Ultimate Antihero:Volume 4

These are the novel illustrations that were included in Ultimate Antihero Volume 4

• 

  Cover

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

  Table of Contents

• 

  Page 27

• 

  Page 33

• 

  Page 39

• 

  Page 53

• 

  Page 69

• 

  Page 169

• 

  Page 179

• 

  Page 196

• 

  Page 257

• 

  Page 288

Prologue

Part 1

The jet black mist swallowing Tokyo life sphere.

Inside it the labyrinth of the <Great Old One> Eihort was spreading.

Dampt air that clung to the skin was drifting, it was a labyrinth with stones covered in most.

The path that was only lighted up by will-o’-the-wisp burning on the bone white candlestand had troops possessing white wings on their back marching on it.

Stealing the body of the allied army force’s troops under the flag of <Five Great Leaders>, this was the army of angels.

Their number was actually more than 140,000.

But, their march wasn’t going smoothly.

The complexity of the labyrinth distorted in the fourth dimension. The length of that labyrinth. And then most of all――

“GYAAAAAAAA!”

“Shit-, these guys, from where……!”

{Kiikii, kii!}

{GEGEGEee――――――!!!!}

“GUAAAAAA–!”

――The attack from the monsters crawling the darkness of the labyrinth was obstructing their march.

Someone was pierced by a harpoon from a monster that looked like a frog with slimy tentacles in its head, someone else was gouged by the talon of humanoid monster without head flying in the air with bat wings, someone else was swallowed by swarm of malformed monstrous bug which looked like a cross of flea and spider where the victim was turned into skeleton.

They were the evil underlings that The <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura summoned this labyrinth with his last strength.

The angels were receiving an attack by several tens of thousands underlings at an open space in the shape of a gigantic dome inside the labyrinth.

Their strength was beyond the angels’ power due to their incomplete manifestation by stealing human body.

The death throes echoing inside widely closed space made the angels displayed scared expressions.

However,

“Really, what are you all doing so slowly like this.”

“But”

There were two people coming out to the front by pushing aside the angels that were scared of the darkness of the labyrinth.

As expected from the <Archangel> who stole the flesh of <S-Rank Magician> Wan Tairon and Sir James Weasley, their status was just different.

They stood in the front line and swung the artifact <Fangtian Huaji> and <Excalibur>,

They faced the swarm of underlings that were approaching as a black tsunami and mowed them down.

{ { {――――――――—-!?!?!?} } }

Instantly the spirit force of the <Archangel> that was turned into flying slash tore off the swarm of several tens of thousands underlings in a single line without leaving a single one behind, changing their shape into unsightly lump of meat.

One of the two Archangel.

Raphael who stole the body of Tairon, roughly stomped on the youngling of Eihort that was a malformed monstrous bug which survived because of its smallness, while hurrying on the other angels.

“Now, advance forward quickly. Our destination is still quite far seee.”

Not a single one of the angels objected to that voice and resumed marching while parting through the corpses.

And then the open space ended after advancing for a while, they came to see four doors that were large castle gates.

It was the fork in the labyrinth.

If it went well then one among the four was the correct path.

If it went bad there was also a development where not a single one was the correct path.

Eihort’s labyrinth was that kind of place.

Howeverit was meaningless in front of the <Archangel> Michael who was manifested in a shape that was extremely near perfect.

In the previous battle, by taking in Onjouji Shiori who shared his flesh and blood, he recovered back his strength that was extremely near complete. By having that searching ability, he was able to advance without getting lost until the Tokyo life sphere which was moved in the deepest area of the labyrinth.

That was why Gabriel who stole the flesh of Sir James turned around and asked.

“Michael. Which path we should choose ahead of this fork?”

However――, there was no reply back.

In exchange,

“Michael-sama!?”

The bewildered voices of the angels resounded inside the labyrinth.

When they looked, the youth possessing golden wings, the <Archangel> Michael was on his knee.

“Ah ah. What’s wrongg?”

When Raphael asked, Michael answered with globes of sweat on his forehead.

“……It seems that the battle with that detestable traitor exhaust me more than I imagined. My body cannot move as I wished it for.”

“Ah ah.”

“Well, although that body is specially made, it’s just an incomplete flesh body after all. It can’t be helped.”

“I guesss.”

Raphael returned his agreement to Gabriel’s words and he pondered for a while.

And then he handed down his decision.

“Then Michael, you rest for a while. I and Gabriel will conquer this labyrinth. Though it will take a little more time without Michael’s searching ability.”

“Don’t mind it. Things like slight delay is just a tiny problem. Michael still has the role to use the soul of human for building the paradise in this land after this. Right now you shouldn’t force yourself pointlessly. It still won’t be too late for Michael to arrive even after I and Raphael make the magicians that will hinder the ceremony stay obedient.”

Michael returned a nod to the thinking of those two.

“I’ll leave it all to you then, my brothers.”

“Leave it to us.

“Then let’s split into two groups. Now that the traitor has died, there is no opponent that we have to face with all of us.”

Like that the army of angel split into Raphael army and Gabriel army and marched aiming for the deepest part of the labyrinth without break.

On the other hand, Michael that was left alone sat down on a large stone brick rolling at the side of the road,

“…………”

He directed his awareness inside his body.

Indeed, it was a fact that Michael was exhausted from his battle with Homura just now.

But there was something that stole his concentration even more than that.

That was the emotion of sorrow overflowing from inside his chest which felt like it would even tear apart his body.

{Homura……, Homuraa…………-}

That was something which was endlessly overflowing from Onjouji Shiori who Michael took into his body.

Right now the heart of Shiori who lost her beloved man right in front of her eyes, further more she was the cause of that, was submerging in grief.

And then that emotion of anguish was also flowing into Michael who possessed the same body.

Tears were spilling down from Michael’s eyes in large drops.

Sobbing was welling up from his throat.

For Michael, this was truly an emotion so unpleasant to the limit.

The traitor that while being a human that should be protected by god, turned his back to the god and colluded with evil existence.

This him was shedding tears for such a person.

It was an act that made him felt nauseated.

The very act of mourning the death of such person, was a repulsive deep sin.

However――

“Even so, surely you will be forgiven by our father.”

Michael put his hand on his aching chest and declared that.

Correct. Even the sin of this Shiori would be rinsed by changing this land into a paradise that saved the people.

That was the promised salvation.

Especially for Shiori who was greatly contributing to his manifestation, she had that privilege.

She had the privilege to be rewarded by witnessing with her own eyes the moment of salvation.

That was why Michael didn’t digest and take in Shiori’s soul who was discharging extremely unpleasant to him.

He gently smiled and pardoned all the girl’s sin.

“Rest assured. I will support you until that moment come.”

It was a kindness like a parent that soothed his own child who was crying in grief.

It came from his heart, for Shiori’s sake.

At there……existed the gap that couldn’t possibly be filled between human and angel to reach anything like mutual understanding.

Part 2

On the other hand, Tokyo life sphere that was swallowed by black mist was under the sky of underworld.

Under the sky that was covered by iridescent cloud shining mysteriously.

Wasteland spreading without end.

The area from the third defensive line that lost its protective wall until the townscape at the inner part was left alone carelessly in the middle of those.

The space including the life sphere was transported into this place, the deepest part of Eihort’s labyrinth by Homura’s sorcery.

And then, there was a silhouette walking on the wasteland, aiming for that city.

That person whose body was wrapped in red Magi’s Jacket that resembled the outfit of cowgirl, ……was the <Grim Bullet> Hoshikawa Sumika who should have died after meeting the betrayal of the <White Knight> in the previous fight and had her neck lopped off.

Before the girl was heading to the battle, she received the life stock――<Voodoo Doll> handed to her by <The Crawling Chaos>, due to that she only lost one life.

Like that Sumika who then woke up started walking in her attempt to return to the city so she could confirm the situation.

Judging from this situation, it was clear that something extremely bad had happened to the <Evil God User> who she respected but……, even so Sumika’s fighting spirit didn’t decline.

She didn’t suffer heartache appropriate for a girl her age.

Because the girl had the self-awareness.

She was an S-rank magician. One of the people who was the guardian of mankind.

Then, there was no way she could keep sleeping forever in this kind of place.

She had to return back to the people who she ought to protect even for a second faster.

――Correct, she was walking forward with strong will.

Hoowever,

“Haa, ……ha, -……!”

Her step was heavy.

The color of fatigue was thick on her expression.

She barely preserved her life, but for Sumika who had crushed the strongest battle strength of the <Holy Path Church> which was the <Special Missionary> essentially by herself, she was already at the end of her exhaustion.

And then――

“a”

Her leg caught a small protrusion on the dry surface and she collapsed without even bracing herself.

Sumika immediately filled her four limbs with strength and tried to stand, even so it was like she couldn’t find her strength.

No, far from that, she felt so heavy that she couldn’t even open her eyelids with her own strength.

Even if her heart didn’t wither, the limit of her body had come.

(Kuh……)

How pathetic.

Even after having been thoroughly protected by Homura until now, but now she couldn’t even fight for the sake of the so important world that Homura had staked his life to protect.

Even though that it was their duty now that he wasn’t here.

――In this kind of state, just what was she talking, about standing equal with him.

She couldn’t stand equal with Homura.

The voice of that Great Old One telling her that flashed in her mind, tear was going to come out from self-loathing.

But, at that kind of time.

“I’m glad……. So you manage to survive……”

“――――!”

A voice came to Sumika who collapsed on the ground.

Under this ominous sky.

Warm and kind, together with a light that was like sunny spot.

Sumika looked up at the owner of the voice from the gap of her eyelids that even now were going to close.

And then,

“Yo, you, are……-“

Looking at that person extending a hand to herself who collapsed on the ground, Sumika’s eyes opened wide from great shock.

Chapter 1

Part 1

The verge of death.

Due to the Eihort summoning and large scale teleportation Homura performed by mustering the last of his strength, the national defense magicians who received the betrayal of the <White Knight> and the Five Great Leaders allied force’s fierce attack escaped from annihilation with difficulty.

However, even so the amount of damage they received from the The Eastern Great SubjugationReconquista just now wasn’t something light.

“This is really a severe situation isn’t it……”

Inside the control room of ministry of defense, seeing the scenery of the Tokyo life sphere projected in the monitor, the prime minister Kinugasa Yoshinori let out a long sigh.

No matter which image he saw, there were only injured national defense magicians and academy magicians trickling their blood projected.

The medical treatment unit was running about in full force treating the injured, but people who were already running out of breath were not few.

Saying that currently Tokyo life sphere was in hell was an understatement.

And then what weighed them down the most, was that this scenery was nothing more than the entrance of hell.

The situation Tokyo life sphere was currently placed in was extremely bad.

Kinugaza was keenly feeling it.

“Minister. All the surviving division commander as well as the management class staff of each department are gathered in the reception room.”

Suddenly the door at the back of the control room opened, a voice called out at Kinugasa’s nape.

“Understood. I will immediately head out.”

Kinugasa replied so to the staff calling him and exited the room to head to the reception room.

Inside the reception room that was vertically as long as eighty tatami had already filled by around fifty people.

Half of that number was bearing terrible injuries that was wrapped many times with blood soaked bandages.

Other than the people in terrible condition, there were also people with wounds all over their body.

And then their expressions were universally dark.

Inside their eyes that were clouded with despair, not even the littlest bit of fighting spirit could be sensed.

Everyone was looking down with cornered face without even making any murmur.

Standing in front of those people, Kinugasa first deeply bowed his head.

“Everyone. For the present, thank you for your hard work. Thanks to everyone strenuous effort, there is almost no harm that happened to the citizen. Thank you very much.”

But there was no one that was happy with that fact.

They hadn’t escaped from the dangerous situation at all, right now this moment was only a temporary respite, everyone here understood those facts unconsciously.

“Prime Minister Kinugasa. Explain to us. Just what in the world is happening here.”

One of the surviving division commander, Hasad of the seventh division threw his question.

To that Kinugasa replied with the name of the evil god that originally should be hidden.

“This place is the labyrinth of the Great Old One Eihort who is called <The God of Labyrinth>, we are in the pocket dimension at its deepest part. We are here because the <Evil God User> teleported us altogether with Tokyo life sphere. So that we won’t be annihilated.”

“In other words……the <Evil God User> is”

“He was defeated and died in the battle with the angel that introduced himself as Michael, I have received the report from <Liber Legis> who was teleported along with us.”

“My goodness……”

“Incidentally, I also have bad news.”

A high-pitched voice of a child resounded inside the reception room.

That was a girl possessing cat ear that was waiting together with the magicians in the reception room for Kinugasa.

She was the <God of Evil Cat> Bastet who was summoned by Homura and hadn’t disappeared until now.

“Bad news, you say?”

“A report came from my underling that I released inside the labyrinth as my eyes. The allied force had all their bodies stolen by the angels, they are now advancing to this deepest part of Eihort’s labyrinth with the momentum of a surging wave.”

“The angels were……”

“In other words you mean that Innocentius and others were betrayed by the angels?”

“They were really used nicely and their bodies got stolen in the end. Serve them right.”

“If you did bad then just wash away everything, that’s because those angel bunches are really rough in regard of life. There is no way we can build cooperative relationship with them using human’s sense of values. Demons that are moving by their greed and their own preference is still easier to have a talk with.”

“That’s so. Exactly as you say.”

Frankly, Kinugasa too was similar with Kai, he had already vaguely noticed that it might become like this.

It was impossible for proper negotiation and cooperative relationship to be built between angels and humans.

Because the sense of values between both sides were too different.

That was why honestly it didn’t matter that the Five Great Leaders were betrayed or whatever.

The problem was this army carrying the souls of extremely high spirit ranking that was the angel.

“Do you know the scale of the enemy?”

“Leaving behind Michael who appeared to be the general, they are splitting into two troops of around seventy thousand in their invasion here. There are 140,000 in total. The underlings of the Great Old One are fighting back but they won’t last that long. One of them might arrive here in one day.”

“Is that so……”

It was a fact they didn’t want to know if possible.

Conventional firearms was mostly ineffective even against human magicians.

There was no way it would be effective against angels.

To defeat them it would be hopeless unless they used an attack that was filled with magic power.

But, the number of Tokyo life sphere’s magicians was greatly reduced from the battle just now.

Their remaining number was approximately thirty thousand people.

That number would swell up into forty thousand if the student and the reservist whose battle strength were below standard were included but, ――they were bound to fail in front of an army with the strength of 140,000 angels.

“What are we going to do now, Prime Minister Kinugasa.”

“That god over there, ……can’t you help us fight?”

Bastet answered those imploring words from a middle-aged magician with a shake of her head.

“……I like humans. I have been living with humans together with my underlings all this time until now. But, this time I don’t really receive that much magic power from Homura. After all I was only summoned for helping out with the festival. ……Things like battle is completely impossible.”

The expression of Bastet that informed them so was as if she was chewing a bitter bug.

Bastet was one of The Elder God that protected the people from illness and evil spirits since the ancient times, granting the blessing of good harvest and easy pregnancy.

She was ashamed of herself who couldn’t wield her strength satisfactorily in this predicament of mankind.

“I’m afraid to say, the best the current me can do is only to observe the enemy’s movement. Sorry.”

“No. Even just that really helps us much. Thank you very much.”

Kinugasa said his thanks to Bastet’s dedication, on the other hand his heart inside was distressed.

The despair was approaching with certainty.

But he hadn’t the slightest idea of just how they could face it.

――It was at that time.

Enormous explosive sound barged in from the large window of the reception room.

“Wha, what’s going on!?”

It was not just once. The second and third, the thundering roar was continuing to reverberate.

When the gathered people looked outside the window, black smokes were rising from everywhere inside Tokyo life sphere.

“Do, don’t tell me, enemy attack already!?”

Everyone thought so, their countenances paled.

However the situation was turning for the worse.

That was made clear by the government staff who rushed into the reception room.

“Prime minister! It’s a disaster! The people evacuating in geofront is causing panic in revolt……!”

“What do you say……-!”

“Revolt, in this kind of time……, no, is it because it’s exactly this kind of time, huh.”

“This is a lie right……”

“<Evil God User> lost, <Grim Bullet> and <Crimson Leo> also KIA……. <White Knight> betrayed us, Onjouji Kai is also seriously injured from the battle with Wan Tairon and is unconscious. On top of that the people is turning to riot. ……There isn’t just any way we can oppose the angel army or anything in this kind of situation!”

The frequent disasters finally made the tough national defense magicians to spout complain.

It was also something that couldn’t be helped.

Even though the enemy had obtained even greater strength compared to the previous battle due to the angelification and was steadily approaching their location, the soldiers of their side were exhausted, their main battle strength had died in action all over the board, and in the end the people they ought to protect were baring their fang at them. ――This was exactly a situation where there was nothing that could be done.

But,

“Even so, we are still alive.”

“ “ “tsu…………!?!?” “ “

Suddenly a girl’s voice resounded dignifiedly, tearing apart the choking atmosphere.

That voice they had heard before made them lifted their face with a ‘hah’ and they moved their eyes to the door where the voice came from.

Over there,

“<Grim Bullet>!?”

The S-rank Magician who annihilated the <Special Missionary> essentially alone in the previous fight.

Hoshikawa Sumika was standing there.

Her appearance made everyone bared open their eyes in shock.

That was only natural.

“Sumika-san! I, if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t you supposed to have your neck decapitated by Sir James!?”

Correct. A lot of them witnessed that moment of despair.

But Sumika shook her head to this and replied with words.

“I had Homura-san perform a resurrection spell on me beforehand, so I was barely able to survive.”

That was a lie.

The truth was she received a life stock from <The Crawling Chaos>.

It was thanks to the <Voodoo Doll>.

But giving out the name of <The Crawling Chaos> who they didn’t understand whose ally he was would only invite chaos.

She lied due to that.

Even while under this dangerous situation, Sumika’s brain was clear and calm.

Like that Sumika briefly explained the reason of her survival.

“Certainly the situation, the position we are being put in is extremely bad. Nevertheless, what are you going to do by giving up. We are still alive. More than alive, there should be something that we can do.”

Saying that, the soldiers inside the reception room with eyes clouded in despair were inspired.

But toward those words.

“There ain’t anything at all!”

A young division commander who lost his arm in the previous battle shouted in irritation.

“Even though we survived, but every last one of them are half-dead already. Even I’m in this state! Just what can we do in this kind of ragged state huh! What can we do against an angel army of 140,000!”

That shout represented the mind of everyone in this place.

That was why everyone’s gaze was directed to Sumika along with those words.

Those gaze seemed to be asking, ‘is there really anything we can do’.

Toward the attention she got, ――Sumika answered without hesitation.

“Even though you lost your arm, there is still weapon you can use right?”

“Eh.”

“Even with your leg gone you can still fight if you use <Air Raid>. I too died once, but I can still fight.”

“-……!”

“――I’m not telling you to do something you cannot do. Only, let’s do everything that we can possibly do with this body and life. Even if everything ends pointlessly as the result, something like that is just mere result. If it’s a result that comes out from doing everything that we can, then we can swallow even bitter result. But, it’s foolish to just receive despair without resisting. Such a thing is a betrayal toward the deceased in this battle, no, a betrayal toward all the deceased from far before this battle until now who had continuously spun the history of mankind.”

Because themselves of today existed from the sacrifice of many people, including Homura.

Besides――

“Besides, this is a chance.”

Sumika declared with a strong tone.

“Cha, chance you say?”

“Yes. Based on the situation we see, there is no doubt that Homura-san was defeated by Michael, however it’s unthinkable that he quietly let himself defeated. Michael himself should be considerably injured. For the enemy to leave behind Michael and advance toward here, isn’t that because he is already cannot move sufficiently?”

“A……-“

“They are an army of angel, having said that their power that is using forcibly stolen flesh as intermediary won’t amount to much. Moreover because they are invading the labyrinth of Eihort, the enemy right now is splitting into two units. This dispersion of their battle strength is a chance for us.”

Then,

“Let’s fight. In order to survive. In order to protect. Let’s stand against despair until the very end.

Sweep aside despair, in order to obtain the future.

That is, ……the duty of the living.”

“ “ “――――――” “ “

The eyes of Sumika who replied to their question weren’t clouded for even a little bit.

She didn’t merely lose her arm or leg. Although she was revived using resurrection magic, she was exposed to death for once already, even so this girl wasn’t despaired.

Not averting her eyes from despair, however she didn’t submit to it by any means, in addition she was believing in the future where they overcame this.

Compared to that, was there anything more pathetic when they, the mature adults were sitting and moping around like this.

“――――haha-“

Thinking of how worthless his self that was looking down in despair, Hasad leaked out a dry laugh.

“How pitiful for us to be encouraged by a girl the same age of my daughter.”

It was truly pathetic.

Even though it was exactly in this kind of predicament, that they the adult had to show the path.

Again, they were going to be saved by a child.

Again, they were going to depend on a child.

Such thing, such uncool appearance, ――he was already tired of that.

“-……!”

Instantly Hasad strongly slapped his cheeks with his hands.

And then with that pain he powerfully opened his tightly closed eyelids.

Those eyes, ――weren’t clouded anymore.

“Exactly as <Grim Bullet> missy said! There ain’t any way that <Evil God User> would let himself got done in quietly! The other side should be considerably beaten up! Then this is a chance that won’t come anymore! Let’s do this! We! With our hand! Is going to beat up those mannerless bunches rudely stepping their dirty foot into this world of us great human!”

Toward these words of Hasad,

“……Certainly, it’s still too fast to get despaired.”

“Yeah. Ain’t no way I’m going to swallow this bitter pill happily!”

“You say it. Mankind is not only <Evil God User>, let’s teach them that……!”

The other national defense magicians also stood up one after another.

Everyone of them was by no means accepting Sumika’s words that this was a chance straight as it was.

That the situation was extremely bad didn’t change.

Even so, the appearance of that girl who didn’t give up inside such situation and continued to look for the slight chance of victory, ‘I can’t lose’, its inspired themselves like so.

And then that was……also the same for the young division commander who spouted out his whine to Sumika just now.

“What are you gonna do? Even after getting told off by a girl like that, as I thought you still cannot fight huh?”

“Do, don’t say anything stupid old man! There ain’t anyone here saying I’m not gonna fight! Even with just one arm I’m gonna fight as long as I can move! Even if I’m gonna die, I’m gonna spit one last time to those guys’ mug!”

The man returned a yell at Hasad’s provoking words before he glared at Sumika, as if to say ‘bring it on’.

His eyes were burning with glaring fighting spirit.

It expressed strong will which said there wouldn’t be anymore whining.

“That’s the spirit.”

But, in the end what triggered their competitive spirit against Sumika, was because they were people with strong belligerence in the first place.

When all was said and done they were the national defense magicians whose occupation was battle.

Toward they who raised their morale with bravado,

“Sti, still, with the angel as our enemy, it means that there is almost no doubt that they cannot be defeated unless we attack using magic power. Yet despite so the damage to the national defense magician is enormous. Including the student we don’t even have forty thousand magicians that can fight. On the other hand the other side has seventy thousands even after splitting into two groups. In total there are 140,000. No matter what the difference in number is just too much……!”

The government officials who were non-combatant interjected like that.

The fact that they couldn’t do anything with spirit alone was stretching out in front of their eyes.

However,

“Regarding that, we will cooperate.”

This whining of the government official was reined in by a calm voice of a girl.

But that voice wasn’t Sumika’s.

Then just who in the world said that then.

In front of the government officials that were confused so, Sumika quietly moved her body to the door’s side.

And then, ――she conceded a path to the girl following her from behind.

The prime minister Kinugasa Yoshinori knew that girl.

With hair of refreshing color like fresh verdure, the girl possessed four translucent wings. She was――

“Yo, you are……, <Fairy Queen>!”

It was the head of fairy race who previously migrated from demon world, Elfiena.

Part 2

“She is the one we heard from the story……”

“She is this kind of child.”

The sudden entrance of Elfiena made the people present inside the reception room astir.

All the human gathering here were the top management of Tokyo life sphere, that was to say the Japan government.

Therefore they had been told beforehand by Kinugasa all about the uproar concerning fairy race and the circumstance.

Among them there was also the people who carried out the various procedures for fairy race’s migration to Hachijo island, so they weren’t surprised about the fact that Elfiena existed itself.

But what they didn’t understand was,

“Why are you here? All of the fairy race should have migrated to Hachijo island……”

The one who answered that question of Kinugawa wasn’t Elfiena, but Sumika who was standing beside her.

“Knowing that a battle started in Tokyo life sphere, she came rushing in here.”

The fairy race was an extremely small species spiritually even with the high density and purity, usually they were living in symbiosis with nature by residing inside plants and the land.

Due to their smallness that could go into the inside of every existence, Elfiena could slip through Eihort’s labyrinth in a straight line and arrived until here faster than the angels.

And then there was only one reason that she came this far.

“Everyone, please.”

The moment Elfiena gave out such voice, from all over the reception room, the walls, the ceiling, countless faint radiant light spheres slipped out soundlessly.

If one focused their eye to the sphere, they would see humanoid shape that could settle on human palm.

Those were the fairies that came along with Elfiena to this place.

After they slipped through the room’s wall and appeared, they converged on the wounded national defense magicians.

“Uwaa!?”

“Wha, what are……!”

{It’s fi―ne! It’s fi―ne!}

{It won’t hurt. Believe the fairy.}

The magicians were shocked of the strange thing encircling their surrounding.

While soothing them, the fairies were whispering something with words that human couldn’t follow and then they touched the wound of the magicians with their hands.

Thereupon, warmth that was like the sunlight of spring caressed their wound, taking away the pain from there.

When the magicians took off their bandage in disbelief, their wound was completely healed.

It was healing magic.

The fairies healed the wound of the magicians with sorcery of the demon world.

This action itself was the answer of the fairies toward Kinugasa’s question just now of why they were here.

“We the fairy race came here in order to fight together with Tokyo life sphere. The total number of fairy race is approximately two million. I believe that if all of us apply healing, then we can heal everyone to fighting condition before the enemy come attacking. And then, this is a subject that we had talked with Prime Minister Kinugasa before, due to the smallness of the spirit body of us the fairy race, we can enter into anything. With ten of us possessing a single weapon, it’s possible to supply weapons that can carry out magic power attack of 200,000 people’s share.”

“200,000……!”

The color of everyone’s eyes changed from hearing the presented number.

That was because in this predicament, hearing that their military force who could carry out magic power attack which was effective against angel and demon who were invaders from another dimension could increase into 200,000 was something that was extremely heartening.

For Tokyo life sphere, this proposal was something priceless.

But, there wasn’t a single person inside the reception room who made a happy expression although they wore shocked face.

As for the reason.

That was because no matter how friendly attitude Elfiena showed, she was still a [demon race].

Light of distrust shadowed inside the eyes staring at Elfiena and the other fairies no matter what.

The human couldn’t show trust no matter what.

Everyone was being lost of how they should react toward this proposal.

At that kind of time, ――making decision was the duty of the leader.

That was why the prime minister Kinugasa Yoshinori asked Elfiena with one more question as the representative of Tokyo life sphere.

“……We humans once betrayed the fairy race. At that time the one who became your ally, commencing with Homura-san is only a part of mankind. We persisted so that we wouldn’t get involved with your predicament. ……Despite so, just why will you lend a hand for us now we are in predicament?”

Toward this question, Elfiena stayed silent for a while.

“The reason, honestly there are various reasons. The favor from Homura-san. And then our self interests, if the angels become the ruler over the earth, they also will weed out us who are the demon race. There are also other various things. But, that is one of the biggest reasons.”

Raising her face, she answered after taking one sweep of the eye at the people gathered in the reception room.

“We of the fairy race, want to get along with all of you humans even more.”

“……-!”

Elfiena also understood that it was something difficult.

But, they were existing lives under the same sky.

To kept only passing by one another forever……was too sad.

Declaring so, Elfiena stared again at Kinugasa once more and pursued with a strong tone.

“In the first place we the fairy race came here abandoning the demon world with the resolve to lay down our roots in this star called earth, and live together with humans. So please……, let us fight together with you too.”

About letting them to join the battle line of this fight.

And then, so that the mankind wouldn’t give up and continue to fight.

Toward this request of Elfiena,

“――Understood. My gratitude for fairy race’s cooperation.”

Kinugasa made the decision as the leader of Tokyo life sphere.

The decision to join hand with fairy race and fought the army of angels.

“General Busjima. Lieutenant General Cline. Lieutenant General Onodera. You three are to take the leading part, quickly round up the surviving troops and reorganize the force. Please carry out their repositioning as well. Defense Undersecretary Tomigaya is to check the defense system of the city’s third area. Please make it so it can activate anytime in response to necessity. However pay meticulous attention to the electricity consumption. Give the maximum priority to the maintenance of geofront’s space expansion magic formula.”

“ “ “Roger!” “ “

“Colonel Nanajou. Your rear support unit is to transport out the conventional weapon from geofront. Ootori-kun, please list up the former self-defense force and people with campaign experience from among the police force.”

“Understood!”

The commissioned officers and government officials were moving busily with Kinugasa’s instruction.

Their brisk motions were overflowing with vitality.

If the commander who should be relied on didn’t break, then the morale of the soldiers would also be revived again.

Then what was left was to restore the soldiers’ condition into one where they could fight.

“And then Lieutenant General Hasad.”

“Ou!”

“You who are deeply trusted by the national defense magicians, please use mind communication to explain about our cooperative relationship with the fairy race. Elfiena-sama, after the explanation can I bother you to lead the fairy race to heal the magicians?”

“Roger!”

“Please leave it to us-“

“Prime Minister. What should we do about the riot in geofront? Right now it seems the police force is using the barrier wall and somehow pin them down but……”

“I will go out in front of them to directly explain.”

Those words made Kinugasa’s secretary went pale.

“Prime minister yourself!? That’s too dangerous……-“

That was a reasonable worry.

But, Kinugasa spoke.

Only this he couldn’t leave to other people.

“It’s because this is my job to make the people understand. I too have to do the things that only I can do.”

“I think it will be fine if it’s the prime minister. You have been working for the sake of Tokyo life sphere more than anyone all this time since the Walpurgis Night. Surely the people will be able to understand prime minister’s words.”

Sumika sent her encouragement to Kinugasa’s resolve.

Replying shortly to that with “Thank you”, Kinugasa spoke to all the people remaining in the reception room with strong tone.

“Certainly the angels might be trying to bring salvation to this land, their sense of values in regard of human life is too different. For us who are living in this moment, the salvation brought about by those angels isn’t different at all with the destruction brought about by the demon. Japan……no, mankind’s ruin will be decided in this one battle. Please everyone, in order to clear off the approaching despair, I beg you all to give your very best.”

The reply toward this encouragement of Kinugasa wasn’t cries of affirmation that were beautifully matched, but conflicting replies that were really disorganized.

The time each individual needed to resolve themselves was different.

