Angel Beats! – Track Zero - Chapter 7

Angel Beats Track Zero Chapter 7: Eve of Battle

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"The fact that that woman has escaped means that a battle is going start again.  Therefore… "

Yurippe shined the light at the wall.

"Everybody choose a weapon from inside there."

There were countless weapons placed side-by-side.

It was like a weapon selection screen in an RPG.  It also had the feeling of the history of the world's wars or something.

"Because I'm a sage, I'll use this staff."

"How can you take something that looks like a toy?  Use this instead.  It's a meteor hammer."

It was a weapon consisting of a metal ball with innumerable spikes joined to a handle of linked chain.

"I can't even lift that!"

"Carry it.  Bash in that woman's head with this thing."

"That's so violent!!!"

The woman's most menacing skill was her ability to suddenly close the gap with her amazing speed.

I chose a 3 meter long pike.

"A spear, eh.  Able to both advance and pin down, definitely a useful choice."

"Well, I haven't got much confidence in my skills with it…. What are you planning to wield?"

"Me? Hmm…"

Yurippe picked up a rather simple Western-style sword.

"Why are you the only one carrying something so normal?"

She then picked up a katana and held it in her other hand.

"Any more comments?"

"Nope."

"Yurippe knows two-sword style fighting?" Ooyama asked.

"I can do it in my mind."

"Well, that's just perfect."

"Whoa, you can use it just from that?"

"OK, let's go.  Ooyama, you'll be in charge of the light."

-------------------

Yurippe led us on the road we had taken, and we walked back.  Ooyama shined the light forward while following her, while I took up the rear and guarded their backs.

"Listen, from now on our objective is not to defeat that woman, but instead to get to the surface.  Don't forget."

"If she doesn't show up, all will be well.  Ahh, please don't show up!"

It was like a real dungeon crawl in an RPG.

Whoosh, the sound of a blast of wind.

Clang!  Close on its heels was the sound of metal striking metal, and an incredible scene emerged before us.

Yurippe and that woman were engaged in close combat.

"Wah!"

Both were at their limit, pressing their blades against those of her opponent.

This wasn't the time to sit astonished though, this was an opportunity.

I raised my pike and stabbed.

She stepped on the ground lightly and leapt backwards.

The distance between us had suddenly increased, and further, she had melted into the darkness.

What ridiculous leaping ability….

"Ooyama, hurry and search!"

"Mm, yes!"

Ooyama lifted the flashlight over his head and faced the depths.  The beam shone up, down, left, and right.

"She's not there…."

Shaaa, a sound from behind us.

No way!

I turned and thrust the pike wildly.

The woman had already vanished into the shadows.

An abnormally tense mood pervaded the atmosphere.  My hands on the pike were suddenly dripping with sweat.

The next target was Ooyama.

Like a specter, she suddenly appeared beneath his arms.

"Head, hit her head!"

"Nn, Yaa!"

Ooyama ferociously swung his meteor hammer, but nailed himself in the back with the spikes.

Yurippe and I intruded between the two of them, and again forced the woman into the shadows.

"Run!"

Yurippe began to run.

Throwing down his weapon, Ooyama ran with only the flashlight in hand.

I brandished the pike backwards threateningly as I ran with them.

Finally, we reached the stair.

I stared into the darkness, while urging them on.

After both of them had safely gotten to the level above, I climbed up in one breath.

"There's no more time to rest."

Yurippe immediately began to run again.

"Ahh!" Ooyama lamented.

The flashlight fell to the ground, and it became dark ahead of us.

Yurippe and I backed up and surrounded him.

"Ooyama, are you all right?"

"My… my wrist…."

"It looks like it got cut off, is your other hand OK?  Hurry and pick it up!"

"How did this happen?!"

"If we lose the flashlight, it's all over!!"

I followed precisely the woman's movements with the head of the spear.

Choosing such a long weapon was really a great idea.  Now she had no way to close the distance.

Just then, she stopped in her tracks, and flung down her hands.

I heard the sound of the air being sliced.

What did she throw!?

Clang!

A knife spinning in the air followed the sound.

Yurippe deflected it with her two swords.

"…… !?"

An instant of hesitation.

I won't waste this gap.

As Yurippe stepped back, I raised the pike and charged forward.

