Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha

Around the time when Basara engaged the enemy--- Naruse Mio had already left the infirmary.

Right now, she was at the place closest to sky on the school grounds.

The rooftop.

Under the pale moonlight, Mio confronted a single girl.

It was her cla.s.smate and the Hero in charge of observing her--- Nonaka Yuki.

"---So, what"s up?"

When Mio woke up in the nighttime infirmary, Basara was gone, as he had left his seat. The one that entered through the door of the infirmary a little bit later was not Basara, but Yuki. And,

"…I need to talk to you."

Following Yuki, who had told her so with a cold expression, Mio had come to the rooftop.

To Mio"s uttered question, Yuki answered quietly--- yet clearly.

"Basara should have told you… about why I"m here."

"Yeah, he certainly told me."

said Mio.

"About who you are--- and your relation to him."

Mio, the inheritor of the previous Devil Lord"s power, and Yuki, a Hero. Originally, their relationship should be that of archenemies. Still, so far they had avoided to get on that topic.

Mio wanted revenge on the current Demon Lord, so it wasn"t wise to clash with Yuki and make the Hero Tribe her enemy. As for Yuki, she surely just acted out her duty as an observer of Mio. But there was something she understood one week ago--- when Basara transferred in at the beginning of the new term.

"So? I know about you, but so what?"

When she glumly told her "Get to the point", Yuki straightforwardly gazed at her.

"---Leave Basara. He"ll suffer when he stays with you… Therefore, leave him."

"….. I figured it would be about that."

Mio knew, Yuki didn"t consider Basara a simple childhood friend, she harbored a greater feeling for him. From Yuki"s standpoint, the warning was more than warrantable.

Mio could relate to it. But… despite that,

"---Nope."

Mio denied outright, whereas Yuki narrowed her eyes. But, Mio didn"t back off.

"Even without you telling me, I was quite worried about that fact. I pondered a lot about what to do. I even tried to chase him out of the house once, to prevent him from getting any more involved with my matters and dangers."

Yes. At first, Mio didn"t want to get him involved either.

"…But you know, after knowing my circ.u.mstances, he still said he would protect me. That it"s no troubles and that we"re family. Therefore I thought about what I should do for him, since he said all that."

And she came up with an answer.

"When he"s trying to protect me and fighting together with me, even though I don"t want to involve him--- Then at least, I won"t waste even the slightest bit of his sentiments."

Because,

"What I can do right now is to live up to his feelings."

If she were to obey Yuki"s words here and leave him, that surely would be a betrayal towards him.

Mio spoke out her unwavering feelings. In regards,

"………I see."

Yuki muttered only that. At that time.

Along with a shrill SCREECH sound, a shock wave struck Mio. However--- before hitting Mio, it crashed into an invisible wall and dispersed. Mio had set it up beforehand. A magic barrier.

Mio gazed in front--- at Yuki, who emitted a green aura on her hand with the materialized sword.

"---Using force when words don"t work?"

Right after saying so, she raised the corners of her mouth.

"Then--- I won"t show any reservation either."

She didn"t want to make the Hero Tribe an enemy on her initiative, but she would respond when someone picked a fight with her.

Kill her a hundred times. When Mio released her wind magic, the strong sweeping wind pressed Yuki.

"----"

However, a few lines of white sword flashes sparkled and the wind magic was cut off.

Seeing that, Mio clicked her tongue in her mind on her battle affinity with Yuki.

…She isn"t a Hero just for show…

The parameter for battle strength could roughly be divided into four cla.s.ses: "Power", "Speed", "Skill" and "Mana". In short, like the stats in RPG or simulation games, so she was taught by Maria. An omnipotent type would be the ideal, but basically one would strengthen the cla.s.s he"s compatible with. This meant power for Maria and magic for Mio, so they each chose a battle style most suited to their abilities. For Maria that would be a Hard Striker that utilized her abnormal strength, for Mio a High Wizard that released powerful magic at the enemy from a safe distance.

And--- most likely Yuki"s type was Skill. Inferior to the Power type at close range and the Mana type at long range, but a cla.s.s that utilized it"s strength to the fullest at all kind of ranges.

Above all. Yuki most likely had real battle experiences that Mio could only dream of. But,

…That"s not a reason for me to pull back here!

When Mio glared at her straightforward, Yuki said with her cold expression.

"You want to exploit Basara"s kindness so bad that you would go this far?"

"If I"m exploiting his kindness, then what"re you doing? Your ignoring his will and forcing your own selfish kindness onto him!"

"! I…"

Yuki inadvertently stiffened her expression, whereas Mio shouted.

"I won"t make excuses--- Nor will I regret it! Apologizing to him about involving him at this point would be rude to him! That"s why I"ll fight together with him unreserved!"

Mio exclaimed with a decisive tone. What she spoke out was her own answer towards Basara"s sentiments. This genuine feeling towards him--- She trusted it without a shred of doubt. But,

"….once more."

A chilling voice came out of Yuki"s mouth. Inadvertently overwhelmed, Mio gulped.

"If you say that once more, I won"t forgive you… You don"t even know Basara in the slightest."

"That"s…"

It hadn"t even been a month since they met. There were things they were hiding from each other or couldn"t speak about. But,

"Sure, I don"t know him as long as you… Nor do I know anything about his past. But you see, I believe I know his current self!"

She knew more about the current Basara than Yuki, who only reunited with him a week ago after a long separation. How kind he was, how much he was thinking of Mio and Maria. But,

"…That"s not true. If you properly knew him, you wouldn"t drag him into battles to begin with."

Because, said Yuki.

"He can"t fight like in the past anymore… actually, it should be painful for him to even wield a sword."

"What the… What do you mean…?"

Mio inadvertently asked back, whereas Yuki said. The truth about Toujou Basara--- to make Mio give up.

"Five years ago, to save us, he---…"

One breath,

"-----------"

These words from Yuki

"…..Eh?"

made Mio asked back dumbfounded. For a moment, she didn"t comprehend what Yuki had said.

---It was the reason why Basara was chased out of the Hero village.

