Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 13 Chapter 2

'Turn right at the next intersection.'

Listening to Atla's voice from the terminal, we followed minor roads to advance. Each of us was glowing faintly from the light of Ether Wind.

Like the interior of the building we were at earlier, the road surface was uneven, covered with calcified shells and coral.

Added to the fact that the buildings had curved designs, the roads were necessarily winding too. It was difficult staying oriented on roads that were not rectilinear. Without Atla, we would have gotten lost immediately.

I felt awed by the Atlanteans who were able to live well in such a city.

"Something huge is flying in the sky again."

Ariella advanced swiftly while paying attention to the sky.

Blocked by buildings, the narrow sky had multiple monsters flying past. Since flyers overhead produced shadows, we quickly noticed them.

"Don't worry, as long as we stick to small roads, we won't run into big monsters."

In charge of holding the rear, Kili spoke calmly.

Indeed, we had yet to encounter large astral lifeforms along the way. However—

"Kyah!? Another one!"

Lisa screamed and grabbed my left arm. Her heavy bosom pressed tightly against me. I could feel the shampoo fragrance of her blonde hair tickling my nose.

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"C-Calm down. Don't worry."

Losing composure for a different reason, I comforted Lisa.

What she was scared to look at was the mist hanging around the road side. When the wind blew, they would take on human appearances from time to time.

"Sheesh... You should get used to it by now. How many times have you already seen this? There are no signs of them attack anyway. Just relax."

Kili looked exasperated.

"Those are probably something like human souls. Unlike the monsters flying about in the sky, they have difficulty maintaining form."

Repeating what Tia had said, I looked at the mist that had become human figures.

Because humans were unable to maintain their existence without their physical body, they became mixed with the mist, wandering the streets in ambiguous forms.

We had brushed past them several times already, but they did not react to us, having probably their sense of self.

"I-In other words, they are like the souls of dead humans... Ghosts, essentially! Asking me not to be afraid is impossible!"

Avoiding the ghosts, Lisa pressed her forehead against my shoulder.

I remember there was one time when we visited a theme park in Japan. Lisa had also been super afraid in the haunted house. Back then, she hugged me tightly and I was totally drained from dragging her while I walked.

Seeing Lisa unwilling to relax her grip on me, Ariella sighed too.

"I understand how you feel, but you're going too far. The monsters in the sky are more dangerous, so it's risky if we let the ghosts draw our attention."

"Ariella-san... Aren't you staying close to Mononobe Yuu despite what you are saying?"

Lisa spoke with a look of disdain towards Ariella, who was sandwiching me from the other side.

Although she was not hugging me tightly, Ariella was clutching my right sleeve. Every time she saw a ghost, she shuddered.

"U-Umm—Umm, even though they're not dangerous, scary is still scary..."

Gritting her teeth to offer a contrived excuse, Ariella showed no signs of letting go of me.

"Sheesh... What is so scary about dead people? Their living counterparts are more troublesome and more dangerous."

With a look of incomprehension, Kili shrugged.

"I actually agree on this point, but considering the ghosts' true identity, I guess it's only natural to be afraid."

Passing by a ghost, I commented with poignancy.

"True identity?"

When Kili asked what I meant, I replied with a wry smile.

"If they're wandering this city, then it's highly likely they were Atlanteans, right? I totally cannot imagine what people living from so long ago were thinking or how they lived. It's only natural to fear things you don't know."

"If you don't know, why not ask her? The one in your hand."

Kili replied, pointing at the portable terminal in my hand. Loaded on this terminal was Atla, the AI that had managed Atlantis.

"Well, you're right... But maybe she doesn't want to recall these things."

While I was hesitating, the terminal vibrated then emitted a synthesized voice.

'I don't need you to overthink! I am not that fragile. Ask me anything you like!'

I looked at the screen to see Atla staring at me.

Apparently, my excess consideration had hurt her pride.

"Really? Then I'll try asking. There's a lot I'm curious about. First of all... Can I ask what the Atlanteans were like?"

"Almost the same as you people. But compared to modern humans, they had almost no vitality..."

Arms crossed, Atla spoke with nostalgia.

"No vitality?"

What did she mean? I frowned. Atla then spoke with an expression of mixed feelings.