I reached out my arms.  It was just a tiny bit, but I felt that I'd hit flesh with my strike.

However, the woman had already disappeared.  Her speed made her movements seem like flashes….

"Let's go!"

Yurippe immediately pulled me back.

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Each time the woman struck from the darkness, Yurippe and I drove her back together.

Yurippe's physical abilities were truly amazing.  If she hadn't been there, I surely would have been slaughtered easily.

Thanks to Yurippe's deflecting and my spear denying the closer ranges, we were able to remain standing.

We continued to defend the injured Ooyama, and he as well did his utmost to keep the path forward well-lit.

Even ignoring our bodily fatigue, our nerves were also quite strained.  I felt myself fading many times.

It felt like we were traveling back a hundred times the distance we had come.

That's how endless it was to us.

--------------

Suddenly, our eyes were enveloped in a brilliant sheet of light.  Ouch, my eyes.

As if in a dream, we'd passed right through the sentry post.

We were now in the middle of the forest.

From the gaps between the trees I saw the sun directly overhead.  It was noon.  Just how long had we been underground?

All three of us were gasping for breath, but even so, Yurippe and I still gripped our weapons and watched all sides for danger.

Yurippe's uniform had cuts everywhere, but her posture was straight as she led us forward……

"Rush down in one breath!" Yurippe said.

I nodded my head.

We ran swiftly down towards the school.  The sights of the past came clearly into view.

---------------

"Finally….. we made it back alive!"

Right when we were in front of the school, Ooyama collapsed onto the ground.

"How's your wrist?"

"It… seems to have reattached."

He raised one wrist for us to see.  The cuff was split and dyed bright red with blood.

"You did great out there… lighting master."

Yurippe seemed to have also reached her physical limit, tossing aside the two busted up swords to the ground as she stood there.

"Well, at least we don't have to be afraid of being trapped in the darkness anymore…"

"……. How shallow-minded."

We were struck by a burst of cold air.

We looked up.

Against the school building, at the top of the stairs, her backlit silhouette was standing.

"Damn, this is really irritating."

Yurippe glared at her.

Do we have to fight again….?

In that case, I must protect her……

Yurippe was already rather bruised……

The woman jumped up,

towards the defenseless Yurippe.

How ruthless.

I stared on stupidly….

Clang!

The sound of close combat.

Immediately adjacent to that woman another incredible figure had rolled to the ground.

Between us and that woman…. Tenshi was standing.

Her arms were equipped with Hand Sonic.

"Hmph… let's go, Hinata-kun, Ooyama-kun."

"….. eh?"

Just then, Yurippe was smiling.

Though bruised and battered, she smiled at us.

Was this also part of her plan…?

As long as we got here, Tenshi would show up, and as long as we were defenseless, she would protect us……

"Eh, what's going on !?"

"Don't ask questions and hurry up and go.  We should take advantage of this opportunity to look for Chaa and Noda."

Soon, we heard the sound of blades striking each other from behind us.  Tenshi and that woman's battle had begun.

--------------------------

"I just had a good idea."

Yurippe ran in front of us as she spoke.

Look at all the energy she still has.  She must have been faking her previous fatigue to win the sympathies of Tenshi.

"What is it!?"

"We'll establish a battlefront to take vengeance against god."

"Battlefront!?  What's that?"

"Like a combat unit."

"Who'd want to join something like that?"

"You and Ooyama, Chaa and Noda.  That's enough for an organization already.  No, it'll get bigger too."

If it's Yurippe talking about it, then this will definitely happen.  That's what I thought.

Yes.  This was Yurippe.  If she weren't like this, she wouldn't be Yurippe, and I wouldn't be so deeply and inextricably tied up with her.

Jeez.

"You have no objections, Ooyama-kun?"

"If I don't join, I'll be all by myself, right?"

"Yep."

"Then yes, I'll join."

"One more thing, Ooyama!  You don't have to shine the flashlight anymore."

"Uhhh, yeah!!"

Finally noticing, Ooyama tossed the flashlight aside.

----------------------------

Noda lay on his stomach on the grass.

After being beaten dizzy by Chaa, he was lifted overhead and tossed to the ground.

"Too weak….."

"No, I think it's this bastard who's too strong, huh?"

