Published at 17th of August 2019 9:15 am

Volume 19, Chapter 7: The One Without a Future

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Sunday, September 19

Thanks to Nana destroying Elexis' jamming device, the battle with Darkness Rainbow was practically even. However, because of that, if just one person were to fall, that would tip the scale, and from that point on the entire balance would be disrupted. Both sides had accumulated plenty of damage and exhaustion, so that time was approaching by the minute.

The first thing to alter the situation was the battle between Shizuka and Crimson. They both had a high attack power, so they used up their stamina and took more damage than the rest.

”Shizuka, we're almost out of magical power! We have to finish this!”

”I guess it can't be helped! Uncle, we'll settle this with the next move!”

Normally, Shizuka probably wouldn't lose against Crimson. To defeat Shizuka when she wielded the Fire Dragon Emperor's powers, a large-scale weapon would be required. However, knowing that, Elexis couldn't let her move freely and had performed some emergency repairs on the jamming device that Nana destroyed and had it continue to jam as much of Shizuka's power as it could. As a result, the battle between Shizuka and Crimson was progressing evenly until they reached this point. Shizuka's stamina and Alunaya's magical power were reaching their limits. They would need to settle this right away.

“So she's going for the finish... well of course she would, I'm in this state after all”

Sensing from Shizuka's appearance that their next clash would be their last, Crimson showed a happy smile. Crimson was in a similar situation, and she'd run out of magical power after firing off one or two more major spells. Normally one wouldn't smile in a situation where victory or defeat was unclear. However, this kind of borderline fight was perfect for testing and improving yourself. This was exactly what Crimson desired, and she couldn't help but enjoy it. Of course, if Shizuka was going to settle this with her next attack, she'd take her on from the front.

“It's on, Crimson!”

”Just the way I like it, Shizuka!”

The two of them moved forward at the same time. They were both aiming to close in and unleash a powerful attack to defeat their opponent. However, since both of them knew what the other was planning, charging in without a plan was foolish. So the two of them fired off some attacks to limit their opponent's movements as they closed in on one another.

“Haaaaaaaaaa!!”

Shizuka grew dragon claws and rendered the air with her right hand. As she did, blades of vacuum were created by her claws and flew at Crimson.

“Explosion!!”

In response, Crimson used her explosion spell. The spell and the blades of vacuum clashed between the two and created a large explosion.

The shockwave from Crimson's spell attacked Shizuka. However, Shizuka's vacuum blades cut through the shockwave and greatly lowered its effect. As a result, only some practically harmless explosive flames remained between the two, and both girls jumped through the flames without any hesitation.

“It's over!! Oooooooo!!”

Shizuka opened her mouth wide in the middle of the flames. As she did, powerful heat energy overflowed from within. This was the strongest attack Shizuka could use in her current state. Plasma Breath. It was a breath of flames so hot the flames turned into plasma.

“Infernal Fireeeee!!”

Crimson pointed her cane forward and spoke out a familiar incantation. Being specialized in energy-type attacks, this was the most powerful of the spells that Crimson could use. It was a simple spell that unleashed vasts amount of magical power in an instant and converted it into heat energy, yet its power was very high. It was a perfect fit for its name.

When the flames from the explosion cleared, the two were a few meters away from one another. And their most powerful attacks were just about to be unleashed. In this situation they had no choice but to fire. If they didn't, they would die.

Their final attacks clashed and created a large explosion. The power was terrific. Even with most of the energy offset, it was still enough to destroy a part of the solid wall of Sariachal, and shake the entire castle. If their attacks hadn't clashed like this, the castle most likely would have been destroyed.

The two were right next to the explosion, and were swept away by the shockwave. They were both knocked down onto the stone floor and stopped moving. It was a fierce double knockout.

Part 2

Ruth and Blue were directly affected by the shockwave. The two were fighting very close to Shizuka and Crimson, thus they were both hit by the shockwave, but because of their positioning, Ruth took more damage.

“Alert message, first waist motor damaged, left shoulder's shock absorber has encountered an operating error―”

“L-Leave the reporting for later! Make me move right away!”

”As you wish, my lady”

The effect on Ruth herself was negligible. She had been shocked by the blast and her ears were ringing. That was the extent of it. However, the damage to her armor on the other hand was quite large. She was wearing a powered armor like Koutarou, and it had high defense and mobility. However, damaged by the shockwave, several of the internal devices had stopped working and Ruth couldn't move. The armor was too heavy for her to move with just her own strength.

“... I've won!”

Compared to Ruth, Blue who had been a bit further away from the explosion hadn't taken a lot of damage. She wasn't completely unharmed, though she and her familiars could still move. Because of that, Blue, who rarely ever showed much emotion, had a very clear smile on her face. In this battle of attrition she had gotten her chance to win.

“You guys get the fighters!”

Blue had her four familiars stall the small fighters while she targeted Ruth.

“Titan Fist!!”

Blue used her specialty, summoning magic, to attack Ruth as she tried to stand up. Summoning magic wasn't only for summoning creatures. And this time she had summoned a huge rock. The massive rock summoned above Ruth fell down as it was pulled on by gravity.

“Oh no, emergency deployment of the distortion field!”

”Alert message, the energy pool has not recovered. The distortion fields strength will be 30% or less of its usual level”

”It's still better than getting hit directly!”

“As you wish, my lady. Deploying distortion field”

Moments after Ruth noticed Blue's incantation, the massive rock crashed into the barrier. It was a simple move that consisted of simply dropping a rock, but the power the falling rock had built up was terrific. It wasn't something a weakened barrier could block, and after the rock crashed into it, the barrier collapsed and vanished. This was the kind of power you'd expect from a spell with this name.

“Did it work!?”

The next moment, Ruth was sent flying. However, that wasn't because she had been hit by the rock. She had deployed her barrier diagonally to make the rock push her to the side. The barrier collapsed immediately after that, so Ruth's quick wit had just barely saved her.

“You think you can take it easy!?”

However, Blue wasn't done with her attacking.

“Ice Storm!!”

”Kuh!?”

The next spell was a rain of ice shards. Ruth's armor had used up all of its energy to block the previous attack, so all she could do was protect herself with her beam sword.

“Guh, Aahhh!!”

However, blocking all of the shards raining down on her with just a single sword was impossible. Ruth put up a good fight, but being struck by ice shards from all directions, she lost consciousness.

Part 3

With Shizuka and Ruth falling, Koutarou and the others got very disturbed. Especially Theia, Ruth's childhood friend.

“Ruth!? Curse you, Blue!!”

Theia was in the middle of a battle with Orange, yet when Ruth was defeated, her focus turned to Blue. And she began attacking Blue with her beam rifle.

“I'll have you pay for harming my vassal!!”

