Volume 6 Afterword

"That's it? The volume ended just like that? What about Bianka? You're not going to find her? And that Herrscher? You're just gonna keep him at home like a pet? You damn author, what a cliffhanger!"

Ahem—a lot of you probably want to ask that, right? But I'm sorry, this volume really does end here.

Bianka running away from the MOTH, and the Herrscher temporarily joining them—that's the ending for this volume. As you can all probably tell, the story of the base and Bianka isn't over yet, but telling the rest of that story would require another full volume's worth of text.

If I did another volume on it, someone on the ban list would probably come after me with a cane.

Before I answer your questions, I need to make a sincere apology to everyone, because the preview at the end of the last afterword doesn't quite match the final product, does it?

I'm very sorry. I changed the main outline while I was writing this volume.

In the original plot I envisioned, the final boss of this volume was Parvati. It was hidden underground in the center of Sapphire City, gradually awakening as the MOTH squad advanced. In the end, it would have been defeated by Bianka, injected with a massive dose of the Last Stand Serum, along with the others.

After its defeat, the core would go berserk, and Bianka, to protect everyone, would choose to use her own body as a shield, thereby fusing with Parvati's core and becoming an incomplete MANTIS.

In her unconscious state, Bianka would have injured Rita. She would have barely regained control of her body under Fu Hua's Sword God, but ultimately chosen to flee because of what she had done.

But because someone wanted to see me blow the HQ sky-high (see the last afterword for details), I decided to bring in a real heavy hitter, throwing in two Herrschers as an appetizer for you all.

That's right, two Herrschers. One is Gu Chu, the Herrscher representing "Obsession," and the other is the Herrscher representing "Aversion"—the one who sent Parvati into a frenzy, tried to test the MOTH's strength, and was ultimately scared off by a single glare from Gu Chu, splitting up to escape.

It seems like a lot of you have forgotten about him?

Is the memory wipe still in effect?

When is Prisoner Shu coming back?

This is probably the question I've seen the most. Don't worry, the perspective will shift back to Shu in the next volume. After all, you all asked for this. To the readers who want to see how Bianka is found, go talk to them!

Is Gu Chu a bit on the weak side?

Of course he is. The guy is a complete newborn who hasn't even figured out his own authorities yet. Plus, his growth conditions are pretty strict, so it's safe to say he won't have much chance to grow for the next two volumes.

His appearance in this volume was mainly to wrap things up. His real story comes later, but by then, Shu will have truly returned.

As for what his powers are, that's a secret. Don't ask—all I'll do is give you a thumbs-up.

When will Seele make her official debut?

She's coming next volume, don't rush it. If you have a problem, please take it up with the people who wanted to see Rita's angsty chase-the-one-you-wronged arc, along with the people Prisoner Shu paid to threaten me into letting him out of his dark little room.

Is this a harem novel...? You guys are getting more and more ridiculous.

About Shu calling out Kiana's name at the end of Chapter 2.

Was that really calling her name? Do I have a misunderstanding of the word "call"? Why would anyone think a rhetorical question with the subject and verb omitted was him shouting her name? Did I add an exclamation point to emphasize the tone?

Isn't subject-verb-object a required part of middle school education?

About the theme of this volume—nothing much to say.

The only theme I expressed in this volume was a single one: [Being true to yourself is the most perfect victory.]

Everyone already knows this. As for the rest... hehe, that will all be explained by the end of Volume 8. Anyone with objections can take it up with the Seele fans, the Bianka/Rita "She Runs, She Chases, She'll Never Escape" Yuri shippers, and Prisoner Shu's paid shills.

I don't hold grudges, really. This is definitely not because someone said they wanted to show me some magic, then tried to hit me over the head with a magic wand, and since I can't win a fight against them, I'm just finding an excuse to take it out on someone else...

I know some of you are very impatient, so this time I'll release a bit of the preview for Volume 8 to whet your appetites... to satisfy your cravings.

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Volume 7 Preview:

["Is that... a piano?"

"Even though I've never studied piano, I can tell this guy is amazing... He must be a great master!"

"Bronya thinks so too..."

"Big Sister Bronya... that child... is only eleven years old..."]

["I placed so much hope in you! What have I ever not given you?! Is this how you repay my efforts?!"

"I'd rather not have your self-righteous efforts!!"

"You!"

"You destroyed me! You destroyed me!!"]

["Shut up! What do you know? What do you know?!"

"If it were anything else... I might not understand. But this, and only this... I understand!"]

["...Let the gazes of others become fine threads... They will pull at the center to which they are connected, making it dance gracefully as they expect..."

"And then comes the laughter. The crowd sees what they want to see, and after the puppet is damaged in the performance, they continue to look forward to the debut of the next new puppet."

"And that... is the essence of a puppet show~"]

["I'm sorry. To protect the one I love, I am willing to offer my life—Judgment Of Shamash! Release all your power here and now!!"]