Emilia rushed towards the Main Plaza.
Emilia: [Why did you choose a place so far away, Kiyo? You dunderhead!]
Emilia arrived to see Kiyotaka leaning against a broken piece of a building, blood washing his face red, his breath heavy.
Emilia: [Kiyo!]
Kiyotaka groaned as Emilia rushed over to him.
Kiyotaka: [Ugh. That bastard really landed one on me. My head hurts so much, too! I feel like my skull is cracking from using『Transfer』again.]
Emilia: [Oh god, you're bleeding!]
Kiyotaka: [Huh? Emilia? Um no. This isn't my blood.]
Emilia: [Eh?]
Kiyotaka: [It's his.]
Kiyotaka pointed at Emilia, then turned to see it. Regulus Corneas. He had been cut in half. His waist and everything down still standing as his top half lay on the ground. One of his hands was missing.
Emilia: [Eh?!!]
Emilia then saw his injury and the tourniquet.
Emilia: [You're a dunderhead!!! I was so worried. And look at this injury!]
Kiyotaka: [Leave it. It's better if Felix handles it.]
Emilia hesitates but agrees as Kiyotaka hugs her.
Kiyotaka: [Don't worry. There was no way I was going to let him kill me. Not even after I've killed him.]
Kiyotaka: (Not even once did I die.)
Kiyotaka then remembered his fight with Regulus, contemplating on it when he started to get pulled into it.
Emilia: [Kiyotaka?]
Kiyotaka: [Oh, sorry. I was just remembering the last moments of my fight with Regulus.]
Emilia: [Oh?]
Kiyotaka: [I was able to cut him... even though it shouldn't have been possible... I felt a sensation that let me do it...]
Emilia: [Eh? I don't really get what you mean.]
Kiyotaka: [Hm?]
Emilia: [What's wrong?]
Kiyotaka felt his sword disintegrate in his hand.
Kiyotaka: (The same as that time with Reinhard in the loot house... hm... wait, no. For his case, it was pure power, but in my case, my skill level was too great for the blade. Looks like I've actually managed to surpass Reinhard in something.)
Kiyotaka then felt something slip.
Kiyotaka: [That sensation... It's gone.]
Emilia: [Eh!? All of a sudden?]
Kiyotaka: (That feeling that let me beat Regulus... I guess I lost it again. But... the handhold is there for me to grab. I think I get it now. It's like a handhold fixed to a ceiling. Even gripping it in the first place is almost impossible. Once you grip it, you're bound to lose your grip eventually, but if you keep going at it, you'll scrape away at the ceiling concrete and make it easier to grip. The heights of『Swordsmanship』in this world sure are troublesome. It would take decades for a normal person to manage to do it consistently. You'd have to be mad to try to master a skill like this, but considering how people are, I wouldn't be surprised if there were such people out there. I really hope I never have to meet someone like them. As ashamed as I would be to admit it, I'm interested in this skill. Maybe all the times I've died since coming to this world have driven me slightly insane.)
Kiyotaka: [He was really dangerous and difficult to fight. Can I ask for a reward?]
Emilia: [Eh? You don't have to ask me for a reward for doing something. You can just ask and I'll do it for you.]
Kiyotaka leaned in, kissing her. After a minute, he pulled away as steam rose from Emilia's ears and her face was flushed red.
Kiyotaka: [Now then... I need to find my bratty younger sister.]
Emilia looked surprised.
Kiyotaka: [What?]
Emilia: [... Kiyo... Since when do you have a younger sister?]
Kiyotaka's eyes widened.
Kiyotaka: [What?]
Kiyotaka: [Lia. Go on ahead. I need a second.]
Emilia: [But you don't look well...]
Kiyotaka: [Please. Other people are still not safe. You still have to free Regulus's wives, too, right?]
Emilia nodded as she looked concerned but left.
Kiyotaka: [Earth Smirth Arts.]
Kiyotaka formed a dagger in his hand.
Kiyotaka: (I won't allow this to happen! I'll go back and fix this!)
Kiyotaka stabbed himself in the throat.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
???: [Kiyo.]
Kiyotaka opened his eyes.
Kiyotaka: [Lia?]
Emilia: [I was going to ask you something, but you stopped paying attention.]
Kiyotaka: (This is the same...)
Emilia: [I don't remember you ever telling me you had a sister. Is she here? In Pristella?]
Kiyotaka: (Satella... you did this to protect me... that I understand since beating Regulus wasn't just skill but luck as well. After all, there's no guarantee that feeling will come back, but it's... too cruel... Ichika... no... this is my fault. I miscalculated somewhere. I underestimated『Gluttony』so it's my fault. I wanted to bring her here so she could see this beautiful city, but...)
