My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! - Volume 9 - Chapter SS

The Cult

The first day of the second semester.

“My name is Yogiri Takatou. Nice to meet you.”

Yogiri politely bowed his head from the front of the class. He was in a fifth grade classroom of a local elementary school. They had picked January 1 to be his birthday and decided he was ten years old. His actual date of birth was a mystery, so they guessed based on his appearance that he was around ten. From this day on, he would begin attending elementary school.

“Okay then, Takatou, please take a seat at that empty desk in the back.” His homeroom teacher was a young woman. She looked to be about the same age as Asaka, so she must have recently graduated from university.

Yogiri did as he was told, walking to the back of the classroom, where he tripped. His foot had caught on something. Looking back, he noticed someone had stuck their foot out into the aisle. A boy with an impudent smile was making a show of sticking out his leg.

“What are you, stupid? How do you trip over nothing like that?”

The classroom filled with laughter. It took Yogiri a moment to realize what had just happened. It seemed human society was rather complex. The various thoughts and expectations of different people all merged together to create a chaotic world. This being his first time in school, there were plenty of things he didn’t know, but he decided to be optimistic. Standing back up, he took his seat.

“Are you okay? It’s best not to get on Katayama’s bad side,” a girl called out to him from the side.

“Yeah, I’m not hurt at all.”

The boy who had tripped him, Katayama, seemed to be the leader of the class.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I still think it’s premature to send him off to school. Is there no way I can persuade you?”

“Nope. I’m sick of being cooped up down there too.”

They were in a two-story house that was a five-minute walk from the school. It was Yogiri’s new home and thus Asaka’s new workplace. Asaka was talking with her supervisor, Shiraishi, in the living room.

“Hmm. What if we took hostages, or tried to brainwash you?”

“Don’t say such scary things so easily, please.”

“I think it’s worth pointing out that turning you into a mindless puppet would have been easy for us. And in fact, there was once a plan to do so.”

“What did I just say about these kinds of scary things?!”

“But ΑΩ has taken quite a liking to you. That was what we had hoped would happen, but it seems to have gone too well. At this point, if we tried to do anything to take away your freedom...”

“Maybe I’m just being conceited, but I bet the whole Institute would be wiped out.” Even worse, it could spell the end of the entire world.

“Anyway, we made the decisions that led here, so there’s nothing to do but see it through. Here is your work phone.”

“Wow, that’s quite a bit better than my personal one.”

“That device will allow you to keep track of ΑΩ’s condition at all times, so please check it regularly.”

“It can tell me where Yogiri is, huh? Oh, and those seals we talked about earlier. I’m surprised it can track those.”

“ΑΩ’s situation is a matter of the highest priority. We wasted no effort in developing these tools.”

If Yogiri was going to interact with society at large, they needed some way to keep his power restrained. They couldn’t risk him using it just because he was a little upset with someone. So they had asked Yogiri to lock away his own power. Luckily, it didn’t seem like something that was especially difficult for him to do. All it meant was that it would take a little more time for him to use his abilities. It was more like the safety on a gun, preventing it from firing accidentally.

“For now, when it says his seal has been released, you can take that to mean he’s trying to use his power. If that happens, do whatever you can to get to his side and stop him.”

“Whatever I can? What would that even be?”

“Uhh...like, leveraging your relationship and love for each other?”

“Well, that’s awfully sappy.”

“If there was a better way, we would have tried it by now.” Shiraishi was feeling no small amount of anxiety.

“I’m sure Yogiri will have no trouble dealing with elementary school. He does seem a bit late getting home, though, doesn’t he?” Today was only the opening ceremony for the semester, so they had expected him to come right back.

Asaka checked the device Shiraishi had given her. It showed a map of the area around them and displayed Yogiri’s precise location. It looked like he was on the road home. Checking the status of his seals, all of the gates were still closed. The log didn’t show any changes, so there were no traces of his power having been used.

“GPS isn’t that accurate, though, is it?”

“There should be no inaccuracies in the data provided by that device.”

“More technology that’s not open to the public, huh?”