"The people back then easily got sick. The birth rate was also extremely low. Despite advancing medical technology, the life expectancy kept shortening and the population shrank. Honestly, humans were facing a crisis of extinction. Trying to stop this was my biggest mission."

Looking like she was somewhat concerned about the ghosts we had just encountered, Atla sighed and continued.

"In fact, I believed humans could no longer survive when the Atlantis civilization was destroyed. Although data was left behind on stone slabs, I had no expectations. But when I revived, I discovered that humans were everywhere on Earth... It made me question what I had been doing. I felt a bit disappointed."

Although I wanted to comfort Atla, who was hugging her knees with a sad look on her face, I refrained because touching her would make her angry again.

"Anyway, humans lost their civilization but somehow recovered their vitality as a result of this—Something like that. Quite ironic."

When Kili concurred, not caring about the mood, Atla's expression became even more gloomy and she lowered her head.

"But well, even so, I don't think what you did was useless, Atla. Ultimately, without you, the humans wouldn't have arrived on Earth and we wouldn't be born. You're our savior—You could even say that we have to thank you for the fact that we can be here today."

I frantically added my opinion. Then Atla wiped her tearful eyes and looked up at me.

"I won't fall in love with you even if you come up with pretty words! What you say is beyond obvious!"

Finally recovered, Atla puffed out her chest on the small screen and replied.

"Excuse me... May I ask a question too?"

Just then, Lisa opened her mouth hesitantly. It looked like she had regained some composure now that we could not see any ghosts nearby. But even so, she still continued to hug my arm tightly...

"Fine, I allow it."

Atla spoke with an air of superiority, but Lisa was not offended. She asked:

"This city... This continent of Atlantis, why did it sink? One would expect the reason to be because of the fight against Yggdrasil—no, Kiskanu?"

Lisa looked down at the road surface that had merged with the remains of shells and corals. Frowning, Atla said gently:

"Hmm, I don't know either. The remnants of recovered memory only go back to the time shortly before Kiskanu wrought destruction... However, I can speculate. Underground of Atlantis are devices for supporting the entire city's functions. After I stopped operating, the unattended devices would have gone out of control and exploded."

"E-Exploded...?"

Lisa asked in astonishment.

"Yes. The underground structure would have been torn apart, resulting in the ground collapsing. From the fact that the buildings remained relatively undamaged, this must have happened gradually over a long period of time instead of suddenly."

Atla calmly offered her hypothesis without stopping.

After that, Kili interjected, having been silent until now.

"In other words, after Atlantis was destroyed, this city still existed on land for some amount of time. In that case, it answers one question."

I motioned with my gaze for Kili to explain herself.

"I've been wondering why the unknown territory and Ragnarok appeared here. After listening to what you guys said, I finally get it."

Touching a building's wall, Kili spoke.

Although there was damage to the houses lining the narrow and winding road, when taking into account the long amount of time spent sunk under the sea, this damage was quite minor. The wall's material seemed similar to porcelain, but it was probably a substance created using advanced technology.

"You think there is a definite link, Kili?"

I still did not understand. So what if this city had existed on land for a while?

"Yes. Having lost their science and civilization—I'm guessing not only physically but including memory interference like what happened to Yuu—the humans might have treated this city as a 'religious holy land' after they went back to primitive life. I don't know how astral lifeforms are produced, but if there really existed an era when gods were around, this place, akin to a sacred sanctuary, would've been their residence, right?"

Digesting Kili's words in my mind took some time.

Not just the possibility she had pointed out, but the viewpoint that Kiskanu might have interfered with human memory also shocked me.

Indeed, as Kiskanu's successor, Yggdrasil had taken my memories as the price of our deal, allowing me to use authority. It would be possible to do the same to the Atlanteans, wiping knowledge of science and technology from their minds.

Following this idea, my thoughts went on a tangent. Next to me, Ariella asked directly.

"Umm, basically, after humans stopped living in the city, it might have become the place where things like gods or spirits lived... Is that what you mean?"

Kili nodded.

"That's right. If this became the most populous place on Earth for astral lifeforms, then it's only logical that Ragnarok descended upon here for food, right?"

"Well... I guess. Now that I think about it, this city and its inhabitants experienced a second extinction event."

Ariella looked around her with sorrow in her eyes.

Having experienced two tragic calamities and lost its inhabitants, this city was definitely deserving of pity.

