Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

It's time for her to make her appearance again.

"By the way, have Naoi and the others find a chance to take down that newcomer named Otonashi."

With her flowing purple hair, she became a ghoul shrouded in mist, chasing after her friend.

Intermittent Thirty-Two Transformations

With the acting president under the control of the Afterlife Front, the Shiki's overt power on campus was completely wiped out.

I don't know what the mastermind was thinking, but the Dark Spirit never showed up, allowing the idiots and oddballs in the execution team to easily suppress the student council and lock all the suspected ghouls in the school's detention room.

However, the mastermind behind it all still hasn't been found.

Naoi, contrary to his arrogant demeanor, became a staunch and silent diehard. While Yuri swiftly and decisively eliminated the Shiki, he remained completely tight-lipped, causing the entire situation to reach a stalemate.

There were no more bizarre battles, no more noisy concerts, and they even stopped going against the angels. With the SSS group no longer making any big moves, the whole campus felt much quieter.

In this tranquil setting, Ash and his two companions lay down by the stream that flowed past the school, basking in the sun, listening to the flowing water, and enjoying a rare afternoon break.

"Akatsuki-san, Ryougi-san, is it really okay for us to just lie here doing nothing?"

Legend has it that a river god dwells in this river, and those who can catch the river god will receive blessings from the god. This has attracted many students to fish here, but no one has ever caught the river god, no matter how much time has passed.

"Well, we're already disliked by everyone, why bother going to them and getting the cold shoulder?"

However, the Ashes had no interest in fishing, but were somewhat interested in things that were given the name of a god. But after Little Flame sent her bratty familiar to explore the river, they discovered that the so-called river god was just a giant fish.

"But how can we get it done if we just lie here and don't push things forward..."

So now, the value of this river to the Ashes is merely that of a suitable resting place to escape the summer heat, and they are currently making use of this one value of the river.

However, it seems that not all three of them can peacefully enjoy the afternoon tranquility. Asahina, lying on the large rock where the three of them are lying, keeps anxiously asking them what they should do next.

It's incredible that this girl, who had just been treated coldly by her former companions, was still worried about those companions who had hurt her so deeply after recovering from her emotional breakdown.

She may not be considered strong, but her resilience still earned the admiration of the other two.

They had stayed here long enough, and Zhidu couldn't help but suggest that they go back to the World of Fire. In the end, it was Asahina's attitude that prevented her from saying these words.

"We currently have no feasible way to move things forward."

Just as Xiaoyan said, for them, the current situation is neither good nor bad. The Afterlife Front is fully operational, and for the first time, they are making every effort to eliminate the threat of the Fog to this world. The situation seems to be moving in a good direction, but they refuse to let the Ashes participate.

They didn't choose to leave directly, so they could only drag it out, waiting for Yuri and the others to find a breakthrough, or for the mastermind to make another big move.

"Then if we can reconcile with everyone on the front lines, we can participate in their operations."

"The key is how to reconcile. Even if you don't mind their previous indifference, they have unilaterally built a barrier and are unwilling to trust us anymore, not to mention that I have their blood on my hands."

"As long as we humble ourselves and apologize... that's true. I was the one who asked you two to help. Since the people being helped have refused to help, what reason do you have to humble yourselves first?"

After her two companions went on strike, Asahina had to force herself to start thinking about what she could do, even though the other two Ashes wouldn't accept her first suggestion at all.

Since arriving in this world, her two companions have been dragging her along with their powerful actions. Her only help in expelling the invaders is serving as a bridge between the Ashes and the Front.

Now that her bridge has been unilaterally destroyed, she has finally realized that she must bear the consequences of the disaster she brought upon herself.

"Then, let me humble myself and apologize!"

Yes, my two proud companions would never bow down to them as rescuers, but I, who have no reason to be proud, am perfectly capable of bowing down to them. At most, I'll receive some disdain and humiliation, but that's much better than being a complete bystander, watching myself do nothing and the incident just get resolved.

"Have you thought this through? You should know that they might not go too far because you were once their comrade, but sometimes, ignoring your existence and using passive-aggressive tactics is a much more terrifying way to treat you."

