Chapter 1: The Signal Outbreak of War
"────, ...──"
Even if there was a desire to let out a sound, there was only hoarse panting coming from her lips.
With such extreme tension and only a small parcel of excitement at the moment, her body and mind collapse into exhaustion. Tokisaki Kurumi's legs slightly trembled before finally collapsing onto the ground.
"Me!"
"Are you alright?"
Subsequently, the young girls surrounding her all issued out a voice of anxious concern.
With hair tied unevenly between the left and right side and a clock shaped visage for a left eye, they were all clones of Kurumi with the exact same appearance as her.
Kurumi gave out a few hoarse coughs before slowly standing up. "Un...it's no big deal."
Right now, Kurumi was located at the roof of a building very late at night. With the moon now covered by the clouds, only the streetlights on the ground provided a dim illumination to look around.
"......"
Kurumi looked down to stare at the murky darkness of her own shadow. While slowly lifting her leg──gack! She trampled down with the heel of her leg.
This was not to call out her Angel or the other clones lurking in the shadow. Just──nothing more than to feel relief about the Spirit caught inside the center of her shadow a moment ago.
Yes, until beforehand, Kurumi was in the midst of a confrontation by the presence of a certain Spirit classified by the name
With its existence hidden away in mystery by covering with a layer of noise, it was the Spirit who can turn humans into Spirits. And so, the figure after being stripped away of that mosaic──turned out to be none other than the assistant teacher for Shido and the others and the
But even so, merely kicking the shadow wasn't enough to verify the current status inside.
Although there was only a single entrance, Kurumi's shadow was roughly divided into two areas.
One space is similar to a storage sanctuary where clones can freely squirm to come in and out as they like.
Connected to that, there was another space designed like a stomach to plunder the "time" of intruders.
Of course, Kurumi had sent the swallowed up Reine to the latter.
That space was also involuntary for Kurumi. Not only could she not spit out those swallowed in, it was also completely impossible to peek into to understand the situation inside as well. It was just like how humans are unable to use the naked eye to look inside their own body.
...The reason for kicking against the shadow was simply because there was no other destination to transmit the emotions burning up.
Not matter how mighty the Spirit, it was impossible to be alive after being caught in that space. Having recovered briefly from the silent and tranquil atmosphere returning, Kurumi breathed out a light sigh.
"Really──that was too easy. For a Spirit to excessively break up her own power...to that extent."
As if speaking to herself, Kurumi muttered out loud.
In fact, this was not her original power. As a result, of Kurumi's surprise attack she didn't even have the time to equip her Astral Dress.
However, the more important thing was the result. Reine had disappeared while Kurumi was still standing there. Only that fact was the outcome of that battle.
Kurumi sharpened her gaze after taking in another deep breath. Then, she slowly raised her head.
"Come──we. This is not the end. My target is not that rubbish person from a moment ago, but rather that monster in its heyday 30 years ago."
"......"
As Kurumi spoke out loudly, the clones all nodded with an obedient look on their faces.
"To that end, the reiryoku sealed within Shidou-san is indispensable──come." "Eh, eh, let's go."
"Break apart DEM's plans, and capture Shidou-san in my own hands."
"If
"Eh, But──"
Suddenly, one clone exposed an expression of doubt.
"Why would
"......"
After hearing the clone's words, Kurumi remained silent for a while.
Indeed, it was just like what she had said. If Reine had been in a state of full power, then there was no chance that even Kurumi could win.
With this matter related to her own life, Kurumi didn't think that she was only playing around by turning humans into Spirits.
There was something──a reason.
Even if it meant the loss of power, something that needed to be finished.
Even if it meant exposing your own life in danger, something you want to achieve.
"...….."
However, no matter how much thought was put on this, it was impossible to think up an answer. The only woman who could answer that question was now sleeping in the darkness of the shadow.
"──Humm."
With a disgruntled grunt, Kurumi departed from that location while accompanied by her clones.
◇
"──Commander! Shidou-kun's response has been captured!"
Onboard an airborne ship floating in the skies of Tenguu City,
In response to that voice, the girl sitting on the captain's seat with twintails tied behind her shoulder stood up.
"! Well done, where is he!?"
As the captain of
Despite this, there was no one there who would say that her response was over excessive.
After all, the whereabouts of Kotori's older brother, Itsuka Shido, had been
lost right as he was undergoing contact with the Worst Spirit, Tokisaki Kurumi.
A few seconds later, the appearance of a young boy was displayed on the main screen.
A body of medium builds and average height, while accompanied by swaggering footsteps. Although she couldn't see his facial expression due to his head inclining down, it was without a doubt Kotori's older
brother──Shidou.
Although she didn't know if it was an illusion, it felt as if his clothes had become dirtier than from before. Moreover, Kurumi, who should have been with him, was nowhere to be seen. What on earth happened in the end?
"Anyway, let's carry out recovering Shidou first!" "Yes!"
In response to Kotori's commands, the crew members all began to operate on their consoles.
So at the next moment, accompanied alongside a small driving engine beginning to move within
A few seconds later, as if to serve as a substitute, Shidou's figure appeared on the transport device installed above the internal bridge with faintly radiant light particles surrounding his person.
"Shidou!"
With her throat trembling, Kotori ran from the captain seat towards Shidou's side.
"Are you alright!? What the hell happened!? Kurumi──"
At that moment, Kotori, who was questioning him while grabbing against Shidou's sleeves, abruptly stopped her words.