That was why, it was something that couldn’t be helped at all.

However, even so, no matter how lacking in unity they were,

――Among them, there was not a single one who was looking down anymore.

Part 3

After that, Kinugasa reached the expanded space of geofront where all the citizens of Tokyo life sphere took refuge at and he explained the detail of the situation that they were facing right now.

How the fairy race took flight from demon world to earth searching for refuge which the <United World Government> accepted.

In spite of that the <Five Great Leaders> of the <United World Government> said that it was the arbitrary decision of Japan and moved to realize the Reconquista of this time.

And then, about how in order to defeat the enemy approaching them from now on in order to carry out Reconquista, Japan would ally themselves with fairy race and deployed a siege battle.

All of those were explained without any deceive in an easy to understand explanation.

This explanation of Kinugasa brought about great unrest to the people, still as the result he was able to obtain their understanding.

It was exactly as Sumika said, it could be said as the power of trust that Kinugasa had piled up earnestly until now.

From the day of Walpurgis Night where all the government top brasses escaped by abandoning the people until this day, just how much contribution Kinugasa did to maintain the space called the Tokyo life sphere until now. Just how much he poured his heart and blood in his effort. The people understood well of that.

For that reason, the fortress that was the trust he had thoroughly and earnestly built up wouldn’t shook that easily.

That trust wouldn’t break.

And then it was exactly because of that solid fortress that the people gathered and started to move.

Right now was exactly the time where despair was coming to close their future.

And then after Kinugasa’s explanation, the national defense army sized down their defensive line.

The final defensive system that existed in a diameter of three kilometer line with the imperial palace as the center was operated.

The lined up group of buildings were sinking into the ground and stored into the geofront.

What were rising from the ground in exchange were swarm of weapons like anti-aircraft battery installed with thick armor and missile launcher.

All of those were transforming Tokyo life sphere into a fortification in a matter of minutes.

And then various people and fairies were busily rushing around Tokyo life sphere which was turned into the decisive battle’s fortification.

“Excuse me―! Is it fine to pile up the ammunition over here―!?”

“Oo―! Just pool it up over there for the time being-!”

“Eh? Pool what? You mean throw it to the water?”

“Not tha―t! I mean gather it over there!”

“Fairy missy! You can leave the heavily wounded to medic squat over here, just patch up the guys with light wounds first so we can secure the number for even a bit more!”

“I, I undestand―!”

“Oi, the defense system is spitting out error here! What is the maintenance doing!”

“Everyo―ne! Here is the food supply from geofront―!”

“There is rice and bread. We also prepared halal food, so please take whatever you like―!”

Military personnel, common citizen, and fairy too.

Everyone without exception carried out what each of them could do with their all to prepare.

For the battle that would come after this.

While giving sidelong glance to those indomitable appearance of life, Sumika was walking through the crowd searching for someone.

Her teammate that should have survived……the figure of Ichinotani Chikori.

And, it was at such a timing.

“Aa―! Sumika-chan! Yahho―!”

A familiar cheerful voice called at Sumika’s nape.

When she turned around, there were the appearances of two student magicians she knew of.

“I heard from Captain Hassad that you survived, but you really looked healthy there. I’m so glad―”

“Looks like we all still hasn’t run out of luck huh, Hoshikawa.”

“Anna-san, and Rozalind-san……. So you two are also safe.”

And, there Sumika noticed.

The figure of Koga Ayumi who was supposed to be at the same squad with them was nowhere to be found.

“Eh……where is Koga-san?”

Anna showed a wry smile at that question.

“Koga-chi, she……retired due to the previous battle. For the moment she just barely survived but, she isn’t waking up yet see. She got taken away by the medic squad.”

“Is, that so……”

“That was because the seventh division we joined was located in a fierce battleground. I too got like this.”

After whispering so, Rozalind took half a step and moved her body to the side from behind Anna.

With that Sumika’s sight confirmed the meaning of her words.

Rozalind’s left arm was gone from her elbow.

“You don’t attach mechanical artificial hand for that?”

“It seems that it will take time until I can get used to it. Besides――”

In front of Sumika who was making a concerned face, Rozalind swung her sword-type <Arms> in a flash.

Sumika’s front hair was caressed by that sword pressure,

“Rather than attaching an arm that I cannot use, it’s easier to fight with my body becoming lighter an arm. After all I can wield the sword even with one arm.”

Rozalind showed a reliable smile that suited her tall stature.

Surely for a girl her age it was not a small thing to lose an arm, but she didn’t breath out a single word about it.

As expected from the elite platoon that continued to raise accomplishments all along even while she was in the sour period when she was unable to show any result herself, Sumika was filled with admiration.

“It really helped that you are so reliable.”

“That’s my line. ……Because now that Homura-dono is gone, the greatest battle strength of mankind is undoubtedly Hoshikawa. We will count on you.”

“I’ll do my best. As an S-rank magician.”

“Yeah. For the sake of our future, let us all do our best. ……Then how about we too go back to the station to get our bento, Anna.”

Rozalind spoke to Anna, but there was no reply from Anna.

In exchange a palm stopped Rozalind after a little bit of time.

“Yes right. You can see it from there right? The spot where central holding’s building is located. The big intersection before it. We are there right now.”

She was speaking with someone through mind transmission.

It seemed that she was giving out the location where she was but,

“Anna. Who are you speaking with?”

Anna who finished her communication replied in a little amazement to that question of Rozalind.

“You forgot Roze? There was that girl who said she is looking for Hoshikawa-chan right―? Remember, that eleventh training platoon’s――ah, here she comes. This way oi―!”

(Eleventh training platoon she say――)

Sumika had memory of that platoon number.

In disbelief, Sumika sent her gaze at the direction where Anna was waving.

Over there, there was a person who Sumika just guessed.

Approaching here while dodging left and right the people who were coming and going hurriedly, that girl with burning red long hair and white skin characteristic of westerner was unmistakably――

“Lily……-“

The childhood friend of Hoshikawa Sumika, the sister of Holy Path Church who she confronted at the case of fairy race.

It was Lily Hoegarden.

Lily who slipped through the crowd of people was running at her without slowing down.

Her expression couldn’t be peeked due to her front hair. But――

Sumika thought, might Lily by any chance angry from how she fought for the fairy race before this.

Having been saved by Elfiena, Lily told her words of Gratitude to her through Sumika, but Sumika guessed that the resentment of having her family killed by demon wouldn’t be gone that easily.

That was why,

“You see, Lily. This is――”

Sumika opened her mouth to attempt to persuade Lily.

But the word she was forming was soon interrupted.

Lily who was running here hugged Sumika with her momentum as it was.

“Li, Lily!?”

Sumika was shocked from the painful impact.

While hugging the girl that was like that,

“Sumika, Sumikaa! I’m glad……. You come back alive……-!”

Lily said that while sobbing convulsively.

Her body was trembling pitifully.

The girl saw the moment of despair when Sumika’s neck was decapitated at the battlefield.

“I, don’t want it anymore……. Important people that I lost, are already……so many-“

“Lily……”

“Tha, that’s shocking-. That was really an intense hug but, your friend?”

Anna asked with a startled face from the hug that was really a tackle.

Toward that Sumika was,

“……Yes. She is my best friend.”

After answering that, toward the tear of this best friend who kept worrying for her even though their path differed all this time, who even now was happy from the bottom of her heart for her survival,

“I too, feel glad that Lily is alive.”

Sumika told her gratitude while returning the embrace.

The long time since Sumika chased after the back of <Evil God User> and parted from the path of god.

This moment filled up that long time.

Part 4

The figure of Anna and Rozalind disappeared while Sumika and Lily were being in joy of their reunion.

Both of them read the mood and returned to their own station.

And then after Sumika exchanged a long embrace with Lily, she asked her situation while looking for Chikori.

“Is that so……all Lily’s platoon members……has retired.”

“……Yes. The unit we were in wasn’t that fierce of a battleground, so the three of them aren’t injured.”

But, their heart had already broken and they weren’t in a condition that could fight, Lily said.

“Even though the fairies who are a demon race will also fight, this is just too pathetic for a platoon leader.”

“That is not Lily’s responsibility. Every one of us has to do what we can. But even thinking so, the body and the heart won’t cheer up. For that kind of people to come out is something that can’t be helped. Because that is the limit for that people. I won’t criticize them. ……Besides, the one who is disqualified as a leader is me. Because, I lost two of my platoon member.”

“Lost, you mean, as expected the <Evil God User> is……”

Sumika nodded.

“It seems that there was contact from the incarnation of <Liber Legis> who was in his side, that he was killed. ……Since Homura-san lost, Shiori-san who he went to save is also in a desperate situation.”

When she said it out loud, it made her seething with anger of her own worthlessness.

Wasn’t she unable to do any single thing as a leader like this, she thought.

However――

“But, there is also a platoon member that survives.”

No matter how disappointing she was, there was something she had to do because she was the leader of 101st.

For that reason Sumika searched for Chikori relying on her magic power presence.

“I found her.”

Sumika caught Chikori’s figure at the shadow of a battery.

“That child, she fought against <Paladin> before……”

“She is the most hardworking person of 101st platoon you know.”

Sumika walked toward Chikori who was crouching down hugging her knees in the shadow of a battery and called out.

“Chikori-san.”

“…………”

“I finally found you. I searched for you everywhere.”

Chikori slowly lifted up her hanging down face toward those words,

“……Why?”

While opening her inflamed eyes that looked red, ――she said.

“It’s fine to not look for……someone useless like me.”

That ridiculing smile which was unthinkable to come from that lively Chikori was made with convulsing cheeks.

Part 5

Ichinotani Chikori was cursing herself.

Of her shameless self who had brazenly survived like this.

“I, couldn’t do anything.”

No, it was still better if she did nothing.

She would be saved if she was just useless.

But what about the reality.

It wasn’t something as cute as being useless.

“I, killed Dorothy-san……”

Because she did something foolish, Dorothy-san was now dead.

On top of that, she couldn’t even take revenge for Dorothy.

She was only being a burden until the end, she didn’t make any result, only surviving meaninglessly.

――Hateful.

This was the first time.

For her to feel this hateful to herself.

(What hero……that will protect everyone.)

Someone this useless, wouldn’t it far better to not exist at all.

That was why,

“……I won’t, fight anymore.”

Ichinotani Chikori hung her head down and told that to Sumika without meeting her gaze.

After all if she was there, she would be nothing more but a bother.

In regard to this, Sumika kneeled in front of Chikori and encouraged the girl by putting her hand on Chikori’s shoulder.

“Chikori-san. Please don’t just look at the thing you lost. There are also lives that were saved thanks to the two of you holding back the <Special Missionaris>. The hard struggle of Chikori-san and Dorothy-san was by no means meaningless.”

That was the truth.

If Chikori didn’t fight hard, the <Special Missionary> Gimel would surely kill a lot more people.

During the time when Sumika protected the city before she fired <Grim Bullet>, it was only because Chikori was fighting that the only one who became sacrifice due to Gimel was just Dorothy.

But, ……for Chikori who was taken captive by the imaginary [what if], she couldn’t listen to such logic.

“Leader, is really strong……”

Chikori murmured with her face kept looking down.

“I cannot do it……. I can see nothing but the thing I lost……”

Only the result that she couldn’t take back kept tormenting her heart.

Something like the thing she had protected, she didn’t even have the willpower to think about it.

Moreover――

“Leader isn’t sad……? Master is……”

――Dead already.

That mouth of Chikori who was going to say that pursed tightly in the middle.

That was just too stupid of a question, even her ragged heart realized that.

“……I’m sorry. I, to say something really stupid……”

But, that word of apology of Chikori, ――was cut by no other than Sumika.

“I’m mortified.”

With brief words, as if squeezing them out, she returned the answer to the question Chikori swallowed back.

“Morti, fied?”

She wasn’t sad, mortified.

Chikori couldn’t understand well the meaning of that emotion.

That was why Chikori lifted her head and asked what kind of emotion was that.

Toward that Sumika,

“Yes. Because I hate Homura-san’s way of living.”

An answer that was spitted out exactly following her feeling.

“Taking all the burden of everything by himself, that way of living that shouldered all of that in isolation, I really hate it. That was why one day, I told him. ……After one year, I will become an existence that can stand side by side with him without fail, that I will forcibly take half of his burden. ……For that declaration to not come true, it can’t be helped that I’m feeling mortified. Because I……love Homura-san.”

“Leader……”

“But, even if now Homura-san is not here anymore, it doesn’t mean that the promise is also gone. The promise I exchanged, is still remaining inside this heart for sure. That’s why, there is no free time to drown in sadness or anything. ――We get through this predicament without relying on Homura-san, even we can do it if we try, I want to say that to him.”

Because she believed……that was the only thing that could become Homura’s salvation.

But――

“But, to accomplish that, is impossible with my strength alone.”

Saying that, Sumika once more stared at Chikori’s eyes and declared.

“In order to accomplish that, everyone’s strength is needed.”

Yes. Facing this predicament, witnessing how every single one were doing what they could with their all, Sumika understood.

{Sumika-chan. That guts of attempting to stand side by side with Homura-kun is splendid but, that’s something impossible. There is no way anyone is like him, possessing such nobility, combined with a talent that counterbalances it. ――However, something like that is just a trivial problem. Because the true strength of the race called human is not there. ――That is, something you mustn’t forget.}

The true meaning of those words of <The Crawling Chaos>.

Indeed it was just as <The Crawling Chaos> said, there was no other heroic figure like Homura.

He was the <Ultimate One>. Matching him in power of [Individual] was an impossible story from the beginning.

However such thing was not a problem.

For that reason right now, exactly because it was this kind of now, Sumika understood that.

If she couldn’t reach him with the strength of [Individual], she could just reach him with the strength of [Group].

“In front of an overwhelming difference of strength, even so we won’t give up and face it by banding together as one. That is the strength that angel and demon, and not even that Homura-san has, the strength that only we the weak have. And then, it’s exactly this strength, that gouges a hole at the despair that covers even the sky……!”

And then, to destroy the despair.

Just like a single ant nest, destroying a firm castle.

“In that battle, I want to borrow Chikori-san’s strength.”

Saying that, Sumika took out something from her pocket and made Chikori’s hand grasped it.

When Chikori opened her hand wondering what it was, it was something like a candy wrapped in a wrapping paper.

When she opened the wrapper, a candy ball that shined in rainbow color which looked tasty was undoubtedly right inside.

But――

“This is, wait……, don’t tell me!”

The moment she saw that, Chikori who was a magician understood.

The presence the rainbow candy had, she knew the extremely cruel story from what the owner of this presence told her.

And then the realization of the girl was correct.

The name of this rainbow colored candy was, ――Fairy Pill.

This thing became the reason of fairy race being cornered in the chaotic demon world, this was the magic power supplement food that was created from fairy’s life as its raw material.

Just why in the world Sumika was carrying something like this.

Sumika answered Chikori who asked that with widely opened eyes from shock.

“Elfiena-san and others, will fight together with us.”

“……!”

Yes. This fairy pill was something brought by no other than Elfiena. The fairies who were weakened from long life on the run and became unable to fight satisfactorily, crystallized their life like this by their own will.

So to speak, this was the embodiment of their fighting spirit.

What saved Sumika from her predicament of running out of magic power was also the will of those fairies.

That was why Sumika handed that over to Chikori this time, and spoke.

“You are not a girl who will just mope around in this kind of place. No matter what kind of criticism and scorn you faced, you didn’t lose, didn’t give up, and continued to be there straightforwardly until the end even at that time when I was rotten, that soul of yours, is nobler than anyone, is stronger than anyone else. I know that well more than anyone. That’s why, ――I will wait for you at the battlefield, together with everyone……!”

She believed in her.

Sumika took her leave with those words as her last.

“……I, am…………, even so, I am…………–……!”

On the other hand Chikori buried her face into her knees once more.

As if to reject all the reality in front of her.

However, even so――

“…………-, ……”

Chikori’s hand, tightly grasped the undulating strong will entrusted to her from Sumika, without letting it go.

Part 6

Sumika who distanced herself from Chikori’s position returned to Lily who was waiting for her at slightly distanced location.

“I wonder, if that child can stand up. She is looking really haggard though.”

Sumika nodded unhesitatingly toward that worried question of Lily.

“She will be fine. Because Chikori-san is a magician that Homura-san had expectations for. ……Chikori-san will come for sure.”

Yes. Chikori would surely stand up again. She believed that.

However――

“But……it’s still not enough.”

“Not enough?”

“In order for us mankind to win, there is one person, who we have to obtain her cooperation no matter what.”

Sumika thought.

Without the girl’s assistance, they would surely be forced into an exceedingly bitter fight.

If she could, she wanted to obtain that girl’s cooperation too.

That was why,

“Let’s go Lily. Toward the location of the grimoire of beginning. <Liber AL vel Legis>.”

Chapter 2

Part 1

Sumika and Lily who asked the <God of Evil Cat> Bastet to search for the location of the avatar of <Liber Legis> who was teleported here by Homura the same like them, immediately headed to the place they were told.

That place was the inside of geofront.

The area that stored the New Tokyo Sorcery Academy which Sumika and others attended.

Both of them ran through the empty academy and finally arrived in front of a certain room.

The dormitory room that Homura was using for these few months.

“The grimoire of the <Evil God User>……. I wonder if it will cooperate in the end.”

Lily voiced the question in front of the closed door.

Sumika shook her head to that.

“I don’t know. But……she was originally an existence that the <Man of Darkness> sent to support mankind, and above all she had helped us several times together with Homura-san. She should not be someone that we cannot talk with by any means.”

That was what she wished. The cooperation of <Liber Legis> that stored the knowledge of darkness, the abyss of this world, would surely become a great power in this predicament.

The concern was, ……that girl was the avatar of that <The Crawling Chaos> Nyarlahotep. Even so they wouldn’t understand without first talking with her.

That was why,

“……Excuse us.”

Sumika turned the door knob without knocking.

The door wasn’t locked and easily opened.

The inside was……darkness.

The electricity of the room wasn’t turned on, only the little lighting of the geofront shined in dimly from the window.

Both of them stepped their feet inside the room, ――and immediately discovered the humanoid which was their objective.

Right in the middle of that darkness, there was the figure of a small girl sitting on the bed.

“…………”

The girl didn’t show interest to the two who entered the room.

She was only hugging the pillow that Homura was using, dropping her gaze on it.

“This girl is?”

Lily asked Sumika with a slightly troubled expression.

Surely she had never even imagined, that the avatar of that <Liber Legis> which was famous as the highest ranked Grimoire would be this kind of little girl.

But Sumika understood.

After all this wasn’t her first time seeing this girl.

That was why Sumika took a step forward,

“Long time no see. <Liber Legis>’s avatar……. Is it fine for me to call you Vel-san?”

Toward this greeting, Vel still didn’t meet her gaze,

“What are you coming for?”

She asked back with a tone that had little intonation.

From that indication, Sumika discerned that this dialogue wouldn’t be something amicable by any means.

It could be that Vel too would want to take revenge for her master Homura couldn’t it?

Sumika threw away such naïve expectation and started to talk.

“Right now, you know well about the situation Tokyo life sphere is put in currently aren’t you?”

Far from words, Vel didn’t even return her gaze.

But Sumika receive an affirmation from that silence.

“And so in order for us to overcome this danger, everyone do everything that they can, with the intention of opposing the despair. And so in that battle, I want to please borrow your strength.”

She explained frankly about the objective they came here for.

Toward these words of Sumika, Vel was

“………………fufu”

The small lips distorted inside the darkness, she burst into laughter and raised a dry laughing voice “Aha, ahahahaha-“ with trembling body.

“Wha, what is funny here!?”

“It’s obviously funny.”

Toward the question of Lily who snapped, Vel sent her gaze toward the two of them for the first time.

And then her crimson eyes that were like blood seized the two,

“Just when I thought what you would talk about, you came to say that kind of nonsense of all things……how ludicrous.”

Yes, she returned a clear refusal.

“What will happen to all of you humans is not something I care about. Go home.”

Vel’s tone sounded as if she spat out.

Her expression didn’t change, and no emotion rode her words.

But Sumika felt it.

Toward them, Vel was clearly harboring hatred.

The girl, was angry.

She wasn’t ridiculing and trifling with human. She could feel a definite reason in the girl’s rejection.

That was why Sumika took one more step and moved into the space of Vel,

“Vel-san. I am”

“――Go home.”

“ “—――――――――!!!!” “

Instantly, that occurred in Sumika and Lily’s bodies.

The scarlet demonic eyes scattering red light inside the darkness.

The instant they gazed at that, the bodies of the two were pierced by an impact that was like lighting that struck them.

――Both of them saw with their sight, no, with their consciousness.

• The ashen lump of meat endlessly giving birth to grotesque younglings and continued to eat

• The giant eyes parting the sky and looked down at them.

• Laughing in scorn at all life for eternity, the grotesque shape of faceless head crowned a single long tentacle on top of it.

All of those, were existence that human shouldn’t come into contact with by nature.

The figure of the evil god recorded inside <Liber Legis>.

Vel beaten that knowledge of god’s authority and abyss directly into the brain of the two.

The majestic appearance of the hard to depict gods which couldn’t be described as beautiful or ugly, was something that couldn’t possibly be endured by the heart of small living thing that lived in the world of the sane.

“Hi, a, ……oe……, –RS (talk) 14:36, 20 June 2016 (UTC)!”

Lily couldn’t endure and fell to her knees, she vomited in that place.

But――

“……To not be perturbed by just now, I’m a little surprised.”

Vel stared at Sumika with a little dissatisfied look.

The reason was because in front of Vel’s <Mind Pollution>, although Sumika oozed a little cold sweat from her forehead, she didn’t even draw back or scream, she was continuing to stare at Vel.

“Even like this I’m a magician that is called as <Grim Bullet>……”

Demonic book recording about the gods living at the eternal abyss, existed in countless number in this world.

Sumika deciphered those books in order to fight against demons, because she had made those knowledge hers that she was able to endure.

Vel honestly evaluated this willpower as something considerable.

Perhaps Sumika could even absorb the knowledge of darkness recorded in herself. She thought. However――

“……But that’s all. You don’t even have the strength and the skill to use me up to the end. Nothing has changes since five years ago. You cannot become the <Evil God User>.”

Besides――

“And above all, just why do I have to lend my power to the like of you humans? Making Master shouldering everything, trampling over Master’s heart, for the sake of all of you who lived until now so carefreely……-“

Vel glared at Sumika while embracing the pillow.

She filled her gaze with clear fury and resentment.

“Vel, san……”

“Go back. ……All of you were only let to live by Master’s good will. Pushing such unreasonableness to Master, and at last even his life was stolen, and now asking for only yourself to be saved is asking too much for mere insects.”

Sumika suddenly recalled something from those words of rejection.

{After all he even went as far as killing his beloved comrade with his own hand, and chose the path of protecting total stranger see―}

The brief comment <The Crawling Chaos> leaked out in that old bookstore.

That was why,

“Is that unreasonableness, about how Homura-san killed his beloved comrades with his own hand?”

“――!?”

Vel’s complexion clearly changed from that question.

It was to the degree that there was no need for her to hear the reply.

“As I thought, that’s really something that happened.”

“Why do you, know something like that?”

“……That’s because in that old bookstore where you met with Homura-san, the shopkeeper there informed me about it.”

“…………I see.”

Vel bit her lips annoyedly, she buried her chin into the pillow she hugged and her face became sullen.

That gesture was obviously displaying her discomfort toward the thoughtless act of <The Crawling Chaos>.

Sumika who saw that understood that although Vel was an avatar of the same Great Old One, she was by no means sharing her will with <The Crawling Chaos>.

At the same time, Vel was also cherishing Homura about in the same degree with them.

Then――, then as expected, wouldn’t she be able to have an understanding with her.

She couldn’t imagine that the girl who became this angry for Homura’s sake, was someone that she couldn’t communicate with at all.

But for that there was a need to know about the root cause of Vel’s antagonism toward mankind.

If not then she wouldn’t even be able to remove that.

First she had to know.

What happened to Homura.

That was why, Sumika asked Vel who was being like that.

“Can you tell me? Just what kind of unreasonableness, that we made Homura-san shoulder.”

Vel stayed silent for a while toward this hounding of Sumika.

Frankly, she had no obligation to answer.

But on the other hand, toward these people whose fleeting life would soon end anyway, she also thought of wanting to teach them a lesson.

About how much agony Homura shouldered, in order to let all of you live.

That was why,

“Since Master was a child, he belonged to <Book Burning Squad> of the <Knight Order Without Border>.

Vel opened her mouth and began to talk.

Of the truth that was buried in the darkness of history.

Part 2

<Knight Order Without Borders>.

That was a mercenary organization formed by magicians that once existed in this world and then dissolved in <Walpurgis Night>, they ignored not only country border but also religion and race, the organization’s objective was to protect common people from the threat of sorcery and demons.

Sumika and Lily knew about it as a common knowledge.

But――

“<Book Burning Squad>……?”

Both of them tilted their head.

Because they had never heard that kind of squad name.

To this Vel replied “It’s natural that you don’t know.”

“Because <Book Burning Squad> as it were was the dark side of the <Knight Order Without Borders>.”

Vel talked to the two.

Plainly speaking, that squad was an assassination squad.

Specialized in handling large conspiracy and evil knowledge in the level that if it became public it could break the world’s balance, the squad killed to the last all the people concerned whether they were human or demon and feigned the event as disaster, they burned to ashes everything that existed there from human history without leaving a single scrap behind, they were the wildcard of <Knight Order Without Border>.

“Since he was a child Master was a member of that squad, he saved the world from danger many times over. ……Different from imitation like all of you. He was together with true teammates, genuine comrades.”

While murmuring, Vel directed her gaze at a dim spot.

Lured by that, Sumika and Lily also looked over there where a single photo was adorning the top of the table.

What was depicted in the photo adorning the table was a girl in around the same age of the current Sumika and Lily with a familiar scarf wrapped around her neck, a youth with gallant look and gold and silver mystic eyes, and even male whose hair had thinned out, they were people with vast age range. They were exactly the members of <Book Burning Squad> that Vel talked about right now.

And then the center of that photo was the picture of childish Homura showing a smile with bright expression that he had never shown to Sumika and others.

He looked happy.

Comparing it to the current Homura, that was what Sumika felt.

The truth was, surely the time that was saved inside that photo was the happiest time in Homura’s life.

However――

“However……they too couldn’t follow into the same territory as Master in the end.”

That time didn’t continue for long.

The sorcery research competition that overheated between countries.

That competition stole away even the minimum morality from the rulers.

Various brutal ceremonies and research performed in the darkness of society by those people that couldn’t even be thought as human.

In order to consign to oblivion all of those, the <Book Burning Squad> carried out secret maneuvers, at all such times, they were shown the reality.

Females with their four limbs severed and made to be pregnant with the child of apparition continuously.

Males who were tortured continuously even when only their brains were left in order to please the demon.

The children whose whole body were carved apart and planted with blood and flesh of angels.

The evil nature of humans that even demon fell behind, displayed exactly because the perpetrator was a weak person.

Such despairing spectacles were gnawing at the sanity of the squad members with certainty.

――Unnoticed they came to think like this.

This world, this existence called human, was they really worth protecting, they thought.

“And then in a certain day five years ago, all of them <Book Burning Squad> with the exception of Master made a resolve. To strike down this ugly world that doesn’t worth protecting, and destroy the mankind.”

“Wha……-!”

“Ple, please wait a second there! You say five years ago, do, don’t tell me……!”

Lily and Sumika went pale from the specific number of year that Vel told them.

And then Vel quietly confirmed the premonition of the two.

“Just as you imagined. The members of <Book Burning Squad> excepting Master caused a rebellion. They made use of a sorcery that opened a large hole in the border of dimension and attempted to push off this world into the demon world. <Demon King> Typhon was nothing more than a secondary disaster that entered through that opened hole by chance.”

“–…………!”

Lily lost her words from too much shock.

To think, that tragedy where the earth surface was burned to ash and stole both her parents was a man-made calamity.

But on the other hand Sumika, for her who actually encountered Homura at that day and knew about his state at that time, she obtained even deeper understanding from Vel’s words.

(By any chance……-)

And that that understanding was, ……correctly a cruel matter.

“Yes. At that night, there was a different enemy that had to be defeated no matter what.

If the rampage of them the <Book Burning Squad> wasn’t stopped, a hole would be opened at the dimension boundary and this world would fall into the demon world.

If that happen……the damage wouldn’t stop merely at the level of a single <Demon King class>.

But the <Book Burning Squad> was the sweeper of the world of darkness.

They became too strong from being in contact with all the sorcery knowledge inside that line of life and death continuously.

To the extent, that every single squad members cannot even compare against the like of Typhon.

Naturally a normal magician won’t be able to do a thing to them.

That was why……the Knight Order, ordered Master.

To Master who loved them more than anyone, ……suppress the <Book Burning Squad>.”

(As I thought…………)

{No matter how much you wish it for, there are also teams that won’t go back to before anymore.}

The words of Homura that she listened at secretly one day were oozing out clearly from her memory and constricted her chest.

She had question all this time.

Homura who she met at that time had already wounded all over before fighting Typhon.

Just how did that happened.

Now the worst answer came out for that question.

Before he encountered Sumika, he had already fought.

Against his most beloved comrades.

And then――

“Master accepted that order and carried through everything. He accomplished it. ――However!”

Instantly, fury incomparable with everything until now mixed inside Vel’s tone.

And then Vel’s crimson eyes were filled with burning hatred, the two humans who were there were pierced with that gaze and she told them as if spitting out.

“Just because Master could shoulder that burden, didn’t mean that it wasn’t heavy!

Just because he could endure, didn’t mean that it wasn’t painful!

…….Master was crying! He cried and screamed!

It didn’t come out on his face but, I who was connected with Master understood.

Bursting open wailing was flowing into me!

The pain of that day, the scream of heart crying and yelling, I remember them-! I won’t forget!

I won’t, ――forgive……!

All of you that made Master shouldered that kind of suffering, that kind of sorrow!

That helpless weakness of you humans that cannot be fixed anymore!

Even though Master forgive you, I absolutely won’t forgive-!!

Just who will lend you strength! Die, Die! DIE ALL OF YOU-!

THAT IS THE NATURAL RETRIBUTION THAT ALL OF YOU HUMANS OUGHT TO RECEIVE—!!!!”

With her tone turning stronger each time the words overlapped, while the hatred carved on her expression was turning thicker, Vel shouted in curse.

While globes of tear were trickling down from the corner of her eyes.

The girl’s hate was from the bottom of her heart.

The people who made Homura killed his comrades.

The comrades that betrayed Homura.

And then, all the mankind who were living carefreely without knowing that soul breaking work Homura did.

Her hatred was far stronger than what Sumika imagined, she lost any words and stood stock still.

It was at that time.

The lighting of the geofront suddenly changed into red, shrill sound of alarm was resounding.