Toujou Basara"s sin, and the wound in his heart that plagued him even now. And like Yuki had said, Mio knew nothing of it. Thus, her thoughts couldn"t keep up with it right away. But,

"That"s why Basara and Jin left the village… they lost their Hero qualifications."

added Yuki.

"You must have found it strange too. As to why two Heroes were living as normal humans."

"Ye… ah…"

Naruse Mio realized. Why Yuki was so angry at her. And above all--- How cruel she had been to Basara. Then Mio remembered Basara"s words.

"In the past… when I lived in the country-side, some stuff happened. Guess you can call it a trauma… Even now, I sometimes dream of that time."

…No way…

Mio was in a daze from her ignorance--- Suddenly the door to the rooftop opened.

Rushing in came Basara with a haunted look.

"Here after all…"

He must had run at full speed. All out of breath, his forehead was covered in sweat.

And seeing the traces of their battle and the sword in Yuki"s hand, he frowned.

"What"s going on, Yuki… She"s still supposed to be an observation target. So why are you, the observer, drawing your spirit sword?"

When Yuki averted her eyes by looking down without a word, Basara faced Mio next.

"Mio, same for you… I told you not to fight with the Hero Tribe. Yet---"

At that point, his expression suddenly changed into a doubtful one. He must have noticed the look on her face.

"I, I"m…"

Mio tried to say something right away, but she couldn"t speak well.

Because she was scatterbrained. Therefore,

"What"s up? Why do you…"

Saying so, Basara tried to come over to her. As to stop him,

"---Well, she just heard about your past."

A smiling voice came at them from a different direction.

Toujou Basara looked. Apart from the rooftop they were on--- there was someone standing still.

A white mask and a black tuxedo. It looked human, but his other senses felt an ominous and overwhelming negative aura from it. He could tell by just confronting it. It was a devil with a considerable power.

…Not good.

Basara changed his expression into a stern one. It likely was the string-puller here, but it was unexpectedly strong. He didn"t know it"s type yet, but it most likely had an A Rank power.

Mio was set as an S- Rank, but only in consideration for the possibility that she kept the previous Devil Lord Wilbert"s power in her. By the normal standards of the village, she would probably be a B Rank. Yuki was a B+ Rank. It would be one thing if the opponent were an A- Rank, but at A or above, it might become a severe fight even with Basara"s a.s.sistance, let alone Yuki by herself.

Currently it looked like it was standing there easy-going, but there was not a single opening for an attack.

Mio and Yuki must have comprehended the opponent"s strength too, as they remained still like Basara, whereupon

"---Well, well, that was a really intriguing story. I knew there was an odd interference before, but to think the exiled Hero had shown up again. What"s more, it"s the son of the War Hero Toujou Jin. Quite the surprise."

Hearing the white mask say it so happily, Basara narrowed his eyes.

"The attack in the park before was your doing as well, huh…"

"Yeah. I had my eyes on you for a while. I thought for sure you were a normal human, but it turned out you were an ability user--- and even siding with the orphan of the previous Devil Lord. Moreover, you are quite skilled. It appears you also took out the other guys earlier."

"------!?"

On the white mask"s words, Mio gulped next to Basara.

She must have been surprised that only Basara was attacked while they were separated. Furthermore,

…My past, huh…

Without a doubt, Yuki had talked about the incident five years ago to separate Mio from him.

Then Mio already knew about it, though he didn"t know how much.

About the sin that Toujou Basara committed--- and that his sword was hesitant because of that. There,

"---Oh my? Why the long face?"

The white mask told Mio, whose expression was pale.

"Could you be regretting involving him now? If so, it"s too late. It wasn"t just at the park or today. The past few days, he swung his sword and fought numerous times without you knowing about it--- After you went to sleep, he kept fighting until dawn."

"Eh---?" "---Shut up!"

When Mio widened her eyes in surprise, Basara dashed toward the white mask at the same time.

Materializing Brynhildr, he swung it down on the white mask. But,

"Whoops."

The moment the white mask said so, the sword that came down with a SCREECH! was repelled by an invisible power.

Thrown backwards, Basara twisted his body at once and somehow landed on his feet.

…I knew it, he"s strong…!

It was just a spontaneous attack to seal his loose mouth, but he firmly put his strength into it. It should have sliced the likes of these "Shadows" that appeared in the park and school store in two easily. That very attack was completely blocked and repelled.

Above all, it measured up to the speed of Basara, who was a "Speed Type".

"….Basara."

Basara nodded a "Yeah" to Yuki, who came running over to him. Yuki most likely had made the same judgment.

…It"s an A-… No, A Rank.

The strength of the white mask surpa.s.sed his expectations. But, he realized something else as well.

He didn"t comprehend the full theory behind it, but the defence just now was either a skill or magic type.

If he knew the opponent"s type, he could come up with a tactic. But,

…d.a.m.n, if only Maria were here…

Unlike Basara"s speed or Yuki"s skills, Maria"s power could break the white mask"s barrier with a direct attack. However, it would still take a bit of time until she came here. Basara and Yuki could buy some time while Mio attacked with powerful magic, but should the enemy be a magic type, his barrier wouldn"t break from Mio"s magic. Then, they would be in a stalemate.

…What do I do?

When Basara tried to somehow work out a tactic,

"H- Hey… Is it true what that guy just said?"

From a bit apart, a doubtful voice called out to Basara.

Basara remained silent and made a bitter expression. Looking at him,

"…Really? Basara… you were fighting the enemy without my knowledge….?"

"Why"--- mumbled Mio.

"Isn"t it obvious. For your sake…"

said the white mask while smiling.

"The power of the previous Devil Lord sleeping inside you--- even if it isn"t fully awakened, it"s leaking strong power surges and attracts low cla.s.s Stray Devils by it. If any of these low cla.s.s devils were to harm a human, your existence would be the reason for it. Naturally, the Hero Tribe would deem you harmful then and change you from an observation target to a termination one."

On these words, Yuki remained silent. It was a silence of affirmation.

"If he were to protect you, a termination target, he would become a traitor to this world. The Hero Tribe wouldn"t be able to overlook it… Thus, the girl over there told you to leave him."

"Well," said the white mask.