She ignored Orange who was in front of her to attack Blue. As someone who stood above others, that might have been a major error in judgment. However, if left be, Blue might finish off Ruth. That's why Theia attacked Blue, aware that it was a mistake. Theia had decided to live together with Ruth, so the decision to abandon her was never an option to begin with.

“Kyaaa!? Y-You guys, protect me!!”

Having been attacked from an unexpected angle, the beams fired from the rifle easily pierced through Blue's barrier. In response, she hurriedly recalled her familiars and sent them towards Theia. If she was attacked again in this condition she would be taken out.

“Nonsense!!”

However, Theia's Combat Dress was Assault Red, the mode with the highest attack power. She blew away Blue and the familiars in the way with her main armament twin cannon and her multi launching missile system.

“Misile, Misile, Vadras misile”

“Nooo, scare, scareee!!”

“Kyaaaa!!”

While the familiars were distracted by the missiles they were sniped by the cannon. They lost their bodies made from magical power and were forcibly returned to their own world. Blue was then attacked by the missiles that had gone around the familiars. While she had been able to avoid some of the missiles through a quick spell, she couldn't avoid the last shot. Blue was sent flying from the missile and lost consciousness. The only reason she hadn't died instantly was because the place she had been hit had been good, and because of the defenses of her outfit.

“I'm your opponent!! You really aren't cute at all!! I won't forgive you even if you apologize now!!”

Orange who had been ignored by Theia was getting really upset. In her pursuit of cuteness, there was nothing Orange hated more than being ignored. That's why she decided to use spells she normally never used.

“Decrease Oxygen!!”

This spell was a simple one that reduced the amount of oxygen within its effective area. However in contrast to its simplicity, it was a very dangerous spell for humans.

Humans inhaled oxygen and had it circulate through their bodies. Just changing the density a little was enough to make them sick and lose consciousness. And until that happens there were barely any symptoms. That's why Theia lost consciousness without even realizing she had been attacked.

“Seriously, how rude”

Despite it being a simple and powerful spell, Orange normally never used it. The reason being that it was too plain and uncute. Orange's desire was to pursue cuteness. This spell worked against that desire. It was a spell she only used when truly angry.

Part 4

Almost around the same time Theia collapsed, another battle was about to reach its conclusion. That was the battle between Maki and Green.

“Crimson!?”

With her future forecast, Green had noticed Crimson falling immediately before it happened.

“I don't have the time to do this!”

However, Green was in the middle of a battle against Maki and couldn't go help Crimson. While dodging Maki's greatsword, Green grew more irritated by the second.

“What are you on about, Green!?”

“Shut up, it's all your fault!!”

Green threw her irritation towards Maki, the source of it. Green didn't like Maki. In the last battle, Crimson had gone out to save Maki and come back hurt. When they had fought against Koutarou and the others, and retreated, Crimson said she had fought against Maki. Crimson clearly felt like Maki was more than just allies in Darkness Rainbow. Even more strongly than towards Green. This irritated Green to no end, and amplified her hostility towards Maki.

“Crimson, No!!”

As Crimson's and Shizuka's last attacks clashed, Green completely lost her composure. She had to run towards the collapsed Crimson, that was all that was in her head.

“What? Kasagi-san!?”

“Move out of the way, Navyyy!!”

When Maki heard the explosion, she noticed the state Shizuka was in. However, with Green charging towards her before she could get an accurate grasp of the situation, she had to focus her attention to Green. If Maki had accurately understood the condition of Shizuka and Crimson, she probably would have acted differently.

“Mirage Blast!”

“Green's been acting strange for a while now... but with this!!”

Thanks to her future forecast, Green was very good at defending herself, and she focused around counter attacks. But in contrast, her forecasts became more inaccurate when she herself started attacks because she interfered with the future. And right now that was exactly what was happening. There were far more openings in Green's offense and defense than normal. Maki wouldn't overlook those as she dodged the flying ray of magic and swung down her greatsword.

“Don't get in my way! Why are you always, always, always in my way!!”

Green did her best to try and protect herself, but neither her evasion or defensive spell would make it in time. Her physical strength wasn't all that high.

“Don't take my Crimson all for yourself!”

“Green, why―”

In that moment, Maki's greatsword struck Green. The blade of the sword was made from magical power, so the instant it hit, the energy was released and sent Green flying.

“―can you feel so much towards Crimson, but not towards others? Could your eyes not see any other future...?”

Green fell down and remained unmoving. Though she had won the battle, Maki's expression was far from bright. She couldn't help but feel sad that Green had been able to break free from her shell of loneliness, just like she once had.

Part 5

The battle between Sanae and Purple was a very intense one. Purple's necromancy used spells to manipulate spiritual energy, so in a straight up competition of strength, Sanae would most likely win as she didn't need to go through magic. However, from the moment Purple opened the gates of hell, the outcome became unclear. Sanae's spiritual energy was being counteracted by the malice overflowing from the gates, and reduced her overall strength.

“Purple, if you fight using something like that, something bad will happen to you!! Hurry up and close that gate!!”

Normally Sanae used a bow and arrow made from spiritual energy to fight, but right now she was fighting in close combat with spiritual energy focused into her fists and feet. If she sent an arrow flying, its power would drastically weaken from the influence of the gates of hell. So, Sanae decided to use close combat instead.

“I don't mind holding back if you close it!!”

”Don't make a fool of me, I only need to kill you right now and that will be it!!”

Purple's way of fighting remained unchanged. She summoned departed souls and sent them at Sanae, and while Sanae was being kept busy, she herself cast her own spells. However, the gates of hell made Purple stronger and Sanae weaker. As a result, Purple was in overall strength, on par, or above, Sanae.

“Like I said, you can't do that, why don't you understand!!”

”You're the one who doesn't understand! The depths of this desire!”

Even more, Purple was gradually gaining more strength. The gates of hell absorbed Purple's malice and grew bigger, and the power that overflowed from the gates increased, making Purple even stronger. Sanae was getting anxious about that. However, that wasn't because Purple was getting stronger, but that she would be ruined.

“What can I do to make you understand!?”

Sanae struck the oncoming departed soul as she thought of a way to try and persuade Purple. Since Purple had summoned two of them, Sanae spun her body around and kicked the one soul into the other one behind it.

“Gaaaaa, aaaa”

Sanae had infused quite a bit of spiritual energy into her attack, but it hadn't been enough to defeat the departed souls. Purple's increase in power made the departed souls stronger as well. And it wasn't just the departed souls attacking. While Sanae was occupied with the departed souls, Purple had her chance to attack.

“Soul Energy Strike!!”

The spell controlling spiritual energy created a purple light. However, within seconds it had turned from purple to black. This was because of interference from the gates of hell. With it, the effect of the spell changed as well. An offensive spell that slammed spiritual energy into its target turned into a dark spell that devoured the soul of its victim. Not only did the power change, but its effect as well.