As a result of being so close to Shidou, Kotori was finally able to see the expression on his face.
Worry, sorrow, and also quite a few regrets.
As is shaped by that──an expression filled with determination.
Indeed, in order to seal Kurumi's reiryoku a certain amount of willpower was needed to oppose her. However, the feeling Shidou exuded right now exceeded the faint degree of the madness and sadness of the mission at hand.
It was like──the obsession necessary to save someone even at the cost of one's own life.
With a burning radiance within his pair of eyes, Kotori felt overwhelmed for a split second.
"──Kotori."
Shidou quietly raised his head and opened his mouth.
"Can you gather everyone together? I want to tell you all everything. Right now, no──what has happened up until now. What Kurumi had done as well as what she did for me."
There was a mountain of questions she wanted to ask. Moreover, since Kurumi's location was still not confirmed, that was another piece of information they would want as soon as possible. Indeed, the usual Kotori would have certainly said, "Why are you putting it on airs?" and would urge him by force to continue speaking.
However, she decided not to press the matter. One can suspect it is because of the momentum of the conversation, but right now the current Shidou looked so fill with misery that he would break down into tiny fragments if agitated further.
"...Un, I understand."
Kotori breathed in a sigh of relief before lowering her neck in defeat.
After her mind was allowed to regroup from the deep breath, she issued the commands to the crew members.
"Shiizaki, gather all of the Spirits in the mansion. Minowa, please contact Miku, Origami, and Nia! Kawagoe, continue searching for a response from Kurumi!"
"Understood!"
Hearing Kotori give out her instructions without pause, the crew members all responded by simultaneously. Kotori gently nodded her head in consent before turning her gaze towards the left side.
"And also Reine, you should contact Mana──."
──At that moment.
After speaking that far, Kotori furrowed her eyebrows.
Located in front of her line of sight, there was the figure of a single woman sitting in front of the console. She had long hair tied together carelessly and thick dark circles underneath her sleepy eyes. From the breast pocket of her Ratatoskr military uniform, there was the face of a stuffed bear with a stich mark peering out a little.
Reine slowly nodded her head in response to Kotori.
There should have been no particular oddity exceeding expectations. Her appearance, voice, and response were all the same as usual.
But why? Kotori felt a strange sense of discomfort from that sight. "...Kotori?"
"──"
Hearing Reine call out her name, Kotori jolted her shoulders for a second. "Ah...sorry, please do that."
Despite appearing seemingly nervous, Kotori lightly shook her head before returning her line of sight back to the original matter at hand.
◇
──About an hour had passed since Shido was retrieved by
In addition to Shidou, there were 13 people in this room. Tohka, Origami, Kotori, Yoshino, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Miku, Natsumi, Nia, Mukuro, and Reine and Mana alongside these Spirits. In addition, Maria, the management AI of
Perhaps due to so many people gathering, no one uttered a single word since just a moment ago, with everyone remaining silent difficult facial expression.
Among them, Mana was comprehending, yet also unable to accept it, carving deep wrinkles near her eyebrow while folding her arms.
Even so, it couldn't be helped.
Everyone had heard. They all knew. Shidou had told everyone.
Of
And then, to save Shidou from the fate of death, repeatedly reset the world many times over again and again.
Shidou conveyed without any concealment, exaggeration, or falsifications. Her footsteps, her course of action, and of course──her grieving desire.
Naturally, it would be a lie to say that Shidou felt did not uneasy talking about this. Yet, in order to replay Kurumi for her deeds, there was certainly the need to discuss this with everyone.
But more than anything else──Shido wanted everyone to know.
The girl known as Tokisaki Kurumi had not simply accumulated countless heinous crimes for self-interest or pleasure.
Having unknowingly committed a fault while unaware, her made lofty determination made her chose a road filled with thorns in order to save mankind, friends, and the world.
…...Well, perhaps, Kurumi would loathe this becoming known by other people. "Muu...I never thought something like that happened to Kurumi."
"How frightening..."
It was Tohka and Yoshino who made the first initiative to break the silence. Both of them had eyes opened up into complete circles with sweat hanging down from their faces.
"...It's hard to accept something like that as true."
At that moment, a young girl, with her hair tied in a single ponytail and teardrop like birthmark mole, spoke out in turn.
Takamiya Mana. A Wizard belonging to
"That heinously cruel and rebellious beast in human form, whose character is to focus on the next premium set barbeque meal, that
After finishing speaking, Mana gave an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders. However, that was only to be expected. Mana and Kurumi can be best described as mutual enemies that have had numerous confrontations up until now. Even if such an explanation was said suddenly, it would be impossible to simply accept it.
"Mana, I understand your feelings, but──"
However, just as Shidou was about to speak, Mana lowered her eyes and extended out the palm of her hand as if to stop him.
"… That is to say, well, if compared to as higher than the probability of Nii-
sama lying to Mana, I would have no choice but to believe it." After saying that, Mana gave out a mock sigh of relief. "Mana..."
"Oh, please don't misunderstand. I only believe in Nii-sama's words, so that doesn't mean I intend to accept that woman."
"...That's really confusing...isn't that the same thing. No, I can tell you also probably want to express..."
Natsumi spoke out with sweat dripping down her head. However, Mana took no heed in this and continued to speak without seeming to care.
