Re:RE — Reincarnator Executioner: Volume 2

Long ago, in the age when the last light of gods and heroes shone, the king of Krios, Prodotis, set out with seven heroes to wage war against the holy city of Vulcan. Prodotis fell to his friend’s treachery. In a one-on-one battle between champions meant to represent the warring armies, a stone thrown by an unnamed member of the crowd ended the hero’s life.

The seven generals were also slain, sent into the sky to become stars after their death. Kranos of the shining helm. Nefritis, killer of beasts. Achtida with her arrows of light. Falaina, the white whale. Itimenos the indomitable. Papus the wise. Diros of the swift arrow. To this day, the stars of the seven generals still shine in the sky.

Time has passed since the Silver Age. Now, following the Age of Iron is the age of the dead who open their graves. Redguard is now ruled by the Reincarnators, who boast that they have overcome even death.

The city of Vulcan, once besieged by heroes, is now threatened again—this time at the hands of the Reincarnators.

CHAPTER 1 — METAMORPHOSES

Let us step back in time from the moment when Dill Steel-Link and Sid Faron vanquished Hero of the Reincarnators. In Vulcan of the Eleven Cities, we find ourselves in an unnamed alley, which the residents have all deserted to attend a festival. The Reincarnator girl who would later give her name as Rei now announces her departure.

Cirulia. Nue. Thank you. And...sorry.

Wait— A woman with milky-white hair who lay sprawled on the ground called out to stop her, but the one she sought had already vanished. It was not that she had run off quickly—she had literally vanished. She had used one of the powers possessed by Reincarnators, known as Skills. The person who should have been the young boy Sid Faron had become a Reincarnator girl and disappeared.

Don’t let her escape! We’re going after her! The ones hollering at each other who left in pursuit were also Reincarnators. They gave Cirulia a glance as she hunched over on the ground, but ultimately disregarded her as they ran off.

Cirulia Steel-Link, who was left all alone, tore at her short, milky-white hair and shouted, Damn it! Paying no attention to the manicure she had painstakingly applied for the day’s event, she scratched away at the pavement. Her light, tasteful makeup was ruined by her teary eyes and runny nose. And on top of that, the high-heeled sandals she’d worn to make her legs look long and slender had been the cause of her ankle injury. Damn it, damn it! I’m sorry, Sid. I couldn’t protect you. I’m so sorry. Not again...

Iris. After mumbling that name, Cirulia finally huddled down on the ground again. Close by, she heard the sound of an anguished young girl wheezing, and the sour smell of vomit hit her nose.

Of course—Nue. Wait, I’m coming! I’ll be right there... Don’t worry! Stirred by a sense of duty, Cirulia rose to her feet, but limping along with her injured ankle irritated her. The distant sound of revelry from the festival was disagreeable too, sounding almost like jeering. Today was a joyous day for Vulcan of the Eleven Cities—the day of the City Deity Festival. The black-haired girl, who was still retching up vomit tinged with blood, had performed onstage only just a short while earlier.

With the appearance of the Reincarnators, everything had been ruined. Upon discovering the body of his long-lost friend, Cirulia’s husband had disappeared in pursuit, and another Reincarnator had appeared before Cirulia once she was left on her own. This Reincarnator visited brutality upon her and the children, beating them to the ground... Why had things turned out this way?

After crawling some distance, Cirulia finally made it to the girl, knelt down in the pool of vomit, and started to rub her back. Oh, Nue. You poor thing. That must have hurt. You must have been scared. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything... You did your best. Sorry...I’m so sorry. Ahh, damn it, damn it, damn it...

The girl’s name was Nue Kirisaki, and she was not related to Cirulia by blood. Cirulia’s husband, Dill, had found her as an orphan in the aftermath of the conflict known as the Holy War. Nue had become very attached to Cirulia, who now thought of Nue fondly. This was all in spite of the fact that the girl harbored an extremely troublesome secret.

Splat. Squelch. Despite Cirulia’s efforts in tending to the girl, Nue continued to vomit horribly. From somewhere beneath her, there came a wet squelching sound. Cirulia looked down, and her gaze met that of a large eyeball with no eyelids.

