"Why…?"
Itsuka Shidou's eyes were filled with disbelief and horror.
He didn't understand—why would Tobiichi Origami do this?
"Origa—!"
He wanted to call out to her, to demand an answer.
But before he could speak, the beam of light had already fired, screaming through the sky straight at them.
No human eye could follow the speed of light. Which meant Shidou and the others had no time to react.
Only Melusine moved—instantly appearing in front of them, slapping the beam aside with a single palm.
"Take them and go, Shidou."
"But—"
"You staying here will only get in my way."
The words he was about to say were swallowed by the stark force of her reply.
He said nothing more. Watching Melusine shoot into the sky like a reverse-falling star, Shidou bit down hard and then turned, guiding Origami's parents to safety.
Out of the corner of her eye, Melusine caught a glimpse of them leaving. She didn't say a word—only swerved midair to dodge a barrage of light blasts.
"You're not chasing your parents. So your target is me, after all."
But this Origami couldn't respond. She attacked like a beast, pure instinct, no rationality.
She was the fusion of two Tobiichi Origamis—two worldlines. Similar memories, but not identical. The merge had driven her into chaos and madness, utterly consumed by hatred for Spirits.
After Phantom disappeared, her sanity collapsed. Seeing Melusine—the one standing nearest her parents—as the likely culprit, she immediately launched into an attack. Her rage even engulfed her parents in its scope.
Metatron's wings fired again and again—devastating barrages of light—but none could touch even the hem of Melusine's garment.
"I already prevented her from killing her parents. So why haven't we returned to the future yet?"
Gliding effortlessly between beams of light, Melusine pondered. "Do we have to wait for Origami's window in this timeline to expire, and for her to be forcibly returned to the future, before the task is considered complete?"
One of Metatron's "feathers" drifted above Melusine's head—then discharged a massive blast of focused light.
It pierced clean through her body.
Origami paused, expressionless. A few more "feathers" hovered protectively around her.
"The techniques I taught you—did you forget them all already, student?"
The voice whispered near her ear. Chilled to the core, Origami immediately summoned a spirit shield.
"You did the same thing at the start of your training. First thing you always did when I appeared was cast a Personal Territory to defend yourself. And now you've swapped that for a raw Spirit shield—do you think it'll make a difference?"
Her gauntlet snapped open. The blade inside shattered—exploding outward in a torrent of radiant swords.
Blades. Endless blades.
Like a crashing, unstoppable tidal wave.
In less than a blink, thirty-seven consecutive slashes shredded Origami's shield to pieces.
Then Melusine kicked—hard. A forceful strike that sent Origami flying like a cannonball, crashing through the sky.
Melusine didn't pursue. She only watched as buildings crumbled in the distance.
One by one, the "feathers" surrounding Origami began to glow again, aiming squarely at Melusine.
They fired.
Blinding light consumed the sky.
But Melusine emerged unscathed, wrapped in a thin barrier of magical energy.
"It's foolish to keep repeating an attack that's already proven useless. But then again—facing me was already a mistake."
"[Metatron—Solar Halo]!"
Origami screamed. The feathers arranged themselves into a perfect circle—like a burning sun. One by one, tiny spheres of light appeared.
Then they rained down.
"Even your strongest direct blast couldn't scratch me. What do you expect to achieve by scattering your power?"
The beams fell like rain on her shield—but didn't even ripple its surface.
Melusine was beginning to get bored.
Then—her expression shifted.
Suddenly, she turned, golden eyes narrowing.
Within the rain of destruction, she had spotted someone.
Someone human.
These glowing droplets couldn't even damage her skin—but to a normal person, they were instant death.
Her pupils contracted. In an instant, Melusine broke the sound barrier, closing the distance in a flash and summoning her defensive magic.
All the beams were blocked.
"You're not hurt, are you?"
The words carried a rare tenderness.
The figure she'd shielded was a little girl—white, chin-length hair, blue eyes, three clips on the right side of her head. She looked no older than a grade-schooler.
She sat on the ground, stunned, face pale—clearly overwhelmed.
After several long seconds, the girl finally regained her senses and replied, voice trembling.
"I-I'm okay… Thank you, Miss…"
Her wide blue eyes sparkled as she looked up at Melusine—handsome, elegant, dazzling. The knight who had saved her.
As the girl studied Melusine, Melusine studied her in return—and her gaze grew more astonished.
That's Origami. Young Origami. Before she got all weird looking…
Which meant, if she hadn't stepped in, Origami would have just been killed by… Origami.
Time paradox much?
Origami really is a menace. She's even willing to kill herself.
Melusine opened her mouth to say something—
And three more blasts smashed into the shield, exploding with a brilliant flash.
