"Kurumi…"
Why was she here? That question burned fiercely in the white-clad girl's mind. But she quickly reconsidered. The moment Shidou Itsuka took to the front lines, it was reason enough for Kurumi to join the fray. Still, even with spirits unleashing their reiryoku and Mana Takamiya present, the girl couldn't shake the feeling that Kurumi's decision to step onto this stage, pushing herself despite her need to conserve spiritual energy, seemed… insufficiently justified.
"…Why?"
Her words came out as a predictable question, tinged with uncertainty. Kurumi's brow twitched slightly, and she let out a sigh laced with exasperation.
"Why, you ask… Toka-san, I'm terribly sorry, but could you please hold that girl securely?"
"Hm? Got it."
"…Wait, what are you—"
Whether Toka fully grasped Kurumi's intent was unclear, but she adjusted her grip, hoisting the white-clad girl by the torso with a firm hold, her strength perfectly calibrated to prevent escape. The girl, bewildered by the sudden shift, could only flounder as Kurumi gracefully leaped into the air with a light kick—
"Hmph!!"
"—Gah!?"
With her trusty flintlock pistol, Kurumi mercilessly struck the girl's hooded head with the butt of the gun. To those accustomed to Kurumi's usual elegance and refinement, this sudden act of violence was unthinkable, leaving everyone wide-eyed in shock.
"…Ow…! What was that for!?"
"For daring to ask 'why' in such a trite manner. And also for last time's payback."
"That last part's definitely your real reason!!"
"Don't lump a barehanded chop with a spirit-forged pistol strike." Despite the girl's protests, Kurumi merely crossed her arms with a huff, her expression brimming with displeasure.
"You nag me to stay in contact, to avoid recklessly charging into danger, yet you throw yourself into a place like this without a second thought."
"…Unlike you, I did leave a message."
"Oh, my. 'I'll be away for a bit' counts as a proper message? I'd love to debate that at length."
Though Kurumi's smile was radiant, her eyes were cold, her words sharp. The girl, realizing she was at a disadvantage, raised her hands in surrender.
"…I'm sorry. This was personal, so I couldn't drag my queen into it."
"Personal, you say? Yet it's escalated to a scale that involves me. You worry about me but remain utterly reckless with yourself."
"…It really was personal at first. Besides, my worth compared to yours—"
"Is the same."
Kurumi's slender finger pointed firmly at the girl. Her crimson eyes, unyielding, locked with the golden, clockwork gaze of the white-clad girl, who found herself frozen, captivated.
"You are a spirit. I am a spirit. What difference is there? None."
"…There's an absolute difference. If I fall, it's no great loss. But you, Kurumi—you cannot fall."
"It's not 'no great loss,' my… accomplice."
The accusation in Kurumi's pointed finger and piercing gaze stirred an instinctive fear in the girl. Those eyes seemed to strip her bare, unraveling everything—until, suddenly, they softened.
"You hopeless child. I cannot fathom what troubles you or what you hide. But let me say this: I believe in you."
"…You believe in me? That's quite the whimsy."
"You're awfully sharp-tongued today. Very well, I'll put it into words as many times as needed. I believe in you—the one who offers me her life."
The white-clad girl trusted Kurumi, but she didn't trust herself. A fierce denial, a sense of inferiority—Kurumi could sense it but knew the girl would never confess. Not to her. The girl's world revolved around Kurumi, always Kurumi… until now, when she'd stepped away for her own "personal" reasons. To put it plainly—it felt like a betrayal of their bond.
They were accomplices, sharing means if not motives. Wasn't that the essence of their connection?
"You offer me everything, don't you? Then your life is mine, is it not?"
"…Well, yes."
"Then refrain from actions that tarnish my name. It's a matter of my… honor. I believe in you."
Kurumi's bold, mischievous smile carried her words, and the white-clad girl, grasping their weight, sighed softly, already plotting complaints to hurl at Shidou Itsuka for complicating things.
