"Be careful, Lady Nelia! That vampire is even more dangerous than Terakomari!"
"It'll be fine. Aruka and Mulnite are allies now."
"Still, you shouldn't let your guard down. I'm pretty sure she sees us Warblades as even more worthless than fried shrimp tails. She's gonna gobble you right up!"
"Yeah, yeah…" She patted her worrisome maid's head before leaving the waiting room.
They were in a certain city in the Dark Core Zone. In an old castle that was commonly used for secret meetings between VIPs. The president of the Aruka Republic, Nelia Cunningham, followed the vampire guide across a long hallway.
A letter from the Mulnite Empress had arrived at the Executive Office a couple days back.
She'd written that she "had something fun to show her."
The invitation could not have been any fishier, but she couldn't ignore a call from the reigning Empress, a title her own mentor formerly held. Nelia dumped her piled-up work on her underlings and went for it. The vice president would surely complain later on, but it was no big deal.
"Her Majesty awaits you here." The guide bowed, then left.
It was the castle courtyard.
In the middle of the lively vegetation sat a fancy table and chairs. There she was, Mulnite Empress Karen Helvetius, elegantly taking a sip of tea under the morning sunlight.
"Oh!" She smiled once she noticed Nelia was there. "Glad to have you here, Nelia. Thank you for your time. Please, grab a cup of tea and relax. Come here."
Nelia was a bit taken aback by her friendliness. She put on a business smile and greeted her in kind.
"Thank you for your invitation. I am glad to get an opportunity to talk, Your Majesty Helvetius. Let us discuss the future of the Six Nations."
"Chill out. C'mon, I've known you since you were thiiis little. Look at how much you've grown. You've turned into such a pretty young woman. And all that power you showed alongside Komari back in the Six Nations War. I was moved. To think Yulinne's protégée would turn out to be such an admirable lady."
"Mm-hmm." Nelia didn't think about anything anymore.
There was no need for courteousness with this woman, clearly. No need for overly formal diplomacy between these two rulers. This wouldn't have happened with the chiefs of the Enchanted Lands or the Haku-Goku Commonwealth, however.
Then Nelia glanced at the person sitting on the other side of the table.
A noble wearing the characteristic garment of the East: a kimono. What stood out most about her was the large paper charm covering her face. The Heavenly Paradise's Goddess sat there gracefully wearing an elegant smile, looking just the same as she had back at the party a few days before.
"Good afternoon," she said.
Nelia straightened her back on reflex.
"G-good afternoon."
"Good afternoon indeed. Please, take a seat. I am sorry if I sound too hasty, but we don't have much time."
Nelia did as instructed.
Empress on the right. Goddess on the left. What was going on? The letter did mention the ruler of the Heavenly Paradise would be there, but what could those two possibly want to talk about? An alliance between the three nations? Coming up with a strategy against the terrorists? As Nelia thought the hardest she could, the Empress put down her teacup and finally got the ball rolling.
"Since Nelia's here now, let's cut to the chase. Relax, we're not talking about coming up with a plan or anything like that. The Goddess just wanted to say something regarding the Heavenly Paradise and the Heavenly Ball."
"Something about the Heavenly Paradise? But why to me when I'm from Aruka?"
"You are one of the leaders of the next generation, so I'm pretty sure it's about that. Though I haven't heard the details yet myself. So please, Goddess, explain."
Nelia looked at the Goddess. She could feel her gaze from beyond the paper charm.
"Yes. Nelia, I called for this meeting. There is something I must report to you."
"Report?"
"As you might know, the Heavenly Ball took place a couple days ago. I believe you don't know the particulars since you were not there, but you've heard of it, haven't you?"
"About the terrorist ruining the Heavenly Ball, right? Yes, I heard Karla and Komari defeated an Inverse Moon assassin."
"Yes, which gave Karla the support of the population. The Heavenly Ball was cut short, but she ended up as its victor. Everyone trusts she is the best choice for the next Goddess…and this was also my wish."
So was there nepotism afoot? It did seem like the title would be too much for Karin Reigetsu, though.
Suddenly, Nelia grew rather anxious. If she recalled correctly, Fuyao Meteorite had impersonated the Goddess to do as she pleased during the Heavenly Ball.
"There's something I want to ask." Nelia looked the Goddess straight in the eye. "Where were you while the terrorist wreaked havoc in the Eastern Capital? I heard you were missing. I find it unthinkable that you would let a terrorist take your place."
"It is true that Fuyao Meteorite attacked me. It happened at the party, right after the Heavenly Ball was announced. She's one quarrelsome foxgirl. But in any case, I pretended to be defeated and withdrew from the public eye."
