Chapter 4: The First and Last Confrontment
“—”
—Sharpened concentration.
Shidou took in a narrowed sigh, even the slightest hint of relaxation would cause the reiryoku flowing in his body to burst beyond the safety line.
In the front was the enemy—Isaac Westcott.
Among the surroundings, his dependents—the <Nibelcol>.
There was no shortage of opponents—far from it; it was an undoubtedly tricky lineup.
However, there was no time for idleness or frustration, since the Spirits were on the verge of a crisis. As soon as he defeated Westcott, he must rush back to the Spirits as soon as possible.
“—Fu—”
That was the fuse that ignited Shidou for this battle.
Kicking off the ground with legs strengthened by <Gabriel>, he rode the wind summoned by <Raphael> with <Sandalphon> brandished on his hand.
Concurrent Angel manifestation. Even using one Angel caused unbearable anguish for the human body. To use multiple at the same time was behavior beyond normalcy.
In fact, Shidou was already placing a heavy burden on his body before even being attacked by the enemy.
As his muscles screamed, the flames of <Camael> swept through his blood stream, forcibly repairing his body.
If he hadn’t used <Gabriel> to dull the pain, the stiffening agony and burning sensation would have driven him mad. With a scream, Shidou swung down with <Sandalphon>.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The flash of the sword became a tremendous shockwave, extending out straight towards Westcott.
“Fu—”
However, Westcott relaxed his mouth while jumping back to the rear. Opening the jet black Demon King Book— <Beelzebub>.
The next moment, several pages fluttered out from <Beelzebub> to form a layer that weakened the momentum of the sword slash from <Sandalphon>, leaving only a shallow pit on the ground where Westcott had once stood.
“Hmm. Sure enough, it’s a bit disadvantageous to be facing front against an Angel specializing in attacks—<Nibelcol>.”
“Present!”
“Leave it to me, Otou-sama!”
“We will never lose to a person like, Itsuka Shidou!”
In response to Westcott’s command, the <Nibelcol> leaped forward to attack Shidou.
However, the moment they approached, Shidou placed his hand on his lips in a flowing motion—
“—Chu.”
A kiss had been blown.
“Kya—”
In that instant, the <Nibelcol> began to tremble as they fell to the ground.
Taking that chance opportunity to draw closer to them, Shidou snatched away their lips at lightning speed.
“Waah……!?”
“No……not in front of Otou-sama……”
“I couldn’t win against Itsuka Shidou after all……”
The <Nibelcol> that were kissed and those that saw it all raised a sweet voice as they disappeared one by one.
That’s right. The <Nibelcol> were made on the basis of Nia’s factors. In other words, it was that state which served as the foundation of Shidou’s strategy for this situation. By kissing them in this manner, it was possible to seal both the recipient and all individuals that saw the kiss occur.
However, even with his immortal soldiers being wiped out, Westcott only touched his chin with a calm look.
“—Oh, I see. It was confirmed that the number of <Nibelcol> had decreased. But to think that this was the blind spot, what an interesting phenomenon.”
An extraordinary attitude that was hindered by a lack of excessive annoyance. Shidou distorted his brow as he raised a cry.
“It’s a pity, but the <Nibelcol> you are so proud of won’t work on me……!”
“Oh? Do you think so?”
Westcott smirked as he raised his arm and let out a snap.
“……!”
The <Nibelcol> that had surrounded Shidou formed a queue; the group of <Nibelcol> began to leap to attack Shidou one by one.
“It’s useless!”
Shidou sharpened his gaze as he blew another kiss towards the <Nibelcol>.
However, the <Nibelcol> did not stop moving forward.
“What……?”
Then, Shidou had noticed.
The eyes of the <Nibelcol> approaching had sealed their vision with pages from <Beelzebub >.
“Tch—”
After perceiving that intention, Shidou retreated backwards.
The <Nibelcol> were afraid of Shidou’s blown kiss not because of the shockwave or rays of light emitted from the kiss. But rather, the <Nibelcol> were shaken from the revelation of having been kissed.
In that case, as long as their eyes were sealed, they will no longer be afraid. It was simple logic.
However, that was easier said than done.
With this many number of <Nibelcol> blindfolded, it was not a simple matter to coordinate all of them to attack Shidou in an orderly manner.
The <Nibelcol> were a collective group. This may have been possible if one of the <Nibelcol> served as the role of the “eyes” somewhere, while others were fighting sharing the “eye’s vision”. On the other hand, if the “eye” recognized being kissed, then the entire group could be eliminated.
“……Ku.”
After considering that point, Shidou understood.
In this circumstance, while sharing information with the <Nibelcol>, there was one person on the scene that could serve as the “highest quality eyes” without being fearful of Shidou’s kiss.
“—What do you think? It’s simple, but not a bad means.”
In that manner, the “eyes” of the <Nibelcol> —Westcott, distorted the edges of his lips.
At the same time, the blindfolded <Nibelcol> were ready to attack once again.
“Ahahaha!”
“You really did what you wanted before!”
“Get ready to take responsibility!”
One by one, they launched the pieces of paper transformed by <Beelzebub ·Page> into sharpened edges onto Shidou.
“Ku……!”
Shidou distorted his face as he manipulated <Metatron> to emit a ray around his perimeter to avoid the blow as soon as possible.
The <Nibelcol> were blown away from this indiscriminate bombardment.
However, immediately afterwards, the <Nibelcol> crawled out no worse from wear from the pages of <Beelzebub> fluttering around.