“I'm telling you that you can't!!”

Sanae focused all of her spiritual energy to protect herself as she desperately called out to Purple. Purple herself wasn't aware, but her soul was experiencing a similar reaction as her magic. Being able to see auras, Sanae could see Purple's soul change color. And that was what Sanae had been anxious about.

How do I stop Purple!? At this rate, she will devour her own soul!!

The current Purple now resembled the female ghost she had once fought before. Sanae didn't want Purple to end up the same way she did. She wanted to save her soul from ruin somehow.

”... Young lady, can you hear my voice?”

”Eh!?”

That was when a man's voice reached Sanae's ears from somewhere. However, that wasn't as sound, but as spiritual waves.

“W-Who are you!? Where are you!?”

Sanae somehow managed to block Purple's attack with a shield of spiritual energy, and looked around for the owner of the voice she heard. That was when the voice called out to here again.

”Here. I'm right next to you now”

The owner of the voice had gotten up right next to Sanae. However, his body was translucent. It was a ghost with the appearance of a young man. He moved alongside Sanae as she fought against Purple and continued talking to her.

”I want to borrow your power”

”Uncle, it's dangerous here! You'll get sucked in so run away!”

Sanae urged the male ghost to run as she fought against Purple and the departed souls. Regardless of who this ghost was, nothing good would come from standing so close to the gates of hell. In Sanae's eyes he looked like a proper ghost, so she truly wanted him to escape.

”I'm afraid I can't. I have to save Marina, the girl who's calling herself Purple”

“What do you mean!?”

”She is my woman, and she has been desperate to revive me after I died. However, I don't want to be revived through the sacrifice of countless people. We would never be happy if that happened”

Even if Purple, Marina, sacrificed countless lives to revive him, Kai, he would always feel an immense guilt over those lives. That's why Kai didn't think they'd be able to live a happy life like that. It would only be the beginning of another tragedy.

“That's why you want to stop her, right?”

”That's right. But my voice won't reach her now. That's why I want to borrow your strength”

”Stop running around!! Just die, little girl!!”

The current Purple couldn't even see her lover. She was so obsessed with trying to kill Sanae that she never even bothered to think of who that spirit floating besides her might be. If he was caught up in one of Purple's attacks and disappeared, she probably wouldn't even notice.

Ever since Kai had lost his life, he had always been calling out to Purple. However, because she was being dominated by her strong sense of loss, his voice never reached her ears. She was so fixated on her wish to live a happy life with a revived Kai that she never even sensed the presence of the real one.

”I want you to carry my voice to her. If my voice reaches her, I'm sure she'll understand!”

Kai only had a single wish. He wanted to save Purple, Marina, his beloved, from ruin. He had appeared before Sanae with only that on his heart.

“Okay, I'll give it a try!”

Kai's wish was something Sanae could understand as well. She greatly sympathized with the simple desire of wanting to save his beloved. That's why she didn't hesitate to cooperate.

”If everything goes well, the gates of hell might be closed with your power”

”You're right, let's give it our best, uncle!”

”Yeah!”

If Kai's words reached Purple, her negative feelings might grow weaker, which in effect should weaken the gates of hell as well. If that happened, Sanae could pour her positive spiritual energy into the gates to close it. This was the correct decision both in terms of feeling and in terms of strategy.

Part 6

After defeating Theia, Orange was able to move freely. So she stopped moving for a moment to think of what would be the most effective to do.

Uhm, should I finish off the fallen enemies, wake up Crimson-chan and Blue-rin, or go help someone...?

The first options that popped into her head were to kill the enemies that were knocked out, wake up her fallen allies or back up one of her allies having trouble. She surveyed the hall to determine who she might help.

“Yellow-chan should be able to go on for a while even if she can't win. Maya-yan and the young master should be fine on their own. That leaves GreGree and Purple, then maybe GreGree?”

Out of the many battles, Orange believed Green was in the most danger. She was getting oddly heated up and frantic about killing Maki. It also seemed like Green's greatest weapon, her future forecasts, weren't working properly. And most of all, the current Green wasn't cute at all. So Orange decided to go give her back up.

“Geez, you're such a handful GreGree... wait, huuuh!?”

However, that was when Orange noticed something. Because that was such a major problem, she gave up on giving Green backup and called out to Purple with a pale expression.

“Purple, this strange!! That uncute girl with glasses isn't here!!”

”What!?”

“Orange noticed that Clan wasn't present. She had definitely been here when Koutarou and the others infiltrated the castle. Her presence had been confirmed with magic. However, when their battle on the third floor began she had gone missing. If she hadn't the outcome would be developing differently. Clan had vanished somewhere between the underground aqueduct and the third floor, and she should have some reason for it.

“Orange, the glasses girl is after the controller!”

”I see, we were tricked!! These guys are all decoys!!”

Clan was missing because she was after the controller that controlled all of the automated weapons to be used in the war. If the controller was taken over while Koutarou and the others kept the leaders busy, the battle would end.

“They've caught on!! Hurry up, Clan!!”

“I understand!”

On the other end of Koutarou's communication device, Clan sped up her hacking progress. Speed was more important than carefulness now.

Darkness Rainbow had their future forecasts. That's why Clan followed Kiriha's instructions, and after finding the controller, she simply waited for time to pass for a while. Since Green could only see the close future with her forecasts, if she hid herself and did nothing, Green wouldn't notice anything abnormal within the castle. After Koutarou and the others battle had started, Green wouldn't have the room to use her forecast for anything other than the battle in front of her, leaving Clan open to move.

“Orange, hurry up to the laboratory! Get them off the controller!”

”Okay, I'm on my way!!”

Orange understood the importance of the automated weapon's controller very well. And currently, she was the only one that could move about freely. If she didn't stop Clan, they would lose the war against Rainbow Heart.

“I won't let you, Orange!”

”Navy-chan!?”

However, Maki stood in Orange's way. Since Orange had given up on helping Green, Maki had come out victorious.

“Don't be such a bully, Navy-chan!!”

”I won't let you go any further!”

Orange reluctantly readied her cane and faced off against Maki. If she didn't hurry up and defeat her, Darkness Rainbow would be ruined. From their advantage, they were now experiencing a major crisis that could overturn everything.

Part 7

Sanae's and Kai's plan was simple. First, Sanae would pour her spiritual energy into Kai, to allow him to have a physical voice. In that state, Kai would approach Purple, while Sanae headed towards the gates of hell. Kai would convince Purple, and Sanae would close the gates.

“Let's do this, uncle!”

”I'm counting on you!”

As Sanae poured her spiritual energy into Kai, his figure grew clearer. Eventually, his soul was dense enough that he could be seen with human eyes, and as a side effect his voice could be heard as well.

