Notes.

By Kinoko Nasu (奈須 きのこ)

The aircraft rose further up in the troposphere. Seven days had been added to the clock on the
The sea of ashen clouds had yet to disappear. plane.
Only seven days have passed.
Iron wings soared in the grey sky, to annihilate the My paralyzed brain felt that I could stay like this for
common enemy of the human race. another month, or maybe another year.
My body was always on the verge of collapsing.
At the end of the battle, all but one of the aircrafts
that had participated in the mission were destroyed. How many days and months has it been?
Perhaps I was lucky that an obsolete AI was piloting My mind,
it. The AI that controlled the plane was the only one My language,
unaffected by the heat of the enemy. My self…

I flew on alone. As I thought, the organic pulsations Just when I lost everything, I recollected everything.
echoing in the machine were mine alone. The gun’s sight caught the enemy.
I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
I opened the hangar and drew out my gun.
The air flowing in the machine was cold, burning my My brain punched through its limits and was
lungs. scorched.
The internal temperature had reached below zero; Just one brief moment before I fell into
the coat I wore carried minimal purpose. unconsciousness…
It was at a level that would just barely sustain Just one slight moment before I blacked out…
organic life. Just a moment before I was about to fade away, I
witnessed the form of my enemy.
This aircraft, which had only been intended to act
as a transport for flight-capable species, was not How… beautiful…
equipped with weapons.
If I am to fight, I have to risk my life.
---------Between a rift in the clouds, I saw an angel.
Arctic cold and rampaging winds.
The corpses of my comrades, spinal fluid leaking
out from the noses and ears, lay behind me.
An old aircraft which could crash at any moment…
The situation was so absolutely bleak that I felt like
singing out loud.

Holding the Black Barrel I had modified for sniping, I

did nothing but wait for the enemy.
For the moment the enemy would enter the scope.
For the moment I could pull the trigger and be at
ease.
After I came back home from work, I saw an angel in my room holding a guitar.
...I guess I've finally gone insane.
Long, blond, wavy hair, a pure white one-piece dress, a face that left hints of girlish youth
and... a ring of light floating on top of her head? If this wasn't an angel, I sure as hell didn't
know what one was supposed to be.

"Good evening."
The Angel bowed with an awkward smile.

After rubbing my eyes, I walked inside. The Angel kept standing in the middle of the room
holding the guitar, and for some reason was looking at me excitedly.

"Ok, who the hell are you?"

"I'm an angel," she laughed with a smile.

"Yeah, I can tell. What I meant was, why are you in my room? If you’re here to sell yourself,
you came to the wrong room. I hate to break it to you, but I'm not making enough cash to
buy an angel."

“Um, I’m not here for that. Uh… what’s the best way of putting it? I’d like to do your
housework."

“I can do that by myself. Get out.”

" Now, I can't just do that. You see, I can do anything!"

Since she was full of confidence, I let her clean the place up. The result: a scene far more
gruesome than a tragedy.

"...Um, my cooking's perfect!”, the angel said, quickly sticking her index finger up.
"No thanks. I can't take factory-produced food. It has too much nutrition and my veins will
rupture. You get what I'm saying?"

The Angel nodded. Seems like she at least knew that I was a human and not part of the
A-Ray species.

"Ok. So what else can you do?"

"I can play the guitar!" she said happily, stroking the guitar.

Her blue guitar was one of the types that used electricity to produce sound. It wasn't the
kind of merchandise that went well with angels.
And not just that. She just plain sucked.

"Get out." I took the Angel's hands and kicked her out of the window.

***

Days passed and I went to the hospital. "There is nothing wrong with your brain," answered
a fish-faced doctor.

And so, everyday after finishing work, I wasted energy chasing away that Angel. Eventually,
I gave up bothering to.

"The sky, it's dark," the Angel muttered as she looked out at the sky from the window.

An Angel that didn't even know that? Figures. She didn’t seem to be one of the artificial
angels amongst the A-Rays.
"Hey. Where'd you come from? I’m guessing you’re not an A-Ray on this side of the rift.”

"I'm not an A-Ray."

“Then what are you?”
"I'm a being that was created from the hopes and dreams of the people living in this city.
That's why I'm so pretty. I’m glad that everyone had such pure souls."
The angel twirled around happily. The edge of her skirt fluttered like a dress.
Now that she mentioned it, she seemed unreal. The angel was too beautiful to be an
inhabitant of the Land of Steel. Her golden hair was so dazzling that it projected poison.
So that means...she's an illusion that only I could see?

"Erm, so why is the manifestation of everybody's imagination in my room?"

"Because it's you who killed me!"