But just then, humanoid mist appeared before them again. Lisa shuddered in fear, but she released me with determination then stared intently at the ghost.

"Lisa, are you okay?"

"...Yes. After listening to the earlier conversation, I feel more pity than fear. It would be too sad for them if we overreacted."

Saying that, Lisa lowered her eyes.

Next, another white shadow appeared ahead. Lisa's shoulder trembled slightly.

"I-I am fine if it is just one or two."

Although Lisa declared with resilience, humanoid mist appeared one after another on the curving road.

"Five, seven—no, more than ten!? Is... isn't this bad?"

Ariella entered a combat stance with a stiff expression. Lisa, Kili and I also stopped walking.

"This many is truly too much!"

Did she reach her limit? Lisa screamed and hid behind me.

Kili probably sensed a crisis too. Raising her hand in front of her, she entered an offensive stance.

"Although being formless, they can't attack... I have a bad feeling about this. They look like they're running away from something."

Just as she said, the shimmering ghosts approached us—then passed by us.

It was like something further down the road was chasing them.

Since the road was curved, we could only see ten-odd meters ahead of us. But there was a sound—

I felt a chill down my back. Instinct was warning me and my body naturally entered a combat stance.

"—It's coming."

While protecting Lisa behind me, I bent forward, clenching my fists that were enveloped in faint golden light.

When the sound of footsteps and intense breathing reached my ears, a wolf-like creature rushed out from the far end of the road.

It was no ordinary wolf. That much was proven by the fact that it had two heads and the body was translucent. And there was more than one of them. One after another, the ferocious beasts arrived, looking at us with their glowing eyes.

"The two-headed wolf is called the Orthrus, I think. Oh well, who cares... I'll just send it flying!"

At the very front, Kili shouted harshly then caused a huge explosion in front of the two-headed wolves. Orthus was a name that I too had seen in books and games before.

This explosion was achieved by spread tiny amounts of dark matter in the surroundings then transmuting them into heat. Kili's prided technique, Muspelheim.

However, the pack of Orthruses pushed the flames completely unscathed and charged us. No injuries. Neither did the blast blow them away. Rather than physical resilience, it seemed like the attack had gone through them completely.

"It failed!? Damn it!"

Kili greeted a lunging Orthrus with a roundhouse kick. Probably thanks to the Ether Wind enveloping her taking effect, the tip of her foot plunged deeply into the Orthrus' belly.

The Orthus wailed and collapsed on the ground. The pack behind it also stopped warily. Seeing them like that, Ariella stepped forward.

"Looks like attacks without Ether Wind won't work. But... If ordinary physical attacks don't work, then they can't damage our physical bodies, right?"

Keeping the Orthruses at bay with her glare, Ariella raised a question.

"Wanna try? Oh well, even if your body is fine, your spirit might get eaten, you know?"

Hearing Kili, Ariella frowned and shook her head.

"No thanks. These things were chasing the ghosts just now, which means they probably prey on human spirit for food."

Next, Lisa, who had been hiding behind me, stepped forward to stand by my side.

"In that case, we must defeat these monsters. Desiring food even after they are dead, they deserve no pity at all."

"Are we gonna fight?"

I asked worriedly. Lisa proceeded to nod with a determined look.

"Yes. There is nothing to be afraid of when they are simply monsters, not ghosts. Monsters that devour humans—obstacles hindering us from reaching Mitsuki-san—are unforgivable. I shall eliminate them."

Voicing her twisted logic matter-of-factly, Lisa glared at the Orthruses.

"—Don't overdo it."

"I know."

We exchanged a glance then kicked the ground. Kili and Ariella sprang into action at the same time.

With a roar from the leading Orthrus, the pack rushed over together.

—First one first. We must thin out enemy numbers before they surrounded us.

Capitalizing on an opening between the two heads, I pierced its throat with my hand. Wrapped in Ether Wind, my arms were unusually solid. I felt practically no resistance.

However, this thing had two heads. Killing one of them was not enough to stop it. The Orthrus attacked, aiming at my throat.

—What a pain.

I decapitated the other head with a karate chop, but taking care of one Orthrus had taken more time than I had planned.

The others looked like they were exerting too.

Kili aimed for a vital, but because the enemy had two heads, she could not kill it in one strike.

Using agile martial arts, Ariella sent Orthrus after Orthrus flying, but was pinned down by their superior numbers.

