Episode 183: The Radiance of an Angel and a Beautiful Girl
For humanity, it was nothing short of a disaster.
A battle concerning the survival of humankind.
However, intervention was absolutely forbidden.
It was as if a page out of a myth.
“You have already been sentenced to death by the will of Heaven. Your judgment is death.”
“Haha, let’s talk instead ^^”
An angel and Zero faced each other.
The angel wielded a storm that obeyed them like a living creature, combining multiple powers and the four great elements.
In contrast, Zero summoned purple magical winds that transformed all the rubble around into a massive tornado.
“Playing around with you would be impossible. I’ll go all out from the start.”
“I’m going all out too ^^”
As their arms swung down simultaneously, their forces collided.
Mizuki could barely stand against the raging magical winds.
“…This is Solciera’s power…”
“It’s dangerous, so we’re hiding~”
A voice came from underfoot.
Looking down, Tatarai’s face peeked out from her shadow.
“Against someone like that, I’d want at least four of us minimum~. So, we’re gathering information from a safe place~”
A hand extending from the shadow grabbed Mizuki’s ankle.
“Eh?”
Before Mizuki could utter a word of confusion at the horror-movie-like scene, she was swallowed by her own shadow.
The shadow moved independently then disappeared into a pile of rubble.
Soon after, silver artillery fire passed through where Mizuki had just been, along with the angel dodging it.
“Tch, interference indeed…! Humanity has imitated something troublesome!”
“I’m glad you appreciate it. …Ah, watch out over there!”
A magic circle appeared in front of the dodging angel.
It was a convergence artillery magic circle that Zero had set up during the artillery exchange.
“With this much magic floating around, it’d be a waste not to use it.”
The supply of magic to Zero was visibly decreasing.
But there was more than enough magic saturating the area to compensate for it.
The surplus magic generated from the battle between two S-Rank individuals and the angel was now becoming Zero’s strength.
“There’s no way you’d chat happily when you’re this energetic. Let me rough you up a bit.”
“Don’t get cocky! You won’t be looking down on me forever!”
The angel charged straight toward the convergence artillery magic circle without hesitation, accelerating and steeling itself with abilities from its wings to destroy the circle before it activated.
Then, maintaining that momentum, it ascended vertically and launched a surprise attack from directly below Zero.
“Whoops,”
A barrier wrapped in interference unfolded and caught the angel.
But it cracked within seconds and shattered.
“Don’t think you can stop me with something like that!”
The wings shone brilliantly as another ability activated.
The angel that had just been below Zero was now behind them in the next instant.
Using the feint of breaking the barrier combined with a transfer, the angel attacked from behind—.
“That’s such a dirty trick…”
Understanding this, Zero swung a giant sickle behind them.
But it was trapped in ice that suddenly formed mid-air, preventing it from striking the angel.
“Tch”
“The situation has reversed. You’re nothing but a counterfeit of an angel. There’s no way you can win…!”
The wings shone even brighter.
In sync with that, the intensity of the cage of abilities surrounding Zero increased.
“Guh—”
With a scream, Zero was engulfed in a violent explosion.
The magic that had exceeded its critical point detonated as if to deliver the final blow.
It was a magical attack comparable to the convergence artillery.
And it was also one of the most destructive techniques the angel could currently perform.
“…So, that’s one less person,”
There was zero chance of surviving that head-on.
The angel concluded thusly.
“This time, I’ll prune humanity,”
Flapping its wings grandly, the angel turned its back to search for the two S-Ranks.
That’s when it happened.
“—Is this…the end of dignity?”
“Wha..!?”
Startled, the angel turned around.
At the same time, thorny vines shot out from the black smoke.
“This is…!?”
Instinctively, the angel understood that it mustn’t touch those vines.
Instantly using its transfer ability, it created distance.
Its expression showed no trace of calm.
“What is that? It doesn’t exist in my data!”
The thorny vines pierced through where the angel had just been and returned into the black smoke.
Then, in the next moment, the black smoke dispersed, revealing Zero.
Their appearance had transformed into a deep crimson dress.
“Infiltration form…that’s what I call it,”
Zero said this while playing with thorns in their hands.
Thorny vines crawled out from the hem of the skirt, cuffs, neckline, and everywhere else, being born from magic circles as well.
Their figure resembled that of a queen of thorns.
“…You still had hidden cards?”
“Hahaha, if you’re surprised by this much, angels aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, are they? Well, rest assured. This time, I won’t be distracted. I’ll properly entertain you.”
“Distracted…!?”
At these words, the angel widened its eyes.
If what Zero said was true, it sounded as if they were trying to kill the angel half-heartedly.
“Nonsense, there’s no way ‘holding hands for a stroll…so cute ^^’…what are you saying!??”
Those eyes were certainly looking at the angel.
But the scenery reflected in those eyes was clearly different.
“Your cuteness made me scream. My apologies for showing such an embarrassing side. From here on, I’ll enjoy it slowly when I return. Together with my partner, exchanging critiques. Hahaha, it’s wonderful! Right now, I am fulfilled…”
“Deviation from expectations…!?”
“This overwhelming sense of dignity and love. My circuits are burning, making normal calculations impossible. This abnormal state…this is…limitation, isn’t it?”
The thorny vines trembled and extended as if representing Zero’s emotions.
The angel unleashed fire and lightning towards them.
