Editing Hyouketsu Kyoukai no Eden:Volume 4 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 6===

Dead silence.

An almost painful silence and a chill that seemed to even freeze the air currents.

The holy room in the tower which bound heaven ─── floor 281, the Cathedral.

The room’s ritual equipment shone with a brass color and stars and the moon adorned the stained glass. The ceiling’s deep blue mural mimicked the azure sky.

“…………”

Ymy stood there completely alone with her eyes closed.

Immersing herself in the silence, she felt the passage of time with her entire body as she faced the heavens.

[Unto me, all the wishes that of which I am able......]

[ele So Phi-a-s Arma-Riris]

Her lips chanted the release preface that indicated the activation of power. In an instant, overflowing crimson particles shrouded Ymy’s body that was clothed in pure whites vestments.

Crimson, that was the shine for Shinryoku of those that were specialized in baptism. <ref>[T/N: 洗礼 literally means "baptism". Keep it?]</ref>

The power to purify mateki.

“''You don’t need complicated prayers for the purification types. The release of shinryoku. That is everything, the pinnacle.''“

Those were the words of her senior Priestess, Meimel.

Releasing the shinryoku within herself and purifying mateki. Just that. What determined its effectiveness was neither the shinryoku wavelength nor technique. The reason she who excelled in potential was reputed as the Baptism Priestess even amongst Priestesses was for this reason.

───I thought I would do my best.

Syun-rei was of the territory type and Meimel was proficient in barrier rituals.

───I thought even I had done my best to not bring shame to the name of the Baptism Priestess.

───But only the mateki residing within Sheltis is…………

The mateki that had taken root within the body of her childhood friend was the only one she couldn’t do anything about.

Elbert Resonance ─── a phenomenon where sufficiently strong mateki and shinryoku of roughly the same strength would repel each other and, distorting the laws of physics, would give off powerful light and flames.

“''Ymy, awaken the possibility that is only available to you.''” <ref>[T/N: I think it's worth mentioning that she uses the word 開花 (kaika) which means to "bloom (a flower)".]</ref>

There is a method to overcome Elbert Resonance. And it’s closely related to the “form” of my shinryoku. Queen Salah taught me that.

……But what is it.

……I wonder why there’s a connection between the “form” of my shinryoku and Elbert Resonance. Syun-rei taught me that my “shape” is a “flower bud”.

The crimson amaryllis flower, she said.

……Hmm, but speaking of crimson.

“The same color as the light of baptism……? Is that just a coincidence……?”

The color of shinryoku that indicated baptism and the color of her “form” was the same.

Crimson, it might become a clue.

“…………”

It was no good, thinking about things with a possible relation, nothing was coming to mind. Even if she turned everything she had learned as an apprentice Priestess upside-down, the word “amaryllis” had never come out in her studies of shinryoku.

“Really? You really don’t remember anything?”

A voice she didn’t recognize suddenly came from right behind her.

“Wh-who!?”

She turned around as if having been repelled───

Over there was a gigantic dark purple brilliance that filled her vision. Wrapped in a dark purple mist, it was a strange beast whose crimson eyes were shining.

“Yuugenshu!? N-no way……how is it in this sanctuary?”

Yuugenshu had infiltrated this Cathedral once one month ago during the great infiltration where the Yuugenshu had penetrated Hyouketsu Kyoukai. ……It couldn’t be that it had hidden here at that time?

“Kuu!”

There was no leeway to think about why the Yuugenshu was here. At any rate, activate a spell to protect herself───

■ ■, …… ■, ■ ■ ■, ■ …… ■ …… ■ ■ ■■■, ■, ■ …… ■

Oe/ Dia = U hiz gazzinis sis wei sighn. Quo zess wiz xes kyele.

The smoke covering the Yuugenshu’s body gave off an amethyst-like glow. The glow gave off became light and the light formed bands of light that were thinner than hair.

The activation of mateki.

───Not good……the spell won’t make it in time!?

The light spread out in concentric circles with the beast at the center and the floor that came into contact with the light was progressively decaying ─── without completing a defense spell or baptism spell for attack, Ymy was swallowed up by the mateki’s light.

She resolved herself for death.

…………

………………Huh?

There was no pain. From her experiences with being bathed in mateki, there were a dreadful nausea and pain inflicted. But there was none of that just now. ……Why?

She timidly opened her eyes.

Before her was the glow of the Cathedral that hadn’t changed until just a little while ago. The floor and walls that should have been invaded by the mateki and decayed hadn’t changed a bit and the ceiling’s ornament was also being bathed in light.

More than that, the figure of the Yuugenshu was nowhere to be seen. Exactly where did───

“Did the illusion just now appear real?”

“!”

She now turned to the voice that came from directly to her side.

“……Who are you?”

Shiny deep black ─── a girl with jet black long hair was there.

She wore form-fitting black vestments with a silver jacket. Her age appeared to be twenty three or twenty four. She didn’t seem much older but that profound smile on her face……it was like sharp and beautiful like a drawn blade that had been completed over a great deal of time. <ref>[T/N: It says jacket in katakana. The picture near the front makes it look more like a muffler or manteau. Apparently everything that goes over your shirt is a jacket to the author.]</ref>

“Me? I am───”

She combed her ruffling hair with her hand and turned her amber eyes towards Ymy.