"Compared to that Nii-sama, putting this matter aside, there is another point I'm quite interested in."
"Hmm...what is it?"
As Shidou made a puzzled expression, Mana raised a finger and turned her eyes into a more serious gaze onto him before asking.
"When Nii-sama was supposed to be been experiencing
Tokisaki Kurumi's past──a women called Takamiya Mio appeared there." " "
Hearing Mana's words, Shidou's throat issued a small groan.
That's right. Shidou was able to experience Kurumi's past through the bullet of her Angel
Amidst there, a girl named Takamiya Mio had appeared.
Moreover, that girl was obviously not an ordinary person. She had given Kurumi the Spirit Sephira Crystal to Kurumi to turn her into a Spirit and the power needed to hunt other Spirits. Kurumi's bitter enemy, it can said that this existence is the cause for everything.
Additionally, it is expected that Mana would feel completely concerned about the matters involving this girl.
After all──Takamiya.
Mio had the same family name as Mana.
Moreover, the name Mio was something Shidou had once said when in the depths of a trance-like state from his reiryoku going rampant.
This was too much strange of a coincidence for a person not to take interest in.
"Ah...I'm also concerned about this matter as well. Who the hell is this Mio person?"
"Giving Kurumi a Sephira Crystal to turn Kurumi into a Spirit, that sounds just like how
It was Kotori who took it upon herself to answer Shidou's question. She was resting on her arms and legs against a chair and moving the Chupa Chups stick in her mouth up and down.
"Is it a Spirit with the same power as
After saying that, Kotori shrugged her shoulders in a dejected manner. As if continuing off, Mana lightly nodded her head before speaking.
"Of course, the possibility of having the same surname or that person using a fake name isn't zero. However, if thinking from the assumption that there is something interrelated, could it be a relative of me and Nii-sama? At the very least, it should be someone acquainted with me and Nii-sama."
Mana spoke out while caressing her chin.
Even if this meant failing to grasp at the main points, this was unavoidable. After all, both Shidou and Mana had lost the memories of their past as siblings together.
Although the DNA identification test confirmed the two of them as real siblings, the reason why Mana called Shidou her Nii-sama the first time was due to only her intuition and the picture in her locket. It was quite the rough reasoning.
"Hmm...I'm not sure. That alone..."
As Shidou tried to mutter out a groan, Nia turned around as if becoming aware of something.
"Are? But listening to that story didn't boy call out Miochi's name? Isn't that a bit strange?"
"Eh? What's strange?"
"No, well hasn't it been decades ago since Kurumin meet Miochi. If it's a
relative, it wouldn't be surprising if it were your aunt or grandmother. But to call the name directly without an honorific, wouldn't that cause a feeling of
discomfort? Of course, it's a different matter if boy's personality was very wild before losing his memories──"
"Ah..."
Having heard something that made sense, Shido could only scratch his face in response.
But, as if to make a sudden rebuttal, Origami quickly opened her mouth.
"Not exactly. There's no doubt that Takamiya Mio is a Spirit or existence that has a similar power. In that case, it is possible that she encountered Shidou and Mana with the same appearance she had with Tokisaki Kurumi."
"Ah──, as it is──. Certainty, before I was sealed, no matter how late I stayed up drinking; my skin was still as glossy as a hard-boiled egg."
After speaking in a jovial manner, Nia caressed her face with both of her hands. Amidst the definite silence, Natsumi responded with a "...right now?" Having finally received response at last, Nia sharply responded back, "Once in effect, the sweat in the corners of the skin are like sharp road turns used like racing techniques for the gutters...what did you let me just say!" Such a natural tsukkomi routine was received completely through the natural socialization among the Spirits.
Looking on at the interaction, Shidou's mouth formed a wry smile before once again giving out a small groan.
Even so, no matter how much he racked his brain, he still couldn't arrive at an answer. That's right. After all, there was too little information. Although, it would be a different story if Shidou and Mana were able to recall their lost memories──
"Hmm."
As Shidou was deep in though, he suddenly heard a lovely whisper.
Turning to the direction from where the voice came from, it turned out to be from one of the Spirits, Hoshimiya Mukuro. She was fidgeting with the coiled three braided long hair draping over her shoulders before also turning her line of sight towards Shidou.
"Truly tis a strange fable." ──Then Nushi-sama, if it is of great concern, then just simply recall it."
Then, Mukuro replied back in an ever so nonchalant tone.
What innocent language said without guilt; really, if that was the case. For a split second, Shidou curled his eyes a made a bitter smile.
"Ahahah...yes. If only you could remember it all of a sudden...yet──" However.
Shidou had finally realized the meaning behind Mukuro's words.
Mukuro was neither joking nor misunderstanding what Shidou and the others were saying.
Quite literally, she merely straightforwardly expressed her opinion. "...Can it be done?"
As Shidou questioned back with a meek expression, Mukuro responded back with her consent as if it were a matter of course.
"Muku's
──Even if that gateway is some stubbornly closed off memories." "… "
Hearing what Mukuro had said, Shidou breathed out a sigh of relief. The power held within Mukuro's key-shaped angel,
It was an unrivaled angel with the power to literally open and close everything.
Certainty, with
No, it wasn't just Shidou. Side by side, each and every other Spirit looked on with a surprised or impressed expression while directing their attention towards Mukuro.
"...Shidou."
In such circumstances, the one who displayed the most striking expression was Kotori. With a grim face, she started intently at Shidou's hands.