Kiyotaka: [Ichika... she... is my sister.]
Emilia: [Ichika?]
Kiyotaka: [Her Name... It's been eaten. By『Gluttony』. That's why you can't remember her..]
Emilia: [『Gluttony』?!!]
Kiyotaka gritted his teeth.
Emilia: [Kiyo...]
Emilia hugged him as Kiyotaka winced in pain.
Emilia: [I don't know what to say but... I'm going to do everything it takes... to help you save her.]
Kiyotaka's eyes wavered. Some tears rolled down his cheeks.
Kiyotaka: (What kind of situation even was this? What kind of conclusion is this? Can it even be called a victory? In the end, am I not the loser?)
Kiyotaka: [Let's go... I have to find Ichika. Maybe her memories are still with her.]
Kiyotaka tried to get up, but he fell to his knees. He'd given it his all. His muscles were on the verge of tearing themselves apart, and his gate was stretched to its limit. Emilia carries him in her arms.
Emilia: [For now. Leave that to us.]
Kiyotaka: {Purple twintails... Yellow Eyes.]
He managed to say that before falling unconscious.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Ichika floated to the side, avoiding an attack from Roy.
Ichika: [El Gona!]
She fired flaming stone shards at him, and Lye rushed in, slashing the shards of rock.
Roy: [Oni-san. She's so fiesty]
Lye: [She'll be such a feast, Roy.]
Ichika: [How are you even alive? That attack at the beginning should have at least made you unconscious.]
Lye smirked.
Lye: [I was just so hungry.]
Ichika pointed her staff at him.
Ichika: [Ul Gora!]
She fired a wave of flaming wind as Lye jumped out of the way. AN: [Ichika's Fire (Increase temp) and Wind Elements are her strongest, but they can't be guided via Mana Strings, as they don't have a physical form like Water or Earth magic.
Suddenly, Ichika felt another presence as she turned and grabbed a girl's arm. The girl had long blond hair with sharp teeth and blue eyes.
Ichika: [Huh? A little brat? Teleportation huh?]
???: [How did you?]
Ichika then threw her straight into a building without hesitation.
Roy and Lye: [Rui!!!]
Ichika: [I don't go easy on anyone. Not even kids.]
Ichika then reached out her hands.
Ichika: [Ul Minya!]
Dozens of purple shards of frozen time formed and launched at the two siblings as they attempted to slash the attacks, but the spell caught their arms, crystallising their hands.
Roy: [Huh?]
Lye: [Oh?]
Rui rushed out teleporting next to her brothers as she teleported on top of the wall, and Ichika followed, floating towards them quickly.
Ichika: [Get back here!]
Rui eventually got them clear of the city.
Rui: [We lost her.]
Roy: [Good job, little sis.]
Rui: [This is all because you can't help but follow that woman's orders.]
Suddenly, Ichika appeared in front of them via a variation of Crossing Over Spell she'd learnt from Beatrice.
Ichika: [Boo.]
Rui fell back onto her ass. AN: She fr cooked three Sin Archbishops of Gluttony single-handedly.
Ichika: [Minya.]
Ichika fired the Minya as it hit Rui's arms, crystallising them.
Ichika floated up into the sky.
Ichika: [Honestly, I couldn't care less about Crusch or Wilhelm. You're a threat to my Oni-sama, so I'll eliminate you here and now.]
Ichika: [Al Dona!]
Ichika summoned a gigantic boulder in the sky, intending to squash the trio.
???: [Ichika Amasawa never cast Al Dona.]
Suddenly, the boulder disappeared.
Ichika: [What in the....]
Ichika turned in the direction of the voice to see a young-looking girl in a robe with platinum hair and dark blue eyes. Ichika shivered as she felt her presence.
Ichika: [What in the world are you!?]
???: [I am Pandora the『Witch of Vainglory』.]
Ichika: [A『Witch』?]
Ichika glared at her.
Pandora: [Ichika Amasawa is standing on the ground.]
Ichika then found herself with her feet on solid ground.
Ichika: [How did you? You can rewrite reality?]
From that moment, Ichika knew in her soul that Pandora was one of the most powerful existences she'd ever felt the presence of. Her fight or flight kicked in.
Ichika: [Ul Goa! Ul Hyuma! Ul Shiha! Ul Dona! Ul Fura!]
The five spells intertwined, hitting Pandora and tearing her to shreds.
Ichika: [That was too easy... what's going on?]
Pandora: [You're simply incredible. So talented. Now sleep.]
Pandora was whispering in her ear as Ichika fell to her knees.