Geh geh geh. Geh hah. The eyeball belonged to a lump of flesh with haphazardly placed fingers, hair, and lips. The surface of the lump was smooth and pink in color, and the eyes and fingers attached to it moved busily, but without purpose. The color of its hair and eyes both matched Nue’s.

Don’t worry. I’ll squash it right away.

Shall I tell you the secrets of the world? Thus spoke the lump of flesh. Its voice was also the same as Nue’s.

There’s no such thing...sorry. The sole of Cirulia’s sandal came down on the thing as it flopped around wetly like a fish, crushing it.

What is this? Several newly arrived Reincarnators regarded the scene before them. Called here by the Reincarnator known as Repeater, they all hesitated, unable to understand what was happening.

This child is not a monster. Cirulia forced herself up again, despite her injured foot. Her eyes shone with a desperate, reckless resolve.

Suddenly, a strange odor stung Cirulia’s nose. "Indeed. This girl is no mere monster. She belongs to a prouder race than that," a man’s voice interjected.

And then...something happened. First, a Reincarnator with a goggle set over one eye died. Then the Reincarnator next to him died, then a Reincarnator who tried to aim his firearm.

Within moments, they were all dead.

The three men fell, almost as if they were drawn into the darkness at their feet. Then, there was a cracking sound, like raw wood splitting, and a beastly stench. The darkness there was so deep it was difficult to see what was happening.

Who are you? Cirulia didn’t know the owner of the voice she had just heard. As far as she knew, it didn’t belong to any of her husband’s fellow soldiers. Her body instinctively stiffened in fear.

Something flashed in the darkness—a pair of red eyes. Nue, who was completely emaciated at this point, looked up as if drawn in by the sight of them.

My name is Lycaon. With a sound like leaves rustling in the wind, the darkness dissipated. In its place stood a man with black hair and red eyes. He wore a fur cloak around his shoulders. Nue knew this man. As a general in the alliance defeated by the Terean Empire five years ago...and as the current leader of the alliance of all Titans...Nue Kirisaki, Chimera of this generation—I have come to escort you home.

***

Five years earlier, in a camp in the Holy Land where stone towers stood in rows, Nue hid in the shadows and eavesdropped.

So you sent that child home to the south... It’ll be lonely without him.

That fool of a son would have been no help in battle—this won’t influence the tide of war. I must say, though, that the commotion did cheer me up from time to time. He was quite attached to you too.

Yes, and to our daughter. One of the two people who were speaking, the woman with red eyes, stole a glance over her shoulder in Nue’s direction. Nue held her breath and lay low. She was good at concealing her presence—she could even be described as a natural, on par with the beasts. However, the two adults talking were even more skilled.

Certainly. I, too, miss being able to hear the two children making their silly racket together. Let’s do our best to keep things lively with the one who is left.

The man’s voice was not disparaging. He spoke loudly, seemingly intending Nue to hear it from the very beginning. Nue knew this, and it took all her effort to hold back her laughter as she lay in the shadows. Her head was filled with questions—when to reveal herself and how to make the grown-ups laugh. In spite of that...

The problem is the state of the war. The army in Zephyros is reluctant to bolster its numbers, and Notos has long since reached its limit. Lack of faith in the west will deal the fatal blow. It won’t be long before they cease sending support to the front line entirely.

Nue was on the verge of leaping out into her mother’s arms, but thought better of it.

It’s so foolish. The Tereans, their eyes clouded by greed, have overextended themselves. If we can just hold out here, we can push back the battlefront. How incorrigible these people are, to not understand that!

...In the south and the west, the people need to prepare for the dry season.

The same thing is true for the Titan villages! Ultimately, these people think they can survive by using us ancients as a shield.

This was no longer an atmosphere in which Nue could come out to seek affection. Her expression clouded as she stayed hidden in the shadows.

