The clash of sword and halberd echoed endlessly in the sky above Tengu City, rumbling like thunder.
The dispersed Spirit energy turned into shockwaves that destroyed the surrounding buildings. The most severely damaged was undoubtedly Tengu Tower, which was closest to the two. This several-hundred-ter-tall iron tower was now pitted and scarred, its structure twisted and slanted. From a distance, it looked like a Picasso-style abstract painting.
Of course, to Tohka and Mukuro, who were completely engrossed in their battle, this was just a trivial matter.
"Haaaaaa!"
Mukuro roared, thrusting the halberd in her hands toward Tohka like a torrential rain.
"Hmph!"
Facing Mukuro's attack, Tohka showed no panic. The Demon King Nahemah in her hands swung so fast it created afterimages, parrying all of Michael's attacks without missing a single one.
Then, seemingly sensing sothing, Tohka frowned slightly, kicked her feet, and leaped high into the air.
At the exact sa ti, a door stealthily opened from a blind spot at the exact position Tohka was just in, and the front half of Michael thrust out from it.
"Nothing but cheap tricks."
Tohka said disdainfully. From the start of their clash, Hoshimiya Mukuro had been engaging in close combat with Tohka while using Michael's ability to launch sneak attacks from Tohka's blind spots. However, these had very little effect against Tohka's sharp sixth sense.
"I will praise you a little for being able to fight for this long. But—"
Flipping half a circle in mid-air, Tohka stepped on a created block of Spirit energy as a foothold and gathered power in her legs.
—Boom!
With a loud blast, in Mukuro's eyes, Tohka's figure disappeared as if she teleported, then suddenly appeared right in front of her.
It was not real teleportation, nor was it a visual trick accomplished by Wizards using special techniques. Tohka simply used raw power to burst forward with a speed Mukuro could not track.
"Still not good enough."
Stating coldly, Tohka swung Nahemah with overwhelming force.
"—!?"
Her pupils contracting sharply, Mukuro did not hesitate. She condensed the Spirit energy in her body into a shield and held Michael horizontally in front of her chest.
The pitch-black giant sword fell. The Spirit energy shield was predictably smashed to dust, and then the Demon King struck the Angel.
The next second, like a batted baseball, Mukuro's body crashed into a skyscraper, leaving a huge hole in the wall.
"How is that? Can you still fight?"
Looking at the disheveled Mukuro, Tohka asked coldly.
"Of course!"
Crawling out of the wall, Mukuro grit her teeth and roared.
"Committing violence against Nushi-sama! Cutting Muku's hair! This grudge is irreconcilable! Muku will absolutely not forgive you, I will definitely make you pay for your sins!"
"Hmph, then stop barking and try to pierce with that key in your hand—if you can."
"You do not need to tell ..."
After retorting fiercely, Mukuro gripped Michael tightly and thrust its tip into the void.
At the sa ti, a fist-sized door connected the space in front of Mukuro to the space behind Tohka. Mukuro thrust Michael into it.
"Boring."
Seeing Mukuro repeat the sa trick, Tohka showed a disappointed expression and easily dodged Michael's thrust.
However—
"Michael—Lataib."
While maintaining this state, Mukuro turned Michael in her hand again.
"What?"
Under Tohka's surprised gaze, another door opened behind her.
And unlike before, no dangerous foreign objects flew out of this door. Tohka noticed that the other end of the door connected to a boundless darkness that contained many planets—outer space.
Under the massive pressure difference, the door began to frantically suck in the surrounding air, pulling at Tohka's body, trying to drag her inside.
(Trying to suck in? No, that should not be all.)
Although the suction force in front of her was frightening, it was not enough to threaten Tohka. So she did not rush to attack the door in front of her, but stayed on guard for Mukuro's next move.
—Lataib.
Just as Tohka expected, another door opened above Tohka's head, and thousands of tons of rubble from the skyscraper that was just destroyed by the aftermath of their clash ca crashing down.
"So that is your ga."
Tohka clicked her tongue, took a low stance, and swung her blade upward.
A pitch-black crescent moon shot into the night sky. The massive and heavy falling rocks were easily sliced in two like tofu the mont they touched Nahemah.
And right at this mont, aiming for the split second when Tohka had exhausted her previous attack and had not yet gathered new strength, Mukuro appeared in front of Tohka under the cover of the falling rubble.
(Michael—Jerez)
Gripping her halberd tightly, Mukuro ruthlessly thrust toward Tohka's wide-open chest.
This was Mukuro's hidden trump card. It could sever the connection of all matter in the world on a molecular level, breaking it down into nothingness. Even Tohka was no exception.
"—!?"
This was a sure-kill blow. Tohka instinctively understood this fact, but she did not panic and choose to defend. Instead, she increased the Spirit energy poured into Nahemah, swinging the raised giant sword down fiercely at Mukuro's head, trying to cut Mukuro in half before Michael could stab her.
