Chapter 125: A Heaven of Flesh and Blood

“…Now, you have finally matured into the sweetest ‘fruit,’ just like your name.”
Mio Ito’s voice echoed softly in Mana Mizuhara’s ears.
Mana felt as if her body was slowly sinking into a pool of tar, layer upon layer of viscous substance enveloping her entire being, dragging both body and soul into an endless abyss.
“Senior… why?”
Mana whispered, her once clear vision becoming increasingly blurred by a creeping haze. Yet, through the remaining clarity, she saw that everyone inside and outside the control room—crew and soldiers alike—were being swallowed by the blood-colored pool, swiftly becoming part of Mio Ito herself.
—including Fangs, Staney, and everyone else.
“…Why?”
In Mio Ito’s gentle voice, there was a clear and profound compassion.
“There is only one reason—to transcend.”
“To transcend…”
Mana repeated quietly.
“Yes.
“To surpass existing limits, to break through the heights of spiritual essence, and to reach a higher realm.”
…
Tokyo, National Diet Building.
With the Prime Minister’s declaration of a state of emergency, the entire chamber erupted into commotion. Members of parliament and reporters alike became swept up in the uproar, their voices swelling as if ready to tear the roof from above.
Despite the chaos, the Prime Minister swiftly and methodically organized the response, ushering military and police personnel into the chamber and guiding unarmed civilians to nearby underground shelters around the Diet Building.
Tokyo had long maintained a network of air-raid defense facilities, a legacy of history.
Important structures like the Diet Building were equipped with numerous pre-constructed air-raid shelters and secure bases designed to protect key figures in such moments.
Thus, as parliamentarians and reporters descended into the underground sanctuaries, the Prime Minister strode back to the backstage area.
He passed by deferential staff and came directly to where Ishikawa Fusa stood silently, his expression complex and his eyes fixed steadily on the Prime Minister, calm yet faintly tinged with authoritative displeasure:
“…Fusa, what’s going on? Why haven’t you led your team into the underground shelters to avoid the upcoming air raid?”
“…”
Fusa did not answer immediately.
After a few seconds, he looked at the Prime Minister before him and spoke in a strained voice:
“Prime Minister… are you really still the Prime Minister?”
“Hiss—”
The administrative and security personnel nearby all wore shocked expressions, silently questioning, “Does this guy know what he’s saying?”
Many showed anger, ready to reprimand Fusa for his audacity, but the Prime Minister waved them off:
“Please step back. It seems Fusa has some misunderstanding. I want to speak with him.”
Though displeased, the others complied, casting suspicious and dissatisfied glances at Fusa before retreating just enough to grant the two some privacy.
As they moved beyond earshot, the Prime Minister’s gaze at Fusa subtly shifted—no longer resolute and fearless, but instead cold, serene, as if absorbing the entire external world into an internal void.
“You really saw through it… Fusa.”
Fusa’s expression darkened.
His deepest suspicions were confirmed, yet there was no relief—only a deepening despair.
Facing the most terrifying enemy in the world, he steadied his breath, unwilling to show any weakness.
“…Flag-raising day and non-flag-raising day—that’s a huge difference.”
“When I rehearsed conversations with myself, I wondered if you would detect this flaw. Unexpectedly, you did not disappoint me.”
The Prime Minister’s eyes remained fixed unwaveringly on him.
Fusa felt his breath grow heavier and more stagnant.
“What do you mean by ‘conversing with myself’? Are you saying that, beyond disguising yourself as those you devour, you can split off another body?”
Though he had resolved not to waver before ‘her,’ Fusa felt sweat pouring uncontrollably, his body as if scorched under a midsummer sun.
The Prime Minister smiled faintly.
“You grasp things quickly, Fusa. You are indeed clever.”
…
Aboard the “Lambri,” Mio Ito’s calm narration continued.
Except for her and Mana Mizuhara, who was enveloped within her, everyone else had been assimilated into Mio’s sea of blood.
“I initially accepted an invitation from the country’s Prime Minister to join his ‘Japan Revival Plan.’ But at that time, for me, it did not matter what happened to Tokyo or Japan in this world.
“The only reason I agreed was to have a quiet space to study my abilities.
