Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 3 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

A silver haired young boy possessing a pair of wings approached Shiori who was being lost in a closed pocket dimension.

He directed a gentle smile to Shiori who turned at him with disheveled hair and opened his mouth.

“Finally we meet, Onjouji Shiori.”

It was at that moment.

“――――ah”

The moment that graceful voice sung from the mouth of the young boy hit her earlobe, a shock like a lightning pierced Shiori’s brain.

An operating table for use by children made from cold rock.

Leather belt that stole her freedom.

Cramped cellar cage where she couldn’t even stand up.

Lined up colorful bottles of medicine and various shapes of bladed tools.

Unceasing sorrowful screams resounding, asking for help.

And then, a mountain of small lumps of meat, piled up so much that the lumps jutted out from a large hole dug out in the ground where the lumps were discarded――――




“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! Uu, o”




Unable to endure it, Shiori shrieked while falling to her knees on the spot, along with tears she vomited everything inside her stomach.

The flashback that crossed her mind just now, was Shiori’s past.

――Eight years ago from now. That period when magicians who should possess the strength to fight demons didn’t share their knowledge, stole from their fellow humans, and killed each other.

Shiori was captured an taken into a research lab of a country ruled by a really mad king that searched for the power of sorcery.

At that lab, a research to have a stable production of soldiers with high aptitude for sorcery was performed by combining scientifically the DNA of an angel that was collected from a <holy relic> with the genetic information of infant children.

…Shiori was the single success case of the aforementioned research.

That meant that the blood of an angel was flowing inside the girl.

And then, exactly because she was that kind of girl, she obtained an intuition towards that figure of the young boy which was similar to a sympathy bond that identical twins had, she understood that together with that flashback of the past.

The flesh of the male in front of her eyes possessed the genes of angel flesh the same like her, that he was an existence that was exceedingly close to an angel.

“Wh, why……! The only survivor of <Angel Soldier Plan> is just me… all the researchers, the data, altogether with the facility should have all been burned to nothing by the <Book Burning Corps>, yet……-!”

The repulsive research that had tormented her was continuing even now.

Shiori couldn’t hide her agitation towards that fact.

Toward Shiori who was like that, the young boy――Michael told her.

“Everything is in the discretion of the great father. That research was something abominable, but… it was useful for creating the receptacle of me once more in this land that was desecrated by demons. Therefore, the great father entrusted this in the hands of the pious believer.”

“……Recep, tacle……?”

(Don’t, tell me…………!)

Shiori realized the true identity of the young boy in front of her eyes from that roundabout talk.

Close to angel――that was not it at all.

The authentic soul of the <Archangel> Michael was the one residing inside that body that was created from the DNA that originated from his original body.

And then, there was only one existence in this world that possessed the influence that could possibly do such a thing.

The <Holy Path Church>――namely the <Five Great Leaders>.

Shiori had been told before this from her father and Homura about the strange movements of the <Five Great Leaders>.

Therefore, just by noticing that one thing was enough to comprehend the true situation.

――This man, Michael, was the assassin for use against the <Evil God User> that the <Five Great Leaders> had bide their time to send.

(Certainly, if it’s the authentic <Archangel>, perhaps he can oppose the <Evil God User>……!)

Dangerous.

She had to tell Homura as soon as possible――

Thinking so, Shiori tried to escape from that place, but just as she tried to raise her crumbling knees,

(I can’t move……!)

Shiori’s expression was colored in shock.

No matter how hard she tried to escape, she had become unable to move even the tips of her fingers.

But… in a certain meaning it could be said to be only natural.

The flesh that composed Shiori’s body in the first place was the possession of the angel Michael.

For the young boy in front of her… for Michael, Shiori’s body was just like a part of his own body.

Therefore, for Michael, whether it was deceiving Shiori’s detection net or inviting her into this pocket dimension――and then even completely sealing her very movements itself were things that he could do freely.

Like this Michael stole the freedom from Shiori’s body and approached her,

“How pitiful……”

He bent his knee and touched the cheek of Shiori that was placing both her hands on the ground, there he wiped her remaining tears and vomit with his own pure white robe.

After that, he talked with a voice filled with compassion from the bottom of his heart.