"To prevent that from happening, that boy and your retainer Succubus have been desperately patrolling the city and hunting low cla.s.s Stray Devils in the past few days… They worked quite hard, really."

"Th- Then the reason Maria didn"t come to pick us up at school was also the patrol…?"

On Mio"s question, Basara replied with a nod. Unfortunately, he couldn"t hide it anymore.

If he were to keep lying now, he would completely lose Mio"s trust.

"Sorry… If I had told you, you surely would have blamed yourself."

At night of the day with the bath incident--- Basara had told Maria, who had snuck into his bed, the circ.u.mstances and acted behind the scenes to prevent the Stray Devils that were attracted to Mio"s power from doing any harm.

So far he avoided telling that to Mio because of the mental burden she already had from the curse, but had decided to do so after at least a month--- when they cancelled the Master and Servant Contract and harmonized her mental state.

"No way…"

Mumbling dumbfounded, Mio just stood there. Then,

"If it shocks you this much, how about you hand over that "Power" which is the reason for all this."

The white mask declared. At the same time, a "Shadow" appeared behind Mio.

It was already swinging down it"s large scythe. But, Mio didn"t notice it. Instead,

"Kuh-----!?"

Basara reacted at once. With one leap, he tried to slash at the "Shadow",

"Hee--- Now you"re going to erase even her?"

There, the white mask called out to him with a teasing voice. The result was grave.

"----"

The wound in his heart was exploited. Brynhildr vanished from the hand of the agitated Basara. But,

"---UUOOOOOOOH!"

Even so, Toujou Basara clenched his teeth--- and kicked the floor for a forward leap.

At first--- Naruse Mio didn"t know what was going on.

"Eh…?"

Before she noticed it, she was looking up to the sky. She had collapsed onto the ground of the rooftop.

….Just what happened?

Thinking so, Mio tried to stand up--- but she couldn"t. And she finally noticed.

That a weight was pressing onto her. That someone was lying on top of her.

She looked.

"…Basara…?"

Basara didn"t respond to Mio"s dumbfounded mumbling.

He didn"t move. Therefore she tried calling out to him--- Her hand that touched his shoulder was wet.

It was blood.

"-------!?"

Mio"s consciousness fully awakened and she remembered the moment like a flashback.

A "Shadow" had appeared behind her--- And Basara had protected her from it"s weapon.

By doing so, he ended up being cut on the back.

"You might be from the Hero Tribe, but you"re only a shadow of your former self… Surprisingly fragile."

She could hear the disappointed voice of the white mask.

"No… Get a grip, hey!"

When Mio raised an aggrieved scream, something moved in the corner of her vision--- right next to her.

It was most likely Yuki, who defeated the "Shadow" that cut Basara.

"…Unforgivable… How dare you!"

Yuki drew her spirit sword and swung it down at empty s.p.a.ce.

"Hoh… That"s quite some power."

While saying so kind of impressed, the white mask easily jumped aside and dodged it.

But--- Yuki was already waiting for him there.

As she predicted his evasion, she rushed ahead in antic.i.p.ation of his movements at the same time as she released her attack.

From a half-sitting stance, she unleashed a sideways sweep with her sword.

It cut through.

But only through air. The white mask dodged to the top--- into midair.

"You sure you should be attacking me? His wound is deep. You need to treat it quickly--- or it"ll be too late, you know?"

"……"

The white mask shifted his gaze away from Yuki, who bit down onto her lips frustrated, to Mio. To Mio, who stood up while holding the wounded Basara. And then he declared with a smiling voice.

"Get it? This is the result of your own decision."

"My, own…"

In front of Mio, who became dumbfounded from the result that her decision brought about, the white mask erased his appearance like melting with the air. The night wind carried only his voice over.

"I"ll pull back for now. Give it some thought. What that girl said is the truth… You involve others, involved him and got him hurt. Are you still going to continue to fight a lost battle? You should reconsider about who you want to sacrifice for your revenge, others or yourself, and make your decision."

And lastly, Mio heard him add this.

"But--- Depending on your choice, you can end all of this at once."

---In the past, when he was at the Hero Village.

Toujou Basara already had a promising future at a young age.

He was the only son of Jin, the Hero of the Great War, and as he inherited his father"s talent, his strength surpa.s.sed that of the other boys and girls his age. Moreover, the reason a lot of people had set their hopes on him was that Basara could use a special skill that no one else could imitate.

. That skill, which could only be unleashed as a counter of an opponent"s attack, could repel or disperse any kind of attack, physical or magical.

Moreover--- When he could feel out the , the "Source of Existence", and cut it, he could banish the existence - the matter of the opponent"s attack itself into zero-dimensional s.p.a.ce.

Thus Basara was raised with Yuki and the other kids his age, as the hope for the next generation.

---But, these happy days suddenly came to an end one day.

A certain young man from the village, who complained that the already retreated Devils should be tracked down and killed, was fed up with the elders, who wouldn"t give their approval, and all by himself… resorted to forcible means. He drew the powerful magical sword Brynhildr that was sealing an S Rank Evil Spirit in the recesses of the mountains near the village.

Devils were supposed to be tracked down and killed. Needless to say, the young man was confident in his own power. Everyone else acknowledged it too. Jin excluded, he was undoubtedly the number one. So he intended to defeat the released Evil Spirit with the magic sword Brynhildr.

However--- it didn"t turn out like that. The Evil Spirit took over the young man"s mind and body.

And it attacked the detested existence that sealed it---- the Hero Tribe Village.

---To make matters worse, the incident happened when Jin was away from the Village.

Still, it was the Hero Tribe. There were a lot that could fight. They desperately fought and tried to put an end to the tragedy. But, the S Rank Evil Spirit"s power resided in the body of someone that was nearly unrivaled in the village. The tragedy couldn"t be stopped and claimed more and more victims.

And then--- The Evil Spirit was defeated by Basara. But it happened by Basara losing his mind on the sight of his friends getting killed before him and Yuki getting attacked, thus letting the go out of control. When he woke up, Basara was lying in a hospital bed. And he was told. That the crisis was over. By the hands of none other than himself.

