At last—or so it seemed—the backup power activated, spreading relief throughout the branch.
Even the children gathered in the [Star Tower] were no exception.
“Alright, the elevator’s working again, so let’s all head down for now!”
The laid-back tour guide’s announcement is met with a chorus of cheerful “Okaaay!” from the kids.
Despite being caught up in the earlier incident, their lack of urgency stems from Izayoi’s defeat without major casualties.
Contrary to Izayoi’s—and by extension, Roselia’s—expectations, Hinata had grown overwhelmingly stronger.
In the end, it was a one-sided domination. The culprit, Izayoi, lay unconscious in a corner of the hall, occasionally twitching.
What should’ve been a traumatic experience for the children barely registered as “That was kinda like a scary ride.”
Had Ibuki witnessed this, he’d likely have muttered, “It’s like the protagonist from Volume 4 curbstomping the Volume 1 villain…” with a distant look.
——But complacency is contagious.
In a relaxed atmosphere, even those who should remain vigilant let their guard down. That’s a common tale.
Even the Excia was no exception.
Hinata, the day’s MVP, was the sole outlier—currently being swarmed by the children.
——So no one noticed.
No one noticed when the supposedly defeated Izayoi lurched back up, knocking out two guardian angels standing nearby.
Her physical abilities were incomparably heightened from when she fought Hinata.
The act was over in an instant—so fast it defied belief.
She slips into the shadows as usual.
——The world of shadows is like being underwater.
The shadows of the real world are its surface, and she can pass through them into the shadow realm.
Izayoi gazes up at one such surface.
“………Gh, ……gh!!”
Her rational thoughts are already gone.
If anything, her boosted physicality came at the cost of her cognition.
A temporary buff—a state of euphoric frenzy.
That’s the true nature of her transformation now.
But she’ll never realize it.
Her mind, stripped of reason, is ruled solely by vengeance.
Her divine gift, Shadowstride (Kagewatari).
The Umbra compensation to her was [Oblivion]—the curse of being hard to remember.
We won’t dwell on how much this has tormented her life.
But it’s tragic that she fueled her wrath with it,
escalating to vengeance against the world.
The atrocities she committed are unforgivable, yes.
——And now, that very [Oblivion] and hatred are birthing yet another tragedy.
Unaware of this malice, the tour group merrily begins moving.
At the very back
walks a young girl with black hair tied into a single ponytail.
——Ah, that one. She’s with those flashy folks, isn’t she?
Instinctively, Izayoi fixates on the weakest target—the little girl.
◇◇◇◇◇
“……If this keeps up, I’ll have to go back with that creepy niisama.”
Tsukumo walks at the tail end of the group.
Her reason? She wants to stay far away from “creepy niisama”—Decoy-kun.
He (?) is chatting with the fluffy Excia at the front.
Not her concern.
Seeking escape, she murmurs to the mouse in her hands.
“Hey, Phoenix. When do you think he’ll be back?”
The mouse tilts its head but doesn’t answer.
Sighing, Tsukumo doesn’t notice the shadow writhing behind her.
“Hm?”
By chance, she lifts Phoenix up—and catches the movement in her periphery.
Then——like an orca breaching, the killer lunges from the shadows——.
[Bestow].
The divine gift Lux, capable of overwriting all creation.
A power akin to repainting the infinite hues of the world.
So, what color is this divine act—this blasphemous feat even gods fear?
Black.
Black is the essence of Toki Tsukumo’s Lux—the color that drowns all.
And its counterbalance?
——White.
As danger looms, Tsukumo recalls Ibuki’s warning.
[At the 10th Branch, don’t use your Lux unless your life’s at stake.]
(This… counts, right?)
Calmly assessing——
Squelch.
She crushes her beloved mouse in her palm.
The next instant——
“Guh—buhh!?!”
As if gripped by an invisible giant,
As Tsukumo turned around, the body of “Izayoi” burst apart in front of her eyes.
The killer never realized the little girl before her wielded such power.
In Tsukumo’s hand——the white mouse, Phoenix, tilts its head, unharmed despite being crushed moments ago.
“Heh.”
Tsukumo giggles.
Like an innocent child squashing a bug.
[Innocence].
To remain forever, endlessly, purely white—untouched by guilt.
That is the counterbalance of Toki Tsukumo.
The black-smeared, shattered killer collapses to the ground.
That she’s already dead.
The screams around her.
Excia’s panic.
“I wish he’d come back soon. Right, Phoenix?”