“The power of ‘flesh resonance’ was nearing its limit. Tens of thousands of souls and memories were beginning to blur my essence. If I absorbed a few thousand more, I would become a creature without a core, endlessly expanding solely for the sake of assimilation.
“That was never my vision.
“I wanted to create a beautiful world where everyone could forever function harmoniously within my body, not a chaotic and grotesque space.
“Yet, if this continued, I could either stagnate or become a monster—a dilemma.
“So after that, while cooperating with the Prime Minister, I delved deeper into researching my power in this rare tranquility, seeking ways to transcend my limits.
“On my own, I could not break through the ceiling. But during this research, I developed new abilities. For instance, using my ‘flesh resonance’ so that a particular individual would not merge into me, but instead differentiate into a seemingly independent entity outside my body.”
“…You mean a doppelgänger?”
Mana asked with her last reserves of thought, slowly and with difficulty.
“Exactly. But unlike a typical doppelgänger, it cannot stray too far—no more than a few thousand kilometers—and it lacks independent consciousness. If it exists for fewer than several days, I cannot transform it into another form…
“Despite these limitations, it grants me more freedom. Though it cannot help me break my own limits, I’ve used it for minor tasks—like when I assimilated and became the Prime Minister, seizing the highest power in the country. Since my doppelgänger continued to act as my original self, the concealment was perfect.
“Later, I used my doppelgänger to assimilate into a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and reported the existence of another ‘extraordinary potential’ and an ‘extraordinary entity,’ which mobilized the U.S. military. Eventually, the doppelgänger transformed into Lieutenant Colonel Darcy of America… successfully facilitating the transformation of the person I had in mind.”
“That person is… me…”
Mana’s vision darkened completely. She spoke without sadness or joy.
“Yes.”
Mio Ito’s serene voice penetrated her soul.
At that moment, Mana no longer knew if it was Mio’s voice, her own, or if the two had nearly fused into one, indistinguishable.
“Mana… this is my final method to break the limits.
“If my own extraordinariness alone cannot shatter the limits of life, then what if you join me?
“If you become extraordinary and awaken the same ‘extraordinary traits’ as I have—1 plus 1 is not simply 2. They might become the intersection of 0 and 1, expanding infinite space on the path of extraordinariness in binary form. When you fully awaken your extraordinary spirit and acquire unique, wondrous abilities—together, our souls will be flawless, capable of withstanding the impact of vastly greater numbers of ordinary human souls and memories…
“This is my vision.”
“But—you seem afraid of becoming extraordinary. So I had to do these things to let you devote yourself wholly to your extraordinary path until your complete ‘spiritual transformation.’”
Mio’s strange voice seemed to emanate from every cell of Mana’s body.
The last remnants of independent consciousness gradually dissolved into nothingness.
“…Senior Mio, has your vision been realized?”
“Yes. And it has been accomplished beautifully. I can already feel the whole world renewed.”
Mio’s faint joy permeated every corner of Mana’s soul, making her involuntarily happy as well.
—Because Mio’s joy…
—Because Mio is herself…
—Therefore, the one happy is herself.
This was undeniable proof.
“Yes, I am happy!”
Mana smiled, fully merging into Mio’s body, their souls now inseparable, united in the deepest recesses of the heart.
Everything was complete.
At last, it was over.
—Next came the final stage.
Aboard the “Lambri,” Mio flew out of the control room, using her newly acquired telekinesis to ascend into the sky, arms wide open toward the world before her.
“Next—”
…
…
“Next—
“The final act… named—
“Flesh Paradise.”
Backstage at the National Diet Building, the Prime Minister’s voice rang out with a strange intonation.
The Prime Minister, who had just been calmly speaking, suddenly uttered these words, leaving Fusa’s mind momentarily unable to process.
But before he could react further—
—The sea of blood churned violently, instantly filling the entire backstage space with a red ocean.
Once it submerged the whole backstage, it surged forth even more fiercely, flooding out into the world beyond the Diet Building.
Its target… was Chiyoda Ward, where the Diet Building stood.
And also the neighboring Minato Ward.
But more accurately, it was—
All of Tokyo.
The crimson tide approaches.
The flood has come.
(End of chapter)