Lisa, the one whom I worried the most about, was using momentum from the charging Orthruses to throw them, then following up with attacks when they were off balance. Although she mentioned before she had been training in spear techniques, I could see that she had also taken part in aikido or something similar too.

However, it looked like she was still unable to deliver decisive blows to the Orthruses.

"Ah, Yuu—Look over here!"

While I was thinking we must find suitable tactics, Kili called to me.

I looked over to see Kili slicing through an Orthrus with a golden glowing sword in her hand.

"Kili, that's—"

She smiled at my surprise.

"I tried shaping Ether Wind into a weapon. Fighting this way is easier. Why don't you guys try it, using the same principle as constructing a fictional armament?"

Turning a part of our manifested spirit into a weapon—This had never occurred to me. Since Hraesvelgr had never attacked in such a manner, perhaps I gathered a preconceived notion that it could not be done.

However, since Kili tried it out for real, I gave it a try too. I focused my mind the same way as when I created my fictional armament gun, concentrating Ether Wind in my palm.

Next, the particles took on a gun's shape just as I had imagined. I aimed the muzzle at one of the Orthruses and pulled the trigger twice.

No sooner were shots heard than the released golden bullets pierced two separate heads squarely between their eyebrows. The Orthrus collapsed on the ground.

"Definitely, this is much easier."

This was probably a technique only actualizable by humans who would use weapons. I'm pretty sure it never occurred to Hraesvelgr to use weapons.

"Yes. I shan't lose now that I have a weapon!"

Lisa made a spear using Ether Wind, sweeping away multiple attacking Orthruses.

"Let's end this in one go, everyone!"

Holding a golden dagger, Ariella jumped into the middle of the pack of wolves and sliced apart the Orthruses surrounding her.

Since her fictional armament was a gauntlet, I seldom saw her wielding a weapon. This was probably the first time after our serious fight.

Strong as expected—Jumping and leaping, she chopped off monsters' heads.

Ariella could probably handle them all alone, but I continued to shoot and reduce enemy numbers. Wielding weapons, Kili and Lisa were also wiping them out.

"It feels so good to be able to keep chopping without needing to worry—But it's a bit boring without blood spurting."

Brandishing her sword with joy on her face, Kili commented excitedly.

"What is there to enjoy when taking lives!? Such complacency will make you careless!"

Lisa stabbed the neck of a leaping Orthrus behind Kili's back and brought it to the ground.

"...That being said, I was aware of that one, you know?"

"I had no intention of protecting you. I am simply defeating the foes in front of me."

While having this conversation, Kiil and Lisa exchanged a glance momentarily. However, due to many lunging Orthruses, they immediately stood back to back to face the enemies. From a bystander's perspective, the two of them seemed quite in sync. Despite many aspects of their personalities clashing, their fighting styles might be a good fit after all.

With the initial struggle seeming like a lie, we swiftly cut down the monsters.

In less than a minute, the pack of Orthruses were almost wiped out, leaving just one.

"You are the last one!"

Lisa stepped forward and stabbed.

Like a flash of light, the golden spear tip pierced the Orthrus from the front. Skewered right between the two heads, the monster struggled for a moment before turning into white mist and vanishing.

The carcasses lying on the ground also turned into white mist one after another, melding into the air.

"It appears that none are left."

After observing the surroundings warily, Lisa breathed out in relief.

"Although they aren't strong... It'd be a total pain if we keep encountering packs and packs of these things even when traveling on the ground."

Kili dispelled the Ether Wind sword in her hand and remarked with irritation. My decision to choose companions capable of close quarters combat turned out to be correct. However, recklessly getting drawn into battles again and again would tired us out.

"It looks like we can use the same way to take out the monsters in the sky. Let's switch to flying from now on. Well, there's an especially big one up above, but I'm sure we can find a way now that we are armed."

Ariella pointed up and suggested.

Just as she had pointed out, we could catch a glimpse of a monster through the gap between buildings. It was a giant winged dragon.

"Fine. Let me do it."

I nodded and raised the gun I had constructed from Ether Wind towards the sky.

"You plan on sniping from here?"

Lisa frowned and asked, prompting me to nod.

"That's right. It'll work as long as the bullet flies where I aim."

I narrowed my eyes and concentrated, waiting for the winged dragon to fly overhead.