She seemed to be mad that I didn't realize that, more so than the fact that I "killed" her.
When I asked her if she came here to get revenge, she answered, "What's revenge?"

***

The angel turned out to be pretty handy and learned many things gradually. She now
grasps what it means to clean. The only exception was anything involving the guitar.

"I'm not improving with the guitar at all. I'm playing it just like I'm imagining it, but what I'm
thinking and what's coming out are completely different."

Ah, so there was a song she wanted to play. Of course, she wouldn't get any better.

"No shit. That guitar hasn't been tuned."

Yep. It was screwed up from the beginning.

The Angel tilted her head and asked, "What's tuning?"

A female body with a pair of bird wings on the back. If it also has a beautiful form, then that
life form is called an angel.

My job was to shoot down twenty of those angels a day. That's why it wasn't that surprising
for me to be seen as an enemy by all who were angels.

I came to this city a year ago. The strangest city within the Land of Steel…
No plants are able to grow on the soil of this planet. However, there were numerous
grey-colored trees within the city, and even a withered grass field on top of a hill. In the hill
at the center of the city, there were two gigantic trees that covered the sky. These trees
reached the sea of clouds, and they were called the World Trees for their size.

I chose my job as an angel hunter. In this city, angels come down from the sky and attacked
people every day. Although they do attack people, they're only at the annoying level of wild
dogs, and not many were actually affected. But if we left them alone, the city would be filled
with angels, so the city council had to hire hunters. I don't know if the angels have a set
location they come down to, but I saw a lot of them in the forest of the city outskirts.

Pulling the trigger of the gun, I absorbed the impact on my shoulder. The naked angel fell
down and hit the floor as it was shot right in the forehead. There were countless leaves and
countless dead angels on the floor of the forest.
Going across the rough surface of the earth, I return to the walls that surround the city. A
beast man who was appointed another area was waving his hand as he approached me.

"Hey. How's it going?"

"Not much. Three coppers per kill. If I consider the cost of the bullet, I won't even have a
single copper for myself."

"It's because you use a gun. If you're a man, use your body."
"Well I'm sorry but I'm not that well built. I even need to take medication in order to get
oxygen. I'm doing my best just to live."

"I see. You humans are so inconvenient."

"Indeed. Being human is inconvenient."

Yes, in this world humans are certainly inconvenient. That's why human beings in the old age
made a lot of creative tools. As a result, A-Rays were invented, and that led to the Great
War.

That's how pure human beings became extinct.

With a freeloader called the Angel staying at my house, I increased my workload. That
Angel ate food, and although the materials produced at the factory are free, there's a limit
to it. I had to increase my daily quota from twenty to thirty.
...how ironic is it to kill more angels to feed an angel?

"You're working hard lately," the beast man continued.

"I'm just releasing my stress. Those targets actually look like the cause of my stress, and
make this lame job exciting."

I couldn't help it and let it out. The beast man tilted his head.

"It's a good thing that you're dedicated to your job. But watch out, they said there were
some Knights who were inspecting the forest. I heard a Demonic Sword user was looking at
you."

"…what does that mean? Is there an Aristoteles coming this way?"

"I dunno. More importantly, our pay was supposedly lowered again this month. There's a
more realistic problem."

"Right. Is the financial bureau ready to kill us now?"

"I never done anything wrong, though," said a prisoner who murdered over fifty of the
human species.

The beast man sighed as he looked at the pile of dead angels scattered across the forest.
He muttered a bad idea. "Hey, you think we can eat them?"

I shrugged as I made the obvious reply. "Forget it. You'll be punished by heaven, I bet."
 On my way home from work, I got caught by an
angel. Not the Angel at home, but an angel from the
actual A-Ray subspecies.

"You're not very sociable lately. Rejecting an

invitation from a pretty person like me, you must be
impotent!"

She said that as she pushed me into a bar and offered me a glass of alcohol. ...it's true I
haven't spoken to her for about a half a year.

While we were having some casual conversation, a bunch of hecklers butted in. They said
the angel should accompany the A-Rays instead of that human. I thought so too, but she
shut them up with a glare.

"I'm sorry, were you offended?" she asked.

"Yeah, I don't feel good about it, but they're right. Why do you care about someone like me?
Don't A-Rays find lovers in order to produce stronger species? I won't be able to create
strong children."

"It doesn't hurt to make an exception, does it? Besides, our outside appearance matters
more to us. There aren’t many species that are close to the angels, and you're my type.
There's no problem," she said as she drank the purple fizz in her glass.

She looked like a real angel. Her wings weren't used for flying; they were a dish to collect the
heavy particles in the surroundings. The angel species are able to fly without wings.
Originally the protectors of the A-Rays known as the Six Sisters, angels are considered to
have fighting power equal to the Knights who carried the Demonic Swords.
In other words, they can perform destructive activity akin to a nuclear bomb on their own.

