its slender wrist, giving it the fragile appearance of a small girl.
…
"I… am confused?"
The wave of melancholy surged from deep within, swallowing Kurumi whole once more.
"Am I… still human?"
…
No strength. No form.
All that remained was a single heart's question…
Am I still… 'human'?
"Come… let us seek all the answers together," the shadow enticed her, as the small figure stepped out of the darkness—a petite, delicate child.
Kurumi reached out and took hold of the tiny hand.
"Well then… let the game begin!"
…
Despite the bold words, the figure collapsed into her arms as soon as they clasped hands, as if it were some kind of god.
"What? Hey! God-sama, what's wrong with you?"
"Humans… they really are a species that dies if they don't eat…" it murmured, face pressing closer to Kurumi's chest with a sigh.
"If only I hadn't taken human form."
——
Black…
Red…
The sky was painted with a murky, despairing color.
Not a product of Kurumi's thoughts, but of terrible ashes… dust… and an overwhelming force that had dyed the heavens in that hue of hopelessness.
It covered every land still embroiled in war.
[You will partake in this battle for the Holy Grail. But remember, you bear no shackles.]
…
The Holy Grail, huh…
Kurumi lowered her gaze, beginning to grasp the kind of world she had stepped into.
[In this game, you may proceed with your 'human' self…]
The prompt shifted, becoming that youthful, slightly hoarse voice again, brimming with energy.
[Of course, you may also forsake your human identity…]
[But regardless, everything about you hinges on your own will. Please, follow your heart… sincerely.]
…
[Here are the rules…]
[If you proceed as a 'human' and complete the Holy Grail War, it will be deemed a victory for Player [Tokisaki Kurumi]. Conversely… it will be considered a loss.]
…
[If you abandon your humanity and proceed, completing the Holy Grail War will also be deemed a victory for Player [Tokisaki Kurumi]. However… a single moment of hesitation will count as defeat.]
[Now!]
[Choose your faction! Then… let the game begin!]
…
"I…"
Kurumi hesitated, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I am…"
——
They say that a long, long time ago, there was a celestial body known as the sun in the sky.
It shone a white light… like a massive burning ball of flame.
And the sky was not always like this, draped in despair, bleeding like a planet weeping blackened blood.
Back then, the sky was as blue as the sea.
Ah… I've forgotten…
Now, even the sea is dyed the color of soot and ash.
They say that endless wars raged among the gods, and along with their creations, they initiated the apocalyptic era of the final war.
The land was scorched to a barren wasteland… thick ashes clouded the sky…
The destructive force soared into the heavens, striking at the world's essence—the "Spirit Corridor."
In its dying moments, the spirits emitted one last radiance… staining the entire sky red.
But that was supposed to have nothing to do with humanity.
Humanity, a race born of nature…
A species without the shelter of any god, crawling like ants through the devastation of war… an insignificant race…
One unworthy of even connecting its nerves to the "Spirit Corridor," let alone wielding magic.
In these final days, humans could only live in trembling fear, burrowing underground like insects to survive.
And it was here that Kurumi descended.
…
She tightened the black cloak around her, still somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Her head was tucked within a dark red hood, and a mask resembling an owl's fierce face covered her own. Only a single playful lock of black hair peeked out, while the rest of her skin was meticulously concealed.
She had no other choice.
From the ashen sky, a blue-gray light—like snowflakes, feathers falling softly—"Black Ash" drifted across the wasteland.
It was [Elementals].
These were Spirits who had perished in the dreadful wars.
Only the great beings—or, more accurately, the fifteen warring races—possessed the power to channel the Spirits, thereby wielding various types of magic and spells.
The living Spirits, spread throughout the world like magical energy, formed the very foundation of this world's existence.
Powerful beings like the Dragonkin (Dragonia)… the Sky-Winged Race (Flügel)… even individuals among them could split the earth and destroy cities.
In such a terrifying world, humanity, unable to connect its nerves to the "Spirit Corridor," was no more than livestock awaiting slaughter by those of higher rank.
And those countless, blue-gray Elementals remains floating like snow… they were called "Black Ash" because—to the vast majority of creatures in this world—they were lethal poison.
Exposed skin would sear as if scalded by concentrated acid.
Ingest even the slightest trace, and one's organs might dissolve and corrode, leading to death.
It was the snowfall of death.
…
The wasteland whistled with a snowstorm-like cold front, devoid of life as it swirled with "Black Ash."
For humanity, such weather was wholly unsuitable for travel.
A diamond-shaped formation of Dragonkin swept through the "Black Ash"-filled storm, soaring into the distance.
These dragons, with their thick black scales, were natural-born rulers, possessing an undeniable, commanding presence.
They released an "Overwhelming Roar" born of burning life, a fearsome power capable of slaying gods.
Even the lowly dwarves-kind dared to challenge them, prompting this squad to arrive for reinforcements. They would shred the dwarves' iron ships—air warships—into pieces.
The Dragonkin never deigned to gaze down at the ants on the ground, and thus, they overlooked a human—a maker of miracles.
…
"Unlucky, unlucky, unlucky…"
Wrapped in her dark red cloak, Kurumi bent slightly forward, walking through the storm of "Black Ash."
Though she had told that [God] she would participate as a human…
Her understanding of "human" seemed a bit different from that of the [God].
She was an [Adventurer].
Yes, one of those people who would roam heaven and earth, chasing apostles, thrilled at the sight of a boss monster as if it were a moving treasure chest.
Participating in this war as a human, she wouldn't use any spirit-based powers.
So, her "Astral Dress: Third Form (Elohim)" was naturally off-limits.
Still, she had no shortage of outfits in her inventory, though most were swimsuits… short tops… undergarment, stockings and the like.
After much searching, she finally found a trench coat, wrapped herself tightly, and began her search for a human settlement.
She wasn't particularly afraid of encountering devil species or anything else. Should they really come after her, Kurumi wouldn't mind indulging in a bloody spree or blood dance to show them what a roaming gunslinger, what a Crimson Rose, was capable of.
"Unlucky, unlucky!!!"
No sooner had she left the cave than she was caught in a storm of Black Ash out in the wilderness.
The desolate expanse formed a massive crater, likely the remains of some godlike entity's attack on the ground.
The biting cold would have reduced any ordinary human to ash and bone, corroded by the Black Ash and the fierce chill.
Unfortunately… though Kurumi insisted on going in as a human… her equipment and profile plainly didn't resemble that of an "ordinary human."
"Human, huh?" She pulled her coat tighter.
Behind the fierce owl mask, her heterochromatic eyes flickered with doubt.
"Am I… troubled by such a question?"
"Why do I feel like that little runt tricked me?"
Yes… even if she only towered a bit over that nameless God, Kurumi would proudly mock it.
Shrimp!
Shrimp!
Who told it to drag her into such a world where even taking a vacation was out of the question?
She began to miss her twin maids waiting for her in Milan.
"Annoying…"
Far off in the wasteland's horizon…
Kurumi spotted a broken-down structure that resembled an observatory.
"Finally… someone's out there."
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