Next, the prey appeared accompanied by the sound of wings flapping. The shadow fell upon the narrow road—Waiting for this instant, I pulled the trigger.

The golden bullet turned into a flash of light, piercing the winged dragon's head.

Without even a death cry, the winged dragon lost balance just like that and crashed down at us—But before it collided with a building, it turned into white mist.

"That's one point for me first."

I looked back at the girls. Lisa was looking at me shyly.

"...How amazing. You would probably win if you entered a marksmanship contest."

"Nah, I'd have no chance if Jeanne was there."

I replied with a wry smile. In marksmanship alone, Jeanne was unparalleled. There was an undeniable gap in accuracy between Jeanne and me.

"My eyes are opened... Then I shall find Jeanne-san when I learn marksmanship—Wait, now is not the time for idle chatter. Very well, let us continue on our way."

Apparently taking an interest in marksmanship, Lisa created her fictional armament then held out her hand to me.

Now that the winged dragon was eliminated, there should be nothing to attack us mid-flight for the time being. I nodded and was about to take Lisa's hand when Kili grabbed my hand from the side and took flight.

"You were the one flying with Yuu just now. It's my turn this time."

Kili told Lisa while ascending slowly.

"Hmm... Very well, so be it."

Lisa looked a bit displeased, but she did not object, following after us.

"Then after Kili, it'll be my turn. Holding Mononobe-kun's hand... I'm so nervous."

Enveloped in wind, following us, Ariella stared at her hand and smiled wryly.

Thus, we carefully flew out, above the roofs of the buildings. The unique view of the streets, filled with round buildings, leaped into our eyes. However, we could not see very far due to the mist.

"The unknown territory is in that direction!"

Atla pointed from the screen. When I showed Kili the terminal, she smiled and nodded.

"Understood. Let us move quickly before the monsters gather. Yuu—Hold my hand firmly."

Saying that, Kili weakened her grip on my hand for some reason.

"Hey—"

To avoid falling, I gripped her hand tightly. With a satisfied smile, Kili started moving.

"Good, that's the feeling. I always get so excited when you're forceful."

"...I really don't know what to say about your personality."

Holding on tightly, I sighed and replied.

Previously, Ariella had described Kili as masochistic, but I really had no idea how to classify this kind of behavior. Oh well, people can't be sorted into neat categories, I guess.

Unable to help with mobility in the air, I committed my attention towards monitoring our surroundings.

There were signs of winged dragons and giant winged beasts in the distance but they did not look like they were planning to fly towards us.

Of course, I did not forget about Mitsuki, the most important of all, so I paid attention to the situation on the ground too.

Signs of beasts appeared on the curving little paths from time to time. There were enemies both on the ground and in the air, but Mitsuki was probably fine. Although it would be a problem if she reached the unknown territory first, I felt my anxiety surging at the thought of her being stuck in a desperate situation.

"Kili, please move as fast as possible."

I looked up at Kili in mid-flight and asked.

"Are you sure? You might miss her if we go too fast, you know?"

"Finding Mitsuki in such a big city will be very hard no matter whether we go fast or slow. It's better if we look for signs of combat. With so many monsters, I'm sure Mitsuki and the fake Miyako will end up stuck in a battle somewhere they cannot avoid."

Looking at the ruins of the Atlantis civilization, I answered.

Nearby, Lisa agreed.

"Even if we fail to locate her, so long as we reach the unknown territory first, we will be able to spread up and set up a perimeter. As such, I agree with moving faster."

While watching the sky for threats, Ariella nodded too.

"Even if monsters approach, we can rely on Mononobe-kun to shoot them down as long as they're not too many. Atla, how far away is the unknown territory?"

Looking at the terminal in my hand, Ariella asked.

"The mist covering the unknown territory extends roughly 50 kilometers. We have 39 kilometers to go. On foot, the complicated route will be quite long, but flying straight, you can reach it in less than fifteen minutes."

"Well, there probably will be things in our way, so it's not going to be that easy... But the fact that the unknown territory hasn't disappeared means that Mitsuki might be forced to travel on land. We should be able to beat her by ten minutes."

Ariella spoke in bright voice. I felt hopeful too.

But five minutes later, before we reached the unknown territory, some kind of anomalous scene entered our view.

The first to notice was Kili.