The technology that society had access to was only the tip of the iceberg. The dark side of the world concealed technology that could easily be mistaken for magic.

“There’s someone set to watch him at all times, so I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Yogiri was always under observation.

“I’m home!” Despite their worries, Yogiri’s voice at the front door put them all to rest. Asaka cut off her conversation with Shiraishi to go meet him.

“Welcome back. Wait, Yogiri! What happened to you?!”

Large bandages covered his knees and elbows, and he sported countless other scrapes and scratches. His face also looked swollen, distorting his appearance further.

“I got hit by a ball.”

“A ball did all that to you?!”

“The ball hit me and I fell over. I went to the nurse’s office and got first aid, though, so I think I’m okay.”

“Really? What on earth happened?”

“We were playing the invader game.”

“Invader game? That’s not some sort of video game, is it?”

Listening to Yogiri’s explanation, the game was simple. The players were divided into attackers and dodgers. The dodgers tried to get from one point to another while the attackers threw balls at them. When Yogiri had gone to return home, the other boys in the class had invited him to play.

“What the heck is that?! Isn’t that just bullying?!” It didn’t seem like there was a way to win. It was just a large number of attackers throwing balls at a small number of dodgers.

“Maybe. I wondered if that was what was happening.” Perhaps “luckily” wasn’t the right word, but it seemed like Yogiri hadn’t noticed.

“What do we do now? Should we complain to the school? But it was just between kids... But kids these days are so nasty. If we don’t do anything, they might just escalate...”

“Don’t worry, Asaka. I think we’ll get along soon,” Yogiri said.

“You think so? If this was all just for your first day, that would be fine...” If it was some sort of initiation ritual among the kids, maybe they didn’t have to get so worked up about it. While it left her a little uneasy, she didn’t know if it was a problem that warranted her intervention, so Asaka decided to wait and see for now.

◇ ◇ ◇

As if he had found his place in the class, there were no signs of Yogiri being bullied once classes started. Though he was poked fun at by many of the boys, having landed close to the bottom of their hierarchy, it seemed the girls had taken a liking to him and often stood up for him. The power balance of the class had settled, so once he started attending classes, there weren’t any issues. Yogiri was also starting to acclimate to human society in general.

“Yogiri, here’s your lunch box.”

The school provided lunch for the students every day, so he rarely needed to take one, but when they went out on field trips, he occasionally needed one. Today, they were going on their fall excursion.

“Man, I don’t have much experience making lunch boxes. It took a lot longer than I thought.”

“Thanks!”

Taking the lunch box, Yogiri stuffed it into his bag and left the house. After heading to the designated meeting spot, he and Asaka walked to the school together, and then he headed to the classroom.

After their morning routine, the students got on a bus. Their seating was already decided, with Yogiri sitting near the front. The “boss” of the class, Katayama, was reclining at the back of the bus. The closer you were to the back of the bus, the better.

“You look really excited, Yogiri. We’re just going to the zoo, you know.” A while after the bus departed, Emi Amano, the girl sitting beside Yogiri, spoke to him.

“Yeah, I am excited.” For Emi and the others, it was a place they had been so many times, it was almost boring. But for Yogiri, it was one of the many places he’d be visiting for the first time.

“It would be a lot better if they had koalas and pandas.”

“But they have elephants and giraffes, right? I’ve never seen either of those before. So I’m looking forward to it.” The only animal he had really seen up close was his dog, Nikori. He had seen some enormous monsters before, but they weren’t really proper animals.

“I guess so. But you can see those in any zoo, can’t you?”

“And we’ll be able to pet the rabbits, right?”

“Rabbits? Well, yeah, I guess they’re kind of cute.”

While they were talking, the bus left the city behind, entering an area full of nature. They began traveling up a gently winding, sloped road, meaning they were likely heading up a mountain.

“Huh? Is this the right way?” Emi asked, looking confused.

“Isn’t the zoo up the mountain?” Yogiri’s impression was that a zoo would be in a place with lots of nature around it, so he didn’t think it was strange at all.

“No. It’s a little far, but it’s in the city. Maybe this is a shortcut.” Since they weren’t heading in the wrong direction, she found a way to convince herself of that.

