Fortunately, now that Melusine had confirmed Shidou's identity, those earlier questions no longer needed answering.
Though Melusine had dropped the matter, Tokisaki Kurumi in Shidou's mind hadn't stopped needling him. Shidou chose to ignore her.
"An alternate… worldline?"
Even someone like Shidou—who'd already experienced so many unbelievable events thanks to the Spirits—still short-circuited mentally upon hearing this.
"A parallel world. You've heard of the theory, haven't you? Based on the clues we've gathered so far, that seems to be the case."
Melusine spoke with composed clarity, her calmness giving Shidou a deep sense of reliability.
"I first met you after Kaguya and Yuzuru were sealed, but before Miku. Origami hadn't become a Spirit in my timeline. That's very different from your side, right?"
"Yeah… In my case, Origami joined DEM, kidnapped me, attacked Tohka and the others… and eventually became a Spirit herself."
"DEM? Ah, right."
Melusine tilted her head. "DEM's a lost cause in my world. I personally took down Executive Director Westcott and crippled Ellen."
"…It can be that different?"
Shidou was stunned.
"Not that shocking, really," Melusine replied flatly. "I've heard in one worldline, you died, and Tohka, consumed by despair, went Inverse, killed all the other Spirits, devoured their Sephira Crystals, and wiped out every living thing on Earth—turning the planet into a dead star."
"..."
Shidou didn't reply, but the weight of those words landed hard. Melusine paid it no mind—she hadn't forgotten her purpose.
Currently, while the city was still sweltering, it hadn't yet been consumed by flames.
That meant they'd successfully arrived before Kotori had been transformed into a Spirit.
"Where are we going now?"
Though they'd made it to the past, Shidou had no concrete plan for how to prevent the tragedies. So he turned to Melusine.
Just then, she casually pulled out a golden spool of thread from… who knew where, and tossed it into the air.
"No need to waste time. Let's go directly to Origami's parents."
Melusine had one goal from the start: to change the fact that Origami's parents were killed.
She could likely take down Spirit Origami the instant she appeared—but she couldn't predict how history would attempt to "correct" itself afterward. The safest course was to remain with her targets and protect them at all costs.
"How? Take them to a shelter?" Shidou followed behind her, frowning. "They're not going to trust a couple of strangers."
"I don't need their trust."
Melusine's voice was cold and resolute. "I just need to make sure they live. Their thoughts and choices are irrelevant."
I'll protect you—whether you like it or not.
That was the kind of determination she conveyed.
Moments later, they saw it—a massive pillar of fire erupting from a nearby park.
Within Melusine's magical perception, a sudden and overwhelming surge of Spirit energy flared into being.
Kotori Itsuka had just been transformed into a Spirit.
The inferno seared through the streets, fire sparking across buildings, and within moments, the surrounding area was swallowed by flames.
Melusine gave the fire a long, steady look before turning to Shidou, whose face had gone pale.
"I was wondering if you'd try to go over there and stop it."
"..."
His hands clenched, then loosened. It was clearly a difficult decision.
"…If Kotori doesn't become a Spirit now, I don't know what that will do to the future."
Without Kotori turning into a Spirit, Ratatoskr might never discover Shidou's ability to seal Spirit powers. That would mean Tohka, Yoshino, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Miku, Natsumi—none of them might ever be sealed.
Even if they prevented this disaster now and saved people from the fire, the forces of history might simply kill them later in other ways. There was no telling if the outcome would actually be better.
Delayed death might be worse.
And innocents might get caught in the backlash.
All possible.
Kurumi had likely explained this to Shidou. Melusine didn't add anything more. The fewer people who understood the secrets of fate, the better.
"Besides, the 'me' from this time should already be on her way to Kotori. I need to avoid running into myself."
That was Shidou's real concern. If past and future versions of himself met, even Kurumi, with all her time manipulation, wasn't sure what would happen.
Melusine didn't know Origami's childhood address, but she did remember where Spirit Origami had killed her parents.
They hurried through the burning streets, and soon, Origami's house came into view.
"There it is!"
Shidou's heart leapt with relief. The battle between Spirit Origami and Phantom hadn't started yet—they were on time.
Just then, Melusine's golden eyes flashed. She looked up toward the sky, now tinged red by firelight.
A new power had entered her sensory range—overwhelming, sudden, and intense.
It hadn't approached. It had simply appeared.
Her dragon eyes cut through the distance easily, locking on to a figure in the sky.
In a word: an Angel.
A fitted dress that traced her silhouette. A voluminous skirt that bloomed like a flower. A halo encircling her head, with a glowing veil extending from it.
