○And So, Disaster Arrives
……First of all, what was her existence like?
She was born due to the malice of the White Queen and Summoner, with the purpose to bring chaos and also catastrophe to the Fifth Region Gevurah.
She has no heart──there are only the impulses driving her towards her purpose.
She has no thoughts──but even without such a thing; she possessed an excessive amount of despair-like power.
She has no hopes──the only purpose she had was to destroy.
The template was perfect. The imitation of appearance was almost perfect. But they couldn’t put in a soul. That was considered unnecessary and Summoner didn’t know how to put in a soul in the first place.
Therefore, she was the perfect combat machine, and at the same time the incarnation of disaster.
……Quasi-Spirits who had seen her had long since disappeared from the Neighboring World. No active Dominion knew anything about her. Even Kagarike Haraka, who found it necessary to pursue her, thought to the extent that ‘she could be understood as an exaggerated landmine, a landmine whose destructive powers no one would want to guess’.
From the Tenth Region Malkuth to the Ninth Region Yesod, from the Ninth Region Yesod to the Sixth Region Tiphereth, from the Sixth Region Tiphereth to the Fifth Region Gevurah.
“Fast!”
Kagarike Haraka risked her life being hot on that person’s heels, being separated by that tremendous momentum. She barely got by through using her tracking talisman (She sealed Reiryoku in those talismans. Haraka can use them in a wide variety of ways to fight) which made her whereabouts known.
She was flying at a tremendous speed, but stopped moving shortly after reaching that area.
“The Fifth Region Gevurah……”
Haraka realized that her own region of governance was that girl’s goal.
Over there was her disciple (sister), Tsuan. Fighting together with her and the other combat-type Quasi-Spirits, they have to seal her somehow.
“……How many people will die……”
That discouragement leaked out like a whisper. Will die. Will definitely die. No, she wasn’t even sure they could win in the first place. How many people including herself would survive──
“But why was there such a thing?”
The Tenth Region Malkuth was in a quiet state. After Doll Master was defeated by Tokisaki Kurumi, the killings became sporadic and the governing was proceeding smoothly with Kagarike Haraka’s arrival.
Since the difference in ability against Haraka was clear, Haraka was able to do her best without killing her opponents.
What suddenly appeared, the black lump just a moment ago──had now taken the form of a girl and was heading for the Fifth Region Gevurah at a tremendous speed. Even when recalling that, there were no omens of that black lump appearing at all.
“Connected to the White Queen……”
That must be it. She might be her new game piece. But──
Her thoughts kept spinning and spinning as if wandering in a labyrinth without an exit.
Temporarily, Haraka cut off these thoughts and devoted herself to catching up with her.
Upon arriving at the Fifth Region Gevurah, she suddenly started to descend. She hoped that the landing had occurred on the empty grassland, but silently the surface of the ground had been lopped off.
“……Ha?”
With just a single swing, the ground had collapsed. Haraka was left stunned by a blow that could destroy the entire world. And rather than assume a landing position, she plunged head first into the ground.
“Here is…………no way…………”
The Fifth Dungeon Elohim Gibor. The most difficult dungeon where the White Queen’s army was currently stationed.
“……As expected, were you called to here?”
Haraka communicated to her subordinates through a talisman that she will be rushing into the Fifth Dungeon after this. Having decided to prepare her resolve as a single person, she jumped into the pre-made hole.
◇
“Finally! It’s the Tenth Floor, hyah!”
Hibiki festively started twirling around. Kurumi sighed while lightly striking her head.
“Ouch. What was that for?”
“You’re being too careless. Be a bit more careful──”
“But there aren’t any monsters coming out, right? And there’s that. Isn’t there a pattern for the final floor to be dedicated to bosses and nothing else?”
“Perhaps, but don’t lose focus.”
“Okay.”
Unlike the long corridor of the Ninth Floor, the staircase descending down to the Tenth Floor led to a very spacious room. There is iron doors organized on both walls. Likely, Kurumi and the others guessed that the huge iron door in front of the stairs probably led to the boss’s room.
“What should we do? How shall we proceed?”
Hearing what Tsuan said, Ariadne and Kurumi turned to look at each other.
“I feel like there is something──”
“The enemy may be waiting.”
“Then here is a suggestion. Let’s open one of them up and see what happens. If there are enemies, the one straight ahead seems to be the boss room. If there is something interesting, let’s open the one on the side.”
With no opposition against Hibiki’s proposal, they decided to open the door on the left. For the time being, Hibiki touched the door and tried to sense any signs of a trap or the enemy.
“……There are no signs of traps. But I can’t do anything about if something like ‘Stealth’ or ‘Invisible’ was used. Kurumi-san, can you feel anything?”
“I don’t have that type of sensing skill, but……well, let’s see. If I were to guess through intuition……there doesn’t seem to be anything alive there.”
As Kurumi spoke while touching the door, everyone else nodded.
“Well, I would trust Kurumi-san’s intuition more than my own skill. Let’s open it!”
The door opened. Looking inside, one person felt discouraged, the second person didn’t particularly feel anything, the third person groaned, and the last person──
“Leave this to me.”
She started running without hesitation. In the middle of the room was a black prism. That is to say a surplus memory that appeared during the Compile.
And there was a high possibility that within that prism, memories of a certain boy will appear……!
“Kurumi-san, here is still the Tenth Floor!”
“What’s with her now?”
“W-Who knows……?”
With those two confused, Hibiki in a panic, Kurumi didn’t hesitate to leave those three behind to touch that prism.
Immediately, an overwhelming amount of information attacked her──
◇
Flames, explosions wrapped around the surroundings.
No matter where you looked or went, there was hellfire. And for some reason, I took on the form of a little girl.
A low point of view, left and right arms moving continuously, something warm was flowing from my eyes and wouldn’t stop.
It wasn’t my intention to move my body. If anything, this was a dream-like state where she couldn’t move. This body was moving as this child wants.
The feelings of this child were being keenly transmitted. I want help, I want to be saved, I want someone to be by my side.
Pure, simple, and the greatest challenge at the moment.
But, this girl knows just like how I am convinced. It is okay, it will be okay.
──I know. I know there is a hero who will come to me at time like this.
──I know. Even if that person can’t do anything, I know he can’t help running over here when hearing a cry for help.
“■■!”
“■■■■■!”
Noise. Not understanding that name. Not recognizing that face. Every time this always hurts a little. It grew to be a small worry.
Aah──that person is coming here.
A little different than usual……no, he looked surprisingly young. But still, none of that disposition had been lost.
That youth earnestly ran, running, not discouraged from tumbling over, he persisted in running over here──
Ah, I understand. I understand.
How long did this little child yearn for him. How long did she believe in him.