"That's a sneaky way to put it. You know I can't refuse you."
"Of course. You never refuse me. I'll say it again and again: I believe in you."
Believing in someone who believes in you sounds simple, but living it is not. Yet this queen made it real, even for a baffling spirit like her. Why was Kurumi, usually so cunning, so earnest in moments like these? She was saying, Your life is mine, so don't decide it's unneeded. A daring move, born of the girl's acceptance of Kurumi's words.
"Kurumi wins this round," Shidou said.
"…Shidou Itsuka."
"It's complicated, but she's worried about you. If you care about Kurumi, accept her concern too."
The Itsuka siblings' support made the white-clad girl falter, her breath catching slightly.
This was exactly why she hadn't told Kurumi anything. Kurumi, understanding this, had never pried, content to stand alongside such a spirit. But Shidou—and the others—had changed that. People and spirits alike shift under others' influence. Perhaps the girl was changing too.
"…Fine. I'll do better… my queen."
Kurumi, smiling with mock exasperation, replied, "My, what a stubborn child."
"Not as stubborn as you. But showing off your passion like that—getting a bit more honest, are we?"
"Hehe, if Kotori-san's right, it's someone's… influence."
"Nice one, someone."
"Yeah, someone must be honored."
"You've gotten bold…"
Shidou deftly returned Kotori's teasing pass, his confident grin a far cry from his clueless past. Still a novice with women, but that was Shidou's charm.
"…So, my gracious queen, are you really helping with my personal errand?"
"Of course. And… you haven't forgotten my goal, have you?"
"Hm? Me, right?" Shidou said.
An awkward silence fell, wildly out of place as Kurumi's clones held the angels at bay nearby. The other spirits stared at Kurumi—except Miku, who beamed with glee. Kurumi's composed facade held, but the faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her.
"You'd do well to stay quiet," Kurumi said.
"'My lord'?"
"Repeating: 'My lord.'"
"My lord!!"
"Yaaay, Kurumi-chan's so bold!" Miku squealed.
Yoshino, Yuzuru, Kaguya, and an overly excited Miku formed a relentless quartet, landing a critical hit. Kurumi's face turned apple-red, yet she refused to look away—a testament to her iron will. Even Kotori inwardly applauded. It was, in a way, a public execution.
"…My queen," the white-clad girl said, at a loss.
"…Shidou-san, please be quiet."
She tried again, visibly struggling.
"…It's a bit late to pretend that didn't happen."
"My goal is reiryoku. To that end, I'll… make use of you all."
"Did getting honest make you a bit clumsy?"
"…It's only when Shidou Itsuka's involved. No, even before, she's always been a bit of a romantic—"
"Are you listening to me!?"
"No worries, Kurumi! Clumsy or not, you're still you!" Toka chimed in.
"…Toka-san, it's clumsy," Yoshino corrected gently.
Yoshino's innocent remark stung worst of all, precisely because it lacked malice. As Kurumi, teary-eyed, scrambled for excuses, Shidou gave a wry smile, feeling a touch guilty. Mana, watching the warm scene in a daze, murmured, "This is… Nightmare?"
"…Kurumi's changing too," Shidou said.
The Kurumi Mana first met showed only her "worst spirit" side. Now, another facet shone through. Her sins remained unforgivable, and Mana might never forgive her. They might be irreconcilable.
"But… Nightmare…"
"I know you can't forgive her. But just acknowledge, even a little, that this Kurumi exists."
Not as Nightmare, not as the worst spirit, but as Kurumi Tokisaki—a gentle, sorrowful girl carrying a heavy burden. Shidou didn't ask Mana to forgive her sins; he lacked that right, and Kurumi didn't want it. He only wished the world wouldn't deny her existence entirely.
"I…"
"—Enough! Let's get moving!" Kurumi's voice rose, not with anger but with the embarrassed flush of a girl unused to playful camaraderie.