Proof for that was that the magical sword Brynhildr, who didn"t even allow Jin to use it, chose Basara as it"s master. Thanks to Basara, a lot of people were saved. Yuki was one of them.

---But, it couldn"t save the hearts of the survivors.

Basara"s mercilessly annihilated the surrounding area to oblivion.

The possessed young man, the Evil Spirit and even some limbs from the victims--- All of it was erased.

Accordingly, it was discussed in no time that was too dangerous and that Basara should be locked away along with Brynhildr to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

Regardless of the fact that Basara no longer could use due to the shock from the incident.

But--- Basara didn"t really care. Basara himself couldn"t bear the burden of having erased his precious friend and became like an empty sh.e.l.l. However--- Jin, returning to the village, stood up for Basara. Others too, like one of the elders or Yuki"s Nonaka Family, eagerly took Basara under their wings. And then a conclusion was made. Basara was stripped of his Hero qualifications and chased out of the Village along with his utilized magic sword Brynhildr. And Jin should go with him to oversee that his ability wouldn"t go out of control again.

Basara obediently obeyed that decision. But Jin gave a straightforward objection.

"If being a Hero prevents me from protecting Basara--- Then I"ll quit being a Hero as well." Saying so, he left the village together with Basara.

And then--- Five years pa.s.sed since then.

The memory of that tragedy was still vivid and kept plaguing Basara in his dreams even now.

He couldn"t discover an atonement for his sin, nor how to face it.

Like proof for it, he still couldn"t use .

Not counting the one time he erased Maria"s wind magic as a fluke.

…But.

While his consciousness was clouded in darkness, Toujou Basara thought.

That even his half-hearted self found something he wanted to protect. That he made a new family.

At first, he wanted to protect her as her older brother. But their relationship was a fabrication. The girl he considered a little sister actually inherited the Devil Lord"s power. But, she didn"t ask for that. Yet--- her life was in danger.

Despite that, she desperately tried to live on positively. Trying to fight against it.

--- In the past, Jin gave up being a Hero to protect Basara. Basara already lost his qualification as a Hero.

But right now, there was a girl that obviously wasn"t protected by the Hero Tribe, but neither by her own Devil kin.

So the one to protect her--- to protect Naruse Mio must be himself.

Basara no longer had his previous strength.

Still, Brynhildr reacted to him. His arms and legs moved. And he had a will.

"Therefore---…"

Saying so mumbling, Basara then opened his eyes.

Light pierced through the darkness. Upon that, there was a familiar ceiling before his eyes.

"Good… Do you know me?"

On a look, a young girl was peeking relieved. "Mar, ia…?"

"Yes. Please rest a.s.sured. We"re at home. In your room, Basara-san."

"My---"

Basara frowned on his mental blank--- and then remembered.

Suddenly a dull pain ran through his torso and he scowled.

"I see… At the rooftop, the enemy…"

"I am sorry… If I had only arrived a bit earlier."

Maria said apologetic.

"I took the bandages from the infirmary and gave you first aid on the spot, but it would attract attention at school, so I carried you here."

"I see… Thanks, really."

That he was home with Maria by his side meant that Yuki pulled back for now? A look at the clock revealed that it was already half past three in the night. Apparently he was sleeping for around seven hours.

"Uhm---"

said Maria.

"I did as you said, but--- do you really not need to go to the hospital?"

"Yeah… This is fine."

If anything happens to me, don"t take me to the hospital--- That was what he asked of Maria after the fight in the park. Sure, he would get treated at a hospital. But the medicines for treatment and recovery influenced one"s senses and ability to think. It easily created an opening for the enemy.

"Kuh---…"

Basara slowly raised his body. And then, he tightly clenched his fist.

…Good.

It still hurt, but he could move. His thoughts were clear too.

"Amazing… To think you already regained consciousness from such a deep wound. It would not be strange for a normal person to be unconscious for a few days."

"Our tribe gives special training to our bodies from a young age on… So we recover faster and have better self-healing powers than normal people."

Yuki left his nursing to Mio and Maria specially because she knew of this.

It was an ability that was acquired for fights, to win fights.

Yes--- They had to be victorious. On the rooftop he was overpowered. By that Devil.

"Right, how"s Mio---… Maria?"

Basara spoke the name, whereupon Maria reacted by shivering her small body.

Her so far sad expression turned even more bitter.

"…Seeing you wounded made her remember the time when her foster parents were killed. By the time I arrived on the rooftop, Mio-sama was gravely agitated. She was partly in a panic, yet she tried to treat your wounds by herself… I made her rest a bit to let her calm down a bit. And about an hour ago, I told her that you are over the worst, but then"

"Hey, don"t tell me----"

"Yes… The next time I checked upon Mio-sama, she was no longer in her room…"

"That idiot…!"

She must have felt a strange responsibility and went to settle it by herself!

"---Basara-san!"

Maria put her hands on knees on the floor and lowered her head as much as possible.

"I am aware that you are greatly injured… But right now, you are the only one who can pinpoint Mio-sama"s whereabouts with the Master and Servant Contract! I will not ask you to fight. But at least please tell me where Mio-sama is…please…"

A desperate plead with her body shivering. Therefore,

"---This isn"t funny."

Saying so, Toujou Basara pushed aside the blanket and got off the bed.

He didn"t mind the scorching pain that ran through his whole body.

"Obviously I"m going too--- I don"t want to be a pathetic older brother that sleeps while his little sister is in danger."

Leaving the room and house, Mio headed for that park on the hill.

It was a famous spot in the city and normally even at night people came by now and then, but on the vast grounds expanded a thick mixed forest with all kinds of trees and people didn"t come to it"s deepest part.

"…Good." Inside the mixed forest, Mio used a magic to keep humans away just in case and cast down her eyes after a deep breath. Preparations to wait for the enemy were done.

…Sorry, you two…

In her heart, Mio apologized to Basara and Maria. By now they must have noticed that she left. She knew that she was being reckless. But Mio couldn"t think of any other plan.

---Naruse Mio did not know anything.

Dragging them into her fight, they fought for her unknown to her.

And Basara was gravely injured by protecting Mio.

