"…My choice, huh?" Shidou muttered, wandering aimlessly down the ryokan's corridor, Kurumi's words echoing in his mind.
Choose. That's what she'd demanded. But what did Kurumi expect of him? To save only one of the Yamai sisters, Kaguya or Yuzuru? No, that was impossible. Yet his thoughts refused to coalesce, tangled in a mess of doubt.
Even the lavish ryokan dinner had left no impression. It wasn't that he couldn't swallow—it was as if he'd eaten without tasting, the twins' words swirling relentlessly in his head.
"Yeah… I'll disappear."
"Naturally… I'll vanish."
They didn't want to vanish, they'd said. Yet, with unwavering smiles, they'd spoken of sacrificing themselves for the other's happiness, their hearts deciding before their minds could catch up.
When Shidou heard their resolve, his mind couldn't process it—but his heart understood. It was the same impulse that had driven him to throw himself into flames for someone precious.
He understood their pain too well, which was why he couldn't choose lightly. Their selfless love for each other filled him with both joy and despair, leaving him paralyzed.
"Doh—" Shidou's voice caught.
If only Kotori were here—what would she say? Takanotsume? And Kurumi, the sharpest of them all, who'd seen through the twins' hearts first—what would she say?
"Hey, Shidou!" a clear voice called, snapping him out of his reverie.
He blinked, finally noticing the girl beside him. "Takanotsume…"
The girl he'd first saved, the Spirit who always came to his rescue.
"Hey there, pretty lady. Instead of brooding, how about a date with me?" the white-haired girl teased.
"I'm quite fine, thank you," Kurumi replied dryly. "Do you always rehearse those shady lines?"
"It's more authentic with a shady vibe, don't you think? Especially since I'm hiding my face."
Kurumi wasn't doing much—just gazing at the sea, waiting for something to happen. She'd thought, fleetingly, of sharing this moment with him. But that right belonged to someone who could stand by his side. Her refusal wasn't entirely accurate, she realized, glancing at the white-haired girl who'd appeared beside her.
"My queen, you're too indulgent," the girl said.
"It's not indulgence. I simply thought Shidou-san needs Takanotsume right now, not me. Besides…"
"Besides?"
"…He's not mine alone," Kurumi murmured, her voice so soft it nearly drowned in the waves. It wasn't meant for the girl—an unguarded truth from a Spirit acting as a girl.
The white-haired girl said nothing, her silence a servant's duty. Kurumi's fleeting fragility vanished, replaced by her usual confident smile. "It's a school trip, yet Takanotsume hasn't had much time with Shidou-san. So, I stepped aside."
"You could've just told her that," the girl pointed out.
"No need. Takanotsume will find her way to him."
Though, Kurumi's occasional glances toward Takanotsume betrayed her words—a mix of earnest kindness and clumsy sincerity. The white-haired girl sighed, exasperated.
"And if I stay by Shidou-san's side…" Kurumi added, "the fish won't bite."
The girl gave a wry smile. Kurumi was willingly taking the short end of the stick. Her presence might disrupt DEM's plans, and preventing their move was crucial. Irregularities were inevitable, but the greatest one was about to manifest.
A torrent of wind roared. The sky split.
"Raphael—El Re'em, the Piercer!"
"Raphael—El Nahash, the Binder!"
The angels awoke—the Spirits' mightiest spears. Two wills, divided, emerged to defeat each other. An absolute lance to pierce all, an absolute chain to bind all.
This was the end. A clash at full power. Knowing each other's hearts, the sisters had no choice but to fight until one fell—a warped, tragic duel where victory meant self-destruction.
And then, a Spirit who shouldn't be here, bound by a twist of fate, moved.
"Leave the trivialities to me," Kurumi said.
"As you wish, my queen," the white-haired girl replied.
No more words were needed. The queen vanished into the shadows, racing to the boy's side.
"!?" Origami faced… something. No, "someone" wasn't right. It was a thing.
She'd been running to retrieve Shidou from the storm when it appeared. "What are you!?"
No words answered—only an attack. It lunged, its mechanical arms striking relentlessly. Origami dodged by a hair's breadth, but she had no means to counter. All she could do was evade.
She knew it wouldn't respond. Its form screamed inhuman—a CR-Unit like AST's, deploying a Territory, but its limbs were coldly efficient machinery. A combat automaton, DD-007 Bandersnatch, though Origami had no way of knowing its name. A mere puppet, it shouldn't have been a threat. Not normally.
"Get out of my way!" she shouted, desperate to reach Shidou. But without emergency gear, she was powerless, relying solely on her trained reflexes to dodge.