Upon re-examination, Chaa's sturdy physique really could be quite a threat.

"Forget him and listen to me, Chaa."

"You look like you've just thought of something interesting."

"That's right.  Extremely interesting.  We've just founded a group called the Afterlife Battlefront."

Is it really founded already?  Also, what's the deal with that name? Please think about it a little more.  Put those brain cells to work a bit.

"Eh, what for?"

"Well of course it's to force our vengeance on god, from unreasonable types like us.    There's no way we could achieve that alone, after all.  Having equally determined allies is a must.  So that's why we've formed it."

"Will you let me join?"

"You're already a member.  The guy on the ground there is also a member."

"Is that so?  Well, get up already."

Noda now faced the sky, after a kick from Chaa.  How pitiable.

"Ugh….. Where am I….?" he moaned.

"The Afterlife Battlefront," Yurippe replied, standing directly above him.

"Isn't it over yet….."

"It's just begun."

"What….?"

"The battle of the SSS."

"What is that?"

"An organization rebelling against god.  You're already a member.  Despite being so weak."

"I'm not weak at all!  It's because that bastard's too mean!"

Noda sat up angrily and pointed at Chaa.

To be honest, I could imagine that guy doing whatever it took to win.

Hehehe, as only Chaa laughed.  You are the strongest trump card of the SSS.  That's for sure.

"Though, why did you run away, Noda-kun?" asked Ooyama, getting back into character.

"This time, it seems like he thought you two were a couple," said Chaa.

Us two?  Yurippe and I looked at each other.

"Yes, you two."

"Ahahahahaha!? How's that possible, how could you even begin to think that!  I don't get it!"

"Yeah!"

We protested loudly.

"Well, at that time, the chemistry between you two was pretty great, it's only natural people would think that."

"Ooyama, you too?  Spouting such crap!?  Need me to pour a resurrection potion over your head!?  Though without the potion, I'll just use some chicken bone soup from ramen!!"

"No, no, there's no need."

"Anyways, why would you run away because of that?"

"What a stupid question."

"What, tell me exactly what's going on here."

Yurippe wouldn't let Chaa go on this point.  But Chaa just laughed.

"OK…."

At some point Noda had posed with his weapon and was standing in the wind.

"I, Noda, shall become your sword."

He was looking off somewhere in the distance as he spoke.

This guy's a total moron….. the thoughts of the three of us at this moment converged.

"By the way, the enemy we're about to fight is the Boss of the underground that you just escaped from."

"……!?"

His face twitched.

"Just as I desired….."

"Bit his tongue."

"Yeah, he bit his tongue."

Just like this, the SSS was formed.

-----------------------

Yurippe, Ooyama, Chaa, Noda, and I, the five of us hid in the shadow of the school building.

On the plaza, Tenshi and the woman crossed their weapons, striking out tones like an avant-garde musical composition.

"What's the deal with that other girl …. she has blades growing from her wrists?"

Noda stared wide-eyed.  This must be the first time this guy has seen her.

"It's Tenshi."

"An angel?  How's that possible……"

"In this world, they exist."

With that kind of explanation, nobody could possibly understand, but there was no way Yurippe would get that.

"What level battle is this….?"

She bit her lip and studied the fight before us.

The woman leapt right before Tenshi's chest, but Tenshi counterattacked with Hand Sonic.  The woman blocked with her sword, but wasn't able to fully absorb the blow and fell back a few steps.  The two of them thus advanced and retreated on each other.

"Tenshi has the advantage in terms of strength, but the woman has better speed.  Both sides are overwhelming though, so it's a miracle that they're completely in equilibrium."

"If that's the case, then this will be decided by endurance.  It will be up to whoever can no longer stand the war of attrition."

Chaa rubbed his chin.  If he grew a long beard there, he would really look like a dignified character.

"However, there's an angel on one side, and the final boss on the other, right?  Won't both their endurances be limitless…..?"

Noda's point made a lot of sense.

However, hiding and discussing like this really made us seem pretty organized.

"This fight has already surpassed humankind to an unreachable level….. We have no choice but to observe them like this….."

"That's no good," said our princess crossing her arms.

"When we've recruited her into our ranks, our battlefront will have ascended to its peak."