But the next second, the result was neither one of them being killed, nor mutual destruction.
Tohka and Mukuro both felt a sticky power wrap around their weapons, pulling the giant sword and the halberd in a gentle arc. This made both of their weapons lose their aim and hit the falling rubble beside them instead.
Then, the rubble hit by the Demon King and the Angel was split neatly in half on one side, while the other half turned into mist and disappeared into the air.
Distracted by this strange phenonon, Tohka did not continue fighting Mukuro, but actively pulled back and landed on the ground.
At first, Tohka thought it was a trick by Mukuro. But soon, Mukuro also landed from the sky, looking at her with an expression that said, "What exactly did you do?"
(Then, the ones who did this must be those three and their friends.)
Indeed, it was exactly as Tohka guessed. As if aiming for the mont Tohka and Mukuro stopped fighting, Shido, Origami, and Yutsuki flew between them.
"What are you planning to do?"
"We are here to stop you from fighting."
Hearing Yutsuki's answer, Tohka clicked her tongue unhappily.
"Tch, so you are here to get in the way?... Whatever, I will just beat all of you down."
Saying that, Tohka pointed Nahemah at the three.
Facing Tohka's murderous look, Yutsuki put her hands on her hips and asked back calmly.
"Does that an you admit defeat?"
"What?"
Tohka widened her eyes.
"Although your fight with Mukuro has been voided, your competition with Shido is still ongoing. Our Shido has no intention of quitting, and his heart has not surrendered. If you kill him just like this, you will have to live with the sha of defeat for the rest of your life."
Yutsuki explained with a smile. She knew this Tohka absolutely hated losing.
Sure enough, Tohka's expression changed several tis, but in the end, she accepted Yutsuki's logic, squeezing out these words through gritted teeth.
"...Get out of the way. Once I deal with this woman, I will naturally settle things with that man."
"I refuse~"
"You!?"
Tohka looked at Yutsuki in disbelief.
"Did I not say from the start that we ca to break up the fight? Since that is the case, how could I step aside and let you and Mukuro continue fighting? You would understand if you used your brain."
Saying that, Yutsuki shrugged speechlessly.
"Hah?!"
Seemingly provoked by Yutsuki's words, Tohka angrily flew in front of Yutsuki and grabbed her collar.
"You brat! If you really want to die that badly, I will grant your wish!"
"Bring it on! Do it if you want!!"
Instead of cowering, Yutsuki opened her arms and yelled back at a volu just as loud as Tohka's.
"I am completely unard right now. If you kill , it ans you lost to ntally! Then you will not only have lost to Shido, but also to ! Origami is right here as a witness. If this woman dares to harm a single hair on my head, announce her defeat as the referee!"
"You—!"
"...Mhm, I will be watching."
Under Tohka's angry glare, Origami shrank her neck and answered.
Her body was constantly trembling with anger. Tohka wanted to say sothing to refute Yutsuki's twisted logic, but she, who was used to letting her fists do the talking, was no match for Yutsuki. She opened and closed her mouth, but couldn't squeeze out a single word. She could only glare deadly at Yutsuki, as if wanting to slice her into a thousand pieces with her eyes.
Watching this scene, Shido inexplicably felt a bit sorry for Tohka.
But pity aside, leaving Tohka to Yutsuki and Origami was sothing they had agreed on beforehand. Rather than worrying about them, Shido had his own things to do.
"Mukuro."
Walking up to Mukuro, Shido gently called her na.
"Why is Nushi-sama here?" Looking at Shido, Mukuro couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. "This place is very dangerous. To avoid getting hurt, Nushi-sama should leave quickly."
"I won't leave." Silently shaking his head, Shido said firmly, "I am here to stop you, Mukuro."
"Stop... Muku?"
Seeming not to understand Shido's aning, Mukuro tilted her head in confusion.
"What happened just now was just a misunderstanding. Tohka was not planning to commit violence against . I accidentally lost control of my emotions and my actions and tone were a bit rough, which made Tohka angry. Besides, I am not really hurt either."
"Nushi-sama..."
"I know you value your hair very much, so it is not strange that you are angry. But that was just an accident, and Tohka definitely did not do it on purpose. I really do not want to see any of you get hurt! Plus, even if your hair got cut, I still think you are very cute, Mukuro. I would never hate you, and I will always stay by your side!"
Saying everything he could think of, Shido bowed his head to Mukuro and pleaded.
"So, can you please forgive Tohka and stop fighting?!"
After patiently listening to Shido's words, Mukuro let out a soft sigh after a long ti.
"...As expected, Nushi-sama is truly a gentle person... Alright, Muku will overlook the matter of my cut hair."
Hearing Mukuro's answer, Shido instantly felt relieved.
"Thank you! Mukuro!"
"...Hey, Nushi-sama."
