The two massive energies converged and collided in mid-air. The resulting blast inevitably swept up the wooden cart Yutsuki was driving.
"Ugh—"
Shido forced his eyes open with difficulty. His eyeballs, blinded by the intense light, gradually regained their vision.
At this ti, the wooden cart had already fallen apart under the explosion's shockwave, and everyone was consequently scattered.
Seeing that they had lost their ans of escape, the monster army in the distance let out cries of pleasant surprise, swooping down on Shido and the others like pigeons scrambling for food.
However, compared to them, Shido had a more severe problem to solve right now—landing.
Currently inside the virtual world of the Phantom Library, both Shido and the others had lost their ability to fly. Now that their only flying item was destroyed, if they didn't think of a way to land safely from this altitude of nearly a thousand ters, Shido and the others would be smashed into at paste before the monster army from behind even arrived.
"Yutsuki—grab my hand!"
Shido shouted towards the brown
haired girl closest to him.
However, Yutsuki did not respond to Shido, letting her body free-fall just like that.
"...Yutsuki?"
A faint ominous feeling lingered in Shido's heart. He knew clearly that Ryougi Yutsuki was not the kind of person who would still be sulking over an argunt at a ti like this.
Shido carefully observed her face. Sure enough, the girl's eyes were tightly closed; clearly, she had lost consciousness in the explosion just now.
"Yutsuki! Wake up! Yutsuki!!!"
Shido shouted with all his might, as if he was going to tear his vocal cords. However, Yutsuki didn't wake up as he hoped.
"Damn it! Partial deploynt—Ratziel—Raphael!"
However, the Angels did not respond to Shido's call.
Just as Shido had learned earlier, in this world, they could not use Spirit powers.
But even so, Shido still couldn't give up, shouting with all his might.
—Haniel!
—tatron!
—Camael!
—Sandalphon!
—Gabriel!
—Zadkiel!
—Rasiel!
There was no reaction whatsoever.
The absoluteness of the rules stood unwavering, as if mocking Shido's unsightly state, extinguishing the last glimr of hope in his heart and pushing him into an abyss of despair.
"—!"
However, even so. The last shred of responsibility in his heart still forced Shido to start waving his limbs wildly in the air, using the airflow generated by the fall to slightly alter his trajectory, getting close to Yutsuki's side, holding her tightly in his arms, using his body to beco her cushion.
This was the only thing he could do right now.
Damn it...
Damn it!
—Damn it!!!!
Clenching his teeth tightly, watching everyone inching closer to death step by step while he was powerless to do anything, tears embarrassingly spilled from Shido's eyes.
At this mont, for the first ti in Itsuka Shido's heart, such an intense emotion erged, an emotion called regret.
He originally thought he had grown. Although not enough to stand on his own, he had enough power to protect everyone and the ability to save Spirits from danger.
Conquering Spirits was because of Fraxinus's support, and the Angels were abilities borrowed from everyone; they were not his own.
Yet, he still presumptuously mistook these as his own powers, thus generating unnecessary conceit.
Without these things, he was just a weak human being with no power at all.
Just as Yutsuki said, under DEM's threat, he wasn't even sure if he could protect the Spirits around him. What right did he have to talk about saving other Spirits?! What right did he have to try and persuade Mukuro?!
Itsuka Shido was wrong!
He was too naive! So naive that he couldn't see reality clearly! So naive that he persisted in unrealistic delusions! So naive that he dragged everyone into danger with him!
(Ah—I know! I was wrong! I was completely wrong! I am willing to pay the price for my stupidity! Dying here is my own fault! But—)
Staring at the lonely full moon in the night sky, Shido pleaded in his heart.
(Tohka, Origami, Yoshino, Kotori—Everyone! And Yutsuki did nothing wrong! So—)
Is anyone there... anyone is fine... save everyone! Save Yutsuki!
—Sorry, I'm late.
An abrupt voice sounded in his ear.
(Who?)
Shido widened his eyes in surprise.
Just at the mont he was about to crash into the ground, a gentle breeze gathered from all around, turning into a perfect cushion that caught Yutsuki and Shido, gently setting them down on the ground.
The expected severe pain from falling from a high altitude did not co. With a hint of hesitation, Shido slowly opened his eyes.
"Eh... I'm still... alive?"
Looking at the completely unhard Yutsuki in his arms, then looking at his own intact body, Shido couldn't quite understand the current situation.
"This is... Tohka? Yoshino? Origami? Kotori? Nia? Miku? Yuzuru? Kaguya? Everyone, are you okay?"
Not just him and Yutsuki, Tohka and the others, who were scattered in the explosion just now, were also lying all around him.
"Don't worry, none of them are injured. They just fell into a brief unconsciousness from the explosion earlier, they'll wake up soon."
"Thank goodness..."
Hearing this, Shido breathed a sigh of relief. Following the direction of the voice, he turned his head to look.
"Um, thank you very much for saving..."
Shido's words got stuck halfway.