Chimera, why don’t you evacuate your daughter? If the battlefront recedes any further, a decisive conflict will eventually come to this haven. It’s about time you faced facts. Just as Lyca remains in reserve for me, if you die there will be no one besides your daughter who can take your place. You can’t continue to keep her just to satisfy your own personal feelings. Or, if you like, we could have the girl fight instead to give her a taste of blood?

After this, a few further exchanges followed, and the man left in indignation. Nue was hiding directly in his path, and the man stopped in his tracks. His eyes met Nue’s—the same red eyes that she possessed.

Uncle Dog...

My name is Lycaon. Little Chimera, don’t become a coward like your mother. We are Titans. We are warriors who do not mind becoming monsters to protect our brethren.

Not long after leaving those words behind, Lycaon himself betrayed them. On the final day of the Holy War, upon seeing his mother stand side by side with a rusty-haired mercenary in order to stop a rampaging god, Lycaon abruptly abandoned her.

***

Five years had passed since then. As the chief of the Satyrs, one of the Titan clans, Lycaon once again stood before Nue Kirisaki.

Why have you come here...after all this time? Nue said. Cirulia, standing between the two of them, was shocked by Nue’s bluntness.

Don’t make me repeat myself. I’m here to escort you home. Come with me.

No.

Be reasonable. The Reincarnators will soon begin their invasion in earnest, and the city of Vulcan will fall. You need to escape before that happens.

Vulcan will fall? This utterance, which could not be ignored, returned Cirulia to her senses. I-I beg your pardon! Why would you say such a thing? To begin with, Nue is my daughter now. Don’t come in here talking as if you own the place—eek!

The darkness stirred. The black fur cloak Lycaon wore writhed independently from the wind in the night.

A proud princess of the Titans is a child in the house of a Terean, you say? Lycaon took a step forward. A strong smell of blood floated in the air around him. You take your insults too far, woman of Terea!

It was Nue who stopped Lycaon as he took another step forward and reached out, his hand curled into a hooked claw, to grasp Cirulia.

Lycaon. Go home.

You persist in this nonsense, Chimera?!

My name is Nue Kirisaki. Nue wouldn’t budge. My mother was Matsuri Kirisaki. I don’t know anyone called Chimera. Dill and Cirulia are my family now. Go home. I don’t need you.

You refuse my help? Two pairs of red eyes glared at each other. Eventually Lycaon seemed to think of something. You had better not regret this decision.

The man of the beast tribe crouched down, then vanished in an incredible display of instantaneous power. Cirulia was shocked by the blast of wind that accompanied his withdrawal, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she saw a Reincarnator approaching from where Lycaon had just been standing.

I heard something strange was happening, so I came straight here...but what is this? The Reincarnator looked at the lump of flesh at his feet, then at the shredded corpses of the other Reincarnators. ...Did you do this? This Reincarnator walked with an air of majesty, an impression that was only enhanced by the long military coat he wore open at the front. The lining of his coat appeared, impossibly, to contain the night sky. Around the edge of the coat was a rainbow glow, suggesting the activation of his Skill.

The lining of the coat was covered entirely with the deepest blackness through which no light could pass, but from inside, countless points of light, big and small, shone like a miniature galaxy.

The Reincarnator plunged his hand into the void within his coat, retrieving a long baton and a shield. Upon his arm were two bands, marking him as one of only six high-ranking members within the Reincarnators’ Project—a Manager.

I don’t know how you did this, but it looks like I shouldn’t underestimate you. I will enlighten you.

Nue started to advance. When Cirulia tried to hold her back, she turned, narrowed her red eyes, and smiled. Please, stay there and watch. I’ll do my very best! But while you watch, I’d really like you to stay a little bit farther away.

Nue, don’t! You...

The girl shoved both of her hands into her mouth, grasping her top jaw with her right hand and the bottom with her left.

Then she pulled, turning her mouth inside out.

Her cheeks tore apart, her bottom jaw sagged down as far as her chest, and her head lolled backward, falling down to her shoulder blades. The pink flesh inside her oral cavity was now exposed to the air. Despite this gruesome act, her two hands did not rest, continuing to pull her body apart. Inside became outside, and outside became inside.

