"Master, leave the fight. We'll be able to stop the alliance in its tracks. Therefore, be sure to escape this place unharmed. As Amane started to run down her execution platform, she overheard those awful words.
She was confident that the family she had adopted would be there for her when she needed them. Amane still regretted that they had delayed carrying out her punishment, though.
It was already too late, after all. Because of the poison she had knowingly consumed, Amane's life was about to end.
She had no other choice, though.
That was the choice Amane had to make. Either she passed away, or the rest of her guild did. Amane was a lone individual. No matter how much power she had, she would not be able to save everyone.
'I guess this is the curse of having so much power. Those alliance bastards could not find anything else so they chose to threaten me with those kids' lives.'
And between her cursed existence and the lives of her loved ones, it was clear what Amane would have chosen.
That was the reason Amane had not told anyone about this deal. None of the children Amane had picked up along her life needed to carry the burden of her death.
Amane had been ready to go out quietly, but it no longer seemed possible.
Why did they need to know right away? In any case, everything was about to end. These kids were going to be taken care of by the alliance when I passed away, and they were going to be placed with good homes to raise them.
Amane had consented to her capture and subsequent execution because of these kids. Because of these kids, Amane refrained from succumbing to her curse and turning into a demon.
You see, Amane was a half-demon. Demons were the mortal enemies of humanity and divinity.
As such, Amane's existence was considered cursed in everyone's eyes. They had tried to kill her so many times that she had even lost count.
'Maybe that was why I took those unfortunate children in. They had nowhere else to go, just like me.'
And now those very children were throwing away their chance at a better life because of her. No matter how Amane looked at it, it was her fault.
She had dragged these children into her world and made their lives miserable.
'They would not have been better off without you as well. The world considered them to be a burden as well.'
Amane's mind reminded her of this fact but her heart spoke differently.
"You all need to get out of here. There is still time for you to claim plausible denial later. You don't need to be concerned about my death."
"No way. We are not going anywhere.", "True. You took us in when we had nowhere to go so we'll stand by you.", "We are family after all."
The more Amane heard those words, the more she felt her heart hurt. These poor children had no idea what kind of choice they were making.
The world was a cruel and unjust place for people who tried to oppose the alliance.
You see, while there were many different species in the universe, they could be grouped into three major groups: humanity, the demon race, and divinity.
Among them, the demon race resisted both humanity and divinity, while humanity and divinity formed an alliance. Since the beginning of life, this has been happenin
The alliance was the official name given to the union between humanity and divinity. And it's primary goal was to keep the demon race from flourishing.
But the alliance's influence was much border than that. It was not as the absolute 'good' it tried to portray itself to be. And its light caused the darkest of shadows on this world.
These children Amane had taken in were the proof of the darkness the alliance was capable of casting. But Amane wanted these children to step into the light.
And if she had to sacrifice herself, then so be it. She has already washed out and become useless anyway.
"You all are idiots. I can no longer protect you all. I no longer have a core to be able to use magic."
Amane had given it away willingly to seal the deal with the leader of the divinity. She had to make sure this deal was unbreakable.
"We don't care about it at all. We just want you to come back home with us."
The redhead child who only came up to Amane's knees cried out. She was one of the last Amane had saved but she was such a precious girl.
Amane would miss them all.
"Be good and study hard. This world is something that will bow down to you all one day. Be nice to each other and live out your lives. Most of you will live for centuries. You will see the world change a lot but don't be afraid."
Amane let the children go. She could already feel the calamity being charged up behind her.
Had Amane only needed to protect herself, she might have even survived the attack. But she had to protect the children behind her.
"You all, live. Even if you have to beg and crawl, live and survive. Do it till you no longer had to cower in front of anyone. Become stronger and we may meet again one day in the future."
Amane felt sad to leave the children without any form of protection. But this was all she could do to save their lives.
"One day you all will see a world that does not discriminate against special children like us. That day, please do your best to make sure to remember me."
She was dying already but Amane would make sure she would be able to save the lives of her precious people.
The children were crying but that was good. Their tears would make it difficult for them to remember what kind of face Amane was making.
She wanted them to remember her always smiling.
So Amane gave them all the last smile as she used her body and whatever was left of her magic to block the calamity's attack. It would take everything she had to hold back the attack but Amane was determined to see this through.
"Please don't go. I won't forgive you if you died now."
Amane tried to recall the name of the silver-haired fox child that was begging Amane to live. But even thinking was becoming difficult for Amane in her current condition.
Everything was becoming hazy but the children were safe.
"Take care."
The Supreme Goddess Amane spoke those lines before her body vanished in a collision of light.
The alliance members who witnessed this event would later refer to this day as a miracle of the goddess. However, it wouldn't take long for the Supreme Goddess' name to become tarnished and linked to wickedness.