“Onjouji Shiori. I know well the chronology of how this flesh body was created. Therefore I cannot stop this pity toward the great many heartbreaking circumstances that you had experienced before. However, child of man. You mustn’t resent the people who tormented you. They too are imperfect, therefore they don’t know what it is that they ought to do. Everything is the fault of those demons that try to lay their hands on the world of the people of god that is humans, and also the fault of those evil gods that indoctrinated evil knowledge to humans. The great father sends me on this day, in order to give the retribution towards those evil people.”

“What are you, planning to do……!?”

Michael answered Shiori’s question without hiding anything at all.

What he was going to accomplish in this land, what he would do――that was,

“A paradise. …I have come to create a paradise, where the children of man won’t need to fear the threat of demons, or be tricked by the malice of evil god, a paradise of light and order that is supervised by god and the servants of god. And then for that sake, your power is――no, the piece of me that is inside you is needed.”

“-……!”

Those words caused Shiori to feel fear that made the hair on her whole body to have goosebumps.

Just what was the messenger from heaven in front of her going to do?

What kind of objective made him call her into this space?

She understood all that.

However, no matter how scared she was, no matter how desperately she tried to flee, Shiori’s body didn’t answer her will for even a little bit――

“Onjouji Shiori. O child of man walking a harsh fate. The tragedy that shakes your body will not be repeated under other people. The time for the chain of sorrow to be severed, and for people to return to god’s side has come. Now――let’s depart. Just like the many of lives that have become sacrifices for the sake of this flesh body. That must also be happiness for you too.”

“u……ku…………”

A termination of consciousness like sleepiness that couldn’t be resisted attacked Shiori.

Even her arms were losing the strength to support her body, she fell down on that spot.

But Michael gently caught that body of Shiori.

(No, no……! Noooo!)

Shiori felt repulsiveness from that affectionate embrace and screamed.

But her consciousness was melting into white inside the sublime light of Michael.

And then, in her last moment where she lost her consciousness――

(Homura…… I’m, sor, ry…………)

Shiori let out a streak of tear,

While apologizing for her own powerlessness that could do nothing except make him lose a dear friend again.

On the other hand… Michael let out a small amazed sigh from the last emotion of Shiori who lost her consciousness inside his arm.

“……Falling in love with the foolish <traitor>. What a deep sin.”

(However, that too, is something that cannot be helped because they are the imperfect child of man.)

“Surely the great father will generously forgive all of that.”

Michael murmured while stroking the back of Shiori who was not moving as if she had died.

The sin of man was forgiven by receiving retribution.

The reason was because the angels knew that humans committing sin was something that couldn’t be helped.

Human was truly an incomplete and immature life.

It was only natural for them to commit sin. It was only natural for them to mistake their path.

For humans, whether it was shoplifting or rape or massacre――

If they were human then all of that couldn’t be helped… all those were cute mistakes because of humanity’s immaturity.

The angels forgave all those generously by means of retribution. But…

“Even so the sin of the <Evil God User> is something unforgivable no matter how much retribution he pays…!”

The <Evil God User> didn’t pray to the Great God in heaven and depended on the power of <Evil God>.

That was a lapse of virtue that couldn’t be forgiven.

No matter how difficult the tribulations that humans went through, humans ought to believe in god and die while praying to him.

Even though that was exactly how a human should be, the <Evil God User> made use of the power of evil and dared to become a sham messiah. That could be said to be an act that looked down on the god of the angels.

That sin was already impossible to wash away no matter what retribution that person received.

For that reason――he had to kill that man himself.

Michael was strongly convinced that it was what he ought to do,

{O the pious servant of god, Innocentius.}

Through mind transmission, Michael called out to the believer of god.

{The day of salvation has come. Right now is the time for the true salvation to be brought about to everybody.}

Hearing those words, Innocentius replied with a voice that was trembling from joy.

{Ooh lord! I thank god that I can welcome this day of today together with you! Our side too will begin to act at once!}

{Please, I’ll leave it to you. Everything is according to the will of the great father.}

After informing that, Michael closed his eyes quietly and prayed while embracing Shiori.

For the salvation of the human race that would be carried out after this.

So that this work of the deeply benevolent god could be held without any obstacle.

Thereupon――

The light that was emitted from Michael’s body became stronger, the color of his hair and wings changed.

From silver… to golden that was nothing but dazzling.