"I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. That barrier blocking me was yours, wasn't it? The power I gave her couldn't achieve such defense. What a pity! I encountered you before I could retrieve that power."
The mosaic... oh no, it should be called Takamiya Mio, was quite helpless about Kuesumi ruining her chance. Her current power made it impossible to confront Kuesumi directly. So, she planned to collect some of the power scattered outside. Kurumi and Kuesumi being together was a form of protection, and the more Spirits appeared around Kuesumi, the more remote her chances of retrieving her power became.
Then, she set her sights on Miku, a Spirit living alone. Although Miku's power wasn't strong, it was still a crystal of power. If absorbed, she could recover ten percent of her strength. Thus, she decided to act against Miku. She hadn't expected Miku to be completely unguarded, even thanking her for the power she had given her, which allowed her to speak again, and so on... Takamiya Mio didn't interrupt her narration. In her mind, this was the last act of compassion for the dying. Once Miku had relaxed to a certain extent, Takamiya Mio ruthlessly struck, intending to let Miku die without pain. But she hadn't expected that as soon as she made her move, her lower abdomen was pierced, and she was just about to touch the Spirit crystal when a blue light screen suddenly appeared, bouncing her away. Miku successfully escaped death at her hands.
What surprised her even more was that Kuesumi had arrived so quickly, and without her even sensing it. This made it difficult for her to escape.
However, she didn't notice that the crescent moon, representing Kuesumi's special ability, had been flickering continuously, showing no sign of stopping.
"Stop pretending, Mio."
"Don't call me so intimately. Only that person can call me by that name."
Kuesumi's address made Mio's emotions a little volatile. How many years had it been? Ever since Shido Takamiya died, she had closed off her heart and emotions. Even with her hands stained with blood, she still wanted to relive that warmth. Only that person had given her warmth and taught her what love was.
She didn't know that all her thoughts, which she couldn't keep to herself, were heard by Kuesumi. Her current heart was an aggregate of madness and distortion, with a hidden deep loneliness and intense hatred intertwined, making her entire inner world extremely twisted.
This was the first time Kuesumi had encountered such a heart. It was truly unimaginable why she could maintain her sanity and not go mad. Uh~!, it should be said that she had already gone mad. The moment Shido Takamiya died, she went mad. She repaired Shido's remains, then absorbed and ate them, nurturing a new Shido within her body. She then endowed Shido with the ability to seal powers. Then, Shido Itsuka was born. Now, he has been gender-bent by Kuesumi, becoming Shiori Itsuka. Kuesumi couldn't judge whether what this person did was right or wrong. She could only say that this was a messed-up world with twisted settings. If there were no such things as magicians in this world, such tragic events wouldn't have occurred.
The arrival of Takamiya Mio was the source of all tragedy. Three top magicians wanted to create a world of only magicians. Then, using a summoning circle, they connected with 'Mio,' a product of the fusion of all ten Sephiroth Spirit Crystals. The appearance of this girl was caused by humans, no, it should be by three people. Two of them had already died at Kuesumi's hands, one was Ellen, and one was Westcott. The other was Kotori's direct superior. To this day, Kuesumi hasn't settled accounts with him. Isn't the current situation of the Spirits caused by these three top magicians? Moreover, Kotori's superior's reason for helping the Spirits was that he fell in love with the First Spirit.
Are you serious?! So, if you hadn't fallen in love with the First Spirit, would you not care about the current situation of the Spirits? To this day, Kuesumi remains skeptical of his reason. It's truly hard to believe that this big shot wouldn't cause trouble. At that time, their shared wish was to 'create a world of only magicians.' In the end, he left the other two and started his own venture because his ideals differed from theirs.
"Darling, what exactly is going on? What's wrong with her?"
After stabilizing her wound, Miku came to Kuesumi's side, looking at the guy who suddenly roared and then fell silent. She suddenly felt this guy was a bit pitiful, but the act of trying to take her life was so hateful.
"Miku, do you know how your generation of Spirits was born?"
Kuesumi looked at Mio, whose thoughts were trapped by her ability, and asked Miku with an internal sigh.
"Please tell me too, my dear."
Just as Miku fell silent and Kuesumi was about to explain, a sudden voice interrupted Kuesumi, who was about to speak. But Kuesumi wasn't angry, because the newcomers all had the right to know.
"Tell me too."
"Don't worry! You have the right to know."
Looking at the few who were still asking, Kuesumi promised them.
"This is a very long story."
Two hours later, as Kuesumi revealed the truth, the Spirits' expressions changed again and again. Their gazes at Mio held both sympathy and hatred.
"Finally, I've escaped your control. How does it feel, Takamiya Mio?"
Before the Spirits could sort out their thoughts and have time to buffer, Mio finally realized that Kuesumi had used her ability on her.
"This... this is truly terrifying power. To be immersed in that illusion for so long."
"When exactly did you use your ability? I didn't even notice it."
Because she had been in the illusion for a long time, all of Mio's disguises had disappeared. She wiped away cold sweat while looking at Kuesumi with apprehension.
"The moment you spoke to me, you were already enchanted by my power."
"Kyōji Kujō, you truly are a terrifying Spirit. As one born from the Kabbalah Tree of Life, I am inferior to you."
Mio, with her ethereal face, praised Kuesumi, but her tone was filled with unwillingness. After all, it was normal for her, having dispersed so much power, not to be Kuesumi's opponent. But this feeling of losing without even fighting left her feeling stifled.
Moreover, she was now absolutely certain that Kuesumi was a Spirit born directly from the Kabbalah Tree of Life, just like herself, and not a Spirit artificially created by her.
"So, what do you all think we should do with her now?"
Kuesumi handed the decision-making power to Nia, Kurumi, Origami, Muku, Nanasai, and Miku, these six Spirits, letting them choose how to deal with Takamiya Mio.
They looked at Mio with complex emotions, unable to make up their minds for a while.
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