"What... is that?"

Continuing to fly at high speed, she pointed ahead.

On the ground was the strange urban landscape of Atlantis, but slightly further ahead, the streets changed completely.

There was a huge bowl-like hole on the ground, surrounded by collapsed buildings. It looked like something gigantic had stepped on it.

"Let us go down and investigate the situation."

We nodded to acknowledge Lisa's suggestion and landed on the ground depression that was filled with debris from buildings.

Walking over rubble and checking out the ground situation, we discovered a deep fissure. The shells and calcified coral covering the roads were also in disarray.

"No signs of erosion on the sides of the rubble. This... damage is recent."

Picking up a piece of debris, I spoke. Similarly inspecting the rubble, Ariella lifted her head and looked back and forth at the deeply sunken wasteland.

"Then could this be the result of a battle? Was Mitsuki fighting here...? But what could have caused this—"

"Let us discuss this later. It is possible for Mitsuki-san to be buried in the rubble. Let us first examine the depression and the surrounding area."

Interrupting Ariella, Lisa urged. However, Kili did not look motivated.

"Now that you've finally encountered a clue, I don't really mind if you want to investigate... But shouldn't we avoid separating?"

"Why?"

I asked Kili. Hearing that Mitsuki might be buried alive, I was about to rush out in a hurry.

"Yuu, calm down. Normally, you'd figure it out quickly. Unable to use Ether Wind, your sister has no means of killing the monsters here. If we're talking about her, rather than getting buried under rubble, wouldn't the inability to fight monsters be much more likely?"

"I-I guess you're right."

Noticing that I was losing composure from haste, I reflected on myself.

"Well, with Ether Wind at our disposal, there shouldn't be any enemy we can't fight. But just in case, let's stay in pairs. So Yuu and I will—"

"Going by sequence, it's my turn, right?"

Ariella cut in between Kili and me, then smiled.

"Wait a sec, that's just the order for taking Yuu flying—"

"Really? But I suspect you'll do something weird if we let you spend time alone with Mononobe-kun... If Mitsuki witnessed it, that'd cause unnecessary trouble."

Ariella responded to Kili with a look of distrust.

"A fair point indeed. Kili-san, you and I shall work together this time. Ariella-san and Mononobe Yuu will be responsible for investigating the interior of the depression. We shall circle the vicinity in the air. Do not spend too much time. Let us converge here again fifteen minutes later."

"D-Don't just decide on your own!"

Lisa grabbed Kili's hand from the side, dragging the complaining Kili, and flew into the sky. With both of them capable of flight taking responsibility for a wider area, this was a good judgment call.

Watching them leave, Ariella and I exchanged a wry smile before starting our search of the depression.

"—Mitsuki is nowhere to be found."

I nodded at Ariella who was murmuring with a tense expression.

"Yeah, but we can't lower guard even if we find her safe and sound. That fake Shinomiya Miyako is definitely by Mitsuki's side."

I replied while looking at the mounds of debris in the surroundings. Ariella gazed at her hand.

"Something born from end matter, right? Although it feels scary, if the enemy takes on human form, then Code Lost can be used. You and I, Mononobe-kun... can surely kill her."

"The enemy is not human, so don't take it for granted. Speaking of which, Ariella, you don't have to force yourself."

Ariella had always feared the power of Code Lost, capable of killing humans easily. Although her authority had transferred to me when I defeated her, during the redistribution afterwards, it returned almost unaltered to her again.

If Ariella saw defeating the fake Shinomiya Miyako as "murder," she would probably fail to go through with it.

"Thank you, Mononobe-kun, but you don't have to worry about me. I know. She is the devil who's been tempting Mitsuki the whole time. I haven't met her before, so I rationalize this. If it were my friend... I probably wouldn't be able to do it."

Saying that, Ariella smiled wryly.

Mitsuki, Lisa and Firill were the ones who entered Midgard at the same time as Shinomiya Miyako. Ariella and Ren had joined Brynhildr Class after Shinomiya Miyako's death.

As for me, I had only seen the manifestation of her "soul" through Ether Wind at the laboratory where the Kraken's remains were kept.

"If possible, I don't want to fight in front of Mitsuki and Lisa."

I prayed quietly.

Mitsuki seemed to know that Shinomiya Miyako was a fake, but probably had difficulty completely convincing herself.

