"Liar! Murderer! You killed my Onii-chan!"
Kotori was enraged, swinging her halberd in an attempt to strike Yuki's clones, who retreated and rushed towards the warships in defense.
"Don't run! Coward!"
Kotori's fury grew. She tried to chase after them, but one of the clones stood in her way. Thinking it was the original, Kotori attacked.
"I won't run. I'm right here."
For Yuki, who created these cannon-fodder clones, there were some among them that were special.
Clones that possessed more than 10% of his power, and the one facing Kotori was one of them.
"Damn you! Die!"
Kotori's flames burned fiercer as her halberd spun with great force, causing the flames to scorch the sky.
But Yuki didn't fear her. At the moment the halberd spun, he dropped from the sky, dodging the attack.
Kotori wasn't far behind and immediately pursued.
But just like before, no matter how much she swung her halberd, she couldn't land a hit on Yuki. His speed was far greater than hers.
This made her mind grow more corrupt. After all, Camael was that type of angel.
An angel that controls flames, with a violent nature and destructive impulse. If it were the usual Kotori, she definitely wouldn't use these powers unless it was her last resort, knowing she would lose control and gradually become a beast.
But that no longer mattered to Kotori. The more she lost control, the more power she gained, and only then could she kill the murderer of her Onii-chan.
"Haah! Haah!"
Of course, Yuki was aware of this, which is why he didn't attack her even once, only evading.
Only when the distance between them and the warships increased did Yuki use his powers...
*Boom*
The halberd clashed with a black bone, creating a shockwave. Yuki's Mangekyo Sharingan spun, and the Susanoo around him formed quickly...
The skeletal arms reached out to grab Kotori, but she exploded into flames, transforming her halberd into a cannon.
"Meggido!"
A powerful fire cannon was fired at Susanoo. The extreme temperatures created a firestorm, and even though Yuki was protected by the Susanoo, he felt the intense heat.
Nevertheless, he didn't move, maintaining his stance. From the flames, Kotori burst out in a flash and struck downward.
*Bam*
It was a good distraction plan, but it didn't escape Yuki's Sharingan. Even with the high temperatures, Susanoo remained, and its palm tightly gripped the halberd.
"Tsk! Damn it!"
With her failed attack, Kotori retreated, but the firestorm didn't dissipate. As the temperature kept rising, even Susanoo began to burn.
Despite being in a frenzied state, Kotori's battle instincts were top-notch.
"Do you hate me?"
"You killed Onii-chan!"
Kotori hated him, despised him, and regarded him as the vilest being in existence. She felt like the biggest fool in the world, having helped the one who murdered her family. But no more, she was going to end everything by killing him and bringing her brother back.
"Really? Is that why you hate me? Are you sure it was me who killed him?"
Of course, Yuki didn't believe her. On the contrary, he tilted his head in confusion.
"Do you truly hate me?"
"Ahhh! Shut up! Shut up!"
Kotori refused to listen, and her halberd transformed again. The fire cannon was fired repeatedly, and Camael's power kept growing. Yuki could vaguely see Kotori's Reiryoku strengthening.
Though Camael was powerful, it shouldn't be at this level. He had to recognize that Kotori was now one step away from becoming a High Tectonic.
Such immense power shouldn't be possible for an Angel.
This was Reine's doing, and Yuki knew it. But he didn't stop it.
This was fine, it was part of the deal between them. He knew that the longer this dragged on, the more power Kotori would gain. Though it was fine for now, eventually, he would lose.
Kotori was an existence representing the instinct of the Void Hero, a Berserker who would rise stronger no matter how many times she fell.
Of course, Kotori could never reach the level of the Void Hero, whose dead body rose and fought.
"Die and give me back my Onii-chan!"
"Really? If that's what you want, I can bring him back..."
"Liar!!"
Kotori didn't trust Yuki, believing all his words were lies. To her, bringing back her Onii-chan was impossible unless Yuki died, and she knew this. So, she grew even angrier when Yuki spoke those words.
"I'm serious. But... do you want to?"
"...!?"
"Do you want to see your Onii-chan again?"
"Ahh!"
For a moment, Kotori's movements halted. She frowned deeply, biting her lips, and her halberd lowered once more.
This time, unlike before, it came so close to Yuki that a strand of his hair was cut. Kotori was now stronger and faster, having successfully entered the High Tectonic rank...
Reine's energy was being transmitted to Kotori, and an illusory shadow of Reine appeared behind her.
"Ahhhhh!"
With so much power, Kotori's body couldn't handle it. She roared in pain, entering the critical stage for her mortal body. Yuki was running out of time, as the flames were purifying Kotori's body and making it stronger, preparing her to enter the next rank.
"Answer me, Itsuka Kotori! Do you really want to see your brother again?! Is that what you desire?!"
"SHUT UP!! YOU ARE NOT MY ONII-CHAN, YOU NEVER WILL BE!"
"...!?"
Yuki was stunned for a few seconds. Kotori's flames changed color as she responded, indicating that she knew very well that Itsuka Shido had been devoured by Yuki, and that the latter was her brother in soul.
(Now I understand, it was you, Reine...)
Yuki hadn't expected Reine to tell this to Kotori. This was a direct path to gaining Kotori's favor, because if Shido was Yuki, then he never disappeared and had always been with her.
As family, Kotori's love for Shido would overflow, and she would madly love Yuki, who was her brother. She would stop fighting, and sides would shift.
Thus, Reine should never have mentioned it. Instead, she should have sealed the memory.
It now seemed that being Kotori's brother wouldn't work. In her current mental state, Kotori wouldn't join him; she would be a ticking time bomb.
Reine was more cunning than Mio Takamiya, and Kotori was beginning to unravel. Her mental state wasn't due to the death of Itsuka Shido—something else was tormenting her mind.
"Nia, search Rasiel. Five years ago, at the turning point, something must have changed Kotori's state..."
[Got it~ Leave it to me~]
(What bad luck...)
Sighing internally, Yuki (the clone) felt a little helpless, but not defeated. He knew that if he couldn't solve the problem, the original Yuki could. The original was stronger and could easily suppress Kotori. Plus, with Nia's support, he didn't think that even searching Rasiel would fail, even if the Akashic records were sealed.
As if reading his thoughts, the original responded...
[The time is almost right. Her emotional defenses are about to collapse. A little more, pierce through and finish it all...]
"It's about time..."
He closed his eyes, and the clone's power increased...
"Ahhhh!!"
At that moment, black flames engulfed Kotori, and her astral dress transformed. It was quite revealing—her kimono turned semi-transparent, black and red. The horns on her head grew, and her halberd was ablaze with black fire, giving her a futuristic appearance, as if straight out of a sci-fi movie.
This was the Demon King, Asmodeus, representing hatred, resentment, the beast of instinct, and the Berserker.
*Boom, boom, boom*
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
The resonance amplified, and Kotori's consciousness was consumed by rage.
This was bad. For Yuki, whose spiritual world was a mess, the heavenly castle felt the presence of Asmodeus and began calling to it like a lover or a devil's whisper...
---
TN: This is so fucking dumb.. It would have been so easy if he told them from starting that they all were parts of his soul including Itsuka Shido.. Fucking retard