It was easy to understand the pain reaching her chest.
Something that everyone else wouldn’t know, as if her chest was tightening……a feeling that was both sorrowful and joyful feeling for her heart.
◇
“Satisfaction……I feel satisfied……”
Kurumi was intoxicated, coming back with a look resembling a maiden in love.
This was familiar to Hibiki, but Tsuan and Ariadne looked shocked seeing this.
“For the time being, here is in close proximity to the enemy’s main team……just how long were you satisfied by it……”
Hibiki inquired as if astonished.
“No, that moment lasted for less than five minutes. However, it was a memory of that person. That person trying desperately to help that girl──it was such a natural moment. Truly, truly, it was wonderful……”
“Eh, um, um, uhh………………you are Tokisaki Kurumi, right?”
As Tsuan was almost too scared to ask, Kurumi slanted her head and responded back.
“What are you saying, Tsuan-san? Have you hit your head?”
“I see, you are Tokisaki Kurumi……”
“Haha……that usual boy huh? ……The one rumored to be in the other world.”
“No, he has to be. He’s definitely there.”
“Well, that does seem to satisfy Quasi-Spirits perfectly. That memory.”
“Have you seen it before Ariadne-san?”
“I try not to experience it. If the memory goes poorly, I might want to try to go back over there. After all, isn’t that not permissible?”
“Uhh……why isn’t it allowed?”
That question suddenly came out of Kurumi’s mouth. Immediately, regret rushed to her chest. Hibiki definitely thought that this question shouldn’t have been asked.
And so, Ariadne gently replied, with a strange but compelling force.
“I don’t think the dead should return to the world of the living.”
──With those words, Kurumi subconsciously clutched her chest.
There were countless points that could be argued. For example, she didn’t have any memories of dying. For example, since the First Region Keter is still a complete unknown, there may be something obtained when going there. For example, if they were dead, it wouldn’t explain how they were alive right now.
However, trying to refute that would deepen this discussion further.
For herself, there was the feeling of not wanting to reach a hopeless conclusion.
“I don’t feel dead. Even if dead, I’ve definitely been resurrected. ……Well, I don’t want to go to the other world anyway.”
Tsuan spoke while catching a glimpse of Kurumi’s face from the side.
Kurumi lowered her head slightly, looking as if trying to endure something with her utmost effort.
A feeling of shock surpassing shock. Rather than pain, huge emotions were being poured into Tsuan’s heart. As Ariadne turned her line of sight to Tsuan and Kurumi, Tsuan calmly announced.
“Tokisaki Kurumi wants to go back to the other world.”
“Hmm……that would be nice if you could go.”
“Ah, does that mean Ariadne-san is giving her support?”
Ariadne replied with a carefree smile.
“Of course I will support you. After the White Queen is surely defeated, as much as needed.”
“Don’t worry. I will definitely defeat the White Queen.”
It was a strange atmosphere. They both smiled and trusted each other’s words. But this sense of tension wouldn’t break.
As if, it wouldn’t be strange if they starting killing each other within a second, that sort of indication rising.
(Eh, why? What’s going on? Weren’t you just talking normally?)
As Hibiki was left bewildered and outside this conversation, both Kurumi and Ariadne understood each other enough to figure why this was happening.
Kurumi discovered a lie in Ariadne’s statement of ‘offering support after victory’──Ariadne found a lie in Kurumi’s statement of surely defeating the White Queen.
However, there was a difference in the lies that they had each said.
Ariadne’s lie stood in a fixed position, while Kurumi’s lie was a lie that could be potentially impossible. In short, Ariadne wasn’t planning on offering support at all. If possible, she would try to stop Kurumi from returning to reality even if it meant dying──
That was the consequence for this lie.
On the other hand, Kurumi’s lie──the lie of surely defeating the White Queen. It wasn’t as if she was going to stop her to attempt defeating her, and choosing submission and reconciliation were impossible. However, there was the possibility of simply being overwhelmed in the difference of their abilities──such was her lie.
Therefore, even if there were signs of murderous intent, there will be no further change. Both were still at a hypothetical stage.
But still, that meant the killing intent permeating in this space wouldn’t change either.
“Both of you. Rather than this, let’s proceed to the next room.”
Suddenly, Tsuan shattered this mood.
“Eh, what’s with this air, Tsuan-san?”
“It doesn’t matter if you breathe in this air.”
“No, that’s not it. In this case, the air has a different meaning.”
(TL Note: 空気 can mean air or mood)
Tsuan held no particular interest for any murderous intent that wasn’t directed at herself, let alone trying to understand the type between Kurumi and Ariadne.
“Compared to that, I want to see Tokisaki Kurumi’s face again!”
Unusually, Tsuan raised her voice.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Hoho.”
Ariadne was impressed by how the killing intent vanished just like mist. Whether intentional or not, Tsuan simply destroyed the mood that was clinging onto this scene.
Tsuan grasped both of the hands of the now bewildered Kurumi.
“Indeed I understand. This is Tokisaki Kurumi’s love. It’s not the same shape as my love, but your expression is interesting, amusing, enjoyable, and most of all beautiful and exciting. So show it off more often.”
Tsuan’s eyes were full of expectations.
“Ha, aah……eh, uhh……Hibiki-san, what should I do?”
“One thing after the other. ……I have no choice, but to look the other way.”
Not good, Hibiki thought she had to be a little blunt or else her words would turn bitter. Tsuan had said that the figure of Kurumi in love was beautiful.
──What an innocent evaluation.
It was an evaluation Hibiki could never do again. Hibiki suppressed the complex feelings and irritation to scream by taking a deep internal breath.
“Okay, let’s proceed! After all, this is an important person for Kurumi-san. From a scale of 1 to 10, I need to know!”
“To Hibiki-san……right now……”
“Well, of course, I wasn’t sure if there were any other rooms. Considering this orderly arrangement up until now, I was wondering if there could be another room as well.”
“But the boss is already in front……”
“This is more fantasy than reality!”
“……For a moment, I felt tricked, but shouldn’t a boss be considered more fantasy than reality?”
“I was wondering if I had to say it myself. But since of course Kurumi-san rushed in here, you do wish to be a Kurumi-san that gives priority to that person.”
Listening to Hibiki, Kurumi thought it over for a while──and slowly shook her head.
“Huh? Isn’t that okay?”
“Not good at all. However, I thought it would be nice to take in that memory and calmly experience it after defeating the boss. Greedy, 100% selfish.”
“……Well, even so, Kurumi-san remaining as my Queen would also look nice!”
“Who. Is. What?”
“Uhhh, this pain feels somewhat like being gouged out ouuuuuch!”