To the innocent girl, it’s just another trivial event.
◇◇◇◇◇
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
With the branch fully restored and their deal signed,
Isana and Roselia ride the elevator alone—
no merchant escort this time.
“Your bodyguard is dead, by the way.”
“I see.”
Isana frowns at Roselia’s utter disinterest.
“Apparently, she exploded.”
“……What?”
For the first time, Roselia’s expression shifts.
Oh? Isana raises a brow.
“Not your doing?”
“You’re ruder than I thought. Grenades, maybe—but why would I blow up a person?”
“Pot, meet kettle.”
“Tch. ……But becoming a firework? Hah.”
“……Excuse me?”
“Nothing.”
Suspicious, but she doesn’t seem to be lying.
So why did Izayoi meet such a gruesome end?
Several possibilities come to mind, but the most plausible is——
Isana cuts her thoughts short as the elevator arrives.
At the door, Roselia glances back,
“Farewell, Shindo.”
a faint smirk on her lips.
“That was quite the show. My pocket change was well spent.”
“…………”
Though the deal is closed, Isana’s displeasure lingers—her subordinates and the children were put at risk.
Roselia studies her stony face with amusement, then opens the door.
Up ahead was the heliport.
And there— A single helicopter lay on its side, completely toppled over, with several of its rotor blades snapped.
“……………………”
Without saying a word, the arms dealer turned around. The deputy branch chief, dressed in a maid uniform, responded with the brightest smile and a graceful curtsy.
“Thank you so much for coming all this way today. Now, if you’ll excuse me—please crawl home, would you?”
♢♢♢♢♢
──Deep underground.
The underground base of Nega-Messiah, Nest, in a chamber known as Elkanek, the Lower Room.
In one of the seven seats sat a figure dressed entirely in white.
Despite their provocative attire, there was an air of purity surrounding them.
The Supreme Leader, the Shinazu Dori, rested both elbows on the armrests and loosely clasped their hands in front of their face.
A single transparent droplet slid down from the corner of their closed eyes—
“Done meditating, Shinazu Dori?”
A girl standing beside them spoke.
Without opening their eyes, the Supreme Leader turned their face toward the voice and replied in a husky whisper.
“Yes. Thank you for waiting, Tsukumo.”
“Hm.”
Tsukumo nodded arrogantly before getting straight to the point.
“As instructed, I’ve completed the bestowal.”
“I see. Thank you. As expected of you.”
“Hm! Of course!”
As the Shinazu Dori smiled, Tsukumo beamed as well.
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Hm, yes! It was quite fun! And Niisama was amusing, too!”
The Shinazu Dori tilted their head at Tsukumo’s words.
“…Niisama?”
“Kairi (separation), of course.”
“Him…?”
For a brief moment, their ever-present, artificial smile wavered.
Or at least, that’s how it looked to Tsukumo.
“…? What’s wrong, Shinazu Dori?”
“……It’s nothing.”
They slowly shook their head.
“I don’t know myself.”
The Supreme Leader simply gazed up at the heavens.
♢♢♢♢♢
In the deputy branch chief’s office, high above the ground—
──Kairi is amazing!!
Isana mentally screamed as she read through the reports from Rui, Hinata, Rinne, and Clara.
She was grinning. Absolutely beaming.
Sure, it was surprising that the Utsurugi Rui had let his prey escape. And there were still a few unresolved issues.
But when all was said and done?
Their debt to Roselia was wiped clean.
The patrons who followed Roselia had all been silenced.
A serial killer they’d been chasing for ages was finally eliminated.
No casualties among allies or protected targets.
And as a bonus, they got to humiliate that obnoxious merchant.
Isana, total victory.
──Kairi is ridiculously competent…!!
Even while suffering emotional wounds, she kept using Mind Reading, and yet, his true objective remained unclear. The only thing she did understand was his inexplicable fondness for angels.
Basically, she had no idea what was going on. But—at least for now—he posed no threat to them whatsoever.
If someone like that was embedded within an enemy organization, then in a way, he was a self-operating, unintentional Trojan horse.
Letting him be was the best course of action, Isana decided.
“………Oh, crap.”
Up until now, she had been in an incredibly good mood.
Then, all of a sudden, she remembered something. The time Rui had given her a sketch of Kairi’s face.
“………He really did look like a shoujo manga hero-level pretty boy….”
…I might die soon.
With a distant look in her eyes, Isana collapsed onto her desk.
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