As we drank more alcohol and our true characters were more or less revealed, she asked a
weird question. “Hey, why do you use a gun?"

"Humans can't use Grain like you A-Rays, you know. Our strength is limited as well, so it's
natural we rely on weapons. What other practical firearms are there other than a gun?"

"Hmm. That means humans aren't made to fight. But why do you still fight?"

"...let's see. If I recall correctly, my family was killed when I was small. That's when I dug up a
gun and practiced shooting so I could take revenge."
"Oh. Typical."

Yeah, it's typical. I tried to laugh, but I couldn't. I never succeeded in trying to make a forced
smile.

"But doesn't a family mean they were of the same species? I never heard of any humans
living around here."

"I haven't told you, have I? I was originally born in the West Land. The other side of the great
rift."

"West Land... you mean the continent that got wiped out by the Black Aristoteles-----?"

Surprised, she fell silent. When West Land was completely scorched, I was a kid of only 12 or
13. An old story from almost seven years ago.

"By the way, do you still do that job?"

"I do. There isn't any other job opportunity for a halfwit like me. I don't want to be kept
under protection as a rare species either. ...what, are you still complaining? They are
different from you. Don't be so concerned, it's silly."

"I am concerned. I don't mind others doing it, but it makes me angry to think that you of all
people are killing angels everyday. Hey, why do you hunt angels?"

--------That’s because I’m twisted.

“…it's my job, I can't help it.”

I said that without looking at her eyes. She gave me a cold look, seeing through my lie.

"You're right. You've quit thinking. That's why you don't feel any pain. But, on the other hand,
you don't feel any happiness either. You never have fun by recalling the past either. Your life
must be like the machine you use. That's why you need to rely on something simple like
logical reasoning in order to motivate yourself.

The angel said that with a discontent expression. But what's so wrong with being a machine?
A theory that higher life forms have emotions was a real fantasy.

"What's wrong with you today? You seem to be very prickly."

"No kidding. It's because you won't talk to me"

"A drunken angel isn't very appealing."

"What do you mean? I may look like this, but I'm very popular in my hometown."

Answering, “Yeah, yeah,” I sipped on my glass. I was supposed to restrain myself tonight, but
I'm passing out before her.

The angel asked me her last question.

"Hey, why do you fight?"

That's because I don't want to die.

"Then, why don't you want to die?"

Probably because I want to live.

"Why do you want to live?"

That's obvious.

Because I never got to experience anything good.

"...is that so? Needing logical reason in order to live, you're an underdeveloped life form."

After saying that, she left first.

But how can I help it? Because the human race kept on living by their instinct, the world died
once. Having to rely on pessimistic reasoning is the only punishment given to the humans
who were left behind.
Slipping through the busy streets of the
city, I returned to my room.

The Angel was stubbornly still there.

It'll be winter soon. The temperature would break the critical freezing point and the city
would soon literally freeze. But I didn't think of passing my second winter in this city.

"There's a lot of commotion in the city lately," the Angel said as she looked down from the
window.

The large window, larger than the Angel, looked like the window of a church that I once saw
in a picture book. The Angel with blond hair and bright white wings bent over with a sad
face. Behind her, the city and two World Trees were blurry like a mirage.

...everything was inside a gunmetal world. It was a nightmare. Only this Angel was pretty.

The Angel looked down at the distant ground. The city was packed with people who were
trying to leave.

"Um. What is everyone doing?"

"They are moving out all together. The neighboring area was destroyed by a three
thousand meter Aristoteles. Calculating its route, they said it will pass through this city in
three days."

"Above me?"

"Above us. It might collide with the World Tree. Either way, everything in its path is
destroyed. It's obvious why people are running away."

"Oh, so that's why everyone's so desperate," the Angel said as she absentmindedly looked
down.

Glancing at the Angel who's just standing there, I started packing my belongings. I shoved
winter gear and clothing, a personal air maker, and several guns into my bag. I decided to
leave everything else behind.

"Are you going too?"

"Yeah, because I don't want to die. But not right away. I'll go out on my own after the
commotion down there dies down."

The Angle sadly lowered her eyes. Because she’s always happy for no reason, just that
made her look really lonely.

"...this may be the last time, so let me ask you a question. What were you after all?"

The Angel sighed without any seriousness.

I can only make out that she isn’t from the existing species of angels. That's why I wanted to
know the truth, at least in the end.

The Angel replied plainly. "What everyone calls the Aristoteles."

‘You didn't know?’ The Angel looked at me like that.

