City of Tenguu, Fraxinus, Ratatoskr...
"This spiritual signature... no doubt, it's Commander Itsuka, Efreet."
"Hurry, contact the Emperor! Now that our commander has appeared, it's our duty to bring her back."
Moments before Kotori launched her attack, her energy signature was instantly intercepted by the Fraxinus crew.
Being high in the sky with access to satellites, any time a spirit released its Reiryoku, they would detect it. This was why the crew was excited about Kotori's return; she was their commander and leader.
The crew was already having enough trouble leaving the masochistic captain in charge.
[Warning! Warning!]
[Reiryoku levels entering critical zone]
[Incoming Spatial Quake]
But something happened. Kotori increased her power and controlled the fire, covering part of the sky.
Such unleashed force was a disaster for the city.
Everyone panicked, and just as Kyouhei Kannazuki ordered the evacuation of civilians, another problem appeared...
Warships on the same level as Fraxinus were detected. Given the number of ships, they didn't even bother hiding; it was clear they were looking down on Ratatoskr.
"DEM? Why are they here?!"
The Fraxinus crew couldn't understand it, and Kyouhei Kannazuki remained silent, as everything seemed too coincidental.
"Captain, communications are blocked; we can't call the Emperor!"
"...I see."
With a long sigh, Kyouhei Kannazuki expected this. When it comes to DEM, war is the only option. But without Yuki, their greatest weapon, they had no confidence.
The problem was that the sky was filled with Bandersnatch and battle mages, along with the warships. It was impossible to face them...
"We're on our own..."
It was unfortunate, but Kyouhei Kannazuki had at least hoped to be under his commander's command again. But the way things were going, it seemed like their commander had betrayed them. No, she hadn't betrayed them.
She was being deceived. Kyouhei Kannazuki was sure of that. Reine was the one who had kidnapped their leader, and now it was up to him.
(I won't let my commander down!)
Being a masochist, Kyouhei Kannazuki hoped for a reward after the battle—a stomp would be more than enough, which made him blush, but he still wanted to win.
"Everyone to your battle stations! We won't let them destroy this ship!"
This was a lie. It was obvious that even escaping was a matter of life and death, though there was a small glimmer of hope for survival.
The moment Yuki noticed the battle, they would have won. Kyouhei Kannazuki believed in this, and so did the crew, as they were all well aware of Yuki's strength—the strongest spirit they recognized.
"Motivation is good, but you won't be fighting..."
But at that moment, a voice caused the entire crew to tremble and raise their guard immediately. They drew their pistols and aimed at the unwanted guest.
But...
"Reine-san?"
It was Reine, the traitor and also the one who had kidnapped their commander. Everyone was stunned for a moment since Reine wasn't wearing her usual work attire. Instead, she wore a rather revealing white outfit, though no one dared look at her, as Reine's overwhelming presence caused even Kyouhei to take a deep breath to steady himself.
"How did you get in? No... What are you doing here?"
Despite having revoked all of Reine's permissions, as a spirit, Reine could slip into any part of the world regardless of security. So, Kyouhei Kannazuki asked about her objective instead of wasting time on something pointless.
After all, Kotori had been kidnapped by her, so Kyouhei Kannazuki was a bit fearful that Reine might start a massacre.
"Waiting..."
"Waiting?"
"Mm, waiting for a miracle..."
Reine had high expectations. Yuki would be able to change the situation, perhaps triumph over the original or be defeated.
There were many things Reine wanted to see, but more importantly, she had to prevent Fraxinus from joining the battle. Otherwise, they would all die, and as a clone, she still had her own thoughts, as well as a bit of attachment to this group of people.
"So, let's wait eagerly for the creation of a miracle..."
"..."
At that moment, Fraxinus, which was about to engage in a deadly battle with DEM, turned and joined the enemy fleet.
---
"Is that Kotori-san?"
"Surprised, it's Kotori-san."
The Yamai sisters gaped in shock. They hadn't expected that the one attacking them would be Kotori, who was now in a berserker state.
As hurricane sisters, they were ready for battle, but if it was against Kotori, they didn't want to fight.
"This is bad, I can't get through to Fraxinus..."
"DEM, they must have cut off communication..."
Mana and Origami spoke at the same time. Unlike the Yamai sisters, they were more concerned with the warships and mages.
There were so many that even they had a hard time dealing with them.
Especially with the commander leading the army.
"The most powerful mage in the world... I'm not confident in facing her."
Mana Takamiya sighed helplessly. She was a powerful mage, but Ellen's level had surpassed even that of ordinary spirits, making her a tough opponent.
"Leave it to me."
Origami, on the other hand, wasn't afraid. As a spirit, she didn't believe she was weaker than Ellen. And while it was true that her strength was on par with Ellen's, in terms of combat, Ellen was superior. So, even in her spirit form, she would still be overwhelmingly outmatched.
Besides, Ellen wasn't the only one in the enemy faction. There was also Asbelle, a mage capable of fighting spirits on her own.
"It doesn't matter, we'll fight!"
"That's right! We can do this!"
"Determined, the hurricane sisters won't lose."
The spirits gathered, and Tohka and the Yamai sisters were full of motivation.
Kurumi, watching from the side, shrugged.
These girls had the courage, but not the strength. She was starting to doubt whether it was a good idea to get involved. The barrier would be impossible to break with just Kotori's strength, but what worried Kurumi the most was Mio Takamiya's potential intervention.
If that happened, they would be at a severe disadvantage.
"It's fine, I'll handle it..."
At that moment, a voice stopped the girls from doing something reckless.
"Danna-sama?"
Kurumi was the first to sense it, and Yuki emerged from the shadows...
"Nii-sama!"
"Yuki!"
"Yuki!"
"Yuki! You're back!"
"Surprised, Yuki has returned!"
"Darling!"
The pressure dissipated, and the girls surrounded Yuki, who in response opened his arms and embraced their delicate bodies...
"Danna-sama, I thought Reine-san wouldn't let you return."
Kurumi frowned. It was obvious that this was a trap to lure Yuki out of the house and attack the spirits, but Yuki had returned so quickly that Kurumi couldn't figure out the opponent's plan...
They had the advantage, and she didn't believe Reine Murasame lacked the strength to stop Yuki.
"Don't worry, I convinced her not to interfere."
Or, to be more precise, to create a miracle, which was what Reine was waiting for.
"Nii-sama, what should we do?"
"No problem, I'm already on it..."
Looking up at the sky, Yuki's clones had already begun fighting the warships, while Mukuro, Nia, and Natsumi had joined the fray. With the power of a High Destroyer, it was a one-sided massacre, as expected...
"As expected from Darling!"
Miku's eyes sparkled, seeing Yuki as incredibly cool in that moment. Kotori, however, had a different reaction...
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Her eyes glowed with hatred, and the flames around her burned even fiercer. This was the one who had lied to her, used her, the murderer of her beloved Onii-chan...
"Camael!!"
With that, her halberd spun, and a powerful slash of fire was launched toward Yuki's clones...
"She's blinded by her hatred. In her current state, she won't let me get close to her..."
Yuki, watching from behind the barrier, shook his head. He understood her feelings, and it was a blessing that she hadn't yet been fully corrupted.
So there was still a chance.
(You have to risk it to win...)
If possible, Yuki would have liked more time to prepare, but the enemy attacked first, and since he wasn't ready, his only option was to risk everything in his spiritual world.
So, without hesitation, he approached Kurumi, who smiled in agreement. At the same time, she sank into the shadows, taking Origami and the girls with her...
"Eh?!"
This, of course, surprised the spirits.
(It's up to you... 'Me.')
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