Aozaki Aoko Case File [199]

Under the stunned gazes of Arcueid and Ciel, everything in the interrogation room—damaged walls, shattered facilities—began to gradually restore themselves as if a videotape was being rewound. Even the Executors, who had been turned into Dead Apostles by Roa and then mercilessly torn apart by the chubby cat Cheshire, returned to their original state, lying quietly on the floor.

If they could see the outside world at this moment, they would notice the starry sky revolving visibly fast, with Aoko Aozaki at its center. The surrounding scenery transitioned through the seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—in mere seconds.

Several Executors who had previously died now woke up without realizing it. They looked around in confusion, unable to recall what had happened to them.

Witnessing the miracle of resurrection—an act that infringed upon divine authority—Ciel, a devout believer, was at a loss for words.

No matter what, however, as a human, Ciel was not someone who would repay kindness with betrayal. She resolved to never report what had happened here to the Church and would ensure that Father Mario also kept silent about the events.

By the time Aoko closed her eyes again, everything around her had already been restored. To reverse the deaths of so many humans in one breath—even as the wielder of the Fifth Magic—required a certain fuel.

Yes, the fuel Aoko used was none other than the soul of Michael Roa Valdamjong and all the history he had left behind on this planet.

By converting Roa's history into energy and consuming it all at once, Aoko activated the auxiliary capability of the Fifth Magic to sever causality. Those who had died in the Souya region due to the actions of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors and Roa were silently resurrected in the face of this magical miracle.

If it had been the Aoko Aozaki of the original timeline, such a feat would have been impossible. That version of her had only scratched the surface of the Fifth Magic and lacked the courage to proceed further down the path to embrace absolute truth.

However, our protagonist, Aoko Aozaki, did not push these deaths into some distant future but instead chose to use the Akashic Serpent, Roa—after seventeen reincarnations and countless entanglements with human history—as fuel to completely reverse the deaths of those unlucky souls.

Even magus capable of examining past records would find no anomalies in the lives of these resurrected individuals. From the perspective of causality, it was as if they had never died in the first place.

The cost of this magic was not borne by the lifespan of the universe but by Roa's existence.

Although it wasn't possible to resurrect everyone Roa had killed throughout history, his soul—laden with causal weight far beyond that of ordinary humans—allowed Aoko to make up for her earlier mistake when facing Vlov. Truly, a cause for celebration.

However, its consumption was so immense that ordinary magical energy could not sustain it. It required either the lifespan of the universe—or a twisted soul like Roa's—as fuel.

Unnoticed by all, the dark red soul of Roa had already disappeared before their eyes. Trembling, Ciel looked at her own hands and realized that she was no longer immortal.

With a wave of her hand, Aoko caused the awakened Executors in the interrogation room—including Father Mario—to fall asleep once more. After all, there were too many things she did not want these troublesome people to know.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Arcueid, who had reclaimed the power stolen from her by Roa, had undergone a complete transformation.

The True Ancestor Princess now had cascading long hair, with golden tips radiating the light of the stars. She wore a magnificent outfit featuring a gold-and-blue pleated long skirt as the inner layer and a pure white outer layer adorned with golden patterns and blue ribbons.

On her head was an ornate hair accessory shaped like an unknown but beautiful flower. A massive, ornate sword—longer than her height—floated beside her, its blade reflecting the starlight of the Earth.

With Roa's complete death, the Ultimate One, the perfect reincarnation of Crimson Moon, had returned to the world. This was her true, untainted form, free from the corruption of the Serpent.

"That sword is…?" Touko asked softly, narrowing her eyes as she stood beside Aoko.

Arcueid opened her eyes, interlaced her fingers, stretched lazily, and spoke in a cheerful tone identical to before, "It feels like I just woke up from a long, long dream. All the fatigue in my body has vanished!"

"I know exactly what you mean!" Aoko twirled her index finger and said, "It's like pulling an all-nighter playing games, then having a good, long sleep afterward, right?"

Arcueid smiled, grabbed Aoko's and Touko's hands, and gently swayed them.

"Thank you, Aoko, Touko," Arcueid said sincerely. "The long nightmare I've endured has finally ended."

"I don't think that guy even qualifies as your nightmare," Touko commented sharply. "At best, he's like the pain of scraping your knee as a child."

"By the way, your outfit looks amazing," Aoko said, giving Arcueid a once-over. "But are you sure walking around dressed like that won't cause a commotion?"

"Ah, you're right!" Arcueid released their hands and spun in place after hearing Aoko's words.

In a flash of golden light, she reverted to her modern, youthful appearance. The only difference was that her golden hair remained, and the magnificent sword transformed into golden starlight, merging into her body.

After some thought, Arcueid conjured two blue ribbons out of thin air, tying her long hair into sections at the middle and lower ends. This way, she looked normal enough—at least by modern societal standards.

Everything had come to a perfect conclusion. Aoko and Touko left the Souya Church with Arcueid, but Ciel had to stay behind to handle the aftermath. She needed to inspect the memories of everyone involved, including Father Mario, and erase any parts deemed unacceptable, replacing them with new ones through magecraft.

Of course, the Aozaki sisters would not go unrewarded. Ciel was so grateful for their help that she intended to give them additional gifts as a gesture of thanks.

...

Back at the hotel, the sight of the long-haired Arcueid caused Merem Solomon, the loyal retainer, to burst into tears, sitting on the floor as if the three of them had bullied a child.

To celebrate the successful conclusion of the Souya incident, Aoko borrowed the hotel suite's kitchen and cooked a grand feast herself. Touko brought out her treasured collection of fine wine, and the group held a victory banquet.

A story that, in certain timelines, ended without a happy conclusion had reached a perfect ending thanks to Aoko's unreasonable brute force. Somewhere, an elderly man with a face full of wrinkles and hair like a lion's mane looked at them across the barriers of countless worlds, a relieved smile on his face.

PS: Zelretch enjoying another Yuri story like Magical Illya.