At the same time, in an abandoned district of Tengu City, Kurumi sat leisurely atop the rusted metal railing of an old building.
The night wind played with the tips of her hair and the lace of her dress, while the dim city lights reflected in her heterochromatic eyes.
Before her, a translucent Skill Status Screen floated.
________________
Special Skill:
> Zafkiel
Description:
An angel born from a fragment of the Spirit Origin's existential power, manifested as flintlock and musket firearms. Zafkiel grants its user limited authority over Time and Space, as well as Shadow Manipulation abilities.
Note: There are 12 special bullets, each with a distinct function in time manipulation.
Passive Skills:
> Slayer (Lvl 1)
Description:
Attack Power +25%
Movement Speed +25%
(Note: This skill can level up)
> Marksmanship (Lvl 1)
Description:
Focus +50%
Accuracy +50%
> Pocket Watch (Lvl 1)
Description:
Stores the excess lifespan consumed by the user as a reserve energy for Time Manipulation abilities. Its value is represented numerically in Years (Time Units).
Capacity: 1000 / 1000 Years (Time Units)
Active Skill:
> None
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{Note: If I review it carefully, Kurumi's Status Window would look like this. By the way, what do you all think?}
"Now…" Kurumi murmured softly. "Since I've become his Servant, Zafkiel's special bullets no longer consume my Life Force as fuel."
Her tone was flat, yet her eyes sparkled—curious, calculating.
She recalled a small experiment she conducted shortly after Gabriel left.
A few test shots.
Brief activations.
Observing her body's own reactions.
"The part that's depleted now is my Reiryoku," she continued quietly, "but it can still recover naturally over time… albeit much more slowly."
A faint smile curved at the corner of her lips.
"And of course… I can still accelerate it the 'old way'—because the Fourth Bullet, Dalet, indeed cannot restore my Reiryoku."
Her gaze dropped to a passive entry.
Clock Pocket.
A time-storage Skill—excess time she possessed could be banked, now limited to 1000 Years Time Units.
"Ara… so now I really have a 'time savings account,'" she whispered, half-amused. "How modern."
Her finger hovered over the display, stopping just short of touching it.
"With this… I'm no longer just a hunter of time."
Her smile sharpened.
"…I can become a collector."
A soft voice suddenly came from behind.
"I suspected… in the end, your curiosity would win."
Kurumi instantly recognized the voice.
Her brows tensed. For a fraction of a second, a thick intent to kill filled the air around her.
Without hesitation, she leapt, her body spinning gracefully in midair.
At the same moment, the flintlock appeared in her right hand.
Bang!
A dark red Reiryoku bullet—thick like rotting blood—shot straight, slicing through the space toward Mio.
Mio didn't move hastily. She simply raised one hand.
An invisible barrier formed.
Zzzt—!!
The bullet slowed… halted… yet still penetrated, leaving a wound on Mio's shoulder.
No sound of pain.
She touched the injury. Flesh closed immediately, as if time itself had been rewound.
"So now Zafkiel can even harm me…" Mio said calmly. "Interesting."
Kurumi landed lightly on the rooftop, her skirt and shadow stretching across the cracked concrete. Her weapon remained aimed straight.
Mio smiled, lifting her face.
"Tell me, Kurumi. Why can Zafkiel slip from me… and even wound me?"
No answer.
Only the pistol barrel, unmoving.
"Why should I answer you, Ally of Justice?" Kurumi's voice was low, heavy with unhidden hatred.
Mio's gaze dipped slightly.
"You're still holding onto revenge, aren't you? Understandable… I'm the one who made you kill your friend."
Bang—!!
The second bullet struck squarely in the chest, piercing the heart.
Mio's body moved only a fraction of an inch. The wound closed again, leaving no trace.
Kurumi's eyes didn't blink.
"Say that again," she said softly, cold as a stopped clock, "and the next bullet won't grant you the luxury of a quick death."
The shadow beneath Kurumi's feet suddenly spread like spilled ink.
From the darkness, one by one, clones emerged—silent, simultaneous, deadly. In an instant, dozens of flintlock barrels were aimed at a single point: Mio.
Mio remained calm.
Her gaze swept the surroundings, then returned to the original Kurumi.
"So this is how far your intent to kill me goes, Kurumi," she said gently. "But sorry… it's not my time to die yet."
Kurumi's fingers, along with those of her clones, tightened on the triggers.
The air tensed.
Then—
BRRRAAAAMM—!!
A pale white spear shot down like a compressed storm, striking the old building from above. Concrete, steel, and dust exploded in all directions as the structure collapsed instantly.
But before the rubble could reach them—Mio, Kurumi, and all the clones were already suspended in midair, hovering above the still-roaring destruction.
Dust swirled like a battlefield mist.
Amid the vortex, a calm voice spoke.
"Seems like… you need a new base, Spirit of Shadow."
They turned.
Beneath the pale moonlight, Gabriel floated serenely.