The children that were saved would remember Amane's words. They would beg and crawl to the best of their might.
They would survive and they would live on to become the pillars of the new world.
That day, the a supreme leader closed her eyes for the last time and the world began to change in her image.
The kids she had saved grew up and went their own way. But no one forgot the bright light of the one who made it possible.
At one place, a pair of brilliant golden eyes closed.
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At another place and at another time, a pair of golden eyes opened with a shock.
"Oi, wake up. Can't you see that the sun is already up in the sky? How long are you going to sleep in for?"
Amane felt a heavy weight on top of her as she tried to open her eyes. Everything was hazy with her but the lack of pain caused Amane's eyes to flash open.
"What? Where am I? It doesn't hurt anymore?"
The last thing Amane remembered was her body disappearing because of her overexertion of magic. It had hurt badly but the pain had reminded Amane that she was still alive.
Did this lack of pain make Amane think of her current residence as the after-life? She had died, right?
Was this heaven or hell?
"This is neither heaven nor hell. This is the Tsurugi residence. But you might see hell soon if you don't get up and report for duty."
The speaker was an old lady with glaring eyes. She was not someone Amane had seen before but she somehow felt intimidated just looking at her.
Amane felt her body react to the old lady's words. She was going through the next few minutes with a blank mind.
Her body was moving through the motions as if Amane had gone through it a thousand times before.
The style of dressing Amane was wearing was one she had never worn before. There were too many layers to dress oneself in but Amane would have never taken the risk of wearing so many layers.
Amane only felt herself pause when she caught sight of her face in the mirror.
The features looking back at her remembered Amane in color but nothing about the face looking back at her belonged to Amane.
She still had golden eyes that were exactly the same colour as they had always been. As in her previous existence, her hair was still straight and black.
However, she now had a delicate touch to her features.
For a skilled combatant like herself, Amane's hands and face were too frail.
Amane could see that the core she had wounded in her previous existence was still present and shone brightly within her, but it was in no way controlled.
The current Amane was no better than a rugged brat who did not know how to wield her strength.
"Lady Yoko, please do not make us late. Lord Tsurugi is waiting for us."
Tsurugi was a name Amane had never anticipated hearing in a good way. An honourable demon clan by the name of Tsurugi once chose to join the alliance, but they were never accepted.
When Amane had last been there, their house had been no more than a tiny hut where they made tools and traded commodities.
The demon nobles did not appear to be more at home in this opulent room than a merchant family.
"Yoko? My name is Amane. I think you have the wrong person in front of you."
Amane expected the old lady to laugh her words off or even get concerned about her. She did not expect the old lady to sigh in worry.
"Lady Yoko, we do not have time for your usual tricks. You were Lady Sara last weak, and Lady Miko the week before. Please behave yourself today since your fiance is coming here to see you today."
Amane wanted to assure the old lady that she was not joking around but Amane was not able to do anything once the old lady decided to get involved with her.
Either the old lady was too strong or Amane had lost all the strength she used to possess in her last life.
Amane felt like a doll who was being dragged all over by the old lady. Her face was dabbed with powder and her clothes were rearranged a hundred times before Amane was let go.
By the time Amane was even aware of what was going on around her, she was being dragged into a separate but highly decorative sitting room.
The floor seating in the area was designed with inspiration from a traditional Japanese sitting room.
"Yoko, join me in my chair. You sit on Sakura's other side today, please. Make sure you control Yoko. We cannot permit today's meeting to go horribly wrong.
Despite having a horrible feeling about what would happen today, Amane decided not to make a scene.
She was forced into her seat without any delay.
Sakura, the girl sitting at her side, went red as soon as Amane took her seat. The child looked to be sixteen but her body was unlike any sixteen years-old Amane had seen before.
'Isn't this girl too developed to be a teen? Those weapons are as huge as mine used to be. Ah, looks like my current body is similar in size to my last one as well.'
"Yoko, I hope you will behave yourself today. It is time for you to make yourself useful to me and gain the attention of the esteemed leaders of the Divine guild. Although their supreme leader could not make it today, your future fiance is not a low-life either."
Amane felt the weight of those words slam into her all of a sudden.
A normal person might not have been able to tell what was happening. But there was a compulsion spell woven in the man's voice that Amane could hear.
It seemed like Lord Tsurugi was willing to do anything to get this deal signed. He was even going as far as to use compulsion magic on Amane to make sure his plan worked.
It would have been a successful trick had Amane been anyone else. But tricks of this level were not going to work on Amane at all.
Still, it would not be bad for Amane to play along for the time being and fool the man at his trick.
'I will make sure you get what you deserve old man. You will regret trying to play with my life.'
He wouldn't know what hit him by the time Amane was finished with him. Amane would see to it that the man paid a price for trying to take advantage of a helpless, naïve woman.