Ichika: [Oni-sama...]
Ichika fell on her face and fell unconscious.
Pandora: [Roy Alphard, Lye Baitonkaitos, and Rui Arneb's conditions are at their peak.]
Their injuries and tiredness disappeared. Lye placed his hand on Ichika's shoulder before retracting his hand and licking it.
Lye: [Thanks for the meal!]
Pandora then felt a presence.
Pandora: [So he is on the way. I think it's time to retreat, you three.]
They nodded, leaving just as Reinhard arrived. He was late for one sole reason. He had to save his grandfather and father from his grandmother Theresia『Van』Astrea.
Pandora: [My my. How did you find us?]
Pandora saw that Reinhard's ears were plugged and smiled. Reinhard rushed forward, swinging his sheathed blade as he hit Pandora, slicing her in two, only for her to reappear.
Reinhard: [How did you?]
Pandora: [Was it the...『Divine Protection of the Soul of Language』?]
Reinhard once again killed her, only for her to come back to life again.
Pandora: [Ah, yes. That makes sense. You used it to communicate with the insects in the area so they would inform you of my being here. Well, that will be all for now.]
Pandora smiled.
Pandora: [I am at the Witch Cult's honoured chapel.]
Pandora disappeared.
Reinhard: [She's... gone.]
Reinhard looked devastated, feeling he had failed the crucial task assigned to him. He then looked below to see Ichika lying on the ground unconscious.
Reinhard: [Who is this?]
Reinhard picked her up.
Reinhard: [She looks like a spirit mage. Was she affected by an『Authority』?]
Reinhard took her back to the City Government Office.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Emilia stood in the moonlight as she dispelled her ice.
Emilia: [Um... wake up, please.]
Sylphy opened her eyes slowly. She had tears in her eyes as she then hugged Emilia, crying. But Emilia wasn't feeling good. Seeing Kiyotaka in such pain was an awful feeling for her. Still seeing the wives finally free to live their lives helped ease that feeling. Sylphy eventually gained some composure and looked at Emilia in the face.
Sylphy: [Are you... okay?]
Emilia: [Kiyo he... he won but... while he was fighting Regulus, his sister had her name and memories eaten by『Gluttony』. Do you... know anything about them?]
Sylphy: [I'm sorry I... I never met any of the other『Archbishops』and I never heard that man talking about their abilities.]
Emilia: [I see...]
She was a bit disappointed but understood it wasn't Sylphy's fault, of course.
Sylphy: [Is there anything else that I can do to... help?]
Emilia: [Not for now. Just...rest okay?]
She nods as Emilia looks up at the moon.
Emilia: [Kiyo...]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Kiyotaka sat in the medical ward with Felix, healing his shoulder. When Kiyotaka saw Reinhard and Ichika enter, he got up.
Felix: [Wait! Your treatment's not over, nya!]
Kiyotaka: [I don't care.]
Felix grabbed his arm.
Felix: [Let me finish treating you.]
Kiyotaka: [I suggest you let me go.]
Felix let go reluctantly as Kiyotaka walked over to Reinhard.
Reinhard: [Kiyotaka. We have another victim of...]
Then he saw the look of agony on his face.
Kiyotaka: [Ichika...]
Reinhard's eyes widen.
Reinhard: [Do you... know her?]
Kiyotaka: [My sister.]
Reinhard: [Sis...ter. Kiyotaka, I'm sorry I...]
Kiyotaka: [No. It's not your fault. I should have sent you out as soon as I got you out of the situation with Heinkel.]
Reinhard: [But I...]
Kiyotaka: [It's my fault, and I'm going to make up for this myself. In the meantime. Can you find Beatrice? I can imagine that she's quite confused right now.]
Reinhard: [I... I'll find her as soon as possible.]
Kiyotaka took Ichika into his arms and walked back to Felix as he laid Ichika to a bed and held her hand as he allowed Felix to heal him.
Reinhard: [Kiyotaka...]
He reluctantly left as Emilia returned with Garf, as they looked to see Kiyotaka and rushed to his side.
Emilia: [Kiyo!]
Garf: [Boss!]
Kiyotaka gave them a slightly weak look. Something Garf had never seen on his face before.
Kiyotaka: (It's going to be alright. I'm going to fix everything. I'm going to fix... I'm going to kill all three of them. I'm going to kill『Gluttony』.)
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Beatrice was walking around when she stopped.
Beatrice: [... Who did Betty's Kiyotaka send her to find again, I suppose?]
Beatrice pondered it before stomping her feet in annoyance.
Beatrice: [This is so annoying, in fact!]
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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