{Informing all combatants! Informing all combatants-! Report from <God of Evil Cat> that one group of the enemy is in the process of nearing the entrance of the labyrinth! The predicted time of arrival is fifteen more minutes! All personnel are to go their battle stations at once! I repeat――――}

“-, Sumika……!”

Finally the time that should come came.

Lily called to Sumika and informed her with her gaze that there was no more time to waste to negotiate with <Liber Legis> more than this.

Moreover Lily had surely guessed it.

The depth of Vel’s hate toward mankind.

That was not something in the level that could be cleared away in a brief space of time.

“……Yes.”

Sumika also nodded to that and she was going to leave the room together with Lily.

Vel didn’t even look at the two anymore.

She was surely planning to see with her own eyes how Tokyo life sphere perished, alone in this room where Homura’s presence remained.

While even feeling dark joy with that.

Because the girl was just in possession of that much hate.

However――

(That is, mistaken……!)

“Vel-san!”

“-!?”

Sumika turned back at Vel one more time and raised her voice.

With the loudest and strongest voice until now.

――Not because she couldn’t give up the cooperation of <Liber Legis>.

She didn’t want to leave alone the error of the girl who yearned for the same man with her.

Certainly perhaps because of the human weakness who couldn’t follow Homura, he bore a lot of wounds.

Perhaps he had shed a lot of blood and tears.

Even so, even so the man called Kamishiro Homura was――

{I’m happy. That among the people those guys protected, and then among the people I decided to protect, there is a fine girl like you.}

Because he was trying to protect, this frail and fleeting world that he loved in its entirety.

Homura absolutely didn’t wish for ruin to this world.

There was no way he wished for that.

She could assert that.

That was why, she asserted to Vel whose eyes were wide open in shock.

“Your anger, I think it’s something justified. But, by no means that we are not ashamed of that. We……will prove that to you from here on!”

“Proof?”

“Yes! We will show you how we drive away the army of angels who will come from now on just with the strength of us the weak! That’s why, at that time I beg you, please fight together with us! The thing Homura-san tried to protect all this time, please protect it together with us!”

“…………-“

It wasn’t even a request, not even a begging, she declared that as if ones-sidedly striking her, Sumika didn’t wait for Vel’s reply and rushed out of the room and headed to the battlefield together with Lily.

Promise was unneeded.

There was no meaning of an assistance that was bound by promise.

Because this talk was something that Vel herself had to have the will to do to the end with all that she possibly had to accomplish by herself.

“……There is no way you can do that.”

On the other hand, Vel buried her face into the pillow she hugged as if to block the echo of Sumika’s powerful declaration from her ear, and whispered.

“There is, no way…………”

She denied. Rejected.

As though, she was trying to persuade herself.

Chapter 3

Part 1

The underground of Tokyo life sphere. The space magic formed inside the geofront.

The people of diverse races that came there from all areas of Tokyo life sphere to evacuate were huddling together against each other.

For the present, due to the relevant explanation of the situation that they obtained from the Prime Minister Kinugasa Yoshinori, the riot had been quelled down, yet the anxiety weighing them down didn’t vanish.

The nightmare that came visiting in this joyful victory anniversary.

Mouths were whispering due to the dread of the killing intent directed to them by the <Archangel> Michael.

――Why it became like this, they thought.

They didn’t understand.

Whether it was the <One Year Plan> of the <Five Great Leaders>.

Or the building of nation of the <Archangels>’ god.

Everything was a phenomenon that was far outside the notion of them the common citizen.

But even so, they knew that there were people connected with the Archangel Michael who was approaching this place in the attempt to kill them.

It went without saying that they were people affiliated with the Holy Path Church.

Naturally, the refugees were holding extremely strong hostility toward them.

But then, all the staffs of the Holy Path Church in Japan weren’t told about Michael or anything else at all, they were only people who simply believed in god but……, for the refugees whose city where they lived were burned, for them who was even now trembling in fear of death, such thing was only a trivial matter.

The people who were worshipping Michael who was trying to kill all of them.

Just that was plenty of reason for the refugees to direct their hostility at the church’s people.

In order to escape from the hostility of those people, Nakajima who was managing the orphanage which received the support of the Holy Path Church was hiding together with approximately twenty children in the shadow of geofront’s passage.

“I’m scared……”

“Sensei……, are we, going to die?”

Recalling the intense pain when their souls were going to be torn off by Michael, the children were now on the point of tears.

Nakajima embraced those scared children closer to calm them down while,

“…………”

Saying nothing.

{God will save us.}

She would surely soothe the children like that if it was before this, but the [god] that they had continued to believe until just now was coming in order to kill them, now Nakajima already didn’t understand what she should believe in.

That was why, she didn’t have a single word to encourage the frightened children.

“You all will only feel down if you keep thinking only about scary thing. Everyone, just now we received candy drops from the soldier right? Sensei will split sensei’s share to all of you, so eat that and cheer up, okay?”

While saying that consolation which couldn’t even become a stopgap measure, Miss Nakajima was stricken with her own powerlessness.

And, toward such her,

“Oi-! They are here! The brats of Holy Path Church!”

Suddenly a coarse yell was thrown at them.

When Nakajima lifted her face in shock, there were ill-bred youngsters converging toward them as if surrounding them.

“So you guys are in this kind of place!”

“You make us waste our time!”

“Wha, what are all of you doing!?”

“What are we doing―? The hell you spy bastardd-!”

The cheek of Nakajima who was standing up in order to protect the children behind her was hit by the fist of a young man with deep shave on his hair without any hesitation.

“Aguh!”

“ “ “Se, sensei!?” “ “

Nakajima was knocked down on the hard surface.

That impact made Nakajima dropped down the candy drops which she opened the lid of in order to distribute to the children.

The drops that looked like jewel spilled on the ground, the expression of the young men who saw that became even more severe.

“Even though it’s because of you bastards that it become like this, you guys still have time to snack huuh? Really conceited aren’t you, huh, oi!”

“Pilfering even the shelter’s good even though you are just a spy!”

“You won’t get away scot free here. We are gonna beat you all into pulp……!”

One of the young men who said such things took out something shiny from the lighting of the geofront from his breast pocket.

It was a folding knife that he was hiding inside his pocket.

“UWAAAAAA-!”

“N, noo, Sister……help!’

The ferocious emotion directed to them.

To that the children screamed in terror.

But the place they were at was bad.

They were in the shadow of a stair. There was no place to run behind them, there was also nobody nearby, they couldn’t even run or look for help.

――There was already no other way than to make herself as the shield for the children.

“Pl, please wait! The children, they were just taken in by me after their parents’ death! They are not related at all with the church! If you want to get violent then just I――”

But,

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Eh?”

“Who cares what kind of circumstance or detail you have huh. Even if you are not a spy or whatever doesn’t matter. ……If we don’t go wild, this feeling just won’t get clear.”

The children were unrelated.

Even these young men knew about that.

They didn’t seriously think that they were spy or anything.

But, ……that was just trivial matter.

The people that were here right now, were existences that wielded violence without blaming anyone.

Because in this distressing reality, in the despair that was going to crush them right now, the children was a sandbag they could hurt to make themselves felt good under the flag of social justice.

“……Everything is because you bastards’ church’s fault. If you want someone to blame then just curse that god of you bastardss-!”

“–――――!”

That was why the young men wouldn’t stop their violence.

Brandishing the knife without hesitation, the young men swung at Nakajima.

Nakjima shut her eyes in preparation for the worst――

Right after that, the knife plunged into the flesh.

――Into the flesh of an arm that was thick like a giant log, cutting in to cover for Nakajima.

“Wha, what the hellll!?”

The young man opened his eyes wide at the sudden interruption and tried to pull out the knife.

But――

“It, it won’t come out!?”

The muscle of the arm that was like a giant log gripped the blade and wouldn’t let go.

The meager strength of the young man couldn’t pull it out.

And then, ――the middle-aged giant sighed out and informed the young man with hoarse voice from alcohol.

“……Everyone is feeling uneasy same like you.

Even so they are banding together as one and work to confront this danger.

At that kind of time you guys, far from cooperating, if you cannot even go trembling quietly at the corner,

Just go to sleep until everything is over……-!”

An instant. The giant swung his arm that was stabbed by the knife right to the side and struck flying the young man in front of him with the back of his hand.

The body of the young man was blown away as though he was hit by a car, his comrades that witnessed that screamed.

“Hi, hiiiih!”

“Li, lies. He got blown for twenty meter there!?”

“What’s this monster……!”

“Aahn? Who are you calling monster you brats?”

“Ru, RUNNNN!”

The young men who were glared fiercely by the giant that was like a bear got pale expression before running away all scattered.

In front of Nakajima and the orphanage children who were staring at that development in blank amazement,

“Everyone, are you all okayy?”

There was one more person, this time it was a small statured blue haired female who appeared and called at them.

“Yo, you are, just what……”

“We just happened to pass by here. We have a little business at the upper floor.”

The blue haired female answered so with a calm expression and adviced Nakajima.

“Getting afraid of public gaze and stay in this kind of place will only attract attention excessively. Perhaps you will feel uncomfortable, but it’s better to move to a place where the eye of the national defense army’s soldier can reach you.”

Then, at that time.

{Informing all combatants! Informing all combatants-! Report from <God of Evil Cat> that one group of the enemy is in the process of nearing the entrance of the labyrinth! The predicted time of arrival is fifteen more minutes! All personnel are to go their battle stations at once! I repeat――――}

Piercing alarm resounded all over the area of geofront.

It was a general broadcast of the enemy’s arrival.

The middle-aged giant who heard that spoke to the small statured female without even pulling out the knife.

“Oi, Mizuki! There is no time already. Hurry!”

“Ye―s”

The female responded and chased behind the giant who was running ahead.

To her back,

“Err, thank you very much……!”

Nakajima yelled her gratitude.

In response the female turned around once and waved her hand shortly, bidding her farewell before started to run.

And then the two were gone from sight.

“Sensei. ……The woman just now, ……I, have seen her before, maybe.”

Suddenly one of the children she was looking after murmured that.

And then, following after the girl,

“So you too Hime! Actually me too.”

“I too. ……I think I saw her somewhere, I cannot really remember though……”

Most of the children began to say the same thing.

And then, Nakajima herself, if she had to say she too……she had the feeling that she had met the female somewhere before.

(……Just who in the world those people……)

Were they someone?

――But Nakajima saved that question for the moment inside her chest and led away the children to the place where there were other people just like the female told her.

Part 2

The broadcast that informed the arrival of the enemy to all who was inside the Tokyo life sphere.

At the same time with that, the reserve barrier wall was rising up from the geofront at the surrounding of Tokyo life sphere which was transferred to the deepest area of Eihort’s labyrinth.

It was in order to solidify even further the defensive power of Tokyo life sphere which had stored its surface buildings and changed into a fortress.

And then, on top of the rising barrier wall with the height of seventy meter, humans with guns in their hand were lining up and glared at the end of the wasteland.

They weren’t magicians.

Normally they were in charge of the life sphere’s public order, the common soldiers of the national defense army.

Their number was about 200,000.

Originally, they couldn’t be counted as combat strength against magicians or demons.

That was because someone with magic power could lay out a strong barrier against pure physical attacks.

To pierce through such barrier, an attack laced in magic power was a must.

In other words, firearms were mostly powerless against someone with magic power.

Therefore they had never gone to the front line.

Even if they went they would only be a burden.

But, ――the current them were different.

The firearms in their hand were possessed by a fairy.

These fairies exercised magic power in the place of the soldier and so even common soldier became able to use magic power attack.

“Who ever thought that we who cannot use sorcery will do something like fighting demons.”

The foreign enemy who they were frightened against until now, which they could no nothing against except running away.

The sworn enemy that snatched away their family, home, country.

In regard to that, to the fact that even they could fight, a young soldier displayed a definite joyful expression while lifting up the rifle in his hand as if to ascertain its weight.

Toward such soldier, his colleague next to him who was readying the same gun talked in jest.

“According to the story what we are going to fight after this is not demon but angel yeah.”

“They are all the same. For us human anyway.”

{The same you know!}

{The same isn’t it!}

“ “Ooh!?” “

The two soldiers were shocked from the sudden high pitched childish voices.

That voices were coming from the guns they were holding.

When they looked, there was a small child shining faintly sitting down at the end of the gun.

From the explained told to the two of them previously, they understood that it was the fairy possessing this gun.

“Nevertheless I never thought, that the prime minister of Japan would tie an alliance with demons.”

“Demon, or fairy? Hey, why were you guys coming to earth?”

Being asked, the fairy answered the question with a dejected expression.

{Because we became unable to live in the demon world.}

{War happened……so we escaped here.}

“Bunches of refugee huh.”

The fairy nodded to that,

{But we aren’t bad faires you know?}

{Believe us!}

The fairies spoke pleadingly to the two soldiers.

That was because they thought that they were asked of their reason coming to earth, due to being doubted that they might be here similar like other demon in order to oppress the human.

The young soldier returned a denial toward this.

“Aah, it’s not like I’m doubting that. Because even human has various type of people. Actually, the one colluding with angel and came to attack Tokyo life sphere was……non other than humans.”

Then, it was only natural that there was also various kind of demon in the demon world.

Besides, they were told by Kinugasa.

The fairies were rushing to this predicament, the place which was right in the middle of flames by their own volition, in order to return the favor to Japan government who gave them their place to belong in this earth.

And then thanks to that, they the common soldiers could obtain the power to fight.

Then――, there was no reason to not believe them.

“Well, in other words both you guys and us has no place to run behind anymore. We cannot live if we lose Tokyo life sphere. Then we are sharing our lot with one another. ……We are counting on you guys.”

The face of the fairies were bursting open in happiness hearing that.

{We are being counted on―!}

{We will work hard―!}

And, while they were having such exchange, a broadcast once again resounded in the Tokyo life sphere that had been transformed into the fortress of decisive battle.

{Bastet-sama here notifying all of you humans. The north-northwest sky, the distance of two kilometer from the last defensive line! Distortion of space-time is observed! The enemy force, they are arriving!}

And then at the next instant, a change that was obvious to anybody’s eye was occurring at the north-northwest sky.

Cloud and horizon and wasteland.

Everything of those was twisting limply, like paints that were mixing on a palette.

Before long all colors changed into black like the bottom of night, countless stars were twinkling inside that black circle.

And then the stars were flying out from the black circle――the hole without end.

The countless existences that looked like star were the soldiers of the allied force who were growing wings clad in white light.

They were the humans whose body was stolen by the angels.

The battle strength of the arriving enemy force was instantly analyzed by Bastet who was holding position in the control towar――

<Knight class> approximately 70,000.

<General class> approximately 20.

<Demon King class> was one, she gave that notification to all the soldiers.

――<Demon King class>

A threat at the same level with Typhon who once brought about <Walpurgis Night> that burned down 90% of the earth surface.

……Against the threat that until now was wholly dealt by a hero called <Evil God User>, they had to face it without him.

That was the fact, ――however the humans didn’t cower back.

“They did come. These demon party that wear angel mask.”

“Come you bastard……! We are going to bare our fang and bite you down……!”

Everyone understood of their predicament where they had lost every means of escape.

In order to live, they could only fight.

Continuing to fight as long as they still had life, was the duty of the living.

Therefore they aimed their gun muzzles at the <army of heaven> flying toward them,

“-――――!?!?”

Right after, they witnessed the scene of Tokyo life sphere which had been transformed into a fortress blown off by explosions everywhere.

Part 3

One of the army that passed through the labyrinth of Eihort finally caught sight of the Tokyo life sphere.

The one leading the army was the <Archangel> Raphael who took over the body of someone at the same level with Sumika, an <S-rank magician> Wan Tairon.

Raphael who saw the defensive ordnances like batteries and missiles bared at them and the Tokyo life sphere that was completely transformed in appearance leaked out a sigh with a fishy expression.

“Ah ah~. It was totally changed into a severe stronghold huh. Even though conventional weapon is meaningless against us who has been turned into angel, really, these humans truly are imperfect beings.”

That kind of tone coming from the face of a middle aged man like Tairon.

It was a relatively disgusting sight, but the angels flying next to him didn’t really even show any dubious expression, they displayed the same opinion with Raphael.

“Hah. Exactly. However for that reason――”

“I know. For that reason, we have to be the one guiding them in the right path. Then for the time being, so that they will accept our salvation, how about we dampen down their strength to resist first.”

How really troublesome, was what Raphael thought with a smile while increasing his advancing speed.

And, it was at that time.

Explosion of flame blew up from Tokyo life sphere that was still in quiet a distance.

In succession, the thundering sounds of explosion struck the earlobe of the usurped body of Tairon.

“Ahh?”

Raphael stopped his flight in wonder and asked the angel next to him.

“You guys haven’t attacked yet right?”

“Yes. Is something happening inside there?”

Hearing that opinion, Raphael applied holy magic on his own eyes.

It was a holy magic that borrowed the power of god’s eyes, to look through a very long distance.

With this holy magic Raphael raised his eyesight to the level of a telescope and observed Tokyo life sphere.

And then he saw.

――The sight of internal discord among humans with firearms in their hand fighting each other.

“Ahah, ahahahaha-!”

Raphael’s body shook and raised a laughter that couldn’t hide his mocking.

“I see, I understand now! The great fear made them start killing each other from lack of unity!”

“Unbelievable. What foolishness……”

These words of Raphel made the angels opened their eyes wide.

For them who were a perfect soul, the act of laying your hand on your own race was something incomprehensible.

But toward that incomprehension, Raphael said.

“Have you forgot already? Even the bodies that we are using are originally the bodies of those fellows who thought that only themselves were good even though they were killing other people. The thought circuit of human is different with us angel, they are endlessly selfish and coward. ……There is no way they can maintain their presence of mind in this situation.”

Human was something so imperfect to the degree that it wasn’t strange at all for them to start something foolish like this.

To this the angels showed their comprehension in astonishment,

“Then how about we use this chance to suppress them all in one go.”

An angel asked Raphael of the plan.

But to this Raphael shook his head and showed his rejection.

“Nfufu. There is no need for that. What these confused people are desiring is their safety. To prolong their own life even for a short time. Then……if we give them an assurance for that, they will surely surrender obediently.”

“We are going to tell them falsehood?”

“Their soul has the role of becoming the foundation of the [kingdom] of our father. ……To pointlessly scatter them away is exactly a violation of our father’s will. Isn’t that so?”

“I, indeed.”

“Besides we are not telling any falsehood seee. Because their life will eternally contribute to the happiness and prosperity of mankind as the land of the kingdom. Compared to that honor, the destruction of the flesh that is wrapping them right now and the destruction of the ego dwelling inside it are only trivial matters.”

That’s why――, Raphael spoke to the army of heaven.

“Now everyonee. Let’s guide the lost lambs. To the side of god.”

Saying that Raphael and the angles once again began flying toward the Tokyo life sphere.

There was no interception coming from the antiaircraft gun and missile of the fortification even with the angels approaching.

That was only natural.

Because the soldiers deployed in Tokyo life sphere were pressed to deal with the armed insurgents.

{You useless national defense army! You only pointlessly eating from tax but is won’t be useful when the crucial times com!}

{It became like this because you guys are allying yourself with demon as you please!}

{Come out prime minister! I’ll kill you! If we kill that guy and hand him over to the church, perhaps we can still be saved!}

As the angels approached nearer to the Tokyo life sphere, such boos were rushing into the ear of Raphael that had been reinforced by holy magic.

It was the angry voices of the insurgents who were trying to apprehend their own leader and sell him to the allied force in order to save their own life.

To those angry voices,

(……Reaaaally, how ugly.)

Raphael even felt repulsive.

Clinging to their life selfishly to the bitter end.

That kind of self-centered living thing.

Even though their shape resembled angel exactly, just how imperfect they could be.

Raphael couldn’t come to like this existence called human no matter what.

But……the god of heaven said to save them.

Then――

(To accomplish that is the duty of I who is an <Archangel>……)

So,

“Assault themm! The prime minister is in the block of the defense ministry!”

“Stop it okay.”

“ “ “-……!?” “ “

When Raphael finally arrived at the sky of Tokyo life sphere, he announced to the humans below him to stop with a voice that resounded until the horizon.

The humans stopped their firefight from that voice and looked up to the sky.

What was reflected in their eyes was the army of heaven that was shining in the sky like stars.

Witnessing that, whether it was the insurgents or the national defense army, everyone displayed their despair without exception.

“Hi, hiiiii-!”

“What the hell is this……!? The soldiers of the allied force, feathers, wings are……!?”

“We, we don’t make it…… It’s all over……”

The people kneeling, crying tearfully.

And then among them,

“Li, listen to me! We, the common people of Tokyo life sphere, we didn’t know anything about the demon or anything! Everything is done by the prime minister, by the national defense army arbitrarily! Tha, that’s why, don’t kill us-!”

There was also people who started to beg for their life.

Raphael was feeling simmering repulsiveness to that kind of selfishness from the human.

He thought, how pleasant it would be to eradicate them all.

But, even so he was an <Archangel>.

The person who carried out the will of god above the earth.

The imperfection of human was forgiven by god.

That was why Raphael exerted his self-control, made a smile with the strict face of Tairon, and urged the confused humans to calm down with soft coaxing voice.

“Yes. Yes. I understand ree―ally well okayy. It’s fine. It’s fi―nee. Please think carefully for a second. There is no way for us angel to deal harm to the human right?”

“A, angel?”

“Indeed. Right now I am borrowing Taironhis body in order to stay in the human world, but I am a fully-fledged human you know.

My name is Raphael. Surely you have heard of me before right?

We are really sorry see?

That Michael, because he is a poor talker, it looks like he made all of you really misunderstood.

But it’s fine. What Michael said about creating a paradise in this land that will be protected by the power of god is true, but using the life of all of you for that……such thing is a misunderstanding see. It’s a figure of, ……what is it again?”

“Fi, figure of speech……?”

“Yes that. That’s it. Certainly we will make you cooperate with us, but by no means we will use up your soul until there is nothing left. It will be only at the level of just a little, really only a little bit of exhausted feeling that all of you will feel~. It looked like our Michael imparted that to all of you mistakenly. That’s why in order to explain to everyone that it is a misunderstanding, I came here in place of Michael.”

There was not a single truth in these words of Raphael.

Originally Raphael who was an angel couldn’t lie, but this time because he was clad in the flesh of human, he was able to tell falsehood.

And then Raphael told of falsehood salvation, attempting to deceive the people.

Toward this falsehood of Raphael,

“Is, is that true……!?”

“We, won’t be killed!?”

The humans who converted into insurgent swallowed it whole.

No, not only them.

Even the soldiers of national defense army who were supposed to build the battle line in order to fight were lending their ear to Raphael’s words.

Toward those humans, Raphael kindly spoke while hiding his scorn inside his heart.

“It’s truee. Indeed. If all of you obediently assist us, we absolutely won’t put any harm on you. I promise.”

“If we obediently surrender……, we will really……saved!?”

“But of coursee. We angels are existences who exist for the sake of saving the humans. All of you know that too right? That’s why, okay. How about throwing away your weapons obediently and be of assistance to us?”

“Go, got it! We will do as you say……”

And then the people that was tempted by Raphael’s cajolery, without throwing their weapon,

“――Ain’t no way that’s happening, you homo bastarddDDDD!!!!”

Aiming at the angel army hovering in the air, the insurgents and the national defense army, all of them began firing all at once.

Part 4

{I have an idea.}

Without the greatest war potential that was the <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura, how would they face the army of angel.

The strategy meeting opened after Sumika and Elfiena linked up with them.

At that place Sumika uttered that for the first thing.

{If this can go well, perhaps we will be able to reduce the enemy number by more than half at the first attack.}

{Is, is that true!?}

{Hoshikawa-san. What kind of idea that you have?}

Urged by Kinugawa who served as the meeting chairman, Sumika answered.

{Pretend that we have infighting and lure the angels into carelessness.}

{Luring, carelessness?}

{Yes. Based on what Michael told us, this time the objective of our enemy the angels is to use the souls of the humans in the Tokyo life sphere, and create a barrier that guard this earth from the demon. Then, having the vessel that is human to break in battle and the soul to leak into the circle of reincarnation is not a plus for them.

……If we pretend that there is no leadership here due to chaos, it can be imagined that they will attempt placation not by battle but by word.

And so by splitting the national defense army equipped with spirit weapon into national defense army role and insurgent role, we will act an infighting and make them careless, and when they are lured we will fire at them all at once.}

{I, I see.}

{The strategy itself is simple isn’t it……}

{But, can it really go that well?}

Everyone in that place showed a certain understanding at Sumika’s strategy, but they couldn’t wipe their worry and showed disapproval.

But there,

{No, I too think that it’s not a bad idea.}

<The Elder God> Bastet who was summoned by Homura and was still staying here gave a timely support.

{Even though they are called angel, but their true nature is not that different with demon. All of them are looking down at the existence of human. That human is foolish and tiny existence. They are already not considering the humans who had lost the only nuisance that was Homura as a threat. If they don’t see you as threat then they won’t be on their guard. Then they won’t doubt that the infighting is only camouflage.}

{In addition the angels don’t know that we the fairy race are giving assistance here. Surely they won’t be on guard against our firearm. Then……all-out fire should bring them bitter result!}

――That was the meeting carried out a few hours before in the reception room.

And then Sumika’s words became exactly the reality in this moment.

“Anti-aircraft gun! You don’t need to aim! Just fire whereverrr!”

“Don’t be stingyy-! Keep shooting all your bullets in full-autoooo-!”

“UOOoOOOOOOOOOOO――――–!!!!”

Squall of flame and metal firing upside down at the sky from the ground.

The concentrated firing from almost 200,000 firing lines were changing the army of seventy thousand hovering in the air into grinded meat in the blink of eye.

(For it to go this well, as expected from S-rank……!)

Witnessing the battle result where they had already reduce the enemy army to nearly half, Hasad who took the command of the soldiers who dressed up as the insurgent clenched his fist in joy while praising Sumika.

On the other hand――,

“Ra, Raphael-sama! Their shootings are filled with magic power! The current us that cannot use <Holy Ground>, ca, cannot defend against it!”

“Raphael-sama! Your instruction……!”

The army of angel exposed their agitation to this situation.

It was only reasonable.

They knew that the firearm of human wouldn’t have any meaning against flesh clad in magic power.

Therefore, they didn’t lay out satisfactory defense and received this concentrated barrage completely without even evading.

The barrage with the magic power enchant from the fairy race granted severe damage even against existence clad in magic power.

Negligence and resolution. Defenseless and concentrated barrage.

The moment both extremities of positive and minus clashed, a severe damage was granted to the <army of heaven>.

Due to their <Holy Ground> that came from the height of their spirit status, angel possessed an ability that nullified the attack of human and vulgar demon whose spirit status were low, but right now they couldn’t use that.

That was because in order to make use of <Holy Ground> in earth, the human body that they were using as vessel needed to be trained so as to heighten its spirit status. The few numbers of humans who went through that training were called as <Special Missionary>, but their bodies were already perished due to Sumika.

And so, the angel soldiers who were using the makeshift bodies of the shabby soldiers of the allied force were helplessly tore off by the steel storm that was filled with magic power by the fairies.

It could be said that this was the victory of mankind’s strategy that perfectly stabbed at the pride of the angels.

Even though the angels were deploying barrier using holy magic after this late, they were already far too slow. Two thirds of the <heaven army>’s whole force had been lost from the first attack.

But, that intelligent of human was――,

“……Ii seee……in other words, we are deceived eh. This me, who is an <Archangel>……by these, imperfect trash, is itt.”

The hatred that was stifled by the self-control of the <Archangel> Raphael, was lit in fire.

“Unforgivable. I will tear them limb from limbbb-!!!!”

Raphael yelled with angry voice so loud that the atmosphere shook, he gave out instruction to the remaining <heaven army>.

“All hands are to descent and thoroughly kill all the humans you see gruesomely! This blasphemy toward the apostle of god! We will make them atone by the height of toilll!”

“Is, is it fine? Their soul should be sued for the sake of the kingdom――”

“Human’s only redeeming feature is their stupidly huge number! There are plenty of numbers of human underneath these buildings. Killing all of these human that come out to the surface is still within the margin of error. Do it!”

“ “ “Ye, Yes-!” “ “

The angels followed without question the hysteric angry yell that Raphael raised, they manifested shining white sword in their hand and began to descent to the ground.

The soldiers also intercepted them with the fairy weapon, but the angels this time also deployed barrier against the bullet vigilantly, in addition they were carrying out aerial bombing using long range holy magic while descending, so as expected the soldiers couldn’t show result like the first attack anymore.

The army of angels were approaching until very near the ground where the national defense army was deploying.

{But surely the angels will rally back their formation when the bullets of our first wave run out. At that time――}

(It’s time!)

Hasad yelled at his <Mind Transmission> when he saw the angels were greatly lowering down their altitude.

“Begin phase 2! Launch up the barrier wallll-!”

Instantly a giant wall flew out from the surface along with explosion accompanied with steam.

In addition it was not just one or two.

It was countless, that one couldn’t count the number.

The last protective walls that existed inside the third defensive line which was the last defense line, which was divided into two hundred square meter each.

The national defense army activated them all at once, dividing the battlefield into squares just like a chess board.

The defensive walls launched up from geofront extended high to the sky until the height of 70 meter, tearing apart the formation of the <heaven army> that was just a moment before landing into pieces.

“Wha-!?”

“What’s this!?”

The protective walls that suddenly rose made the angels displayed their bewilderment from being separated from their comrades.

At that moment――

{By rising up the dividing barrier walls that existed at the inside of third defense line, we tear apart the enemy formation, at the same time we launch the magician division from the geofront together with the barrier wall and carry out the second wave of attack without any delay!}

“Dust Violent RendFujin Reppu ――!!”

The national defense magician division with <Air Raid> equipped flying from the side of the rising barrier wall launched a surprise attack from the side at the <angel army>, whose attention was taken by the fairy weapon on the ground which made them concentrated their barrier to the front.

“These guys, they’re magician-!”

“It’s too late even if you only notice now!”

Anna Drawnin who flew out together with Rozalind Wagner, with two submachine gun style <Arms> in hands, she invoked the Hero Skill of the heroic spirit <White God of Death> Simo Hayha who she was contracted with――the <Hill of Slaughter>.

Instantly, Anna was dancing in the air using <Air Flight> while bullets from the two submachine guns in her hands shot wildly to all direction――

“ “ “GUAAAAH!” “ “

The fired bullets all found their mark without a single miss, the flank and forehead of the allied force soldiers who were turned into angel were pierced and they were shot down to the ground.

Anna was exterminating the enemies at the surrounding one after another with her astounding firing accuracy.

On the other hand the angels were also trying to shot down Anna with their light blade and beam.

“-……!”

