"I see, it was my mistake."
Reine closed her eyes and sighed. Yuki was right—she couldn't kill him. She wasn't Mio Takamiya, so her strength was that of a High Destroyer, a bit stronger than Yuki, but that was it. Even though she possessed all of Mio Takamiya's powers, Yuki, with the crown and the spirits, was impossible for Reine to defeat.
"No, even without Natsumi, I would have eventually found out everything."
"You're right..."
Since there was no longer a need to pretend, following Reine's will, her Reiryoku distorted, and her body began to glow, materializing her astral dress.
"...."
Like Mio Takamiya's, Reine's Astral Dress was a translucent white, but unlike Mio's, Reine's was more mature and form-fitting, accentuating her curves and enhancing her mature feminine charms.
Yuki narrowed his eyes but didn't move, knowing Reine was merely showing herself.
"Now that you know I'm a clone, do you still come for me? It's pointless..."
"No, it's precisely because you're a clone that I want you by my side."
Reine frowned at this, raising a hand to her chin in interest. As a clone, she was useless to Yuki, unable to wield the crown. Only the original Mio Takamiya could do that.
Mio Takamiya was the source of everything, the one with whom Yuki had a resonance. Thus, a clone like Reine would be rejected by the crown, no matter how much of Mio Takamiya's power she possessed—she was still an imitation.
So, she was curious to know exactly what Yuki had planned. Smiling, she asked in return.
"And why do you want me by your side?"
"Because we're the same... Imposters."
No matter what, Yuki would never be Shinji Takamiya, just as Reine could never be Mio Takamiya.
Even though they were them, they also weren't—such a contradiction was why they were imposters.
Mere tools created for a purpose, to ensure the continuity of the original.
"Join me. Your life until now has been spent in service to your original. You will never have a future and will die—that's a fact. So I'm asking you to live with me... Help me put an end to this life filled with pain."
"I suppose you're right, we are imposters. I'll never be Mio Takamiya..."
Reine understood. As an imposter, she had never been able to sleep peacefully; every memory of the original burned her existence like the sun.
However...
"My feelings are real..."
Mio Takamiya was violent and filled with hatred. Her feelings were so intense and fiery that they tormented her every day.
Still, those feelings were wonderful in their own way, bringing warmth to Reine's cheeks.
"I love Shinji Takamiya. That is real, and you are not Shinji."
As a clone, Reine shared the same love for that human. It was so strong that she didn't mind being a tool if it meant bringing him back. So, there was no point in joining another imposter, as she shared the same goal as Mio Takamiya.
Reine wouldn't change her mind. However, Yuki thought otherwise.
"Yes, I'm not Shinji Takamiya... but I am Shido Itsuka."
Placing a hand on his head, numerous memories flashed through his mind—the entire life of Itsuka Shido.
"Tell me, then—if your feelings are real, who do you love more? Shinji Takamiya or Shido Itsuka? Which feelings are true to you?"
"....."
Reine, who had cared for Shido since he was born, couldn't compare those feelings to ones passed down from the original.
These were feelings she had experienced herself...
But was it love between a man and a woman?
No, it wasn't.
It was a maternal love, like that of a mother for her child. So, would Reine be capable of killing her son for her true love?
"What simple words. I won't fall for that. You are neither Shinji nor Shido—you're just an imposter..."
Even though she knew Yuki's words were a blatant lie, Reine wasn't angry at Yuki for trying to pass himself off as her true love and her son.
On the contrary, her heart warmed even more, and her eyes glowed with a hint of tenderness.
"I won't join you. You're false, and because of that, I can't."
Shaking her head, Reine's figure began to break apart into mosaics, fading away.
Yuki's expression darkened. He knew he had failed to persuade Reine. She was his only chance to turn the situation around.
And it wasn't as if he was lying, because, in theory, he was Shinji/Shido—they were the same soul, he had Shido's memories, and the same aura.
But just as Shinji wasn't Shido, neither could he be both. Everything was a mess, depending entirely on how one chose to interpret it.
After all, Yuki didn't possess Shinji/Shido's kindness and pure heart, the ability to help without expecting anything in return. He was selfish and didn't care about anyone except his women. But Shinji/Shido lacked Yuki's perseverance, his firm will to pursue victory.
Fortunately, Reine's voice echoed through the wind once more.
"However, you're not bad. So prove it to me—prove that your words are true. That imposters can also have a future. If you can create a miracle and become real, I'll live with you...."
Yuki smiled. He had done it—he had secured the chance.
Weeeoo, Weooou, Weeooou
But he didn't have time to respond when the spacequake alarm went off.
At the same time, the sky lit up, and a crimson flame formed, rapidly expanding before crashing to the ground, creating an explosion. The flames began to burn the city...
"Kotori...?"
There was only one spirit capable of such destruction, and that was Ifrit.
Yuki's Sharingan spun, and high in the sky, a figure appeared, wearing a flaming kimono and a pair of oni horns.
This was Kotori's Astral Dress, Elohim Gibor.
"She broke the seal..."
Unlike the seals of Origami and the other spirits, Kotori's seal was special, completely restricting her Reiryoku and maintaining part of the power of Yuki from the other timeline—a clone.
But now, Kotori had destroyed the seal and even killed the clone. There was no doubt that this was Reine's doing.
Additionally, Kotori was in Berserker Mode...
Her power had increased dramatically in exchange for her consciousness, leaving her consumed by rage. Fortunately, she hadn't inverted, which was good news.
"A distraction... Reine, how cunning."
But that wasn't the real issue. The giant fireball had directly struck the Itsuka residence, where the spirits lived.
That was Reine's true goal—lure him away from home and have Kotori attack the girls, cutting the problem off at the root. If the girls died before taking their thrones in the crown, Yuki would remain incomplete, just like in the first timeline.
But they had miscalculated. Even though Kotori's attack was successful, it wasn't enough. There was a barrier around the house—Yuki would never leave the place where they slept unprotected. It was essential.
Even so, Yuki didn't hesitate and sank into the shadows...
"Ahhhh!!"
The Itsuka residence remained intact after the explosion. A golden barrier isolated the flames, preventing the house from burning.
Even so, the attack was enough to wake the girls.
"What's going on? Why is there so much noise?"
Still in her pajamas, Tohka came out of her room, yawning and rubbing the corner of her eyes.
"We're under attack."
Origami answered. Unlike Tohka, she was already in battle mode, her Astral Dress forming.
As a battle mage, she responded instantly to danger.
"We're under attack?! We have to wake up Yuki!"
Tohka panicked and ran towards Yuki's room but was immediately stopped.
"Nii-sama isn't here. I'll take command for now."
Like Origami, Mana was also in combat mode, equipped with her CR Unit, and quickly contacted Fraxinus.
With Kotori gone, she had to take over the ship's temporary command, and she had already ordered an emergency evacuation.
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