What is this? the Reincarnator with the starry coat asked. The law of conservation of mass was casually being ignored. After turning herself inside out, the pink mound of flesh that stood in place of the girl was over five meters in height—a giant.

What...is this? repeated the Manager. The part of the pink flesh mound that was probably its head split in two. A single red eye emerged from the fissure and met the Reincarnator’s gaze. Then the pink mound of flesh toppled forward to crush him.

Curse you, monster! The Reincarnator’s voice sounded from behind—the Manager, who had managed to escape using his Skill, once again plunged his hand into his coat that glowed with the colors of a starry sky and whipped out a light machine gun. He mercilessly unloaded in a fiery flash, and the giant mound of flesh recoiled in pain, but it was too large to suffer a fatal blow from the barrage.

Furthermore...each of the wounds made by the bullets began to tear apart. In their place emerged pearly white stones...or rather teeth. While crawling clumsily across the cobblestones, the being gnashed its new sets of teeth, snapping at the Reincarnator. The Manager wrapped his coat around himself and vanished, reappearing a short distance away.

Interesting! Chasing people who can’t fight back was starting to make me feel like crap. Subduing a monster sounds like much more fun! Upon saying this, the Reincarnator flung out several orbs of iron, one of which came rolling up to Cirulia’s feet as she called out to the flesh mound to stop. This orb-shaped device was called a grenade. A moment later, Cirulia was sent flying.

—lia, Cirulia! She could hear a voice very close at hand—a pleasant, familiar voice, calling for someone in desperation.

Cirulia! As Cirulia awoke, she saw her husband peering at her with a haggard expression on his face. A man with long, rust-colored hair—the man she had known since he was a boy, now getting on in years: Dill Steel-Link.

Oh, my. What was I doing just now? Cirulia murmured.

I’m sorry. Dill apologized, without answering Cirulia’s question. I’ve only just gotten back. I know it took a while. Forgive me...!

Why are you apologizing?

I thought you’d been killed... You were bleeding from your head. I suppose only the skin was broken—otherwise you’d be dead... Hold on, I’ll move you somewhere where you can lie down. I’m going to lift you up slowly.

Do I really look that bad? Cirulia laughed. Dill’s face, which wasn’t smiling, gave Cirulia her answer. She felt Dill pick her up, and it was at that moment that the one-eyed giant entered her field of vision once again. She could see it laying waste to the town, showered with cannon fire.

...That’s right—Nue!

Stop, don’t move! shouted Dill. I’ll go and get Nue.

Blood rushed to Cirulia’s head, and all at once her memory of the day’s events resurfaced. It was the day of the festival, which she had been looking forward to eagerly. She had taken out her makeup case for the first time in a while and gone out on the town dressed in her finest clothes. She had taken the two children, Nue Kirisaki and Sid Faron, with her; they’d walked around the festival stalls and had all enjoyed a meal together. The blissful climax of the evening had been watching Nue perform in the play. If only the day could have truly ended with that.

Dill, Dill! I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect them. Yet again, I couldn’t do anything! Instead, Sid and Nue protected me, when they should have been worrying about themselves! They did what I couldn’t...

Sid is all right. I met up with him, and I left him with Halberd and his men. Upon the unlit porch of a civilian home, on a couch that under normal circumstances would likely have served as a place of relaxation for the residents, Dill laid Cirulia down. There was no sound from inside the house—the residents were either out at the festival or had already fallen at the hands of the Reincarnators.

You say he’s all right, but Sid...is now...

A Reincarnator, right? Even that turned out all right. I had to deal with a lot too. What I have to say might confuse you, but listen while I dress your wounds...

***

Right in the center of Vulcan of the Eleven Cities of the North, a city which was constructed in the middle of a giant crater, stood Ex Machina Amputation. Not only did the god itself reside here, but there was also a temple dating from antiquity upon the hill, surrounded by the Acropolis.

A band of men now descended the hill on a funicular as the Reincarnators bombarded the slopes of Vulcan. One of their number, a young boy with long, white hair, gazed down at the city with a grim expression.