All the attack didn’t reach Anna who was flying like butterfly while all the angels had their heads crushed and blown off like pomegranate by the counterattacking bullets.

Even when she was attacked from her blind spot, Anna reacted to everything and carried out counterattack while dodging at the same time.

That was really not the movement of a mere student magician.

But that was only natural.

After all the soul moving the body of the girl called Anna Rozalind right now was not the girl herself.

Hero Skill――<Hill of Massacre>

That was the other legend of the <White God of Death> Simo Hayha who was feared as an extraordinary sniper.

His legendary military gains of building a hill of corpse using submachine gun was reproduced as Heroic Skill that caused a transfer of the body’s ownership to the heroic spirit himself.

There was no way to escape the death sentence from that <White God of Death> who made the Red Army shaking in their boots.

――But there was a weak spot in this powerful Heroic Skill.

“Darn, out of bullets already.”

That overwhelming number of attack depleted the ammunition in a flash.

At the same time being released from the trans state made the user shown a definite opening.

“This……! Inferior creature……-!”

The angel didn’t miss that opening and invoked the holy magic that fired the flame of god that once hit wouldn’t vanish until the target was burned to ash――the <Megiddo Flame>.

Anna’s life was about to be scorched in flame.

But, ――hero who lent their power to mankind, was not just one.

“<Gai Bolg>――――–!!!!”

Instantly, more than a hundred crimson flowers were profusely blooming inside the cramped space that was surrounded by steel walls.

Flower of blood.

When she looked, many of the angels flying in the cramped space had wind hole gouged out from their chest and blood scattered everywhere.

Their heart was gouged.

That was the Hero Skill of Irlandia’s <Son of God> Cu Chuculain.

The red spear of that hero was said to pierce an army of thousand people in one thrust.

Lily Hoegarden who formed a contract with him flew to the sky from the ground and fixed the angels into her field of vision, locking on at the more than a hundred angels inside her sight.

She pierced through their hearts with a thrust of her whole might, reproducing the legend.

“ “ “GYAAAAAAA-!” “ “

Shrieking, the angels whose heart was stabbed were falling down to the ground.

Due to the second surprise attack, the <heaven army> received severe damage and displayed a routed aspect.

However――

“This is bad Raphael-sama! The surprise attack after surprise attack gives us quiet the loss-!”

“You are noisyy. Don’t be rattled only by something on this level!”

Tokyo life sphere was advancing the battle favorably in the whole, but in one area that was isolated due to the steel walls there was still the <Archangel> Raphael whose strength rivaled even the <Demon King class> still existing untouched by injury.

And then exactly at that moment, the <Archangel> moved in order to break the deadlock of the situation the <heaven army> was put into.

The weapon of Tairon, the Artifact <Fangtian Huaji>.

Shining white radiance <Megiddo Flame> was manifested on its blade.

The magic power filled into it was even more intense than the <Divine Breath> breathed out by the <Demon King> Jambure which opened a wind hole at Japan’s island several months before.

If the spear was swung in a flash drawing an arc, the steel enclosure would be scattered into ash by the flame of god and it would probably swallow everything until the horizon in the blink of eye.

――This was already not merely breaking a deadlock.

With this one attack, the battle result would be decided, it had that much power.

Yes. In the end, as long as this greatest battle strength of the heaven wasn’t taken out, something like the dominance of the whole battlefield was nothing more than an ephemeral state.

Everything was like a toy leaf boat washed away by raging stream, it could be easily overturned anytime.

Then――

{I will do something somehow about the <Archangel> that might rival even <Demon King class>.}

The Tokyo life sphere was also could only oppose that with their own greatest battle strength.

“Burn to ash. ――<Flaring God> Cthugha!!!!”

“-――!?”

The instant Raphael brandished <Fangtian Huaji>.

Everything of the cramped world that was partitioned by barrier walls was dyed crimson, a flame lion was rushing up, aiming at Raphael and other angels who were floating in low altitude from the ground.

Grasping the empty air with the claws that were like bluntly gleaming mineral, the gigantic crimson lion soaring through the sky opened its jaw widely and was about to swallow Raphael and other angels whole.

With a glance at that fantastic flame, Raphael immediately perceived the danger.

This was――a power of god, even if different with their father. Its avatar.

No matter even if he had the spirit status of an <Archangel>, he wouldn’t get away unscathed if he got hit directly.

Therefore――

“Chih!”

Raphael released the slash of <Megiddo Flame> that he prepared for mowing down the ground, aiming at the approaching crimson lion.

The flash of the swung spear easily bisected the avatar of Cthugha with one attack. ――But,

“Rapahel-sa――――,”

“Hot, ――”

The avatar of Cthugha wouldn’t vanish just from bisection.

Half of the bisected lion kept soaring through the sky like that and the angels around Raphael, ――all the angels that were exactly inside the partitioned space by walls in four directions were swallowed and perished in flame, leaving not a single dust behind.

But, Raphael didn’t show even the tiniest bit of concern at this damage that his own army received.

He stared at the completely dissolving blade of <Fangtian Huaji> that tore apart the avatar of Cthugha, then with brief comment,

“Ah……. It’s unexpectedly brittle isn’t it. After all this is just the illusion of legend that human created. At the interval when it clashed against a power of a god even though it was just borrowed power, it cannot maintain its shape, that’s how it went I think.”

After whispering that, he poured his gaze at one girl standing below him.

Standing on the ground of grey asphalt, was a girl wearing red cowgirl <Magi’s Jacket>.

And then looking at the girl standing, Raphael stroke his goatee in understanding.

“Fuun. ……I heard that there is one more person in earth other than <Evil God User>, a fool who rely on the power of evil god and not the father but, ……I see, so you are the one who I heard about.”

Toward these words, the girl――

The <Grim Bullet> Hoshikawa Sumika aimed her gun muzzle at Raphael who became just alone in the partitioned sky,

She told.

“This star is not demon’s or even angel’s.

This star is ours who live in this land.

We will have you go home. We, don’t need your salvation.”

The gallant will to resist till the bitter end from she who once cowered in front of the despair of <Demon King class>.

The spirit to fulfill the duty as the living until the end.

That was,

“――impertinent.”

Awfully irritating for Raphael.

Part 5

For the moment Raphael descended down to the same level with Sumika and murmured with a completely amazed voice.

“How strange. Just how powerful this existence that is called angel. Even though that fact should have been well-known throughout the world through the <Holy Path Church>, I wonder just why are you taking such attitude against I who am an <Archangel>.”

“…………”

Sumika didn’t reply.

She was only staying quiet while aiming her gun at Raphael.

Raphael thought.

Just what in the world this tiny being relied on that she was facing him resolutely like this.

Even though now that they had lost <Evil God User>, mankind had lost any chance of victory.

Just what in the world she was relying at to have this hope.

The mentality of imperfect being that was far separated from him.

Raphael surmised it and soon reached a comprehension.

“Aah I got it now. Because your first sneak attack went well and the number of the <heaven army> was greatly reduced, so you are now thinking, perhaps even without <Evil God User>, won’t we be able to win by ourself……or something, you are holding that kind of hope aren’t youu?”

Certainly, with their first and second surprise attacks, the <heaven army> lost six-sevenths of their whole force.

And then even now that number was still decreasing.

Because the magician force that flew out along with the barrier walls linked up with the common soldiers who had finished reloading their fairy weapon, where they were now overwhelming the angels with force of number.

There was no doubt, the one holding the initiative at this battlefield right now was the human side.

They were attacking, and the angels were being pushed back.

……Raphael understood.

That those fact and battle result, became the support of the humans to rely on.

Aah, it was truly,

――truly, what a fleeting hope.

“Then. First how about I deny you that hope.”

While even leaking out a snigger, Raphael’s two hands grasped each other in front of his chest as if offering a prayer,

He chanted a certain holy magic.

“<God is Healer>”

Instantly, from between the clenched hands of Raphael a single shining drop spilled on the ground.

Thereupon, the drop fell at Raphael’s feet and raised a sound *chapon*, war pale pink light became a ripple, spreading smoothly on the ground.

It also slipped through the barrier wall that rose from the geofront until the whole Tokyo life sphere.

Sumika noticed from that radiance.

“This is……-“

It wasn’t an offensive holy magic. ――Then.

She couldn’t feel any killing intent from the radiance slipping underneath her. She didn’t feel malicious intent.

What she felt there was only something that even felt comfortable, a warmth that was like an embrace.

(If I take into consideration that the enemy is Raphael, then perhaps this is――)

The abundant knowledge of Sumika who became the youngest S-rank magician raised a certain degree of estimation toward the true identity of the enemy’s holy magic within an instant.

What she predicted was the worst situation even more than a mere offensive holy magic.

That was, ――unfortunately, becoming a reality at the other side of the partitioning barrier wall.

“Yoosh! We are pushing them back for sure! At this rate we can overcome them with the strength of number!”

“ “ “OOoOOOOOoooo――――――!!!!” “ “

The first and second surprise attacks that Sumika thought of.

Those mostly ended in ideal form, then the national defense army that abruptly gathered strength under the command of Hasad, with the concentrated fire of the magicians and the spirit weapon, was shooting down the <heaven army> who had never even imagined the surprise attack and now was preparing to flee due to having their force divided into parts.

Due to the chaos from the surprise attack and the absence of control tower, the angels were unable to counterattack systematically and could only being killed as it was.

The battle now looked completely like a mopping up battle.

――That was how it supposed to be.

It was only until pale pink light started filling beneath them.

“I, isn’t this strange for some reason!?”

“Yeah, it’s like, their number, isn’t decreasing at all, since some time ago!?”

Such yell was welling up from the mouths at the front line of the national defense army.

The reason for that, ――was soon comprehended by the people.

The bullet fired by a certain soldier caught the head of an angel that was falling down to the ground, the moment that head burst open,

From the neck that lost its head, foam of flesh surged out in the blink of eye and formed the head that was completely the same like before.

“Wha, whattt!?”

“Just now, is that healing magic!?”

A phenomenon that was physically impossible.

Hasad was the first one who questioned that.

But, ――the reality that they were facing wasn’t something which was simply easy like that.

In order to notify them of that, a certain person interjected into the mind transmission of Hasad who took the command of the whole force.

It was <The Elder God> Bastet.

{Commander. It has now become a little troublesome. Look.}

Saying that, Bastet who was performing the <Operator> duty for the whole army showed him a sorcery image of the battlefield’s overhead view.

In the image both armies were displayed as dots of light――

“Thi, this is……!”

Hasad raised his face in disbelief, ――and saw.

The scene of the angels who they had killed until now were completely restored to life in the spot and standing up one after another.

And then they floated thin smile on their lips, as if to say that “It’s only natural that this happen.”

“ “ “<Megiddo Flame>” “ “

White flame from spreading palm was fired toward mankind.

“ALL HANDS RUN TO COVERRRR–!!!!”

As if to erase that yell of Hasad, from several dozens of battlefield that were partitioned in square shape due to the high protective wall, almost all of them had white flash blowing up from them.

And then,

“GYAAAAAAAH!”

“HOT, IT’S HOoTT!”

“IT, IT WON’T DIE OUTTT! THE FLAME, WON’T DIE OUTTTTTTTTT-!”

The screams of the people scorched by the flame that wouldn’t vanish even when they tried to use water or rolling on the ground were echoing repeatedly due to the thick wall while reverberating to the sky.

It was just like the scream of the dead that was boiled in the pot of hell.

That scream which made one wanted to plug one’s ear, even Sumika who was across the thick defensive wall could hear it.

This scream made Sumika completely understood the true identity of the holy magic Raphael was using.

“As I thought……! You are using powerful healing magic in the level that can even carry out resurrection at your whole army!”

“Ohohoho-! You are spot on! <God is Healer>. That is exactly the meaning that my name Raphael holds!

And then the <Holy Magic Last Fantasia> that only I alone can use in heaven given to me together with that name!

Under the effect of this holy magic, the likes of the attack you humans do with that tiny magic power you have doesn’t have any meaning! Everything will be healed in the blink of eye with the power of father, even the vessel of flesh that has been already broken will be restored! Yes! All the angels that have been defeated until now are resurrected!

――Ufufu-, the situation is completely changed in the bli―nk of your eye seee. Thank you very much for your meaningless effort.”

Yes. Just with exactly a move, Raphael revived all the pawns that he lost from his army and made the two surprise attacks became meaningless. The war situation was overturned.

Furthermore this <Last Fantasia> was a boundary type holy magic.

While it was being invoked, the effect would continue.

In other words as long as Raphael existed, the <heaven army> wouldn’t lose a single person of their number.

Then, there was only one action that Sumika who was facing Raphael could take.

“Then, I only need to defeat you and break the holy magic!”

Saying that, Sumika aimed the handgun type <Arms> she held in her left hand at Raphael’s forehead, and shot.

Three instantaneous consecutive shot. Furthermore all of the shots were not simple shooting.

It was shooting that was applied by the divine protection of the heroic spirit she was contracted with, <Gun Saint> Billy the Kid.

The shooting of <Gun Saint> couldn’t miss.

Position or defense was irrelevant, being aimed was exactly the destiny of being shot already.

――Nevertheless,

“Yep isn’t that right. You can only do that aren’t youu. But that’s impossible. If you ask the reason then, ――that’s because I’m the <Archangel> Raphael.”

The three bullets fired headed to Raphael’s forehead, he didn’t even try to dodge, and the bullets slipped through.

Regardless of how it definitely hit, not even a single layer of his skin was scraped.

Sumika knew of this baffling phenomenon.

She had seen it once before.

Yes. At the occasion when she confronted the <Special Missionary> Alfaro, she saw exactly the same phenomenon.

――It wasn’t defensive magic or anything.

It was merely the dimension of the soul that existed there.

It was a power that wouldn’t even allow interference by the lower ranked soul due to the difference of the existence dimension――

“<Holy Ground>……huh!”

“Ohohohoh! As expected you have fast understanding ehh! Originally the one who can use <Holy Ground> in possessed state is only limited to <Special Missionary> who has piled up training from <Holy Path Church> so that their spirit status is heightened even while being human. Just possessing the run-of-the-mill human will cause spirit status to drop to the bottom and the angel will totally lose his <Holy Ground>. But――”

Raphael said.

That story was only limited to the low ranked angel in the level of <Power>.

“Although clad in vessel of flesh, but I am an <Archangel>. Even if due to the imperfectness of this flesh my spirit status dropped down considerably, but I’m not an existence that can be touched by the like of human!”

The next moment after Raphael declared that, a change occurred in the flesh of Wan Tairon that Raphael possessed.

The body frame was enlarged more than twice until his height reached around five meter, silver halo materialized at the top of his head.

――That change was the same like the change that once occurred in Alfaro’s body.

Like this Raphael was adjusting his battle state more and more, ――he flapped the wings on his back greatly.

And then he blown away the air behind him and approached until before Sumika’s eyes exactly in the blink of eye.

“Now how about we begin! Not a fight, but a one-sided punishment……-!”

He swung down a fist that was like a rock filled with white flame of <Megiddo Flame>……!

Part 6

“Kuh”

Swung down giant fist of white flame.

Raphael’s approaching speed and fist’s speed were already inhuman, it was now even faster than any kind of bullet.

Be that as it may――, Sumika the heroic spirit dwelling inside Sumika was the gunman extolled by the people in the age of America western reclamation where bullets were flying everywhere.

His perfect reaction even toward bullet shot from the back that was his blind spot and shot dead the enemy back, that legend was reproduced as Hero Skill――<Back Sniper>. Sumika entrusted her body to the alarm warning and was already taking on evasive maneuver.

She fully exerted the output of the <Air Raid>, the wings of light that were like fairy wings attached on her back.

So that she could invoke in a single trigger, before the battle she had finished chanting the acceleration magic beforehand. She used that too and tossed her body backward and evaded the fist of Raphael that launched a hook.

With that momentum she took a large distance.

But,

“KAAH!”

Aiming at the backing away Sumika, Raphael didn’t let her get away and opened his mouth widely, ――firing a white beam.

It was an attack of <Megiddo Flame> not in the shape of flame, but a compressed flame to the degree of becoming light.

That too was not in the shape of a thin laser.

It was a torrent of light to the degree that Sumika’s field of vision was completely covered.

Sumika skillfully manipulated her <Air Raid> without delay against that pursuing attack, inside the cramped battlefield of only 200 square meter, she flew in low altitude at clockwise rotation with Raphael as the center.

Her body was evading from the firing line of the beam with movement as if her body was sliding and grazing on the ground horizontally.

Instantly――

The beam impacted the protective wall towering behind Sumika and blasted it away.

Not just a single protective wall.

Even the protective wall that existed at the other side, even the humans that existed there, altogether.

<Megiddo Flame> evaporated everything until the end of horizon.

“Yahn. I think the firepower is a little bit too strong.”

“Kuh……!”

The black wall that was pierced through in semicircle shape, and the wasteland that was similarly gouged out in semicircle shape.

Looking at the surface of the wasteland that was turned into glass from the excessive heat, Sumika thought.

Just how many thousands of human vanished only from that single attack.

But, Sumika knew that there was no time or anything for lamenting that tragedy.

The girl didn’t falter against the fire power of the <Archangel> and while circling around Raphael,

“HAAA-!”

She fired the remaining three bullets.

However, as expected those bullets also slipped through Raphael’s body and didn’t do anything meaningful.

“Pointless pointlessss! It’s pointless no matter what are you doinggg!”

Raphael was laughing to ridicule Sumika’s wasteful effort while spreading his wings.

And then,

“<Heaven’s JudgmentJudge Ray>-!”

The feathers of the greatls spread wings.

Each one became line of light and soared in low altitude as several tens streaks of beam shooting at Sumika.

These beams were different from the one before, they were thin with lower strength.

But they possessed advanced homing ability and pressed on the running around Sumika like living thing.

And then she was soon cornered.

Her movement range was limited by the protective wall standing in her way, she couldn’t took adequate evasive movement and got completely blocked at the corner of the square battlefield.

Arriving at this point, the plan of raising up the protective wall now backfired.

Raphael didn’t let go of this mistake.

The beams of <Megiddo Flame> were rushing at Sumika who was cornered.

It was a desperate situation.

――For an average magician.

But Hoshikawa Sumika was a genius that received the title of the greatest battle strength of mankind as the youngest.

That sagacious brain immediately selected among the sorcery she possessed that should be used immediately and invoked it.

“BENDDD–!”

Dimension element third rank sorcery <Space-Time Bend>.

Sumika twisted the space in front of her using that sorcery.

With that all the beams that rushed at Sumika had their path curved to right below even though they were supposed to go straight at Sumika, and they crashed at the ground around Sumika.

None of them reached Sumika and they stopped at blowing away the asphalt of the ground.

But Raphael too didn’t think that she could kill Sumika who could even imitate <Evil God User> with something of this level.

The <Judge Ray> from the beginning was only to guide the girl to be cornered at the corner.

His true aim was,

“Ahaaa-!”

“――――!”

Just when the beam trajectory was averted, Raphael had crossed inside the rising flame explosion and filled the distance once more.

For him whose spirit status was outstanding, the <Space-Time Bend> didn’t work on him, and no Sumika was caught between the corner and Raphael just as Raphael planned, she had lost her place to escape.

Aiming at that Sumika, Raphael launched an uppercut with the fist of white flame.

The fist was swung from the orbit below with all his strength.

An attack with the full strength of <Archangel>

Defending this with the barrier at the level of human’s magic was only a pipe dream.

Even when Sumika chanted a sorcery in vain struggle with no other way――in the next instant, she was swallowed by a pillar of white light launched from Raphael’s left fist straight to the sky.

When the pillar of light was launched vertically to the sky, a hole opened at the sky of Eihort’s underworld.

A black hole was gouged open at the iridescent sky, inside of the hole one could peek at a mad universe without a single star.

The attack that literally pierced until the heaven didn’t leave a single dust behind in front of Raphael――

“――――”

The next moment, two bullets grazed through the face of Raphael.

The bullets slipped through the back of Raphael’s head and impacted the wall in front of his eye.

Small spark scattered.

Raphael slowly turned behind after witnessing this shot.

And then she saw.

“Hah, ha, aA, hh!”

Around one hundred meter behind him, there was the figure of Sumika who even while breathing roughly still aimed her gun muzzle at him.

If he looked, a path of ice was extending below the girl’s feet from below Raphael’s groin.

Sumika instantly froze a scaffold and slipped through by sliding below the uppercut.

Raphael spitted out “How unreasonably stubborn” toward that vain struggle and began to attack once more.

Sumika who confronted that barely continued to evade using combination of flight using <Air Raid> and sorcery.

Sumika was because of the <Holy Ground>,

Raphael was because of the capability of Sumika as a magician,

The battle where the two sides lacked the deciding factor created a kind of struggle for supremacy.

Yes. The two of them rivaled each other.

That was, ――an impossible scene.

Naturally.

Raphael’s strength was <Demon King class>.

He rivaled the demon who changed the ninety percent of earth surface into scorched earth.

If he felt like it, not just the battlefield, he could destroy even the whole geofront with one attack.

Although his spirit status had dropped, he just had that much power.

Then why couldn’t he finish this fight?

There was one reason.

Because Raphael was holding back, ――not,

More accurately, he was being made to hold back.

And then Raphael also noticed that fact.

(This little girl, she is really insolent isn’t she)

In this battle, from the beginning to the end Sumika was excessively maintaining her low altitude flight.

Even when she was being chased by the beams of <Judge Ray>, she didn’t escape to above even though the space there was wide open, she was flying around grazing the ground. The sliding she did just now was also the same.

Why?

Because Sumika understood.

That the objective of the angels was the human souls of Tokyo life sphere.

Therefore she knew. That the <Archangel> couldn’t pointlessly waste the soul of human.

Sumika integrated that circumstance of the enemy into her tactic and continued to fight by constantly putting herself in a straight line with the geofront.

With this Raphael too couldn’t use large move.

He couldn’t decide the fight with brute force.

His seriousness could exterminate everything until the horizon with one attack just like his first gigantic beam.

Consequently if she fired the same technique at Sumika who maintained her low altitude, devastating damage would be generated at the geofront.

(Really, how insolenttt)

To make the life of the people that she should be protecting as shield.

Raphael was disgusted by that way of fighting that didn’t care of one’s own appearance.

How very ugly.

But at the same time he understood.

A woman that continued to cling to life so tenaciously like this without caring of her appearance, there was no way that she would keep shooting at him like this uselessly without plan.

Exactly because she had hope, that she was fighting by any means, even if she had to throw away her pride.

Then what was this hope could be?

Where did it exist?

Raphael paid attention at Sumika’s right hand.

(This little girl hasn’t used the right gun for even once in this battle.)

Sumika’s shooting was all done from the gun she held in her left hand.

When she emptied the left gun, regardless of how there was still bullet remaining in her right, she would reload the left and continued to shoot bullet that just slipped through him.

It was obviously an unnatural conduct.

Raphael perceived that this was a [bait].

Right now Sumika was trying to rub in the fact that [My attack doesn’t work against you] to him by continuing to shoot meaninglessly.

The trump card remaining in her right was for the sake of hitting him reliably with her last hope.

(――How unpleasant.)

This conceited thinking that she could lead an <Archangel>, an existence that was far above her by the nose.

Those eyes continuously burning in fighting spirit with such conceit as her support. Hope. All of those were unpleasant.

That was why Raphael decided.

He would dye the eyes of Sumika, with one color that was the darkness of despair.

The hope that was the girl’s support. He would let her know how all of those were meaningless.

“――――-!”

Instantly, Raphael took an unthinkable action.

Of all thing, he turned his back at Sumika in the middle of fight.

And then the protective wall at the back. He held his hand toward both armies that should be behind it,

Converged <Megiddo Flame> on that palm――

“It’s enough already. Taking on a fly that is only flying around noisily is just a pointless waste of time. Just fly around wherever as you like. ――Above the corpse of your comrades.”

Firing the flame, ――the moment just before he did it.

“-……!?”

Raphael obtained an impact that resembled a blow, it felt like his chest was gouged in.

It was Sumika’s shot.

But this time for some reason it didn’t slip through Raphael’s body, the bullet was definitely entered nearly into his heart from his back――

“The power of gleaming golden sun lavish your might and destroy the impurity with hellfire of light!”

In the next instant, Sumika completed her spell.

The bullet that sunk into Raphael’s chest from his back acted in concert with Sumika’s spell and emitted high heat――

“<Ancient Zero>-!!”

The crimson of the fire element fifth rank sorcery exploded from inside Raphael.

Torrent of light burst out, scorching and destroying Raphael’s flesh and bone.

The explosion of light that rivaled even the flame of sun annihilated Raphael’s flesh from this world only leaving everything below his ankle,

――However the holy magic <Last Fantasia> continued and in an instant that was like the blink of eye, foam of flesh spouted up from the surface of the ankle, the flesh kneaded and forming Raphael’s shape once more where he was restored.

“Wha, -!?”

HYAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHHA――――――!!!!”

“Uh, ――ga, a――――!?”

And then Sumika who had believed in her victory after <Ancient Zero> hit was trampled down by the large foot of Raphael’s enlarged frame.

Part 7

“Ahah! Ahahah! Amazing ama―zing! You are amazing aren’t youu! A mere human magician hurt this me the <Archangel> until this far although my spirit status has dropped! Isn’t that something!”

Raphael who finally captured Sumika stepped on Sumika’s lower body with his gigantic foot and stole her movement while clapping his hands and said out his praise that was only lip service.

Only his blown away clothes that didn’t return to before, but there was not even a single burn had remained in Raphael’s body.

The healing power of <Last Fantasia> was really that powerful.

Toward Raphael who carried out a complete recovery, Sumika resisted even while groaning in anguish with her lower body stepped on.

Her right pistol shot the same bullet with the one that caught Raphael’s body just now.

As expected it similarly entered Raphael’s body like before. But――

As though it was pushed back from an internal pressure, the bullet was spat out from Raphael’s body lightly.

Raphael looked at the crimson metal bullet spat out from his body and understood.

“Hm―ph. I seee. This bullet is made from <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> right.”

<Hi Hi’iro no Kane>

That was the legendary metal that was used as ritual article in the ancient Japan.

After the strategy meeting, Sumika received a ritual article from the emperor through the intermediation of Kinugasa for the sake of the decisive battle, she then created a special sorcery bullet made from <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> mixed with <Fairy Pill> using sorcery alchemy.

“Putting <Ancient Zero> in that bullet, you activated it inside my body.

Certainly <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> itself is a metal that possess high spirit status.

It can possibly reach even the spirit status of <Archangel>.

……But, you forget an important thing aren’t you.

I told you at the start right? Something at the level of magic attack of you humans, doesn’t have any meaning whatsoever in front of <Last Fantasia>!”

Saying that Raphael put weight on the foot stepping at Sumika.

Right after that, a sound like a bundle of twig being stepped on resounded.

“Gu, AAAAAAAAAA–!!!!”

Following that Sumika screamed with blood thrown up.

The bones from her toes until her pelvis were broken into pieces.

Looking at that face of Sumika which was dyed by such anguish, Raphael continued his words that were just lip service while floating a sadistic smile.

“Ufufu, however really, you are truly clever aren’t youu. This preparation with <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> included, you also turn the table on me with our aim at the souls of you all, you turn the humans underground as shield……, I really admire how you really use your head. You are re-ally a clever one aren’t youu. How, e, ver, ――my bad but, in the kingdom that father will create, clever kid is unneeded seee.”

“-……!?”

“Look, about the story of the [fruit of wisdom], any human should have heard about it at least once right? The story of how the two man and woman who lived in paradise under the protection of god, the [fruit of wisdom] that god said to them that they absolutely must not eat, yet they ate it due to the instigation of the demon’s sweet words.

The man and woman obtained wisdom by eating that, felt shame about how they were naked, further they felt dissatisfaction to god that made them kept appearing like that, then they were chased away from heaven. That kind of tale.

――You understand already right?

In other words wisdom is a sin see.

Father doesn’t deem it acceptable for human to possess that.

Human just need to be under father’s protection, like an innocent baby that doesn’t know anything.

Not knowing any stain, only praising father, living happily under father’s protection, that’s all they need to do.

We the <Archangel> came to this world in order to build such paradise.

That’s why it is unneeded in the world from now on. A clever kid like you……okay-!”

Declaring that, Raphael put even more weight at the foot stepping on Sumika while grinding his heel down.

“A, AaAAAaaAAaAaaAAAAAAAAAA!?!?”

To that Sumika opened her eyes so wide that her eyeball might just popped out and screamed.

At the same time a great amount of blood was flowing out from under Raphael’s foot, creating puddle of blood on the ground.

“Ahahahah. That’s a cute face you make and ama―zing voice. You are like an animal you knoww?

But it hurts rightt. Of course it is rightt. Having your lower body becomes mince meat while still alive.

……But you won’t die. But you cannot die.

Because I specially put you under <Last Fantasia> too, Your body will continue to regenerate while being grinded down see.

Yes in other words, ――you will feel pain just like this forever. Isn’t it lovely?”

“, tsu, ――――, …………-“

She was grinded down and regenerated, while regenerating she was grinded down again.

But only the pain wouldn’t vanish no matter how long, it continued to pierce her brain.

For such hell to continue forever, it was unbearable.

Raphael’s brutal declaration made tears spilled out from the corner of Sumika’s eyes which was closed tightly from the unbearable pain that made her clenching her teeth.

Raphael felt joy from this expression of Sumika.

He wanted to see this face.

The inferior creature without any spirit of self-sacrifice, persisting in their tiny life.

With such standing, these humans were causing trouble for them who were perfect existence.

It was truly something inexcusable.

The god and Michael didn’t mind it, but Raphael couldn’t bear it.

They should suffer.

Because something like repentance that wasn’t accompanied by suffering and retribution was nothing but falsehood.

That was why Raphael, while granting to Sumika pain that could be said as hell on earth,

“Fufu, you said it at the beginning right? That you humans don’t need the salvation of god. ……You don’t need to worry, defying the angels by wielding shrewd wisdom, rebelling against god with the power of evil god similar like <Evil God User> as your support, from the start there is no salvation or anything prepared for someone like you. What is waiting for you is only a single bitter, cruel, painful, extremely brutal [death]…….

But, because I am a generous <Archangel> that is different from Michael and Gabriel, ……if you repent of your error, and say that you are looking for salvation from father, I’ll let you rest in peace just with this much chastising thoughh?”

He asked the question.

The question that broke Sumika’s heart.

Toward this, Sumika opened her tightly shut eyelids.

――And answered with the eyes carrying strong light of hope which hadn’t withered for even a bit.

“Please, eat, shit ……-!”

In an instant, Sumika aimed her left pistol at Raphael’s forehead and fired a single bullet.

Sumika’s heart was breaking.

For Raphael who was convinced of that, this was a counterattack that he didn’t even imagine.