There was no confusion or surprise within her expression──only mere tension.
It was as if she was already aware of the possibility of Mukuro's
"──Kotori."
Looking at her expression, Shidou quickly understood the reason for the uneasiness within Kotori's thoughts.
Even if everything went well and Shido reclaimed the memories of his past, it may not necessarily be what they are hoping for. After all, in the end no one here right now knows what happened in Shido and Mana's past.
Furthermore, there was no guarantee that Shidou would be able to keep his current personality after retrieving his original memories.
The current Shidou might get absorb into the personality of his previous
self...although one might scoff at reaching such a conclusion, they could not deny the possibility that restoring his past memories might affect him in some way.
──However.
"It'll be alright. Since no matter what happens, I always am your older brother." Shidou spoke out as he made a sweat smile while stroking Kotori's head.
"Onii-chan..."
Overcome by emotion for a split second, Kotori's eyes started to moisten.
However, remembering that everyone eyes might be on her, she quickly shook her head and breathed out.
"I-I'm not worried about you in the slightest. Something like that──of course."
Kotori pouted her lips as her face was flushed with a red hue. Seeing that adorable and sorry appearance, Shidou could help but feel his strength even more empowered as he was caressing her head.
"Haha…..ah, so it's like that." "Keke."
At that moment, as if accompanied by a deliberate cough, Mana made a somewhat resentful expression.
"Ah, no. Not like that. Of course, wouldn't it be that Mana is my cuter little sister...?"
As Shidou hastily tried to give and explanation, Mana shrugged her shoulders as if saying "I understand".
"It's a joke. Mana also doesn't want the idea of Nii-sama changing from his current self."
However, Mana continued on.
"If you have a means of retrieving memories from the past, then I would certainly want attempt it. There's nothing more I want to know like who Takamiya Mio is and what happened to me and Nii-sama."
"...Ah."
Shidou seeing her boldly display her own determination, nodded to give his consent before lowering his eyes and slowly lifted up his right hand.
Afterwards, Shidou let out a gentle sigh as he began to concentrate his mind. Consciously feeling the power circulating throughout his body, it was similar to the sense of trying to channel everything into a single direction.
In accordance to Shidou's will, the reiryoku sealed from the Spirits caused his body temperature to suddenly spike up.
Although it had been a struggle to grasp this feeling in the past, after the reiryoku went rampant, he had reached the point where he could control the power freely to some extent as long as he had the time and environment to concentrate.
"──
Shouting from the depths of his throat, he called out the name of the angel. Then, as if in response to that voice, the heat circulating around his body exuded outward──a gigantic staff with a key-shaped tip manifested.
"Ooh...!" "...
Shidou felt that the Spirits all breathed in a sigh of relief at the sight.
Shidou took in another deep breath to calm down his heart, and then held onto the summoned
...However,
"Ugu..."
"It would be difficult to be serviceable as it is, Nushi-sama. Since
Then Mukuro extended out her fingers, speaking out just like an instructor guiding a disciple.
"
As Shidou repeated that word, it raised such a mysterious feeling. Even though he had never heard that word before, he felt like he already knew about it.
However, it wasn't the first time he had felt this before. When using the angels of the Spirits, the knowledge of how to use that power would vaguely appear in his mind.
To be able to recollect matters that should not be know, such a strange sensation. Recalling the image captured in his mind, he once again called out the name.
"
Then, with that command, the huge staff gripping against Shidou's hands began to shrink in size faster than the naked eye could see until it was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.
Indeed, this form was much easier to handle. Perhaps, Mukuro had also used this form when using the key to pierce her own head.
"Okay..."
After re-adjusting his own breathing, Shidou slowly guided the key towards his own temple.
"──Then let's begin."
"Umu...!"
"Don't worry. Believe in
"Ayan! To think that such a sharp pointed object will be entering inside Darling's body!"
"...Miku, you shut up for a moment."
Hearing the Spirits converse with each other, Shidou let out a slight chuckle. The Spirits' conversation helped Shidou loosen his shoulders just enough from the tension. He took in another deep breath before directing the sharp end of
◇
──Completely white.
If you were to describe it in a word, that ought to be the expression used. From the perspective man of faith, it would seem no more illusion than mankind being punished by God. If a conspiracy theorist saw it, they would believe it was a nuclear attack from an enemy nation. Those who were tied to common sense would have thought of it as a hallucination or daydream. ──In any case, such was the scene.
Explosion.
Yes, perhaps an explosion... had occurred and passed.
However, within that boy's mind, the impression and scale between that and an explosion was too great. As a result, it took time to find a word to match the description of that phenomenon.
Until a few seconds ago, he would have continued on with his ordinary everyday life.
Walking down the road towards the shopping district in order to purchase a book he wanted.
However, while walking on the paved road leisurely with each step, thinking about tonight's dinner menu, the vast street in front of him was suddenly surrounded by a dazzling light.
No, to be more accurate, including the district, it was a vast area roughly ten kilometers in size.
In an instant, with a tremendous roar, the surroundings were scrapped away by shock wave, causing his body to be blown away like a leaf in the wind.
"Gu...ah....!"
On the ground after his body struck against a collapsed fence, he uttered out anguished cry.
Soon afterwards, the shock waves that were causing the air to tremble subsided as the surroundings were filled with silence.
No, if spoken correctly, the roaring noise that resounded earlier caused his ears to temporarily deafen.