“Wha!?”

This surprised Purple. Anyone would be surprised by their dead beloved suddenly appearing before them in the middle of a battle. This was completely unexpected even to the calm, composed and prudent Purple.

“Thank you, young lady! Now let's act according to plan!”

”Yeah, good luck, uncle!”

Sanae and Kai split up according to plan. Sanae headed to the gates of hell and Kai headed to Purple. They both had their own missions to accomplish.

“It's all this things fault!”

Sanae sent her spiritual energy towards the gates. If she weakened the power of the gates even a little, the dark powers flowing into Purple would decrease, making it easier for Kai's voice to reach her. And if Kai's voice reached her, Purple's malice would decrease, weakening the gates.

“Marina, just stop this! Even if you do this, we can't be happy!”

Having run up to Purple, Kai desperately appealed to her. This was his wish that he wanted to tell her, but never could. Now was the time to let Purple know.

“You're lying! If I revive you, we can be happy! We'll marry, have a child and raise it together, we'll definitely be happy, right!?”

Purple was stubborn. Even if Kai himself denied it, what had supported her up until now was her desire to revive him and live a happy life. She couldn't accept something that would break the very foundation of her support.

“Just how many lives do you intend to sacrifice for mine!?”

”As many as it takes! I don't care how many it takes if it will revive you!”

“Don't be stupid, Marina!! Amongst those people, how many do you think will be like us!? How many people like us do you intend on creating!?”

That was the core of Kai's wish. There was no point if reviving Kai created countless people with the same circumstances as they had. Even if Kai and Marina were to marry, the ever growing chain of malice would only bring even more misfortune. The families of those sacrificed might come for revenge. Or they might be after Marina's revival spell. After defeating Rainbow Heart, Kai and Marina could never be happy in a world ruled by the strong. They would live their lives in a sea of blood. Kai couldn't imagine that kind of life would be a happy one.

“I got it!”

“You finally understand, Marina!?”

”Kai, you're being controlled by that girl, aren't you!? Right!? Just wait, Kai, I'll kill that girl right now and set you free!!”

“Marina!!”

Purple couldn't object to what Kai was saying. He was correct, and she knew it in the bottom of her heart. But even then, she couldn't accept it. She wanted to revive Kai, and she couldn't let the years she spent for that cause go to waste. She also couldn't accept that Kai himself rejected her thoughts.

That's why she looked for an escape, and found it in Sanae controlling Kai. The Kai that loved her wouldn't reject her opinion. Yet since he was, it must have meant that he was ordered to do so by Sanae. Sanae must have bent and twisted his will and used him like a tool. Thinking like that, Purple was able to continue living like she believed without admitting her mistakes.

“I love you, Kai!! I will destroy all enemies and revive you!!”

”Stop it, if you go any further you'll―”

Kai abruptly lost his body. Purple's malice grew stronger, and with it, the gates of hell grew stronger as well. Purple's weakness of not wanting to listen to Kai's words any more erased his physical body and sealed his voice away.

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!!”

And the gates of hell that had grown stronger, attacked Sanae who had been trying to close it. The chaotic malice flowing from the gates flowed back into Sanae's soul through her spiritual energy, and robbed her of her consciousness.

“Fufufu... I won't let anyone get in the way... I will destroy everything and revive Kai... fufufufu, ahahahahaha!!”

Going against Sanae's and Kai's hopes, Purple's malice and the dark power grew stronger. Purple was planning on destroying anyone who get in her way. First was Clan. For Purple and Kai to live happily, they would first have to win the war. They had to rob the lives of many.

Part 8

Purple ran out of the hall to go kill Clan. Because Purple had been far from normal when she fought Sanae, Koutarou sensed that Clan was in danger and wanted to chase after her. However, his enemy wouldn't let him do that.

“You're opponent is me, Koutarou-kun!”

”Elexis!”

Elexis' giant stood in Koutarou's way. He had been fighting against Elexis all this time, but he still hadn't been able to win. The new giant that had been enhanced with magic and spiritual energy technology was on a different level from before. Moreover, there were many automated weapons around the giant. Even with the power of Signaltin and GOL, he wasn't someone that could be defeated so easily.

“You should know that Purple won't get out of this in one piece as well!”

Koutarou held Signaltin with both hands and slashed at Elexis' giant.

However, Elexis' gigantic sword blocked Signaltin, and the beam shotguns equipped on both shoulders fired at Koutarou.

“Of course! We are fighting aware of the risks! We're trying to change the world, so there's no way we'd stop because we're afraid it's dangerous!!”

”Eei!!”

Koutarou blocked the beam shotguns with GOL's barrier and fell back for a moment. As he did, a powerful bolt of electricity assaulted the giant. It was an offensive spell cast by Harumi. She had been assisting Koutarou all this time.

“You don't care what happens to them!?”

”That's why we're fighting!! That is their wish after all!!”

However, Harumi's bolt was diffused and disappeared. Several of the automated weapons gathered in front of the giant and worked together to form a barrier. Not only was the giant improved, but RTS, the system that allowed the automated weapons to work together, had been improved as well. As a result, while the giant on its own might not compare to Koutarou, with the group of automated weapons with him, they were not inferior to Koutarou. Defeating that giant right now and chasing after Purple was difficult.

Moreover, many of the girls of room 106 were unable to follow after Purple for the same reason. Crimson, Blue and Orange had fallen, but Orange, Yellow and Maya were still present, and with the many soldiers and automated weapons they had with them, they weren't foes so easily defeated.

“Not good, at this rate Clan-san will be defeated and we can't stop the war!”

Yurika who was in charge of this battle started panicking. Clan wasn't all that good at direct combat, and moreover she was focused on hacking the controller device. Purple on the other hand was different from her usual self, and had some sort of alien power to her. If Clan was attacked by her, the chances of her losing were high, and even if she didn't lose, her hacking would be very delayed. Either way, the chances that Rainbow Heart would lose were high.

“Now that it's come to this we can't get hung up on appearances! Yurika-chan, leave this place to me and go after Purple!”

In this dangerous situation, Nana was going to take on the enemy on her own and have Yurika chase after Purple.

“But Nana-san, you can't face Maya-san on your own!”

Yurika and Nana were working together to face off against Maya. Like Elexis, Maya had many automated weapons with her and they were only just able to fight her with the two of them. That's why Yurika was very reluctant to leave Nana alone.

“Nana, it looks like your apprentice understands the situation well”

Maya sneered at Nana. Not even a genius like here could take on Maya and a group of automated weapons. Maya believed that the only one that might have been able to do so was Nana back when she was a magician.

“I actually have an ace up my sleeve”

Nana dropped her shoulders as she smiled wryly. As she did, she called up the artificial limbs' computer.

“An ace up your sleeve you say?”