As she readied her pistol, she glanced at the white-clad girl. "If you're going to meet your… friend, fly with your own wings."
"Friend?"
"Oh? Am I mistaken?"
Friend. The word was familiar in theory, but not in experience. Kurumi was an accomplice, not a friend—or so the girl thought. What about Mayuri? In just a few days, sharing time in their odd way, Mayuri likely knew more of the girl's secrets than anyone. In that sense…
"…I don't know what she thinks."
The girl couldn't deny it. Those few days, watching someone's date, were enough to make her want to do everything for Mayuri.
"…Yatogami Toka, thank you. I'll fly from here."
"No big deal. But you…"
"I said I'd rather not fly. I never said I couldn't."
Slipping from Toka's hold, the girl took flight. And in that moment, witnessed by all but Kurumi, "white" bloomed.
"—An angel's wings."
Shidou could describe it no other way. The "white" he'd sensed when he first saw her was no longer "nothingness" but undeniably white. White wings sprouted from her back, feathers scattering with each flap, grounding their fantastical reality. Unlike Mayuri's, these twin white wings were truly angelic—worthy of the term "archangel" from countless myths. The small girl bore wings of divine majesty, almost convincing onlookers she was a divine envoy.
A light chuckle from Kurumi broke the awe, pulling everyone back to reality. "Beautiful, so beautiful. As always, white suits you."
"…That's why I hate it. This flashy flight ability makes me stand out."
"Isn't it fitting? If you call yourself my vassal, you need attire to match."
"…What's the point of a vassal stealing the spotlight?"
Their banter, now back in rhythm, turned to the Thunder Temple Kerubiel below. Unfazed by the clones' onslaught, it gathered strength, targeting spirits of equal power.
"We'll repay the time we've taken," Kurumi said.
"I'll take the lead. My queen, can you see what lies ahead?"
"Oh, yes. With me and Zafkiel, it's a simple matter. Can you keep up?"
"How about I fly beyond your foresight?"
"—Bold words."
Kurumi's fearless grin summoned her inviolable angel, transcending the world's laws. Shadows danced from the clock face, loading into her pistol.
"Zafkiel—Fifth Bullet Hei."
Pulling the trigger, Kurumi saw the future—her exclusive right as the queen of time. Her golden eyes spun, granting her countless futures. From them, she chose one and entrusted it.
"Understood, my queen."
With a vassal's bow, the white-clad girl made that future reality in an instant.
"—!?"
"What…!?"
As Shidou gasped, Kerubiel let out an agonized scream, exploding from its own attack. The white-clad girl had intervened at the precise moment, triggering a catastrophic misfire. The Yami sisters, masters of speed, tracked her movement perfectly: she'd known which wing would fire the massive lightning strike and, at the exact moment, hurled her blade into the cannon's barrel, causing the energy to backfire. A strike with no warning, no lag—yet she'd turned it into a perfect self-destruction. Even the Yami sisters looked stunned. One misstep, and she'd have been incinerated. Only foresight and godlike speed could achieve such a daring feat.
The battle's bell had rung. Kurumi turned to Shidou.
"Now, Shidou-san—let's begin our war date."
"Yeah…! We'll save Mayuri—lend me your strength!"
No one opposed his resolute cry. Saved by Shidou, they had no hesitation in repaying that debt. To fulfill his prayer, to save the girl carrying their shared feelings, they raised their blades.
Miku spread her arms, striking a radiant keyboard to herald the battle's start.
"Gabriel—March!"
The march that once tormented Shidou now empowered him, rousing hearts and bodies. Except for the white-clad girl, all felt their power surge. A fitting overture for their war date.
"Nice opening! Let's go, Yuzuru, Yoshino!"
"We won't yield the second wave."
"Y-Yes…!"
Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Yoshino soared toward Kerubiel. Far stronger than before, they faced an equally amplified foe. Whether alerted by the girl's ambush or fully synced with Mayuri's power, Kerubiel spawned gears in the dozens—each a spinning blade of devastating sharpness. Even perfect astral dresses wouldn't withstand them long.
