Chapter 9

**Chapter 9** is the ninth chapter of the *Dead Mount Death Play* manga and the first chapter of Volume 2.

## Synopsis

Kōzaburō Arase identifies Lemmings by name as he, Tsubaki Iwanome, Clarissa Kuraki, and her second bartender look on in the Youtoukorou bar. The Corpse God stands frozen in the back, transfixed by what he sees with his Evil Eye: writhing around Lemmings are countless undead souls, warped and terrible.

Clarissa orders her belligerent blonde and brunette 'bunnies' to not wield their weapons and stand down, pointing out that Lemmings would have already murdered someone if murder were his primary goal. However, she supposes that he may *decide* to commit murder later on.

Meanwhile, Iwanome forcibly calms himself and thinks. Both Lemmings and Misaki Sakimiya's footprints were found at the "human knots" crime scene, so Lemmings could potentially be working for Clarissa—except there would be no reason for Lemmings to reveal himself as he has done now. Iwanome concludes that Clarissa is Lemmings' target as Lemmings 'looks' at her—only for Lemmings to turn his head away not a moment later.

Arase says Iwanome should give up trying to read Lemmings and just try to arrest him here and now, since Comps-3 already wants him for property damage among other crimes. Iwanome reminds him they are in a public space, but Arase nods to two of his policemen and replies that protecting civilians is also a part of their job.

Behind the half wall, Misaki asks "Polka" if he thinks Lemming might be "even scarier" than Arase. The Corpse God absently agrees, mind still preoccupied by the souls undulating around Lemmings; he wonders whether they are Lemmings' victims, and whether their warped, eldritch appearance is the result of their fear and loathing competing with each other.

Arase orders Lemmings to come quietly, but Lemmings elects to instead dispatch the officers who approach him with superhuman strength—all but Arase, who kicks at him before swinging a baton at his neck. Lemmings catches the baton; Arase whips out a pair of handcuffs, and Lemmings hurls him at some nearby tables and chairs before Arase can try handcuffing him. Though bruised and bleeding, Arase is quick to rush Lemmings once more with several other officers assisting.

From the sidelines, Corpse God compares Arase to a carnivore and Lemmings to a 'plant' or 'stone: though Lemmings appears human, he *feels* like a "colony of ants taking human form." Unnerved, the Corpse God decides to remain uninvolved and unnoticed on the sidelines—at which point Lemmings looks in his direction. Hurtling around Arase and the other police officers, Lemmings comes to a stop in front of Misaki, bows, and snatches her up. With a start, Iwanome realizes that *she* was the target from the start.

Using some sort of mechanical rope or pulley system, Lemmings begins ascending toward the ceiling with Misaki over his shoulder. "Polka" instinctively raises his hands to use magic, but caution freezes him in his place, screaming consequences inside his head: using magic in front of [military] police would likely ruin his chances of having a peaceful life; a wrong move could potentially be catastrophic; and battling Lemmings—who reminds him of Shagrua Lugrid—will not end well.

He asks himself whether Misaki worth saving, knowing who she is—knowing that the logical thing to do would be abandon her and run away—and nevertheless summons serrated bone blades with which he attacks Lemmings; Lemmings dodges them and flips safely onto the chandelier, holding fast to Misaki. With magic spells whirring at his fingertips, the Corpse God concludes that he has reincarnated into "quite the proper fool."