Her silver-white hair shimmered like moonlight, and her delicate, snow-pale face looked as though it had been carved by the hands of a master artisan.
Tall and graceful, her figure was a silhouette of elegance beneath the moonlight, every curve exquisitely outlined—perfection in motion.
In the flickering light, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her long lashes curled like they were carrying stardust.
Was it any wonder she was called the first Spirit in the world?
Just her beauty alone would make anyone believe she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.
Nagami stared into Mio Takamiya's silvery-blue eyes.
She, in turn, paused in surprise as she caught sight of the strange hexagram spinning in Nagami's pupils.
"You… you're not from this world, are you?"
Like an old television suddenly picking up a signal, the once-pixelated shadow gradually came into focus until it clearly appeared before Itsuka Kotori's eyes.
The sound stabilized too, no longer echoing with artificial grandeur.
There was a trace of doubt in Mio's voice—but more than that, a quiet certainty.
"As expected of the Spirit of Origin… to be able to sense that much on your own."
Nagami offered a heartfelt compliment before switching to a warm, polite smile.
"It's true—I don't belong to this world. But that has nothing to do with what we're here to discuss. So, about my earlier proposal… what do you think?"
"A fine suggestion," Mio replied. "It would grant Shido eternal life and also save the humans who died in that spacequake."
Having been listening quietly from the start of the conversation between Nagami and Kotori, Mio already knew exactly what the proposal was about.
The ethereal spirit girl nodded gently.
"But I refuse."
"…Why?"
Nagami's brows drew together slightly, his tone turning more serious.
"The reason is simple. I can help Shido absorb the Spirits' powers myself. I don't need to gamble on some mysterious outsider."
Though her face still held the innocence of youth, thirty years of experience had matured her far beyond what she once was.
The time she had spent under the alias Murasame Reine had seen her intelligence catch the attention of the Spirit-rescue organization Ratatoskr, who eventually recruited her.
If not for her one emotional weakness—Shido—she might well have been a boss-level threat based on brains alone.
"Reine, if Shido finds out his life is built on the sacrifice of so many girls… he would never, ever accept that!"
Even though Kotori now knew Murasame Reine's true identity, their long-standing friendship still made her hesitant to jump into conflict.
If words could reach her, Kotori would rather not fight to the death.
"..."
Mio looked at Kotori with a complex gaze.
This girl—at once her daughter, her friend, and her commanding officer—was one of the few people she still remembered clearly on her path to resurrect her beloved.
"Seems the outsider's already told you everything… Commander."
"But I already knew all of it. That's why, once Shido regains his memories… I plan to erase them all."
Mio had long since prepared herself to shoulder everything alone.
As long as Shido could be brought back, she didn't care what price she had to pay.
"You…!"
Her words reminded Kotori of a story Nagami once posted in the group chat—on that timeline, Mio had done exactly the same thing.
Just as Kotori was about to say more, she felt the hand holding hers tighten slightly.
Startled, she glanced up at Nagami, only to see him shake his head gently.
"Everyone has their convictions. Isn't it natural to give something up for what you truly believe in? Honestly, I don't dislike girls like her—who go all in for love. I'd even say I respect that."
Countless glimmering blue particles began to swirl around Nagami, slithering like spirit serpents along his body, forming complex, elegant patterns as his Herrscher armament took shape.
"But respect aside… getting caught up in a girl like that? That'd be a real pain."
"What if I told you—if you don't cooperate, I'll kill Itsuka Shido?"
The moment those words left Nagami's mouth, a terrifying pressure exploded from Mio's body, crashing over them like a tidal wave.
Her long, pale hair billowed without wind as her expression remained eerily calm, save for the fury smoldering deep in her eyes.
The air grew heavy.
It was the silence before the storm.
Eventually, the pressure dissipated.
Though she might momentarily lose herself when it came to Shido, Mio wasn't permanently irrational.
"You wouldn't do that. Kotori wouldn't allow it."
Closing her eyes gently, Mio shook her head.
Nagami turned to glance at Kotori who was doing absolutely nothing and sighed in exasperation.
So she was just flat-out trusting that he wouldn't actually do it, huh?
————————————————————————
[Nagami]: Seriously? You couldn't at least pretend to panic a little?!
————————————————————————
He shot off a direct message in their group chat.
————————————————————————
[Itsuka Kotori]: …
————————————————————————
What was she supposed to say?
She couldn't exactly admit that, for just a second, she had believed him… and that it scared her half to death!
Ugh, what a useless ally.
Nagami suddenly found himself missing Bronya—at least she always had his back.
"Well, fine. Even if I don't lay a finger on Itsuka Shido…"
Nagami shrugged casually, his expression calm and relaxed, his tone smooth and unbothered.
"Well then, if I'm here to sabotage your plan, you know it'll never succeed. That much should be crystal clear to you, right?"
"So… are you going to cooperate or not?"
When dealing with someone who has a weakness, if negotiations fail, resorting to shameless tactics is often quite effective.
And in that department, Nagami was a seasoned expert.
Mio could feel the immense waves of energy rippling from Nagami's body, surging like a storm tide—an overwhelming, imperial presence that seemed to proclaim absolute dominion.
Her body froze, and the smirk that had just begun to rise at the corner of her lips vanished.
There was no doubt that she was the strongest existence in this world.
But when it came to Nagami—this outsider from another dimension Mio couldn't be entirely confident.
She could sense it: the danger he posed far exceeded that of any Spirit.
The attack that had literally sliced the Earth's atmosphere earlier today? That had come from the boy now standing before her.
And even though he'd recently fought a fierce battle, there wasn't the slightest hint of fatigue on him now.
Of course there wasn't.
Leaving aside Nagami's absurd recovery abilities, his battle with Ellen had been more of a game than a true fight.
The only time he had gotten remotely serious was when he fired the railgun at the warship.
It hadn't taken much out of him at all.
Mio found herself at a crossroads.
Nagami wasn't someone she could easily overpower.
If she fought him now and backed him into a corner, there was a real chance—however small—that he might lash out at Shido despite Kotori being there.
Even the slimmest possibility of danger to Shido was something Mio couldn't afford to ignore.
But if she chose to disregard Nagami entirely, and he truly set his mind on interfering… then her carefully laid plans might really fall apart.
'Damn it… what a shameless man!'
Apparently, Mio Takamiya hadn't learned enough curse words to properly express how pissed she was.
Her energy flared to the limit as she drew more and more power from the Realm of Nothingness.
The void's force blended with raw Honkai energy, creating a volatile mixture.
Nagami watched her silently, his lips curving into a slight smirk.
Right now, he looked exactly like a classic anime villain.
But honestly, sometimes acting like the villain saved you a lot of trouble.
"How about this," he offered with a calm, almost gentle tone—like a teacher kindly explaining a solution to a student.
"Let's have a match. You can use it to assess my strength."
"If you find out killing me is harder than you thought, then be a good girl and cooperate with my plan. I'll make sure Itsuka Shido becomes immortal."
"But if you can kill me easily… then go ahead and keep following your own plan. Sound fair?"
The moment his words ended, Kotori's expression twisted with panic.
She opened her mouth to object, but halfway through, the words caught in her throat.
Then her private chat pinged with a message from Nagami.
Just one word: Code.
Kotori instantly relaxed.
She knew what that meant: it was Nagami's personal trigger—code for a state of undying.
He wouldn't die, no matter what happened.
Seconds ticked by, and silence fell once more.
Only the evening breeze drifted softly through the air.
"…Fine."
The very first Spirit gave her answer.
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