Aristoteles. The things that suddenly appeared on this planet and became the enemy of all
living things. An unpredictable enemy. Not only was there no method of communication, but
their biological structure as living things was unclear.

And that was in a little city like this, in a room of a deserted tower, shaped like an angel, and
playing a guitar? What kind of joke was that? No living things on this planet are able to
stand against this life form, what a punishment by God.

"Really? You?"

"Oh, no. The thing at the base of this city, to be exact. What I was, was shot down and fell to
this place. It was an instant death. Trees grew and people started living on top of that."

The Angel goes on. “This planet no longer has any power to raise life. That's why greens
wouldn't grow, but if it was on top of another life instead of the earth, they would.

"I'm normally not that kind of thing, but I ended up like this. What everyone calls the World
Trees are the wings of what used to be me. ...umm, in other words, the wings’ feathers. The
falling feathers took the shape of what I used to look like. I was originally that kind of life
form. It's not the angels that were originally on this planet."

"But you're still shaped like an angel."

"Because I’m everyone's fantasy. The body of what I used to be died already, but it seems
something like my mind was still alive. But the concept of a mind never existed to me. The
Six Sisters species of this planet have a wonderful ability to form a shape out of knowledge.
Using everyone as a model, I formed a shape out of the knowledge that I had but never
used.

“The reason I'm shaped like an angel is because it's the closest image to the shape of what I
used to be. That's how I was able to communicate with everyone by creating the same
thought circuit. I was able to become myself by taking the imaginary form of angel."

The Angel detached herself from a thing called Aristoteles by becoming an illusion. She was
able to acknowledge herself for the first time by becoming something not herself. She's
nothing but the realization of an image of an angel that the people imagined on their own.

"Are you… happy?"

The Angel cheerfully replied, “Yes.”

Only an illusion stood here.

“…I see. An angel can only live within an imagination."

I happened to recall the definition of an angel. That it had wings, a halo, was really beautiful,
and then, it's only an illusion…

After all, a thing that brings you hope can only be a fantasy.

When I thought about that, the angel sadly replied, “You're right.”

"I wish I was a real angel."

With an appearance that looked more like an angel than an actual angel, she said
something like that.
 A huge flying cross moved
within the ashen clouds. That
thing changed its course and
started disappearing from sight as it kept on pouring the rain of judgment.

It seems like the battle is over.

The airplane I was on kept increasing its altitude through the troposphere. There was a big
hole in the plane’s side.

The wounded iron bird could no longer listen to what it's told to do. It just kept on flying to its
end, as if it's the dream of all who have wings.

Sooner or later, it will fly out of the ashen sea of clouds and reach the stratosphere. My
body wasn't built so strong that I could breathe at such a place. But I don't have to worry
about that. There's no guarantee I would be alive by the time I reached there.

I leaned against the wall as I brought my gun down.

The door of the hangar remained open. Just like before, cold air blew in and I could see the
earth very well. Land without any colors. Even the ocean in the distance was colorless.

It’s a world that’s completely dead.

Even so, this world of steel felt so precious. My vision blurred.

I saw something like this five years ago.

That day, the enemy that appeared through the clouds was more beautiful than anything. A
pair of wings and a figure that somehow resembled a human. I shot that thing that looked
like an angel. A bullet that was nothing more than a bean to that thing drilled into its
forehead and dropped the angel.
That moment. The instant I pulled the trigger, our eyes met through the scope. There was no
communication. That's all.

But since then, I kept dreaming of that thing falling down the sea of clouds, forever.

......

The angel that accompanied the plane woke up. One of her wings was horribly ripped.

Being a high ranking species of the A-Rays, she was naturally forced to join this mission,
and jumped in here after getting heavily wounded.

She only came here to rest her wings, but we were out of luck. The moment she came inside
the hangar, the arrow of light hit this plane that was too close to the Cross.

The light pierced her wing and the body of the plane, and took out her consciousness and
the plane's AI.

And now, several minutes later, the unconscious angel slowly woke up.

“Good Morning.” When I said that to her, she turned around and looked outside.
The thing called the Aristoteles was disappearing in the distance.

I told the angel who was spacing out our total losses and the success of the mission.

The angel joyously approached. She crawled on the floor since she couldn't stand up, but
her hand slipped on something wet.
My blood was pooling on the floor and had dyed the angel's body red.

"When you… shoved me aside?"

Without answering her question, I just gazed outside. Over the limitless clouds, the airplane
kept on flying upwards.

The sky that I saw for the first time was different from what I read in the books.

"The sky, it's red"

Repeating a phrase that I once heard somewhere, I couldn't keep strength in my hand
anymore. The Black Gun fell to the floor.
"The Black Gun. So you really were the person who shot the Bird down."