It’s been a while since something like this was said to Kurumi. She considered that as she grinded her elbow against Hibiki’s forehead.
“Mu. If so, then this is a matter of needing to defeat the boss first. Then, let’s hurry up and do this quickly.”
“It’ll be nice if it can be done smoothly. Wasn’t the Ninth Floor boss bad enough?”
“Right. ……For the time being, let’s all do a final skill check.”
They checked the available recovery medicine that could be used from the dropped items. While working through a final check of skills, Kurumi looked at the YES/NO display again.
Time Magic──bullet exchange.
Was this really possible and if so could this possibly be reversed afterwards?
……After thinking for a while, she decided to postpone it after all──perhaps thinking to procrastinate this forever.
“What happened?”
“……It’s nothing.”
Kurumi shook her head as she erased the screen for acquiring skills.
“Well, if it’s Kurumi-san, you can handle anything on the Ninth Floor by yourself. Please feel free to tell me if there’s anything that I can do.”
After listening to what Hibiki had said, Kurumi blinked incessantly.
“……That’s right. There are things that I don’t know and I can’t do. ……Of course in these moments, Hibiki-san always fills in for these gaps that I lack.”
“Hah?”
This time it was Hibiki’s turn to start blinking repeatedly. Kurumi looked away, fidgeting with her hair while whispering from her sharpened mouth.
“……I am grateful, that’s what I mean.”
──Kurumi is love-struck.
Hibiki, dealing from the overload of information and euphoria, struggled to prevent her brain from entering a trance and barely managed to keep calm.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask about.”
“Fuah, Fuah. What is it……”
While keeping calm (not really), Hibiki replied back.
“? ……Is there any way to know about skills before acquiring them? Even after tapping ‘?’, it isn’t shown because it can’t be displayed.”
“Hmm……the only pre-acquisition skills that can be understood are the general purpose ones. It seems that Time Magic is too peculiar to see information about Kurumi-san’s skills before acquisition.”
“I would like to ask Hibiki-san who has been in the Neighboring World longer than I have.”
“Yes, yes, what is it!?”
“If I change my ability through this skill──will it only be for the Fifth Region Gevurah? Or will it stay the same for the entire Neighboring World?”
Hibiki was at a loss for words.
“That’s──uhh……”
She didn’t understand. Perhaps none of the Quasi-Spirits in the Neighboring World even considered this challenge. This is because it changes the power of the Unsigned Angel registered as a skill, not a skill acquired in the Fifth Region Gevurah.
……For example. If the state of mind changes significantly, the Unsigned Angel and Astral Dress may change slightly in ability and shape in conjunction with that. Using Hibiki as an example, the moment as Empty she awaken to the mission of defeating Doll Master, a stick with no ability at all had transformed into the Unsigned Angel called <King Killing>.
At the same time, the shape of the stick was changed into a huge claw.
However, this wasn’t the case for this time.
“Acquirably……that would mean……to mutate your ability…… That’s……uhh, is that correct?”
So that Tsuan and Ariadne couldn’t hear this, Hibiki gently pointed to Kurumi’s rifle. After Kurumi confirmed that was the case, Hibiki began to desperately think.
There are two possibilities……no, three.
The first would simply be a final result of ‘such a thing can’t be done’. Kurumi’s <Zafkiel> is a unique peculiarity. Even in the Fifth Region Gevurah, this would be impossible. That would be a very reasonable conclusion.
The second possibility would be that ‘the change only occur in this region and would be undone as soon as leaving for another region’. The Reiryoku of the Fifth Region made innumerable changes, fabricating an immense and precise system. Even for <Zafkiel>, there would be no escaping from this effect. However, if you enter another region, it would uphold another different law of the Neighboring world. By going to another region, the change to <Zafkiel> would disappear.
……That could also be considered valid.
And third, ‘changed skills won’t revert back in the future’. As for the reason why, Kurumi, Hibiki, the Dominions, even this dungeon, everything is woven through Reiryoku. The ultimate topic, even the stones rolling by Hibiki’s feet shared the same raw materials as Hibiki herself. Although in the real world, oxygen and nitrogen are different in their atomic level, they share the standing of being made from Reiryoku in the Neighboring World.
──Especially terrifying. When considering that theory, the third possibility became quite possible.
There were no doubts now about the self-proclaimed Spirit Tokisaki Kurumi. However, even such a girl still followed the system laws of the Neighboring World. She wasn’t immortal and would die if killed.
If that was the case.
“……The notion written by the system message is strange, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, entirely.”
“If so, yes. Likely, the mutation is real──and also not likely a permanent change.”
“……Right, so……”
“Of course, I could still be mistaken though.”
“Thank you very much. I will use that as reference.”
“So……what are you going to do? Are you really going to mutate it?”
“No way. If it doesn’t revert back, it’s too risky.”
“That’s right. The ability of <Zafkiel> is outrageous.”
Hibiki recalled the various abilities. Accelerating and deaccelerating time, aging, rewinding, using something resembling telepathy, and even the possibility to spawn clones.
Kurumi responded to the words of praise with an unusual silence.
Certainly, the power of <Zafkiel> is overwhelming when compared to Unsigned Angels. However, it isn’t without its weaknesses. It lacks direct destructive power or the ability to perform an all-out collective attack. (Describing the latter means attacking with all of the clones created by the Eighth Bullet <Het>.)
However, Tokisaki Kurumi fully understood her complicated ability. On top of that, she continued to survive and defeat all sort of difficult enemies.
Kurumi had convinced herself──what achieved victory in the Neighboring World wasn’t just only the power of <Zafkiel>, but rather her desperate drive to continue surviving.
Kurumi trusted in the hypothesis submitted by Hibiki and made her decision.
“……Now, shall we go. This is the last boss fight.”
“Yes, let’s do our best!”
──In conclusion, Summoner, the subordinate of the White Queen in the Tenth Floor, didn’t fight against Kurumi’s group. However, even if she did fight, it would have been an instant kill.
Summoner couldn’t even defeat the monsters on the First Floor of the Fifth Dungeon. However,
Summoner’s distinct characteristic meant never having to be opposed by monsters. With the ‘Dungeon Master’ skill, she held power and ownership of this dungeon just like a Dominion, having free control over the monster popping out.
Still, that wasn’t what Summoner had thought──how honorable it would be to die from the hands of Tokisaki Kurumi.
A nightmarish existence that held the same power and skill as the White Queen.
She wished she could fight and win, but also had no regrets losing. The joker had already been called upon.
That trump card would prove the worst for her. The moment Summoner tried to give an order; she arrived at the dungeon, destroying with a thunderous roar──
“Huh?”
She considered herself dead. That girl arrived and glanced at Summoner.