Maya's eyes narrowed. Her experience told her to be very cautious when Nana showed this kind of expression, or she would face something horrible.

“It's not something I really want to do though... Release final safety device”

“A release code is necessary to execute that instruction”

“Magical Girl Rainbow Nana, Radiant Angel”

“Code confirmed, releasing final safety device”

Immediately after Nana gave that instruction to her computer, her body began glowing in seven colors of light. The light was flowing out from her body and the glow got brighter as time passed.

“... That's your ace?”

”Yes”

”That's awfully flashy”

”That's one of the reasons why I didn't want to do it”

Nana's body had three limiters placed on it.

The first limiter kept her body's capabilities on the same level as a normal human, and this limiter was released when she moved over to combat mode.

The second limiter was to keep her from using more power than necessary to avoid damaging her frame. This was a limiter Maya had as well, and both of them had already released it.

The final limiter was the final safety device that Nana just released. This safety device was set so that her artificial limbs wouldn't kill her. If she moved too fast or used too much spiritual energy, the living parts of Nana's body would take a lot of damage. Depending on the circumstances she might even die, thus a limiter was necessary. That was just how much power Nana's new body had.

And Nana had now removed all limiters. She abandoned her own safety so that Yurika could chase after Purple. The seven colors of light overflowing from her body was proof of that. If she remained in a perfectly human looking state, cooling, intake and exhaust wouldn't make it in time, so several parts of her body opened up, and that was where the light was leaking out from.

“Yurika-chan, go! I'll do something about this!”

”O-Okay! I'll leave the rest to you, Nana-san!”

The exhaust made Nana's hair flutter and the seven colored lights lit up her appearance. The strong determination in Nana's eyes reminded Yurika of when Nana had fought against Darkness Rainbow a year and a half ago. She had faced her battle with the same expression she had now. And she had returned victorious though seriously hurt. The memories of that pushed Yurika forward. Nana would win. Yurika held that belief firm as she left the hall and chased after Purple.

“I see... so it seems your apprentice was the one that needed to be worried about”

Maya did nothing as Yurika left despite knowing what she was planning on doing. There was only one reason for that. If she took her eyes off the Nana in front of her for even a second, she believed she would be defeated. Maya carefully observed Nana while increasing the output of her own generator and releasing an indigo light of her own.

The generators built into Maya's and Nana's artificial limbs let out roars as they began shining. The roaring generators showed each of their fighting spirits.

“You're wrong, Maya. You don't know how amazing Yurika-chan is”

”Amazing? That coward? She's certainly an amazing coward...”

Maya didn't have much of an opinion of Yurika. She had only been a hindrance in her battle with Nana, and she didn't stand out all that much when they fought before.

“... Maya, you know that Yurika-chan is my apprentice right?”

“Of course I know since I kidnapped her. It seems like she was your cooperator at first”

”How much time do you think has passed since I first met Yurika-chan?”

”Since she became an arc-wizard, she must have spent at least five years training. It's been over a year since she first succeeded your role, so seven perhaps?”

It had taken Maya four and a half years to train up Maki as her successor so these numbers were accurate. It was a very logical conclusion.

“You'd think so right? However, it hasn't even been three years since I first met Yurika-chan”

“Impossible!? You're saying that she became an arc-wizard in that amount of time!?”

Maya's eyes shot open wide in surprise. If it hadn't even been three years since they first met, then her training period had been even shorter than that of Nana's. In other words, Yurika had been faster than Nana who was called a genius. Maya knew just what that meant, but her feelings denied it.

“That's right... Yurika-chan only spent about a year in training. Moreover, she was too old to start training at 14 years. Yet Yurika-chan became an arc-wizard. Even with her cowardly nature, the higher ups of Rainbow Heart couldn't help but admit Yurika-chan's talent”

“It can't be...”

However it rang a familiar bell for Maya as well. Up until now, Yurika hadn't really played a big part overall, but she would sometimes use surprisingly large spells or clever strategies. Such as summoning a higher existence or tormenting Maki with clouds of poison and acid. Those weren't accidents, but rather glimpses of Yurika's talent that hadn't fully come out into the spotlight. Sensing that, Maya felt a chill run down her spine.

“But it is. The real genius is Yurika-chan. However she was missing love and courage, so you couldn't see her amazingness”

Regardless of how strong power one had, without something to protect and the desire to continue to protect it, it was simply a waste of talent. Yurika didn't have the heart to make full use of her wonderful talent. The weakness of her heart kept her talent hidden.

“And this year and a half trained Yurika-chan's heart. Right now she had plenty of love and courage. I can declare this loud and clear, Maya. There will come a day where Yurika will be called the strongest arc-wizard in history”

The many battles up until today had trained Yurika and allowed her to acquire love and courage. As a result, the talent that had been hidden within Yurika began awakening. And once all of her talent blossomed, Yurika would become a magical girl that would surpass even Nana. Nana was convinced of that.

Part 9

Koutarou's and the others priority wasn't to defeat the leaders of Darkness Rainbow. Instead it was to prevent the clash between Darkness Rainbow and Rainbow Heart. For that sake, the most efficient method was to seize control of the controller for the automated weapons. In order to do that, Kiriha's plan was to use Koutarou and the others as decoy while Clan found the controller and hacked it.

Of course, a counter measure for Green's future forecast was necessary, so Clan hid herself using her own stealth technology while Ruth displayed a hologram of Clan walking with Koutarou and the others. And after Clan found the controller, she would remain passive while keeping herself hidden for a while. Once Koutarou's and the others battle against Purple and the others began, Green would focus her forecasts on the battle and wouldn't have the time to focus on surveying the castle. Once the battle began, Ruth would casually remove the hologram without anyone noticing. Not having Clan do anything was unnatural, and that was more likely to be noticed than if she wasn't present at all.

Clan began taking action when her sensor picked up the sounds of battle. After taking down the guards, Clan began her hacking. From this point on, there wouldn't be anyone to protect her. Ruth had already turned off Clan's hologram and it was only a matter of time before the enemy noticed that she was missing. Would the enemy come for Clan, or would she finish her hacking first. The outcome was dependent on her technique.

Part 10

The controller had been placed in the corner of a large room that was most likely a laboratory. The research equipment there was almost all for researching magic, which was all unfamiliar to Clan. As a result, she could tell where the controller was at first glance. It had an obvious difference to it from all the other equipment in the room.

“That's it. Then let's go to... wait, huh?”

On her way towards the controller, Clan noticed something else. It was a three meters large cylinder. It was the biggest thing in the room, so having caught her interest, Clan approached it. Since it was right next to the controller, she suspected that it might be a weapon.

“... This is not a magic tool... I just hope that it's not a weapon...”

Clan knocked on the surface of the metallic cylinder, to figure out how thick it was.