Why?
"Then Fuyao impersonated me and made full use of the Goddess's authority. She tipped the scales in Karin Reigetsu's favor. This all was within my expectations."
"What are you saying? You mean you let the terrorist do as she pleased?"
"She's telling the truth, Nelia. I was asked to keep an eye on Fuyao Meteorite during the party. She called the Goddess backstage and attacked her. I saw it with my own eyes."
So they both knew of the fox's identity the whole time? But why would they leave her be? Fuyao had only brought about chaos and destruction. She'd instilled fear in many, hurting and even killing some. The damage had only been kept to a minimum thanks to Komari and Karla's Core Implosion.
Wait. Then, did they…?
"Core Implosion reflects the strength of one's spirit. It won't show in someone without conviction. Just having her grandmother force her to do things wouldn't do. Karla needed to go through a real trial."
Nelia was speechless. The Goddess had let Fuyao go free just to ensure Karla would develop a sense of duty. But that was a huge gamble. If any little thing went wrong, the whole of the Heavenly Paradise would have been wrecked.
"You…really wanted Karla to be Goddess that bad?"
"Yes. Otherwise, the Heavenly Paradise would have fallen under Karin's rule. That's a certainty."
"Certainty? Did you see the future or something?"
"Not through prediction like you might think. I saw it happen in real time."
Then the Goddess grabbed the paper charm covering her face and pulled it off. The autumn wind carried it away from her fingers. Nelia could not believe her eyes. Even the Empress seemed surprised.
The face under the charm…looked just like Karla Amatsu's.
"Wha? Karla…? How…?"
"I came here from two years in the future. I am Karla Amatsu."
Nelia was dumbstruck. She wanted to believe it was Karla's sister or something, but her face was just too similar…albeit more mature. Even her voice was identical, now that she thought about it. Her mannerisms were also the same. So she really was…
"Waving Moment is my Core Implosion. As you might know, I have the power to turn back time. That is what I did. I rewound the time of the entire world, save for me, by about twelve years to go back to what would be ten years in the past now."
"For what purpose…?"
"For the good of all nations."
Twenty-seven-year-old Goddess Karla Amatsu told her story, nostalgically yet falteringly.
"In my timeline, Karin Reigetsu became the Goddess. I couldn't win the Heavenly Ball. Despite Komari's help, I stubbornly refused to become Goddess. But this turned out to be the worst decision I could make. Karin was not fit to be a ruler. Starting with Fuyao Meteorite, the terrorists took over the government, destroyed the Dark Core, and brought about the demise of the Heavenly Paradise in the blink of an eye. Having taken over the nation, the terrorists declared war on the rest of the world. It was chaos. Pure, wild slaughter. Divine Instruments were used. Dark Cores were attacked. Bodies piled up everywhere, and the land became a red sea of blood. People dear to my heart lost their lives one after the other. It wasn't until then that I realized I couldn't be a pâtissier. I had to be the Goddess. What was I doing? This power in my hands…was it for nothing? Waving Moment awoke within me by the time the whole world was already in shambles. There was but one thing I could do: turn back time and go back to the beginning. To a time where Karla was still young."
Nelia listened in silence. It was then that she realized she could sense no mana in the Goddess's body.
"I talked about it with my grandmother. Warned her of the impending doom. She understood right away. She ceded the title of Goddess without a Heavenly Ball and told me to come up with a plan to avoid that fate. I took my own steps toward world peace, while she was educating the Karla of this timeline. She had been on the laissez-faire side in my timeline, but now she was strict. Kaya knew she had to groom this Karla into someone worthy of being Goddess. She had to inculcate in her the role of a warrior…but fate is unforgivable. Karla dreamed of being a pâtissier just like me. Perhaps it was inevitable—perhaps her will was too strong. And in turn, my grandmother grew even stricter, knowing what awaited our nation. For ten years, I did all sorts of things to set the stage for Karla's victory. I cut down the Reigetsus' power. I sent spies to Inverse Moon. I sent Karla as envoy to the Mulnite Empire so she would come in contact with Terakomari Gandesblood. I had wanted to make them friends since long before…but fate reared its ugly head again; I couldn't get the chance. It was when I came to this timeline that I learned about Komari becoming a shut-in… Oh, by the way, Karla still doesn't know that I—she—is the Goddess. I knew she would take it easy if she ever learned of her special power. She wouldn't have been able to obtain true Core Implosion that way. I asked our grandmother to keep it secret from her. In any case…I did all I could to make her the Goddess, and my efforts bore fruit in the end. She won the Heavenly Ball, and in the best way possible—making Karin admit defeat. Had I simply yielded my title to Karla, Karin would have been hugely displeased. I needed to do all this to avert our doom."