“It hurts!”
“You’ve really done it now!”
“Kuku, but we will not die from an attack of that level!”
Westcott smiled as he watched the chaos.
“—Indeed you are certainly the natural enemy of the <Nibelcol>. However, I don’t think that it will be decided by just that. You seemed to have thought you have won in the previous battle, but that folly is the equivalent as laughing at a concert without its conductor.”
“Ku—! Damm……!”
Shidou barely avoided the attacks through the obstructive walls formed from <Zadkiel>.
Not only did the blown kiss tactic been rendered invalid, but the movements of the <Nibelcol> under Westcott’s commands were miles apart from their former actions.
It was the feeling that the group, which relied solely on its quantitative advantages and indiscriminate use of brute force, had completely transformed into an organized army following a chain of command. Faced against persistent and continuous attacks, Shidou was gradually driven to a corner.
“…………”
However—the shade of resignation did not appear in Shidou’s eyes.
Indeed, he was at a disadvantage. Indeed, he had been driven close to a dead end.
However, the presence of Westcott was both a threat and a fatal shortcoming.
The reason was simple. The <Nibelcol> were a pseudo-Spirit born form Westcott’s <Beelzebub>. In that case, once the source is gone, the rest would disappear regardless of their immortality.
“—<Metatron>.”
Having decided, Shidou commanded <Metatron> to float upward—
The target was a densely populated spot of <Nibelcol> as well as including himself.
“Kya……”
“W-what are you doing so suddenly.”
Countless rays of light were released from the sky. For a moment, the entire vicinity was bathed in a dazzling glow.
Amidst the <Nibelcol>’s screams, Westcott gently squinted his eyes as he waited for the flash and smog to disappear.
“—Hmm?”
Gazing at the place where the ray had blown the ground open, Westcott slightly tilted his neck.
But that was natural. Itsuka Shidou, who had been there for some time, was now nowhere to be seen.
“Eh? Did you disappear from your own attack?”
“Did he blow himself up because he knew he couldn’t win?”
“No, no, isn’t it because he ran away?”
“Kahaha, whichever way, it still shows that he was inferior.”
The <Nibelcol> began to giggle amongst each other.
However, Westcott did not lower his guard. No matter how desperate the situation, he didn’t seem like the type to choose a meaningless suicide. Also, if he had chosen to retreat, the surrounding <Nibelcol> would have taken notice to it.
“Hey, Otou-sama, what are you going to do?”
A nearby <Nibelcol> quietly asked while tilting her head.
“Hmm, that’s right—”
While seemingly responding, Westcott turned a page of <Beelzebub> —but then he hurriedly escaped from that spot.
The next moment, where <Westcott> was standing, the front end of a key-shaped staff had been thrusted in his placed.
The <Nibelcol> who had been talking to Westcott had suddenly tried to attack him.
“Ku—”
The <Nibelcol> let out a frustrated sigh before distorting its facial expression.
Seeing this sight, the other <Nibelcol> opened their eyes wide in shock.
“What, why did you attack Otou-sama, me!”
“Rebellion! Is this our rebellious period!?”
“No—wait a second. That isn’t me!”
The <Nibelcol> yelled as they prepared to attack that individual. The person, who had tried to strike down Westcott, leaped out of the way as their appearance changed.
That’s right—changing into the face of Itsuka Shidou, who had just disappeared just a while ago.
“Tch……it failed.”
Having transformed back from a <Nibelcol>, Shidou clicked his tongue against his mouth. The genuine <Nibelcol> looked at him with a surprised look.
“Ah! It’s you!”
“How dare you attack Otou-sama with my appearance……!”
While the <Nibelcol> were brimming with malice, Westcott didn’t look angry. Rather, he was smiling happily.
“—Using <Metatron>’s bombardment as a distraction in order to mix in with the <Nibelcol> through <Haniel>. Then, aim for a chance opportunity to seal <Beelzebub> away with <Michael>……? That’s a clever method, but the idea itself is too easy to predict.”
“……You bastard—”
Shidou glared at Westcott, who was accurately explaining his actions.
Westcott shrugged his shoulders as if saying something that should be already expected.
“Have you forgotten about my Demon King? The omniscient <Beelzebub>, it’s quite natural for me to recognize the power of the Angels held by the Spirits.”
“…………”
While hearing Westcott’s words, Shidou frowned.
His surprise attack had been completely seen through, but that was nothing compared to the anger of being treated in a tone used to lecture a child.
Yet, even beyond that, the most unsatisfactory thing was—
“Correct that. It isn’t your Demon King. It’s Nia’s Angel.”
Shidou sharpened his vision as he filled his body once again with reiryoku in order to manifest multiple Angels once again.
“—Humph, then show it to me.”
As Westcott exposed a fearless smile, the <Nibelcol> lowered their posture in order to prepare for combat.
After a few seconds of silence, Shidou and the <Nibelcol> kicked off against the ground simultaneously.
But.
“—Huh……?”
At that moment, a tremendous sense of incongruity struck Shidou.
The <Michael> held in Shidou’s hands. For a moment, there was the feeling of it disappearing from the palm of his hand.
It closely resembled the feeling he had felt when dashing on the ground while using <Raphael>.
An unexpected anxiety attack struck Shidou. It felt as if something had happened to Mukuro, the owner of <Michael>—
“Guaah……!?”