And it seemed like she came over a button as the surface of the cylinder slid away and revealed what was hidden within. With the sound of her knock being light, it was clear that the metal was just a thin protective cover.

“W-What is this!?”

Revealed behind the cover was a transparent tank. From the sensation she felt when touching it, it was most likely made out of glass. A man floated within the tank. The man was soaked in a liquid different from water.

“Is he sleeping... or is it a corpse? Why would he be here... could it be material for a zombie?”

Clan had heard about zombies appearing in the shopping mall the other day. It wouldn't be strange if the materials for zombies were kept here. This was a magician's laboratory.

“But from the looks of it, it doesn't look like he will attack. Let's forget about him for now”

The control panel on the tank displayed that preservation was good and the state was stable. If she took that at face value, it meant that Clan could leave the man be for now. Besides, she had something important to do. She didn't have the time for other things.

“This is the real problem... let's see... it looks like it has been based on Forthorthe computers and communications, but some parts from the underground have been built in as well”

Approaching the controller, Clan felt some relief. It had been built using technology she knew. When it came to Forthorthe computers, she was more knowledgeable than anyone else. She had also gotten information on underground technology from Kiriha. With that, she wouldn't have to hesitate in how she handled the controller.

“Now let's begin!”

Clan got into work right away. She removed the maintenance cover from the controller and revealed the inner workings before connecting her own computer to the device with some cables. The automated weapons' controller was protected by several layers of security, and she'd need to undo them each in order.

“... If I fail he'll laugh at me for being unskilled, if I succeed he'll say I have a terrible personality... no matter what happens, Bertorion is going to laugh at me...”

Clan sighed as she worked on her computer to undo the first layer of security. Hacking was a battle of wits between the hacker and the system's creator. If one were to put it some meaner terms, the one with the worse personality wins. Koutarou would probably tease her for that. Which irritated Clan to no end. And since she knew that he didn't really mean it, it made it even worse. In short, she wanted him to properly praise her.

“That said... all the people in this land are descendants of Forthorthe. Just because they're decendants of criminals, it doesn't mean they share the same sin. I'll just have to power through and accept that Bertorion will laugh at me”

The status of the automated weapons was sent to the controller in real time. Live data and footage was displayed on the screen. From it, Clan could tell that the war between Darkness Rainbow and Rainbow Heart had already started and thousands were clashing in the suburbs of the capital of Thorthe. Since it had only just begun, the casualties were still low, but it was still more than ten or twenty. Clan strongly felt that she had to stop this war as quickly as possible, both because she had been the one that sent them here, and because she was in the royalty of Forthorthe.

“... But if Bertorion laughs, I'll kill him!”

Clan complained about something Koutarou still hadn't said as she pressed the execution key on her computer. As she did, all of the instructions she had input into her computer were executed and began looking for a hole in the security.

And without much difficulty, the first layer of security was breached. When it came to scientific knowledge, Clan was superior to Elexis. It wasn't that hard to do with enough time. Clan moved on to undo the next layer of security. Based on the first layer, it seemed that there were three or four more layers to go through. With her skills, it would only take a few minutes to undo them.

A loud boom could be heard.

“W-What!?”

”... You can't use your powers like that, Purple-san!!”

“Don't get in my way, Rainbow!!”

That was when Yurika and Purple jumped into the laboratory that Clan was in, whilst in the middle of a fierce clash of spells.

Part 11

Purple currently had a lot of magical power. Because the gates of hell was still whirling by her side, when it came to pure amounts of magical power, Yurika was no match for her. However, Yurika remained optimistic even in that kind of situation.

There were lots of people stronger than Yurika in room 106, such as Theia. Moreover, when it came to personal strength, Kiriha was the weakest, yet she was always at the front in battles. Who knows what would have happened in this battle if she hadn't been around. Having experienced things like that, Yurika felt encouraged.

When she started thinking to herself, 'What would Theia do?', 'What would Kiriha do?', she understood that there were still ways to fight Purple. She probably stood no chance in a straight up battle, but Purple was casually brandishing a strong power. This was like suddenly turning a familiar weapon several sizes larger. While the power behind the spells was terrific, they were harder to control than normal, and it took more time to cast. If Yurika calmly observed Purple and appropriately used defensive spells and evasion to her advantage, she could still avoid the attacks.

“Damn Rainbow, stop running around like a little coward!! However, it all ends with this!! Negative Energy Burst!!”

Purple used the dark energy she had drawn out from the gates of hell and had it explode in an attempt to blow up Yurika. Her irritation of not having been able to finish off Yurika up until now was turned into negative energy, making the power of her magic reach its strongest point so far.

The power of the blast is inversely proportional to the distance, and its energy type is negative spiritual energy!!

However, Yurika was able to divine the correct way to defend herself based on Purple's behavior. She had learned that the pressure and blast of an explosion was related to distance alongside Koutarou the other day. She also chose not to use a general-purpose defensive barrier, but decided that using a spell that specialized in blocking Purple's negative spiritual energy was more efficient.

“Double Cast – Push – And – Protection From Soul Energy!!”

Yurika jumped backwards while activating two spells at the same time. As they could both be activated at the same time, neither were high level spells. However, it was incredibly effective in protecting her from Purple's spell.

The first spell Yurika used pushed her even further back as she jumped. And at the same time as she landed and lowered her posture, the shield she had cast next appeared before her eyes. Purple's spell was unleashed the next moment, yet the supposedly powerful spell was blocked by Yurika.

This was the result of a splendid combination of evasive maneuver, a spell that supplemented her movement and a specialized defense. Yurika distanced herself from the center of the explosion, lowered her posture to reduce the area affected by the blast and activated her defensive spell to cover the absolute minimum area. Distancing herself from the explosion meant that blast was weaker, and the more concentrated defense meant that it was sturdier than normal, which allowed her to block Purple's attack. If she had remained in place, even if she used the ultimate defensive spell, she most likely would have been defeated.

“Curse you, again with the petty tricks!!”

Purple ground her teeth in frustration. Her supposedly massive magical power wasn't working on Yurika. She could neither believe it nor accept it. Irritated, she desired even more power. The only thing on Purple's mind was forcibly defeating Yurika with an even stronger attack.

As expected, there's an opening for an attack...

The more magical power Purple used, the more she was left open for attack after casting a spell. The reason for this was the same as using a large weapon. Yurika didn't overlook that opening and unleashed the most effective spell for the situation.

“Poison Cloud!!”

Past the tip of Yurika's cane, an orange, poisonous-looking cloud began shrouding around Purple. This was a cloud of poison created by Yurika's spell. The cloud itself obstructed Purple's vision, making it even harder for her to attack, and the cloud's poison attacked Purple. One spell had two effects, this was without a doubt the most suitable attack for the situation.