"...I guess. That's what people say. But I used all my luck back then. Look at this mess now."

"Idiot. Because you saved me..."

"How can I help it? I wouldn't want a pretty girl like you dying in front of my eyes."

I said something really showy. It was so silly that it made me laugh.

That doesn't suit your character.

She said that too.

We just kept on laughing without looking each other's way.

It was a small, weak, and gentle voice. "You've changed. You weren't this honest with your
feelings before. So it is true that you've found someone other than me."

...I wonder if there really was such a thing? Although if it's the Angel who said she’d rather be
a fake, she must be still waiting in my room for me to return.

They say that angels cure one's mind, not one's body.

"But that's not true. People don't change because of others. I was always like this. I just
acted like I didn't care, but I really was a good person. You couldn't tell, could you?"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really. I wanted to become a hero when I was small, too. I was immature. Probably
now, too. ...that's why you should go. You can probably still fly down to the ground even with
one wing. You don't need to come with me."

She stood up and looked at me sternly for some reason.

"Are you going to be okay? Alone till the end?"

"Didn't I tell you? I want to look cool. Because I wanted to be a hero. And I want to be alone
at the end… because I was all alone till now."

I think my clumsy forced smile went well.

Probably the best in my life.
"Good bye, then..."

Flapping her single wing, she flew out.

She looked like the angel of a fish that swam in the red sea.

***

I stood up and sat in the cockpit. Not knowing what I'm doing, I tried fixing the broken AI. If I
still have some luck left, my fate might change.

When I closed my eyes, I heard a voice.

"Why did you fight?"

"Because I didn't want to die, of course."

"Why didn't you want to die?"

"Because I want to live, of course."

"...then, why do you want to live?"

That's obvious. It's because------

At the farthest limit of my memory…

Only that answer was different from before.

Just when I was about to leave the city, I got caught by a messenger
of the military. Someone must have remembered an old story from
five years ago and enlisted me in this mission.

When I returned to my room to pick up the Black Barrel that I left to

rot, the Angel was still there.

"Are you going to fight that?"

"Looks like it. The Knights are assembling too, and the military's
eager to do it. They're aiming to at least change the Cross's course. If
that's it, then the possibility isn't zero."

"It's impossible. No one understands what an Aristoteles is. That isn't

a life form from this planet. There is no chance of winning."

"How could that be? We have already defeated three Aristoteles. If

we have more firepower than them, it's not an unstoppable
opponent."

"I don't know about that. They can't be judged by this planet's
common sense. That's why even the concept of death doesn't exist
for them. They won't stop until they achieve their objective."

"Objective? You guys had such a thing?"

"Yes. It's not our own objective, but we do. They arrived here to fulfill
the wish of this planet. ...this planet died from the influence of the life
forms that lived on it. The planet itself doesn't have a feeling of grief.
Even perishing by the influence of its own life forms is alright. A
planet only carries a will; it carries no meaning."

“But there was an exception. The planet is able to forgive because

life forms follow the same fate as the planet. But the human species
were able to live on, even on the dead land. This planet was
frightened by the existence that kept on living on top of its corpse,
and cried out for help at its end. ‘Please, wipe out the life forms that
are still alive.’"

"...I see. So that's who you guys are."

When I muttered that, the Angel said no, as she shook her head.

"The only ones who were able to hear the cry of the planet were other planets. I…no, we
were the highest ranking species of those planets that received the will of this planet. For
example, the Aristoteles that was called the Heaven's Corpse... what I used to be, was the
most superior individual on Venus."

"Wha...t?'

Without knowing, I lost my breath. Our enemies were species that ruled over the aliens of
other planets, where our common sense doesn't apply. The strongest life form on a planet;
in other words, the planet itself. The human species who survived on this planet, simply put,
were fighting eight planets.

“…yeah, there's no chance of winning. You got that right."

The Angel nodded sadly.

"On top of that, they’re right. ...geez. If humans accepted the prophecy in the 2000th year,
we would have gotten away by just being the victim."

"No...! The ones who are wrong are the Aristoteles. They don't have any will. Isn't it a bad
thing to erase lives without having a will?"

The Angel who had learned the common sense of this planet said that. But there was no
longer any notion of right or wrong on this planet. The only simple rule was that you either
live or die.

That's why---- because I lived till now, I'm not going to be on the dying side.

"It won't change anything. I don't have any reason to fight either. I probably will never have
any. At the point where we’re just killing each other for no reason, we are equal. Isn't that the
simplest way of life?"

The Angel won't answer.