But the bus ended up stopping in a clearing halfway up the mountain. Yogiri hadn’t heard about them taking any breaks, so this all seemed unplanned.

“Okay, everyone, we’re getting off the bus now.” Their homeroom teacher, Haruka Yamaguchi, spoke as if everything were perfectly normal.

“Miss Haruka! This isn’t the zoo!” Emi called out.

“Our plans have changed,” the teacher responded with a smile. It wasn’t her usual honest and gentle smile, but one that clearly said it would allow no refusal. The kids must have thought it was strange, but there was nothing they could do but get off the bus as they were told.

Their bus was the only one in the large parking lot. As the thirty children in their class stepped out, people in white clothes surrounded them. White cloth concealed their faces, hiding their identities, but it appeared the group was a mix of men and women.

“Please come this way, everyone.” The teacher acted like everything was perfectly normal. She was connected to these people in some way. Of course, the driver was also working with them.

“What’s going on?! I don’t get it! Where are we going?!” Katayama shouted.

Smiling all the while, Miss Yamaguchi stepped up to Katayama’s side.

“Come on, Haruka! Explain what we’re doing!” the class leader yelled again.

The teachers at school always stepped carefully around Katayama. His parents held considerable power, which he put to use as much as he could. Normally, their homeroom teacher was no different, cowering in front of him like all the others. Most days, she would have spilled everything the moment he told her to talk. But this time, she kicked him, planting the tips of her pumps deep in his stomach.

“Please be quiet. Mother has decided everything.”

Katayama dropped to the ground, motionless. The teacher picked him up and slung him over her shoulder effortlessly, displaying a strength they never would have guessed from her usual behavior.

None of the other kids dared to disobey her after that.

◇ ◇ ◇

The children were brought from the parking lot to a nearby shrine. Inside, they were put in cells underground. It seemed like a natural cave, with the cells constructed from wooden grates. Since it was just made of wood, there might have been a way for them to break out, but the children weren’t in a position to be doing anything. They were all in a state of confusion, not a small number of them brought to tears.

“Don’t worry, everyone. Someone will come and save us.” Yogiri tried to calm them down.

“Really?! Really?! They will?!”

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?! Are you absolutely sure they’ll come?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

Emi clung to Yogiri’s side. A number of the other girls had crowded around him as well. They must have all felt Yogiri was the most dependable one there, being the only one still calm. Normally, Katayama would have had words to say about him hanging out with the girls, but for now he was quiet. He had recovered from the physical pain, but the mental damage must have been pretty severe. He was curled up in the corner on his own.

I’m pretty sure the people at the Institute know where I am.

They used some sort of magic to track his position, so it didn’t matter if this place blocked electromagnetic waves. They should be able to find him even in a cave like this. They would almost certainly come and save him, but he had no idea when. Of course, he wouldn’t tell the others that. He had been told to keep his powers and situation a secret.

Emi let out a quiet yelp at the sound of footsteps approaching. It was their teacher, now wearing the same white clothes as the other adults with them. Though her outfit looked similar, it was a little different. Hers had a bit more decoration on it. If these people were all part of an organization, it seemed she was a bit higher ranked than the others.

“Hello, everyone,” she called out in a bright voice, but no one answered.

“Miss...Yamaguchi...” Katayama managed to squeeze out.

“Oh, what is it, Katayama? Normally, you’re so much more frank.”

“Did you do this...because I always...cause problems for you?”

“Cause problems? For me? Ah, I see! You think that’s all it’s been! Yes, you’ve caused me all sorts of problems. I’ve dreamed about killing you plenty of times.”

“Then...please, let everyone else...”

“Oh, my, my, my! Are you trying to take all the responsibility yourself so everyone else can go free? Is that what you’re trying to say? That’s great! Even though you’re always such a little tyrant! It’s just like Gian from the Doraemon movie! I’m impressed! You’ve really moved me! I never expected something like that from you, of all people!”

The students were silent. Even the quiet sobs had stopped, all eyes glued to their teacher.