The reason was simple. The person standing in front of him right now was a high school boy of about sixteen or seventeen, wearing the uniform of Raizen High School where he studied. He was neither tall nor short, with a slightly thin build, slightly ssy blue hair, and a sowhat androgynous face.
Itsuka Shido knew this person. Or rather, he was familiar enough to see him in the mirror of his own bathroom every morning.
He was himself, Itsuka Shido!
"...Who... are you?"
Because the shock was too massive, Shido couldn't help but ask this silly question.
"?"
Hearing this, "Itsuka Shido" smiled without answering. He silently turned around, his back to Shido, looking at the aggressively approaching monster army in the distance. He took a deep breath and placed his hands on his hips.
"Super Secret Technique—"
(Eh? Wait—)
"Shun! Sen! Gou! Baku! Ha! (Roaring Flash Bladt Wave!)"
(Stop itttttttttttttttttt!)
Accompanied by "Itsuka Shido's" roar, a pillar of pure white light shot up from the ground, aiming straight towards the other end of the horizon.
Wherever it passed, the tens of thousands of monsters in the army were all reduced to ashes under the envelope of the white light.
"I am just like you. Wanting to save Spirits, wanting to protect Spirits. Holding such a conviction, rushing headlong to this point; a foolish and naive person."
Amidst such a shocking scene, "Itsuka Shido" turned his head and revealed a refreshing smile.
"I am you—Itsuka Shido."
To this, Itsuka Shido expressed.
He was completely dumbfounded.
————————————————————————— Viewpoint Shift: Waking Up from Unconsciousness ——————————
"Mhm—"
Yutsuki opened her eyes and slowly picked herself up from the ground.
"Everyone... are you alright?"
Shaking her head, Yutsuki felt her consciousness clear up a bit. Hurriedly looking around and seeing everyone was safe, she imdiately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yutsuki, are you okay?"
"Yutsuki. It's good that you woke up."
"Ah... did you save us... anyway, thanks, Shi... uh?"
Seeing the Itsuka Shido in front of her multiply into two, Yutsuki froze for a mont, reaching out to rub her eyes.
"Oh, so that's how it is."
Subsequently, Yutsuki seed to understand sothing, a look of sudden realization appearing on her face.
"You are the original Shido."
Saying this, Yutsuki pointed at the Shido kneeling beside her, who looked very pathetic at a glance.
"You are the 'Shido' of this world."
Then, Yutsuki pointed her finger at the other "Shido".
"Exactly right. As expected of Yutsuki."
"Shido" nodded in affirmation.
As for Shido himself, his forehead was currently covered in black lines. Although he didn't understand the specific reason, he vaguely felt he had been maliciously slandered.
"Yutsuki, what is going on here? Explain it to ."
"He is 'that' person I ntioned, the key figure who can help us escape this world?"
Looking at Shido's puzzled expression, Yutsuki sighed and reminded him,
"Shido, do you rember? We once drew a manga with you as the protagonist."
"Mhm... I rember."
Shido nodded. Then, seemingly realizing sothing, he looked at the "Itsuka Shido" in front of him in surprise.
"You an? He is the from that manga?"
"Although there are slight differences, that's generally the gist of it."
Yutsuki shrugged and continued to explain,
"This is a virtual space that can turn stories into reality. Although it mostly uses thes like fairy tales, there are exceptions like Nia, where the manga story is materialized through the 'connection' between the author and the work. Although the story we drew isn't that well-known, it still fulfills the latter condition."
"I see..."
Tentatively accepting Yutsuki's explanation, Shido scratched his hair in distress and asked.
"Then why did he—the '' of this world—only appear now?"
"That's probably because the appearance of 'Shido' requires certain conditions to be t."
"Conditions?"
"Saving Spirits in danger."
At this point, "Itsuka Shido" suddenly interjected into their conversation and answered affirmatively.
"I rushed over at top speed after sensing the Spirits were in danger."
Uh—Hearing this, the corner of Shido's mouth twitched slightly.
"Yutsuki, don't tell this was all within your expectations from the start?"
"How could it be? If it were, we would have gotten out of here ages ago."
Saying this, Yutsuki looked at "Shido" and rolled her eyes crossly.
"Honestly, why do you even share the trait of always barely making it at the very last minute?"
"Haha... sorry about that, Yutsuki."
Regarding Yutsuki's complaint, "Itsuka Shido" could only reply with a bitter smile.
"Ugh... where is this?"
Just then, Tohka and the others also woke up one after another. Seeing the divided Itsuka Shidos, they expressed their amazent in unison.
"Hoh hoh—Shido turned into two people."
"What's going on? My property? Could it be you—split?"
"Feeling. A bit like the way Yuzuru and Kaguya exist?"
"Darling! Darling turned into two people!"
"Hmph—Isn't that fine? Even a clumsy Shido would be more useful if there were two of him."