"Gu..."
After waking up and enduring the pain, the boy stood up after brushing off the pebbles and fragments of the building that had fallen on his body.
"What...how...what happened....?"
The boy rubbed against his eyes and raised his head. Then── "What──"
Looking at the vast scenery in front of him, he was left speechless. Not what happened.
Just, there was nothing left.
The buildings, houses, cars, telephone poles, traffic lights, roadside trees, streets, and even──the people.
There was no component that would naturally be assumed when thinking of the word town.
There was only the ground that had been beautifully scrapped away and the violent winds.
Although it would be natural to assume that it was because a large explosion just occurred──but it wasn't the same.
Overcome by the intense uncomfortable feeling, he tried gazing at the sight once again with widen eyes.
Clearly, the amount of rubble was too scarce.
If this were caused by a collision of a meteorite, a bomb, a gas explosion, or the like, then there should be more wreckage lying around even if everything was destroyed.
However the rubble surrounding him was not caused by the explosion itself, it was the debris left over from the aftermath.
Whether it was the remnants of cars, fragments of trees── the corpses of people.
There existed nothing in the place where he though was the hypocenter of the explosion.
Even so, looking out to the vast area that extended out to about 10 kilometers, there was no enormous substance or living creature that could be found anywhere.
As if──everything within that range had been erased. "… "
No──the boy gulped as if trying to reject his own thoughts.
It was certainly abnormal, an unthinkable situation beyond mere common sense.
Although, if asked whether he or not had completely no knowledge about the phenomena, then the answer would have to be no.
──Spacequake.
A few months ago, a cataclysm of unknown cause opened a large hole in the Eurasia continent.
It was a major event of the century that was being vigorously covered by T.V and newspapers every day. Ever since then, public attention was directed towards the small scale spacequakes occurring throughout the world.
Right now, the sight spreading beyond his eyes look exactly like what he had seen before in a helicopter shot video.
"This is...a spacequake?"
As he murmured astray, his body shuttered when looked over the sight again. Although he already knew that this was a great calamity unparalleled in humanity's history, even if recognizing that the devil's dice had been cast, it was impossible to understand how to approach a method for evading such a disaster.
Yet, when seen in front of his own eyes──and in a situation he might have been involved in had he left home a few minutes earlier──when that was pointed out, a sort of phantasmal sensation emerged as his blood began to surge.
However. "...!?"
In the next moment, his body began shivering from head to toe because of a feeling other than dread.
Farther ahead ──on the newly formed crater in the ground, he saw something that resembled a small silhouette.
Normally, such a distance would be too far away for anything to be visible.
This situation was only possible as a result of everything sheltering or obstructing one' sight had already been completely eliminated.
Although it was hard to believe that someone had survived that explosion, the possibility of someone now crawling out after taking shelter underground wasn't null.
"Tch..."
If spoken truthfully, he didn't want to step into the epicenter where the large explosion had occurred. After all, the cause of the explosion was still unknown and there was no guarantee that another explosion might occur again.
However. Perhaps, that person is hurt. Perhaps it wasn't possible for that
person to move from that spot. ──The moment that though flew into his mind, his feet automatically began to move forward.
He ran a straight line directly into the area of death that used to be overflowing with the activity of people just a moment ago.
While considering the need to check on the status of that person as soon as possible, he might even have to carry that person away from here as well. That fretful feeling caused him to moves his legs faster than usual.
──However.
"You there! Are you alright──"
Despite not knowing how far he ran, he finally arrived at a distance where that image of that figure could be seen clearly. Yet, at that moment, his foot instinctively froze at that spot.
"Eh──"
From his throat, a voice semi-consciously leaked out. The reason was extremely simple.
On the ground where everything else had been annihilated, there was a naked girl squatted down.
That existence nailed him in place at that spot. Sight,
Attention,
And even his heart,
──In the blink of an eye, it had all been taken away from him. She is so,
Unparalleled Transcendent,
A girl so beautiful to the point of being even unreasonable. "Y-you are..."
"............"
After listening to the boy's words, the girl slowly raised her head as if noticing his existence for the first time.
──Thump.
His heart tightly contracted. "… "
The girl's lips slightly moved. The boy, that voice──
◇
"...…You are."
Such a voice was heard amidst a hazy consciousness.
It took a few seconds before he realized that voice was coming from his own throat.
"Eh...? Strange, here is."
As the blurry image began to focus, his eyes saw a familiar room. Apparently, he was lying on the infirmary room onboard
"…Aaah, looks like you've woke up, Shin."
At that moment, a voice that didn't belong to him echoed in the room. Shidou raised his jaw and turned towards the direction that voice came from.
"What... !?"
He couldn't help but stare with eyes forced open.
It seemed that Reine was standing beside the pillow he was reclining on. Although from Shidou's perspective, her ample bust was on full display right in front of his face.
"...Hmm? What's wrong?" "Ah, no, it's nothing..."
While his cheeks were turning red, he awkwardly turned his head away. After that, Shidou turned to see the Spirits who were inventively watching over him as he was lying on the bed.
"Shido! Are you okay!"
"Please...don't force yourself."
With faces full of anxiety, the Spirits rushed towards Shidou's side as they opened their mouths to speak one by one. Shidou quickly replied back in confusion.
"W-what, what's going on, what happened?"
"What's the matter; you scared me when you suddenly collapsed!"