“Really, it makes me want to forgive you! If stressful situations bring out a person’s true character, then that makes you quite the man, willing to sacrifice your life to save everyone else! I bet if we let you go home, you’d totally change and start working hard to help everyone around you!”

“Then, please let us—”

“But too bad. This isn’t something I decided. It’s really too bad. If it were up to me, I’d let you all go right away! But this is all according to Mother’s will! Mother has chosen you! It’s really quite an honor!” Haruka shouted, voice brimming with emotion. The children realized at that point that there was no talking to her. Whoever this Mother was, Haruka would do whatever she said.

“Miss Yamaguchi?”

“Oh, what is it, Takatou?”

“Why us? Is it because I’m here?”

“I have no idea. Mother is the only one who knows. We inferior beings couldn’t hope to understand what she is thinking!”

Yogiri thought he was specifically being targeted. He was no Katayama, but he felt like if they’d be satisfied with him, they might let the others go free. But it seemed their teacher hadn’t taken any particular notice of him.

As Yogiri thought over the situation, the people in white came again and unlocked the cell door.

“Now, let’s get going, everyone.”

They blocked one side of the cave. The children filed out of the cell, walking deeper into the ground with hollow eyes. The people in white held weapons, wickedly sharp blades that would have no problem slicing apart children like them. One glimpse of those weapons was enough to stamp out any thoughts of fighting back.

As they walked through the cave, they came upon a wide cavern. Bonfires set up throughout the cavern made it brighter than the rest of the cave behind them. The smell of blood filled the air, and something seemed to be drawn in the center of the room. It looked like a magic circle made of blood, with various entrails placed around it. Although they didn’t know if it meant anything, none of the children missed its sinister nature. One of them threw up, starting a chain reaction throughout the class. But even that disgusting addition to the cavern seemed more like decoration.

The people in white took positions around the chamber and began chanting and making noise. At some point, a metal grate had come down to seal the entrance. The people who had herded them there had vanished. Others involved in some sort of ritual had taken their place.

Miss Yamaguchi walked alone to an altar deeper in the cavern. In a loud voice, she began chanting in a language they didn’t understand. As if that was some sort of signal, darkness began to spill out of the magic circle. The inky blackness blocked out all light, flowing out and taking shape, forming countless long, slender arms. The hands crept about the cavern, as if looking for something, grabbing onto anything they came into contact with. They found the people in white, grabbing them and lifting them up into the air. Screams echoed throughout the cavern.

A large dark mass emerged from the circle. It was a face. The numerous red lights on it must have been eyes. The white spikes lined up on it must have been teeth. The face opened its mouth wide, throwing the worshipers inside. The sound of crunching from within caused a number of the children to collapse. It was hard to imagine any of them staying sane after seeing such a spectacle.

As it devoured the adults, the darkness grew steadily larger. As if there were some proper order for these things, it made no move to reach for the children. It just continued to eat the people in white. But what would happen once they were all gone? None of the children were so optimistic as to think it would spare them.

Before long, their teacher was the only one left, and the blackness’s entire body had emerged. It was a huge shadow with countless arms. Its head close to the top of the cavern, it stared down at the children.

“Nooooo! I can’t take this!” Emi screamed at Yogiri’s side.

“Help...somebody help...” Katayama’s legs gave out under him, and he dropped onto his rear. Any sense of bravado was long gone. All that was left was trembling and crying.

“You have seen the others being eaten, but that was all in order according to Mother’s will,” Haruka said as the black monster seemed to have calmed down. “Now then, you’re all next. There is a proper order, still, so please quietly wait your turn. Unfortunately, Katayama is last. First up is going to be Amano.”

The monster looked at Emi, who dropped to the floor, hyperventilating. “Why...why...why?”

I figured someone would come to save us, Yogiri thought. But if he waited, some of them would die. Hesitantly, he undid one of the seals on his power. Opening the first gate, he enabled the use of Phase 1. He would now be able to use his power at will.

The shadow monster laughed, slowly reaching a hand towards Emi.

“Die.” Yogiri pointed at the shadow and unleashed his power. The outline of the creature vanished. Turning into a black mist, it dissipated before vanishing entirely.