Inhuman, emotionless, pierced by eyes with tremendous emptiness, there was a shockwave that crushed and twisted her soul into pieces.
“Ka, ha……!”
Summoner opened her mouth but couldn’t speak. As it should stand, too different, the strength of her existence was too different; the rank of their species was too different.
……If telling of another mistake made by her, then it must be trying to move here. She was staggering, carelessly just now──lightly bumping into the one that visitor.
“Ah.”
Squashed, there was the sound of everything breaking into pieces.
◇
Once upon a time, the primordial Neighboring World was dominated by Spirits. This wasn’t a rule of power but rather a rule of just a phenomenon.
It was a storm. It was thunder. It was pure energy. It was destruction. With neither ill nor good will, there were no intentions that could be sensed by people.
Lying down frightened, they would pray each time as they looked up to the sky. That was the only possible option for Quasi-Spirits at the time, and that was also pointless.
Times have changed.
Spirits have disappeared. Quasi-Spirits have prospered. The swirling Reiryoku expanded the extending Neighboring World, producing a single world. However, a deep fear still lurked somewhere in the hearts of the Quasi-Spirits.
Returning everything to nothing──the monster’s second coming.
This has now been fulfilled by the nameless Summoner.
The return of the Spirits, the triumphant return of disaster, a literal nightmare has emerged on the Tenth Floor of the Fifth Dungeon in the Fifth Region Gevurah.
“Hiyah! W-W-W-What is this!?”
From the tremors and terrifying roar, Hibiki raised a scream. Tsuan’s eyebrows slightly twitched as she frowned. Ariadne glared at the gate to the Tenth Floor with a cold look like prey being hunted.
“W-What on earth is happening?”
“Unless something is happening, I can’t explain this sound.”
“……Proceed?”
Ariadne turned to Kurumi. Hibiki and Tsuan as well, all three of them thought that naturally Kurumi would be the one to open the door.
However, Kurumi carelessly forgot about holding onto <Zafkiel>, embracing herself with both hands. Her body was slightly shaking.
“Kurumi, san?”
Only Kurumi noticed it. If they open the door, the worst hell awaited them there. Seeing this wasn’t a trivial matter for her, Tsuan and the others also stopped trying to open the door.
“……Escape……”
Those words only traveled so far. Swish, a faint sound. Tsuan, with her back turned from the door, felt a cold and chilly wind.
But, this was a slash.
In that moment, Tsuan was fortunate that she stopped to think over about Kurumi’s current state. One step further and she would have completely disappeared from the world as she tried to open the now sliced apart door.
Tsuan couldn’t turn around.
The moment she turned around, her intuition was whispered that’s when she would die. But she knew there was something behind. So, she had to turn around──but her body was refusing to listen.
Ariadne also wanted to close her eyes.
There was the contradiction of seeing what she shouldn’t see. Rather than sleeping, her body refused to sleep over what was in front of her.
She would normally get sleepy even during the middle of battles, but this was the first time where it happened from just a confrontation.
Just as before, Kurumi continued to tremble.
Only Hibiki was able to speak and move.
“Please……watch out! Retreat!”
Tsuan, Ariadne, and Kurumi all took a step back in compliance with those words.
“Kurumi-san, do you know what she is?”
“……”
“Kurumi-san!”
Kurumi finally regained her sense of self from that scream.
“Yes, yes. I know it very well. To be more precise, I know the original source for her existence.”
She couldn’t recall her name. But, she knew. Her information was in a sense inscribed at an instinctual level. A consequence of being from the same species.
“She’s a Spirit just like me. Likely an inverted clone. ……Same as me, no, likely more than me……a character that shouldn’t be here.”
Everyone was speechless, gazing at the girl that appeared without saying anything.
A dull jet-black glimmering armor, a dark-colored skirt, transparent glass-like eyes, and a huge sword held in a single hand.
Just about everything was beautiful, insane, and despair-like.
A pure monster serving as a calamity of nihility──was standing on that spot. Girls that were a match for a thousand remained silent at this which could overwhelm the entire Neighboring World.
Barely, Hibiki raised her voice.
“Everyone, behind this person……”
Then, everyone noticed. In the back of the destroyed door, there was a single Empty that had shattered to pieces and was disappearing. Some complex pattern had been drawn onto the floor.
“Is that the summoning team? That means that Empty was the Summoner…… Ah, were they the ones that called forth that? ……How stupid could they be?”
Ariadne whispered in utter shock.
“Is that something one can summon?”
“It may be more correct to say created rather than summoned in this case. Just like with the monsters, but on a much larger scale.”
“I will tell you since I’ve acquired a wide range of magical skills. It’s impossible to call out something like that with summoning magic. ……For this to be feasible, I imagine they must have constructed an absurdly huge battle formation.”
“To what degree would the scale have to be?”
“Hmm……about this entire Region?”
Immediately after Ariadne said that, a loud voice came down from the sky.
“You’re off, Ariadne! The correct answer is the entire Neighboring World!”
A girl suddenly arrived at the bottom floor in a single gulp through a hole drilled into the Fifth Dungeon, gently landing next to Tsuan.
A girl wearing shrine maiden clothes with the chest portion largely exposed. Her unyielding eyes glared with murderous intent, her breathing was rough as if to indicate her fighting spirit.
“……Master!?”
In a rare occurrence, Tsuan cried out while shaking. Master, she called out to Kagarike Haraka, who had a talisman inserted between her fingers.
“There are various things to say, but let me get straight to the point; first of all, that thing. Let me say it clearly. That thing has no soul. It’s like a doll that moves automatically.”
“Doll……I-It’s like that?”
Hibiki muttered while stunned.
“What do you mean it doesn’t have a soul?”
“That thing only has combat ability. It can’t even give commands. It only has the instinct of being a living creature intact.”
“That means……”
“Intercept if harmed. Is that easy to understand? The problem is. An interception could destroy the entire Fifth Region Gevurah.”
An event backing up Haraka’s words then occurred.
A monster that seemed to have popped out from the Ninth Floor suddenly appeared behind the Spirit. It apparently fell down from the hole created by the Spirit.
The monster lacked any fear, bearing its fangs at the Spirit whose instincts were then triggered.
“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■”
A thunderous roar, the sound of a weapon that sliced through the air itself. Hibiki screamed while covering her ears. That monster was torn to pieces and reduced to dust.
At the same time, the aftermath brought further destruction to the back of the room. Haraka sighed in disgust as she informed them.
“As you can see, that thing automatically intercepts whatever tries to attack it. That’s all it can do, but the aftermath is so great that it engulfs everyone else in the end. I can’t leave it alone.”
“……Is that right.”