The next moment, Shidou raised an agonized cry as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
The moment Shidou’s concentration faltered, the <Nibelcol> saw that gap to tiptoe their fingertips into his abdomen.
“Kiyaaaahh! What are you doing!”
“Gu……!”
Although Shidou’s face was distorted in pain, he tried to counterattack the <Nibelcol>.
However, in an outnumbered battle, disruption in his breathing became a fatal loss. As if swallowed by an avalanche, Shidou’s hands and feet were pin down by the <Nibelcol>.
“Ka—wa……”
With blood mixed in with his cough, Shidou gritted his teeth to ignore the pain striking his entire body and injected strength to his arms and feet to break free from the <Nibelcol>.
However, even while relying on the strengthening powers of <Gabriel>, it was difficult to dismiss the pseudo-Spirits that were working together in unison.
“Oh, I didn’t expect it to end so soon. Or is this also part of your combat strategy?”
As he turned the pages of <Beelzebub>, Westcott began to walk towards Shidou.
“You this……!”
In his mind, an idea quickly appeared as he manifested <Metatron> in the air. However, at that moment, the <Nibelcol> held down <Metatron> and changed the trajectory of its muzzle.
“Hmm, so that’s it. I will draw the curtain now. I wanted to play with you a little more, but before encountering <Deus>, I must have your reiryoku.”
Westcott spoke while standing in front of Shidou.
In turn, Shidou glared back with a look of disgust.
“……You.”
“Hmm?”
“What the hell are you!? For what purpose are you seeking the power of the Spirits? For what reason—are you hurting so many people……!?”
Although these words were nothing more than stalling for time, the question was unmistakably genuine. Shidou spat out in fury as he tightly gritted his teeth.
Then, Westcott replied after pausing for a few seconds.
“It’s for the sake of creating a new world.”
“New……world?”
“Ah. Maybe you have already heard this from Elliot, but we are decedents from genuine Mages unlike those artificial magicians (Wizard). At one time, by the hand of people afraid of our power, our hometown was burned down and compatriots killed.”
“What—”
“So I will rewrite this world with the neighboring world of <Deus>. In order to have revenge on the human race that killed our family.”
As he finished speaking, Westcott distorted the edges of his lips in a playful manner.
“—Is that easy enough to convince you?”
“……What did you say?”
As Shidou raised his brow in confusion, Westcott continued to speak in an unconstrained tone.
“According to one theory, the first two types of emotions people experience can be distinguished between pleasant and unpleasant. Through growth, human emotions become differentiated into all sort of different feelings……but no matter what, every emotion basically can be characterized as pleasant or unpleasant, people favor pleasure and dislike discomfort.”
“What……are you saying?”
“Actually, the reasoning behind that is not an exaggeration. For instance, people who derive pleasure for social status tend to place more effort in work. Or people who regarded it pleasant to be loved by others tend to give more soothing offerings.”
Westcott exaggeratingly spread open his hands while continuing on.
“My position is only slightly different from others. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s nothing changed after that. I am making as much effort as possible for the sake of my curiosity and goals. —Itsuka Shidou. Have you ever spent money looking for a toy? Have you ever tidy up your appearance before searching for love? It’s no different from that. —In that sense, I am a very ordinary person.”
“—”
Hearing what Westcott had said, Shidou held his breath. Trepidation filled his lungs as he felt an instinctual resistance.
Ah, Shidou understood the feeling of incongruity in Westcott’s impression.
He was not abnormal, not even insane. He was an extreme human being to the greatest extent. —However, in terms of ethics he stood from a completely different from Shidou, with a viewpoint on life and death incompatible with other human beings.
“—Now then, this story has dragged on a bit.”
While speaking, a page of <Beelzebub> wrapped into a conical shape in his hand as he aimed for Shidou’s chest.
“Farwell, Itsuka Shidou. And Takamiya Shinji.”
“Gu……!”
Having said that, Westcott’s hand prepared to pierce into Shidou’s chest—
However, at that moment.
“—Wa!”
A loud noise from the skies shook the surrounding air like an earthquake.
“……!?”
No, it was closer to a vibrating weapon that a voice. The <Nibelcol> who were pining his arms and feet momentarily faltered as his restraints weakened. Westcott, who was just about to stab Shidou, seemed unable to move for a moment because of the sudden impact.
“……!”
This was a chance opportunity. However……Shidou was also caught in the shockwaves of the vibration. Even though he wanted to escape from the scene, his body refused to move as he desired.
However, at the next moment while thinking over such thoughts, something grabbed the collar of his shirt as he was pulled upward.
“Waah……!?”
Faced against this unexpected situation, Shidou raised a startled voice.
However, Shidou quickly discovered who had done this.
“Are you alright, Darling!”
“……That was dangerous, we made it by a hair breadth.”
“—Miku, Natsumi!”
Shidou opened his eyes as he called out the names of the two Spirits.
That’s right, Miku and Natsumi, who were in charge of supporting everyone at the rear, had come here.
It seemed that Miku had used her Angel of sound <Gabriel> to stun the <Nibelcol> while Natsumi took the chance to grab Shidou.
“Sorry guys, you just saved me. Moreover, I’m glad you’re also safe.”
“Well, that’s fine and all, but what is the war situation right now?
Communications with everyone have been cut off……”
“……Say that person, isn’t he the enemy general? Why did he come to the forefront? No, well, even though it can be said the same for Shidou.”
As Miku and Natsumi asked with an uneasy look, Shidou clenched his fist as he shouted.