“Huh?” Miss Yamaguchi blurted out.

“What? What was that, Takatou?”

Emi looked up at Yogiri. The rest of the class was sprawled across the ground, crouching down, sitting, or holding their heads in their hands. Yogiri was the only one still standing. Unafraid of anything, he was looking forward. His power wasn’t something that could be seen. But it was clear to everyone watching that he had done something.

“What is happening? What about Mother’s plan? What happened to the god? Takatou, you—”

Before she could say anything more, someone tackled her to the ground. The unit dispatched to protect Yogiri had broken into the chamber.

◇ ◇ ◇

The Institute’s rescue team managed to secure all of the children safely, and immediately sent them off to the hospital. Though none of them were injured, the majority were showing signs of PTSD. Yogiri alone seemed okay, but it was unclear when classes would resume again.

“How exactly did Yogiri end up in a situation that made him need to use his power?”

“Well, we were trying to be careful, but I never would have expected such a large-scale plot like this,” Shiraishi said apologetically.

They were in a meeting room at the Institute. Asaka and Yogiri had ended up being sent back.

“You said he always had guards, right? And that there was always someone with him?”

“Yes, but they were wiped out on the mountain. I can’t say they let their guard down, but they were defeated. It seemed our opponent was one step ahead of us.”

“And they weren’t actually targeting Yogiri?”

“It doesn’t seem that way. If they had been, our response may have been faster.”

“The Cult, huh?”

“Yes. It’s a religious organization centered around a figure known only as ‘Mother,’ operating in the shadows across the world. Their goal is to precipitate the advent of a new god that they might serve, so they do all sorts of nasty things in the process.”

“And Yogiri’s teacher was one of their members just by chance?”

“That’s how it looks.”

“And there are members of this Cult all over the place? This was just an attempt at mass murder. The authorities can’t let them get away with that, can they?”

“The problem with that is the Cult has connections throughout the dark side of the world.”

“Again with this ‘dark side of the world’ stuff!”

“They have members in leadership positions across numerous countries, so it’s not possible to root them out by ordinary means. Even the homeroom teacher was released from police custody after being questioned.”

“What?! How?! She was the one behind it all, wasn’t she?!”

“Yes, well. She insisted that she was abducted along with the rest of the class. And since all of the other cultists were killed, there’s no evidence linking her to them. I find it hard to believe she’ll find work at an elementary school ever again, though.”

“We had the Agency and now the Cult. Can’t you do something about them already?”

The Agency was an organization that had once kidnapped Asaka and was apparently involved in locking away dangerous beings like Yogiri. The dark side of the world seemed to house a never-ending supply of these organizations.

“Ha ha, we’ll do our best, although honestly, we’re already doing everything we can...”

This incident had likely alerted the Cult to Yogiri’s presence. He hadn’t been their objective this time, but they were an organization dedicated to the creation of a new god. It wouldn’t be strange for them to take an interest in him, so the Institute would need to tighten security around him once again.

“But you didn’t even know that Yogiri’s teacher was a member of the Cult, did you?”

“We looked into her as much as we could. But any investigation into matters relating to the Cult comes with a fair share of danger...”

“Well, I’ll leave that matter to you, so make sure you do your best.”

Asaka stood up, heading to another meeting room where Yogiri was waiting.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Asaka.”

Yogiri was sitting at one of the desks, studying on his own. Despite the incident, his appetite for learning hadn’t abated. Asaka couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“Next time, we’ll look into your school a bit more. It might get a bit too stiff for you, but we’re not going to stop you from going.”

“Okay...” But something seemed to be on Yogiri’s mind as an unpleasant expression rose to his face.

“That incident wasn’t because you were there or anything. In fact, if you hadn’t been there, no one in your class would have made it out alive.”

“Really?”

“Really. Of course, we can’t tell everyone that you’re the one who saved them.”

“Do you think everyone will be okay?”

“I don’t know about right away, but hopefully you’ll be able to meet them all again.”

“Yeah.”

Once all these shadowy organizations were gone, Yogiri might be able to live a peaceful life. Asaka hoped they could create a world like that someday.