"But I've had enough of being useless! The mountain's accusations are not wrong. I came into this world without a word, and I brought disaster to this world! It should be my responsibility to solve this disaster, but I just found some helpers and waited for you to solve everything. I feel... I feel like I don't even have a reason to exist."

The two ashes exchanged a glance, then sat up from their lying positions, silently watching the weeping girl.

"Being unable to fight is not an excuse for not trying, and being unable to do anything is not an excuse for refusing to grow. I have run away too much, and I... don't want to run away anymore."

The girl kept wiping away the broken tears with her hands, as if she could be strong as long as there were no weak tears in her eyes.

Xiaoyan silently moved to her side and gently hugged her; Zhi then slowly ruffled her hair.

"Thank you... Even though I'm so pathetic, you're still willing to comfort me. So, please let me do something, whether it's apologizing or just shamelessly hanging around there, please let me do something..."

"It's alright, we've received your determination. Do whatever you want to do. As long as we're still in this world, even if the sky falls, we'll burn it all to ashes for you!"

————————————————————————————————————————

In contrast to the comfortable situation of Ash on the other side, the SSS team was so busy they were completely overwhelmed.

With the cleanup of the student council and the front lines, coupled with the ghouls that were taken down by the Ashes during the previous battle, the number of infected they controlled had risen to a dangerous level. This resulted in their manpower becoming increasingly scarce, and even members of the execution team were concentrated near the confinement room to prevent riots.

Yuri had no choice but to move the operations headquarters here, and she was having a headache over how to deal with these ghoul-turned members.

After imprisoning Naoi Fumito, Oyama was also released from hypnosis. Fortunately, in order to make his testimony more convincing, Naoi did not turn him into a ghoul directly. At this point, although he was at a loss about what he had done, at least he was allowed to find a quiet room to calm down.

As for the other ghouls, she really didn't have a good solution. She couldn't cure them, and she couldn't be so heartless as to kill them directly. Right now, this bunch of guys were like time bombs, and they might explode at any time. Moreover, if that dark spirit were to target them and jump out, the SSS group would be in deep trouble.

Yuri sometimes can't help but think, "Why not just let the Dark Spirits invade and kill them all?" But then she feels a pang of fear for herself for having such thoughts.

Sure enough, spending too much time with that pile of ashes who would draw their swords at the slightest provocation made her thoughts increasingly dangerous. She should have sought out Ryougi to learn more about the characteristics of the ghouls before parting ways with them.

This is just wishful thinking; once a decision has been made, neither side is willing to compromise easily, and as the leader, she can only grit her teeth and bear it.

"Yuriko, are you coming to interrogate Naoi later?"

Well, there's another problem that's giving her a headache. She never expected that the arrogant guy would be so tough. Noda and his gang of delinquents have beaten him up countless times, and even Shiina has used several ninja techniques, yet he hasn't revealed a single piece of information about the mastermind behind it all.

So she didn't have any expectations for the interrogation. However, since Naoi had specifically asked Otonashi to participate in the interrogation, which was unusual, she had no choice but to go and see what he was up to.

"Of course, let's go there now."

After leaving the temporary office, she followed Hinata, who had come to ask for instructions, and absentmindedly pondered how to deal with the situation. In her daze, she seemed to hear the sound of arguing in the distance.

The school's solitary confinement cells after death were all located in a cliff cave on the back mountain, with only one connecting bridge leading to the campus. For the front line that needed to imprison a large number of ghouls, it was indeed a good place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

At that moment, a dispute broke out at the guard post on the connecting bridge.

"It seems to be... Asahina has come."

Hinata shaded his eyes with his hand and glanced in that direction, vaguely seeing the figure of the chestnut-haired girl.

"Asahina? She actually had the courage to come here... Let's go see her."

With the leader speaking, what could even an elder say? Naturally, he followed Yuri toward the connecting bridge.

"So, whether it's an apology or punishment, please let me rejoin the SSS tier! Please!"

Before she even got close, she heard that familiar voice. In her memory, it had always been weak, soft, and tearful, a voice that would even whimper after she teased it. But now it sounded very loud and unusually firm.

