#UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

[spacey-daydreams]

geometrid moth caterpillar, also known as the inchworm

[cleferri]

UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!

[curupiracue]

The End is Nigh...

“Tsk... He caught the bullet…”

“Oh yes, Novalue... I almost forgot about you... But really, oh dear dear dear dear dear dear deeeaaaaarrrrrrrr... You almost caught me off-guard there... Hah. But, it should be common sense, that an arm possess far greater power than a bullet, you know?”

“...Mmm… Not bad, I suppose. Well, I didn’t expect you to get hit. By the way...”

“Hmm?”

“I rather like your style. That suit is not only elegant, but though it’s simple, I find that the color scheme meshes well with your blond hair. The top hat doesn’t hurt, either.”

“Ahahahahahah! Well, that’s certainly amusing. You’re the first person, I think, that I’ve ever heard complimenting a serial killer...”

“Well, you’ll soon be dead. So I figured I should compliment you now, while I still can.”

“...Hah. ...Aren’t you arrogant, hmmm? Nim is incapacitated for now… So I’m sorry to say, you won’t be any trouble at all… Hahahaahahah! How pitiful! I shouldn’t, but I think I’ll indulge myself a bit. I’ll let you fire one bullet at me before I kill you. Honestly, I’d rather spare you, but, that’s too much of a risk. So consider that small chance a compensation. Not like you could hit me with a bullet...”

“Pff. I have to agree with you... There is no way you would let yourself be hit by a bullet…”

pop.

Wait. That sound... It can't be...

“...But what about FIFTY?”

”Fifty!?”

I didn't even have to look behind me to understand: He had made it so that 50 bullets were made unreal, and popped the unreal area back into existence... And from the sound, the feeling of practicality that came from behind me... I-It can't be... This direction...!

I-I can't summon my arm to protect myself at this angle! There are no objects in sight other than my own body and the bullets! The bullets are too small, and Novalue is unblinkingly observing the front of my body, so even if I managed to observe my back... Even if I did that... I wouldn't be able to summon iiiit...!

C-can I summon an object, to use it as a cover? No, it's not possible! the bullets are too fast... And I would have to concentrate to summon the object! Not to mention... Fifty bullets! FIFTY! Even the arm can't grab them all in time... And I can't just summon it behind Novalue... He positioned himself between me and Nim, so Nim is observing HIS back!

How...?! How can this be happening!?

...No... I can't think like this. I might be organized, but I refuse to let ANY unpredictable circumstances bring me down! ANY!!! Whenever one faces imminent disaster, they must remain calm and optimistic and try their best! That is all! That is all that is necessary to win!

I'll just summon the arm from my back, throw a knife at him, and summon an object behind me to protect me from the brunt of damage! I'll summon a computer, representing practicality and algorithm!

Novalue! This ends NOW!

SWIN! SWOOOOOOOON...!

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

“Unreality.”

Zwosh.

“This knife no longer exists.” I gave a small skip to the side “Whoop. There we go. Now the knife can re-enter reality.”

Pop.

OOOOOOON...?!

Syn.

Though the knife didn't even touch it, it made a small crack at my cheek.

“...what...?” Ienorb said, with emptiness and despair...

POMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOMPOM!

...Moments before being hit by my bullets.

“GWAAGH!”

PAH.

And the bullets came back to my gun.

“Looks like you managed to save yourself, just barely, by summoning that computer... I probably should let you know, then, that the bullets were aimed back at my gun. They simply hit you because you were an obstacle, which reduced their effectiveness. But you know, I figured that, if you managed to pull any tricks…” I cocked the pistol and took aim at him “I would be glad to not be out of bullets.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Y-YOU...

“AGHHHH! Ah, ah ah…” I summoned the arm from behind me again “Novalue... This is nooooot... Not over... yet. You said it yourself, didn't yooou...!? That you would be out of bullets were it not for these coming back? Then... Then...! THEN THERE ARE NO MORE GODDAMN TRICKS UP YOUR DAMN SLEEEEAVES! ahaahahahahahaha!”

“There are no more bullets hidden in unreal zones! AnD! yoU CAN't ShOOt FaSTer ThAn ME... And... And I've already defeated Nim!”

I felt a hand on my shoulder. And it was only then, that I realized something of great importance:

Nim was no longer at the ground behind Novalue...

“Ah, yeah... I'm feeling pretty defeated right now…”

“uuuh...! UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

Ienorb panicked a bit, screaming and jumping away from Nim, and falling rear-endedly into the ground.

“Impossible... impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible impossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleimpossibleIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLESMLEISEMPIELISEMLISMLSEMILSEMILPSEMLPIEMLIPSEMIPLEMLIPSEMSELISEMSMEOPIMESPOLLPMOSESEMILPSEMILPSEMOPIESMOIESMPOSEMIOPSEIMPESOMILPSEOMILPSEMLIPESOMLIPSEOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Huh.”

“That's fun…” Nim said after rushing to my side, with a sad grin and blatant insincerity.

“...well. Let's just end this, I guess.”

(The prism spins, and senseless light is reflected with a different sense)

How can this be…? It just can’t! It cannot! Why am I suddenly having to deal with this?! I was living normally just a few days, when suddenly… I was thrown into this inferno! Why…? I should have been untouchable...

This is it. I’ll die. I won’t be able to defeat them. And if I could, would I be right? At this point, there’s no such thing as will… I can only give up… And yet, what bothers me more than any of this… What saddens me…

...

...What saddens me more than anything… is not being able to finish it…

My art… Will never reach the apex… I won’t be able… to do draw even once more on the canvas…

My art…

My art…?!

“Guh...”

What… What am I doing?

I’ve been rotting for years… Only breathing when I’m performing my art… Yes, that peace was nice, but at the same time, it was… sedentary, wasn’t it? It’s not like… It’s what’ll save me now… What I need is my most inner self… I must embrace it… Get the strength that I’ve forgotten… In order to defeat these men! I’ll do it… I’ll show them who Ienorb Yenruoj really is! And I’ll not restrict myself! I’ll let it all flow out, what I’ve been drawing, and what I’ve long forgotten… After all...

I am my art, and my art is me!

FOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

“Ascending Art Train!”

“WHHAAAAT?!!?”

“His lower body… turned into a train?!”