With a slight smile on her face, Mukuro said.
"Muku... has made a decision. I will unlock Miss Yutsuki and Miss Origami's mories. Both of them are kind people, people Nushi-sama values... Although it is regrettable, Muku does not want to make Nushi-sama sad. As for the others, if they are truly harmless, Muku will also unlock their mories one by one."
"Really?"
Shido looked at Mukuro in surprise.
"Of course, Muku never lies."
Seeing Mukuro nod, Shido could not suppress his joy.
"Thank you, Mukuro! Thank you so much!"
"However—"
But right at this mont, Mukuro's tone shifted. She turned her gaze to Tohka, deep disgust showing in her eyes.
"That woman cannot be allowed! She is rude, brutal, and wicked. Regardless of right or wrong, letting that woman stay by Nushi-sama's side will only end up taking advantage of Nushi-sama's gentleness and constantly hurting Nushi-sama."
Realizing Mukuro had a misunderstanding about Tohka, Shido hurriedly tried to explain.
"Wait! Mukuro, Tohka is not that kind of person!"
However, Mukuro just kept her smile unchanged and looked at Shido.
"Muku is sorry, Nushi-sama. Muku's unintentional actions caused Nushi-sama to suffer such pain. As an apology, Muku will eliminate all the pests around Nushi-sama, giving Nushi-sama an eternally peaceful and happy world."
As she finished speaking, Shido saw the light of Spirit energy blooming behind Mukuro.
Shido then realized that while he was bowing and not paying attention, Mukuro had already placed Michael behind her and opened a door to hide it.
"Michael—Jerez."
Hearing Mukuro's words, Shido quickly turned his head.
He saw that behind Tohka, the tip of Michael poked out from a small door, silently thrusting toward Tohka's back.
And right now, Tohka seed to have just been persuaded by Yutsuki and Origami. She was lowering her weapon to call a truce, completely defenseless against the sneak attack from behind.
(I will not make it!)
Shido realized this. With the help of Ratziel on his wrist, he clearly understood that in less than half a second, Michael would pierce Tohka. Whether it was warning Tohka or stopping Mukuro, it was already too late.
And then, Yatogami Tohka would die.
Die? The mont he thought of this word, Itsuka Shido's heart was filled with endless terror.
He was not afraid of his own death. In the process of saving the Spirits, he had already brushed past "death" several tis.
More than that, he was terrified of his family, friends, and lovers dying in front of him, leaving his side.
(...Stop.)
Under the pressure of fear, his heart beat violently and uncontrollably, and blood flowed through his body at an unprecedented speed.
As if a dying person was seeing their life flash before their eyes in an instant, Shido felt his consciousness accelerating out of control.
(Stop!!!!!)
At this mont, responding to Shido's intense emotions, the dark blue bracer on his right wrist flashed with an intense light.
[Host command received—Limiter released—Ti limit 0.42 seconds—Entering accelerated calculation—Mobilizing all of host's Spirit energy—Brute-force decoding comnced—]
Half a second. The ti given to Itsuka Shido had not lengthened. However, the scale of this half-second was constantly expanding.
And in this constantly expanding ti, Shido's body was like an engine running at full speed—no, at overspeed. Most of the Spirit energy that was originally dormant in his body was completely mobilized. It circulated to the limit in his Spirit energy pathways that were expanded to their maximum, condensed, and then—
Boom—!
Guided by Ratziel, the Spirit energy in Shido's body slamd fiercely and accurately against the lock in his body that existed only conceptually.
[1st impact failed—2nd impact comnced—]
Undeniably, as the only conceptual Angel to appear so far, Michael's ability was unquestionably powerful. As long as it was sealed by the Close ability, one must rely on Michael's Open to unlock and restore it.
But there are no absolutes in the world. No matter how powerful a seal is, it has a limit to what it can withstand.
Instead of finding the right key to open the lock, Ratziel's task right now was to turn the Spirit energy used by Shido into a violent iron hamr, and completely smash the fastened lock.
[211th attempt—Failed—212th attempt—Failed—213th attempt—Failed—214th attempt—Success—Task completed. Deploynt—Haniel—Kaleidoscope—Michael—]
Shido's sense of ti returned to normal. What followed was a sharp pain coming from all over his body, making him unable to stop himself from crying out.
At the sa ti, Ratziel on Shido's wrist also reached its limit from the instant overload operation, turning into light particles and dissipating into the air.
But paying these prices was not without reward. In front of Shido, a door connecting to where Tohka was quietly opened.
"Nushi-sama!?"
Mukuro couldn't help but cry out in shock.
"Make it!!!!"
Without any ti for hesitation, Shido dove into the door.
"Tohka!"
"?!"
Under Tohka's surprised gaze, Shido rushed forward and pushed her away in the nick of ti.
And in exchange, the next mont, the tip of Michael pierced Itsuka Shido's shoulder.
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