"That's all well and good, but do you have a plan?  Hmm, I guess figuring that out is  actually our responsibility."

"No worries, actually, this time, you will be the strike unit."

When was this decided!?

"The staff officer is obviously the leader, which is me.  Everyone, prepare to act following my commands."

Yurippe looked around, wearing a self-righteous look on her face, and no one objected.  Why?  <Why?>

Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?

"Chaa and Noda-kun, you guys assist Tenshi."

"Can we kill her?"

"No.  Though it's needless to say that you'll probably just get in her way."

"Don't underestimate me, Yurippe."

Noda at some point had lifted up his weapon with both hands, posing as if he were a model in the instructions for the halberd.

It was like he was trying to show off…. But in front of him was Yurippe.  Exactly what do you see in Yurippe?  A woman like her with not even a hint of femininity … ?  What kind of charm do you sense from her?  Please tell me.

"Oh my, not bad, this imposing manner is what we need.  Just keep that up and go with Chaa and Tenshi to drive that woman against the wall of the school."

"OK, understood."

Chaa took from his shoulders the meteor hammer that Ooyama had dropped.  Lifting this thing was no joking matter.  That meteor hammer seemed to be currently exuding a wild and violent air, and I felt that it would demanding a blood sacrifice from both friend and foe.

"What about me?"

Trembling as he hid behind those two, Ooyama meekly asked about his mission.

"It will do for Ooyama-kun to stand at a distance from the battlefield and convey signals.  When the woman has been driven to the wall of the school, raise your hand.  But make sure to keep aligned with the x-coordinate of the woman along the school.  You'll be the only point we will be able to see."

"Eh…. Where are you two going?"

"The climax of this tale will end as it begins.  Don't you think that's beautiful?"

Yurippe turned and gave me an evil smile that horrified me.

----------------------

We were on the roof.  

And as one might have expected, we had jumped the railing.

In my hands I held the two swords that Yurippe had given me.

A light breeze blew.  If it doesn't blow harder, how's this annoying bead of sweat on my neck going to dry up?

"This place feels pretty nostalgic…. don't you think?"

"I feel like I've visited this place every once in a while…. and then again."

"When you were trying to fly, eh?"

"You kicked me off!  And who would even try such a crazy thing?"

"So spirited!  You really are reliable."

"Why don't you try it!?"

"You need a woman to do even something like that for you?"

"This conversation is nuts!  Nobody could accomplish that!" I strongly protested.

But Yurippe nonchalantly continued, "Well, for me it's impossible.  Up to now, I've never fallen from such a great height before."

"Well, I -"

never have either!  The words died in my throat.

I did…..

I fell from here before…..

"- have tried it many times, thanks to you.  Aren't I standing right over the final landing site without closing my eyes?"

A monster…..

A spirit appeared……

This must be mind reading….

Just now, the ghost named Yurippe was staring at me….

Otherwise, I could never in my life feel such chill down my spine……

No, that life is already over…..

Well then, I have the same kind of existence……

She's serious, isn't she……?

Don't tell me she planned to do something like this……?

Something involving me having to jump down from here with my eyes wide open?

No way!  She's always charging forward without any subtlety, this must just be a coincidence!

Don't think I'll become some kind of a prop you can use however you like!

I won't put up with that!

"<On your mark…..>"

Yurippe read a terrifying incantation.

"Wait, you….."

Looking into the distance, I could make out Ooyama on the plaza flailing his arms.

"No waiting.  <Go!>"

I got kicked!

I lost my footing, and compelled by gravity, fell from the 15 meter high rooftop towards the ground in a straight line!

I struggled to keep my eyes open.

The landing point drew closer.

There was the back of the woman, who'd by now been driven near the wall.

Until the end, I hadn't loosened my grip on the swords.

Only.

Only to do this.

SLASH-------------------!

My overwhelming sneak attack ….. had cut the woman in two.

Of course I hadn't escaped injury.  My entire body had received a violent attack.

However, I had to declare victory…..

while I still was conscious….

This was the battle this time…..

From the day that we met, this was the very first SSS operation…..

now finished…..

My surroundings wavered.  Soon everything started to go dark…..

"Hey, bitch….. it's my….. victory……."

Well done, me.

<Shut down.>

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"Why were you in a place like that?"

