[Ahhh!! Cyrene! Cyrene!]
Boom!
The Demon King resisted being sealed again. Having found his little sister, even through pure instinct, his strength surged.
Chains binding the Sky Castle snapped one by one. At the same time, the silhouettes of other Demon Kings began to manifest. Though they couldn't yet escape due to the massive white hands restraining them, their presence alone posed a tremendous threat.
Creakkkk.
Cracks spread across the ocarina. The Demon King's power had surpassed its sealing capabilities, and the patches Eggy had applied to repair it gave way once more.
"Yuki!"
Eggy was at her limit, barely holding the ocarina together as it fractured in her hands.
"I know!"
Yuki responded, slamming his palms together. A golden lance materialized before him. Turning his head, he called out, "Girls!"
"Yes!"
The Spirits immediately understood. Joining hands, they intensified their spiritual resonance, sending waves of power into the lance.
"Mukuro!"
"Hn, Nushi-sama."
Yuki took hold of the lance, positioning himself in front of Yoshino. He crouched low, steadying his balance, and hurled the lance with all his strength.
"Michael: Jerez!"
Boom!
A deafening sonic burst rang out as the lance sliced through the enormous spiritual hand, cleaving it like butter. Before the other Demon Kings could react, the lance embedded itself into the massive gates of the Sky Castle. Transforming into a key, it began to turn.
"Michael: Segva!"
BOOM!
A miniature black hole erupted, consuming the Demon King's massive hands as they were dragged back toward the castle.
[Cyrene… Cyrene…]
The Demon King's voice grew sorrowful and pleading, unwilling to be separated from his little sister again. Yet, his cries went unheard as the seal tightened, locking everything away once more with Michael's power.
Tears streamed from the Demon King's eyes as he was forced to close them, his presence retreating into the castle.
Creakkkk.
At the same time, a part of the ocarina disintegrated in Eggy's hands.
"Ha… ha… ha… I can't seal him again… Will I be able to…?"
Yuki gulped, sweat dripping down his face. The Demon King's power had far exceeded Stellar Level, and he couldn't gauge its full extent. It was simply overwhelming.
If the Demon King broke free again, the ocarina would be destroyed, and the Demon King would escape. This also meant that sending more Spirits into the Crown was out of the question unless they took much more time.
"Danna-sama."
"Nushi-sama."
"Yuki-san…"
"Yuki! Are you alright?"
The Spirits quickly gathered around him, their concern evident.
"I'm fine… for now."
(It wasn't supposed to be like this…)
While reassuring the girls, Yuki cursed internally. He cast a wary glance at Yoshino beside him. Who would have thought this sweet, innocent girl would trigger the Demon King's instincts?
All his attention had been on Miku, but it had been in vain. He had no way of predicting this. In the previous timeline, Yoshino had been the only Spirit who survived and never entered the Crown.
Thus, she had never been part of his calculations for danger.
(No, now's not the time for this.)
Shaking off his doubts, Yuki forced himself to refocus. The Demon King was sealed for now, but a greater threat loomed.
"We need to continue… The Beast. We have to stop it."
"Hm."
.....
Ka… ka… ka…
The incomplete domain of Rasiel trembled as an enormous, withered black tree—Belial—spread through the Fictional World, fragmenting its reality and distorting the Crown itself.
At the center of this chaos was the Beast.
"Ahhhh!!"
A single roar sent Belial's branches and roots crashing into the Crown, forcing it to rotate defensively to absorb the impact.
"Yui-kun, I can't hold it much longer!"
Nia strained to keep the Beast contained, her spiritual energy waning. Behind her, Yuki lent his strength, supporting her with his own power.
"No, we can't let it escape. Not yet… Natsumi!"
Understanding instantly, Natsumi nodded. "Got it! Haniel: Kaleidoscope."
Summoning her Angel, Natsumi transformed. Her broom shifted, and she herself underwent a dramatic change.
She emerged as a smaller figure with pale grayish-white skin and twin black pigtails. She wore a black choker low on her neck, paired with a black bikini top that revealed noticeable scars trailing down her torso. Her lower half was clad in short black shorts secured with prominent white-buckled belts. A long black trench coat draped below her knees, its hood marked with a white star symbol.
Natsumi's left eye flared with fiery intensity as she gritted her teeth.
"First Level: World of Black and White."
The throne corresponding to Natsumi lit up, and the Fictional World's incomplete domain shifted. It became a realm of infinite dreams, a chessboard-like world where enormous black stones floated skyward.
With two incomplete domains now active, the strain on Yuki and Nia lessened slightly.
Yuki and Nia gasped at the sight of Natsumi. This wasn't the usual mischievous witch they knew.
This was undoubtedly the Champion of Dreams, master of one of the parallel domains: Black Rock Shooter.
Natsumi's true power wasn't in her own domain but in her ability to copy others. She could replicate the domains of all Spirits—and, as it turned out, even those of other Champions. Yuki had never imagined she could wield a domain as powerful as Black Rock Shooter's, much less embody such an existence.
"Hmph!"
Puffing her chest proudly, Natsumi enjoyed the stunned admiration from Yuki and Nia. Though she wasn't entirely pleased with her smaller form—especially her chest—she knew her strength couldn't be underestimated.
However…
"Guh?!"
Her pride didn't last. The Dream Domain's immense power hit her like a wave. Though she had access to the Champion's domain and abilities, she lacked the sheer strength of the true Champion. The Dream Domain drained her energy rapidly, her Order struggling to sustain its demands.
"Two minutes… I can't hold it for more than that… cough… cough…"
Natsumi gasped for breath, her form flickering as her transformation destabilized. She had underestimated the Infinite Dream's power—and the Beast's strength.
Perhaps if the true Champion of Dreams fought the Beast, it would have been a fair match. Yuki believed the Champion would likely win. But Natsumi wasn't the true Champion.
The strain proved too much. Natsumi could no longer withstand Belial's force.
"Damn it!"
Time was running out, and the original Yuki hadn't arrived yet. If things continued like this, the world would be destroyed, and the timeline devoured.
(No choice. I'll face it myself.)
Just as Yuki (clone) prepared to enter the domain and sacrifice himself for more time, a portal opened.
"Sorry I'm late…"
"Yui-kun!"
"Yuki!!"
The one who emerged from the portal was the original Yuki. Nia and Natsumi almost cried with relief, while Yuki (clone) let out a long sigh, glad he wouldn't need to die like the last clone in the God Eater world.
"I'll leave it to you…"
"Hm. I've got this."
Disappearing into the shadows, Yuki (clone) smiled with deep satisfaction. His Original had changed.
The Original's power had grown significantly. His astral dress now bore patterns resembling the Tree of Kabbalah, along with distinct marks of the Coffin of Weapons.
(Tree of Kabbalah, Requiem, huh? … Don't fail.)