At that time--- The image of the bleeding Basara overlapped with that of her killed parents.

Her heart was unsettled. So much that she fell into a pathetic trembling, even though the enemy was still around.

Therefore--- Maria had told her that she had to calm down first if she wanted to treat Basara. While she trembled alone in her own room, she kept thinking.

The words of the white mask spun around inside Mio"s head. You involve others, involved him and got him hurt. Are you still going to continue to fight a lost battle?

Who do you want to sacrifice for your revenge, others or yourself?

---And the answer Mio finally came up with was this.

Still, while she stood here like this, she could only think about one thing.

…Please be safe, Basara…

Mio tightly closed her eyes like for a prayer. Maria had said he was over the worst, but it was still a precarious situation. She could watch over him while praying for his recovery.

But to put it another way, she could only watch over him while praying for his recovery.

…If so.

Mio thought while opening her eyes. She should do the thing only she is capable of. Upon that,

"---Seems like you made your decision."

Suddenly a voice called out from behind. Mio turned around with "Yes".

There in the forest--- in her vision stood the white mask.

Mio fixed her glare wordless onto the white mask. When he left the rooftop, he had said "Depending your choice, you can end all of this at once". Naruse Mio perfectly understood the meaning behind these words. There, just as if he was reading her mind,

"Hee… You"re more honest than I thought. But, I believe this is the correct choice."

The white mask said.

"If you were to keep fighting, it would claim more victims. But if you were the only victim, everything would come to an end."

"….Yeah."

Mio nodded. She agreed from the bottom of her heart.

"I alone will be enough for a victim--- for a fight."

The next moment. The white mask was enveloped by a huge flame pillar. She had released h.e.l.lfire--- the strongest fire magic Mio was capable of at the moment. With it on stand-by, she had waited.

All for the sake of a perfectly timed surprise attack. Furthermore,

"That"s not all!"

Mio released attack magic one after another. Without ceasing her attacks, she released two consecutive lighting attacks, wind blades from eight directions and countless ice spears. These hit into the white mask in succession.

All of them were at full power. An absolutely annihilating preemptive strike that used up all of her magic and mental power.

Lastly she used a blazing explosion magic and while she watched the brightly flames,

"Hah… Hah… N- Now…"

Mio was breathing heavily.

A voice sounded.

"---Now you"re satisfied?"

Along with a WHOOSH wind sound, the flames were erased. And the white mask stood easy-going on the same spot, as he didn"t receive any damage.

"No way…"

"What are you surprised about? There"s no way I would face a waiting opponent unprepared. Don"t tell me, you really thought this could finish me off?"

"Kuh…!"

Retreating backwards like pushed back, Mio tried to chant a new magic, whereas the white mask laughed.

"Oh right, it"s a wonderful house, where you"re living with that former Hero boy---Looks like it would burn easily."

"----!?"

"Maybe I should order my subordinators? To see which brings out a prettier flame, your magic or that house."

"Coward…"

The wounded Basara was in there. With Maria around, they might not get burned by the flames, but most likely it would take their everything just to escape. They couldn"t stop the flames. There,

"Coward or not, it was you who involved him… If you want to blame someone, blame yourself."

"……."

Mio bit down on her lips. Yielding to such a threat and giving up wasn"t funny.

But what Mio tried to chant at the moment was only a filler magic to keep the fight going.

Something like that wouldn"t defeat him, since the consecutive attacks earlier didn"t work.

Still--- For starters she could resume the fight with it. She had planned it out in her head.

However, Mio slowly relaxed her stance and halted the chanting for the magic.

"…You"re after me, right. Please, don"t lay hands on Basara anymore."

But,

"If you were to hurt him any further--- I"ll never forgive you. No matter what I have to do, I"ll kill you a hundred times."

"I don"t mind. If it doesn"t cause me any more unnecessary trouble, that is."

The white mask showed a serene smile at the end of his words.

She was disgusted. Her own fight had only just started. It would get serious from now on.

She would rather die than yield to the enemy here.

…But…

Still, she would rather die twice than endangering Basara"s life. Then there was only one way.

In front of Mio, who stood there silent, the white mask came over like gliding on air.

"Your hand---"

When she held out both her hands on his request, a purple rope wrapped around Mio"s wrists.

"This is…"

"A binding magical tool that seals your magical power. From your earlier attacks I don"t think there"ll be any problems, but I"ll seal it just in case. Now then--- Let us go."

"….Where to?"

Mio had given up on fighting, but not on her hostility. The white mask answered.

"You need to ask?… To the demon realm. My Master is waiting for---"

The moment he said all that, the white mask suddenly jumped back widely to take a distance from Mio.

At the same time. The s.p.a.ce where the white mask had been so far was cut through by a wind blade.

"Don"t tell me…!"

Like looking up, Mio tried to look behind her--- the direction from where the attack came, whereupon a human silhouette swiftly rushed past her at the same time.

It was a girl that wore the same Hijirigasaka Academy uniform as Mio and carried a spirit sword in her right hand.

It was Nonaka Yuki.

"---Why!?"

While hearing this question from Mio behind her back, Nonaka Yuki didn"t slow down on her dash.

Regardless of the unsteady foothold in the mixed forest, she attacked the white mask at once.

However, Yuki"s slash was easily warded off by the barrier that the white mask had erected.

"What a surprise, that you would take her side… Is that the judgement of the Hero Tribe?"

"…I"m, not really taking her side."

Yuki indifferently told the white mask, who spoke with a carefree voice.

---Yes. At first, Yuki didn"t have any intentions to help Mio.

The dispute about the Devil Lord"s power that Mio inherited was something to be settled amongst devils.

Thus, the Hero Tribe didn"t plan to intervene actively.

Yuki, an observer, had no objections to that either. She only felt resentment towards Mio, who disturbed Basara"s peaceful lifestyle, and wouldn"t have really minded if she sacrifices herself.

…But.

Basara still tried to protect Mio. When she watched Basara at school, he was looking at Mio without her finding out about it. At any time, he was concerned about her. And unknown to her, he fought for her. Yuki couldn"t understand if Mio was worth it. That was why she told her on the rooftop of the school. To leave Basara. To not involve him. And after Basara collapsed from the enemy"s attack and the white mask was gone.