A white ceiling.

The infirmary again…. so I'm here again…. it ends like it started, eh?

There's just one difference.  The SSS is now established.

So that's how it is.  This is a story about how it came to exist.

My wounds seem to have healed, at least they don't hurt anymore.

I can move.  This world is truly amazing.

I sat up and saw the woman wrapped completely in bandages in the bed next to mine, surrounded by Yurippe and the rest of the members of the battlefront.

Tenshi was nowhere to be seen.

"How did you obtain your current fighting skills?"

"……."

She couldn't move yet probably because her injuries were greater than mine.  Despite that, the questions kept flying at her….

"Did she say anything?" I asked the pathetic Ooyama, who looked thin as a film.

"Hey, Hinata-kun, you're awake.  Great!  That was an amazing strike!"

"Don't make me think of it.  From my point of view it was an accident, no, more like an incident.  Well, have you found out anything?"

"Well, that she refuses to speak."

"Need me to pry open her lips?" Chaa asked as he watched Yurippe, but Yurippe shook her head.

"Isn't she already near death?  Heh, wait this is already the afterlife."

Yurippe regained her composure and faced the woman.

"That's right, I know exactly what you're thinking.  So, make taking vengeance against god your objective, and become one of the members of the SSS, and use your strength as much as you like."

How could it be that simple…..

Mmm.

The woman nodded her head!

"Wait, how can we accept a person whose background and identity are still totally unclear to us!?" Noda asked what I was thinking.

"Not to ask about the past.  That's one of the rules of our battlefront."

A rather shady organization, then…..

"That's right, I haven't told anyone about my past yet either."

True, Ooyama!  Though I'm pretty curious about that woman, I'm also extremely interested in your past too.

"It's enough for us that we have the desire for vengeance against the gods that forced our destinies upon us."

That's true.  I haven't told anyone about my past either…..

It wasn't anything too horrible, but still I'd rather keep it sealed.

"Don't get confused about the enemy though!  There's only one enemy, the girl with the blades coming from her wrists.  The student council president of this afterlife school, Tenshi."

"…….."

Did she hear it?  She continued to stare at the ceiling unblinkingly.

"I think…. I'd like to rest a bit…."

Her lips moved weakly, and her voice was raspy.

"Rest?  Well, you did get hurt pretty badly.  Please take it easy.  You're already one of us, so if Tenshi attacks, we'll protect you."

Hearing this, the woman put on a surprised look.

"….. Why?" she asked.

"Didn't we just say?  You're already a battlefront member and a valuable ally."

"Ally…. so this is what an ally means?"

"Oh my, it's like this is your first time."

"Thanks… if you could do that it would help a lot….. I'll rest now……"

"Before that could you please… tell us your name.  Ah."

In an instant, she had fallen asleep.  We could already hear the sound of her snoring.

"Looks like she's an even more exceptional person than I am," Chaa said casually.

A person even more exceptional than you?  Wouldn't that make such a person an astronomically rarity?  I can't even imagine it.

However, based on her conversation with Yurippe just now, and the sleeping face she had exposed to us at the moment, for some reason I felt I could trust her.

And not too long ago we had been locked in a desperate struggle….

What's the deal with this calm atmosphere?

I guess Yurippe was able to dispel the murderous intent.

I turned towards Yurippe.

Gee, Yurippe, you really are talented after all.  You could even turn such a freakishly strong enemy into an ally just like that?

Plus you have a certain extravagance, making you an incomparable beauty.

No, I don't mean your appearance

Deep within your heart is buried a surprising obsession.

It's the fountainhead of a strength able to make any situation right.

Then, Yurippe.  How deep is your hatred for god?  How tragic of a life did you lead?

"We must first establish a base."

Crossing her arms, her next ambition had begun to flare.

"Is a dorm room OK?" Ooyama asked.

"It'd be too small, no?  From now on, the battlefront will only continue to grow, right?   And a cozy place would be better.  As leader, I wish to have a comfortable seat where I can carefully draw up battle plans and hand down orders."

"If that's the case, there's only one possibility."

Yurippe nodded her head in agreement with Chaa.

"The principal's office," they said together.

"The principal's office?  Then what about the principal?"

Very good, Ooyama.  Asking the most obvious question is definitely your job as part of the battlefront.