"What are you going to do? Even if you have the same objective, that Cross and you are
different things, right? Your body will be destroyed along with this city. You said you died
instantly, but that's by our standards. I doubt the concept of death on this planet applies to
a life form from another planet. Aren't you able to move already?"
The downward facing Angel shook her head.

"No. If I move, the outer shell of the wings will shatter. All the leaves of what everyone calls
the World Tree will fall. If that happens, uncountable numbers of angels will come pouring
down. Everyone will die before the Aristoteles come," the gloomy Angel said.

She's right. The number of leaves on the tree that reaches the clouds is far more than the
number of surviving human species. Billions of released angels will cover the whole planet in
no time.

"But you'll die if you don't!"

"It's all right. I am the people here. I am only an image created by them."

"It's just that they provided you with knowledge. You are different from us. To you, we are
just simple accessories. You should hurry up and take it off so you'll feel light."

The Angel smiled sadly, and again shook her head.

"You're an idiot."

"I know I am. But I can't help it. …I love this place."

The teary-eyed Angel said that with a feeling of satisfaction.

How can I argue with that?

"...Okay. I suppose that can't be helped."

As the Angel nodded her head, she stared at me. Her straight eyes were asking me, ‘How
about you?’

"I'm going to die soon, you know. I think you can at least tell me that and the heavens won't
punish you." The punishment that came to this planet irresponsibly said that.

As I carried my belongings on my back, I replied.

"Yeah. I'll be honest. I love this city too. …besides, since that moment, I was possessed by
you."

The Angel opened her eyes widely in surprise.

"…um. What does that mean?"

"It must mean I've fallen in love with you, since then. I realized that now."

When I threw out the words, the Angel’s expression sparkled, but she quickly put her head
down.

"But I'm not a human being."

The Angel grasped something like that just now?

....Geez, She's a real idiot.

"You know, there's only one human being left in the world and that's me. What does that
have to do with anything?"

"Oh... You're right," the Angel nodded.

There's nothing else to talk about. I started walking outside as the time of the military
gathering approached.

"See you. Go to someone with a better dream next time. You can become a real angel if you
do that."

My imagination was always twisted somewhere.

When I looked back at her one last time, the angel answered with a gentle expression: no.

"There's no such thing as a real angel. I’d rather stay a fake one."

The fantasy said that she will stay a fantasy.

Is that so? Convinced, I left the room.

All that was left in the room was my older sister's guitar and the fake angel.

fin
This was what I wrote when I was invited to make an anthology comic on the topic of
angels. However, the anthology wasn't text based and the other two were artists, so I was in
trouble. What is the meaning of a novel when over half of the book was pictures? Especially
when it's a short novel. That's how I came up with the irregular "Notes" after my
doubtfulness. I remember that I was pretty satisfied with what I came up with, considering
that it was completed in a short amount of time. Although, it's unpleasant to the eyes, it
brings back memories when I cut and pasted what I typed out from the word processor. ...If I
ever get a chance, I would like to make this into a real series of story too. I always think
about that when I look at the Black Barrel.

— Kinoko Nasu (奈須 きのこ)

Glossary

Land of Steel [ Over Count 1999. ]

A planet that died. A globe that reached its end. A world uninhabitable by living things. This
is the name of the present day's world. It is not an official name, but a common name
passed down amongst the humans who live in the ruined land. Like the name "Land of
Steel" makes apparent, the majority of the continent is made up of cracked wastelands,
covered by murky gray clouds. Food cannot be grown, and the earth's atmosphere,
previously suitable for animals, has been lost. It was, to put it in the human species’ way of
speaking – a drastic end of a century. But even after the mother planet died, the human
species was able to live on with its developed civil technology. Even the planet's end that
humanity once imagined couldn't bring an end to the human species.

Hundred A-Ray Subspecies [A-Ray]

Next generation primates created by the humanity that used up all of the planet's
resources. Each possessing motifs from the living things that used to exist on the planet.
They were heavily modified and enhanced in order to survive on the ruined planet. Their
evolutionary tree is diverse and have been broadly classified into a hundred species.
Classifications numbered one through ten consist of only a single species, rather than a
colony. Some carry the genes of humans and have human-like characteristics, but as you
would expect, the vast majority have evolved from a fusion of various species and primates.

The Great War [Babel’s Tale]

After the death of the planet, there was a war between the surviving remnants of humanity
and the hundred A-Rays. Humanity simply acted in order to survive, and the A-Rays acted
in order to rule the world. The various A-Rays were united into one hundred sub-species by
the Six Sisters; in the face of this threat, Humanity was pushed to the brink of defeat. Near
the end of the Great War, Humanity created the Human Species and the Knights, and this
development only led to the further destruction of the planet that was already dead. There
was no victor in this war. A third party came flying in towards the end of the battle and both
sides were almost annihilated.