He was unable to even react and his forehead received the quick draw of the <Gun Saint>――

(e)

Instantly, foam of flesh burst out from the holes on Raphael’s face.

“HiiyaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~~—!?!?!?”

Foam of flesh came out from obvious holes like nose and ear, from the mouth and so on.

The foam even burst out from the eye sockets, pushing aside both the eyeballs.

“My eyes, MY EYESSSSSSSSSSSS!?!?!?”

And then the bursting out foam of flesh finally ruptured even through his skull from inside.

But even so the foam wasn’t stopping.

Even after his skull was blown away, the foam of flesh infinitely continued to grow, ――gradually each parts were beginning to shape a lot of brains, lips, teeth, noses, and eyeballs.

Toward this abnormal situation, Raphael howled with his head that had been enlarged for several dozen times and was equipped with hundreds of mouth.

“ “ “YOU, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MEEEEEEEEE!?!?” “ “

Shredding harsh voices that spoken perfectly in unison.

Yes. The truth was that this abnormal situation was caused by Sumika.

This was something brought about by the sorcery she loaded inside the bullet of <Hi Hi’iro no Kane>.

That sorcery was, ――a really normal <healing sorcery>.

<Healing sorcery> was something that hastened the healing of wound by accelerating the cell division.

It had the same theory with <Last Fantasia>.

Sumika discovered the chance of victory there.

In front of <Last Fantasia>’s extraordinary healing speed, any attack was completely meaningless.

However, she saw through that in the end it was only limited at attack that wounded, by firing into Raphael’s body a bullet that was applied with <healing sorcery>, she encouraged <excessive healing> toward the gunshot wound.

Due to that, cell division more than necessary was generated.

As the result, the excess cell division formed a tumor.

This tumor pressured the surrounding tissue and generated crushing effect. As expected <Last Fantasia> reacted toward the crushing and regenerated the tissue, but as long as the tumor wasn’t removed naturally the crushing wouldn’t stop, rather the healing accelerated the crushing. And here abnormal chain reaction of cell division was produced.

――To say it in simple term, Sumika used the abnormal healing power of <Last Fantasia> against itself and all the cells that formed Wan Tairon’s body continued to relentlessly increase and destroyed the flesh, making the cell transforming into something like [cancer cells].

Sumika was aiming for this from the start.

The <Ancient Zero> before this was only for confirming if <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> bullet was effective against <Archangel>, so to speak those were trial shooting.

And then it was also an act to make Raphael misunderstood that she had used up her trump card.

Sumika’s aim since the moment she witnessed <Last Fantasia> was only this move all this time.

Therefore, ――Sumika didn’t let go of the chance of victory that only came once in the lifetime that she finally caught.

“――――”

Inside a compressed time, Sumika was seething with red magic power while manipulating the sorcery that could be said as the origin of her nickname.

She took out a binder from subspace.

Sumika tore off several loose-leaves from the paper bundle stored in it.

That was the copy regarding <The Outer GODS> recorded in <The Last Revelation of Gla’aki・Ninth Volume>.

With those pieces of paper in hand, <Grim Bullet> Hoshikawa Sumika closed her eyes and spoked the words that connected her to the outer space.

Listen from the outer space o the person that judge the boundary of phenomenon

The seething stars shining brilliantly in blasphemy announcing the time of fate to thy

The god of ancient Atlantis o the person who bring about the holy light

Raise the dark curtain thy become light and swoop down right here

Dark and sky dream and reality not separated by the border of dark and light in order to ruin the crow of the universe

Along with those words, the pieces of paper in Sumika’s hand were wrapped in flame and their shape transformed.

From paper――into a single [gray bullet].

It was the <Grim Bullet> where the power of <The Outer GODS> Daoloth resided.

Next if she loaded it into her revolver and shot it, the victory and defeat would be decided.

Even for an <Archangel>, he would be helpless in front of the power of authentic <god>.

But,

“Don’t look down on me you fox bitchhhhhHHHH――――――――!!!!”

“–!?”

The moment she was going to decided the battle with <Grim Bullet>.

The <Archangel> Raphael interrupted into the thinly extending instant that Sumika lengthened using sorcery.

While shaking his ugly swelling head wildly while his eyes that finally surpassed several thousand in number were all congesting,

“YOU KEEP GETTING CARRIED AWAY JUST BECAUSE I HOLD BACK! IF YOU WANT TO DIE THAT MUCH THEN I’M GOING TO BLOW YOU AWAY ALTOGETHER WITH ALL THOSE HUMANS UNDERGROUNDDDDD!!!”

The several thousand mouths opened widely at the same time.

Pure white lights were leaking out from there.

It was the radiance of <Megiddo Flame>.

He was already not aiming at anything.

Raphael’s mouths were opening even when they were directed at underground.

Once the heat flash fired, not to mention the lives existing in this battlefield, even the lives of the civilian evacuating in geofront would be blown away leaving not a single ash behind by the flame of god.

Raphael who was made to dance and received serious wound by a mere human was planning to destroy everything following his rage.

Of course, there was no way such thing could be allowed.

It couldn’t be allowed, but――

(I won’t, make it――!)

Sumika’s heart was filled with impatience.

She didn’t think that Raphael was able to use holy magic in this level even after his flesh vessel had been so ruined like this.

At this rate Raphael’s <Megiddo Flame> would burn everything to ash even faster than her <Grim Bullet>.

But, even time for thinking of a countermeasure had already gone inside this instant――

Everything was enveloped in white despair――was how it was supposed to be.

“YAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA――――――!!!!”

“–…………!?!?”

But the white despair that was about to dyed over the world was tore apart by a single girl.

A single magician flying like a blue meteor.

By the <Striker> of 101st training platoon――――Ichinotani Chikori.

Part 8

Several dozen minutes before.

Ichinotani Chikori was taking refugee together with other refugees in geofront.

The angry bellows and cannon roars that were audible from above told her that the battle had already began.

Originally this girl with strong sense of justice would be standing in the front line.

But, the current Chikori couldn’t do that.

She couldn’t feel any strength.

Her heart wouldn’t cheer up.

What was inside her body was only……weariness that felt like cold heavy lead.

The reason was one thing. The death of Dorothy Scarlet.

Dorothy bore fatal wound due to her miss.

Nevertheless, she didn’t blame her, the candle of her life, she used its last single burning and showed her the path.

She entrusted her wish to Chikori.

――Yet, despite so,

(I……couldn’t answer it…………)

She was defeated against the <Special Missionary> Gimel.

If Sumika didn’t save her with <Grim Bullet>, she too would surely lose her life.

……No, perhaps she should have lost her life instead.

She was so useless that she dragged down Dorothy and made her died a dog death.

(……Even if someone like me fight, I won’t be useful to anyone…………)

Shame was continuing to torment Chikori.

That figure of the girl who was overflowing with vigor and sense of justice stronger than anyone was nowhere to be found.

With shaky step like a ghost, Chikori was wandering the geofront aimlessly.

……It was at that kind of time.

The ear of the girl heard an out of place sound.

Loud cheers of many people that sounded like noise and vibration like an earthquake that struck her abdomen.

(…………?>

Chikori’s feet reflexively headed there wondering what was going on.

The place she arrived at was a single automatic door.

It was a door connected with the hall that accommodated the refugee.

The sound was resounding from inside.

There was a device for fingerprint authentication at the side of the door.

Normally it couldn’t be opened except by the fingerprint of facility staff, but right now was an emergency situation, it was set so that it could be opened by the fingerprint of all human registered in the census of Tokyo life sphere.

Chikori knew about that, so the girl put her hand on the device and opened the door.

And then――, the girl witnessed a bizarre sight there.

On the stage made by lining up several dozen long tables for meeting, were men singing and dancing with music instrument in hand, in front of them were the figures of refugees raising joyful voices while waving their hand jumping up and down.

(Wha, what is, this……?)

That was a sight that surpassed Chikori’s understanding.

The now when Tokyo life sphere that was their home would perish.

The now where anyone would sit down on the floor and dropped their gaze to the floor from the despair in front of them.

Just what in the world, this commotion was?

While Chikori was confused like that,

{Hey you’re in the way! Move aside!}

Suddenly Chikori was shoved aside by someone.

{Finally find it! It’s here, here!}

{Uwwaaa, there is a lot of people here already yeah! Quickly enter, c’mon!}

There was a group of three that shoved Chikori, they were girls in the same age group with Chikori.

The girls were going to step their feet into the whirlpool of noise with cheerful expression.

Chikori called out to those girls to stop and asked.

{E, excuse me-! This is, what are they doing here?}

The girls went {Haa?} with dubious faces and turned around at Chikori,

{E―. You don’t know?}

{It’s big news in the Twitter see!}

They only told her that before rushing inside the commotion.

The automatic door closed at the same time.

Chikori who was left behind in the corridor of geofront tried to access the Twitter from her mobile phone relying on the girls’ words.

And then Chikori realized the meaning of the girls’ words and got so shocked she lost her words.

Because in this brink of ruin, what filled to the brim the timeline in there wasn’t words cursing their own fate, but voices of joy.

The reason was because in this moment, the celebrities were holding event everywhere in geofront.

Not only the musician just now. From idol and comedian, first class sport athlete, comic story teller and shogi player――various kind of people were performing live, holding events like competition between fellow star players, encouraging the people who were taking refuge in geofront.

Looking at the photo that captured that situation, Chikori gulped down.

Among the people singing song while dripping in sweat――

(There are even injured people there……)

They were probably the people injured at the riot that occurred several hours ago or when they were evacuating here.

But even so, there wasn’t a single bitter expression among these people that took photo.

A famous idol with bandage wrapping his face, yet even so he didn’t look ashamed even with his appearance broadcasted everywhere while making bright smile, a rock musician that lost his leg was sitting on a chair while plucking his guitar.

Wasn’t it tough? Wasn’t it painful?

There was no way it wasn’t tough. There was no way it wasn’t painful.

But, they didn’t stop. They didn’t look like they were going to stop.

……They were fighting.

Even though they couldn’t go out to the battlefield.

The thing that they could do. ――They did it with all that they had.

――I’m waiting in the battlefield.

{-……}

The words of Sumika refrained in the back of her mind while looking at these people’s figure.

Those words made her chest throbbed achingly.

Naturally she had the guilt feeling toward her action that was running away even while possessing the strength to fight in this predicament.

But more than that guilt, was this feeling of Chikori.

That she couldn’t do anything, anything at all.

(If I will only become a burden, then it’s better to not do anything……)

Chikori leaned her back on the cold wall, her waist was dropping draggingly on the corridor.

She had walked until this place dragging her feet as if parting through a bog where she was sinking without end, but now she was already tired.

But, just when her waist would completely fall, at that instant,

{Chikori-!}

{Eh}

A familiar parched voice of a fat man struck her ear.

In disbelief, Chikori lifted her facing down gaze,

{Oo, I was looking for you, Chikoriii~~~~–!}

Suddenly she was hugged by a really big and strong strength.

This voice, this strength, Chikori knew it really well.

Chikori pushed at the chest of the man that was hugging her tight and tore off herself before looking at the face of the man she couldn’t believe to be here,

{Pa, Papa-!?}

She raised a shocked voice.

Thick eyebrow. Unshaven face. Big body like a bear.

There was no way for her to mistake such peculiar father.

And then,

{Chikori-chan. Are you okay? You are not hurt or anything?}

Behind the father, there was a petite female with the same hair color with Chikori.

This woman was Chikori’s mother. Ichinotani Mizuki.

Her unexpected reunion with her parents made Chikori stared in wonder.

{Even Mama……! Why are you in this kind of place?}

Mizuki made a gentle smile and answered that question.

{We received a contact from the vice principal that Chikori-chan decline to be deployed this time, so we came here to pick you up. The time is like this. Doesn’t it make you want to be together with your family?}

{Mama……}

And then the father, Ichinotani Kazuma also gave kind words to his daughter.

{Now let’s evacuate together with papa and mama. What, if there is some guy grumbling why Chikori doesn’t fight, papa will glare at him and make him shut up, so just rest assured!}

{Dear, you are always opposing for Chikori-chan to fight all this time aren’t youu? You’ve go until the residence of the prime minister to yell there.}

{Obviously. How is going to take responsibility if something happen at our only daughter! ……Come on Chikori. Let’s go to join the other. Since Chikori entered the sorcery academy, we have never get a happy family get-together all this time. By any chance today might become our last day so……}

Kazuma who said that held out his large palm at Chikori.

It was the strong large hand of her father that had been protecting their family all this time.

Right now it looked so reliable that she wanted to cry.

{…………}

The exhausted Chikori was just like a baby that was going to unconsciously grasped at the finger of her parents with her small hand, her right hand reached out following her instinct――

(Ah!)

But, just when her clenched five fingers opened in order to grasp at her father’s hand, at that instant,

With a tumble, something was going to fall down from inside her right palm.

Chikori immediately closed her fingers and gripped tightly.

That was a reflexive action. Chikori herself, just what was she clutching in her right hand, what was going to fall down, she didn’t understand any of that while acting.

Just what in the world was she clutching she wondered.

Chikori felt a question and opened her hand, ――she was speechless.

The thing that she had been clutching all this time.

That was, ……a drop of <Fairy Pill> that Sumika handed to her.

{Chikori?}

(This……?)

She wondered just why she was gripping something like this all this time.

Unable to understand her own action, Chikori expressed her bewilderment.

On the other hand her father, Kazuma showed a worried expression at the baffling action of his daughter that immediately pulled back her hand when she was going to take his hand.

{What’s wrong Chikori? Don’t tell me, as I though you are really hurt somewhere!?}

{N, no……}

Chikori shook her head in denial.

But――

(Wh, y……?)

She tried to take the hand of Kazuma once again, but Chikori’s expression changed from bewilderment into chaos.

She decided to not fight anymore.

She betrayed her comrades, she even turned her back to the word of her important friend, she was here right now.

Then something like this should be unnecessary already for her.

Released it, took her father’s hand, ……passed her last time with her parents.

That was what she was wishing for. Should be. Yet even so――

Each time she thought that, Chikori’s right hand went against her will and gripped the <Fairy Pill> so tightly it hurts.

(Why……can’t I let go?)

The confused Chikori.

To this kind of Chikori,

{……Chikori-chan.}

Her mother, Mizuki addressed her with a gentle voice.

{You see, papa and mama, when we heard that Chikori-chan refused to go out, we were really worried. Chikori-chan who worked really hard like that to protect everyone, to refuse going out from yourself in this really critical situation……, just how much you were hurt and got overwhelmed we wondered. ……That’s why, we came to pick you up. Because when you are exhausted, the time when there is nothing that you can do, the place for Chikori-chan to go back, is at the side of papa and mama.}

{Mama…………}

That’s why, you don’t need to keep at it and go home with us…….

Those were the continuing words.

Surely that was the case, Kazuma thought.

Probably , Chikori too.

――But,

{But. It seems that Chikori-chan, still doesn’t need us.}

The continuation of the words that Mizuki said with a little lonely tone was something that the two couldn’t even imagine.

{!}

{Wha, Mizuki! What are you saying! Chikori won’t fight anymore, so obviously she got to be beside us! Right Chikori? You, won’t fight anymore right?}

{I, I…………I wo…………-}

Being asked, Chikori was at a loss how to answer.

She wouldn’t fight.

Despite how she should have decided so, she was unable to open her right hand in order to grasp the hand of her father.

{I don’t know……. Even I don’t know anymore, what should I do, I just don’t know……!}

The extreme confusion made her leaked out sobbing, as if to spit out all the muddled emotions that even Chikori herself couldn’t sort.

The right hand of such Chikori, which was clenching so strongly that her fingertips congested, was wrapped by the small warm hands of Mizuki.

{a}

{Your hand that was warm like the sun is this cold. ……It’s hard isn’t it. It’s painful isn’t it.}

{Mama……}

{But you see, Chikori-chan. You lie that you don’t know what you should be doing. You should have understand already. What you want to do. What you can do. Because even this hand that has become so cold like this, is still gripping on tightly to something that you won’t let go no matter what, something that you still have.}

For Chikori who had used up her magic power, the <Fairy Pill> was the strength so that she could fight one more time.

It was the strength created by the fairies by throwing away their life, so that she could stand up once more.

For her to grip that and wouldn’t let go only have one meaning.

Chikori too felt that vaguely. She understood. However――

{……However, because I’m weak……I can only become a burden to everyone……. Dorothy-san……even though she bet her life for someone like me……even though she entrusted her wish to me……nothing, not a single thing, I…………}

{I see. Then, that’s all the more reason that you must keep at it.}

{Eh.}

{Because Chikori-chan, you still haven’t answered them, your own feeling, and even the wish entrusted to you.}

{-!}

It was the moment when Mizuki told her so.

The <Fairy Pill> grasped inside Chikori’s hand suddenly wore a tinge of heat like the sunlight, emitting rainbow colored light that overflowed from her palm.

The surprised Chikori opened her clenched hand, where the <Fairy Pill> was slowly dissolving into her palm.

And then――

At the same time when all of it dissolved and vanished, the light of sky colored magic power blew out from Chikori’s body as a gale.

That light of magic power was surging out from inside her body, where Chikori could feel inside her the strength of pervading will,

Let’s go.

Let’s go.

The vestiges of the fairies’ determination hurried her on like so.

The voices of the people who died noble death leaving their wish to Chikori.

{That’s why……take care, Chikori-chan.}

Part 9

(Just what was I thinking……!)

Chikori was ashamed from her heart of herself a few dozen minutes ago.

She became unable to see anything other than what she lost.

She didn’t try to see what was important.

Certainly the people who died wouldn’t return anymore.

However, hadn’t Sumika too said it.

The promise exchanged with them didn’t disappear.

――The inherited feeling didn’t die.

Their feeling, their will to fight, were burning on inside this body.

Even when Chikori’s heart was truly frail, she grasped tightly to the strength to fight.

The feeling, wish of those people, ――she still hadn’t answered them.

Then, whether she would be useful, or if she would be a burden, those things didn’t matter.

Certainly this body that had been kept alive, didn’t have any right to choose a cool way to live.

(What I can do is only one thing. What I want to do is only one thing!)

Her self that resided in this body, was tightly grasping the wish of the people who died――

(Just strike with all your strength――!)

“<Meteor Strike>――――――!!!!”

“Ga, Ha――――!?!?”

Clad in sky colored magic power light, Chikori flew like an arrow.

The fist that gripped the feather of Gimel pierced through the <Holy Ground> and pierced through the stomach of Raphael who was currently gathering <Megiddo Flame> with thundering roar.

That intense pain and impact obstructed Rapahel’s movement just for a little.

The activation of <Megiddo Flame> was late for an instant.

――That instant, was enough.

“Thank you……! Chikori-san……–!”

Sumika didn’t let go of that instant and squeezed the trigger of the revolver that was loaded with <Grim Bullet>.

“Come from the interstice of dark and heaven! <The Person who Tear the Wall> Daoloth!!”

Reciting the tying curse, the bullet where the power of <The Outer GODS> Daoloth resided struck the chest of Raphael.

The <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> bullet tore up the angel’s flesh and carved black gunshot wound on his chest――

Right after that, the special characteristic of that divinity was invoked.

“Gam o, oOOO!?!?”

• creek creek creek*, along with eerie sound that was like thick rubbers scraping each other, Raphael’s body began to twist with his chest as the center, before long Raphael’s body was being sucked into the gunshot wound while whirling.

“O, O, O, O, O, O, o, O, o, ooOoOOOOO――――!?!?”

Daoloth was a divinity that tore away the wall, that was to say the [boundary] of dimension.

In front of this god, all the boundary of space-time didn’t have any meaning, the thing touched by Daoloth would wholly go to the abyss that was nowhere in this night, in this universe. Blown away to the outside of the phenomenon’s boundary line.

At that place there was no light, no distance, no space, no time, nothing.

What existed there was only life frozen eternally.

Raphael who knew that raised scream that was dyed in terror while trying to prevent his body from being sucked into the wound.

But although this was just an avatar, it was still a power of god.

He was an <Archangel>, be that as it may this was not something that could possibly be resisted――

“Something, like this, I, against, the like, of humannnNN, N, N, n n n”

Raphael only left behind echo of grudge like spitting blood.

……Finally he vanished from this dimension leaving not even a shadow and became nothing.

And then due to losing Raphael, the first group of the <heaven army> lost the divine protection of <Last Fantasia>, also the fact that an <Archangel> was defeated by a mere human greatly shaken the angels, it became a complete rout for them, ――thirty minutes after the conclusion between Sumika and Raphael, the angels forfeited all their battle strength.

Against a threat that possessed power rivaling even <Demon King class>, Sumika and others without the <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura, barely repelled it――

“……I never, they are really……without borrowing Master’s strength, to win against an <Archangel>……”

The summit of the fortress.

In front of Vel who was looking down on the battlefield from above the roof of the control tower, the promise with her was fulfilled.

Chapter 4

Part 1

“Alright――――!”

“We did it! Se―rve you right you monsters!”

After Raphael was defeated, the national defense army lowered down all the barrier wall and the entire force including Sumika and Chikori linked up.

The Raphael army that fell into chaos from losing their leader and the divine protection of <Last Fantasia> was annihilated with the force of raging wave.

Around the corpses of the angels collapsed here and there in the half-destroyed fortification, the soldiers of the national defense army that survived the battle were all rising roar of great joy while praising their fellow colleagues who fought hard and survived.

And then Sumika too,

“Chikori-san!”

“Leader……”

She rushed at Chikori as the first thing she did.

In contrast Chikori looked embarrassed from the miserable thing she had said before this,

“……I came.”

She played the fool by sticking out her tongue as if to varnish over the matter.

But even Sumika too didn’t plan to raise such an issue this late.

She took Chikori’s both hands and expressed her gratitude from the bottom of her heart.

“I believed in you……. That if it’s Chikori-san then you will surely stand up……”

“Leader told me weren’t you. Master is not here anymore, but Leader’s promise with Master doesn’t go away. It still remains inside your heart. ……I too made promise. That’s why, I’ll do my best.”

“Yes-“

And then, while Sumika was congratulating Chikori’s recovery,

“Sumika!”

Suddenly somebody hugged tightly at her with the momentum that was like a body blow.

The one who hugged her was Lily Hoegarden who was fighting at another battlefield.

“Wah. Lily……so you are also safe.”

“That’s my line……! Hics, for you to face a <Demon King class> alone, there is a limit even for being reckless……!”

Surely her heart was greatly worn away.

For Lily who lost both her parents, her best friend Sumika was an existence that was like her only remaining blood relative.

That was why Lily embraced Sumika tightly while sobbing and presented her honest words.

Sumika spoke while returning the embrace to such Lily.

“Thank you for worrying about me. But I didn’t fight alone at all. Because Lily and the others gave your best effort, he was an enemy that I was able to defeat. And so this is the victory of all the surviving people in Tokyo life sphere.”

“……I wonder, if <Liber Legis> will give us her cooperation with this.”

Sumika shook her head toward the question that Lily murmured while wiping her tears.

“That is……something that Vel-san has to decide herself, so I can say nothing. It’s just, the thing that we have to do is decided already. Even after this there are two <Archangel> remaining, we have to reorganize once more before the enemy’s attack――”

And, it was at that moment――

Suddenly image was projected in the field of vision of all magicians in the battlefield.

A black haired girl with cat ears.

The mind transmission from <God of Evil Cat> Bastet wedged into their view.

And then the girl informed in a panicked state.

{Everyone, I apologize. It’s an emergency situation!}

“Bastet-san?”

{It’s the scheme of that Gabriel! That guy, he left behind his army inside the labyrinth as prey to lure the eye of my underling and breakaway as a single unit here!}

“Wha, what do you mean!?”

Lily asked back to Bastet who was talking rapidly in hurry.

With that Bastet realized that there was no time to speak about the minor details anymore and spoke bluntly.

{<Archangel> Gabriel appeared! He is just nearby all of you!}

“――――!!!!”

Right after that.

Silver rip ran through the sky that was covered by iridescent cloud.

The rip was flowing out light that made one even felt its holiness while spreading, illuminating the Tokyo life sphere right below.

And then, the people in Tokyo life sphere saw.

A figure of a person appeared from inside the light.

A middle-aged man holding a golden sword in hand.

They knew of the face of that man.

“That’s……the <S-rank magician> of Britain.”

“James Weasley……!”

But,

“…………”

James that was projected in their field of vision.

The pair of wings spreading on his back made Sumika convinced.

He who betrayed them and decapitated Sumika’s head had also reached the same en like Wan Tairon.

Part 2

“How surprising. For Raphael to suffer an embarrassing defeat.”

The wasteland of underworld at the deepest area of the labyrinth he reached.

Staring at the battlefield below from the sky, the <Archangel> Gabriel who hijacked James’s body murmured.

In his eyesight that was far stronger than them human, the figures of Raphael army that had become corpses collapsed on the battlefield were visible.

In addition the presence of Raphael that suddenly disappeared.

Gabriel was convinced from all the fact above.

――In a surprising development, the humans had annihilated Raphael and <Heaven Army> without the power of <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura.

“So the remark of that evil god is not wholly nonsense.”

――Don’t underestimate the human too much. That’s if you don’t want to lose face excessively.

Before they entered Eihort’s labyrinth.

He recalled the words of <The Crawling Chaos> that appeared before their eyes,

“Since it become like this, ……I too shall put my act in order.”

Gabriel who had never crossed sword for even once let go of the <Artifact – Excalibur>.

He liberated his own power as angel.

“-…………!”

The national defense army looked.

At how radiant light was overflowing from James body, and James’s silhouette that existed as shadow at the center was gradually changing shape.

Before long the light settled down and the one who was floating in the sky wasn’t James.

It wasn’t a human.

It was a body that was around two meter in a whole with luster that was like ashen silver metal.

His two hands from the elbow ahead became sharp huge blade, with white face that was without eyes, nose, and mouth.

That appearance which was like a knight clad in armor was exactly the figure strengthened by Gabriel’s power.

That <Archangel> turned James’s body into angel by his own power,

“Here I come, children of man.”

Gabriel began to descend down slowly toward the land of the underworld.

This attack of the enemy’s main force that came too fast greatly shaken the national defense army of Tokyo life sphere.

“He, he comeee-!”

“This is a lie right, even though we still haven’t take care of our ally’s death!”

“Don’t be panicked! The enemy is alone! The anti-aircraft gun and the SAM! Aim them all at that guy alone and hit him with all we got-!”

In contrast with the national defense army that was preparing to flee, the commander Hasad gave out order with strong tone.

As if having their butt kicked by that order, the national defense army began anti-aircraft interception using the fortification facilities that were possessed by the fairies in panic.

――They did but,

All of that ended in nothing as if it was only natural.

“No, no good! The bullets and missiles are all slipping through!”

“Chih”

Hasad who held the command clicked his tongue in irritation toward that report.

(I heard it already at the strategy meeting but, so this is that <Holy Ground> thing……!)

Different with other angels, even though <Archangel>’s spirit status dropped down from possessing a person who didn’t pile up training as <Special Missionary>, because their original spirit status was extremely high they could maintain their <Holy Ground>.

It was to the degree that the spirit status of the like of human or fairy wouldn’t be able to even touch the <Archangel>.

No, if it was only in the level of touching, then it was possible if they were using the angel feather scattered around at their feet just like what Chikori did against Raphael before this.

But to break the <Holy Ground> and further to even inflict a decisive blow that could defeat Gabriel, then speaking about someone who could do that,

――There was only Sumika alone in this place.

That was why Hasad was begging at Sumika through mind transmission.

“<Grim Bullet> missy! What are we going to do now!? How should we act!?”

“Leader Hasad……-“

But Sumika couldn’t give an answer to the question thrown at her.

Just in case she had been thinking about various things for the sake of the second battle.

However Gabriel’s appearance was too fast, far surpassing her prediction.

She was unable to make any preparation at all..

The countermeasure she was thinking was already wholly unusable.

Now that it came to this, there was only one way to defeat Gabriel.

In the current situation, there was only one tactic they could take.

“……What can defeat that <Archangel>, is only my <Grim Bullet>……. So――, -“

But, Sumika was unable to say the detail further.

Why, it was because she was aware that the thing she was going to say couldn’t even be called a plan.

Yes, if they were going to defeat Gabriel, it would be through an act that was like directing her allies to a deep valley and having them throwing themselves down, filling that valley with their corpses so she could then cross over.

It was something that she really couldn’t say out loud.

That was why she couldn’t talk. She wasn’t talking. But――

“I got it! In other words number is everything here, all of us just need to attack and hold him down! Then missy is going to hit him with <Grim Bullet>! I rea―lly got it! Do you guys got it too!?”

“ “ “OOOOOoOOoOooo!!!!” “ “

Hasad guessed all Sumika’s thinking from her silence and gave that order.

To this the soldiers of national defense army returned their affirmative with a roar filled with strong will.

The voice of them made Sumika felt a pain that was like the flesh of her heart being twisted to the limit.

That was only natural.

Because the girl understood.

With this plan, innumerable humans would die.

Possibly even the important friends of Sumika.

However, ――there was no other plan she could propose in the current situation, now that Gabriel was coming down to the ground, she didn’t even have time to think.

“Forgive me……-“

Sumika only apologized to all the people in this place with a voice as if she was spitting out blood.

And, toward this,

“Don’t give us that kind of face <Grim Bullet>! After all we can still fight only because you are here!”

“That’s right. Even with that kind of plan, we can do it because we believe that if it’s you then you will surely beat that guy.”

Not a single one was saying any complaint, they cheered up Sumika, some people with loud voice, some people with mind transmission.

And then Hasad too, he even showed a daring smile in that heroic look.

“You said it weren’t you missy. That fighting to keep living, is the duty people who live.

But see. I too also think like this.

If it’s the duty of the living to fight for the sake of survival,

Fighting even if you have to throw away that really precious life for the sake of protecting, is the pride of human.”

“-……!”

“Don’t let it be for nothing. This obstinacy of us!”

The unshakeable determination filling Hasad and the others’ words.

Just what kind of tragedy they would fall into due to this tactic.

Toward their fighting spirit that didn’t fail even when they understood that, Sumika also resolved herself.

From the first place this <Archangel> was an opponent that she couldn’t do anything about by herself alone no matter what.

Even when she was battling Raphael, she worked out a multitude of plans before she finally was able to defeat him with everyone’s strength that she obtained.

Then,

“――Understand!”

Just like they who were believing in her, she too would believe in them.

There was nothing she could do except that.

To this resolve of Sumika,

“We will go too!”

“Yep-!”

Chikori and Lily who were standing beside her also started to move.

Their aim was the spot where Gabriel was coming down at. The very front line.

To the back of those two,

“Chikori-san. Lily! ……I will be counting on you two!”

Sumika sent them her yell.

Both of them accepted that with powerful smile and ran off.