"Bury him alive, I guess."

"Aiiiii--!"

"We can't sacrifice an innocent person.  We'll just give him a seat in the staff office."

"But if we occupy the principal's office, will Tenshi really let it slide?"

Very good, Ooyama! Now you've hit the nail on the head!

"That's why we'll have to convert the principal's office into a safehouse that Tenshi will be unable to enter."

"How….?"

"Via a password.  Tenshi won't be able to say it and she'll knock."

"Hmm…. and then?"

"POW----!! Tenshi will be squished flat!"

"How violent!"

"Well, if we don't do that, maybe at least we could make a trap that would go "Boom!" and send Tenshi flying."

"You're going to say that building that is my job, aren't you."

Of course it would be.  Anything requiring strength must be Chaa's job.

"Nope.  I want you to make this."

Yurippe lifted up her right hand, with the finger and thumb pointing out.

"Understood, only I can make that."

"I hope you can prepare a sufficient number so everyone can fight.  At close range, it's probably impossible to defeat Tenshi."

So that's how it will be.  This will be a true battlefront.  Yurippe has already sent out a challenge to god.

"What?  What's going on?"

Only Noda, who had no idea of the circumstances, had been left out.

"Then you'll be in charge of the traps for the principal's office, Noda."

"Me!?"

"Gee, well if it's him, just knocking on the door will take him out, how's that going to work?" said Chaa, pointing to Noda.

"How much more abuse are you going to give me?"

In this cramped room, Noda began swinging his halberd.

"Well well well….."

Pshoop!  Ooyama who had gone to break up the fight had his forehead split.

Admist the chaos, Yurippe kept watching me.

My heart beat faster as we made eye contact.  I can't say anything like this.

"What are you thinking about?  It's not natural for you to be quiet?  If you've got something to say hurry and spit it out."

"So is this going to end with something like 'And their battle continued from then on….' ? "

"Why does it have to be like the ending of a manga?  Everything's just starting, right!?  The battle has not even begun yet.  OK, you and Ooyama go to the staff office and prepare a seat for the principal!"

"Um… why do we have to go do something incomprehensible like that?  We're going to get a bunch of weird looks….."

"The teachers aren't human so what what does it matter?"

"Ah… those guys are NPCs, right?"

"En Pee See?"

"<Non-player character>.  Things that don't act according to human thoughts."

"That term's not bad, I guess I'll use it.  Then, I hereby issue the following command to the SSS.  Without disturbing the NPCs, let's take over the principal's office!"

"That's already contradictory!"

"What?"

"Don't ask while grinning like that, you'll make me challenge that contradiction against my will."

"Good.  Then….."

Yurippe took a deep breath.

"Operation, start-----!"

Yurippe's voice resounded in the infirmary.

Ahh.  This must be a dream.

If this is a dream, hurry up and end already!  End quickly please!

I repeated this to myself in my heart.

"What's up, Hinata-kun?"

Although…..

"Nothing, I'm just a little dazed and confused.  It's OK."

This was reality.

The reality of the afterlife.

A reality whether it's contradictory or a wonderful world where everything makes sense.

"Is that so.  Well, good.  Though, how do we prepare a seat for the principal?  I can't even imagine."

The past has passed, and the future is about to begin.

"Don't worry about it, where there's her will, there will be a way.  Leave it to me."

"Ooh~ you seem so reliable."

I will see this battle to the very end.

Though in this world without time, that day may never come…..

In the end, Yurippe, you are our leader.

No matter what kind of impossibilities may occur.

"OK, let's go, Ooyama."

"Yeah!  Though I have no idea what to do!"

---- Continued in the TV anime "Angel Beats!"

I've translated the SSS to Afterlife Battlefront and vice versa a few times.  

And I hope all of you know that "Tenshi" literally means angel, which is why Noda and "that mysterious woman" (lol Shiina) are a little taken aback when they hear the name.  I had been translating her name to Angel in chapters 2+3, but I realized that was stupid since everybody was calling her Tenshi in English.

The brackets <> just indicate that the line was spoken in English there.  NPC was obviously given as the English letters too.

It's been fun, everyone.  And don't miss the zip file in my mediafire with mp3s of the songs that the chapter titles are named for !