The master the boy admired, whose hair was the color of rust—Dill—was not here. They had been together until just a while ago, but upon seeing the one-eyed giant striding through the streets of Vulcan, he had gone off by himself without saying even a word of parting.

Sweet little Sid, are you nervous? One of the men spoke to Sid. The man had a beautiful voice, and his black hair was decorated with tufts of red and blue. A chain mail cloak hung from his shoulders. Besides Sid himself, everyone present was wearing the same style of cloak.

I’m a boy, you know... Sid Faron pursed his lips.

I know, I know. I have long hair too, so I get it. You wanted to look like Steel-Link, didn’t you?

No, I didn’t!

Really? I did. I mean, isn’t that guy cool? The man was nonchalant, in contrast to Sid, who turned bright red as he voiced his denial.

I’m Rick Wake. Speaking of Steel-Link—rather than calling myself one of his comrades-in-arms, I’d say I’m his personal bard...or maybe just a fan. Well, really, I might say we’re bosom buddies...? said Rick, striking a pose.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in what he says. Just for your reference, there are a couple of names I could introduce Rick by—Rick the Braggart or Rick Wake the Big-mouthed, just to name a few...

Shut up! You’re just a destructive priest with muscles for brains!

Stepping past Rick, the other man who had spoken to Sid greeted him politely from beneath his chain mail hood. Forgive the late introduction, but my name is Mace. I am a mercenary and chaplain in the brigade. I hope we can become better acquainted in the future.

Ah, yes. Thank you. I’m Sid Faron. It’s good to meet you...

While retaining a placid expression, Mace raised an eyebrow. Oh? Do you not introduce yourself as Orestes?

"Right, right—that’s right! Hey, Sid, you can transform and stuff, right?! I’ve heard you can look like Steel-Link in his younger days! I really want to see that."

I...probably can. As Rick leaned toward him, Sid looked down evasively and blushed. The power to transform. It was an ability Sid had acquired only about an hour earlier, and it was not original to the world of Redguard. A Reincarnator girl, who had come from another world, had temporarily taken over Sid’s body and then disappeared, leaving this power as a parting gift.

Even now, though, he struggled to consider it his own. He wondered if he would ever be able to use it again.

The power of Orestes, a new hero, inheriting the legacy of Aegisthus, interests me as well. If you really intend to fight with us, as you said earlier, it’s all the more important that we understand our new ally’s abilities. Mace was as courteous as ever, but he seemed adamant about this point.

Sid furrowed his brow as he thought to himself. Then, choosing his words carefully, he said, It’s...not that I can’t...but I don’t really want to.

Huh, why not?! Rick reacted in exaggerated surprise, but Mace gestured for him to calm down, and encouraged Sid to continue.

This power, the power of Orestes...isn’t my power. The girl who dwelt within me, Rei—she left me this power, and I used it to copy my master, Dill Steel-Link. That is Orestes. The real me can’t fight like that. So if I carelessly turn into Orestes anyway... Well, I feel like that’s not a good idea.

No, I think it’s fine! After Rick said this, Mace’s elbow bored into his solar plexus.

So that’s your reasoning, Sid Faron. Ignoring his comrade who was staggering in pain, Mace continued. Humility is the greatest virtue mortal men can possess. Any of the Ex Machina would look favorably upon you. However... His gaze turned outside of the funicular to look at a convoy of vehicles barrelling toward them. Regardless, it looks like we shall need you to show us the power of Orestes very soon.

My boys! Prepare for battle! An immense voice shook the ground beneath them—the colossus of the mail-cloaks, Halberd, shouted his command. The scion of giants looked meaningfully at Sid and smiled.

There was a strident noise from behind them. The approaching vehicles they had been watching burst through the chain-link fence separating the funicular rail from the town and started to chase them along the tracks—one light truck and two motorbikes, driven by pale-faced men. They were reanimated corpses with blue blood coursing through their veins—in a word, Reincarnators.

A Reincarnator with spiked-up hair stood up on the exposed truck bed, crying out and taunting them. "Hey, hey, hey, hey! What are a bunch of barbarians doing riding on a train, one of civilization’s great conveniences?! That’s not right! You have to