But upon direct impact, they dissipated effortlessly.
The thorny vines continued to expand their dominion as if nothing had happened.
“Angel, this isn’t a decisive battle for me,”
In the center of the world of thorns, Zero said with a full smile.
“—It’s proselytizing,”
“……Huh?”
For a moment, the angel was dumbfounded.
But realizing the thorny vines were approaching, it used its ability without hesitation.
“Probably invalidation of abilities! If I can hit the main body without touching those vines—”
“Do you really think you can against someone like me now?”
“Wha..!?”
The angel had certainly used its transfer ability.
So why could Zero’s voice be heard from behind?
“Ku”
“How anticlimactic,”
Attempting to launch an attack was too late.
Thorny vines wrapped around the angel’s limbs, fixing it in midair.
It was akin to the execution of a condemned criminal.
“You’re smart. That’s why I thought you’d choose the optimal solution when using your transfer ability. There’s nothing clearer if you know where to escape to, right?”
“Damn it, I’ll definitely…I’ll definitely kill you!”
Even while restrained, the angel’s wings emitted a brilliant light.
But before the ability could activate, thorny vines covered, wrapped around, and snapped the wings.
“Gaah!?”
Having its wings broken and abilities sealed, the angel had no means left to fight.
All it could do was glare through the visor.
“Then, it’s proselytizing time,”
“Proselytizing…?”
“That’s right. Doing it to a beautiful girl would surely anger my partner. But you’re the perfect mix of evil that can mess with brains without issue, male, and enemy of humanity…Yeah, there’s no one better for me to express my feelings to than you ^^”
Saying this, Zero smiled brightly.
Then, they covered themselves and the angel with thorny vines.
A spherical space was being constructed by the thorny vines.
“Well then,”
Inside the thorny cage, Zero approached the angel.
Their hand slowly opened and grabbed the visor.
“N, what are you doing…!”
“As Six Dream @Request Suspension said, people who reach their limits eventually take to proselytizing.”
“What have you been saying all this time!?”
Ignoring the angel’s cries, Zero continued speaking.
“Hence, I shall bestow grace upon you. Let me imprint the most noble and beautiful existence in this world onto your circuits.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying—agh!?”
The angel’s thought circuits began to falter.
With a sensation akin to sparks igniting in its brain, its vision flickered.
And then…
“What, what is this!? Information…meaningless information is flooding in, ah, aaaahhhhhh!”
What flowed into the angel’s mind was the concept of what some called “beautiful girls.”
In other words, it was a direct attack of Zero’s colossal emotions.
“Understand it with your heart. This is what a beautiful girl is. You teamed up with humans to gain strength, didn’t you? The answer lies here.”
Zero released their hand.
The suspended angel writhed in agony as abnormal information overflowed its mind.
Watching this, Zero sat down on a chair made of thorny vines.
“Quite stimulating, isn’t it? That’s the wall between you and me.”
“N, what nonsense…ggh, ugh…”
The angel’s common sense and knowledge were being eroded.
It was a pain and pleasure never experienced before.
(Dangerous…! If I leave this entity unchecked, everything will go haywire…! Therefore, I must stop it, or bad things will happen—)
“Bad things? What about them?”
“Wha..?”
Within the video feed from the visor, there was the figure of a young girl.
Suddenly appearing, she toddled over to the angel.
What’s more, the surroundings had changed.
Unbeknownst to the angel, they were now atop a hill.
Far away, the sea reflected sunlight dazzlingly.
Under the pleasant blue sky, a gentle breeze caressed the grass.
“Why do you look so pained? Are you alright?”
“A, ah…?”
She had azure-silver hair and a well-defined face.
If Zero were younger, perhaps she would look like this?
The angel understood this to be an attack orchestrated by Zero.
But, still…
(What exactly is bad about this…?)
Such an attack defense was unknown to the angel.
“Hey hey,”
The young girl smiled broadly at the angel, extending her small hand.
And she said,
“Let’s play together! With me, hide-and-seek! You go first, angel!”
“Aaaah…”
On the breezy hill, a girl dressed in a white dress ran joyfully.
Watching her, the angel unconsciously smiled and naturally chased after her.
“Here I come, catch you!”
“Kyaaa! Kyahahaha!”
Even though the angel could capture her anytime they wanted, they intentionally let the girl escape at the last moment, continuing the game of tag.
Because they understood that doing so brought happiness.
After how much time had passed?
Using its maximum information processing capacity, the angel stretched the time infinitely, making the playtime with the girl feel both eternal and fleeting.
The angel played with the girl.
They shared meals with the girl.
They slept beside the girl.
The girl was always there beside them.
Nothing filled the angel’s heart more than her presence.
Already, memories with the girl were etched into the angel’s mind.
“This feeling…this is…”
“—That’s right. This is the radiance of a beautiful girl.”
Turning around, Zero was there atop the hill.
Beside them was the smiling girl, hugging their leg affectionately.
Seeing this, the angel genuinely felt envious.
Even if this world were an illusion, even if everything was fabricated, the angel had already developed a fondness for the girl.
“Do you not wish to know what lies beyond this emotion?”
“…Guh, there’s more?”
Zero nodded quietly.
Upon seeing this, the angel realized and quietly smiled.
“Aah—it’s my defeat.”
The third decisive battle with the angel.
It met a gentle end with the girl’s smile.
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