“Details later! The Spirit of Origin has appeared! We have to defeat him as soon as possible and head to everyone. Please lend me your strength!”
“……!”
“What……”
Miku and Natsumi displayed horrified expression hearing what Shidou had just said—however, they soon understood his intentions as they casted a sharpened gaze.
“This must be urgent. I’ll raise the bar for Darling and everyone, let’s go!”
“……To say such a serious thing with that face. It can’t be helped, I’ll accompany you as well…!”
While saying that, Miku slammed down on her glimmering keyboard and Natsumi held up her broom type Angel.
Looking at that scene, Westcott exposed a thin smile.
“Wow. <Diva> and <Witch>. —How delightful. In addition to Itsuka Shidou’s reiryoku, I’ll be able to obtain two Sephira Crystals in completion.”
While they were able to stop Westcott and the <Nibelcol> for a moment, by now their eyes had already returned to being casted at them as they resumed a battle formation.
Miku and Natsumi sharpened their line of sight in wariness of that gaze.
“Anyway, how should we defeat that man?”
“……But, you know, those <Nibelcol> will regenerate infinitely until Shidou is defeated. Should we get rid of the surroundings while Shidou charges forward to the enemy general? Or should we wait for an opportunity and attack from behind using <Haniel>?”
“—No.”
Upon hearing what the two had said, Shidou shook his head.
Having their fighting power increased was greatly appreciated, but the adversaries were not just the <Nibelcol> alone.
Furthermore, Westcott had obtained knowledge of the Angels through <Beelzebub>. Although Miku’s <Gabriel> and Natsumi’s <Haniel> were certainly powerful, just now Westcott had already proven that a sneak attack would be useless.
The omniscient Demon King <Beelzebub>. As long as the owner asks for it, it was a Demon King that contained knowledge of all things in the universe. Depending on the poor devious tactic used, there was the possibility of Shidou willingly throwing himself into a greater dilemma.
If one were to try and break it down—there were likely only two methods.
One way would be to attack with a method that Westcott didn’t even think of.
Although <Beelzebub> is indeed a Demon King capable of collecting all information in this world, its authority will not be demonstrated unless the user requested for it. In other words, there was the opportunity of striking with something Westcott did not even expect.
And the other method was—
“…Miku, can you play <Gabriel> for me? Use it as fierce as possible—strengthen my body to the limit.”
“! Darling, that’s not……”
“Natsumi, please do the same. Transform <Haniel> into <Gabriel>. I’m begging you.”
“……Shidou, you.”
Hearing what Shidou had asked, Miku and Natsumi blinked for a moment before understanding Shidou’s intentions. Then, after a short sigh, they began to play their Angels.
From both the left and right, inspirational music resounded.
“……!”
Bathed in this performance, Shidou couldn’t help but hold his breath.
His heart rate soared as he felt the circulation of boiling blood move around his body. By focusing on one person alone, it was a duet using <March>, which was typically used directed for a large group. The extent of the effect was unimaginable.
“—<Nibelcol>.”
However, the enemy was not enough to wait patiently on the sidelines. With Westcott’s command, nearly 100 <Nibelcol> charged in at once.
“Whatever you are trying to do is useless!”
“I’ll make the three of you kneel before Otou-sama……!”
With a roar, the <Nibelcol> shouted as they deformed into a conical shape through <Beelzebub ·Page> and fired themselves like arrows.
Glancing at the projectile, Shidou yelled from his throat.
“—<Zadkiel>!”
In an instant, a barrier of ice surrounded the three of them, hindering the projectiles from through <Beelzebub ·Page> before they could even reach Shidou and the others.
However, the terrifying thing about the <Nibelcol> was not absolute power, but the strength of their overwhelming quantity. Although each shot was minuscule, the repeated attacks formed cracks resembling a spider’s web on the surface of the ice.
But—that was fine. Shidou didn’t believe he could fully fend of the <Nibelcol>’s attack. But this was enough to protect the two performers safe until the two <Gabriel> filled him with enough power.
“Fu—”
Due to the <Nibelcol>’s persistent attacks, the barrier formed from <Zadkiel> scattered into pieces.
At the same time, Shidou let out a sigh of relief. With <Sandalphon> in his right hand, he kicked off the ground and moved forward.
“Ha, he came out!”
“Please drop dead now……!”
The <Nibelcol> who recognized his figure emerged out from <Beelzebub·Page>.
However, Shidou did not use <Zadkiel> to shield himself. Several arrows that couldn’t be avoided struck him from the back of his arm.
“Gu……!”
However, Shidou did not stop. Neither defense nor pain relief—he keep pushing forward towards Westcott as much as possible while the flames of <Camael> automatically healed his body.
Of course, there was a severing pain striking his entire body—but it didn’t matter.
Since for the current Shidou, it was nothing more than a migraine compared to the pain from manifesting multiple Angels.
“<Sandalphon>……!”
Shidou screamed out that name as he struck the ground with his heel.
Then, the earth shook in response to his voice—
As a golden throne was manifested there.
The scabbard of <Sandalphon>: the throne. It was the first time Shidou had summoned it.
“What……?”
Westcott frowned slightly.
—Then, Shidou shouted.
The noble name of the great sword.
“—<Halvanhelev>—!”
A moment later, cracks began forming in the throne summoned by Shidou, decomposing into fragments that attached onto the sword held in his hands.
Afterwards, it constituted into a sword to huge for a person to hold.