"Bring it on!"
"Now, Yoshino."
"Leave it to me…!"
Undaunted, the spirits unleashed their full might. The Yami sisters' hurricane winds swirled with cloud-shattering force, joined by Yoshino's permafrost chill. An icy tempest, reminiscent of Yoshino's frozen barrier but on a grander scale, engulfed the gears, freezing and shattering them. Numbers meant nothing before this domain.
"Alright! We've got—huh!?"
Kaguya's triumphant pose froze as a colossal gear, dwarfing Kerubiel itself, tore through the icy remnants, charging with relentless speed.
"An obvious giantification trope—a loss flag!"
"What trope!? No time for that—"
"—Leave it to me!"
"We'll cover you."
Two shadows leaped into the fray—the strongest and the worst. Toka and Kurumi charged the massive gear.
"Zafkiel—Second Bullet Bet."
A bullet infused with reiryoku streaked forth, slowing the gear's blinding rotation to a sluggish crawl.
"Hah!!"
Toka's Sandalphon flashed, striking the same spot thrice with pinpoint precision. Her sharp eyes found the gear's weak point, cracking it with layered slashes. Their coordination echoed a past, accidental synergy from when they were strangers. But it wasn't enough to destroy it.
"Zafkiel—First Bullet Aleph."
Kurumi had planned for this. Her acceleration bullet targeted not herself but Toka, elevating their act to new heights. Enhanced by Miku's march, Toka's swordsmanship reached the divine, her blade driving the slashes deeper.
A clash of titanic forces. The next moment, the gear shattered, proving whose power prevailed. Amid the explosive gusts, Toka landed beside Kurumi.
"Thanks, Kurumi."
"No, no. It was your strength that made it possible."
"No way. It was your power—"
Their mutual praise halted as they sensed something, eyes widening toward the black smoke. Two gears, identical to the one just destroyed, emerged.
"Still coming!?"
"Then I'll go all out!" Mana declared, firing her thrusters. But the white-clad girl, deflecting smaller gears, stopped her.
"…That's pointless."
"You don't know until I try!"
The girl sighed at Mana's defiance, not because Mana's sacrifice would fail, but because it was unnecessary.
"…I'm saying it's not needed."
Reiryoku swelled, reshaping the battlefield's air.
"Sandalphon—"
"Zafkiel—"
Their surging power sparked invisibly. Facing two colossal gears, Toka and Kurumi summoned their ultimate angels. Toka's golden throne split, its fragments converging into her blade. Kurumi's dual pistols, like clock hands, drew shadows from her compass.
"Final Sword Halvanhelev!!"
"Seventh Bullet Zayin!"
Toka roared with fiery resolve; Kurumi sang with cold passion. Kurumi's bullets, condensing time itself, froze the gears in their tracks. Toka's massive sword, triple her size, swung effortlessly, cleaving the now-mere objects with ease.
"—Scatter."
Sound vanished. A shockwave and deafening blast followed, obliterating everything in its path. Toka's ultimate strike crushed Kerubiel's arsenal, carving a path to Mayuri.
Kurumi and Toka looked only at Shidou, their eyes saying one word: Go.
"Kotori!!"
Like a celestial maiden, Kotori charged, wielding her blazing axe to burn through Kerubiel's lightning needles. Nothing could stop Shidou now.
"Shidou… I'm counting on you!!"
No longer the boy who'd scream at such heights, Shidou's resolve replaced fear. "Sandalphon!!"
His blade, born of prayer, aimed to shatter the cage trapping Mayuri.
"Mayuri!!"
"Shidou…"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm here."
Slicing through the cage's pillars, white feathers scattered. Shidou reached for Mayuri, who hesitated, trembling, knowing her fate. She, who dared love against destiny, couldn't take his hand.