“So, you are Tokisaki Kurumi. You see any weakness for that?”
“It’s a Spirit because there aren’t any. I imagine now I’ll have to strike with the greatest and fastest firepower at the maximum number of times.”
Despite this frivolous discussion of attacking, they were actually in a desperate situation. She could tell just from looking at that current attack. Very much like a disaster that would kill if ever coming in contact.
“Uh, I mean to withdraw……that won’t do. Yes, yes, I know!”
Hibiki clutched her head as she approached Kurumi’s side.
“What’s wrong? Honestly, I’m speaking while near my wits end.”
“It’s rare for Kurumi-san to say something so weak. I honestly feel similar. ……Is that person really that strong?”
“Spirits are an existence that can’t be expressed through words like weak or strong, Hibiki-san.”
“Ah……well, that’s right……”
A trivial idle chat merely so that Kurumi could make up for power extracted from her shoulders. Take a deep breath──repair her fighting spirit. The hopelessness in front of their eyes forced their willpower to boil and take up the challenge.
On the other hand, Haraka called out to Tsuan.
“Tsuan. I’ll provide support by throwing every one of my buff skills. Or would you like to not get involved after landing a single hit?”
Hearing those words, Tsuan fearlessly smiled while her face was still a little cramped from the panic.
“Master always says something unreasonable each and every time. ……Got it, let’s try it.”
“Ariadne, from that appearance, you look like a Wizard? Please do that as well.”
“Fine.”
“I don’t know what the abilities of the other two are, so I’ll leave it to you.”
“Kuh……this Quasi-Spirit taking control after suddenly jumping in! Well, judging from the flow of the conversation, it seems you are Kagarike Haraka-san!”
“Yes, bullseye!”
“You don’t have to remember, but my name is Higoromo Hibiki! Please remember that this is Tokisaki Kurumi-san!”
Haraka broadly grinned as she began to raise Tsuan’s defense through the support skills.
“Don’t worry, thanks to Tsuan, I remember them perfectly. ……Hmm? Maybe Hibiki is the leader?”
“Huh? W-Well, so far as it goes……”
“I see. Then do your best to keep up with the flow from behind! Once the battle begins, we probably won’t have the time to take care of others!”
“Ha, aaaaah!?”
Hibiki shouted at those words. Being the leader, everything Haraka had said was completely absurd.
Kurumi laughed while tapping her shoulder.
“Don’t you think you should just enjoy yourself, Hibiki-san?”
“Ah……”
Just from those lose words, Hibiki’s pressure suddenly disappeared. From here on out, a scene of carnage where a paper-thin difference means awaiting hell. An unreliable thin sheet was underneath their feet. Any attempts to boast now would mean only to fall down.
“Kurumi-san, thank you very much.”
“Ara. What are you going to do?”
“……I’ll do it. I will perform after Tsuan-san lands a hit and gets crushed into pieces.”
“Hey, Higoromo Hibiki. There are plans for me breaking into pieces?”
“I’m sorry if my words had that design. The game is over if anyone breaks! Everyone, let’s go do our best!”
“Okay……now, I’ll get a head-start!”
Tsuan started dashing forward.
“Ha────!”
She jumped while holding aloft the transforming halberd──<Lailaps>. Perhaps feeling the hostility in this, the Spirit silently brandished her sword. With only the aftermath of the slash, a terrible shock wave attacked Tsuan.
“Tch, ugh……!”
Tsuan’s body couldn’t endure as she retreated. Despite the combination of defensive buffs, there were cracks running along her Astral Dress.
“Not even a direct hit, just a single blow……”
Hibiki muttered in a stunned tone.
“Next, shall I be the one to perform?”
Ariadne raised her hand, but Hibiki rejection the offer.
“That won’t do. Next up is Kurumi-san if you may. ……Just in case, please use the First Bullet <Aleph> on yourself.”
“I hear your orders loud and clear. Now then──”
While accelerating herself with the First Bullet <Aleph>, Kurumi jumped backwards while pulling the trigger on both the rifle and pistol towards the Spirit.
“!”
Silently, the Spirits greatly responded. But rather than dodging, she chose to intercept with her sword.
As the shockwaves of the slash were directed at Kurumi──the accelerated Kurumi avoided it. Ariadne and the others rushed away from Kurumi.
“An additional bullet──The First Bullet <Aleph>.”
Double acceleration. Avoiding the shock waves at a paper-thin difference──and at the same time shooting back. This time there were direct hits. However, the extraordinary strength held in that Spirit’s Astral Dress easily defended against those bullets.
Perhaps it was due to avoiding the shockwaves, or the accumulation of the additional attacks, but the Spirit let out a battle cry towards Kurumi.
“Tsuan-san, ‘War Cry’!”
“……Understood!”
War Cry was a skill that could gather hate. Hibiki didn’t know if it would be effective on a Spirit. However, she considered the possibility of it working to be high.
The Spirit took the bait. Rather than Kurumi, she changed targets to Tsuan. Alright, Hibiki clenched her fist. As expected, the movements of the Spirit counterattacking resembled that of the monsters. As long as Tsuan continued to use War Cry at the right timing, no other attack will be made on the other opponents.
“Tsuan-san, please! Focus on your defense and keep going!”
“Don’t be ridiculous Higoromo Hibiki! But I’ll do it! ‘Defense Devotion’!”
Faced against the Spirit’s attacks, Tsuan countered by setting up <Lailaps> for defense.
Tsuan personally tore through the shockwaves causally swung by that huge sword with her Unsigned Angel.
“These shockwaves can be dealt with through defense……but.”
Perhaps learning that this wasn’t effective, the Spirit took a step forward and came directly with her huge sword.
“Kuu……!”
Raising <Lailaps> overhead, Tsuan swung down to try and parry the blow.
A violent sound, it was just like a bolt of lightning striking down right in front of your eyes.
“Ha, ah……!”
With her face distorted in pain, Tsuan was pushed back in the spacious room.
“Ariadne-san, Haraka-san, trying using debuffs on the Spirit.”
“Okay!”
“Aiyo!”
Ariadne used her threads and Haraka used her talismans as a medium to cast magic that would impart an abnormal status condition on the Spirit.
The Spirit was silent──for a moment she looked at the thin threads tangling around her. Despite being a slow debuff, the Spirit shredded it into pieces without changing her facial expression.
“This is bad, that was useless” ──Haraka lamented.
“If it’s like this……” ──Ariadne sighed.
“Understood. Then you two keep supporting Tsuan-san with buffs.”
Hibiki took a deep breath and called out to Kurumi. Kurumi was continuing to shoot while kicking off against the walls and ceiling to skillfully move from one place to another.