And then――

“There will be the danger of friendly fire so don’t use firearm! The magicians are to transmute the angel’s feather to your <Arms> with <sorcery alchemy>! You guys that aren’t magician, wrap the feather with bandage to your bayonet and fight! It’s fine even if it’s just a few seconds! We are going to push back that flat face with all of us!”

“ “ “OOOOoOooOoOooOooooo――――――—!!!!” “ “

At the same time with Gabriel leisurely falling down on the battlefield, the soldiers of national defense army moved all at once.

They stuck the angel’s feather on their weapon, without any formation at all, they became like a tsunami and assaulted Gabriel.

The situation was one versus 150,000.

However the enemy was an <Archangel> that rivaled a <Demon King class> demon.

Against him there was nothing like numerical superiority.

In the next moment, something terrible would happen.

Even while being convinced of that,

(I won’t let this be pointless……! I’ll finish this in one attack!)

Sumika didn’t avert her eyes.

She readied <Grim Bullet> in both hands, she opened her eyes wide that she even forgot to blink to probe for the instant of the victory chance.

Looking at the action of those humans――

“How beautiful, all of you.”

Gabriel spilled voice that sounded admiring from somewhere in his face that didn’t have mouth.

“Eh?”

“Not considering your own life for the sake of other people, you stand against me stifling your terror. While knowing that you are no match at all, you don’t stop fighting betting on the slim hope. That spirit of self-sacrifice, is exactly the precious emotion that god loves.”

This praise of Gabriel wasn’t a lie.

He felt from the bottom of his heart that mankind’s action was nice.

And then exactly for that reason, the difference of sense of values between human and angel that was incompatible became clear right here.

“Therefore――I shall save all of you.”

Saying that, Gabriel walked on the ground as if he was sliding, he slipped through between the few hundred soldiers attacking him from the front with angel feather stuck on their bayonet, ――just as he passed through, the flesh of all people he crossed changed into meat slices around ten centimeter each after that.

“~~~~~~–!”

“Wha, what’s this. I cannot see anything!?”

“U-, oE”

That terrible spectacle of the thing that used to be human shaped turned into meat slices made the people that weren’t used to battlefield pressed on their mouth to endure their nausea.

But,

“Don’t be anxious. I don’t kill them.”

Those words of Gabriel made the soldiers quickly realized.

The lumps of meat that became small pieces.

Any one of them wasn’t trickling even a single drop of blood.

“Thi, this is……!”

“I only [unfasten] them with holy magic and make them sleep at the same time. The lives of all of you [virtuous human] belong to god. The souls that will be entrusted with the honor of becoming the land of god’s kingdom. I won’t uselessly soil the ground of this underworld with your blood. I won’t even torment you vainly. ……This <Archangel> Gabriel have responsibility, I shall lead all of you to the god’s kingdom.”

Saying that, this time Gabriel brandished his arm that became sword with all his strength.

At the same time strung up divinity was visibly surging out from his body.

That sight made Sumika’s spine shivered.

It was because Sumika was an outstanding magician that she perceived it.

That it was bad.

“GET DOWNNNNNNNNNNN—!!!!”

Even while getting herself down, she yelled by squeezing out all the air inside her lung.

At that moment――

Sumika felt chill in her neck.

It was like a cold steel was licking her nape, a chill that made her whole body trembling.

That was the proof that the spot where Sumika’s neck was just at before was thoroughly blown away,

Ninety percent of the national defense army’s soldiers at five hundred meter around Gabriel who didn’t made it in time to get their body down following Sumika’s yell were felled.

(Just with one attack, more than a thousand people……-!)

The sliced meats of their friends that were piled in front of their eyes.

Everyone shuddered from witnessing that.

And then in the middle of disastrous scene that Gabried made himself,

“Now. Following that willpower, possessing spirit of noble self-sacrifice, you can come challenging me. If your soul will shine because of that reason, I won’t blame that with irreverence. Show your worth to god to your heart’s content.”

Gabriel spread his two arms that became blade after announcing that largeheartedly.

It was as though he was even going to embrace the humans.

To this the humans,

“That’s unneeded assistance, looking down on us so high and mighty like that……-!”

Not faltering against the destruction that Gabriel brought, the second wave attack began.

The enemy was <Demon King class>.

Of course they were resolved of a destruction of this level.

No, he was surely already holding back considerable even with this.

The fact was, not a single one of the people cut by Gabriel had died.

They were parted by holy magic and were only sleeping.

Even the attack before this where more than a thousand people were felled, it was only something cute compared to Raphael’s <Megiddo Flame>.

Gabriel was still holding back.

He was going easy on them.

Then, right now was a chance.

The mankind persuaded themselves like that, all people other than those who could use Hero Skill of sure hit equipped close range weapon and carried out besieging attack from 360 degree of Gabriel with all their force.

No matter how many sacrifices would come out, they would overwhelm him with number and created an opening for <Grim Bullet>.

This war of attrition with first class suicide attack was carried out with that resolve.

Against this mankind’s number strike, Gabriel didn’t escape to the sky and kept standing on the ground.

Just like before he didn’t even show a motion of swinging his arm.

――Just what in the world he is planning.

The student knight Rozalind Wagner who was in the head of the second wave felt doubt for an instant.

But she immediately shook off that doubt from her thought.

It didn’t matter what the opponent was going to do.

What they should do was to suppress Gabriel even for a few seconds.

Then it was convenient if the enemy was just standing still defenselessly.

They would hold him down with this chance.

Encouraging herself like that, the instant she stepped into the range of five meter around Gabriel――

“e”

Rozalind saw the sight of her own field of vision tilting violently.

Gabriel didn’t make a single movement.

Nevertheless, the head and limbs of the leading pack at the second wave approaching Gabriel were disconnected from their body, crumbling down with a thump on the ground without flowing out a single drop of blood.

All of them lost consciousness without understanding what was done to them.

“Roze……-!?”

Anna who was running behind Rozalind peeled her eyes wide open to that sight.

Even Anna that was in the rear of the second wave didn’t understand what happened.

――Was Gabriel laying out a barrier that generated slash?

She didn’t understand.

But it was dangerous to recklessly approach.

“You ba,STAaRD!”

That was why Anna was firing rapidly with the machine guns reading in both her hands from slight distance.

The rear group of the second wave other than her was also making the same decision.

However, the bullets and magic beam they fired were all scattered like mist five meter around Gabriel as expected.

“Shitty bastard! He is laying out some other barrier than the <Holy Ground>!”

The soldiers firing clicked their tongue in this situation, but,

“Lies……”

Anna who had good eyesight certainly saw it.

The lead bullets she fired.

The instant where they approached Gabriel to gouge him.

Gabriel’s image that looked as if he was immobile blurred, at the next instant white glimmers ran on the firing lines and the bullets were cut apart into pieces, she saw that sight.

Yes. It wasn’t that Gabriel didn’t move.

The existences that entered his range were thoroughly cut apart thoroughly in every little bit one by one.

That speed was far faster than even bullet, to the level that human’s eyesight couldn’t possibly hop to catch sight of that swordsmanship.

(The dimension of the speed is too different……! This kind of guy, how are we going to――)

It was the end if she was caught.

In front of Anna who was shuddering like that, Gabriel brandished the blades at his both hands again in large movement that human’s eyesight couldn’t see, and his body rotated.

Damn it.

Without even any time to regret her own wavering like that,

“Kuh, ha”

Right after that, the blade of divinity that was released in circle shape around Gabriel once again mowed down his surrounding.

With that one attack, the second wave was mostly exterminated.

Anna too had her torso and waist decapitated.

There was no pain.

But sleepiness that was hard to resist stole the consciousness of the sacrifices.

(Sorry……, Hoshikawa-chan…………-)

And then Anna too crumbled down on the ground with her consciousness lost.

The mountain of meats that had became finely sliced pieces piled up.

That grotesque scene made the national defense army’s expression visibly convulsing.

But even so,

“Don’t falterrr-! Hold him down with number! It’s fine even if you just take a few second of his time-!”

“ “ “U, UOOOoOOOOOOO!!!!” “ “

They didn’t stop.

Didn’t pull back.

Everyone understood.

That as long as they didn’t defeat this enemy before them, they didn’t have any future even if they escaped.

However, not only they couldn’t even get closer to him within five meter, the damage kept increasing.

Looking at that terrible spectacle of her allies, Lily was convinced.

That by kept applying pressure with number like this, they couldn’t even touch Gabriel.

Then a trick was needed.

That was why Lily cooperated with a certain person in advance and went forward.

And then she activated her <Air Raid> just on the verge of the five meter sphere of Gabriel.

She drew an arch flying up and soared right above Gabriel.

From there,

(The greatest range of my <Gae Bolg> is 150 people strong with one attack! I will strike him with that one attack!)

“<Gae Bolg>–!!!!”

Consecutive 150 magic thrusts were unleashed from right above Gabriel in one attack.

Although it was merely 150 rapid attack of spear.

For Gabriel who showed how he dealt with the shooting in the scale of as much as a few thousand people, this <Gae Bolg> wasn’t really that big of threat.

It was a technique that he could easily defend.

――Lily also understood that.

That was why she didn’t aim at Gabriel.

What she thrust her spear at was the ground around Gabriel.

The plate of Tokyo life sphere’s outer layer.

The plate that was made into beehive by <Gae Bolg> lost its hardness and cause a collapse of approximately fifty centimeter with Gabriel as the center.

Below the place was a hollow for the sake of electric cable and water pipe to travel.

And then this phenomenon where he suddenly lost his foothold made Gabriel showed an opening.

The posture of that <Archangel> certainly stiffened in that instant,

“Now!”

At that slight opening, Ichinotani Chikori that was waiting behind in order to match her timing with Lily in advance rushed toward Gabriel. And then――

“<Meteor Strike>――–!!!!”

She swung her fist that was gripping an angel’s feather.

This cooperation of Lily and Chikori splendidly caught Gabriel, this was the first attack of mankind that reached him.

Chikori’s fist that struck at Raphael definitely caught the stomach of Gabriel.

――That was all.

“No, way……-“

Chikori opened her eyes wide in despair and her voice trembled.

The response that came back at Chikori’s fist that struck the target, was a feedback like she was hitting at earth, a thick heavy feel that was difficult to sway.

Speaking of that thick and heavy feel, it was to the degree that it was Chikori’s fist that struck which got destructed.

“It’s splendid how that meager fist can be sublimed until this height. If you are against Raphael then he might flinch from that attack. Be that as it may……I am Gabriel. The person who is allowed to stand at the left of god’s throne. Although we are the same <Archangel> my spirit status is different with Raphael. A fist of that level won’t reach my soul.”

At the next instant, Gabriel who spread his wings widely once again rotated both his hands and cut down everything around him.

Lily, Chikori, and all other people altogether.

Even though their opponent was just a single person――

Even though he didn’t even plan to strike them down――

They couldn’t even properly approach him.

They couldn’t even touch him.

Just when they thought someone finally could touch him, even a strike with the whole might didn’t create any damage.

To that fact, all the survivors began to feel a pressure as if the sky was falling at them.

Sumika too was also, the same.

Because the girl was wise, she was recognizing the danger of the situation more than anyone.

――Compared to Garbiel, Raphael was something cute, it was outrageous.

Just how easy it would be if Gabriel was like Raphael, holding contempt against human, looking down at them, and wielded his strength recklessly.

If that was the case, they could also try to rub his emotion the wrong way to create an opening.

But, Gabriel was different.

Although this <Archangel> was restraining his killing power, but he wasn’t letting his guard down.

He was constantly serious, carrying out the command given to him from the god to [save the human].

In him there was not even a little bit of unnecessary idle thought existing.

Earnestly. Accurately just like a machine.

However due to that, no opening was created. No chance was created.

Man and angel. The difference in status of their existence that came from the difference in their basic ability was expressed in reality.

(……At this rate)

All of them would be defeated, without achieving anything.

Sumika felt a fierce impatience.

If the sacrifice would just increase unreasonably at this rate, shouldn’t she came out to make her move.

She became a prisoner of such thoughtlessness.

It was at such a time.

“――-!?”

The motion of Gabriel that was stepping forward toward the surviving force that was stricken with fear unnaturally pitched forward.

The reason was――

“I, got you……!”

At Gabriel’s feet.

The left foot of Gabriel, Chikori who lost everything below her torso was clinging with just her arm.

(I see! Chikori-san’s Hero Skill……!)

Sumika remembered.

The heroic spirit she was contracted with, the legend of the <Depraved Monk> Musashibou Benkei.

That hero continued to fight until none of his life remained, he finally met his end still standing.

The contractor of Musashibou Benkei reproduced that legend――<Standing Death> as a Hero Skill.

So to speak, she was able to maintain her consciousness and continued to fight as long as she wasn’t dead yet.

Due to that Hero Skill, the sleepiness due to Gabriel’s holy magic was ineffective against Chikori.

She was grappling Gabriel’s leg only with the strength of her arm.

And then,

“Now! Hold him down all of youuuu!”

“ “ “UAAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” “ “

Matching this action of Chikori, Hasad gave the command and the soldiers began to move all at once.

They were already not using weapon or anything.

With both hands that had angel feather bandaged on it, they were pinning down Gabriel.

Just like honeybees that were crushing to death a hornet that entered their nest.

And then while holding on to Gabriel, Hasad yelled.

“MISSY–! COME ON–!!”

Defeat this threat with <Grim Bullet>, with them altogether.

“-――――!”

Sumika didn’t hesitate after this far.

Everyone abandoned themselves in order to make this chance for her.

To be the only one hesitating after this late and then wasted the chance that Chikori and others grasped in deathly desperation, Sumika wasn’t that foolish.

She had already pulled the triggers of the two handguns which had finished loading the bullets――,

“<Grim Bu――”

“I see. So you are the one other <Evil God User> who defeated Raphael.”

Just like a frame that was suddenly thrust into a film that was in the middle of playing, before her eyes without any advance warning at all, the existence of a white flat face appeared in the range where their breath could be felt made her dumbfounded, all her thinking was frozen.

And then in that moment, the battle was decided in a shape where the result couldn’t be taken back anymore.

With a thump, the two hands of Sumika that were in the verge of shooting <Grim Bullet> fell on the ground.

Furthermore,

“Ku, a. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

――Different with everything until now, it was accompanied with intense pain and bleeding.

Gabriel informed with indifferent voice to Sumika who was moaning in agony.

“Fighting with the spirit of self-sacrifice for other people. Such an act delighted god, however begging for assistance to evil god is different. That is an act that is abominable to the extreme. ……O inexperienced <Evil God User>. The honor of becoming the land of god’s kingdom is wasted on you. You can meet your end in this spot.”

And then the angel raised his arm of blade mercilessly.

For the sake of lopping off the neck of the fool who relied on the evil god, the another <Evil God User>.

“Missy!”

“Leader-!?”

Even yelling, no one would make it in time to help.

There was no way they would make it.

Because to even follow the trajectory of that blade, was something impossible for them.

Therefore,

(I’m sorry, everyone……, Homura-san……-)

While trickling tear of her own incompetence, Sumika resolved herself of the end of her own life and shut her eyes.

But――

(Eh?)

Even after waiting, the cold sensation of blade in her nape didn’t come.

Even though Gabriel’s blade had the speed that eye couldn’t follow.

Just why in the world? When Sumika opened her eyes thinking that,

She saw crimson fluttering inside her small view. And then,

“Good grief. Isn’t this a complete rout. Pathetic.”

Her ear heard the astonished blunt remark of the girl.

Sumika knew that voice.

There was no way she would mistake that voice.

The reason was because that voice, was a hope for mankind.

Sumika lifted her eyelids in sudden realization,

“Vel, san……!”

She called her name. The name of the avatar of <Liber Legis>, standing between Sumika and Gabriel, a polyhedron barrier that was like a black diamond was blocking Gabriel’s slash.

Part 3

Vel who was the avatar of <Liber Legis> that was the grimoire of Homura repelled back Gabriel with black barrier, before she sighed.

“I want you to hold out with your own strength while I’m making my preparation. ……I really made a stupid promise.”

“You, really come here……!”

Vel slightly frowned toward Sumika who was expressing her joy fully in her face.

Actually she didn’t plan to come.

That was natural.

Human made Vel’s master, Homura to be isolated.

They made Homura to shoulder a lot of sadness, loss, making use of his good will without shame.

Vel hated human.

She loathed human who made Homura sad.

――Especially, the female who spouted out a joke of standing equal with Homura that she couldn’t even do.

She was thinking so.

However……the girl before her that was drenched in blood, showed how she made reality the thoughtless words that Vel thought as a joke.

Although their spirit status had fell, she showed how she defeated an <Archangel>.

And then Sumika showed.

――I’m thinking. It’s fine if I just reach Homura-sans side.

That day, the promise she exchanged with Homura wasn’t merely a joke or pipe dream.

Then,

“But although it is a stupid promise, a promise is a promise. Although I’m a Great Old One, but because I’m a god I protect my promise.”

Let’s make sure of it.

The promise of this girl with Homura. The conclusion of it.

She wasn’t even told to by anyone to do this. She wasn’t even won over by Sumika’s pledge.

This was solely because of her own will.

After all――

――Fine then. Just try it if you can.

Because that was the first time she saw Homura that happy since the time he was in <Book Burning Squad>.

“Hoshikawa Sumika. I’ll recognize you as my master.”

Instantly, Vel’s body emitted light and transformed into scattered pieces of paper.

The pieces of paper danced in the wind, then while whirling around Sumika who lost her arms,

“……-!”

A sheet, then one more sheet, were absorbed into Sumika’s body.

(a――)

Each time Sumika felt a sensation of being filled with magic power that wasn’t her inside her body.

Before long, that change also began to appear in the girl’s external appearance.

Her golden hair that was tinged with light transformed silver.

Her white eyeball became jet black that absorbed light, her blue pupil changed color into golden inside that jet black color like a moon that was shining in the night sky.

Sumika’s cut off arms were also finished regenerating with the process of that change.

Her fallen arms floated up as if time was being rewound, fastened themselves at the cut flesh, , then the pieces of paper of <Liber Legis> clung at the cut line as if to cover over it and healed that wound.

She returned to her previous condition without any change at all.

“This, is……”

{<Half God Transformation>. Your and my bodies are fused temporarily. The magic power and the magic power vein too are using mine and yours at the same time, so a wound of that level can be healed immediately.}

“Amazing……! Is this the secret of Homura-san’s strength?”

Looking at the powerful magic power of god that was surging out from inside her body, Sumika asked Vel who was directly speaking into her brain.

Vel displayed a blunt irritation at that question.

{Great fail. Master doesn’t need something like my power. If we do something like fusion then I will be the one dragging Master down and make him weaker instead. But this is just right for someone who is weak like you from the start as a training wheel.}

Her slightly sulky voice was surely because she was thinking that Sumika was making fun of Homura.

His strength until the end was his own true strength.

Vel gave that cynical reminder to Sumika.

“A, ahaha, thank you for your consideration……”

Even while making a wry smile to that cynic of Vel, Sumika thought.

Although Vel was the avatar of that Great Old One, just as she thought this girl was thinking of Homura dearly.

Yes. Just like her.

Then, ――they should be able to work together well.

With that conviction in her heart, Sumika once again aimed her gun muzzle at the enemy before her eyes.

In contrast,

“<The Crawling Chaos>. You, shouldn’t you not giving any assistance to human?’

Repelled by the <Elder Sign>, Gabriel who was falling back a little showed a definite disgust on his face that was without eyes and mouth toward Vel’s intervention.

To this, Vel replied with words, not through Sumika’s mouth but by vibrating the air with magic power.

{That is something that a different [I] said. I don’t remember saying anything like that. After all [We] are by no means moving under a single unifying thought without exception.}

“……Well fine. In any case I have no intention of letting an existence associated with the Great Old One to remain in the kingdom of god. Right now in this place, you will perish together with this failure of <Evil God User> by this Gabriel’s hand.”

After saying that as if spitting out, Gabriel’s body deeply sunk, he raised his wings high.

It wasn’t the stance that looked unmoving in a glance until now.

Although the enemy was just a single body amongst the million avatars, it was still an existence of <The Outer GODS> with spirit status higher than even <Archangel>.

Gabriel too had no intention of fighting like a cuddling with playful children like what he had done this far.

Against the hostility of this <Archangel>,

{What a coincidence. ――I too, don’t have any intention of letting all of you who killed Master to live.}

Bring it on. Inside Sumika’s mind, Vel’s beautiful look that was like a doll,

{Prepare yourself. You won’t have an easy death.}

As if drawing a red of blood color made from boiling down every kind of sadistic emotions, Vel made an extremely gruesome scornful laugh that made one felt repulsive.

“HAA-!”

Right after that, Gabriel kicked the ground in the form that bought Vel’s provocation and swung his arm blade at Sumika.

Even following that movement was beyond the power of human body’s spec, a six slash from left and right in different dimension.

But, Sumika stepped to left and right through this six brutal blades and dodged safely.

(I can see it……! The movement of Gabriel that I couldn’t see at all just now!)

Sumika’s flesh that had gone through <Half God Transformation> was also wasn’t something human anymore.

Therefore she could follow the offense and defense in this dimension.

{Sumika is above even me if it’s about battle experience. I will entrust the body’s leadership to you, so fight just like what you have done until now. I will devote myself to support.}

“I understand!”

Sumika had made her move faster than even her answer.

So that the surface wouldn’t get swallowed by their battle’s destruction, she activated her <Air Raid> and soared to the sky.

At the same time the revolvers she held in her hands rubbed together like striking a flint, the magazines slide away.

After that,

“<Quick Draw>!”

By using the Hero Skill that possessed the divine protection of instantaneous hit, three <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> each in the left and right returned the favor of the six slashes.

Not a single shot among them missed and impacted Gabriel’s body. The bullets carved gunshot wound,

“Nuh, NUaAAA!?”

At the same time Gabriel leaked out pained cry that he had never done until now.

“This is……!”

When he looked, it was as if acid was exposed to the gunshot wound, The gray silver body of Gabriel changed color to black and was being dissolved muddily.

Giving a glance at that phenomenon, Sumika who possessed abundant knowledge in regard of the abyss understood.

“Poison of Gla’aki……!”

{Correct. The poison of Gla’aki dirtied the soul. It’s immediately effective against angel with high spirit status.}

Yes. Vel enchanted the poison of Gla’aki inside the <Hi Hi’iro no Kane> bullet that Sumika fired.

The poison of the divinity called Gla’aki degraded the living into an undead without any will, it was an evil deadly poison that blasphemed life.

It would cause strong reaction against the virtuous soul of <Archangel> just by a touch on the skin.

But,

“Don’t think that Gabriel will fall to something of this level……!”

Gabriel held down the intense pain scorching his body with willpower.

And then radiance surged out from his face that was like a sphere,

“<Megiddo Flame>-!”

<Megiddo Flame> focused until it became white aurora was unleashed at Sumika who was running to the sky.

That radiance couldn’t be compared in thickness against the one Raphael had.

If she was swallowed by that, she wouldn’t stay whole even with her <Half God> state.

Therefore Sumika immediately attempted to evade with <Air Raid>, but――

{It’s fine to not escape.}

“-!?”

Instantly, Vel who stole the leadership of the body from Sumika held back her movement.

As the result, Sumika didn’t move into dodging maneuver and received the scorching heat of the aurora that fully filled her field of vision.

Great flower of light and flame bloomed at the sky in the same time with the impact.

The white aurora together with the gushing out wind blast filled the whole area of Tokyo life sphere with radiance where the people couldn’t even recognize color.

Inside that radiance,

“KAAAaAAA-!!!!”

Gabriel moved.

The blade of his left arm changed shape into something like a thin knight lance.

He saw it.

The instant Sumika was swallowed by the flash, Vel who possessed Sumika deployed the black barrier that blocked his slash before.

The enemy was still alive inside this light.

Together with that conviction, Gabriel thrust his arm that had changed into a knight lance and soared the sky.

The heart was gouged inside the radiance.

“Kuah!”

At the same time with the scream, a feedback returned, the sensation of flesh being pierce wetly.

Before long the light was gone and the scenery returned to before,

“Leader-!”

“Missy-!?”

Even in the eyes of Sumika’s comrades who looked up at the two rising to the sky, the scene of Gabriel’s spear piercing through Sumika’s chest was reflected.

And then the scene of Sumika who was pierced became muddy iridescent color and spilling down from the spear like a melting mud was also reflected.

“Teke lili! Teke lili!”

“This is, ……<Shogoth>!”

Gabriel clicked his tongue at the mocking voice.

Looking at the sky that lost its light, there were more than thirty Sumika floating around him.

They were <Shogoth> that was transformed as disturbance.

{Do you know which is the real one?}

{You insolent-!}

Vel’s question that was filled with a lot of sarcasm was responded by Gabriel with cutting tone like a blade.

“I just need to pierce them all!”

And then against the similar clones deploying in the sky.

Gabriel was skewering one after another the clones with spear handling that was like flash.

In the blink of eye their heart and head were gouged, the <Shogoths> became mud and fell to the ground.

In the first place they were just clones made of underling species, there was no way they could make any considerable opposition.

“With this, it’s the end!”

Finally the last one, ――so to speak the real Sumika’s forehead was also pierced by the grey sliver spear.

At the same time,

{The answer is, ――all miss.}

“――!?”

The last one was also became muddy iridescent mud and crumbled down.

And then,

Open from the outer space o the person judging the boundary of phenomenon

Gabriel heard that spell from behind him.

When he turned around in panic, Sumika whose shoulder had a hole gouged there with blood trickling was entering the shooting posture for <Grim Bullet>.

Yes. After the girl got pierced at the very first turn, she transformed into <Shogoth> and took Gabriel’s back.

Gabriel also noticed that trick now, but the time was already too――

“Come from the interstice of dark and heaven! <The Person who Tear Away the Wall>――Daoloth!!”

Gabriel’s chest was pierced by the strength of Great Old One that exiled Raphael to beyond space-time.

“Nu, o, ooOoOO, o, o, o oOO!?!?”

Wrung and wrung, like a thick rubber string forcefully being twisted before raising an unpleasant sound, the hole opened on his chest was sucking Gabriel’s body like a vortex.

Gabriel couldn’t give a satisfactory opposition just like where Raphael was having this done to him, he was being swallowed into the other side of the veil,

“ tsu, o――――”

Finally his figure vanished from in front of Sumika.

Nowhere in this universe, the empty space where no space, no time, no concept, nothing existed at all.

Gabriel was dragged into the territory of Daoloth.

That was, what supposed to happen.

But,

――Do you know the meaning of the name Gabriel? ――

“Ka, -……!?”

Right after such question shook the atmosphere, Sumika felt the sensation of her stomach pierced by sharp impact.

When she looked, gray silver spear was piercing her navel as if to excavate it.

Sumika drew back in panic to pull the spear out and opened her eyes wide in shock.

Because the spear was extending out from a black hole that was trying to swallow and isolate everything.

Before long, not only the spear, but an arm sword also thrust out from that hole.

And then those two things wrenched open the cramped hole with brute force while,

“It means god is my strength……-!”

The hole was torn off to left and right.

The grey silver angel Gabriel possessed peerless physical strength entrusted to him along with that name from god, he returned back from the territory of Daoloth by sheer strength.

Sumika who didn’t think that <Grim Bullet> could possibly be defeated lost all her thought power for an instant.

Gabriel didn’t miss that agitation of Sumika.

Flapping his wings with feathers that were like blade, he thrust his spear at Sumika once again.

{Sumika-!}

“――!”

Vel’s voice somehow made Sumika returned to her senses and she continued to evade Gabriel’s thrusts left and right while,

Firing her <Quick Draw> in a counterattack,

All bullets impacted the head of Gabriel who became defenseless from moving to offense.

On top of that the magic bullets that were tinged with divine poison of Gla’aki blown away Gabriel’s head.

However――

(He’s not stopping-!)

Even with his head lost, Gabriel still charged straight at Sumika and his arm sword flashed horizontally to bisect her.

{<Radiant Trapezohedron>}

But the swung blade was repelled with scattered sparks.

It was because Vel deployed a barrier that was like a black diamond around Sumika.

“Yo, you saved me……!”

{Not even that. A slash can be stopped but, a spear with its power concentrate in one point is――}

Unblockable.

The moment Vel informed her with voice that was oozing frustration, Gabriel traced the worst scenario.

“It’s the end with this. O detestable god……-!”

Even with his head lost, Gabriel announced that with his usual tone and stabbed his spear.

The gray silver spear easily pierced the <Radiant Trapezohedron> and ran at Sumika’s heart.

There was no time to evade anumore.

――That was why, Sumika resolved herself and closed her eyelids.

“――――!?”

Instantly, Gabriel’s thrust lost its mark and stabbed empty air.

That was natural.

Because Sumika was separated from Gabriel for a hundred meter.

She moved within an instant.

No.

The girl [vanished] and [appeared].

She disassembled her own existence into imaginary unit for once and then she reconstructed her own existence at the designated coordinate using quantum teleport.

{The grand sorcery that combined dimension element and time element fifth rank――<Teleport>. I never thought that a human other than Master that can use that exist. I should say, as expected. If you are not a magician that can at least use that, then there is no worth for me in doing this.}

The sorcery of Homura that she witnessed only once at the battle with Jambure.

Vel sent a praise at the genius sense of Sumika who showed how she reproduced that only by watching.

Although the way she said that was a little dishonest, Vel who was joined with Sumika communicated her praise whose talent filled her heart with admiration.

To that Sumika was,

“Thank you……. But I cannot do that for the second time……”

She returned a wry smile while bleeding from the corner of her eye.

Fifth rank sorcery that was the pinnacle of sorcery for mankind, furthermore combining two sorceries of that fifth rank, was originally a grand sorcery that couldn’t be used by anyone other than an <Ultimate One> like Homura, yet Sumika used it without any rehearsal at all. Although her body was going through <Half God Transformation>, the reparation exacted from her was great, just using that sorcery once burdened Sumika so much that it felt like a part of her brain had melted.

And then――

“You don’t know when to give up. Resign yourself already. With the power of Great Old One that isn’t even completely summoned, this Gabriel won’t be defeated-!”

Gabriel who grew new head in the blink of eye mercilessly gave chase at Sumika who was in the brink of being worn out.

In comparison Sumika didn’t have any more card she could play.

Although Gla’aki’s poison inflicted intense pain temporarily, it wouldn’t affect Gabriel’s life.

Even her trump card the <Grim Bullet> didn’t work, on top of that she didn’t know what she should do.

But even so,

“……”

Sumika readied her gun.

Exactly as Gabriel said, certainly this might be nothing more than vain struggle.

However,

She knew of the miracle that visited at any time those who continued to struggle unsightly, not giving up in the middle of despair.

And then――, it was exactly at the next moment that it happened.

ia ia hasutaa

hasutaa kufuayaku……burugutomu

“ “-…………!?” “

Voice. Several tens of million roaring chorus from the bottom of earth shook the sky, reaching the ear of Sumika and Gabriel.