The noise made little Origami yelp, hugging her head in fear. Melusine's expression grew cold.
"Can't you read the room…?"
Muttering irritably, she turned to Origami and dropped to one knee in knightly fashion.
Her bright gold eyes met the girl's—earnest, proud, radiant. Little Origami's heart thudded in her chest.
"I'm sorry, dear lady. My failure has burdened you with such terrible memories."
She gently took Origami's small hand—and kissed the back of it.
The child had never experienced anything like it. Her round cheeks turned beet red, her mouth gaping in shock.
All around them, buildings and streets crumbled. Cannons roared, flashes of death lighting the sky.
But Origami noticed none of it.
All her thoughts had been stolen by that unfamiliar, yet magical sensation on her hand.
Then Melusine's voice sounded again.
"Now… I ask that you close your eyes and count backward from three."
"Please believe me. All I need is three seconds—and I'll finish this."
She lifted Origami's hand and gently placed it over the girl's eyes.
Little Origami answered in a soft, shy voice.
"O-Okay… Should I start now?"
"You may."
Melusine let go of her hand. Calmly, she spoke.
"You may begin the countdown."
"All right, then… Three…"
High above, Spirit Origami continued her bombardment.
She looked like an angel—but brought no gospel. Only annihilation.
Then, suddenly—
Origami had no idea what had happened.
In the blink of an eye, a hand was pressed against her face.
"pInnocence Arondight: Now Unknown, Innocent Light of the Lake]"
"…One… Zero."
Little Origami began to move her hand from her eyes, just as her fingers parted slightly and light peeked through.
But before she could see anything, a gentle hand held hers down again.
"You forgot to say 'two,' my lady."
"U-Um… I forgot…"
Her sheepish tone betrayed her guilt, but Melusine said nothing.
"Um… Miss Knight? May I open my eyes now?"
"…You may."
Melusine released her hand, and Origami slowly opened her eyes.
The world had changed.
The tall buildings were flattened. The streets were scorched and cratered.
But there were no more lasers.
No more noise.
"Wow…"
Origami's eyes sparkled as she looked at Melusine.
"You're amazing, Miss Knight! The explosions are really gone!"
…Would you still think I was amazing if you knew I just beat up your future self?
Melusine ruffled the girl's hair, and her face turned even redder.
"What's your name?"
"Um… I'm Tobiichi Origami, Miss Knight…"
"I see. That's a lovely name. Your parents must have hoped for a bright, healthy future for you."
Melusine stood, then extended a hand.
"Can you stand?"
Origami blinked, then nervously reached out.
Melusine gently helped her up—but Origami stumbled. Melusine caught her.
A quick glance revealed the girl's right ankle slightly swollen.
"Twisted it?"
"Mm…"
In a romance story, the gallant knight might offer a piggyback ride—or a bridal carry.
But Melusine simply healed the ankle with magic.
Origami looked vaguely disappointed.
Later, at a designated evacuation shelter, people gathered in droves.
"Origami!"
A tearful woman rushed over and wrapped the child in a fierce embrace.
"Mom! Dad!"
The girl clung to her parents, ignoring everything else.
It was a common scene throughout the shelter—families reunited after the chaos, overwhelmed with relief.
Seeing it, Shidou couldn't help smiling from the heart.
"That's wonderful… Origami."
Then, he turned to the girl calmly walking over.
"Thank you, Lancelot."
"I didn't do it for you. If anyone owes me thanks… it's not you."
Her voice was cold, but Shidou didn't mind.
After all, it was thanks to her that all of this had been saved.
He felt a twinge of envy for the Shidou from her timeline—someone with such a dependable partner.
But… if this is a parallel world, doesn't that mean there's a Lancelot in my timeline too? I wonder how we'll meet…
As he pondered, Kurumi's voice echoed in his mind—reminding him that his time was almost up.
On the way here, Melusine had sensed that Origami's Spirit energy had vanished, meaning she'd returned to her rightful time.
Which meant—once Shidou left, Melusine had no reason to stay either.
"…Wait, hold on. How am I supposed to get back?"
Her wide golden eyes blinked slowly as the realization dawned.
They had changed the past. Prevented Origami from killing her parents.
But in doing so, they'd erased the future Melusine had come from.
The altered past would give rise to an entirely different future.
Naturally, there would be no anchor point in this new future.
And without an anchor, her time magic couldn't activate.
Attempting it anyway could fling her to who-knows-where.
Her face remained expressionless, but inside—Melusine was panicking.
Shidou's gone? Can't follow him—he's from a different timeline… Wait! I've got it!
As Origami joyfully reunited with her parents, she remembered the knight who'd protected her.
She looked around—
But the gallant figure was nowhere to be seen.