Three pairs of faint white wings spread from his back, his black cloak fluttering gently in the night breeze, as if all of this were just a minor distraction on his path.
Mio gazed at the figure in the sky without haste.
"Wings of light… that feel like something long abandoned," she murmured. "And that pale mist surrounding your body… ah. So you're the one she meant. You… Ash."
Gabriel brushed his bangs back, revealing Gigan, which had been hidden behind his hair all along.
Their eyes met—silent, cold, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Mio frowned faintly, sensing that those eyes could see the structure of her existence—even her past and any lies.
"Spirit of Origin," Gabriel said calmly, "do you intend to take the life of something that now belongs to me?"
Kurumi's eyes—both her own and those of her clones—sparkled with interest at hearing that.
Gabriel exhaled an imaginary breath. He had indeed arrived just in time. After demolishing the DEM building, he had immediately headed toward Kurumi's position.
Since the contract had been formed, he had observed an anomaly—a subtle wave that pushed Mio's existence out from within Kurumi's Sephira.
From that, the conclusion was simple: Mio would surely come out of curiosity.
And he clearly had no intention of letting Kurumi, his new Servant, die—the cost to revive her again would be far too high, even for him.
He still remembered the item's name: Revie Stone, an auction house artifact priced at 50,000 system points.
Mio shook her head slightly.
"No," she answered softly. "I just want to know. Why did I lose Zafkiel… and why can that power now harm me?"
Silence hung in the air.
A faint smile spread across Gabriel's face.
"The answer is simple," he said. "Kurumi—and what she possesses—now resides within the bounds of my existence. That is all you need to know."
The air suddenly felt heavy. Cold. Oppressive. Pale mana thickened around Gabriel as the Compression Unit activated, the space around him rumbling as if being compacted by his will.
"Don't force Ash to be harsh… just because your curiosity hasn't been satisfied," he said.
Mio stared at him for a few seconds, then closed her eyes briefly.
"That's enough," she finally said. "If we fight, DEM, AST, and Ratatoskr will notice. It's not the time for me to appear before them."
"And indeed… losing a Sephira is regrettable—especially one containing Zafkiel," he continued calmly. "But if I kill Kurumi to take it back… I may not even be able to regain it."
She opened her eyes and looked at Kurumi.
"Your existence now… has nearly reached the way I exist in this world."
In the next moment, Mio's body dispersed into soft specks of light—not fleeing, but retreating calmly—then vanished, as if dissolving into the quiet night.
Gabriel floated down slowly toward Kurumi, who was still surrounded by her clones.
"Kurumi," he said calmly, his voice lower than usual. "Don't attack her now. Your power isn't enough to match hers… even if she isn't fighting seriously."
"Kihihi…" Kurumi chuckled softly, a sound like a sweet, cracked bell. "It's fine. I know that too. I'm not a naive girl."
She tilted her head slightly, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing mischievously.
"But from the way you speak… you could match her? And… what's mine? Ara~ how sweet, Pianist-san."
Gabriel immediately turned his face away.
The tip of his ear flushed faintly.
"Y-yeah… that's not what I meant," he muttered, clearly changing the subject. "Ash suggests you come with me. Tomorrow… I'll begin doing what is truly my purpose in this world."
He started to rise into the air—then paused for a moment, without looking back.
"And one more thing. Your plan to go back in time to kill the Spirit of Origin… Ash does not allow it. For any reason. Be a good girl… and obedient."
Silence fell—thin, almost imperceptible, yet heavy enough to press down on the space between them.
"Kihihi…"
Kurumi covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Her shoulders quivered slightly, a soft laugh that felt more like a whispered secret than amusement.
"Truly cruel…" she said softly. "Taking my time… taking my power… and now even taking away my purpose in life."
Her gaze lifted, following Gabriel's back as he drifted through the night sky.
Yet her eyes were not cold. Not hurt. Nor angry.
"Strangely… I don't feel anger," she said.
She stepped lightly in the air, as if walking on an invisible surface. Her black-and-orange skirt swayed gently, like shadows of fire dancing in the dark.
Her gaze softened—not as a Spirit, not as a time assassin.
A faint smile etched across her face. Sharp. Beautiful. Fragile in places unseen.
"Alright, my cold and awkward Master," she said sweetly, almost teasing. "For now… I will obey."
Her eyes narrowed mischievously, the golden light within them flickering back to life.
"But don't get me wrong, okay? A girl like me… never stops wanting something."
One finger lifted to her lips.
"If you're careless… I might steal your future instead of my past~"
Yet behind that playful smile, her thoughts continued to spin.
Why?
Why did he forbid me?
And just as that question hung in her mind, the first sunlight from the east pierced the sky, touching Kurumi's face with a warm, gentle light.
As if that dawn did not merely illuminate the world.
But… marked the beginning of her new purpose.
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Author's Note:
Ehehe~ don't forget to support me! (•_<)