Nonaka Yuki tried to vent her fury at Mio.

---It"s all your fault. Because you dragged Basara into this.

But she couldn"t say it. Because Mio was even more shaken in front of the collapsed Basara than Yuki.

Gravely fl.u.s.tered and agitated, she was still worried over Basara. I"m sorry, I"m sorry… She repeated numerous times while crying. Yuki ended up hearing that grief-stricken scream. That was the reason she left Basara"s treatment for now to them when Maria showed up. And then she saw how Mio tried to fight alone and gave up on it again for Basara"s sake.

Yuki got the feeling that she understood a bit now why Basara tried to protect Mio.

Besides, there was another reason to why Yuki came here. Yes--- an important reason.

"I believe I clearly told you--- That I won"t forgive you for hurting Basara."

So, at the same time she declared these words filled with killing intent, Yuki"s whole body was enveloped by light.

Together with the materialization of her spirit sword "Sakuya", her clothes changed into a battle wear.

Nonaka Yuki"s resolve. An embodiment of her will to slay the devil in front of her as a Hero.

Then the battle started. In light of Yuki"s consecutive repeated attacks,

"Your sword or skill can"t defeat me… You should have realized that on the previous battle on the rooftop."

Behind his barrier, the white mask sighed in disappointment. But, Yuki showed no impatience.

"…Yeah? Then--- take this!"

She launched a counterattack. It--- broke through his supposedly impregnable barrier.

"Wha…?"

Yuki lunged a slash in no time at the surprised white mask.

Instantly jumping backwards and barely dodging her sword, the white mask was puzzled.

"My barrier, how…"

"It won"t break with one strike. Therefore I continued until it did… that"s all."

said Yuki.

"Wait… You accurately kept attacking the same spot…?"

"If it brings you down, I"ll do so."

Yuki declared without hesitation. It was a feat that even only a few skill type fighters could pull off.

In the five years apart from Basara, Yuki excessively trained with the sword.

"---Don"t underestimate a Hero."

Then Yuki approached forward again. For a moment she dared to sheathe her spirit sword, then she drew it with G.o.dspeed. The cutting edge of quick-draw technique that came from making use of the slip of the sword out of the sheath, was several times greater than normal. In one attack she cut through the oppenent"s barrier, and it didn"t end with that. Combined with the quick-draw attack, Yuki kept spreading out her attacks.

The white mask couldn"t help but to jump backwards widely to distance himself from her.

"Okay… I"ll play with you for a bit."

Saying so, he held out his palm towards her--- In the next moment, a black darkness came flying over.

"-------?"

Yuki jumped to the side at once. It was a reflexive movement that didn"t consider her landing at all.

Right afterwards. Along with a roaring sound, the ground trembled. Yuki, tumbled on the ground, looked. The place where she was at a moment ago--- The ground of the forest was completely hollowed out by an explosion.

"Hee, you dodged that…"

The white mask said in admiration. And then,

"Then--- how about this?"

At the same time he said that, numerous dark spheres appeared around him.

…Not good…!

It was impossible to dodge all these. Defending against them too. What to do--- That short hesitation completely deprived Yuki of her chance to evade. When she noticed it, she was already swallowed up by a fierce impact and blown backwards--- Right afterwards, the roaring sound of explosions sounded. The force of it threw Yuki against a huge tree trunk and the impact made her lose her breath.

"---Nonaka!"

Mio"s scream sounded distant. But, Yuki couldn"t respond. Her body wobbly inclined forward.

"---…!"

Even so, she thrust her spirit sword into the ground and refused to collapse.

Yes, not yet. She could still fight. Because her life was saved by him--- by Basara.

Five years since that tragedy. What did she become strong for?

…That"s, obvious…

Basara sacrificed his own future and saved her. Therefore. This time, she would protect him and those he wanted to protect. She would protect the world Basara lived in--- his every day life.

For that she underwent harsh training and became strong, didn"t she.

"Run… quickly, Nonaka!"

Yuki ignored Mio"s shouting. Giving up here? Nothing of the sort!

"…Uh…"

Yuki frantically clenched her teeth and slowly raised her head.

And she realized. Why Mio told her to run.

Nonaka Yuki looked. At the huge sphere of darkness that the white mask created over his head.

At this rate, Yuki would die--- Thinking so, Mio acted quickly.

"….Enough---!"

With her hands tied, she still tried to ram the white mask with her shoulders. But,

"---You"re in the way."

In response, the white mask casually launched a shock wave at her.

"Kyaaaaaa---!"

Mio, who had her magical power sealed by the binding magic tool, had no way to defend against it. Taking a direct hit, Mio was sent flying to the ground.

"…Kuh… Uh…"

Even so, Mio desperately tried to stand up.

…Like I, would let him…

There was no way she would let get anyone else get dragged into her fate.

She wouldn"t sacrifice anyone. Not even Yuki, a Hero.

But--- Emotions alone couldn"t stop a tragedy.

"This is the end."

The white mask declared so. At the same time, the huge sphere of darkness was released towards Yuki.

"No… STOOOOOOOP---!"

Mio shouted at once. But the white mask ignored her. And the sphere of darkness headed for Yuki, as well as the cruel reality ignored her too. No matter how much Mio shouted, she couldn"t help Yuki.

Therefore, Yuki"s death was inevitable--- Or it was supposed to be.

---However. There was still one person responding to Mio.

"…Eh?"

She heard the blowing wind. And then,

"---Leave it to me."

Together with that short mumbling.

Faster than the wind--- A boy got in between the sphere and Yuki.

Toujou Basara arrived at the battle at the moment when the white mask released the huge sphere of darkness.

Basara, standing protective in front of Yuki, was immediately pressed for a decision.

It was impossible to evade while carrying a wounded Yuki. That left only one choice. He chose that sole possibility without hesitation. It wasn"t like he couldn"t use it at all. But,

"Here I go… !"

Toujou Basara struck his magic sword Brynhildr into the pale sphere.