Incidentally, I had a feeling that things wouldn't go that smoothly. After all, we still didn't even know if we could catch up to Mitsuki.

While walking on the rubble, I looked for clues everywhere. If there was something, it must be at the center of the crater, right? Ariella and I slowly went down the slope.

"Hmm, if possible, I hope we can be the ones to end things."

Ariella agreed with a determined voice while staying alert of the surroundings.

'Who will be the one to kill... Humans concerned about means are such a pain in so many ways.'

In my chest pocket, Atla's voice sounded from the terminal.

That reminded me, she was here too. Thinking this, I took out the terminal from my pocket and placed it on my hand.

"Well, but for us, it's not that easy to distinguish between means and ends until finally death is reached."

Even if ends were everything, there was more to come after achieving an end. The means arising from a certain end would be waiting. Hence, in order not to have regrets, one had to put in more thought, to accumulate decisions that were deemed the best possible at the time.

'The ability to continue calculating in spite of unsolvable equations, human processing power is quite impressive to me in some ways. If I were in your place, my brain would probably reach an error and explode.'

"Humans are surprisingly tough. So tough that they'd survive even if they must kill someone."

Smiling wryly at Atla's surprise and praise, I continued my search.

Although buildings were destroyed, there were large pieces of debris in the surroundings, indicating the presence of a large building in the past. Stout columns were piled up, fallen over on the ground, producing many dead ends.

To avoid sudden attacks, I focused my mind and sensed the surroundings.

However—Even though I was on maximum alert, ''this voice'' instantly sounded from next to me.

"And here I was, wondering what you're chatting about. A discussion about killing me? Hello, dangerous people."

I gasped and jumped back. Ariella reacted at almost the same time.

Appearing from behind a column was a girl with a face very similar to Shinomiya-sensei and Shion. Shoulder-length black hair, fluttering in the wind. She was smiling. I did not know if it was the effect of end matter, but her skin color was different from Shinomiya-sensei and Shion's, darkened like having a sun tan.

"The fake... Shinomiya Miyako, huh?"

I turned my sharp gaze at the thing with Shinomiyako's form. Perhaps because she was not alive, that was why I couldn't sense her presence.

"I can't believe you choose to appear before us. What are you planning by coming here?"

Instantly creating a knife from dark matter, Ariella lowered her stance and asked. The tip of that knife would instantly pierce where Shinomiya Miyako was standing, any time she wished to do so.

I too synthesized my fictional armament, the gun Siegfried, and prepared to take action any moment.

Although her goal was unknown, this was an opportunity.

Since we were surrounded by a coating of our spirit, manifested through Ether Wind, physical attacks were ineffective against us. Also, it was two against one, without needing to worry about Mitsuki and Lisa.

Now would be the time if we were to kill—

However, we did not take action. Shinomiya Miyako's calm expression made us wary.

"What am I planning, huh?"

Despite clearly sensing our intent to kill, Shinomiya Miyako leisurely pondered with arms crossed.

Then apparently coming up with the answer, she lowered her arms and smiled at us.

"Hmm—broadly speaking, I have had only one goal all along."

"One goal?"

Looking for a chance to strike, I asked.

"Yes. Me... All I want is to save Mitsuki. From the moment I met her, ever since—That is what I live for."

The instant she confessed, calamity struck.

"...Gah!?"

My body suddenly felt heavy. It was like being pushed down by an invisible hand.

"What—"

I heard Ariella's surprised voice.

Unable to stand, I fell on my knees. Looking up, I saw a rainbow-colored halo above Shinomiya Miyako's head. In her hand was a fictional armament in the shape of a pure-black naginata—No, since there wasn't a faint glow on the blade, that was probably a mass of end matter.

However, more than the sudden change, it was her expression that drew my attention.

Until just now, she had looked so calm and confident, but currently, Shinomiya Miyako was glaring at me with anger on her face.

"Please do not resist. It is too late to resist by now."

This was a deep voice filled with emotions surging from the heart.

Far too human—A gaze with mix of hatred, pain and sorrow.

Seeing this, a certain idea popped up in my mind.

No logic. No grounds. Purely instinct.

Even so, I could not reject the idea that my own mind had produced. My voice continued to echo in my mind.

—This Shinomiya Miyako could very well be the real Shinomiya Miyako.