However, this shooting did little to change the current mood. The Spirit’s Astral Dress had completely negated the damage from Kurumi’s bullets.
“Kurumi-san. Please stop shooting for now! Attack with maximum power through Dark Magic!”
“……I understand.”
While regretfully gritting her teeth, Kurumi stopped shooting. After that, she commenced attacking with Dark Magic.
“Is Darkness Flash the greatest attack that comes together with Dark Magic?”
Hibiki asked while looking through the memos she had recorded.
“Yes. Self-professing itself to be the greatest darkness slash, that’s the one.”
“But, certainly a slashing attack would strengthen the power of Dark Shell, right?”
Kurumi agreed to what Hibiki had pointed out. In the description column of Darkness Flash, it was properly written that power enhancement would be invalidated.
“However, even when considering that, it should have the greatest power.”
“Okay. Let’s do it. But I don’t think it will work.”
While thinking like that, Kurumi chose a timing where Tsuan had just retreated to fire a Darkness Flash towards the Spirit.
To make a comparison, it sounded and felt like striking an iron plate with a metal bat.
It gave off a loud sound, but there was no indication that the attack had succeeded.
The Spirit glimpsed at Kurumi for that attack, but then immediately switched her attention to Tsuan after she landed a direct hit.
“For the time being, that was the greatest attack possible with Dark Magic.”
In order to suppress a headache, Kurumi whispered while grasping her head.
“……Now for next up.”
Hibiki was so tense that her throat seemed to ache.
“I would like a combo for instance of ‘Dark Ball’, ‘Shape Transformation from Bullet to Black Shell’, and ‘Five Fold Recitation’.”
“Wouldn’t Dark Flash be more powerful?”
“Please try it. If my prediction is correct, it should work.”
──Unusually, Hibiki asserted herself.
Kurumi blinked for a while, but then smiled and nodded.
“That sounds like something Hibiki-san would usually say. Alright, then let’s try it!”
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll gladly receive any punishment.”
Hibiki declared so with pride.
“Dark Magic── ‘Dark Ball’, ‘Shape Transformation Bullet’, ‘Black Shell’, ‘Five Fold Recitation’.”
She set up the long rifle to aim. As the Spirit let out a battle cry, Tsuan frantically tried to stop each blow while being supported by magic. But even so, she couldn’t compete for long and eventually had to retreat backwards.
Sniper.
Her shoulder felt the strong recoil. The black round struck the head of the Spirit while drawing a slightly curved trajectory. The head shook as if being struck by something invisible.
“Alright!”
“Wasn’t that supposed to be a direct hit!?”
As Hibiki assumed a triumphant pose, the key player Kurumi had a frightened expression on her face.
Ariadne and Haraka both looked perplexed. Tsuan continued struggling to counter attack.
Then, the Spirit ignored Tsuan and glared at Kurumi.
“Kurumi-san, please escape until Tsuan-san can gather enough hate. Likely, it’s going to start attacking with a crazy momentum!”
“Kuh……the First Bullet <Aleph>!”
Kurumi accelerated herself to evade. Hibiki also hurriedly left her position with the
‘Disappearance’ skill; but like she said, the Spirit was now pursuing Kurumi with more vigor than ever.
“Wait!”
Tsuan tried to chase after her, but the Spirit was now pursuing with the relentless momentum of a guided missile, landing a slash at Kurumi’s back.
“<Zafkiel>……the Seventh Bullet <Zayin>!”
Kurumi turned around and fired <Zafkiel> at the Spirit rushing forward. Despite this bullet boasting the strongest inter-personal power of ‘time stop’, the Spirit that was directly struck started to move immediately after stiffening for a moment.
However, Tsuan was able to intervene between Kurumi and the Spirit during that slight pause.
“──War Cry!”
With that voice, the Spirit finally changed her target to Tsuan.
“As I thought!”
Hibiki shouted as if at last convinced. After those series of attacks, the special characteristics of that Spirit had become apparent.
First of all, she is a monster. She wasn’t like a Quasi-Spirit that can think and act. It was unknown how the Summoner died……likely the Spirit (for the sake of convenience, it was called Spirit despite being different from Kurumi) had acted reflexively to bring about that result.
Also, the Spirit hadn’t been given the command of ‘killing anyone that invades this dungeon’. If that was done, the attacks would be much more intense. Specifically, it wouldn’t be strange for Kurumi and the others to already be wiped out.
What barely prevents that is how she adheres to the system of ‘intercepting whatever attacks her’. Moreover, the moment of invoking a counterattack, that was when she acquired the intelligence on the level of a monster.
The moment after being shot by Kurumi, the Spirit began to chase after her. Perhaps, for as long as the damage remained (or if Tsuan hadn’t intervened) she would continue chasing Kurumi.
Also, Dark Flash didn’t work at all. On the contrary, the beginner magic Dark Ball with Shape Transformation and layers of strengthening lead to more damage. Hibiki stared intently at her innate characteristics as a monster.
……In the Neighboring World, if you convert the damage inflicted by a Quasi-Spirit into a numerical value, of course the same numbers mean the same level of damage inflicted. Slipping and landing on one’s head and being struck in the head, if the numbers are the same then so will be the damage received.
However, in the fantasy section of the Fifth Region Gevurah, Dark Flash and Dark Ball with Enhanced Power have the same numbers, but the damage inflicted was different.
That was the defense numerical value in terms of the system. The type that reacts to the damage rate.
The Spirit’s Astral Dress possessed such a defense system, with the implication being that she was still a monster that was created by Summoner.
According to the internal calculation formula, Dark Flash was not recognized as leaving behind a damage value. On the other hand, <Zafkiel>’s (power-enhanced) bullet did record a damage value.
A higher damage value means having a higher damage percentage being subtracted. Conversely, a lower the value means a lower subtraction. And there was one more important thing. Power strengthening is pulled directly from the damage subtraction calculation.
In other words, it means that damage calculated by 10 x10 leads to more damage than a straightforward value of 100.
“Tsuan-san, after you’ve been buffed, try some small tricks to accumulate damage. It should make the technique more efficient!”
“Higoromo Hibiki. I understand.”
Tsuan added attacks aimed for sweeping the legs to drive the Spirit into a series of attacks from <Lailaps>.
Certainly, as Hibiki had said, the damage ratio was better for smaller move than for bigger moves. At the very least, the response from the Spirit grew more irritated.
However, the attacks pressed weren’t fatal at all. It was only to the point of more scratches appearing on her Astral Dress, and even then regeneration immediately started commencing.
“Higoromo Hibiki! The damage seems to pass, but her regeneration is too fast! She’s already recovered, so this doesn’t make much sense!”
“W-Wait a little bit longer for that countermeasure!”