With the feeling of being burnt out by the sensation of pain going beyond the limit, Shidou lifted the sword towards Westcott’s direction.
“—Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!”
That’s right; this was the other way to overthrow Westcott.
—Both unable to be known and unable to be stopped, a single attack swung with all of his strength.
The strongest attack Shidou knew was none other than Tohka’s <Halvanhelev>……
The dazzling torrent of reiryoku swallowed Westcott and tore open the earth.
“Fu—hahahahahahaha……!”
Standing in front of the wave of power incoming, Westcott laughed loudly.
A terrifying amount of reiryoku that drowned even the field of vision, this was perhaps the largest and strongest blow of Itsuka Shidou, a human wielding the power of the Spirits.
The excitement of that power becoming his own as long as he took away the Sephira Crystals, the excitement of his imminent death, at that moment Westcott’s mind was overflowing with pleasure.
Indeed, Shidou’s idea was not necessarily wrong. It was meaningless to carry out a surprise attack against Westcott, who knew each Angel’s function. Then, the most simple and optimal solution would be to land a decisive blow of strength that can annihilate any defense. In fact, in Westcott’s hands, there was no card that could defend against this hit.
However—
“—The meaning of knowing, I wonder if you are still looking down on that.”
At that moment, Westcott, murmured such—
“Otou-samaaaaa!”
Several of the surrounding <Nibelcol> gathered to protect Westcott.
Of course, not even the pseudo-Spirit <Nibelcol> could stand the strongest blow from this Angel. The <Nibelcol> that touched < Halvanhelev> turned in particles of light in a flash.
However, the power of the <Nibelcol> lied in their numbers. As long as there was <Beelzebub>, they could resurrect no matter how many times they died. The large number of <Nibelcol> continued to form heavy barriers around Westcott.
In addition—Westcott was “ aware”.
The time of release when <Princess> delivered this attack.
The huge attack range.
The duration to maintain maximum power.
“Fu—”
As the <Nibelcol> were soaking in the blow, Westcott escaped to the left by relying on the hands of another <Nibelcol>.
Of course, it was impossible to escape perfectly without injury. The enormous reiryoku burned Westcott’s hands and feet as he was escaping.
However—Westcott had survived.
And in his hands, there was still <Beelzebub>.
—Over time, the violent power of this reiryoku will disappear.
“Fu……hahahahahahahaha!”
Westcott laughed.
There were no more techniques left in Itsuka Shidou’s arsenal.
There was no doubt that the victor for the power of the Spirits was Westcott.
But—
“………………Ah, I knew if it was you, you would have avoided it.”
“—?”
Shidou’s voice echoed from the other side of the smoke, causing Westcott to slightly move his eyebrows in response.
“—Certainly, with <Beelzebub>’s power in your hand, the first thing you would want to investigate are the powers of the Angels. I didn’t really master what I just used; it’s just temporarily borrowed strength—but.”
The wind blew as the smoke and dust cleared.
There stood Shidou’s figure, linking both of his hands together by the wrist.
“Do you know about this? Have you investigated it yet? Hey, Mr. Omniscient Westcott………!”
With a scream, he spun out his words while still focusing on Westcott.
“— Shun— Sen”
“What ……?”
Hearing those words, Westcott slightly frowned.
A language he had never heard of before. Was it the name of an Angel? Mantra?
Magic? Spell? Or—
“— Gou — Baku —”
A moment of confusion.
While examining over the entire possible enemy powers that Westcott was aware of being able to be used in the instance of a chance opportunity.
Shidou opened his eyes in fury as he extended his hands forward.
“— Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ————!!”
At that moment.
“Wha—”
A torrent of reiryoku.
A completely unknown attack—swallowed Westcott, who was already exhausted from <Halvanhelev>.
“——”
As that power left his body, just like a thread that snapped, Shidou collapsed on the spot.
“Darling!”
“S-shido……!”
From behind, he heard a voice calling out his name. Then, his body was gently picked up.
“Ah……Miku, Natsumi, sorry……I might have……overworked a bit……”
“That’s an understatement! You’re covered in injuries from head to toe!”
Miku said with tears in her eyes. Her voice must have been mixed with the reiryoku from <Gabriel>. Gradually, the pain and suffering from his entire body began to relax.
“Thank you……I’m okay now.”
“Ah, Darling!”
“Wait…are you really okay?”
Shidou stood up with some support from Miku and Natsumi’s hands. With faint footsteps, he traversed through the destroyed ground.
Soon after—he found a third of <Beelzebub> remaining and Westcott lying on the rubble. The black suit covering his body was already ragged; blood was leaking everywhere as his entire body was filled with scars.
“……Oh.”
Westcott blinked as if the pain had not caught up to him, his eyes turning attention to Shidou.
“It appears I’ve lost. So this is the endpoint. Hmm……how unexpectedly boring.”
“……You—
Seeing the image of the other side, the feeling of buried feelings seemed to reignite in Shidou’s mind.
As of now, Westcott had no ability to resist. If Shidou struck with an Angel now, it would be possible to stop his breathing immediately.
That moment, he recognized it. The anger of Takamiya Shinji had come out again.
The hatred of loved ones being hurt, the grudge of his sister being kidnapped—and also the regret of being killed.
The memories of Takamiya Shinji resurfacing in Shidou’s mind allowed him to display the maximum amount of murderous intent to the person in front of him.
“…………”
As if moved by his other self, he gradually raised his right hand.
Without a word, an Angel manifested in his hand.
“! Darling!”