The Goddess started looking translucent. The mana that had left her body began to shine all around her.
"It's been so long. But at last, my work here is done. Not just making Karla into the Goddess, but with this timeline as a whole… Compared to the youth I lived, things are much more peaceful. Aruka didn't collapse after the Six Nations War this time around after all."
Nelia got chills. The Goddess smiled.
"Now the nations of the world simply have to unite and defeat the terrorists. That's all. It's in your hands. I have no time left."
"Is…that the cost of your Core Implosion?" the Empress asked.
"Yes. Waving Moment's power is unconventional. You must give up a bit of your soul to use its awesome power."
"Incredible for sure. Perhaps just as amazing as the Blood Curse."
"Karla has used Waving Moment five times already in this timeline. It all depends on the length of time rewound, but she might end up like me if she uses it too much. One's soul isn't eternal… Please, warn her to be careful. I left her a letter of my own, but still."
"I see." The Empress grimaced. "Just the burden of using it on her house and that vase must've been heavy. By the way, I'm curious about something. Are your power and this timeline's Karla Amatsu's really the same? Karla's rewinds time locally, doesn't it? If that's the case, then it would be impossible for two of her to exist at the same time…"
"Core Implosions grow. The particulars don't stay the same forever. You can see that with Komari's, can't you?"
"Hrmm…" She put a hand on her chin.
Nelia couldn't even begin to think about the particulars of Karla's power, though.
The Goddess was already semi-transparent. Her body was turning into mana, dissolving in the air. It looked like an illusion. Like she was ascending to the heavens.
Nelia stood up on reflex.
If what the Goddess said was true, then what about her life? She couldn't make her dream come true like this timeline's Karla had. She couldn't live through peaceful times. She'd been sucked into war, lost people she cared about, and then went back in time twelve years. She'd lived these past ten years preparing to avert the Heavenly Paradise's doom.
"Was…" Nelia spoke. "Was this the right choice for you?"
"Yes. I was able to change the world. I'm satisfied." She put on a faint smile.
"And besides, although these ten years were hectic, I was able to see people I thought I would never see again. I was happy. That was enough for me, even."
"I… I suppose…"
"Please, take good care of your friends. Join hands against evil. And keep an eye on Komari. That vampire princess is one of those who left us back in that timeline."
Take care were her last words, but the wind blew over them.
The Goddess vanished in the air. The only thing left behind was her residual mana, which also vanished in time.
Nelia and the Empress remained quiet for a while, staring at the place where she had once sat.
It hurt. Everything hurt. It felt like her body was being torn apart. And yet she still relished the joy of being spared. She was supposed to be dead now—it was a miracle that she had survived that blow.
"Heh. Heh-heh. She held back. Bitch."
In a back alley in the Eastern Capital hid the foxgirl Fuyao Meteorite. She was wounded all over, showing no signs of healing under the effects of the Dark Core. Naturally. She was not from the Heavenly Paradise, but the Lapelico Kingdom.
Still, she didn't want to go to the beast-folk kingdom. It was her loss. She'd underestimated her opponent's power and met a miserable defeat. But this pain would make her next victory even better. It would serve as fuel for her to try harder. Let's just savor this pain for now… She closed her eyes.
Terakomari Gandesblood. The daughter of Yulinne Gandesblood, the vampire who had destroyed Fuyao's homeland. She'd bore no personal grudge against the former before this; blaming her for the sins of her mother was ridiculous. But things were different now. She had a reason to resent Komari after getting terribly beaten up like that. She needed a rematch; she would know no peace otherwise.
"Just you wait, Terakomari. I'll bewitch you to death next time…"
"Oh, you're here." She heard a voice out of the blue.
She turned around. A man was standing in the dark.
She clicked her tongue on reflex. It was a Sapphire man—her boss in Inverse Moon. One of the Lunae: Tryphon. He sighed and approached her.
"My, you should have told me you were injured. What if something worse happened to you?"
Fuyao clicked her tongue again and looked away. She had ignored Tryphon's orders and failed. It was awkward. Beyond awkward, in fact. Inverse Moon was known for being unforgiving against people who failed.
"Look at this. It will fester if you don't treat this. Let's go to our Heavenly Paradise branch."
"Hah. Stop pretending. I know you're here to kill me."
Fuyao stood up, placing her hand on the hilt of her katana.
"No way." Tryphon shook his head with a smile. "The organization would collapse if we cut off exceptional human resources like you. It's just one failure. If there is one thing to admonish you for, it's that I wish you had stayed in contact more frequently."