…Even if I can"t erase it completely…

Even if he was still trapped by his past. He should be able to repel or disperse it. Therefore,

"OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

Steadying himself on the ground, Basara put all his strength into his arms and pulled Brynhildr through the sphere.

At the same time he felt it"s resistance--- the pale sphere broke up and pa.s.sed by Basara and Yuki"s right and left.

An explosion arose. But, only the ground of the forest was destroyed. Basara and Yuki were safe.

"Wha… Just what was that?"

"…Basara…"

In front of the dumbfounded white mask, Yuki called from behind his back. Basara only turned around his head.

"Everything"s alright now, Yuki… I"ll take care of the rest."

When he said just that with a smile, he faced forward again.

And then, he scowled a bit. He felt a burning pain on his back.

…My wound reopened from that.

He could endure the pain, but if he kept losing blood, he wouldn"t be able to move anymore. He had to settle it quickly.

"-----"

Therefore, Basara kicked the ground and leaped forward. That resulted in the G.o.dspeed of a Speed Type.

Moreover, the speed was close to one in his genius childhood, where he was noted for his talent that surpa.s.sed even his father, the hero of the great war.

In an instant the distance between them was closed. The G.o.dspeed attack went straight for the white mask"s torso. SCREEEECH! But with a shrill metallic noise, Basara"s hand that held Brynhildr got numb. The attack was repelled.

"I"m impressed. That"s some excellent swordsmanship. With a normal barrier, even I might have gotten split into two."

The white mask raised a praising voice and continued with "But".

"Unfortunately for you, I strengthened my barrier after that girl broke it…Too bad."

"…Yeah, too bad."

Basara nodded.

"For you, that is---"

And then he shouted.

"---MARIA!" "Roger!"

A young girl jumped up from behind Basara. Her small body was swinging it"s right fist.

She, a succubus, was their "Power Type" ally that was lacking on the rooftop.

Her one attack--- smashed the white mask"s barrier, weakened by Basara"s attack, into small pieces.

"Wha---!"

The shocked white mask tried to re-erect his barrier at once.

"---Too slow!"

Basara was faster than that.

Basara"s fighting style that utilized the characteristic of the speed type to the maximum was Infinite Slayer.

Furthermore, his G.o.dspeed sword flashes that looked like thin lines continued a series of attacks.

Kill! That kind of sound started.

Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill

The speed transcended power, as well as magic, skill and all kind of strengths.

"OOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHH!"

And then--- The last hit struck.

It was an attack with all his might that perfectly cut up the white mask"s torso and banished him into the empty darkness.

Mio witnessed that moment.

Basara, having defeated the white mask, stopped moving for a moment, but before long,

"…..Fuh."

When he made a breath of exhaustion, he first confirmed Yuki"s well-being behind him.

After exchanging a few words with her, he came slowly over to Mio.

--- But, somehow Mio still couldn"t believe it.

However--- Basara"s face, looking at her, was showing a gentle smile.

"Ah…"

She finally realized. That she was saved. That Basara came to her aid. Therefore,

…I- I…

What to do, Mio panicked at heart. She didn"t know what to say. She knew she had to thank him. But she still hadn"t apologized for getting him hurt. When she was puzzled about what to say,

"Mio-samaaaaaaaa---!"

Pa.s.sing by Basara, Maria clung to her with a dive.

Maria didn"t criticize Mio for trying to settle it all by herself.

"I was worried… So worried… Waaaaaah."

Looking like she was really worried. Maria sobbed, like all the worry she had desperately suppressed suddenly exploded. Mio"s surprise changed into grat.i.tude before long. She finally realized what she should say first. Therefore she shifted her gaze down to Maria at her waist.

"Sorry… I"m sorry…"

For her selfish act. Mio apologized for making Maria worry. Upon that,

"…Looks like you"re okay."

Mio heard Basara"s relieved voice. So she raised her head with a "Yes".

Her expression froze up.

"What"s up…?"

Basara was puzzled--- and right behind him stood a "Shadow".

She had no time to call out.

A short sword pierced Basara"s body from behind. The tip of the sword came out of Basara"s stomach.

"---?"

At the same time as Basara looked down at his own torso, the short sword was pulled out.

Basara"s body collapsed like a loose string.

"No… NOOOOOOOOOOOO."

Yuki, standing apart, raised a mad scream.

The red blood spread over Basara"s clothes on his back. Therefore,

"A, Aw…"

The moment she let out a dumbfounded voice--- Mio"s reasoning snapped.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW------!!"

She raised a screaming shriek and at the same time, a red surge was set free in Mio"s heart.

The wind howled in the distant. A wind that brought with it a low and heavy ring like a coming storm.

The wind at his cheeks was still balmy. But before long a downpour would surely come.

Then he had to go home quickly.

---With whom?

He immediately got an answer for the sudden question. It was obvious. Together with Mio and Maria.

And they should bring Yuki too. Yes--- They all had to return together. Therefore,

"…Uh…?"

Basara opened his eyes. But even though he tried to straightened up his body, he couldn"t muster his strength well.

Even so, he somehow raised his head. And then Toujou Basara saw it.

"This…"

The surrounding s.p.a.ce was colored red and rumbled like a from a tremor. Like a tornado, the wind beat furiously. A bit apart, he saw the collapsed Maria. On a different spot, Yuki had collapsed too. Looked like they received some kind of impact and lost consciousness.

And then. In the center of the torrent of red surges that shook everything--- there was Mio.

The color of her long hair had changed into a deep crimson which gave the impression of a blaze--- and on her back grew small wings.

Basara understood right away that Mio"s own power was out of control.

And that precisely this was the inherited power of the previous Devil Lord.

Most likely the trigger for it was,

…me, huh.

Just when she was saved and relaxed, Basara collapsed in front of her eyes from an ambush.

She must have felt responsible for it and couldn"t forgive herself.

"…I- Idiot… I"m just fine… Hey, Mio!"

"B- Basara…?"

On his outcall, Mio, bewildered, met his eyes.

Apparently she had her senses.

…Good…

There was a ray of hope in the worst situation. With that, the situation might still somehow be saved. With no sign of the enemy, they must have retreated for good now.

