Chapter 410

Chapter 145 The LOVE in the Mirror Transformed into Hate With Illustrations

“Pityheart Illusion Mirror—Please!”

Without any hesitation upon meeting, Lily, acting on her warrior instincts, unleashed a major move right away. On the other hand, Ash, who had just rushed Eddie under a shelter, was slightly slower. He stood motionless, allowing the mirror to reflect his expression.

“How serious you are coming off! Truly, such effort.”

There was no need to avoid this, however.

“Pityheart Illusion Mirror, please awaken the manager’s heart!”

The sacred light, like a light cannon, radiated out from the mirror’s center and hit Ash. As a result, man’s body sizzled and crackled as if roasted in scalding hot oil, with visible darkness writhing and seething over him.

She could envision, and felt quite clearly and genuinely; the encouragements and laughter shared when he was managing them were indeed real!

Ash must have been manipulated by the Desert Apostle for various reasons! That was what Lily firmly believed.

She also believed that the power of the Holy Relic Pityheart Illusion Mirror would heal him, like it was doing now!

But watching the darkness on Ash’s body slowly being burned off, the man still stood there holding an umbrella, not moving an inch—Lily’s initially joyful face gradually fell.

“Why, why isn’t the power of the Pityheart Illusion Mirror working?!”

“Not at all, it performed exactly as it should.” He gently brushed off the dust-like scales from his body. “Honestly, the dark echoes just ingested but not yet transformed were completely purged, truly a waste.”

“What—!”

The most unwanted conclusion lay before Lily moon-shadow, as her left hand holding the phantom mirror trembled, the woman’s eyes showing men’s smiling arc violently quivering.

“Truly sorry about keeping it a secret, let me tell you something. Six months ago, I fully witnessed your battle with Little Dark. Though tempted to intervene, I restrained myself in the end.”

“Frankly speaking, it’s really regrettable; back then, you two were evenly matched. If not for Shabak’s interference, perhaps the outcome would’ve been unpredictable.”

“That —!”

The words from Ash struck Lily too hard. What he implied was almost saying that everything they experienced, the help he provided, and her own stirred emotions were nothing more than a well-calculated deception!

“Yes, just as you thought. I waited specifically for you. Oh, it truly took considerable effort.”

“… …”

The rain drizzled above, pouring heavily and continuously against their umbrellas in a loud pitter-patter.

“If you still don’t understand.” Taking her fingers away from her temples, he finally pointed to the phantom mirror in her hand. “Take a look at my Heart Flower through that.”

“!”

Not expecting to be reminded of this, Lily stiffly turned the tuning knob on the mirror’s surface, gradually revealing the flower in the man’s heart pointed at herself.

“…”

It was a flower entirely black, each petal and stamen seemingly withered, yet different from the usual signs of a wilted Heart Flower due to disappointment—it lacked life yet appeared natural, from the beginning, it bore a desolate appearance.

“Mannazajinsha—also known as…Utsusemi.” Reenacting Rui’s previous behavior, the woman mechanically continued to recite. “Its meaning is, incomprehensible darkness, death, and…”

Nomadic…

love.

“Do you understand? Despite sharing similar blood and breathing the same air, as humans.” Ash’s smile remained unchanged, yet beneath the skin, there was no true joy. “This is the definitive difference between us.”

The continuous falling silver threads seemed less like raindrops and more like piercing white hair descending from the sky. Fine and unceasing.

“Memorable indeed. Six months ago, I met you here. Back then, I wouldn’t have had this experience. It’s a truly fulfilling half-year now.”

Today’s weather seemed to signify taking away the heat from the recent summer days, making it dreary and cold, with winds carrying water droplets, enveloping her the moment she lost grip of her umbrella. The gusts blew from every direction toward the lost and dazed Moon Shadow Lily.

“Everything you did, said to me, Rei, Erika, and Guki—was it all a lie?”

Her school uniform shoulders quickly dampened; dark purple strands of hair got wet with raindrops, and tiny dewdrops trickled through, while her glasses were obscured by mist, making her look less appealing.

“All the time spent together, are they all false illusions?!”

“Not entirely fake.”

Approaching Lily, Ash held up the umbrella, just like he had shielded her from the rain that day.

As the manager and spending time together with them—what was this connection?

Initially, he approached them with impure intentions, wanting to stimulate them constantly to bring out their brilliance and miracles.

From when did his feelings start shifting? Gradually, interacting with them, he found himself entranced by their laughter and occasionally feeling anxious as someone concerned, an unfamiliar mood in the past.

Isn’t it also true that they changed me as much as I changed them?

“It isn’t all like that, though. Sometimes, the heart can’t lie. And so-called guilt…perhaps still lingers.”

I may be a masochist, similar to the character I once played, but unlike delighting in others’ suffering, I find joy in the dazzling moments of honest heroes, their righteous beatings of unreasonable evil, and celebrating the deserved happy endings after overcoming darkness.

And couldn’t I get caught up easily too?

But it doesn’t matter anymore.

“So, do you understand now?”

“I am no longer your friend.”

Retreating back into the rain, Lily’s hand, wet from the rain and sticking her long hair together around her forehead, tightened her grip on the Transformation Item lid, her fingers creaking violently under the strain.

“My heart… It’s unforgivable. How much more deception until the end… what nonsense!!!”

Seeing Lily raise her Transformation Item, Ash opened the umbrella and let it roll into the puddle between them.

“You’re understanding well, aren’t you?”

“[DESTREAMDRIVER]! (Death Stream Driver)”

Facing the rain-blurred Lily, Ash also held his newly re-engineered driver without the dangerous trigger.

“Precure Open My Heart!”

“Henshin.”

In the hazy rain, two distinct lights enveloped them, transforming them into two radically different non-human warriors.