Ariadne was first class in her occupation of being a magic user. Likely, the Dominion of the Fifth Region Gevurah, Kagarike Haraka, was the same.
The fact that the debuffs released by those two had no effect probably means that debuffs have been nullified from the very beginning. Was this an enhanced version of all-resistance? The one that barely passed was Kurumi’s Seventh Bullet <Zayin>……it had lasted for less than a second, but the Spirit had clearly stopped.
That means no burns, no curses, and no poison could work.
Although physical damage had passed through, the regeneration speed was too fast for the damage to keep up with.
Even habitually, the attacks of the Spirit were too fierce. With how they were barely competing even now, sooner or later this stalemate would be broken.
“Hibiki-san. As you said, damage is now going through. It’s going through, but──”
“Yes. <Zafkiel>’s greatest weapon the Seventh Bullet <Zayin> could only retain its effects for about a second. ……But, a debuff had gone through for about a second. Likely, Kurumi-san’s Time Magic──<Zafkiel> is the only debuff that can work on that Spirit.”
In theory, that should be the case.
Ariadne and Haraka’s magic couldn’t strengthen the debuff itself. Even if using the poison debuff twice, the power wouldn’t be enhanced.
“Unfortunately, unlimited use of the Seventh Bullet <Zayin> will quickly empty out my time. It is as powerful as it is time-consuming.”
The remaining Seventh Bullet <Zayin> could only be used once or twice more. In Kurumi’s experience, using it twice she imagined she would run out of time to the point of no longer been able to use even the First Bullet <Aleph> anymore.
“The problem is that we have to do something about that. ……At any rate, will you try and escape?”
“Escape……?”
Hibiki pointed to the trail of destruction left by the Spirit.
“Turn around this hall and in front of that broken gate, please use that to escape outside. This isn’t about running away. Hurry up and rush to the town and recover your time.”
“That seems to be a drastic operation. ……Are you going to be okay?”
“I don’t think it will be okay, but I’ll try my best to make it okay, so it’ll be okay some way or another. So please also do your best, Kurumi-san!”
“……What a confusing thought process, but your feelings have been properly transmitted.”
“Tsuan-san, please pull its attention using War Cry!”
Tsuan nodded and used War Cry to draw the attention of the Spirit. Meanwhile, Kurumi floated upwards, trying to make a detour while still carefully observing the Spirit.
As long as she was carefully of the Spirit’s slash attacks, Kurumi concluded that the detour itself would be easy. A little faster, going behind the Spirit, the moment she was about to leap.
“──Ha?”
It was in that moment, a moment where Tokisaki Kurumi was coming close to the Spirit. Even Tsuan who was giving her undivided attention towards defending against those slashes couldn’t make it in time.
With no evasion or interception allowed, the Spirit reached a super close range with Kurumi.
“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■”
Striking and killing.
Cutting and determination.
Portion and severed.
The sword had diagonally cut from the top of Kurumi’s shoulder──and immediately following this.
“The Fourth Bullet <Dalet>……!!”
Kurumi, who realized that neither interception nor dodging would make it in time, had already activated that power. At the same moment <Zafkiel> started going against the current of time, Kurumi used that gap to kick some distance from the Spirit.
Even then, this unavoidably removed the sword that had deeply cut into her shoulder, Kurumi’s body contorted from the unimaginable pain.
“Tokisaki Kurumi────!!”
Tsuan roared, at that moment Kagarike Haraka threw an attacking talisman. The Spirit responded to that hostility, swinging her sword in semi-circle formation as a makeshift shield.
And these actions woke up further mayhem.
“The ceiling is……!”
The brittle walls and ceiling on the dungeon had finally collapsed. Several tons of stone fell onto the space separating Kurumi and the Spirit.
“This is bad……!”
Ariadne let out a stunned voice. The hostility was no longer directed to Kurumi, but rather to the tons of rocks that also inhibited Kurumi’s movements.
(What should I do……what should I do……!)
Hibiki fell into a panic. Neither Tsuan, Haraka, nor Ariadne could think up an effective tactic.
Crushing defeat, those words suddenly appeared in everyone’s minds.
◇
Her consciousness flickered repeatedly before she managed to recover back a sense of continuity.
“Ouch……”
Even when reversed with the Fourth Bullet <Dalet>, the cut wounds wouldn’t heal. She was running out of time. The current Kurumi could no longer even afford to shoot the First Bullet <Aleph>.
Still, she had to get up. However, not only her shoulder, but her foot also hurt. When looking closely, it was caught in-between the rocks that had collapsed. From the severe pain of pulling herself out, she understood that her leg was broken.
To tell the unvarnished truth, Tokisaki Kurumi had been driven to the brink of death.
“Here is……”
Despite it being a destroyed mess, she knew that she was still somewhere in the Fifth Dungeon.
Fortunately, there were no monsters. In her current state, Kurumi likely couldn’t even defeat a First Floor tier enemy.
“Heal……”
For Dark Magic and Time Magic, they lacked any recovery or healing system magic. Temporarily cut off some skills, it should be no problem if she can acquire beginner level recovery magic centered on Water Magic.
System error──other than the magic and items she already obtained, everything was blacked out and couldn’t be operated.
“Ah, ku──────”
Her shoulder ached. Not just from being cut, it was as though something other than blood was flowing out.
“……?”
Before her eyes, there was a strange object dyed unevenly in red and black.
“Compile……?”
That said, there were no signs of that occurring. Additionally, it was much smaller than the previous one, and it looked so brittle as if it was about to crumble.
〝Must touch. 〟
〝From that wound, what was sealed had jumped out. This is my memory, an important treasure, what I kept secret, what I needed to confront.〟
Information, words, all of it was flow freely……!
“What, on earth……!?”
Falling into a panic, her arms were moving on its own
〝Confront that fear. There’s no need be afraid anymore.〟
The quivering fingertips gently touched that memory.
◇
A slideshow.
The leaked-out memory was full of bite-sized holes.
But I still understand. I understand. There was a real feeling. Even the feelings of that moment were revived when touched.
I loved that person, a first and final love.
He was an enemy, but gentle. Even as an enemy, he reached out to me. With myself wearing a wedding dress, he looked confused while smiling at me.
Less than a day, I thought of having no regrets spending even that little amount of time.
So that’s why I wrote that wish on that Tanabata strip.
Once more, once more please, even if just a glance, I want to meet.
“──san, I hope to see you again someday.”
To have an encounter.
But I already know. At that moment, at that place, the moment I was swallowed in that darkness, definitely────I am dead.
◇
“……Oh, I see.”
Tears fell. The slash of that Spirit had exposed everything.
“I am a clone. I fell in love with that person, and then──”
I died.