Because both of them knew the meaning of those words of underworld, the both stopped all their movement altogether and directed their gaze at the direction of the voice, ――underneath Tokyo life sphere below them.

And then,

(Thi, this is……-!)

Sumika noticed.

Tokyo life sphere below.

Nine defensive wall extending to the sky making the shape of the letter ‘V’.

Vel murmured in relieve toward that sight.

{Just in time.}

She said.

Part 4

A short while after the battle against Gabriel began.

Inside the command room of geofront, Vel summoned Kinugasa and Elfiena who were commanding the human and fairy respectively and gave a proposal.

The proposal that could become the trump card in the fight against Gabriel. That was――

{Making the refugees of geofront, to summon Great Old One, you say……!?}

Vel replied with a nod toward the dumbfounded Kinugasa.

{Yes. ……<Grim Bullet> Hoshikawa Sumika is an excellent magician. I understand that. But in the end that’s only within the frame of mankind, she is not out of the norm like Master. She is far away from the <Ultimate One>. Gabriel won’t be defeated by the strength of Sumika. To defeat Gabriel, there is no other way except by fully summoning Great Old One like what Master did all this time when he defeated <Demon King class>. And then……, in order to do that the power of number is needed.}

{But, the people who know nothing of sorcery, can they really summon Great Old One?}

This doubt of Elfiena was most correct.

All the people who took refugee in geofront couldn’t use sorcery.

Every human was in possession of magic power in the shape of their soul, but there was only a handful of people who had the making to use sorcery, so to speak the magic power vein in order to manipulate magic power.

However Vel answered that there was no problem in regard to this question.

{The <Fairy Queen> will take the role as the <priest> that will chant the spell. It will be fine if you do it. The normal human who escape to the underground will extol the Great Old One as <believer> and give their reverence. If they do that, Great Old One will respond to their voice and appear from the abyss.}

Vel informed them.

Originally the summoning of evil god was something performed by a great number of people.

People like Homura and Sumika, who manipulated the power of Great Old One alone by themselves were――

{Wrong in the head.}

{I, isn’t that too harsh!?}

{That’s the fact so it can’t be helped.}

Vel declared bluntly without holding back.

{With the strength of the refugees who are approximately eighty million in number, we will summon the Great Old One completely. There is no other way for mankind to survive other than that.}

She once again pressed on the two.

Elfiena immediately showed her will that was in favor to this.

{……Let’s do it! Kinugasa-san! With our strength! After all this is a battle that staked the survival of all the living being that are living in this land!}

{Elfiena-sama……}

After Kinugasa showed a manner of pondering for a little while,

{I understand. I will take the responsibility to bring together the people.}

He promised his cooperation.

Before long Kinugasa made all the people gathering in the shelter district of geofront to memorize the words of praise to the Great Old one that Vel wrote up, he made them do that with a little obscured presentation that it was a charm for helping the soldiers of national defense army who was fighting in the surface.

Believing that it would become a help to the people fighting, they yelled as loud as they could

ia ia hasutaa! ia ia hasutaa!

hasutaa kufuayaku burukutomu bugutoragurun burugutomu

ai ai hasutanaa!

It was repeated more than a hundred times.

“Ah……”

At the top of the defensive wall that was raised up in V-shape following Vel’s instruction.

The presence of Elfiena waiting for opportunity, standing on a crest that was like three question marks crossed with each other painted with yellow paint at the basement space, could be felt.

――Being guided by the words of praise that were offered highly and highly, the presence of gigantic sinister tentacles creeping close with thundering roar from the surface of the abyss.

Even for Elfinea who lived in the demon world, it was an aura that made her felt dread.

But if they didn’t obtain the cooperation of this supernatural existence, they wouldn’t have any future.

That was why she bit the lips that were trembling in fright strongly once and killed her trembling with pain, then she chanted the chanting taught to her by Vel amidst the praising voices that were resounding like tremor.

Listen from the far away Aldebaran o person that is hard to describe

The seething stars shining brilliantly in blasphemy informing to thy the time of fate

The crown prince of evil o god of shepherd

Deep below the black thorn lake the chain arresting thy for eternity was severed

Now is the time with fury with hatred dye the abominable Petrugius with blood

Those were the words to wake up the divinity sleeping at the bottom of lake of the far away thorn lake of Aldebaran.

And then――

“Come clad in the clothes of wind! <The King in Yellow> Hastur!!”

The god sleeping at the end of space responded to this call.

Suddenly, the iridescent clouds enshrouding the sky of Eihort’s labyrinth space were penetrated, yellow flashes were pouring down to the ground.

The number was nine. They pierced the defensive walls lined on the ground modeling the Taurus constellation, binding the sky and ground.

The formed shape was path of star.

An enormous person with height that was approximately a kilometer, clad in yellow clothes, as if he was invited by the sing of praise resounding from below the ground was walking the path with his overcoat swaying while descending down to Tokyo life sphere from the far away Aldebaran.

That was exactly the leader of wind spirit commencing with <God of Storm> Ithaqua.

<The King in Yellow> Hastur.

And then the gigantic Great Old One of wind that appeared moved its head that was covered with hood and directed its sight to Gabriel.

――From the depth of the hood’s darkness, red eye gleam lit up.

Right after that, overpowering hostility that was even accompanied by mass struck Gabriel.

The hostility of this Great Old One made Gabriel exposed anger incomparable with before.

“Depraved god! To dare to obstruct our salvation, you are better off just sleeping in the bottom of your dark lake!”

With his whole body trembling and shining red eye gleam from the depth of his white face, Gabriel spread his wings largely.

And then he struck the wind with those wings and obtained explosive propulsion.

Gabriel rode his spear in that charging force and lunged at Hastur.

His aim was the location that seemed to be where the heart was if it was human.

That sharpness was exactly like a falling star.

Its power was incomparable with the thrust that attacked Sumika.

Hastur didn’t even attempt to dodge that,

――――fuh

Like that, a breath was blown from under the hood.

Just like putting out the fire of a candle, it caused a small, gentle wind.

Merely just with that, the whole body of the approaching Gabriel was attacked with an impact as if he was struck by steel hammer, his four limbs, his wings, head, all became dented like a pulp, causing him to lose his speed and balance.

“~~~~~~~~~~–!”

Gabriel lost his consciousness for an instant from the excessive shock.

But, he was also the <Archangel> who received the name with the meaning of <God is my strength>.

He immediately recovered his consciousness and his wings that were crushed flat and wet with blood spread out even then, supporting his body that was falling to the ground, he then once again glared at the sworn enemy that ran counter to his god.

However――

And then Gabriel suddenly noticed.

Inside the instant when he fainted, Hastur surrounded himself with tornado around him and by creating the prison of wind,

“ugh――――!”

In order to escape from the prison of wind that Hastur created, Gabriel swung his arm sword at the tornado wall.

The arm sword cut through the wall of tornado in a flash smoothly.

But, ――the wall was still there, he didn’t make a single tear.

That was only natural.

After all what was bisected was Gabriel’s arm sword.

Even so Gabriel didn’t give up, he stabbed his remaining lance but it gave the same result.

Starting from the tip of lance that touched the wall of tornado, the part was minced apart even finer than dust by the rotating blade of wind before they were blown away in the wind.

It was just like a pneumatic drill.

And then, as if to torment him that blade of pneumatic drill was little by little, little by little, the space inside the tornado was becoming smaller shaving――

“OoO, OA, hh!?”

First was the outer skin that was like grey silver metal.

Next was the red flesh formed from muscle running below that skin.

Finally even the silver bone protected by the flesh.

Shave shave, shave shave, so on.

Gabriel was being scarped on without mercy.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA–!!!!”

The intense pain of being scraped alive was hard to endure even for an <Archangel>, Gabriel attempted to escape from the wind prison while being half-mad.

But, it was absolutely pointless.

His punching arm, his kicking leg, his striking shoulder too, everything was only getting scarped by the tornado starting from the body part touching the shaver. Before long,

“HasturAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

The moment Gabriel yelled with cursing voice.

*PAN-*

Hastur knocked together his tentacle hands in front of his body.

As if killing a buzzing fly.

Gabriel that was struck between both hands from that died instantly without even time to scream his death throes. Everything inside his body, flesh and blood were spurted out, becoming remains that was only skin clinging at the surface of the tentacle.

Even that wretched remains was immediately abducted by the wind and the threat called Gabriel was gone leaving no trace behind.

What remained in the sky was only the Great Old One with its yellow clothes flapping in the wind and Sumika.

<Archangel> Gabriel had vanished from this land.

That fact made the soldiers of national defense army opened their mouth to yell in joy.

――So that is the answer of all of you, o children of man――

“ “ “–…………!?!?” “ “

Right after, cascade of white aurora scattering away the sky and pouring downward crushed the <The King in Yellow>.

Part 5

The cascade of light that suddenly poured from the sky.

When one looked carefully, that was a gigantic sphere of white light.

That thing which was shining bright just like comet crushed Hastur in a flash.

Hastur reached out its tentacle that was wrapped in deep green liquid from underneath its yellow overcoat, its action that was trying to ward off the light wasn’t even granted.

Just how much weight that light could possibly have?

Hastur that was sandwiched between the sphere that was like a gigantic star and the ground had its body burst open here and there from the pressure that crushed his body, splattering sticky liquid everywhere.

{■■■, ■■■■,■■■■■――――――}

In the end, the Great Old One of Aldebaran looked up at the source of the light that pierced through the sky and raised an unpleasant voice that tore the eardrum while being crushed by the white aurora――

Right after that, a gigantic light explosion occurred, giving birth to a blast of light that painted white color and sound, even everything.

Draft of light blowing violently.

There was no heat there, but the radiant light burn Sumika’s eyeball even from behind the eyelid.

“–~~~~~~!”

Just what in the world happened.

The national defense army intently endured the generated explosion while understanding nothing.

Before long after the storm of light continued for around a minute, the light that showed through the other side of the eyelid settled down.

The storm had passed.

Thinking that, Sumika and others finally opened their eyes.

“Eh……”

They were speechless.

Because the color of the sky changed.

The iridescent clouds, and the wasteland that was spreading without end vanished, what was spreading before their eyes was the familiar night sky and mountain range.

The visible constellation. The shape of the mountain belt. The shape of the ruin.

There should be no way for them to mistake any of it.

Over there was the homeland of Sumika and others.

Kanto region of Honshu island of Japan archipelago.

Because it was the place where Tokyo life sphere originally existed.

――Yes, the labyrinth of Eihort was scattered away.

“――――…………”

That fact made Sumika convinced.

The person slaying Hastur who was said to rival even <The Great Cthulhu> and <The Crawling Chaos> even among the <Great Old One>, and not stopping with that that person also brought about destruction to the degree that scatter away even the labyrinth of Eihort, there was nobody else remained that could do that but one person.

The last enemy was finally starting to move.

The strongest <Archangel> that was gifted with the name that had the meaning which sounded like <He who seemed equal to god>――

“……Michael…………-!”

Sumika detestably said that name and looked at the night sky.

Under the great triangle of the summer, at the height that looked down at everything, he was there.

The angel who possessed six golden wings.

Different from Raphael and Gabriel, the apostle of god that manifested in this earth possessing perfect flesh.

The <Archangel> Michael was there.

“……Why, don’t you all believe in the salvation of the great father? O children of man……”

――While tear of sadness was wetting that cheek.

Final Chapter

Part 1

After the light that covered everything, the summer sky they were familiar with was spreading before their view.

Under those stars, an angel with six wings emitting golden radiance was floating.

With the release of the holy magic of separation and lethargy released with the extermination of Gabriel, the soldiers of national defense army whose consciousness and body returned to normal looked up at that and murmured fearfully.

“That’s……isn’t that the angel that attacked the city?”

“That guy……he defeated that huge monster just like that……?”

“Even though he is that far, ……my breath, feels choking……-“

Hearing the murmurs that were audible form the ground, Sumika thought that it was only natural.

The reason was because the <Archangel> Michael was an existence that defeated even the <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura who subdued all the Great Old One who were forever unchanging.

And then such Michael was,

“……Why, can’t you believe in the salvation of the great father? O children of man……. Even though in there is an eternal future, where all of you can contribute to the happiness and prosperity of the race that is mankind, despite this honor without compare that is waiting for you yet why……”

Large drop of tear was shed from the eyes without pupil while he was speaking with trembling voice.

This tear wasn’t something that came from the leaking out emotion of Shiori who he had taken in.

This was the sorrow of none other than Michael himself.

The heart of Michael was being enveloped in sadness right now.

――He wanted to save.

The fleeting lives that were trampled down by demons in this earth, and yet still bravely continue to live.

By guiding them to the new land that was the kingdom of god.

For that sake he came from the heaven to this land, clad in the vessel of flesh.

But――

“Even that is a pipe dream already. ……The reason is, because all of you has committed great sin.

Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesars. Return unto God the things which are God’s as is natural.

If the great father has decided to make those lives as the land of the kingdom, it is only a matter of course to obey that and offer your life.

Despite so all of you reject that return, in addition you seek salvation from evil god.”

Michael judged.

That it was something unforgivable.

“Those souls are already bearing stain. That stain is something unremovable as long as you haven’t pass reincarnation. Therefore, all of you cannot be given the honor of being the foundation of the great father’s kingdom anymore. And then……in the kingdom that the great father will build, place for people bearing stain to live also, doesn’t exist.”

The moment they relied not at the god of Michael and the angels, but the Great Old One named Hastur, the fate of all the people in Tokyo life sphere was decided.

There was no more salvation for them.

With those stained souls, they weren’t proper for the glorious task of offering those lives as the foundation of god’s kingdom.

Therefore,

“To reach this situation where there is nothing that can be done, there is only one thing that I can offer to all of you. In place of the great father, with the means of baptism of light I can only get rid of that sin altogether with those lives of all of you――”

Announcing that, Michael lifted both his hands to the heaven.

Instantly, white radiance that didn’t emit heat was produced above his both hands, that light swelled up in a flash. The summer night was erased in front of that radiance, before long it expanded into a gigantic lump of light with a diameter of one kilometer, illuminating the ground of Tokyo as if it was in the middle of day.

There was no doubt, it was the holy magic that slayed Hastur just now.

Witnessing the destructive magic power filled into that once again,

(What, unbelievable magic power……!)

Sumika felt the moisture in her throat evaporating from her great nervousness.

{Before Hastur and Eihort were between us and him, so the ground is safe. But……if that thing hit, Tokyo life sphere and the geofront too won’t go through this in one piece……!}

“I won’t let you……-!”

The end that Vel hinted at.

In order to avoid that conclusion, Sumika who was the nearest with Micahel moved.

The guns of <Liber Legis> that she readied in both hands, she pulled their triggers and in the blink of eye three bullets each hit Michael’s forehead and heart.

But,

“…………”

Michael didn’t even flinch, he was merely, showing sorrow in his pitying pupil-less eyes,

“Holy Magic――<Setting Sun>”

<Who is Like God>――the characteristic holy magic granted to Michael by god together with that name, was invoked.

That holy magic was the day of the apocalypse that eventually came.

It was the power of god used with the authority as god’s agent that should be employed in the occasion where the earth surface would be destroyed until nothing remained.

Focusing the power of god, forming luminous body possessing the mass in the scale of a single asteroid, followed by,

“This radiance is the drop of tear of the great father. At the very least in your last moment, know of the great father’s fury and sorrow, and also of his greatness.”

He dropped that to the ground, the super heavyweight magic attack in the scale of anti-planet.

Against the invocation of that holy magic, Vel leaked out lamentation into Sumika’s consciousness.

{……This is our defeat. There is nothing else that can be done against this.}

The power that crushed even <The King in Yellow> Hastur.

For her who was nothing more than a single avatar of <The Crawling Chaos>, she understood that there was nothing that could be done already. Much less of human’s hand, this wasn’t an object that could be dealt with somehow, Vel said.

However,

“Even if this is a reality that couldn’t possibly be overturned no matter how hard you struggle, ……I’m still not in the mood of just saying ‘oh, I see’ and obediently accept it. Until the very last moment, no matter how meaningless or unsightly it is, I will continue to fight. Just who is going to let everything will go as planned by the foe of Homura-san right before my eyes. ――How about you?”

After Sumika declared that, the guns on both her hands changed into paper scrap and she became barehanded.

These provoking words of Sumika made Vel showed a small smile to her for the first time.

{Fine then. I’ll accompany you. Right now, you are my master.}

“Thank you very much……-!”

And then, with the greatest output of her <Air Raid> Sumika went around and cut in right before――the sphere of light falling toward the surface――<Setting Sun>, and deployed the <Radiant Trapezohedron>.

“HAaAAAAA――――――–!!!!”

She blocked the <Setting Sun> with all her might.

But――

(He, heavy……-! As if, a planet is really falling on me……!)

The <Setting Sun> didn’t care of the propulsion of the <Air Raid> and pushed down Sumika’s body to the ground.

It didn’t slow down for even a bit.

However that too was only natural.

Because right now Sumika was pushing up a comet with diameter of one kilometer with the power of human.

Such sight even looked comical.

However, there was no one who was laughing to that comical appearance.

“Leader! I too will help!”

“I’m not going to let you doing anything rash by yourself!”

“Roze! We are going too!”

“Yeah! Just have one arm here but, that’s still better than none at all right!”

“Don’t let a girl doing physical labor by herself! You idiots follow them――――-!”

“ “ “OOOO-!!!!” “ “

Looking at Sumika’s action, all the people on the ground that could fly follow after her.

“If something like this fall on the ground then geofront will get crushed flat! Don’t let it drop at any cost!”

“Spirit! Push it back with your spirit!”

“Heave ho-! Heave ho-!”

Not just human.

The fairies dwelling inside the weapons were also flew out from the weapon and tried to push back the <Setting Sun> with frantic efforts.

Looking down at such humans from high in the sky,

“Foolish……. So you cannot even let your sin be rinsed obediently.”

Michael expressed his disappointment.

It was something incomprehensible for Michael who possessed eternal life.

Just why did the humans hated death until this far.

“In death, you will only lose your current personality at best, isn’t this only a process where you will be reborn as another personality? If your sin is cleansed and you are reborn, you can even be granted with eternal life in god’s kingdom, and yet……for an imperfect life that will be gone in several dozen years even without anyone doing anything, why are you all taken captive until this far?”

To the question of this angel,

“Because there is someone who saved, that crude lives of ours……-!”

Sumika answered.

“Certainly it’s just as you angels said, this existence called human is tiny and weak.

Even strong soul like all of you, doesn’t have eternal life.

But, exactly because of that, inside this chain of fleeting life we are inheriting their dying wish.

Right now, we are standing on top of the sacrifice of the heroes who continued to fight, wishing for the happiness of everybody.

Then, there is no way we can just giving up……!”

Everyone that was here right now understood that.

The dying wish of Homura.

The dying wish of Dorothy.

The feeling of their dead comrades.

Everyone was aware that they were standing in this place carrying those things.

For that reason,

“This time it’s our turn to protect the things that they were trying to protect……!

We are not just burden that will only keep getting protected!

As the comrade in arms of them, carrying the same will, standing in the same ground……-!

Until the very last moment, this obstinacy will keep persisting……–!”

“Oy comrades-!”

“For those guys that has died, just who is going to give up here huh-!”

“This Tokyoplace is our home! Don’t think that we will let slide demon or angel doing whatever they pleased!”

The surrounding magicians continued after Sumika’s pledge.

After that, even the soldiers that were left behind on the ground also began to send their support as loud as they could.

There was no grief in the face of anybody in this place.

Rather, all of them were even being in exaltation.

Standing in the place that surpassed even hope and despair, yet even so they displayed the will to continue fighting, in that figures of their comrades, everyone here was feeling it.

The strength of the race called mankind. That magnificence.

Even if their strength was weak individually, they owned strength that could face this much despair from the front in their unity. This beauty.

And then everyone was thinking.

This magnificent pride, they didn’t want to lose it.

That was why they shook off their resignation, they strained their voices, with all the strength as much as they could possibly muster.

However,

“It’s futile……”

That scene, was as expected truly something comical for Michael.

It was just like ants trying to stand up against elephant, a scene that made him even felt pity.

He already couldn’t even bring himself to keep looking at the mankind’s pointless struggle, Michael stuck out his arm at Tokyo life sphere below his eyes.

In order to make doubly sure, he was going to add driving force to the <Setting Sun>.

But, right after that――

“-……!?”

He opened wide his white eyes and his whole body stiffened.

It was as though, heat that was like his blood vessel burned and lead was flowing in, at the same time with the cooling and hardening of that heat caused Michael’s body to be stiffened.

Just what in the world happened?

He didn’t think of that question.

Because an existence that could do this kind of interference toward his body was,

――there was only one.

“So even you are resisting…… Onjouji Shiori.”

Part 2

Onjouji Shiori was born in the bottom of the kettle of hell.

The research lab for the sake of creating <Angel Soldier> possessing superhuman sorcery aptitude from angel’s DNA.

Shiori was experimental body born through artificial insemination as the guinea pig there.

Inside the cramped cage of a hollowed rock. Every day she continuously went through the torture called [adjustment] where her human flesh was killed once and then regenerated as angel flesh.

There were only a few people who could endure that excessive agony, that all the experiment body other than Shiori passed away.

It was at that kind of time.

The <Knight Order Without Border> dispatched <Book Burning Squad> and burned everything of the facility and the research result to ash.

But that didn’t mean that they were Shiori’s ally.

The order that <Book Burning Squad> carried was the complete book burning of <Angel Soldier Project>.

To remove the project itself from history.

Naturally, ――it was including the removal of the children that were the experimental body.

Just what kind of threat the children in possession of the flesh and blood of angel would bring to this world.

Because no one knew what would happen, in was decided that it was safer to just get rid of the children.

But――

{I will take responsibility for your future. ――That’s why, live.}

Just a person.

Whether it was this world’s justice or evil, everything persecuted the girl, just when she was about to be killed.

There was only one person, standing in front of Shiori and the man of <Gold and Silver Mystic Eyes> who led the <Book Burning Squad>, a boy who protected Shiori.

There was a boy who kindly embraced her, and became her place where she belonged.

There was nobody else.

It was Kamishiro Homura when he belonged with <Book Burning Squad>.

Shiori sobbed, wrapped in Homura’s scent.

Shiori believed that it was exactly the first cry of her birth.

Benefactor. Their relation wasn’t something that light.

The whole time since that day, Homura was everything in the world for Shiori.

That was why……something like a world where that Homura didn’t exist, didn’t hold Shiori’s interest.

Even with herself was going to vanish like this as a part of Michael was something that didn’t matter.

However――

{This time it’s our turn to protect the things that they were trying to protect……!

We are not just burden that will only keep getting protected!

As the comrade in arms of them, carrying the same will, standing in the same ground……-!}

Through the senses of Michael’s body that she shared, that voice flowed into her consciousness.

The voice, and the words, of the leader of the platoon she belonged to, of the girl who loved the same man with her, made Shiori recalled.

The memory After <Walpurgis Night>. In the empty room of Homura, who shouldered all the negatives alone by himself and left Japan without leaving even a word to her, where she was crying while regretting.

At that time, Shiori couldn’t become the place where Homura could belong.

She couldn’t become an existence that Homura could think as someone he wanted to be together with.

That was why she vowed.

The next time they met, ――she wouldn’t let it become this kind of joke anymore.

If she couldn’t reach him by the strength of herself alone, then she would even borrow the strength of other.

That no matter what happened, she wouldn’t let him be alone for the second time.

Yet――

Only herself who vowed that, had given up of it.

She was getting drunk alone in grief.

In this kind of time where everyone was succeeding Homura’s dying wish, where they were desperately fighting as the comrade in arms carrying the same will as him.

Pathetic.

Onjouji Shiori. Is your feeling only something to that degree?

――No.

She loves Homura more than anyone.

Yes. Even more than Ichinotani Chikori, or Hoshikawa Sumika. All this time!

She loves him all this time since the long time ago.

Then, she mustn’t lose!

{I too, will fight……-!}

Shiori who resolved herself so extended her nerve from the wall of flesh that crucified her body, with her will she treaded steel knitting at Michael’s body and stole the control.

Thereupon, the <Setting Sun> that was falling down until now with overwhelming mass was declining in momentum.

“The force is settling down a little!”

“Attaboy! Push it back just like this!”

“Heave ho-! Heave ho-!”

The people abruptly got spirited to this feedback and they lifted up the falling star.

During that,

“So even you are resisting……. Onjouji Shiori.”

Sumika was certainly hearing such words from the other side of the light.

“Onjouji……!? Don’t tell me, Shiori-san!? Are you here!?”

When she called out, a voice reply came from inside Michael in the form of mind transmission.

{Even though it hasn’t been a day or two, it feels like it has been really a long time since I hear your voice, leader.}

“I’m glad……! So you are safe!”

{No. Unfortunately I cannot say that I am safe. I am being absorbed by Michael and it doesn’t look like I can escape with my own strength. ――But, because right now my body is one with him there is also something that I can do. From now on I’m hacking Michael’s body and steal his freedom. Just for a few seconds. In that opening, please decide the battle.}

“…………!”

Sumika didn’t know of Shiori’s destiny, of the blood of angel flowing inside the girl.

That was why it was impossible for her to understand about the current situation of why Michael was absorbing Shiori.

However there was only one thing that she understood.

This teammate, wouldn’t speak of anything that she couldn’t do.

She was always like that.

Shiori showed how she perfectly accomplished only her role that she spoke about.

――However,

“……But with that Shiori-san will”

Even if she somehow created an opening against Michael, if she shot <Grim Bullet> with Shiori still inside him, then Shiori would be destroyed altogether with him.

Sumika showed hesitation to that fact. But,

{Please. Please also let me, to persist to my obstinacy as human.}

Shiori said that as if to dash over Sumika’s words.

Exactly because she was born as angel, that she wanted to live as a human.

That brief sentence, because of the girl’s birth, was carrying weight that got through even to other person who didn’t even know of her circumstance.

――It severed Sumika’s hesitation.

“I understand……! Chikori-san! Everyone! I’m counting on you for this place!”

“Just leave it to us!”

“We are counting on you! Missy!”

Like this, Sumika departed for the last attack.

She flew around the <Setting Sun> and rushed toward Michael who was looking down on mankind from high in the sky.

At the same time Shiori also moved.

(In delicate magic power control, there is no one superior than me……!)

The magic power vein existing inside Michael’s body.

She flowed in her magic power from there and stole the control of the body from Michael.

――Of course, it wouldn’t continue for long.

The opponent was <Archhangel>. His overwhelming magic power would soon wash away the poison that Shiori poured in.

But, even so it gave birth to an opening of just a few second.

That was a few seconds that worth all gold in the world, the only chance of winning for mankind. At there――

{Now!}

“Rage! <God of Raging Storm> Ithaqua!”

Sumika fired <Grim Bullet>,

“――――As I thought, I really cannot understand.”

Right after that, the silver condor fired from the gun muzzle was struck by the wind pressure caused by the light wave of Michael’s wings, it was crushed flat and fell toward the ground.

{Auu-!?}

At the same time, countless tentacles flew out from the wall of meat that was crucifying Shiori and tightened on the girl even stronger.

It was as if she was buried into the wall of flesh.

――Yes. Michael didn’t has his movement stolen by Shiori or anything.

He was merely,

“No matter how long I look at the desperate effort of all of you, I cannot understand in my mind.”

Taking a moment to consider the figures of the humans who wasn’t going to accept their salvation at all.

“However……just as I thought there shouldn’t be any oversight in the works of the great father.

Father is wishing for human’s happiness more than anyone, he love you humans.

For that reason, under the protection of father, you won’t need to fear the demon or dirty your hand in evil deed, you can rejoice in pure and correct eternal life, father is promising such paradise to all of you.

――All of you shouldn’t be in possession of any happiness that can exceed that.

What we are doing is correct.

Then, all of you who are rejecting this are truly the wrong one.

This wrong has to be corrected.

For the sake of bringing about the blessed perfect kingdom into this land, there must not be even a little wrongness in it.”

Declaring so, Michael once more held his right hand toward the <Setting Sun> that was in the middle of being pushed back.

Instantly,

“Guah”

“He, hea, vy……!”

“Everyone……!?”

The <Setting Sun> was beginning to accelerate toward the surface with even more momentum than before.

“Disappear. O evil humans. Together with the imperfect life all of you are so fixated with.”

The sky was filled to the brim with falling light of destruction.

Once it crashed into the surface, unprecedented destruction would surely befall Tokyo life sphere and erased the whole Japan archipelago.

Chikori and others desperately resisted and tried to push up the <Setting Sun> once more, even so there was no effect.

Far from declining, the falling speed of <Setting Sun> was continuing to accelerate without end.

But, even in such situation, there was no one who ran away or giving up.

The soldiers were mutually encouraging each other, baring their fangs toward the falling down despair.

Sumika and Shiori were also the same.

Shiori bit at the tentacle of flesh that was trying to take her in, Sumika shot all her remaining bullets inside her magazine, continuing to fight.

――Just who is going to lose here.

While similarly yelling so.

They continued to resist as long as their life still burning.

And then, those voices of resistance, ――reached himmiracle.

{――――Finally, I found you.}

Right after that, the wall of flesh and the tentacles trying to take in Shiori were all burned to ashes.

Black. From the flame even blacker than darkness.

And then the limbs thrown out into the air were caught by someone who appeared behind.

Gentle fragrant, Shiori knew the scent of that person.

There was no way for her to forget. That beloved scent enveloping herself when she was born to this world.

The scent of that man, who shouldn’t be here.

{Li, es……}

When Shiori in disbelief was about to look up at the face of the person carrying here,

{We’re going out from here. Hold on tight.}

Right after that, her body shrunk from the speed that struck her whole body.

“――Kah, gu, AAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?!?”

At the same time, outside from where Shiori was, Michael suddenly bended his back and leaked out cries of pain.

“-!?”

“Im, impossible……!? Why, you are, in that kind of place……!? Guh!? oOOOoAAAAA!”

And then in front of Sumika who was bewildered from the enemy’s sudden change, from Michael’s flank, black flash penetrated his stomach from the inside and it rushed out.

(Eh――)

The moment that flash came out outside Michael’s body, it enlarged into human size.

Passing through beside Sumika’s face while causing wind, like that it overtook the <Setting Sun> that was quickly falling to the ground,

――It ran through, the comet of light with diameter of one kilometer, was smashed apart just like a soap bubble.

Just what in the world was happening.

Chikori and others who suddenly lost the weight of the <Setting Sun> they were supporting was bewildered, they looked up to the sky in dumbfoundment.

But,

(Don’t tell me……there is no way……)

{Just now, that’s……}

Sumika who had good eye and Vel that was combining with the girl certainly saw it.

Just when it passed them, the face of the man carrying the naked Shiori in his chest.