Even now, her voluptuous twin mounds that seemed like they would spill out, tightly bound waist, and expanding out once again, her waist, formed a bewitching figure which was visible even with her vestments. Her devilish silhouette was to the point where she, who was of the same sex, also gasped. <ref>[T/N: Silhouette given in katakana. Kanji are 体型美. Body, form and beauty.]</ref>

“Tsali, that is my name. I also do not mind ‘Master of Heaven’.” <ref>[T/N: She says 主天. First is "master" or "lord". Second is "heaven" or "sky".]</ref>

Chuckle, chuckle. Her lips that wore black lipstick were laughing a little.

……Tsali?

It was a name she’d never heard before. No, to begin with, was she really someone from {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}}? She was wearing something that resembled the tower’s vestments but Ymy had never seen vestments with such a personalized design like that.

“The Yuugenshu just now was an illusion, is what you said, right?”

“An illusion of paradise. Everything is a portion of the [Forbidden Crystal]‘s memories and I merely gave it form.”

Her heart thumped strongly for an instant.

……Wh-what? What was that feeling?

An illusion of paradise, as well as that Forbidden Crystal. ……I don’t really get it. But the instant I heard those two terms, something suddenly grew restless within me.

“J-just now……you did something, didn’t you!”

Pressing down on her pulsating chest, Ymy glared at her, but she just laughed while feigning ignorance.

“Nope, I’ve done nothing. I’ve simply hummed the key to this world. You just reacted to it on your own ────── your shinryoku resonated with those names.”

Holding out her left fist, Tsali turned to the ceiling and opened her palm.

A lovely glass ware fell down. Carved from the dark purple crystal was a small winged dragon. She recognized it; it was the souvenir sold at {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}}’s lobby.

It was the tower’s mascot, [{{furigana|Dusk Dragon|Ama}}]. Why did she bring out that kind of silly thing?

“This is really interesting. While I wasn’t looking, they sold this kind of thing at the tower.”

The small glass dragon sat upon the palm of her hand. It was nothing but a souvenir that anybody could get but she was gazing at it lovingly with half-closed eyes.

“Is there……somebody about that?”

“I bought it. Together with a bag full of candy.”

“Eh?”

“Well, that’s fine. What I was saying was interesting was how this dragon became {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}}’s mascot, even though nobody remembers its origin ────── is what it means, Priestess-sama. Rather, Ymy. Ymy Ele Soufflenictole.”

“……What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re the only one who hasn’t changed a bit from three years ago.”

“!”

Her chest experienced a squeezing pain. Different from the heartbeat just now, it was like the sharp pain from having a blade thrust in there. She clenched her fists but that wasn’t enough so she bit together her molars.

“……I am……truly not up to par but”

“You’re doing your utmost as a Priestess? Doing your best has caused growth? That’s also an illusion; the training your devote your body to is a meaningless virtual image. It’s a virtual image that has no reflection in a mirror.”

“Th……that’s not true!”

But Tsali seemed to have been waiting for those words as her smile grew wider and,

“Have you noticed that the world around you is undergoing a rapid change?”

“……Eh?”

“The boy that fell to the Garden of {{furigana|Corrupted Song|Eden}} has returned to the floating continent. Hyouketsu Kyoukai was penetrated, even if only for a moment, resulting in a large-scale invasion. Also, the cultivation tank found at the {{furigana|floating archipelago|Lagoon}}. These have all occurred within roughly the same time frame. What if they’re all connected?”

……I really wonder who she is.

Incidents that should only by privy to the Priestesses of the tower were known to her to this extent.

“The world is in flux. Even though you are at the center of that vortex, you haven’t realized it. That’s why I’m here. ……That’s right, '''it’s a good occasion for the frozen time to begin moving'''.”

Tsali slowly opened her right fist.

“Change. The stimulus for your shinryoku to bloom will definitely not be strong enough. That’s why I shall impart it to you. In place of that restless Queen, I will teach you the melody you do not know.”

What was laying within her hand was a scarlet crystal fashioned to look like a flower petal.

─── [{{furigana|Keinez|Red Song}}] ───

She hummed something.
[[image:Eden04 186.jpg|thumb]]

In that instant, light was created. The scarlet crystal shattered into pieces and melded into the air, then each fragment spurned out torrents of richly colored light.

The lights illuminating the Cathedral converged and drew a single figure.

……Wha……what is this.

Before her eyes, the lights had converged to form a door.

“The beginning is a thousand years ago at the illusionary paradise. Now, Ymy Ele Soufflenictole ─── when you have seen '''the world as it was before Hyouketsu Kyoukai was erected''', what will be your impressions?” <ref>[T/N: This was translated wrong in the preview. I do better with context ><.]</ref>

From the door of light came forth strong luminance akin to dawn───

Then Ymy lost consciousness.

The sky was burning bright red.