All in blinding, ethereal white.
Light hovered over her crown like wings of blessing—or a crown of annihilation.
There was no doubt.
That was Tobiichi Origami, transformed into a Spirit.
And yet… it wasn't just that.
Melusine's expression grew grim.
She saw something else on Origami—something she recognized intimately.
The Brynhild, Ratatoskr's newest Realizer Unit, named after a Valkyrie of Norse myth. It was the very device Origami had been given in the future.
And now, she was wearing fragments of it—here, in the past.
She'd suspected it before. But seeing it confirmed, right in front of her, made Melusine narrow her eyes.
Despite her ability to see across the city, Spirit Origami hadn't noticed them.
Because her attention was consumed entirely by another being—a walking mass of distortion: Phantom.
There was no conversation. No hesitation. Origami fired immediately.
Blades of light pierced through Phantom's form.
"Origami—!"
Up in the sky, Spirit Origami and Phantom clashed, darting and weaving in a dizzying aerial battle.
No matter how loudly Shidou called her name, Origami didn't respond.
She saw nothing but Phantom.
Shidou bit down hard, frustration bubbling inside him.
"I'll get her parents to safety!"
With the city now clearly in chaos, even a stranger might be able to get them to evacuate.
Melusine didn't stop him.
"Then do what you believe is right."
Her words filled Shidou with determination. He dashed toward Origami's house.
Melusine, meanwhile, kept her gaze locked on the battle above.
Phantom never fought back—she just dodged.
It looked like Origami was dominating her.
But Melusine knew better.
That was Mio Takamiya—whether whole or in part, she was leagues above a newly born Spirit.
Melusine guessed Phantom was simply testing Origami's potential—seeing how far she could push the power of Metatron.
She didn't intervene.
Not yet.
Revealing herself now would only expose her to Mio. Better to wait.
…Even she knew that was wishful thinking.
Shidou had already gotten Origami's parents and was evacuating with them.
Up above, the battle was nearing its conclusion.
Phantom was now trapped—ensnared in a Personal Territory, bound with flames so dark they burned cold.
The fire clung with unnatural intensity, strengthened by hatred. A curse, born of wrath.
Melusine had crafted that enhancement herself.
The more hatred the user felt, the stronger the fire. It couldn't be put out by normal means, and once it latched on—it stayed.
Origami had identified Phantom as her parents' murderer. Her hatred had empowered the flames to their limit.
With Phantom immobilized, Origami began combining the wings of Metatron into a single, massive cannon.
And then—she aimed it downward.
Right at Shidou and Origami's parents.
Melusine had long wanted to complain about this part of the anime. Goku at least knew to fire upward—why the hell are you aiming straight down?!
The air crackled.
The beam gathered.
Doom descended.
From beneath, Shidou saw the sky consumed by blinding white.
He'd witnessed this once already.
Now it was happening again.
Had he… changed nothing?
The sheer helplessness was crushing.
Light devoured everything.
White—pure and total—became the world.
Then, the beam faded, spent.
The scorched streets were laid bare—molten red.
At the very center, Shidou and the others stood frozen.
A translucent shield enveloped them. Everything around them was obliterated—except for the patch beneath their feet.
"This is…"
Shidou stared at the shield around them in disbelief.
Until a flat voice spoke at his side.
"Given that her Angel shares the name Metatron—the one called the 'Little Yahweh'—I was worried that normal defenses wouldn't hold. But I suppose I overthought it. Maybe because Metatron is specialized for piercing attacks, and my shield was designed specifically for that type of magic—'murder spells.'"
"Melusine!"
Shidou recognized the name—she'd explained it earlier when discussing parallel worlds.
Seeing her in her lake-blue armor, he nearly wept with relief.
"I'm glad you're all safe, Shidou."
"Seriously… if you hadn't been here, I wouldn't have known what to do…"
His gratitude poured out. The knot in his chest finally loosened, and he smiled.
"I only did what I had to."
Melusine shrugged modestly.
A knight's humility, etched into every word.
They had done it.
They'd changed history.
They'd stopped Origami from killing her own parents.
Shidou's heart brimmed with joy and relief.
Then—Melusine's eyes narrowed.
Another beam crashed down.
It was blocked by the same shield.
"What's gotten into her?"
Still holding her hand up, Melusine looked toward the sky.
Her blazing gold eyes burned like twin suns.
Above, countless feather-shaped cannons locked onto Melusine.
Floating amidst holy light, Tobiichi Origami looked like an angel—but her eyes held nothing but murder.
Unthinking, wordless, irrational hatred.
Not something human could possess.
Not anymore.