That was――

“Really my bad. Since the past it’s only detecting other people’s magic power that I’m completely useless at. I got really late coz of that. ……But I finally find you.”

That voice was unmistakably,

“Inside that pitch black despair, even feebly it certainly shine, that light of your soul.”

The figure of the <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura who supposedly died.

Part 3

“How……! At that time you definitely, were burned to nothing leaving not even ash……!”

The impossible revival of the enemy.

As expected even Michael exposed his agitation toward the situation in front of his eyes.

But as expected from an <Archangel>.

He immediately noticed the trick of the miracle that occurred in front of his eyes.

“-!?”

The body of Homura who was embracing Shiori.

His figure was empty.

He was half-transparent, the other side could be seen through him.

――That was without a doubt, a [spirit body] without flesh.

“You were, possessing me……!”

“I’m the grand magician that has mastered a thousand sorcery remember. My talent is not just using evil god. It’s just natural that I can do something like replacing the vessel of my soul.”

“Kuh!”

Yes. Certainly at that time Homura died.

The flesh of Homura was destroyed and burned away leaving not even ash.

But, at the verge of his complete annihilation, Homura slipped his soul into the vessel that was Michael.

So that he wouldn’t notice, he made his soul into something that was infinitely small.

For the sake of rescuing Shiori that was taken in into Michael’s body.

To his own oversight that didn’t see through that fact, Michael made a face as if he was chewing a bitter bug.

However,

“Nevertheless, the likes of you who is nothing more than a dreg right now is not a match of this Michael!”

He immediately materialized <Holy Sword> shining golden in his both hands.

That blade reaching until the heaven was swung to bisect Homura.

――Not a match.

This recognition of Michael was correct

Even the spirit of the current Homura was inferior, he was an existence that was like the afterglow of the moon that would disappear in the morning.

He had no flesh, not even magic power, just a wraith that was only there.

If he swung the <Holy Sword>, just its wind pressure would be able to blow Homura away.

However――

“You stupid idiot. Didn’t you see just now huh.”

The one getting scattered away was Michael’s <Holy Sword>.

With a snap, Homura swung a backhand blow as if swatting away the side of the <Holy Sword> hard, breaking it into pieces like a crystal candy.

That phenomenon was unmistakably――

“It was <Dispel>-ed!? My, Holy Sword was……!?”

However that was something impossible.

Certainly Homura was a grand magician that mastered a thousand sorceries.

But he had no knowledge in regard of holy magic.

In the first place something like the knowledge of holy magic that was used by the <Archangel> Michael didn’t exist in this world.

Yet why?

Homura spoke to the perplexed Michael.

“I was moving around here and there when looking for Shiori inside you bastard y’know? Even until the inside of your brain goo.”

Michael went ‘hah’ hearing those words.

“Don’t tell me……-, you stole it……! My holy magic, you……!”

In contrast Homura displayed a provocative smile of affirmation.

Exactly like that. He turned into a soul even smaller than dust and while wandering the inside of Michael body that was big like a universe, he came to steal everything of the holy magic knowledge Michael possessed.

Therefore,

“Your holy magic ain’t gonna work at me anymore.”

“kh~~~~~~!”

Homura’s words made Michael’s white eyes turned bloodshot and vein ran across his temple.

The enemy’s toughness and his own ineptitude in failing to end this enemy.

His whole body was trembling in rage toward those both factors.

And then the one surprised of this revival of Homura wasn’t just Michael.

“MASTERRR――――――–!!!!”

“MASTER――――――–!!!!”

“Uoh!?”

Vel who forcefully disassembled her union with Sumika hugged at Homura’s body.

Vel’s beautifully molded face that was like a doll was distorted mushily and clung at his waist.

“I’m glad, Master is safe……. I thought, I won’t be able to meet you again……-“

“No, I’m not safe at all here. See.”

In contrast Homura showed a wry smile while pointing at Chikori who was trying to hug him just like Vel.

“E, eh!? Why cannot I hug Master!?”

Even when Chikori tried to hug Homura, she was only getting bewildered of her arm that was scratching air.

“The current me is a wraith that will fly away if I’m getting blown. Even the little magic power I carried got completely used up when I took away Shiori. That’s why honestly holding Shiori like this is really bone-breaking work here. ――Chikori, I’ll leave her to you. Also Vel. Give Shiori something to wear. It’s too much for her to keep looking like this.”

Chikori and Vel followed what they were told by Homura, Chikori carried Shiori in place of Homura while the girl’s naked body was covered by the black overcoat that Vel created from her paper pieces.

While hiding her body with that overcoat, Shiori complained to Homura with trembling voice.

“……Really what a terrible person. If you are inside that body then, come quicker to help rather than just barely like this……. Just how much hurt do you think our heart gone through……-“

But even Homura’s side had objection regarding that complaint.

“That’s because you were the one that kept being irresolute that it took that much time just so you know. I turned into a small spirit that is smaller than a dust there.”

For Homura who turned into something like that, the inside of a spiritually gigantic existence like Michael was a vast universe bigger than even the solar system.

To look for a single person inside that universe, wasn’t something doable without some kind of guidance.

As long as Shiori herself didn’t radiate light, there was no way to look for her.

But, ――even so he somehow made it in time.

Because after getting roused by the words of a certain girl, Shiori rose in revolt against Michael.

Homura who heard those words from inside Michael’s body turned around at that girl,

“……You really hold out well, Sumika.”

And spoke in appreciation.

――Listen well. Don’t you dare kick the bucket until I return!

To the one other <Evil God User> who protected those words until the end.

In regard to that Sumika was,

“-……, yes……-“

While holding down the sobbing that was welling up in her mouth with her hand, she nodded while shedding tears.

Inside the despair that was rapidly descending, exactly because Sumika continued to fighting without losing heart even once by herself that the fruit of that resistance finally appeared in a definite shape in front of herself as a figure of hope, to that she was unable to contain her joy.

And because, that was the figure of the person precious to her, that it was even more true.

While staring at such Sumika with eyes filled with gentle light,

“――However you, I’m going to have you do one more work.”

Homura moved his gaze at the sky.

Right after that,

“Eh?”

Sumika and others chased after Homura’s looking up gaze and saw there.

Under the summer’s great triangle.

The <Archangel> Michael threw away his youthful appearance and becoming large while surging with golden light.

Part 4

“I made light of you. Certainly for a single human to destroy <Setting Sun> is just……”

While whispering in shame, *creak creak*, flesh was broken through and bones smashed, Michael the laid bare his majestic appearance.

His skin burst open, his flesh that was swelling until one hundred meter high in total had scales with rainbow luster covering the surface. Underneath the grown head were three lined up expressionless beautiful faces with white eyes just like white plaster.

Both his legs had the flesh joined with each other changing into the form like a single dragon tail, the greatly spread six golden wings followed the swelling of the flesh and were enlarged too, its color saturation was endlessly ascending and illuminated the ground leaving no spot untouched with light to the degree that would even dim the <Setting Sun> previously.

In the center of that brightness, Michael yelled.

“However……! I am <Archangel> Michael!

In this land where the kingdom of the great father will soon be founded, the rampant evil will not be forgiven!

For the sake of the great father! And then for the sake of the people that will obtain eternal happiness in that kingdom too!

I will obliterate all evil! Even in the cost of this life……!”

And then Michael did an act that looked strange to everybody’s eyes.

The arm enlarged together with his flesh and was now covered in rainbow colored scales stabbed into the spot that seemed to be where his heart was.

Right after that, from the chest where Michael’s arm dug into, brightness to the degree where human sight already couldn’t look at it overflowed, turning into storm of light that was raging up.

The raging brightness was, ――the very magic power that Michael owned.

Witnessing this scene,

“This is bad. He is feeling like self-destructing himself……!”

Shiori that was embraced by Chikori spoke to her with an expression that seemed to be at her wits’ end.

Yes. It was exactly as Shiori predicted, the <perfect soul> that Michael owned, the energy body that possessed endlessly high rank even among all the spiritual body of all existences in this world was made to run wild. He was choosing to erase everything that currently existed in Japan altogether with himself.

Sumika went pale of this fact.

<Setting Sun> was a holy magic that obtained mass due to its formula.

Therefore the moment it was <Dispel>-ed, it popped like a soap bubble.

But this radiance was different.

This was purely an extraordinary magic power. A pure material attack.

There was no formula in it, it couldn’t be made powerless using <Dispel>.

If there was a way to deal with this, it was only by killing Michael before he could cause explosion from the running wild <perfect soul>.

――If it was by Homura’s <Evil God Summoning>, surely that was possible.

However, the current Homura was a mere wraith.

There was no trace left of his former vast magic power, he already didn’t have magic power remaining for even firing a single <Photon Bullet>.

In that kind of state, there was no way he could summon a Great Old One.

There should be no way, but――

(However……!)

Sumika was already thinking.

Of the only method to escape from this predicament.

――If he didn’t have magic power, he could just use the magic power of other people.

That was why,

“Homura-san-! I――wapuh!?”

That was why Sumika tried to advice for Homura to [possess] herself and summoned the Great Old One with her magic power.

However, those words were blocked by a cloth that suddenly covered her face.

Wondering what in the world was that, Sumika tore the cloth off and looked,

That cloth was, ……the scarf that Homura was always wearing.

And then,

“Sumika. Fight together with me.”

Homura told Sumika who was holding the scarf.

Yes, Homura had also reached mostly the same idea with Sumika.

That was why he said to Sumika just before like this.

――I’m going to have you do one more work, he said.

“……-, of course-!”

To this Sumika nodded while even looking joyful, she wrapped the scarf in her hand around her neck.

Right after that, Homura’s figure became phosphorescence shining blue and absorbed into Sumika.

“Shiori-chan, this is……!”

Chikori and Shiori knew of this spectacle.

The sorcery that everyone without a doubt knew――

“<Hero Possession>……!”

Because it was the sorcery that reproduced the hero’s legend, by communicating with the soul of that hero who once lived in this world.

And then, the Hero Skill of the heroic spirit called <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura was decided.

Exactly as that name said, it was the power to employ the gods living in the abyss of this world.

“Certainly if it’s with this……”

<Evil God Summoning> was possible, such was Shiori’s conviction.

But at the same time,

“However, if you do something like <Evil God Summoning>, you soul will……-“

Surely Sumika’s soul would be consumed completely leaving no trace behind.

Because it was a power technique which was possible owing completely to Homura’s extraordinary magic power.

However to this,

“It’s fine.”

Sumika didn’t even show hesitation.

That was only natural coming from this girl.

In this consecutive battle against the <Archangels>, whether it was Shiori or Chikori, all the other people too, everyone was fighting with the resolve of putting their life in the line.

They even tried to make an opening even with the knowledge that they would be swallowed by the <Grim Bullet>.

Now that it became her turn, she didn’t have any intention of getting cold feet.

Rather,

“Homura-san. Thank you very much. For choosing me. ……To be able to fight side by side with you in the end, I’m feeling honored……!”

Sumika was happy from the bottom of her heart of this.

That was why she spoke her gratitude to Homura who was dwelling inside her.

To this gratitude of Sumika, Homura was

{――Listen here, you guys. What was I saying just now?}

He cocked his head in puzzlement with a serious face inside Sumika’s mind.

“Eh?”

{My bad to say this while you are getting drunk in heroism enthusiastically, but I got no plan at all to do <Evil God Summoning> with your soul y’know? Rather, that’s impossible. It ain’t enough at all.}

Sumika fell into chaos hearing that careless remark of the astonished Homura.

“Eh? Eh? The, then, why are Homura-san possessing me……”

{It’s, for this-!}

“Kyah!?”

Instantly Sumika’s body went against her control and took a nose dive toward the ground.

Homura stole the control of Sumika’s body and was now moving it.

And then,

{It’s for borrowing the magic power for a shot of this……!}

While directing down the body to the ground, Homura clenched the fist of Sumika and struck the asphalt surface.

The fist that was accompanied with enough acceleration *GOBAN* raised such sound and sunk down the asphalt.

Sumika’s fist caved deep into the ground until her wrist.

And then through the fist that was stabbed, magic power was pouring from Sumika’s body into the earth.

Just what in the world Homura was thinking.

Sumika was going to ask that, but right before that――

“-……!”

*DOKUN*, pulsation that wasn’t hers and also wasn’t Homura’s struck Sumika’s whole body.

At the same time red magic power light gushed out from Sumika’s body.

That was not anyone else’s, the magic power of Sumika.

It was generated to the degree that her body couldn’t hold them in and gushed out to everywhere.

Sumika was bewildered of this raging magic power of her that had never happened before, ――however for this girl who although couldn’t be said to have mastered a thousand sorcery but at least nearly five hundred, she soon reached the answer of this miracle.

“Thi, this is……, no element second grade sorcery <Magic Power Absorption>……-!”

From the sensation of the magic power that was once released now coming back to her several millions time more, Sumika became convinced without doubt.

The only thing she didn’t understand was just from where in the world this much magic power was coming from but,

(Don’t tell me……-)

Looking at the hold the size of fist gouged at her feet, Sumika realized,

{We are only absorbing a hundred million year of the soul of this planet. Well, it’s just enough for a single use of <Evil God Summoning.}

Homura who was possessing her said out the answer exactly just as she thought.

Sumika could already do nothing except for smiling wryly.

Even about the matter of nonchalantly consuming a hundred million year of this planet’s lifetime for the magic power of the <Evil God Summoning>,

Even about the idea of stealing from this planet if there was a lacking of magic power,

Because she still wasn’t able to catch up with everything.

“I’m still, cannot be said to stand equal with Homura-san isn’t it.”

{If you feel vexed then just become strong. To the degree of becoming able to handle me skillfully. ――At the meantime, we are gonna blow away that bomb demon in front of us for that sake too.}

“Yes-!”

Nodding powerfully, Sumika took a deep breath and filled her lung with fresh air.

After that, ――together with Homura who was possessing her, she chanted the spell.

Right now in this moment, against this enemy, Sumika knew of the words that she should be forming.

Incomplete Great Old One couldn’t defeat <Archangel> Michael.

Then,

Listen from the outer universe o the person that is all in one and one in all

The seething stars shining radiantly in blasphemy announcing the time of fate to thy

Intermediary of chaos nameless fog o embodiment of the origin intelligence

Inside the space-time continuum from the interstice of past and future come here reaching the striking sound of castle gate

To the violator of the sleeping master of cradle in order for thy to display the authority

The one that they should summon.

The person standing on the top of all <The Outer GODS> and <Great Old One> existing in this world.

The parent of Hastur and Cthulhu, the first divinity born from the origin chaos living in the infinite nucleus――

{ “Open the gate. ―― _{Yog-Sothoth” }}

Right after that name was declared, all people that existed in that place, before they realized, truly they didn’t understand when they realized, yes, it was just like it had been there right from the start without any sound or anything, ――a gigantic castle gate made from gathered husk appeared.

Part 5

Appearing suddenly in front of the enlarged Michael, the castle gate that was like bone white wooden mosaic work raised creaking sound while slowly opening.

Peeking from that gap, together with no existence of light knowing no bottom even more than night sky, several hundred millions of thing were crawling from there, abnormally white tentacles knowing not a drop of light.

The tentacles were all had the thickness to the degree of a grown man while at their tips were attached with small palm like baby’s hand, all of those were pawing at the air like infant looking for their mother, they were reaching straight at Michael.

And then, those arms easily tore the <Holy Ground> existing around Michael just like breaking through the thin paper of a sliding door, the whole body of his that had been enlarged was caught leaving no place untouched and they raised round nails.

Right after that, the body of Michael that was seized by the white palms was foaming in blisters where pus began to trickle from there.

Michael was displaying agony while twisting his body to shake off the arms.

However, the arms extending from the gate were endlessly continuing to increase, steadily, however definitely dragging Michael’s body into the gate. Their power couldn’t be resisted even by the six wings he possessed, Michael’s majestic appearance was entirely being swallowed inside the gate.

Just on the verge of that,

――O abominable traitor. Just how much evil will you cause――

Michael’s three mouths directly emitted words at the heart of the humans.

That voice was endlessly gentle, talking to the humans in sadness.

――But children of man. There is no noting to be anxious for.

The great father isn’t abandoning all of you.

He will definitely forgive even the great sin of all of you who murder angel leniently, and guide you to the paradise――

The emotion filled in that voice was love without falsehood.

Even in this point of time, Michael wasn’t hating mankind.

For him mankind was existence that should be loved and protected.

Toward this love that Michael freely gave, all the people in Tokyo life sphere answered.

“ “ “That’s unnecessary help-――――――――!!!!” “ “

Right after that.

The whole body of Michael was swallowed inside the gate together with the light that his soul emitted.

The gate, as if the time when it was slowly opening was just a lie, just like a bug eating plant that holding fast to its prey, closed vigorously, ――the same like when it appeared, it was as if it wasn’t there from the start, it vanished into nothing without sound.

At the same time the golden radiance madly illuminating the land disappeared and the summer night sky returned.

When they looked at the east, suddenly the sky was beginning to brighten dimly.

It was the sunrise.

The night of despair cleared, the morning sun of hope ascended.

That morning sun, that light that they had even resolved to be unable to look for the second time, was watched by the people without even voice of joy.

Just the fact that they were welcoming the morning of the day that was today was pervading their heart.

Like this, Tokyo life sphere survived the unprecedented danger originating from the <Reconquista> by the <Archangel>.

Epilogue

Part 1

At the end of a lot of sacrifices and hardships, Tokyo life sphere narrowly repelled the invasion of the angels, but their suffering was still continuing even after the victory.

After all excepting several kilometers around the imperial palace and geofront, almost everything else in Tokyo life sphere was completely destroyed from aerial bombing and tsunami.

The removal of rubble. Reparation of assets. Construction of new city.

The thing they had to do was piling up like mountain.

But, that was surely still a better side.

What was really a disaster was the following up for the side of the life spheres who lost the command tower that was the <Five Great Leaders> and almost all the sorcery battle strength under their flag.

America, Britain, Soviet, and China, the four country that simultaneously lost their government and army fell into an unprecedented pandemonium, their public order was radically deteriorating. Also the demons who didn’t give a damn of the mankind’s convenience were attacking them as usual, so in order to cope with this situation there was a need to refill the personnel of government body and military from the remaining countries of the <United World Government>.

The Tokyo life sphere was also made to transfer a lot of magicians to the life spheres all over the world.

Not only the national defense magician, even the student magicians too.

Due to this the New Tokyo Sorcery Academy became closed indefinitely and the students were also became scattered to each of their assignment.

And of course that was also including the 101st training platoon who displayed brilliant participation at the <Reconquista> previously.

Especially because every single one of the girls were a magician that possessed preeminent strength, they weren’t moved as a platoon, but assigned to their post in individual placing.

First, Ichinotani Chikori.

In the occasion of <Reconquista>, she accomplished the spectacular feat of wounding angel twice, but that achievements increased not only her fame, but also the spirit status of her fist, resulting in a living <Artifact> that was called as <Angel Slayer>.

The strike by means of Chikori’s fist naturally possessed the strength to destroy the like of superficial sorcery like a brittle glasswork, with this new strength that Chikori obtained and her bright personality that made other people extremely fond of her, she was appointed to Beijing life sphere who had strong anti-Japan emotion. Together with the few remaining magicians there, even today she was fighting in order to protect the smile of the powerless people.

Next was Onjouji Shiori.

Together with Onjouji Kai, her father who governed Tokyo life sphere in place of Kinugasa who became appointed as the <United World Government Secretary> in Detroit life sphere, she remained in Tokyo life sphere, then with the free use of her preeminent detection ability, she was greatly contributing to the operations of the removal of the rubbles and the safeguarding of the personal property buried underneath it, as well as the land readjustment of the restructuring plan of the city.

Also she was inaugurated to the position of <Integrated Operator> of the whole national defense army, utilizing the original operator system <Oracle> the girl created, she efficiently handled the remarkably weakened soldiers of the Tokyo life sphere where many of their numbers were scattered to every part of the world.

And then, the <Grim Bullet> Hoshikawa Sumika.

As the legitimate successor of <Evil God User>, presently Sumika was busily rushing about around the world in order to defeat the demons that couldn’t be dealt with except by her.

At her side, <Liber Legis> who formally recognized the girl as her new owner was also accompanying her.

Vel set about in earnest in her determination to raise Sumika into a magician that could stand equal with Homura, day and night she trained Sumika with uninterrupted supervision, conducting what was basically a brutal education.

Since <Reconquista>, there was no doubt that she was the one who saw the worst hell.

And last, <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura.

He lost his flesh in the decisive battle against Michael, he who became a wraith right now enlisted under the <Fairy Race> who as nature spirit was a relatively close existence to him and was half-gradually getting set up as the king of fairy race. It was unclear whether there was the secret maneuvering of Elfiena or not in that aspect.

Of course in the case when there was a materialization of threat that Sumika couldn’t dealt with, he would join her in haste as her contracted heroic spirit and repulsed the threat by borrowing Sumika’s body, everyday too he was serving the position as the intermediary pipe between human and fairy that couldn’t be said as completely opening up to each other, he didn’t have free time, but because of his body that became unable to even fight alone, compared to the time where he continued to fight at the very front line, it was surely fine to call it as spending a considerably leisure life of retirement.

Now then, starting with 101st platoon that was like that, all humans were now being worked to death in each of their role, the summer passed, the autumn fell, and the winter began to dissolve, ――the season now became the period where the land began to wake up.

At that season there was also the assistance of the <Fairy Race>, even the end of the world’s chaos and the rebuilding of Tokyo began to show good prospect to a certain degree, the magicians also began to adapt to the live in the new land where they were appointed at, peaceful time was starting to flow in the world.

It was at such a time.

With the exception of Homura, a letter reached the address of the members of 101st platoon.

That was, ……urgent, gather in the New Tokyo Sorcery Academy, was what the notification from Homura said.

Part 2

Boarded on the helicopter of <United World Government>, Sumika returned back to her homeland Tokyo after about a year.

“……Amazing. It has been reconstructed this much already.”

The townscape spreading below displayed human’s life force that didn’t even lose to the flowers that began to show their face from the land entering this spring, Sumika’s cheeks spontaneously burst out in smile.

And then after a while of sightseeing flight, the girl got down on the heliport of New Tokyo Sorcery Academy.

At that moment,

“Leader!”

“Kyah”

• DON!* an impact collided at her waist and Sumika stumbled back.

When she looked down, there was a lovely mini ponytail on her chest and,

“Long time no see―!”

A familiar smiling face that was like a sunflower.

“Chikori-san. You are full of energy as usual. ……Eh? Did you get a little taller?”

To this Chikori returned “Yep!” and spoke while hopping in place.

“It’s because I eat a lot! The food at Beijing is delicious!”

“Chikori-san’s life at your new place seem fun.”

“It’s really fun!”

(She has really taken to her new home……!)

Sumika made a relieved expression of the good health of her friend before she moved her gaze to one other person, a black haired girl slowly walking here from behind Chikori.

“Shiori-san too, you don’t change.”

To this Shiori nodded gracefully and returned the greeting.

“Leader yourself, thanks for your hard work. Recently the frequency of <Demon King class> is also increasing, it seems very hard for you.”

“I guess it’s the influence of the intensification of the demon world’s mayhem……. It’s really a bothersome story.”

Saying that, Sumika lamented.

Shiori took off her gaze from Sumika who was like that for the moment.

“……You too seem to have work hard.”

She talked with a little thorny tone at the girl in red dress who nestled close at Sumika’s side.

To that the girl in red dress, Vel lightly shrugged her shoulder.

“Sumika is unreliable so my turn comes out a lot no matter what. I wish she will be more reliable.”

Her words stabbed at Chikori and Sumika.

“I, I’m sorry……. B, but, as expected, instigating a moon beast when I was taking shower is a bit…, don’t you think so?”

“If it was Master then he would be able to beat it blue even while stark naked.”

“I’m a maiden! I’m still not married yet! Please don’t expect such active work from me!”

Shiori once again opened her mouth from looking at Sumika and Vel who messed around with each other.

With a tone without torn like before,

“……Honestly, this is unexpected. I thought that you won’t trust any human other than Homura.”

“Even thinking will change if time passed. It’s only something natural while you live. Or else is Shiori’s brain is hard like steel plate?”

On the lips of Vel who lightly replied like that, there was a small smile.

To this,

“No. I too am the same.”

Shiori was also putting a faint smile on her lips.

“I wonder if we can take some time when Homura’s business is over. Sometimes I even want to have a reminiscent talk between fellow who know about the past.”

“What a coincidence. ……I too also have that thought.”

――Since the insurrection of <Book Burning Squad>, Vel didn’t deem it acceptable for Homura to interact with other human.

She became Homura’s comrade in arms. She lived together with Homura.

But human who didn’t even do that and give hope to Homura only to make him sad as the result, the girl strongly hated that.

In contrast, Shiori was racking her brain of how Homura could live in the middle of people because she was sad of him who was walking the path as a lonely hero.

The two girls who were in love with Homura but with thinking that ran counter against each other could be said to have a relationship like dog and cat.

But, ――even that ill feeling that spanned long years would surely come untied someday now that Homura became an existence that was standing in the middle of human and demon.

And then,

“But but I wonder what kind of business is this―. Why are we all gathered in the academy?”

At that time when Chikori voiced that obvious question,

“Of course that’s because there is something I want you girls to help out with.”

The door to exit the heliport opened and the man who gathered the girls in this place showed his figure.

“Homura-san……”

“Master―!”

Chikori dashed as if to leap at Homura’s entrance, she hugged him with the momentum of body collision before she rubbed her cheek at his chest while her ponytail was flapping left and right, expressing her happiness.

To this Homura smiled with an expression that wasn’t as annoyed as one would believe.

“You are a big dog as always.”

“Wan wan?”

But, the intelligent Shiori and Sumika felt a strong doubt to this congenial reunion of the teacher and student.

“……Wait a second. Why does Chikori-san cling to Homura-san like that?”

Yes. Homura who was supposed to be a wraith that didn’t have flesh body was hugged by Chikori, such thing was questionable.

“Eh eh? Now that Leader say that, why?”

“Master, by any chance, is that……”

“It’s just as you think.”

Toward the group who was cocking their head in puzzlement, Homura showed a slight grin, he then made a praying posture with his hands in front of his chest but without the palms touching each other, ――between the palms, jet black radiance was created.

To this Sumika opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

Why was she surprised?

That was because right now Homura was producing magic power.

Homura who became a wraith and didn’t have <magic power vein> to produce magic power, was supposed to be an existence that only continued to consume the slight remaining magic power he had.

Despite so, right now he was certainly producing magic power.

The answer that phenomenon suggested was,

“You have, body……!?”

To that Homura nodded to show his affirmation.

“Human is an aggregration of 96% organic matter and 4% inorganic matter. If one have the knowledge of the structure and composition of that, it’s possible to create body. It’s a <cyborg> thing. I borrow the power of Elfiena to put that in practical use and created an artificial body for my own use. To keep living as wraith is inconvenient after all.”

But if this was did by Homura himself then something like <human body transmutation> was something easy, but for Elfiena it was a sorcery with a little high difficulty. There was the need to wait for her training, and in the end it was necessary to take nearly one year for her to manufacture a body in the quality that Homura’s soul could take hold at.

However it was worth it to teach her with perseverance.

“But fi―nally the other day, she was able to create an artificial body that can produce magic power even though it’s just at E-rank level, I’m thinking of having you guys help out with the test run then.”

“Test run means……”

“By any chance, is Master telling us to have mock battle?”

To this Homura shook his head vertically. And then,

“Yeah. You guys don’t mind right? ――Especially Sumika, you also made that promise of doing a fight after a year weren’t you?”

He threw a challenging gaze at Sumika.

“……! So you remember.”

“You said it right? My memory is really good just so you know.”

Yes. Certainly Sumika had promised Homura before.

After a year, they would have a mock battle and she would show him that she would win.

Homura was saying that right now was exactly the time of that promise.

“Now let’s stop the idle talk around here, get down your luggage quickly and come at me. This is an artificial body that can only make magic power at the level of E-rank, but even so I’m ten thousand times stronger than you guys anyway, you are gonna get hurt if you hold back or anything.”

These words of Homura made the three of them made strong fighting spirit lit up brightly inside their eyes,

“ “ “YES-!!!!” “ “

They returned powerful replies before putting down hand luggage on the ground and wore their <Magi’s Jacket>, putting in order their battle readiness.

The three understood.

Even in his current state that was only at the level of E-rank magician, he said out words about being ten thousand of times stronger.

That was a truth that wasn’t varnished with any exaggeration.

The <Evil God User> Kamishiro Homura was just a hero of that level.

For that reason, the hearts of the three pounded.

In this one year, there was this objective that they didn’t forget even for an instant.

Just how much closer they had come to that objective. Right now that question would be made clear.

And then, to this burning fighting spirit of the three,

“How about I give even a kiss if you put even just a single scratch on me. Or something.”

“<Meteor Strike>-!”

“<Cocytus>”

“<Grim Bullet>――-!!”

“Are you guys planning to erase Tokyo from the map huhh――-!?”

Homura poured out oil just now with his unnecessary brief comment and the battle that was too extreme to be called as a mock battle began.

Afterword

Well then to everyone who caught a glimpse of the super universal truth, it’s 1D/100’s SAN check for you. Please. Okay, I just want to try saying that.

Thank you for finish reading the fourth volume of Antihero.

All of you reader who are following this to the end despite the considerable empty period of the publishing, thank you very much.

Did you enjoy this series?

With this [Ultimate Antihero] is over.

Homura almost didn’t come out at all in this last volume, but the development with Sumika as the pivotal character but I had been thinking of doing this for sure since I first plotted the story until nearly the last part, so I’m glad that I managed to do that.

This time too various evil gods managed to come out, but even among them the one that Misora liked the best is Yog-sama.

Yog-sama is romance. <The person that is all in one, and one in all> or something is so cool. Even its setting, as the space-time that is containing everything of the past, present, and future is just too last-boss, I love it. But even so Yog-sama is just the <Sub King> you know. The darkness of Cthulhu Mythos is deep.

Also this story with this has reached the last volume, but the comicalization of Antihero’s first volume by Uonumayuu-san is being sold. You readers that has interest in that I beg you to please read that too without fail.

Well then I’m thinking of closing the afterword with greeting to the people I’m indebted with until the very end.

The editorial department of Kodansha light novel Bunko, and then my editor Shouji-san, I’m really indebted to you all. And then Nardack-san who is in charge of the illustration. Thank you very much for the lovely illustrations even until the last volume. Uonumayuu-san who draw the comicalization. Thank you very much for cutely drawing sub-characters who doesn’t have picture in the novel.

And then the last to all of you readers who read this work until the end, my greatest gratitude.

I will be happy if we can meet again at another of my work.

Well then. Sayonara.

References

Back to Volume 3

Return to Main Page