"Consent. After inserting
"Eh..."
Listening to what the Yamai Sisters were saying, Shidou slightly tilted his head
──issuing out an audible "ah" sound.
That's right. Just as they had said, Shidou's recollections were abruptly disconnected the moment he inserted
"Ah...sorry for making you guys worry."
"No, it's good that you were able to wake up right up away." "Right, I'm glad that nothing too serious happened."
"Truly, with my kiss even sleepy beauty can awaken." "Eh...!?"
In front of everyone, Origami suddenly spoke out such outrageous words nonchalantly, causing Shidou's eyes to startle open in fright.
However, Kotori immediately smacked the side of Origami's head gently. "What are you talking about? Shidou, don't believe this!"
"Please wait and let me finish speaking. There are numerous molecules floating around in this space. It isn't wrong to say that the particles I've
breathed out will necessarily touch Shidou's lips. In other words, there's no problem done even if it is an indirect kiss."
"!? W-wait a minute professor! That means between me and everyone in this room just now...!"
"Are tied together in a situation of deep kissing."
"To think there is such talent among people! What results the scientific community must be achieving!"
It seemed that Professor Tobiichi's ground breaking theory was attracting the approval and excitement of fellow researchers. Kotori could only place her hand against her forehead and sighed at the sight.
In the meanwhile, there was young girl shrinking her shoulders back apart in regret. ──It was Mukuro.
"Mu..."
"Mukuro?"
Hearing Shidou replied back, Mukuro's body slightly trembled before she found it in herself to continue to speak.
"...My apologizes, Nushi-sama. Muku was the one who recommended using
After speaking out, Mukuro let out a remorseful facial expression filled with guilt.
Shidou let out a sudden sigh before straightening out his body upright as if to say "it's alright!".
"Look, as you can see, there's nothing wrong. This isn't Mukuro's fault. Originally, I was actually feeling a little bit sick from a lack of sleep this morning."
"Nushi-sama..."
As if perceiving Shidou's intentions, Mukuro slowly nodded her head. Looking at that appearance, the Spirits all felt their own expressions relax down a bit.
Then, a few seconds afterward, as if waiting for everyone to finish talking, Mana's voice was heard from the corner of the room.
"──So, I hate to ask while Nii-sama isn't feeling that well, but how did it go?" "Eh?"
"I'm asking about the results from using
"......."
Hearing what Mana had said, everyone slightly gulped. The gazes of all of the Spirits focused intently onto Shidou's body at the same time.
Mana's question was quite sensible. In the first place, Shidou had used
And there──Shidou had observed.
Memories that both belong and did not belong to himself.
A pre-existing scene that should not have been seen or known before. "Aah, that's..."
However, Shidou paused speaking at that moment.
He did not want to pretend with the intentions of concealing his memories as a secret from everyone else.
Just simply stated──he could not accurately recall what he had seen. "Ahh...it's strange. For sure...I saw something."
Placing his hand against his forehead, he let out an audible groan. Not matter how much thought he racked his brain with, it was impossible to disperse the fog lingering in his mind and condense what he had seen into a conceptual image.
If he were to make an analogy, it felt just like waking up from a dream. It was certainly more vividly clear a while ago when asleep. However, the moment he woke up, that world crumbled like sugar confectionary. The leftover fragments remaining in his head resembled the feeling of searching for the vestiges of memories contained within a lost dream.
"...Damm, what the hell. How can be possible to forget something like this..."
As Shidou was gripping against his head, someone suddenly placed a gentle hand against his shoulder. ──it was Reine.
"...Calm down, Shin. Don't be fretful; there must be another method you can consider."
"Reine-san..."
As Shido raised his head to look around, he found that all of the Spirits in the room were nodding their heads in agreement one by one.
"That's right, Shidou. There must be some other way."
"...Well, it's merely zero after reverting back to zero, so there's no need to mind it, isn't that so?"
"Hey, boy sure is an expert at making others worried." "...Ah, that's right. Thank you everyone."
Hearing what everyone had said, he responded back with a relived sigh.
To be honest, Shidou still felt tormented by a sense of helplessness and mild degree of self-loathing, but he couldn't let the others become worried about such a demeanor. Shidou used both of his hands to pat down his cheeks to invigorate himself as he raised his head with an "alright" mental shout.
"That energetic looks suits you better Nii-sama. ──For that matter, I have a proposal."
Mana spoke out while raising a single finger. In response, Shidou slanted his head in confusion.
"Proposal?"
"Yes, that angel that was just used a moment ago──you called it
"Huh...?"
Hearing what Mana had just said, Shidou stared out with open dumbfounded eyes.
However, he quickly caught on to the meaning behind Mana's words.
It wasn't just Shidou who had lost his past memories; Mana's memories of the past had also been sealed.
At the same time, as Shidou's biological little sister, there might be information about Takamiya Mio in her memory as well. Certainty, the proposal sounded reasonable.
"So that's the reason, indeed..."
But at that moment, Kotori stood up to intervene between Mana and Shidou
.
"Yes, yes, we'll try again next time. For now, shouldn't we wait for Shidou to recover first?"
"Eh? No, I'm already..."
Just as Shidou was trying to say something, Nia, who seemed to aware of something, interrupted him.
"Yes, yes, since boy should take a break after already taking it out once. It's no good to keep pressuring boy because he's still young Manatee. Ah, I mean about the angel."