"Hey, we're only not making things too difficult for you because we used to be colleagues. Hurry up and leave. If other people who know the truth and don't know you well were here, they might just kick you out."

The person in charge of the guard duty is Fujimaki. He was saved by Ash once, so his attitude towards Asahina is relatively good. However, the other ordinary guards behind him have obviously heard about Asahina's situation. They all have cold expressions and are pointing their weapons at her.

"I will not leave. I have decided to contribute to the progress of the situation in my own way! So I will rebuild the bridge between Ash and the SSS Group. This is the only thing I will not back down from!"

The girl wasn't without fear; tears still welled in her eyes. But the way she gripped her skirt tightly and stood straight in front of the gun made Yuri realize that she was still growing up.

"Senior, there's no need to waste words with her. As the culprit who caused us to suffer this disaster, if she doesn't leave, then just kill her!"

But some people are just so clueless. They may not even know anything about the ashes. They only know that the girl in front of them poses a threat that is enough to make them disappear, and they are filled with righteous indignation and want her to pay the price.

"Wait! You can't do this!"

Being caught up in the heat of the moment is a dangerous state, and it's clear that the guys outside of Fujimaki have fallen into this trap. It's unclear whether they've imagined themselves as great heroes saving the world or warriors facing a demon king. In any case, they slowly approached Asahina, their fingers on the triggers.

"Why, why won't anyone even give me a chance to apologize?"

"If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for!"

Just as the trigger was about to be pulled, the girl, who was unable to pick up a weapon, remained unwavering. She even took a few steps towards the muzzle of the gun and took out a large axe wrapped in tattered cloth, old and mottled, but still gleaming with a cold light.

"Stop it, all of you!"

Yuri finally rushed over, and in her vision, the deep purple outline on Asahina's body darkened again.

The trigger still couldn't be pulled.

Thirty-three intermittent stirrings

"That's it! I'll do anything you ask! Please let me return to the SSS guild!"

The girl bowed at a 90-degree angle, a gesture of exceptional solemnity, but even more solemn was the determination she had made.

Yuri rubbed her temples, her head aching. To be honest, as an individual, she was happy to see Asahina again, and she was also very gratified to see her emerge from the shadow of her broken defenses. However, as the leader of the team, she did not want Asahina to appear in front of the SSS Brigade at this time, especially since the information about Ashes had just been spread across the front lines, and all sorts of emotions were brewing. Even she could not guarantee that Asahina would not be harmed here.

"Raise your head first, Mikuru. I don't know what tasks the other two have assigned you, but..."

"This wasn't arranged for me by Akemi-san and Ryougi-san! It was my own decision!"

Her body was still bowed, but she slightly raised her head, stubbornly holding back her tears, and looked at Yuri with a defiant expression.

Even so... I will not approve your rejoining of the SSS corps.

"Why... No, even if you refuse, I won't leave here!"

Her tear ducts, which she had been forcibly holding back, nearly collapsed. She wiped away her tears haphazardly, the strands of hair at her temples sticking to her cheeks with tears, like a shattered puppet, her white skin covered with cracks.

Finally, she realized that her actions couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She took a deep breath, raised her head again, and let the weak tears stream down her face, stubbornly looking directly into Yuri's eyes.

After a moment of silence, Yuri was the first to look away, turn around, and seem about to leave.

"...However, if you admit that you are my personal mascot, it's not impossible for you to come along."

But a single sentence drifted over.

"Can I come along? Huh?...The mascot?"

"That's right, my mascot is my personal property. Let's see who can stop me from taking you in!"

She turned her head back, her sharp gaze sweeping across the faces of all the group members around her, finally landing on Asahina's face, revealing a smile that Asahina couldn't understand.

"So, are you going to come in even though you're being called my personal property?"

She couldn't understand the smile, but she understood the words. Now that she had made up her mind, what could stop her?

"That's right! I'll do anything as long as I can follow you!"

Nodding heavily, her tear-streaked hair fluttering in the air, she made her promise earnestly.

"That's a dangerous answer, for a young girl."

Turning back, this time, he didn't stop walking away; he simply waved to the girl.