"I…"
"It's okay. Everyone understands."
Her hand was taken by Shidou's warmth. He, who loved all spirits unconditionally, would never let go. Mayuri felt not just memory but true joy.
"Mayuri, with me!!"
A colorless blade pierced the cage's core, shattering it completely. Freed, Mayuri soared with Shidou, joined by the white-clad girl.
"You're safe, Shidou!!"
"Yeah, and so is Mayuri!!"
"…I'm sorry."
Mayuri bowed, guilt heavy for causing this chaos. If she hadn't sought Shidou…
The white-clad girl gently tapped her head.
"You know what to say."
Mayuri knew—the words of those saved by Shidou. One word fit this moment.
"…Thank you."
Her halting gratitude was met with smiles. They, too, were spirits saved by Shidou, sharing her feelings. Gratitude, not apology, was needed, and Mayuri's relieved smile was their greatest reward.
"With the princess saved, now…"
"We deal with that."
Kerubiel wailed, its form contracting into a spiraling drill. Its light gleamed—Rahat Helev.
"Brace for impact!!" Kurumi warned.
A flash blinded them, and a thunderous strike razed the landscape into a sea of fire. Kerubiel had grown stronger.
"It's way tougher now…!"
"It's channeled most of its reiryoku into that attack. Six spirits' power combined—simple but troublesome. None of us can match it alone."
"Thanks for the calm analysis. Got anything more optimistic!?"
"My apologies. I'm not one for convenient hope in times like these."
"Says the one always hiding an ace…"
If Kurumi was right, Kerubiel's final form condensed its vast reiryoku into one attack. They'd pushed it to its trump card, but its regeneration and power were overwhelming.
"Reine!!"
"…Normal attacks can't damage it."
"What!?"
"…If you could focus all your reiryoku into one point, maybe…"
"Focus reiryoku? How…?"
Even Toka's Final Sword or Kotori's Megiddo fell short. They needed to combine all reiryoku into something beyond ultimate. But how?
"Kurumi!! Your City of Devouring Time could…!"
Shidou suggested Kurumi's barrier, which could siphon time and consciousness—perhaps reiryoku too. But Kurumi shook her head.
"It could gather reiryoku, but converting it into an attack… Zafkiel and I can't do that."
"Damn…"
"If we could transfer it to Toka… but that takes time."
With Kerubiel charging its second shot, time was scarce. As Kurumi's mind raced, the white-clad girl and Mayuri locked eyes.
"…Mayuri!!"
"I know."
Mayuri's wings flared, taking Toka's hand. A golden wave enveloped the spirits, their reiryoku—Toka's, Kotori's, Yoshino's, Kaguya's, Yuzuru's, Miku's—forming a rainbow halo, channeling into Toka through Mayuri's will.
"Reiryoku… it's gathering!"
"Power… it's surging!"
Light converged, not just reiryoku but their collective will, reconstructing Toka's astral dress. But—
"Brother, the angel!!"
"Damn it!!"
"Not now!!"
Kerubiel aimed its cannon. With their power focused on Toka, the spirits were defenseless. One hit would end their victory.
"We'll stop it!!"
"No way we're letting it!!"
Kurumi's clones and Mana charged the cannon's focal point, the death zone.
Rahat Helev's second shot, brighter than the first, unleashed a city-razing lightning. Mana met it head-on.
"Guh… Aaaah!!"
Her defensive field faltered under the relentless strike. Her mind screamed, overheating, as pain tore through her. She was losing—until a hated reiryoku wall bolstered her.
"What irony… saved by the one I swore to kill."
"Likewise."
The weakened blast exploded massively. Mana's Vanalgand failed, and she plummeted with Kurumi's clones.
"Brother, stay safe!! And if you hurt him, I'll kill you, Tokisaki Kurumi!!"
"Your insolence is noted."
Their smiles held no warmth, only mutual acknowledgment. As Mana fell, entrusting the rest to Shidou, she faded from view.