Human Species [Liner]

Humanity in the Land of Steel. The former Human Species were able to evolve alongside
this world. To be more precise, they are also included within the Hundred A-Rays. They were
able to adapt and live within the current environment, but despite that they are unable to
exceed the limits of an ordinary human's abilities. They are building a civilization in order to
reform the old civilization. They are in a ceasefire with the Hundred A-Ray species.
Knights [Ether liner]
Those among the Human Species who possess biology with an even stronger acceptance
of the drastically changed environment’s influence. They wield special weapons called
Mystic Swords, and are an aggressive species that can fight the A-Rays equally without any
support from the weapons of the old era. There are currently seventy-eight knights enlisted.

Mystic Sword [Knight Arms]

The name of the weapon that Knights carry. Every Liner born of this word receives the
influence of Grain. Babies born with a large amount of Grain inside of them at the time of
birth shape it as if it’s their bones as they mature, and when they reach adulthood, the
Mystic Sword is birthed from their body. Because they are created with the unanalyzed
entity Grain, Mystic Swords are able to cause various phenomena, and their powers are
strong enough to be considered weapons. Only a few humans are able to form a Mystic
Sword, and only those who wield a Mystic Sword capable of being used in a real battle are
enlisted as Knights. Only one Mystic Sword exists for each Knight.

Grain [Grain “Ether”]

Cosmic dust. It’s a name given to all harmful and unmeasurable particles which flooded
from the planet after it lost its functions. Although it is hazardous to humans, in rare cases, it
can make unique changes to their bodies leading some people to call this substance Ether.
The Hundred A-Ray Subspecies, Human Species, and Knights are all new species brought
forth by the effects of Grain. The energy conversion rate of the Grain dispersed into the air
is incredible and has resulted in a new level of warfare that was never before possible on
this planet. In this battle between the A-Rays, who can take Grain into their bodies, and
those who have crystallized Grain to forge Mystic Swords, all weapons of the old era have
become useless.

“The sky, it’s dark.” [Cloud Sky]

Cloud-covered sky. Numerous thick layers of clouds have hidden the sky since The Great
War. It doesn’t mean the sky isn’t gray, it appears that the real sky cannot be seen.

Angels [No.20 Guardian Angel]

Artificial angels within the Hundred Subspecies of A-Rays. Ranked #20 of the 100, but in the
aspect of destroying matter alone, they come close to the 10th-ranked-species. A colony
that protects a single A-Ray species. They possess the characteristics of the angels
originating from the Old World’s largest religion; a Human Species with a pair of avian
wings. An aggressive species that uses the heavy particles that dispersed into the
atmosphere after the world’s end as a source of power by absorbing them into their bodies.
Humans [Last-Seed]
A Human Species that did not undergo any selective breeding. Neither did their
descendants. Since they are unable to survive on this planet, it is said that they are on the
verge of extinction. In order for humans to live/survive in the outside world, they need the
support of medicines or machines - if the air is inhaled unmedicated or unprocessed, it will
result in death. To make matters worse, factory produced food cannot be eaten, the
nutrients raise the physical abilities so much that it becomes poisonous to humans instead.
They are rare, but not valuable.

Aristotles[ ONE]
Eight life forms that appeared at the end of the end of the Great War. Unidentifiable
existences. Each Aristotle has a significantly different appearance and biology. The origin of
their name is unknown, but the name’s origin can be traced back to a philosopher from the
old age. Considering both Humanity and the hundred A-Ray Subspecies to be their enemies,
they attacked indiscriminately, and often. As a result, humanity’s foundation was completely
destroyed, and the number of A-Rays was greatly diminished at the hands of the Aristotles.
After the Great War came to an end, their activities were slowed down by the sea of clouds
that covered the sky, but they still continue to erase all life forms on this planet. Since then,
the human species and the A-Rays have separated themselves on a grand scale from
humanity, and have also become companions under ceasefire until the elimination of their
common enemy, the Aristotles.

Six Sisters [No. 1 Saving System of Earth]

Beings who reigned over the Hundred Subspecies of A-Rays at the time of the Great War.
It’s said that they possessed the outward appearance of the human species itself, and that
all six looked like witches straight out of a fairy tale, wearing black hats and riding on
broomsticks. Each one of them carried an ability that surpassed all Hundred A-Ray
Subspecies. At the end of the Great War, the youngest sister "Judgment" was defeated by a
Knight, but her death cry created a great rift in the center of the continent. The
whereabouts of the remaining five are unknown.