Disappearing from the other world. It was understandable. So, I arrived at the Neighboring World.
……I can’t even feel a grudge. If I were in the same position as the main Tokisaki Kurumi, perhaps I would do that too.
Because──because a rebellious Tokisaki Kurumi could likely give birth to an inverted clone.
Unlike the other Spirits, even becoming an inverted clone was a dangerous situation. As for why, it could led to the creation of a dangerous and restless factor when creating clones tied together from the Eighth Bullet <Het>.
“──Ara, what an uncouth appearance coming from me.”
Kurumi looked up. There were two chairs and table inside the darkness.
The girl sitting in the chair giggled while looking at her.
“I finally remembered.”
Tokisaki Kurumi was there.
“You are……no, me……is……?”
While enduring her aching feet, Kurumi stood up to sit in the chair. The self in front of her eyes lacked any wounds, expressing an elegant smile.
“Let’s talk a little, me.”
Face to face, she gently stared at herself.
“What was that time like for us?”
The opposing Kurumi broke the ice with those words. Not knowing what to say, Kurumi slanted her head.
“Whether that moment was the real thing or a lie. What is loved at one moment could age and grow stale or become something embarrassing.”
“……That’s…….that’s obvious……”
In the past, there were certainly things she considered stylish and superb. However, somehow it was something that became excessively embarrassing as time passed.
Human physiology changes from moment to moment. No matter how much trust is placed in a person, hatred will spew if ever betrayed.
“On the contrary. Sometimes even an annoying person can turn into a beloved one.”
“……You are, no……me is……”
“As you can tell, I am the one before me became me. I don’t know that person’s name; I don’t know about love, I can only fight for the sake of my mission.”
For Kurumi, the person in front of her suddenly looked like a strange person. Even though they have the same face, the same voice, the same manner of speaking, their thoughts were too far apart.
“And you──it is Tokisaki Kurumi who pointed out what me has been trying to avert her eyes from.”
“……What, the truth of how I died?”
The me in front of my eyes nodded with a fearless smile.
“I surely died at that time. Definitely, without a doubt, I died with no possibility of salvation. ……Because of that despair and fear, I sealed that memory.”
“……Yes, that’s right……”
“It was no one other than myself that had sealed away such a precious memory. I couldn’t admit I was dead──but even so, I struggled continuously in search of that person’s memory.”
“Well, that should be what the future me has chosen. Right now, there is a more urgent issue, correct?”
“An urgent matter……?”
As Kurumi slanted her head, the girl in front of her sighed and pointed to behind Kurumi. Kurumi looked back──gazing at it.
Her shoulders were bloody, her legs were broken. The faint sight of that body lying down as Tokisaki Kurumi was on the verge of death.
“I will die soon. So I need to make a choice. What to do?”
Somewhat cheerfully, the girl in front of her had declared death with a slight laugh. The tone was light, but the fact alone was heavy for how much it rang true.
“……What should I do?”
Then the girl in front of her lightly snapped her fingers. A familiar screen had appeared. She selected Time Magic and pointed out the sample options.
“It’s irreversible. If you chose it, you won’t be able to go back and the destination is unknown. But if you don’t choose it, you will die.”
“That’s──”
“It’s also good to die as Tokisaki Kurumi again. Don’t you think that’ll be the appropriate end for a clone?”
──Aah, that’s right.
Kurumi understood, being deeply, deeply convinced by those words.
The girl in front of her was her past. Back when she was thinking that she could die at any moment to fulfill her purpose. ……Yes, she certainly used to think this way.
The past was as important as a precious stone.
But the future was as valuable as gold.
“──No, I don’t think so at all, me. I will continue to live.”
“Perhaps for the sake of that future?”
“There’s that, but right now there are more pressing circumstances.”
There are friends waiting for help.
There are companions who continued on fighting.
An important friend that would risk her life for her.
If she chose death and abandoned them, Kurumi thought she couldn’t even imagine what face that person would have just before she died.
I fell in love.
I fell in love. So I absolutely didn’t want to be the type to not be able to face the person she loved.
The Tokisaki Kurumi on the other side of the table sighed.
“I don’t understand. Is that person that important?”
“……That’s right. At times annoying, at times foolish, at times interesting, at times absurd, at times loud and noisy, at times──it can’t be helped but be important.”
“Yes. After all me is already a different person than who I am. Then here you go, please do as you wish.”
The skill acquisition window moved in front to Kurumi.
Irreversible.
It can never be undone. She won’t be able to go back.
“……It takes more courage than I expected.”
Her fingertips were trembling. Her throat felt parched.
“I understand it myself. The moment of choosing this, it’s the same as unconsciously accepting not becoming Tokisaki Kurumi. Then, next let me explain……this is not the system of the Fifth Region Gevurah modifying your abilities. It is yourself. Originally, you were too foreign to properly integrate into the gaming system. Wasn’t that bugged status good proof of that?”
So that was it, Kurumi was convinced. The skill modification message wasn’t external interference. It had only extracted what was originally inside herself.
“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried about my ability being tampered with by a third party. Then, the rest is just one of my decisions.”
Despite that, her fingertips were still trembling.
But I have already decided. Various reasons, beliefs, and emotions were supporting that trembling fingertip. And more than anything else,
──It is reasonable to fear change.
──To absolutely detest advancing forward.
The last hand that is Tokisaki Kurumi’s will.
“Time Magic will be rebuilt.”
“<Zafkiel> will be altered.”
“The effective range of <City of Devouring Time> will be expanded.”
“Cutting off the synchronization system as Tokisaki Kurumi.”
“The abilities of the Eleventh Bullet <Yud Aleph> and the Twelfth Bullet <Yud Bet> will be changed to be suitable for the current situation. This change is irreversible.”
“You will, already, no longer be who you were.”
“That may be true. But for who I am──”
I will be the one deciding that.
Her finger pressed the button.
The table disappeared, the chair disappeared, and the Tokisaki Kurumi in front disappeared into static.
“Well then, goodbye. By the way, who are you?”
“I am Tokisaki Kurumi. ……But, perhaps like everyone else, someone that is different from you.”
And so, Kurumi returned to her near death state.
The blood and Reiryoku flowing out from her shoulder wouldn’t stop. If left alone, she would die.
If this goes on.
Until now, Kurumi couldn’t take time from monsters. It didn’t feel like she could take it away. But now there was the feeling that she could do it.
They were given little time, but they would reappear infinitely as long as their Reiryoku was circulating. To take that meager time, it should be expected for Kurumi to have no mercy on a monster that possessed no rationality or emotions from the very beginning.
“……<City of Devouring Time>.”
The shadow gushed out with herself at the center, covering the Fifth Dungeon.
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