That coward has gotten better!

Purple temporarily stopped her attack and hurriedly escaped from the poisonous cloud. She wasn't foolish enough to try to continue her chant in the middle of a poison cloud. However, Yurika had expected that Purple would act like that.

“Now, Energy Bolt – Target Option – Auto Homing!!”

”Eeii, one petty trick after another!!”

Yurika had unleashed a magic arrow that tracked Purple on its own. It drew a shallow arc as it chased after Purple attempting to escape from the cloud.

“Don't take me lightly, Rainbow, I'm not someone who could be defeated by a weak spell like this!!”

Purple used the gates of hell to shield herself. The magical arrow that chased after her flew into the gates of hell and vanished. Yurika's strategy wasn't bad, but Purple's many years of experience had helped her out.

“In the end you're just a burden for Nana. Just getting a little better isn't enough to defeat me!”

Purple jumped out from behind the gates of hell and pointed her cane at Yurika again. She was going to blow Yurika away. Her irritation at not being able to defeat Yurika turned into power through the gates, and let her use an even more powerful spell to defeat Yurika.

A burden?

That was when she realized an effective way to defeat Yurika, and Purple would execute that method without mercy.

“It's over, Rainbow!!”

Purple shifted her aim over to Clan. Clan was leaving the battle to Yurika while she focused on undoing the security. That was the quickest way for them and Rainbow Heart to come out victorious.

“I won't let you!”

Protecting Clan was Yurika's duty. She stepped in between Clan and Purple and readied her cane. She would use her own body as a shield.

“Yurika, are you okay!?”

”I'm fine, please continue, Clan-san!!”

”Is that so!? You won't be able to dodge this one, Rainbow!!”

Purple and Yurika began casting their spells at the same time.

“Multiple Soul Energy Palette – Modifier – Empower!!”

”Greater Protection From Soul Energy!!”

Bullets of spiritual energy powered by a whirlpool of malice. A shield of spiritual energy born from the strong desire to protect her friends. These two spells made from completely different wishes clashed.

“Die, Rainbow Yurikaaaa!!”

The bullets that Purple fired made a deafening noise as it slammed into Yurika's shield. Purple had created a large amount of bullets, and they slammed into Yurika's shield like they were being fired from a machine gun. For each time one of the bullets hit, the glow of Yurika's shield weakened.

“I won't loseeeee!!”

Yurika shouted out loud to pump herself up, and poured lots of magical power into her shield. This allowed her failing shield to block the rest of Purple's attack.

“You did well to hold that off!! But how about the next one!?”

”It will be the same regardless of how many times you try! I'm Rainbow Yurika, Nana-san's apprentice!”

The situation was just like Purple said. Unlike Purple who could draw out power from the gates of hell, there was a limit to Yurika's magical power. If they continued clashing like this, Purple would win before long. However, Yurika's eyes were shining. She wouldn't give up, even in this situation, and she was racking her brain in an search for a way to win.

The opening after Purple-san's attack is the same as before... but I've put my all into defending, so I'm not in any position to attack... in that case!!

Yurika held her cane ready as she moved forward. If she let Purple take the initiative, she would be pressured by Purple's powerful spells. So Yurika would make the first move to make Purple use spells that focused on speed rather than power.

“You're coming at me!? Soul Energy Strike!!”

”Quick Cast – Magic Shield!!”

However, for some reason, Yurika used a defensive spell. Moreover, it wasn't a specialized defensive spell, but a general-purpose one. Purple knew what the outcome that shield would bring, so she sneered at Yurika as she created several spiritual energy bullets.

“You fool!! Even if I'm using spells focused on speeds, that spell won't be able to block it!! In the end, a failure really is a failure!!”

Being a spell that worked against all kinds of attacks, it's defensive power was weaker. Yurika wouldn't be able to block Purple's attack. Even if she survived, she wouldn't be in a state to fight. She had successfully gotten Purple to use weaker but quicker spells, but that was the end of it. Purple was convinced of her victory.

“Now, please do it!”

However, there was a continuation to Yurika's plan. There were actually allies of Yurika's that Purple hadn't noticed. They were the modified automated weapons that they had used to locate the castle of Sariachal. These modified automated weapons had been guided here by Clan and attacked on Yurika's command.

“Order accepted, self destructing”

“Oh no! Curse you Yurika, was this your―”

Yurika's defensive spell was so that she wouldn't get caught up in the automated weapon's self destruct as well. The blast from the modified automated weapons self destruct assaulted Purple.

Part 12

When the explosive flames cleared, only Yurika was standing. Purple was caught in the blast and lay collapsed on the hard laboratory floor. Seeing her friend safe, Clan let out an uncharacteristic cheer.

“You did it, Yurika!”

”No, this is thanks to your cooperation, Clan-san”

Yurika had come up with this plan because Clan had called out to her after moving the automated weapons towards Purple. It was Clan's advice to use the modified weapons.

“Now it's all up to you, Clan-san! Please hurry!”

“I know! I'm not going to let your efforts go to― Ah!?”

However, Clan's expression turned stiff the next moment. Behind Yurika, the wounded Purple had stood back up.

“Yurika, behind you!!”

“Eh...?”

Hearing Clan's words, Yurika hurriedly turned around. However, by that time, Purple had already launched her attack.

“Ahahahaha, you're too weak on the finish, Rainbow Yurikaaaaa!!”

A pitch black mass of spiritual energy was launched from the tip of Purple's snapped-in-half cane. Purple had taken damage so its power was less than when compared to before. However, Yurika had completely let her guard down as she assumed the battle was over, Clan was too far away to protect her, and they had just had their ace in the hole, the modified automated weapons, self destruct. There was no longer any way for Yurika to block Purple's attack.

“Oh no, everyone is always warning me about it too―”

All Yurika could do was stare at the approaching spell. She had realized her own defeat. Just like when she was playing games with everyone, she would let her guard down at the very end and lose to a turnabout. Yurika felt that it was a truly fitting end for herself.

“You're fine that way, Yurika”

However, the moment before the spell hit her, a familiar back appeared in front of her. With a single swing of that person's sword, the ball of spiritual energy was erased.

“Nobody wants you to become some invincible heroine. There's no reason for you to win on your own. We will win together!”

“Satomi-san!!”

The back belonged to Koutarou. After flashing Yurika a smile for an instant, he pointed the the sword towards Purple and shot her a sharp glare.

Part 13

Koutarou had been able to chase after Yurika because Theia had woken up. The Combat Dress she was wearing detected that she had lost consciousness and taken means to wake her up. The safety precaution for equipment intended for space use came in handy. And having woken up, Theia fought against Elexis while Koutarou chased after Yurika.

Why does that girl have everything I've lost!?