After hearing something like that, Shidou covertly turned his gaze the other way.
But then, in-between awkwardly staring at the ground, he caught a glimpse of Nia's expression. ──soon afterwards, he picked up on what the two of them were thinking.
"Ah..."
Certainty, Mana's memories had been sealed.
However, with that sealed memory, it not only contained the information about Takamiya Mio that Shido desires, but also contains memories of when
Mana had been kidnapped by DEM and the magical modifications subjugated on her body.
Although it was unclear how she was treated, it must have certainty been a pleasant experience.
As there is no guarantee that
"...That's right, sorry Mana, is it possible that we try it next time?" "Hmm..."
As Shidou replied back, Mana gently stroke her chin and raised her eyebrow to a へshape.
Although it seemed that she didn't fully understand Shidou's intentions, but she was probably aware of the reason by now. Mana took in a deep breath as her hands fluttered around.
"I understand. Okay, if Nii-sama says so, let's do that."
Mana spoke out as if surrendering and withdrawing her request.
As always, she was young girl with a thoughtful and straightforward temperament. Although Mana looked like a junior high student, her prudence and dignity were just like an adult. Honestly, it was difficult at times to determine who the older sibling was.
"Aah...sorry, Mana."
"No, it's my fault for pushing forward such difficult demands."
Kotori let out a sigh of relief in response to what Mana had said. This younger sister as well, with a mental acuity much faster than Shidou, was also a reliable commander.
"Well, let's take a break now. This time the feeling of "I think I saw something" remained. If there's no problem, let's monitor your brain waves while using
After Shidou replied back, Kotori nodded her head in consent and clapped her hands against each other.
"Alright, let's clear out now everyone. There's no way Shidou will be able to rest if it is this noisy."
"It's all right, I'm confident that I'll be able to relax now." "Yes! I want to sing a lullaby song."
"Yes! I want to sketch boy's sleeping face."
"The three of us can provide surveillance when needing to use the restroom."
With half-opened eyes, Kotori pushed the others Spirits to depart from the infirmary.
Shidou smiled wryly while looking at their backs leaving the room. Then, feeling more relaxed and calm now, he returned back to lie down on the bed.
"...Takamiya, Mio..."
As he muttered that named, Shidou raised his hand towards the ceiling and then slowly moved his fingers one by one to clench into a fist.
──Only one thing.
Yes, there was only one thing that he had neglected mentioning to Kotori.
He didn't purposely falsify the information he gave. It was true that he couldn't remember the contents, even though there was the sensation of seeing something.
But──why?
Every time he heard the name Takamiya Mio, who should have not existed in his memory, being called out.
There was the sensation of his heart tightening. "… "
Shidou quietly lowered his hand and covered his body with the futon before closing his eyes.
◇
"......."
Sitting down within a chair in a company room, Ellen Matters was fidgeting with her legs while having an impatient look on her face.
She has pale Nordic blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes resembling the collective moonlight. As young as she is, it's difficult to imagine her having a daunting title like DEM Industries' Second Executive Director. She was beautiful girl with an appearance resembling an alluring enchantress.
But the beautiful aspect of these feature were now distorted unpleasantly by excessive stress.
The cause is obvious.
"──Hey, are Ellen and Otou-sama childhood friends?" "How was Otou-sama like when he was younger?"
"Say, isn't Artemisia hard to pronounce? Isn't there a nickname?" "What would be good? Arumi?"
"Hahahaha."
"Ellen, what kind of shampoo do you use?" "Ah, there's split ends on your hair."
...Etc.
The inside of the normally quiet office room had been competently transformed into the gossip and chatter of an all-girls school's classroom. As a rough estimate, there were over 20 girls noisily clamoring about.
With pale-blue eyes and dark gray hair, all of them inconceivably shared the same appearance.
Those girls, all with the same appearance and voice, threw out pointless chatter from all directions before gossiping on to the next topic. Moreover, they've been acting this way every day since they were born. For Ellen, who couldn't be too severe in response, this was indeed an unbearable environment.
"...
As Ellen finished impatiently, a
"Eh? I'm just having an ordinary conversation."
"Hey, isn't that the feeling you get when you're getting old..." "Are you on the brink of hysteria? How──scary."
"......"
Faced with the
Then, sitting on the opposite of her, Artemisia extended out the palm of her hand as if trying to appease Ellen.
"Now, now...they don't appear to be saying anything with ill intent." "That's the issue here. Children that aren't disciplined are no different than a
monkey. You have to look at the results rather than if there is malice attached."
In response to Ellen's indignant tone, the
"What's with that tone? It looks like Ellen seems to be the one with the issues." "That's right. We're just chatting normally, so there's nothing wrong with that." "There should be a limit on how much you envy those younger than you."
"If you didn't have the realizer manifestation device, then you would just be an ordinary person."
"Bean sprouts director──"
"! Wait, who the hell made up that last nickname..."
As Ellen made a rattling sound by jolting up from her seat, the
"So it's to this extent──"
Speaking out, Ellen prepared to invoke the realizer manifestation device──but suddenly stopped just the occasion before the launch.
The moment Ellen got up, the door flew open as a man came into the room.
The man gave the impression that all of the world's darkness had compacted itself into a human shape. He has dusky ash colored hair and a pair of eyes resembling metallic rust. Although he looked about thirty years old, the oozing
sense of intimidation and dread he was emitted wouldn't match that assumption.
Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott, the king of magicians who had established DEM within a single generation.
"──Aah, it looks like everyone has already gathered just in time." "Otou-sama!"
The moment they saw him approach, all of the
"Have you finished your work?"
"Hey, listen Ellen here is being terrible."
"Yeah, we haven't done anything wrong, but she's throwing false accusations at us."
"She'll throw a hissy fit at the slightest inconvenience in her life." "Her appearance is a bean sprout, but her brain is like a gorilla." "Who is...!"
This time she couldn't restrain herself. With a roar, an invisible voluntary
territory expanded from Ellen's body, tightening the body of a
After that, a single worn out piece of a paper floated down onto the ground.
That is to say, Ellen did not alter her body with the realizer materialization device. The girls originally came from pages from the Demon King book
Nevertheless, the
For Ellen, this degree does not fall under death. It was a sensation similar for her to lightly tap her fingertips against something. In fact, the rest of the
"Kya, how horrible." "I can't believe it."
As if returning to before, they continued to make a noisy commotion to complain. Ellen turned a sharp gaze towards the others.
However, at that moment, Westcott opened his mouth and spoke out in a very composed tone.
"Calm down, Ellen. There's no need to reduce the number of allies, right?" "...Ha, I'm sorry, Ike."
After saying that, Ellen released discretional territory. Although her frustration against the
Westcott exposed a thin smile before walking towards where that piece of paper fell down on the floor──reaching out to touch the object that was just a
The moment after that touch, the paper emitted out a faint light just before a girl suddenly appeared from within the sheet. ──It was the exact same
The
"...….."
To tell truth, Ellen felt the desire to strangle her again, but somehow she managed to calm down those thoughts by taking a deep breath in.
Ellen cleared her throat out with a cough before turning her gaze towards Westcott.
"...So then, Ike. What did you want to say?" "Aahh."
As Ellen spoke out, Westcott nodded his head as if remembering something. Then, he immediately raised his right hand, summoning a lacquer black book there.
Demon King
"Although it took some time, I was finally able to investigate the reason.
──Sure enough,
"...What do you mean?"
"It means that
"What..."
Hearing what Westcott had just said, Ellen unintentionally knitted her brows downwards.
However, she soon understood immediately: the horror that is the power of an Angel. If viewed as impossible, it would be denying meaning to the very same thing resting on Westcott's hands right now.
"...So that's it. This is tricky. Then no matter how we move, the other side will find a way to counter it?"
"Hmm. After all──"
"That girl was acting strange, as if she had already predicted the time when we would appear out."
"Hey, otherwise, it would be impossible for Ellen to be the reason that we failed."
"...Today's pests surely don't know their place, shall I bring out the insecticide?"
As Ellen glared at the
"In short, as long as
"That surely the case──but well, that's also a disadvantage." "May I ask what do you mean by that?"
As Ellen asked, Westcott raised the corners of his mouth.
"For us, it has only been a few times repeating combat, but for
"......"
Having heard this, Ellen envisioned repeating an endless trial and error to avoid having a beloved from being slaughtered.
──Even the strongest Wizard Ellen was left shivering in fear. For
"...Does that mean we'll have to wait for until "Well, I suppose that's certainly the case. Then it's only a matter of time, it wouldn't be too much trouble to wait."
Even so, Westcott continued on.
"In this way having eternal time will be all the more terrifying. After repeating thousands of times, she will still not be able to see through our plan and come up with a solution. In that case, in order to let her give up as soon as possible, we have to do use our full strength."
"Full strength?"
"Aah, quite literally. ──Mobilizing all of DEM Industries' resources to completely decimate Itsuka Shidou. Even if After saying that, Westcott's smile grew darker.
Immediately afterwards, several pieces of paper fell into the room from the ventilator exit attached on the celling.
As the worn out sheets of paper flutter in the air, they emitted out a faint glow just before touching the floor, having already transformed into the appearance of a girl. ──Needless to say, all of the figures were "Otou-sama, Otou-sama, quick look." "We caught this."
After speaking out, the Looking at that sight, Ellen faintly narrowed her brow. "..."
"This..."
Right beside her, Artemisia also widened her eyes in surprise.
But that was to be granted, since that Raven black hair styled with uneven distributions, porcelain white skin, and a clock like pattern protruding out from the left eye that had remained unclosed. Since not much time had passed from when the head had been freshly decapitated, blood was oozing out from the incision made to detach it from
the neck.
Such distinctive features were truly unforgettable. ──Tokisaki Kurumi, the Spirit With the power of her Angel, she can create clones made from her own past. For those that were sneaking around here, perhaps their goal was reconnaissance or assassination.
"Ho, what a meritorious feat, As Westcott gave his praise, the "But several of them that grouped together managed to escape."
"If that's the case, then Otou-sama's conversation might have been overheard." The "I don't mind, as long as Westcott spread out his hands in a playful manner before lifting his chin up to look onto the sky.
"I wonder if there is a single one remaining here. Then, he continued on while keeping his devilish smile. "I will kill Itsuka Shidou.
No matter how many times you go back.
No matter how many times you reset the world. No matter how many times you revise history.
I will do it so thoroughly so that you will never be able to overturn it. Well, try and fight it if you can ──Worst Spirit."
Although there was no voice to respond to the declaration, for some reason Ellen felt that the shadows entrenched around them were faintly shaking in anger.