With Alfia defeated and the true mastermind, Celua, captured by the Vindice, the catastrophic crisis was resolved.
─────
Ouranos's Underground Altar.
"!?"
"They are here…"
Fels and Ouranos sensed an unsettling presence warp into the underground altar. Pitch-black flames erupted in the center of the room, and Bermuda and Jaeger stepped out from the dark fire.
"…Are you the Vindice?"
"Indeed we are."
Their presence… it is on a different dimension…
While Ouranos maintained his stoic, commanding demeanor, Fels was deeply unnerved by the overwhelming aura radiating from Bermuda and Jaeger.
It had been pre-arranged that if the Vindice successfully captured Celua, they would report directly to Ouranos at the underground altar.
The Flame of Night allowed its user to warp not only to a visualized location, but also to any coordinate where they could sense Dying Will Flames. To facilitate this meeting, Reborn had provided them with the Flame Decoys—the exact same devices he had used to outmaneuver the Vindice during the Representative Battle of the Rainbow—placing one in the altar to serve as a homing beacon.
"If you are here, am I correct to assume you have successfully apprehended Celua?"
"Yes. But there is something else we must report."
"What is it?"
"Explaining everything from the beginning would take too long, so I will give you the short version: Alfia-kun was resurrected by Celua."
"!?"
"What did you say!?"
"Using her skill, Celua temporarily revived her. Thanks to Tsunayoshi-kun defeating Alfia-kun, the worst-case scenario—the annihilation of Orario—was avoided. However, a major problem still remains."
"A problem?"
"The Kingdom of Rakia."
"The Kingdom of Rakia… Judging by your phrasing, I assume Celua was indeed hiding in Rakia as we predicted."
"Exactly. To power the resurrection process, she forcibly ripped the Dying Will Flames from roughly three hundred thousand Rakian citizens. Currently, the entire nation is descending into absolute panic."
"…Are you telling me to relay the truth of this incident to the Rakian government?"
"You catch on fast. As expected from the God who founded Orario."
Hearing the catastrophic state of Rakia, Ouranos instantly deduced Bermuda's intent.
"If you want the full details, ask Tsunayoshi-kun or Reborn-kun later. We have briefed them on everything. We must hurry back and formally imprison Celua."
"Understood."
Jaeger raised his right arm, plunging it into a portal of Night Flames. In a fraction of a second, his detached hand materialized high above the altar, snatched the floating Flame Decoy, and instantly returned to his arm.
Confirming Jaeger had recovered the beacon, Bermuda pulled a small, cubic device from his coat.
For this operation, Reborn had handed over Dire's interdimensional transport device to the Vongola Famiglia. Using it as a blueprint, they had successfully reverse-engineered and constructed a new, fully functional device, gifting it to the Vindice to allow them to cross dimensions.
"Farewell, founding God of Orario. It is highly unlikely our paths will ever cross again."
Bermuda injected his flames into the device. The two Vindice were enveloped in a blinding flash of light, and when it faded, they were completely gone.
─────
Shortly after, Tsuna and Reborn contacted Ouranos via the Oculus, relaying the full truth behind Alfia's resurrection.
Recognizing that the existence of a surviving Evilus remnant would incite widespread panic across Orario, Zealo's corpse was quietly disposed of in absolute secrecy.
In Rakia, the swift emergency response efforts successfully prevented any fatalities among the three hundred thousand citizens victimized by Celua. While total national collapse was averted, the immense financial burden of the failed invasion combined with the massive medical relief efforts severely crippled the kingdom's economy.
Ouranos sent a formal missive to Rakia detailing the true identity of the mastermind, Celua. The government quickly broadcast the information to the public, successfully quelling the citizens' terror of an unknown, invisible enemy.
Though the scale of the disaster far exceeded anyone's initial expectations, the crisis had finally been peacefully resolved.
─────
After finishing the extensive post-war cleanup, Tsuna visited a certain location.
"…"
Upon returning to Orario, Tsuna ventured alone to the ruined, abandoned church that had once served as the Hestia Familia's first home. After learning of its deep connection to Alfia during their battle, he felt an overwhelming urge to see it for himself.
"Huh? Tsuna?"
As he stood quietly staring at the crumbling ruins, a voice called out from behind. Turning around, he saw Bell, who was heading home after a trip to the Dungeon.
"Bell? What are you doing here?"
"I come by to check on it every now and then. Why are you here, Tsuna?"
"W-Well… I actually met the older sister of someone who used to care deeply about this church… So I came to take a look."
Because the details regarding Alfia were highly classified, Tsuna omitted her name and offered a vague explanation.
"The older sister?"
"Yeah. I told her what happened to the church, and she left shortly after. It sounded like she had to return to her home country immediately. And… it seems the person who cared about this place passed away a long time ago…"
"I see…"
Well, in reality, she was absolutely furious…
Bell looked genuinely disappointed that he couldn't show the church in its original state to the sister of the person who cherished it. Tsuna, on the other hand, was vividly recalling the sheer, apocalyptic killing intent Alfia had radiated when she learned the Apollo Familia had destroyed it, and couldn't help but shiver at the memory.
Come to think of it…
Tsuna remembered the remarkably gentle, maternal smile that had graced Alfia's face just before she faded away, right after he had mentioned Bell's name.
Wait a second…
Tsuna stared closely at Bell. For the first time, he realized that Bell and Alfia shared a faint, but undeniable, physical resemblance.
"Hey Bell, what were your parents like?"
"My parents passed away before I was old enough to remember them. I was raised by my grandfather, so I don't know anything about them."
"Oh… I'm sorry…"
"Why do you ask?"
"N-No reason… I was just suddenly curious, that's all…"
Since Bell had no memories of his parents, there was no way to confirm any potential blood relation between him and Alfia. Realizing it was a dead end, Tsuna decided to drop the subject.
"Let's go home."
"Y-Yeah…"
Though slightly confused by Tsuna's sudden question about his parents, Bell smiled and walked side-by-side with Tsuna as they headed back to Hearth Manor.
----
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