When Koutarou appeared, a fierce rage and envy started burning within Purple. The appearances of Yurika and Koutarou reminded her of herself and her lover. They cared for each other, protected each other and did their best to live their lives. That was precisely the happiness that Purple had lost long ago.

Why does she not have it, but Yurika does. A blinding rage became one with her desire and her serious envy shook her mind. She was on the verge of exploding.

“Surrender, Purple. You can't fight any longer”

”Stop joking! I'd rather die than surrender!”

With her mental state like that, Purple completely refused Koutarou's demand to surrender. She knew that she couldn't fight anymore as well. However, surrendering meant that she had to give up on reviving her lover. To let go of her future happiness. There was no way she could surrender when Yurika was showing off her happiness. Consumed by her rage at this unfair fate and her severe envy of Yurika, she completely ignored her choice to surrender. She would grasp a happy future no matter what she had to sacrifice.

“Purple-san, you can't! If you fight anymore you'll―”

“I don't care! You don't understand anything about how it feels to lose something truly important!

Purple glanced at the man floating in the transparent tank for an instant.

Purple-san, you...

That was when Yurika saw very deep love within Purple's eyes. She could see that shine in her eyes for an instant within the whirling insanity and malice.

“I will sacrifice anything to fulfill this desire!! Even if my body is to break or my soul is to shatter!! Because I'm going to reclaim my Kai's happy life!!”

Purple couldn't give up. Her life when she had been Marina had been just too happy. With her world robbed of that, the world had gotten so dry. And she had no reason not to sacrifice that world for her lover and her happiness.

“Oh gates of hell!! I'll pay any sacrifice, so give me enough power to kill them!! Uooooooo!!”

Purple didn't just provide the gates with her negative feelings, but she would give her own life and soul in exchange for magical power as well.

“Negative Energy Lance – Modifier – Maximize!!”

She converted that massive energy into a powerful attack in an attempt to defeat Koutarou and the others. It was an attack very similar to the dark arrow that Maki had created when she had stolen room 106's power. However it's size was much bigger.

“Purple-san!!”

“Yurika, stop. We need to stop that spell first!!”

“Y-Yes! Greater Protection From Soul Energy!”

“Clan, you help out too!!”

”I know. Focus deployment of space distortion field forwards, maximum power!”

In response, Koutarou, Yurika and Clan worked together to block the attack.Yurika's spell and Clan's barrier covered the three of them.

“Dieee, die and return to your true homeeee!!”

And Koutarou made a certain bet as Purple unleashed her spell. That was to destroy the floor below them.

“How about this!”

Koutarou swung Saguratin and the stone floor crumpled and collapsed.

“Kyaaaaaa!!”

“What are you doing all of a suddeeeen!!”

The three fell to the floor below, and not even Purple had expected that Koutarou would choose the escape downwards. As a result, the dark lance that was supposed to have scored a direct hit, was headed above them.

“Curse youuu!!”

Purple focused and tried to move the dark lance to get it ot hit them. However, the momentum was too high for her to be able to change the trajectory more than slightly, and it only grazed by the top of the three's barriers. The lance continued on, destroying the floor and eventually exploding.

Part 14

By the time Koutarou got up, rubble filled his surroundings. He was directly below the laboratory in what seemed to be a warehouse. Clan and Yurika were right next to him.

“S-Satomi-san... are you okay?”

“Yeah, somehow”

”Ouch ow ow... *cough* *cough* B-Bertorion, wasn't there a more elegant way to evade?”

“If I was more elegant, we would have been killed. Look at that disastrous scene”

“... You did well, Lord Bertorion”

”I'm impressed you can say that so shamelessly...”

Fortunately all three of them were safe. They had taken some damage from the fall and blast, and they were quite exhausted, but they could still stand up.

“We can't let our guard down yet, Purple-san is still around too”

Just as Yurika said that, Purple pushed aside some rubble and appeared. She had been caught up in the collapsing floor and fallen into the warehouse as well. In her case, she had only been showered in some of the rubble, but without defense, the damage taken was overall the same. However, Purple had taken damage before and was covered in wounds.

“Please stop, Purple-san”

“No, there's no way I could stop. Why do you think I've been doing like I have up until now? If I stop here, that will all be for nothing. All that would remain would be crimes that had been commited without meaning. I will continue going forward until I can get Kai back!”

Purple dragged her body and approached Yurika, Koutarou and Clan. Spilt blood stained the path she took.

“You'll fight no matter what?”

”If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me... I won't stop any other way!”

She could never give up on what she was trying to retake. She was already past the point where she could give up. All that was left for Purple was to reclaim Kai or die.

However, that was when a new path appeared before Purple. Something big came falling from the laboratory above.

It fell between Yurika and Purple and shattered. What was inside of it broke as well and was scattered alongside the metal fragments and glass shards. The moment she saw that, Purple stopped dead in her tracks. A few seconds later, she let out a scream as if she had witnessed the end of the world.

“Aaahh... AaaaAAaaaa, K-Kai... AaaaaaaAAA!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

What shattered before Purple's eyes was the glass tank containing her lover's remains.

Part 15

Koutarou had been the first to break the floor, however that was just a part of it. Purple's attack had without a doubt been the primary cause for the collapse. In her obsession with defeating Koutarou and the others, she had destroyed the remains of her lover with her own hands. It was a horribly cruel fate.

That fact caused her to lose her sanity. The existence of her lover's remains gave her hope that she would be able to revive him soon, which barely kept her sane. With that last support gone, her mind collapsed.

Purple's collapsing mind affected the gates of hell and sent it out of control. With control of the gates lost, it began expelling power without end. Using that power, Purple began doing two things. The first was to collect the scattered remains of her lover and integrating it with herself. The second was to destroy the reality which had lost all meaning to her. Purple wasn't aiming for anywhere specific and only cast her spells indiscriminately. She wasn't interested in destroying individuals anymore, but the entire world.

“Purple-san, please keep it together, stay sane!!”

“Let's go Yurika, it's dangerous here!”

”But, Purple-san!”

”If we stay here, we'll die soon! We'll need to get outside of here before we can do anything else!!”

Yurika wanted to help Purple. However, Koutarou stopped her. This situation was very similar to when Tayuma had started running out of control. Yurika's wish was correct, but Koutarou decided that it would be wrong to do that here and now.

“He's right, Yurika! Let's group up with everyone and think of a counter measure!”

”I-I understand... let's go!”

Yurika understood that Koutarou and Clan were right. That's why she agreed with escaping, despite her desire to stay.

Like that, Koutarou and the others left the castle of Sariachal. This castle had been the support for the Folsarians banished from the past Forthorthe for hundreds of years. It was the only thing that they had to remember their far away true home. However, that precious castle was collapsing. All of their past and future was lost by Purple's hand. It was an ironic end for the castle that had watched over the history of Folsaria.

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