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It felt like drifting in water, a vague sensation. The boundary between oneself and others seemed to disappear, or perhaps it had never existed. In a state where it was unclear whether there was consciousness or not, a voice suddenly echoed.
“Haha, I never expected things to go this well. I thought it would be more challenging… Yes, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart.” (??)
Before me was an unfamiliar scene. The perspective was quite high up, making the ground seem far away. There was a pair of a man and a woman… but who were they? I felt like I knew them, yet their ident.i.ties did not come to mind.
“Still, this power is more amazing than I imagined. This is the result of absorbing the power of three Devils and a Witch, huh? I am probably now one of the most powerful beings in this world. Yes, truly magnificent.” (??)
The voice that had been echoing seemed to come from within me. It felt as if I was speaking, but of course, I was not. No, come to think of it… how does one speak, anyway?
“Hm… indeed, your words seem to hold merit. Moreover, that power includes some familiar elements… I see, the power of three Devils.” (??)
“Come to think of it, I hadn’t told you about that. Yes, we can consume each other’s Devils. And what we consume is not the power, but the existence itself. Even if the power remains, increasing existence alone will automatically enhance the Devil’s power. In fact, it is preferable if there is not much power left, considering the possibility of awkward merging. That way, there is no resistance either.” (??)
I did not understand what they were saying, but the speaker seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. I could tell they were having fun just from their voice. However, despite understanding this, I felt a deep sadness. I did not know why. I did not understand, but I knew that I was very sad.
“Wh-what is this…!? There’s no way we can win against this…!” (A???)
A scream-like voice was heard, and my gaze naturally turned towards its source. The speaker seemed to be the red-haired girl I had seen earlier, but despite feeling that I knew her, I couldn’t recall who she was. And then the voice spoke to the girl.
“Fufu… yes, that is the natural reaction. But there is no need to worry. I, after all, am in charge of healing. I am not good at causing suffering. Therefore… yes, I will kill you without causing much pain.” (??)
“It seems you are quite like a Devil, indeed.” (??)
“No, I wouldn’t say that. I’ve always been considered one of the gentler Devils, you know. Well, those who said that are now a part of me. Oh, by the way, I won’t just kill you. I’ll absorb you thoroughly, so there’s no need to worry. I’ll make effective use of all the time you’ve acc.u.mulated, all the strength you’ve built. Please, trust me and surrender yourself to me.” (??)
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“Enough with your nonsense! Don’t underestimate me!” (A???)
“Underestimate? I apologize… I do have a certain amount of compa.s.sion, enough not to casually crush ants walking at my feet, but unfortunately, I’m not so free to ponder what ants want to do.” (??)
“Fine… Then face the regret of attacking something you thought was an ant…! Explode…!” (A???)
In an instant, my vision was dyed red. Along with it, I felt warmth… but not hot, just warm… or maybe not even warm, just a slight sensation. There was no pain at all. In fact, the sunlight pouring down might feel warmer.
“Regret all you want… at this rate, even if you repeated it hundreds of times, you wouldn’t be able to harm me.” (??)
“Unscathed… that’s fine… if that’s how it is!” (A???)
“Well… I could entertain you until you’re satisfied, but I’m rather busy. After all, I have to destroy the world.” (??)
“…You won’t.” (S?????)
With those words, a shock ran through me. But it was just a slight impact, as if something had hit me. There was still no pain, and reflexively, I saw another girl in front of me. I felt like I knew this girl with golden hair, but still, nothing came to mind.
“…Nee-san didn’t accept death for this. Give back her power…!” (S?????)
“Even if you say that, this is already mine. Return it? Huh?” (??)
Once again, I felt a shock, and as I turned around, my vision was dyed red just like before. But this time, the shock and heat were a bit stronger… and another shock followed.
“Well… I understand you’re desperately trying your best, and I do think your determination is admirable, but honestly, you’re just in the way. So, I’m sorry, but could you be a bit quieter?” (??)
As that was said, both arms were raised.
They were stretched out so long and high that it seemed as though I could touch the sky, but then they fell. At their feet, two girls were hastily trying to jump away, but there was no way they could make it in time. With a deafening roar and shock, everything, including the ground and surroundings, was obliterated. And… I thought it would happen, it should have happened, but strangely, it didn’t. The arms that were supposed to be swung down were floating in the air.
“Oh…? No, I certainly didn’t forget about you… but I didn’t expect you to be able to cut through even this. Truly impressive, should I say?” (??)
“Well, I can’t let you go on like this any longer. Besides… I think I’ve figured you out.” (S???)
These words came from a black-haired boy who seemed familiar. And at the sight of him, I felt a slight flutter in my chest. I didn’t understand the reason, but I knew that it made me happy.
“Hmm, figured me out, you say…? I’m sorry if I’ve been underestimated… Is my power only this much?” (??)
“No? I didn’t say anything like that. Well, at this rate, I don’t think there’ll be any problem even if you go all out.” (S???)
“…Is that so? Well then… shall we truly put that to the test?” (??)
As he said this, the arm that should have been slashed away grew back. Not just the arm, but a power felt throughout his whole body that surpa.s.sed what came before—
“How about that? This is my power. Against this Devil’s power, no matter who you are—” (??)
The arm danced in the air. Just like the last time, it seemed as if it had been sliced off freshly.
“—What? No way… This… this kind of thing, possible for a person…” (??)
“I apologize, but I’m quite busy myself. Let’s finish this quickly. Well, I don’t plan to destroy the world, though.” (S???)
In an instant, light flashed. In a moment, its entire body was disintegrated into pieces. Then, a ma.s.sive light surged, and what remained of my its was split in half. The voice from within my body was no longer heard… Ah, I understood that I was going to die.
Yes, this time for real. Strangely, there was no fear. Just relief… and somehow, joy. There was no time to think about the reason for that. My consciousness was painted over by darkness, and thus, finally, Felicia’s consciousness fell to the depths of darkness.
To execute the final severance, a flash of the sword streaked through. A line ran through the ma.s.sive body, and thus it truly ended. The next moment, as if bursting apart, they exploded on the spot. After the explosion of darkness, there was nothing left… truly, there was nothing there. Neither Devil nor Felicia. As if nothing had existed from the beginning, nothing was there. Watching this scene, Soma let out a breath. Sheathed his sword, once more.
And then.
“Well… are you there? Satya.” (Soma)
The moment he said that, everything around disappeared, and the vision inverted.
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