"…My queen."
"Yes. Entrusted to me, I'll protect him with my name."
Kurumi's pride wouldn't allow failure. The white-clad girl, knowing her resolve, flapped her wings beside her.
Kerubiel charged its third shot. They had to stop it until Toka's reiryoku was ready.
Space groaned—not figuratively, but palpably, to the girl.
"Kurumi…!?"
Instinct took over. Kurumi drew her pistol, loading her trusted bullet.
"—Seventh Bullet Zayin!!"
A black shot, not physical but spatial, twisting reality. Zafkiel's forbidden power. But Kurumi faltered—an anomaly only the girl and Shidou could grasp.
The bullet vanished, swallowed by space before reaching Kerubiel. The invincible time-stopping shot failed for the first time. Yet Kurumi quickly regained composure.
"…Reine-sensei."
"…This is…"
"What's that? A reiryoku barrier?"
Even the girl's calm wavered. No barrier could block a time-stopping bullet. Only an equal "invincibility" could.
"…The space around it shows impossible readings."
"What's that mean, Reine?"
"…Time is distorted."
"Time!?"
The only spirit who could break time's inviolable law stood before them.
"…It's sending anything it touches to another timeline—perhaps the past."
"Sending things!? How do we—And how does it have Kurumi's power!?"
"…I don't know. But that barrier nullifies any physical attack, sending it to some past."
Reine's analysis left them speechless. A barrier that deflected attacks to another time spelled checkmate. Only Kurumi, the time manipulator, remained a hope.
"—Twelfth Bullet Yud Bet."
"Twelfth… bullet?"
Only Kurumi and the white-clad girl—and perhaps Mayuri—knew its meaning. Ignoring Shidou's murmur, Kurumi looked to Mayuri, who nodded.
"Then I'll clean up this mess."
"It's not your fault. I—"
"I'm the one who fell for him first."
When had Shidou taken her reiryoku? How could a fragment distort time so? No time to ponder—Kurumi had to take responsibility.
"Toka-san, keep focusing reiryoku. I'll break that barrier."
"You have a way!?"
"If it sends everything to the past, I'll counter it with equal force."
The twelfth bullet, Kurumi's ultimate secret. Using it here was galling, but ending their war date was worse. Focusing, she gripped her pistol, the compass trembling, the twelfth symbol glowing—
"My queen."
Unknown clasped Kurumi's hand, breaking her focus.
"…Time is precious."
"Exactly why I stopped you. I'll do it."
"What…?"
Everyone shared her confusion, except Mayuri, who smirked through her voice.
"I said I'd handle it if it came to it. Now's the time. Besides, your method burns too much reiryoku. You came for reiryoku—wasting it defeats the purpose."
"'If it came to it' is unnecessary. But is there another way besides Yud Bet?"
"There is, or I wouldn't have stopped you. Frankly, I hate seeing your power used so sloppily."
The girl swept her wings, sheathing her blade. That barrier wasn't "invincible"—just a shoddy imitation of true invincibility.
"…Time is invincible because it's invisible. Making it visible strips it of that concept, don't you think?"
"What are you…"
"You're beautiful, my radiant queen."
The girl descended, her white wings facing Kerubiel's "angel." A surreal, fantastical scene, like a mural she'd now shatter.
"—Unknown."
Releasing her sheath, she named her angel. The white blade fell, dissolving into light within her.
Kerubiel screamed, its wings propelling it forward, cloaked in its time-warping barrier. Yet the girl was unfazed, scattering feathers as she spoke calmly.
"If you dare misuse Kurumi's power before me, you'd best be prepared, insolent fool."
Time's invisibility made it invincible. Visualizing it for defense was laughable.
It was there.
It existed.
It stood before her.
Bound by physicality, it was no longer invincible. Thus, it couldn't escape nothingness.
Raising her right hand, she chanted.
"—Unknown."
Nothingness manifested.
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