Black Aristotle [Type:Jupiter]

An Aristotle that appeared in Westland. A black giant several dozens of kilometers in length.
Its form was extremely close to that of a human being. In truth, it was a gathering of black
photon gas which could theoretically expand infinitely in size. The mountain of gas
contained an unidentifiable nucleus at its core that was impossible to explain other than
being a pseudo-sun. The body of photon gas seems to have been emitted from that object.
Of the eight Aristotles, Type-Jupiter has erased the most life. It sent the western continent
into an all out war and wiped them out without a scar. …Although there are probably no such
concepts like scars to this Aristotle. Later, after a battle with the Knights who were
dispatched to the west, it was bisected by Knight Edem’s Mystic Sword - Slash Emperor. The
bisected Aristotle’s pseudo-sun rampaged, and the entire surface of the western continent
was scorched.

The Crucifix [Type:Saturn]

Crucifix-like Aristotle. Total length reaching three-thousand meters. Its outer shell is
composed of luminous minerals, and has no pattern whatsoever. The flying object sends
down a deadly rain of light, with the visage of the Holy Cross. Each “raindrop” is a
one-meter-long electromagnetic shock with the shape of a cross, which explodes and
scatters upon contact, annihilating all surrounding life forms. There are other variations of
these crosses of light, which can perforate the earth's surface, causing earthquakes that
destroy the very land where people live. Innumerable as they may be, perhaps these
crucifixes stuck into the earth mark the deaths of their victims, not unlike the gravestones
spread across the wasteland. It is fittingly titled "The Flying Fortress", and it is thought to be
the leader of the Aristotles within the planetary sphere.

Black Barrel [Longinus]

A black gun belonging to Gun God. Because it is made of a mineral that conflicts with Grain,
it is quite possible to say that the Black Barrel is the natural enemy of all life-forms that
contain even a minuscule amount of Grain. However in this world where every remaining
life-form has been influenced by Grain, there isn't anyone left that can use, or even touch it.
It is the God-Slaying Gun, if the weapon's target contains a great power, in other
words–Grain, the bullet's killing capacity will rise in proportion to the amount of Grain within.
… Now, with this gun, the value of a particular rare species has changed. Only those
life-forms that lacked the ability to evolve in response to Grain, and are completely devoid
of it, can touch the Black Barrel without any consequences.

"The sky... it's red." [Blood Sky]

The sky of this world. There is no blue sky above the sea of clouds, a red sky spreads out as
far as the eye can see. It isn't because the air is polluted. During the final years of The Great
War, a lone Aristotle came flying into the atmosphere — Type-Pluto, whose blood stained
the sky a crimson red. While Pluto was attempting to invade the atmosphere, it was
confronted by the Six Sisters who all attacked at once. Type-Pluto's blood completely
enveloped the planet. The gray clouds that conceal the sky are considered to be a
protective barrier that the Six Sisters placed – In this red sky, two other Aristotles swim
through the sea of blood like floating fish, unable to access the planet itself.

Heaven’s Corpse [Type-Venus]

An Aristotle estimated it to be a thousand meters long. It appeared after the Great War,
flying within the sea of clouds. Its shape was unable to be confirmed, nor could anyone
report any exact features of its appearance. It is a lifeform that has grown two wing-like
appendages, and compared to other Aristotles, it is closer to the evolutionary tree of this
planet. According to records, during the 83rd year of the new calendar, it was shot down in
an extermination operation carried out by the Order of Knights and fell somewhere on the
continent. Originally, it was a life-form that fell onto the surface of the planet, sinking its
roots into the land, scattering the corpse’s ego, manifested as spores, eating away at the life
on this planet. In short, it can be roughly described as a gigantic carnivorous plant.
…Fortunately, it was put to sleep using the Black Barrel.

Gun God [GODOT]

... His other name. It was a popular name assigned to him after the mission “Fallen Bird”
where he shot down Type-Venus.. Some sarcastically called him a god imitator or pretender.
A rare pure human. He excavated the Black Barrel from a sealed area, it’s his favorite gun.
Passed away during the intercept mission involving Type-Saturn.

Aristotles[Ultimate ONE]
Eight lifeforms that came from other planets. In truth, they are the strongest lifeforms on
their respective planets, and each possess the capability to cause the extinction of all life on
this planet on their own. The name “Aristotle” was given by the people of this planet, since
they have no concept of names. Aristotles do not fight each other, they just fly around
freely killing things. Some Aristotles have learned the concept of “knowledge” from this
planet’s life forms, or have even appeared before them. After the annihilation of
Type-Saturn, who received the order from this planet and conveyed it to the other planets,
they entered their final battle with the human race.
Character Material
From Character Material (2006)