Or they were destroyed. Either way, it should be safe to a.s.sume that there was no more danger from them.

"Calm down… I"m fine… Everything is over… Okay?"

"I, I"m trying… but it"s no good…!"

Mio shouted and shook her head.

"I can barely restrain my power. I, I can"t subdue it all. It"s not working… Wh- Why?"

The fl.u.s.tered Mio was partly in a panic and Basara changed his expression into a bitter one.

…d.a.m.n, she can"t calm it down after all…!

But--- that said, he couldn"t leave it at that.

…Wilbert had the power to control gravity.

Then, what would happened if it went out of control? --- Before long, that took place.

"Eh…?"

Mio raised a surprised voice. The s.p.a.ce around her started to flicker like a heat haze.

"…Here it comes, huh."

Basara clicked his tongue. An excessive ma.s.s that couldn‘t be controlled ended up--- at the singular point of gravity.

At this rate, a black hole would form around Mio and suck in the surroundings.

---Naturally, as Mio was the source of it, the singularity would disappear if Mio were to be erased.

It certainly wouldn"t cause the destruction of the world, but even so the vicinity would get completely wiped out. Most likely it couldn"t be prevented that part of the town within the radius of several kilometre could get erased.

However--- that was only Basara"s guess. The ma.s.s of energy from the rampage was an unknown quant.i.ty. It might cause even less causalities, or even more. Thereupon,

"P- Please, Basara… I can"t, restrain it any longer… So"

Knowing what Mio was trying to say with her trembling voice, Basara raised his voice.

"Wait! I"ll think of a solution now! I"ll come up with some kind of---"

"---Listen! There"s no more time. Before I destroy the world like this, before I drag you and others into it,"

With a grim voice, Naruse Mio stated her last request.

"Please--- hurry up and kill me…"

It certainly would solve the problem. The fastest solution.

If Mio was sacrificed, the town, Basara and the others, everyone would be saved. But,

"……I refuse."

Saying so, Basara slowly stood up, whereas Mio shouted fl.u.s.tered.

"I, Idiot… Between the world and me, it"s obvious which is more important!!"

"Like I care… Tell that to the oh so great Heroes. I"m afraid I"m no longer one of them. I neither plan, nor have the power to do something about something as large-scaled as world peace."

But--- He had the power to save Mio. Toujou Basara knew of the one and only way for that.

In the past he could use it, but not anymore. The unique power in the world that was just his.

…Yeah, right.

It was easy. The situation called for it. For the sake of the future, right now--- he had to overcome his past.

Therefore, Toujou Basara slowly advanced forward.

"…I"m no longer a Hero. But you know, I"m your family. Your older brother. Even if it"s only temporarily for you, I seriously believe so. And, as your brother--- I"ll protect my little sister, even if it turns the whole world against me!"

Basara threw out the words yelling. To convince not Mio, but himself.

"…I"ll bring you back home."

"Eh---…?"

On his mumbled words, Mio asked back.

"I"ll definitely bring you home… You"ll go back, with me, to our house! As a little sister, shut up and let yourself be protected by your brother at a time like this--- Got it!"

Basara threw his own feelings at her. It wasn"t about logic or reasoning, just pure emotion.

But, precisely because of that, it was conveyed.

It reached her.

"…Okay."

While looking close to tears, Mio nodded. Over and over again. And then,

"Please--- save me, Brother."

Mio said. She certainly said it. Therefore, Basara nodded with "Yeah".

"Just you wait. I"ll erase it now. Your pain, your sadness, all of it--- I"ll make it Nil."

There he halted. It was as close as he could get to Mio, who rampaged her power.

While the gravity urges shook the atmosphere, Toujou Basara took a deep breath and relaxed his whole body.

He started the preparation for a perfect .

He had to feel out Mio"s rampaging power--- It"s source of existence, the "Heavenly Energy".

But all kind of matters - substances were faintly swaying it"s existence.

Naturally, the position of the Heavenly Energy constantly changed. Furthermore, Basara tried to erase the torrent of a raging power. The Heavenly Energy was moving irregularly around at apex speed. If he missed, it was all over. Moreover, even if he cut the Heavenly Energy, he couldn"t afford to harm Mio. Not to mention, erase her with it. Not the slightest mistake was allowed. Only 100% success was valid.

From the great blood loss, his vision was hazy--- That alone made it harsh already,

"----"

yet Basara felt his own heartbeat jump up. And his hand started to shake.

…d.a.m.n…!

It happened because he factored in a failure. The words of the white mask resurfaced at the back of his brain.

‘---Now you"re going to erase even her?"

He remembered the tragedy from five years ago. The never healing wound in his heart and his guilty conscious over his past mercilessly trying to swallow his heart. Therefore,

…I can"t do it after all…

Toujou Basara thought. That he absolutely couldn"t do it--- Yeah, right.

He definitely couldn"t do something like let Mio learn the same pain as him.

When he suddenly looked, Mio was watching him with gentle eyes.

When he met her eyes, she closed them.

Her mouth formed a--- "I believe in you".

In that moment, Toujou Basara made his resolve. Like Mio, he closed his eyes.

"------"

Basara entrusted his body to the fiercely blowing wind, the torrent of the raging power.

On top of that, he sharpened all his senses, his mind and soul--- to feel it.

The one and only possibility for Toujou Basara to save Naruse Mio.

And then--- In the next moment, all noise vanished from the world. The rampage of Mio"s power had gone up in one go.

The spreading destruction and surges of nothingness.

Toujou Basara just--- quietly swung down Brynhildr.

---Right afterwards, Basara"s world turned snow-white.

He didn"t know if it was from activating or from being swallowed up by the black hole. He didn"t even know if his eyes were closed or open.

Just that he used all of his power.

"----"

Basara slowly collapsed forward. Suddenly--- a soft warmth enveloped him.

That pleasantness made him smile inadvertently.

Because he was convinced.

Then he slowly moved his mouth. Even now, he had barely any strength left.

Even so, just one sentence. Basara spoke just one sentence. It was something he absolutely wanted to say.

So he quietly prayed that his voice would somehow come out.

Toujou Basara mumbled quietly.

"---Let"s go home."