Then—
"Origami Tobiichi, what are you doing? It's dangerous—get back to the ryokan!" Reine's voice called.
"Sensei, get back!" Origami warned, but it was too late.
Reine, likely there out of concern, entered the Bandersnatch's sights. Without hesitation, it swung its arm—only for Origami to shove Reine aside.
"Gah…!" Pain seared through Origami as the machine's arm struck her unprotected body, sending her sprawling. Her consciousness flickered, but she clung to it, knowing she had no way to fight back.
Then, the Bandersnatch froze.
"?" Origami's fading vision questioned the unnatural halt.
"You're in the way."
A voice cut through. The Bandersnatch split in two, its halves tossed aside like garbage, collapsing with a pristine cut. Origami realized it wasn't a hallucination.
A white figure stood before her, wielding an unidentifiable blade. It wasn't long ago that she'd faced this being.
"…Unknown…" Origami rasped, naming the entity—Unknown, a Spirit-like figure with unmatched combat prowess, its true nature unclear.
Why, in her fading consciousness, did she think it had saved her? It could only be that—a Spirit, her enemy, had intervened.
"Why…!?" she gasped.
"No reason to save you," the white-haired girl said, sheathing her blade. "But no reason to ignore you either."
With that, Origami's consciousness sank into darkness.
The girl approached, confirming Origami's safety. A human wouldn't survive such a blow, but Origami's resilience—seen when she faced Takanotsume's angel—would pull her through with treatment. The girl almost admired her tenacity.
There was no deep reason for saving her. A clone had reported a Bandersnatch elsewhere, and seeing Origami struggle without means to fight, she'd acted. Kurumi's faint concern for Origami might've played a part, but that was all. Or so she told herself.
"My thanks—" Reine began.
"No need," the girl cut her off, dismissing the sleepy voice. Reine, pushed aside by Origami, now faced her.
"…I see. You're—"
"Take care of Origami Tobiichi, Analyst," the girl said, vanishing in an instant, leaving only Reine, scratching her cheek awkwardly, and the unconscious Origami.
"…Did I make her mad?"
"Bandersnatch units, hold back. Let's test the famed Princess," a voice commanded.
"Don't underestimate her!" Takanotsume shouted.
At the same moment, danger closed in on Shidou, who needed to stop Yuzuru and Kaguya. Bandersnatch units encircled him and Takanotsume, directed by a figure disguised as a cameraman—Ellen Mathers, clad in a distinct CR-Unit. She faced Takanotsume, who'd partially unleashed her spiritual power.
Takanotsume charged, her Sandalphon striking with speed no human could track. But—
"Is that all?" Ellen parried with a single sword, her expression cool, as if mocking the gap in their strength.
"No way…!" Shidou gasped.
Even with limited power, Takanotsume outmatched AST gear. Yet Ellen deflected her barrage effortlessly, her face radiating disappointment.
Shidou didn't know Ellen was the world's strongest mage, far beyond comparison. Takanotsume needed her full power to stand a chance, but Shidou had sealed it. Her defeat was inevitable.
"What a letdown," Ellen said. "The rumored Princess is just—"
Takanotsume's angel shattered under a single strike. Her stunned cry—or was it Shidou's?—echoed. The invincible Sandalphon, now fragments, marked the limit of her sealed power.
Ellen's expectations turned to disdain. This was the calamity that plagued the world? Pathetic.
"Licking your lips over a wounded foe? The famed strongest is quite the third-rate," a voice rang out, sharp and regal despite the raging winds.
"!?" Ellen spun toward the sound, but Shidou saw her first—captivated, as always, by her beauty.
Even in this moonless storm, her radiance was undimmed, enhanced by the chaos. Her crimson dress billowed in the wind, casting an ethereal glow. Her smile, that of an absolute sovereign, held Shidou spellbound.
She was the most beautiful. More than anything. She stopped time itself.
"Who are you?" Ellen demanded.
"Kihehehe!" Kurumi's laugh was fierce, glaring down at the strongest.
What should she call herself? Alone, she'd be Nightmare, the bringer of despair. But here, with the sisters' warped duel, Takanotsume fallen, and Shidou's path blocked, she stood as his ally. Calamity or evil, it didn't matter—Shidou fought for his justice.
She'd clear his path, remove the obstacles, and set the perfect stage. In this moment, she was his ally.
Oh, how fitting. The lowest, vilest Spirit, Tokisaki Kurumi, claiming a name she'd discarded long ago.
"Let's call me… Justice's Ally."
Surpassing her fated path, bearing a fleeting dream once more, Nightmare faced the strongest—and the worst Spirit descended.
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