“Shidou……!”
Perhaps noticing Shidou’s actions, Miku and Natsumi raised their voices together.
However—it was too late. Shidou’s hand had already swiftly swung down.
—Facing <Beelzebub>, which was right next to Westcott.
“……<Michael> —<Segva>.”
Turning the Angel—<Michael>, that was in his hands.
The next moment, the reiryoku residing in <Beelzebub> subsided and the innumerable pages scattered around disappeared into particles of light.
With this, the power of <Beelzebub> had been temporarily sealed. It can be said that Westcott had lost all of his fighting power.
Looking at this scene, Miku and Natsumi let out a relieved sigh.
“Really……I was really surprised.”
“……Yeah, I thought you were going to kill him.”
Hearing the voices of these two, Shidou let out a soft sigh.
“…Yes, I do want to kill him. In fact, from the last blow, I thought to myself it couldn’t be helped if he dies while firing it.”
“The last……”
“Ah, that flash……”
Shidou coughed a few times before continuing.
“I don’t know what to say……but this is definitely a waste of time. I don’t want to be the same as that guy. That’s all……sorry everyone.”
“Darling……”
“……Well, I hope that this can be enough.”
Hearing what Shidou had said, the two of them nodded in affirmation.
Then, Westcott let out a small breath.
“Is that okay? I don’t think there will be a second chance.”
“How noisy, the loser shouldn’t make irresponsible remarks.”
“Haha, the way you talk is similar to Elliot……unfortunately, I was quite interested in the feeling of death—”
—At that instant.
Westcott stopped talking.
No—it would be better to say that he couldn’t speak.
In the blink of an eye, the world transformed into a monochrome hue—from Westcott’s chest, a Sephira Crystal emerged emitting a faint gray light.
“What……!?”
As his eyes were startled with astonishment, Shidou quickly surveyed the surroundings.
The scenery was obviously abnormal. The endless ruins had changed into a geometric space comprising of black and white.
“Eh……?”
“Ah—”
From behind, Miku and Natsumi’s voices echoed.
For a moment, he thought that they were also surprised by the sudden shift in the world—but that wasn’t it.
He soon noticed it.
Something resembling a band of light grew from the ground and pierced Miku and Natsumi’s chests in a straight line.
“……!? M-miku, Natsumi……!?”
As Shidou screamed in dismay, brilliant Sephira Crystals emerged from their chest—floating midair to Westcott before flying into the sky.
Miku and Natsumi fell to the ground like a thread-cut doll.
“H-hey, what happened you two……”
While trying to stir the two of them awake, Shidou was left half-speechless.
The reason was simple. Since two people whom he was just talking to until a few seconds ago—had just turned into speechless corpses.
“T-this, what happened……!”
“—Shin.”
Then, as if to answer to Shidou’s confusion.
A girl appeared from the darkness.
“……! Mio—”
That’s right. Takamiya Mio, a Spirit wearing a pristine Astral Dress, had unexpectedly appeared here.
To be precise, it can be said that her attire was slightly different than before.
While only one was lit up previously, now all ten stars behind her were shining brightly.
“…………”
The worst case scenario passed his mind. But he couldn’t help but still ask. The words spilled out while he was suppressing the urge to vomit.
“E-everyone……”
“…………”
Following Shidou’s words, Mio slowly raised her hand.
Then, each beautiful Sephira Crystal appeared from the ten shining stars on her back.
“What—?”
The feeling of sadness. Having seen what just happened to Miku and Natsumi, Shidou could understand what happened.
In other words, the Spirits—were all dead.
“A-ah……”
—He didn’t make it in time.
Shidou felt his throat trembling in a semi-unconscious state.
Grasping the situation, despair invaded his mind and eroded his body. It infiltrated his field of vision, causing even his fingertips to tremble. It was difficult to even stand up.
“—Preparations are complete.”
However, in contrast to Shidou, Mio spoke out in a quiet voice.
“Let’s be together forever—Shin.”
“……What on earth is that different space?”
The <Ratatoskr> aerial warship <Ulmus> was floating the in the skies above Tenguu City, which had already transformed into a battlefield.
On the bridge, the chairperson of the Round Table, Karen Mathers let out a calm but also somewhat anxious voice.
But it was no wonder after all. Even amidst the fierce battle, suddenly the probe detected a spiritual wave response from the Spirit of Origin.
Immediately afterwards, the mysterious Angel appeared and was followed by that strange space. From the surroundings where that occurred, whether it was enemy Wizards, automatic dolls, or even airships like their flagship <Lemegeton>, all response reactions had disappeared.
Looking at this alone, although it was irregular, <Ratatoskr> had won.
However, the situation was not that simple.
That’s right. The response of Itsuka Shidou, the key point of <Ratatoskr> had also disappeared. Even their own flagship <Fraxinus> sank in front of that Angel.
The abnormal battlefield was akin to a king being absent on the chessboard.
Right now, DEM was also caught in situation of uncertainty. Well, even if they knew Westcott had been defeated, it was not impossible for them to seek out revenge—but compared to that, it was a simple action to continue fighting the enemy in front of themselves.
However, as far as Karen was concerned, both sides were undoubtedly caught in a panic. This would only add further fatigue to both sides. While getting a grip on the current situation, Karen attempted to analyze the foreign space while the battlefield was still inert.
However, the more investigation spent, the more difficult it was to understand.