"…"
"In any case, I guarantee your safety. I'll defend you even if Her Highness herself wants to get rid of you. And she is kind, so there's no need to worry."
"Should Inverse Moon be so warmhearted?"
"I suppose Her Highness is exceedingly kind, but so am I. Kakumei Amatsu looks ruthless, but he's pretty gentle, too. Not to speak of Lonne Cornelius, who actually borders on vulnerable."
"So you're all a bunch of sweethearts?"
What a cozy bunch of terrorists. Indeed, that was how the Wicked God Slayer had described the organization herself. In any case, the fact they weren't planning on executing her was a good thing. Fuyao could keep on working with Inverse Moon as she plotted Terakomari's death.
Tryphon took out a bottle of disinfectant and poured it on Fuyao's wounds. It stung. A lot. Now that was cruel. That wasn't how you used it. She resisted the urge to complain.
"You are from the Lapelico Kingdom, right? You could go home and get healed right away, but hey, we are Inverse Moon. Wouldn't be nice of us to rely on the Dark Core."
"Hah… Pain only makes you stronger. Back in Lapelico, I left the Dark Core Zone every time I got hurt to stop the healing. Not once have I let it take care of me."
"Impossible. You must have scraped a knee or something when you were little."
"Not a chance. I was signed up to the Dark Core only a few years back. It was after the Wicked God Slayer took me in that I gave my blood to the Lapelico Dark Spring, on her orders."
"Hmm?"
"My homeland was in the middle of nowhere. None of us knew about the Dark Core. I guess the village was outside Lapelico's administration. Doesn't exist anymore, though."
"…How curious," Tryphon said with deep intrigue, but he changed the subject immediately. "By the way, Her Highness was praising your work."
"What is there to praise? I didn't achieve anything."
"True, but we did get to see a new side of Terakomari Gandesblood, which pleased her. And you destroyed a fair bit of the Eastern Capital. It will halt the city's activities for a while; I would say that counts as an achievement."
"What…? I don't think it does. Terakomari did most of it, anyways."
"Yes, but you gave her the opportunity to do so. Anyways, it's being chalked up to you, so don't dispute it, okay? And in recognition of your accomplishment, Her Highness is appointing you as the fourth Luna."
The bottle of disinfectant was empty now. Fuyao got to her feet in agony.
The Dark Core was a wicked thing. It made the people forget about their fear of death, made them progressively more foolish. They'd forgotten how to evolve through the power of fear and pain. Fuyao understood why the Wicked God Slayer hated it so.
"A Luna? Not interested."
"That doesn't matter. You are one already."
"I don't care. In the slightest."
Tryphon grinned.
He was probably thinking something stupid, like always. His foul train of thought always disgusted her, but she guessed it wasn't so bad to have the backup of Inverse Moon.
"Here." Tryphon handed her a manju bun.
She stared at him.
"What's this?"
"Just sharing a snack."
"…Hah."
She snatched it from his hand and bit into it right away.
It was sweet and tasty. Tryphon really was too kind. No other Luna gave their underlings a friendly snack…did they?
"Karla Amatsu made it. I got it at the Fuuzen."
"Not bad."
"Indeed. I bought everything they had at the shop, just for Her Highness. It was a total of three hundred thousand yen."
"Are you stupid or something?"
"I am most certainly not. This will cheer up Karla Amatsu more than anything. She fought for her own dream…and her nation. I think she plans on continuing running her sweets shop even as Goddess. Quite admirable. And it was Terakomari Gandesblood who made this bright future possible."
Something changed within him.
His crimson eyes suddenly glowed with bloodlust.
"She's in our way," he said.
"I'll kill her."
Tryphon sighed.
"…You're too straightforward for someone with the power to shapeshift. You should try coming up with something more underhanded."
I think I was quite underhanded this time around, thank you very much…
Tryphon produced a photo from his pocket. He showed it to her with a wicked smile on his face.
"Gandesblood herself is too powerful. We have to start with the people around her. I think it best we start by going after her… What do you think, Fuyao?"
"…"
I see. Oh, I see.
Yes, this could work to trap Terakomari Gandesblood. They could defeat the strongest vampire this way.
Click. A switch flipped.
"Great plan! I can't wait to see the despair on her face! Let's get started right away! Oh, don't worry. I, Fuyao Meteorite, will take care of everything!" She smiled.
So did Tryphon.
And so the terrorists began to scheme.
The vampire princess had saved the Heavenly Paradise, but she'd put a target on her back.
The Sapphire was holding a picture of a girl. Terakomari Gandesblood's biggest weakness. Her blue-haired maid—Villhaze.