Unlike Shido, who still felt sowhat awkward, after listening to Yutsuki's explanation, Tohka and the others quickly accepted the appearance of "Itsuka Shido".
"Yutsuki, this summoned Shido..."
Just then, Nia walked up to Yutsuki's side and asked softly.
"Mhm, rember my na."
Yutsuki nodded gently.
"Oh? That's really great."
Hearing this, a gleam of anticipation appeared in Nia's eyes.
"Everyone, although I'm very happy you are so friendly towards , please forgive , but please allow to answer your questions later."
After saying that, "Itsuka Shido" looked up at the sky, revealing a serious expression.
"Kuku—To be able to wipe out my subordinates in one blow, what an amazing human."
"Fatima, our archenemy. I was wondering when you turned into such a useless weakling, turns out you found quite a few strong backers."
Just then, accompanied by a burst of arrogant, maniacal laughter, two bizarrely dressed foreign n landed in front of Shido and the others.
"Vanbel, Bigudito..."
Nia looked at the two with a complex expression. Although they were villains, regarding the characters she had painstakingly created, she more or less viewed them with the affection of a mother for her children.
However, in their eyes, the cowardly and timid Fatima from earlier was clearly no longer a threat. The two were currently observing "Itsuka Shido" with great interest.
"Hoh, I didn't expect a re human to actually harbor such powerful strength. How about it? Do you want to beco my subordinate and serve ?"
Under everyone's surprised gazes, Vanbel, the Vampire King, extended an olive branch to "Shido".
"I see, this is indeed an interesting proposal. In order to eliminate the ddleso Protoss and let the Demons unify the world, one can never have too many excellent talents."
Bigudito, the Undead King, nodded in agreent and extended his hand towards "Itsuka Shido".
"How about it? Human, if you accept our conditions, I can give you endless wealth, power, and beautiful won, allowing you to rule the world as the supre ruler of humanity. Even those people you are protecting behind you, except for that ddleso Fatima who must be eliminated, I can spare them."
"I refuse!"
"Shido" rejected their invitation without hesitation.
"As long as I am here, I will absolutely not allow any of my family mbers to be hard!"
As soon as his voice fell, countless ice spikes erged from "Shido's" feet, converging into a majestic iceberg that sealed Vanbel and Bigudito inside.
"Amazing..."
Everyone couldn't help but let out gasps of admiration.
However, just when everyone thought the enemy had been completely sealed by "Shido," a crack appeared on the surface of the iceberg. The crack expanded continuously, and the entire iceberg trembled violently.
"This is?!"
"Shido's" expression drastically changed. He hurriedly used Spirit power to create a barrier, protecting everyone inside.
BOOM—! Accompanied by a loud crash, the massive iceberg exploded. Shattered ice chunks turned into bullets, slamming viciously against the Spirit power barrier.
Two seconds. rely two seconds! The maximum output that Zadkiel could achieve was broken by the enemy in such a short amount of ti.
"Kuku—Muda muda muda! (Useless, useless, useless!)"
"Haha—What a foolish human. Did you really think such a feeble attack could seal us?"
Looking at everyone's astonished expressions, Vanbel and Bigudito let out triumphant, maniacal laughter.
"Don't be careless! Judging by the feeling over there, the strength of Vanbel and Bigudito is on par with a fully materialized Spirit. Plus their immortal traits, they will be very difficult to deal with! Uh—why is everyone looking at like that?"
Seeing everyone's gazes focusing on her, Nia shrank her neck and muttered softly.
"I couldn't help it either... If the bosses aren't made strong, the final battle wouldn't be exciting to read..."
"I see. It seems they are indeed not enemies that can be easily defeated."
Hearing Nia's warning, a hint of gravity appeared in "Shido's" eyes.
"It seems I must also go all out."
All out? Hearing this term, Shido looked very confused. In his opinion, the strength "Itsuka Shido" was displaying right now far exceeded his own current level. Yet this was still not "his" full power?
(Strange, was I that strong in that manga back then?)
"Yutsuki, what he's talking about is..."
"Quiet Shido, don't distract ."
After glaring at Shido dissatisfiedly, Yutsuki turned her head to look at "Shido," her eyes full of excitent and anticipation.
(?)
Frowning in confusion, Shido disappointedly discovered that not just Yutsuki, but the Spirits present seed to know what "Itsuka Shido" was going to do next. They held their breath, focusing entirely on "his" movents.
(Eh? What's going on? Am I the only one who doesn't understand what's happening again?)
Then, under Shido's puzzled gaze, the "Itsuka Shido" who was currently confronting the enemy slowly took out a magic wand embedded with a heart-shaped jewel from the inner pocket of his school uniform.
...A magic wand?!
"I am the guardian of Spirits in this world—Itsuka Shido. Hura hura babarara—Power of Spirits, grant the power to protect everything from evil!"
After chanting a line of incomprehensible dialogue, "Itsuka Shido" held the magic wand high and shouted loudly,
"Magical Girl—Transform!"
"Pffft——————————————————!!!"
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