Although it was understood that the barrier-like space was formed with the Angel as its core, the attributes of reiryoku comprising it were constantly changing ever so slightly. Just by turning away for one second, it would transform into something completely different.
Although the size difference was comparable of an elephant to an ant, it resembled a Wizard’s Voluntary Territory—
“—No way, the neighboring world—?”
As Karen said that, a crew member sitting by a nearby seat suddenly raised his voice.
“This is—”
“What happened?”
“Y-yes. I’ve picked up the single from the autonomous camera injected by <Fraxinus> to investigate the different space from the outside……there are objects there resembling the Spirits’ bodies……”
“What did you say?”
Karen frowned as she peaked into the crew member’s personal display.
Indeed, as he said, there were several Spirits collapsed on the ground. Among them included <Fraxinus>’s captain, Itsuka Kotori.
“Ku.”
A small frustrated sigh leaked out from her.
It had already been confirmed that Tokisaki Kurumi and the Yamai sisters had been killed by the Spirit of Origin. But to think in such a short amount of time—
“……Wait a minute, are this all of the visuals?”
“Yes, at least all that we have right now.”
“…………”
In response to the crew member’s retort, Karen placed her hand against her chin.
It might have just been a mistake. Or perhaps that person did not encounter the Spirit of Origin yet.
But certainly—when determining the number of corpses displayed on the visual, there was one person missing from the number of Spirits that had entered the different space.
—Slowly, slowly swaying back and forth —Quickly, quickly turning around.
It was a space where one couldn’t tell where was up or down. The sensation of swimming in lukewarm water, the invasive feeling of being sucked into darkness, it was a mysterious state of coexistence.
No—it wasn’t just the orientation of this space.
There was the feeling of a lack of ownership in one’s own body. A sense of incompatibility where the slightest hint of carelessness would cause a person’s hands and feet to dissolve into this world.
A feeling horrid but also a sweet temptation. The sort of pleasure of being unable to resist going to sleep. Even while knowing that one’s consciousness would fade away at the slightest hint of negligence.
(……Uha……)
However, something painful within the depth of Tohka’s head rejected it—
—Useless, useless, completely pointless.
Falling asleep here would mean everything would be over and she would never be able to wake up again.
But, as if aware of that, the feeling of drowsiness caught Tohka’s consciousness and would not let go. A gentle demonic beckoning that gradually erode Tohka’s ego—
(—Do you want to sleep? Well, that’s fine too I guess.)
At that instant.
From such a place, a voice echoed. Tohka forced her eyes wide open.
(……—)
The sleepiness attacking her consciousness suddenly vanished as her mind became clear. Sensation returned to her hands and feet that were melting away into the space.
But on the contrary, this awakening only severed to highlight the peculiarity of this space.
Looking around, where this was—no, she didn’t even know what this was.
As far as she could see, there was a vast emptiness in this strange place. If she were to compare it to something, it was like how she would wake up in the world after a spacequake.
—But, there was a certain intelligence here. While barely able to control her body in an irritated manner, Tohka moved towards the direction of where the voice originated.
(Wha……)
Seeing the girl that was there, Tohka widened her eyes in alarm.
Hair flowing with the color of night.
Her crystal eyes quietly looking onward.
That’s right. The girl here—had the exact same face as Tohka.
(Y-you, who are you……)
As Tohka asked in surprised, the girl replied back with huff from her nose.
(Name, there’s no such thing. —If you really dare to ask, I am you.)
(Me……?)
Hearing the girl’s answer only made Tohka even more confused.
But it was undeniable that she couldn’t laugh off what the girl had said as a joke. To say it to someone else, the girl looked identical to Tohka. Comparatively, it would be easier to spot differences between the Yamai sisters.
(What the hell is going on……is this a dream?)
(A dream. Hmm, that’s not too far from the truth. The difference is between either your head or that woman’s.)
(That woman—?)
As she heard that, Tohka felt a twitch reach her shoulders.
From that single word, the memories came back one after the other.
That’s right. Tohka and the other Spirits had all been fighting Mio—and then defeated.
(Everyone……where is everyone else!? If I am here, does that mean everyone is here too!?)
Tohka spoke while looking around again. Like Tohka, the other Spirits should have had their Sephira Crystals absorbed into Mio. If Tohka—or at least her consciousness— was here, then the other Spirits should be here as well.
Then, Tohka noticed that her question was insufficient. Since that girl had the same appearance as Tohka and knew things that Tohka herself lacked. As a result, she automatically thought that the other person could infer from what she had asked.
“Ah, everyone means—”
(Are you asking about the other Spirits?)
(! Do you know!?)
As Tohka’s eyes shot up, the girl let out a small exhaled breath.
(—Since from the previous awakening, I’ve occasionally borrowed your eyes to view the world.)
(Mun……? Eyes……?)
Not understanding the meaning of the girl’s words, Tohka slightly slanted her head.
However, the girl shook her head, noticing that Tohka did not understand, she replied back to the previous question.
(The only thing here is you. The other Spirits were deprived of their Sephira Crystals by that woman and died as human beings. Only the Sephira Crystals are inside that woman.)
(……)
Hearing what the girl had said, Tohka held her breath.
The realization that everyone died struck Tohka again. She had witnessed it, through Mio’s hands, the sight of everyone falling on the cold ground.
But by being told that again, Tohka remembered the feeling of her heart being crushed.
However, she then noticed another uncomfortable feeling from listening to what the girl had said. Tohka frowned as she asked.
