Mythical Fusion
The children desperately ran, fleeing from the Kakodaimon. There were no facilities for vehicles in the ruins of the Fortress Area, so traveling on foot was their only option. They were sprinting toward the shelter with all their might, but they were still just children.
To make matters worse, the children encountered several Hati—lesser Teras part of Fenrir’s pack—that gleefully joined the pursuit. Like wild dogs hunting fledglings, the Teras closed in swiftly.
When the Hati were close to sinking their teeth into their prey, another Mythology Weapon interfered, protecting the children. It was Butcher of the Kryptos. Wielding an enormous cleaver, he positioned himself as a barrier between the children and the approaching beasts and called to the children.
「You all run ahead. I’ll hold them off here.」
「No! We don’t want to leave you behind, Butcher-san!」
「Yeah! Come with us!」
「I won’t die. Now go!」
He added silently in his heart—I can’t die, I’ll just break, that’s all.
Driven by Butcher’s command, the children hesitated but ultimately fled.
「Anansi, you’re not built for combat. Look after them.」
「Understood.」
Anansi, a spider-type Kryptos, acknowledged the order. Though its appearance was that of a spider, it was the one most familiar to the people.
Anansi’s role was to teach people agriculture and textile-making. The silk he produced could effectively restrain the Kakodaimon.
Meanwhile, as the Kakodaimon targeted the fleeing humans, a feline-type Eidolon leaped in, disrupting the attack and preventing them from advancing.
「Let’s go, you wretched Teras!」
The Kryptos affectionately known as Butcher was, in truth, Alam—a Zmeu class Mythology Weapon. He was based on the myth of a dragon man in Rumanian folklore.
Armed with his massive cleaver and an integrated laser, Alam fought against the Hati, but the enemy’s combat ability was formidable. Their mobility and coordination were exceptional, and he was beginning to realize he was being cornered. The Hati truly lived up to the name Moon-Devouring Wolves.
「Nyaa!」
A feline Eidolon threw itself in front of Alam, taking the blow in his stead. One of its left hind legs was torn off.
「Forgive me! You saved me!」
Alam decapitated the Hati that had mangled Cait Sith’s leg, destroying it in an instant.
However, the sight of their fallen comrade only provoked the surrounding Hati. More of them closed in.
「This is the end, isn’t it?」
At that moment—
A shadow engulfed the sky.
A massive spinning wheel-like object plummeted from above, mowing down the Hati upon impact.
「You are…?」
「Just in time! Name’s Kasha! I’m a Kryptos like you guys—created by Outis, no less!」
The flaming wheel responded cheerfully, its fiery rims burning brightly.
「 Is Outis able to create Kryptos now? Is that human truly capable of such feats?」
「Forget about that! Get the kids to safety! We can only roll forward, but we’ll cover your backs—leave it to us!」
Kasha exuded an aura of reliability.
「I’m counting on you, Kasha!」
Expressing his gratitude, Butcher turned back to his duty, resuming his escort of the children.
But the sheer number of enemies remained overwhelming.
「Even with a few of my comrades here, this is a lot…」
Kasha muttered before noticing something.
「Nyaa!」
The injured Cait Sith, its leg destroyed, gazed up at Kasha as if trying to communicate something.
「Oh, I think I get what you’re saying! You wanna fuse with me, don’t you?」
「Nyaa!」
「Alright then! Let’s do this, Cat!」
Kasha dimmed its flames, rolling closer to Cait Sith.
The two machines began to shine, engulfed in a dazzling, almost surreal light.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
A transmission came through from Aural.
「Report from Butcher. Thanks to a Cait Sith and a Kasha fusing and powering up. They successfully protected the children.」
「……」
「……」
「……」
An eerie silence filled the bridge of the Astraea.
「Strange as it may be, they seem to have become incredibly strong. You could almost call it… a Mythical Fusion.」
Aural noticed the strange atmosphere aboard the Astraea. Realizing there was something odd about the situation, he quickly added to his report before cutting the transmission.
「Fusion? How ridiculous can Kou creations become…?」
「Showing the footage—now, nya!」
The screen displayed a Cait Sith, now seated with its rear end draped over Kasha’s axle. Its leg was still destroyed, but being fused with Kasha allowed it to move without issue.
「Fusion…?」
Astraea found herself murmuring the word again.
It looked less like a powerful transformation and more like… a cat sitting on a rolling wheel. The Cait Sith had wrapped its tail around the axle for balance, perched comfortably in an oddly casual pose.
「Look! Watch what it’s doing!」
As Cait Sith moved its front paws, Kasha’s flames responded—launching fire in the direction it pointed.
Flames rained down upon the approaching Hati, scorching them from a distance. Those that tried to close in were crushed beneath Kasha’s rolling body, while any that attempted to flee were incinerated from behind.
The fusion had granted Cait Sith the ability to control Kasha’s flames at will.
「Huh? But… how?!」
Nyanta’s expression turned dead serious once again.
「A cat that wished to protect people, and a Kasha that was once a cat itself… Their shared will created a miracle.」
Asia murmured, regaining her composure. Though her words were dramatic, her tone lacked any real emotion.
「Ehh…」
Nyanta was not convinced by such a vague, sentimental explanation.
「Behold! The emissary from the underworld— Demonic War-Kasha! This is true power!」
「Nyaa!」
The fusion of Cait Sith and Kasha roared with enthusiasm, surging forward. The burning wheel plowed through the Kakodaimon, cutting them down in its path.
「Kou… what ridiculous thing have you created?」
Aki found herself echoing Astraea’s earlier question.
At the very least, she was thankful that no strange legends existed about fusions involving canine creatures.
「Kasha is a cat yokai, so… in a way, this isn’t that surprising.」
From a theoretical standpoint, the phenomenon could be explained. It was likely an effect of the folklore surrounding cat-based entities influencing each other.
「Kou, once you’re done speaking with Astraea, how about you come with us—feline Therianthropes and Familias—to have a discussion?」
Nyanta was completely serious.
AN:
Anansi originates from African folklore, where he serves as a trickster figure. He is often depicted as either a spider with a human face or a human with eight limbs. His name comes from Akan (a language spoken in Ghana, West Africa), where Anansi literally means ‘spider’.
As for Demonic War-Kasha, it’s inspired by a yokai from the author’s local folklore! While it’s not exactly nearby, there’s an island called Himakajima, accessible from a port at the far end of a popular driving route. There, a cat-like yokai known as Madoukusha is said to exist.
Some sources suggest that its name can be written as 魔道火車 (Madou Kasha), which served as inspiration for this story. The Madoukusha is a type of Kasha-like yokai—said to be a cat that has lived for over a hundred years, transforming into a supernatural being that digs up graves and devours corpses. However, in its original folklore, it has no similarities with a certain P**drum (lol)
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