(As humans? What does that mean? Certainly, Origami and Kotori and the others are former humans, but aren’t the other Spirits……Yoshino, Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Natsumi all the same type of Spirit as myself?)
(No, the existences called Spirits outside of that woman are all humans who were given Sephira Crystals—with one exception. Those you mentioned before were turned into Spirits ten years ago and lost their memories of their time as humans.)
(What—)
Tohka couldn’t help but stare in open shock.
The Spirits—all human beings.
She had remembered Nia saying something similar in the past, but it was unclear if it was true or not. After all, Tohka did not have any memory of when she was a human, so there was no way to feel that sense of reality.
However, if that girl’s words ran true, there was one strange point.
(Then……why am I alive? Shouldn’t I be just like the others!?)
That’s right, just like everyone else; Tohka had also been pierced in the chest by Mio.
Then, Tohka should have died as a human being just like the others.
(That is because—)
The girl narrowed her eyes and opened her lips as she briefly said something.
(—!)
Listening to that, Tohka’s eyes shot up again.
However—she immediately closed her lips and clenched her fists.
(……Hmm?)
The girl’s eyebrows slightly moved.
(I thought you would be confused. I didn’t expect you to accept it so soon.)
(……Mun, no, I am confused. But……if that is true, I am grateful for that fact.)
(How……?)
As the girl looked on in interested, Tohka raised her face with a resolute light shining in her expression.
(—I am still alive. And because I am alive—I can still fight.)
As Tohka finished, the girl expressed her understanding.
(I see. —But the opponent is our mother. Assuming you can fight, you must first create a surprise. If possible, make the most of the few minutes you have. At worst we will die again. No…… This time that woman will not make mistakes anymore. We will definitely disappear without any consciousness or debris left.)
The girl spoke out in a threatening tone.
However, Tohka shook her head without any hesitation.
(—It’s fine. If it can last for a few minutes, it is definitely enough for Shido to run away. I cannot think of any other solution to this situation. —Little hope like this is enough for me to bet my life.)
(Hey. But if you die, that means I die as well. Because I am you.)
(Wha…is that the case? That’s a bit…um……sorry……but do you not want me to fight?)
(Oh? Why do you think so?)
The girl slightly tilted her head while asking back. Tohka looked directly at her while replying.
(—Because you called out to me.)
(—)
Looking at Tohka, the girl’s eyebrows finally wavered—she couldn’t help but laugh.
(Fuhaha, that’s right……ahh, that’s right.)
Looking at that girl’s face, Tohka felt a strange feeling while watching her laugh.
As the girl laughed, she spread out her hands and embraced Tohka’s shoulders.
(—If so then, you should go me. Until satisfied, do whatever you want.)
(……… Umu. Thanks, me.)
With a small smile, the girl separated from Tohka and pushed her back.
“Deceiving……others……”
As those words leaked from Shidou’s mouth, his knees fell down from the pressure.
“……Ah……”
Only barely conscious, Shidou let out a powerless sigh.
At that moment, a shadow fell onto his line of sight —In the blink of an eye, Mio had appeared in front of Shidou.
“……Shin.”
With a lovely but also sad voice, Mio gently stroked Shidou’s cheeks.
“……Sorry. I didn’t want to make you sad though.”
But, Mio continued on.
“It’ll be okay. Soon—that sorrow will disappear. Since from the beginning, Shin did not know any Spirit other than me. This sin belongs only to myself. So Shin never needs to blame himself.”
“I am……”
With a sound comparable to a mosquito, Shidou looked on at Mio.
—To the excessively divine radiance of a girl who resembled a goddess.
A moment ago, Shidou was still thinking that he had to stop her. He did not want the memory of “Shidou” to be erased, the loss of the accumulation of the life he lived up to the present. He had decided strongly in his mind to survive with everyone.
But now, it was pointless no matter what happened.
Even if he escaped from Mio, where would he go?
The Spirits waiting for his return were no longer here.
“…………”
—If it meant being free from this despair, it would be easier to choose to hand over everything to Mio.
Shidou understood that it was the worst possible idea, but perhaps due to the lingering influence of “Shin” in his mind, he couldn’t stop thinking that idea.
“……Shin.”
Mio gently touched Shidou’s forehead.
“Ah……”
Shidou……couldn’t shake that hand away.
Although his body had long since gone past its limit, his heart had already lost the energy to resist anymore.
“Un—”
Mio narrowed her eyes as she injected strength into her hand.
(—)
As time passed, Shidou’s consciousness began to blur.
(—dou—)
There was no pain. Rather, it was gentle feeling of falling asleep under a spring breeze.
(—Shidou—)
Ah, so this is what death feels like—
“Shidou!!”
—And then
“……!?”
He suddenly heard someone shout out his name—Shidou quickly opened his eyes.
For a moment, Shidou suspected it was an auditory hallucination.
However, his eyes helped reject his doubt.
“What—”
“……What?”
As Shidou held his breath, Mio also slightly distorted her eyebrows up.
But that was to be expected. Among the ten stars behind Mio, one of them had cracked.
“——Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The next moment.
A part of Mio’s Astral Dress seemed to be breaking from the inside-out —from there, Tohka emerged with <Sandalphon> in her hands.
Tohka grabbed Shidou’s neck, leaping a great distance to separate him from Mio’s grasp.
“Shidou! Are you okay!?”
“Tohka……!?”
“Nothing is over yet. —Come, stand up Shidou!”
Tohka gave a powerful nod as Shidou’s voice was filled with shock.
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