Ex-Machina in Dimensional Travel

Just like when facing the other Spirits.

There was no way she could run tonight, so Kotori chose to face him alone.

She didn't know how long she had walked.

The streets were quiet at night, with no other pedestrians around at this hour.

There was no moon in the sky tonight. Without moonlight, darkness had claimed the world. Only the streetlamps provided light, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Kotori kept walking until...

Tap...

She stopped.

In her field of vision, a hooded figure sat atop a streetlamp ahead, looking down at her.

The color of his clothes blended perfectly into the night. If one did not look carefully, it would be impossible to notice someone sitting up there.

From her angle, aided by the night, she saw a pair of glowing eyes beneath his hood...

Out of Control

Xiu Er rose to his feet and looked down at Kotori from atop the streetlamp.

His glowing eyes stood out especially clearly in the darkness. A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and blew back his hood.

The device above his head projected a halo, illuminating the space over him.

Like an Angel of slaughter descending into the night.

His indifferent expression made Kotori feel invisible pressure.

"Heh, so you came."

Kotori sneered and spoke first.

"My inquiry is..."

"Yeah, yeah, that's right. I'm the Camael, so it's my turn this time, right?"

Before Xiu Er could finish, Kotori interrupted him.

"..."

To be honest, having his words cut off left even Xiu Er slightly displeased, though it did not matter much.

"-Codex Opening-One-Way Street-"

A golden Teleportation Gate opened on the ground beneath the streetlamp.

After glancing at Kotori, Xiu Er leaped down from the lamp and entered the passage below.

His meaning was already clear. What happened next depended on her.

Could this be a good chance to escape?

No, that was impossible.

Kotori knew he had done this to avoid harming civilians. This was still a residential area, and if they fought here, innocent people would definitely get caught in it.

Besides, if she ran now, judging from how he could open Teleportation Gates anywhere, she probably would not be able to get away anyway.

So Kotori could only sigh before jumping in after him.

Passing through the golden passage, Kotori saw the scene on the other side.

"This is...?"

She could not have been anything but nervous when facing Xiu Er's challenge, yet that did not stop her curiosity about this place.

"Answer: Nameless Island. Fighting here will neither affect civilians nor be discovered by anyone."

"Oho. I have to say, the people behind you have at least a little conscience."

Yes, Kotori, Shido, and everyone else truly believed that Xiu Er had another faction backing him.

Xiu Er gave no response.

Silently, he summoned Pseudo-Canon: Gokurokugai.

A Greatsword adorned with golden trim appeared in his hand, its tip pointed directly at Kotori.

"Sigh, looks like the plan has to be moved up."

With no other choice, Kotori chose to reclaim all of her spiritual power. At that moment, the original seal began to shatter, and the spiritual power belonging to Camael Kotori returned to her body once more.

As a result, from this moment onward, Shido would lose the protection of Healing Flame.

Flames suddenly ignited around Kotori. Blazing fire engulfed her and turned the surrounding area into a sea of flames.

Afterward, she would have to find Shido and explain everything to him. Her own sealing plan also had to be put on the agenda immediately.

Kotori thought so.

The change in temperature could not affect Xiu Er.

Kotori's traits made her the most durable of all Spirits. She could continuously heal herself, and after going berserk, she possessed an extremely powerful feral nature.

According to Xiu Er's calculations, fighting Kotori would probably be his longest battle so far.

Fortunately, he did not need to defeat her. As long as he had enough time, he could analyze and copy Kotori's power.

And that was precisely his goal.

The flames dispersed, and Kotori had changed her attire.

A fluttering feathered mantle, like drifting feathers, combined with a kimono that seemed to be burning to form her Astral Dress. A pair of inorganic, demon-like giant horns had also appeared on the ribbons at either side of her hair.

Her red hair swayed in the flames, while fire curled around her like the hem of a dress.

Once again, Kotori had appeared in the form of the Camael.

A massive Battle Axe twice her own length was held in her hand. It was her Angel after becoming a Spirit—Fire Angel: Burning Annihilation Demon.

Kotori's aura no longer held its previous worry. Now that she had transformed into a Spirit, she was filled with emotions as fervent as blazing fire.

The two faced each other in silence.

Kotori made the first move. Xiu Er had never intended to seize the initiative.

Raging flames rose from the enormous axe. If that strike landed, one would probably be split in two and burned to ashes at the same time.

But to Xiu Er, it posed no threat at all.

Faced with the gigantic axe chopping down at him, Xiu Er swung Gokurokugai in the opposite direction.

As the Battle Axe and Greatsword collided, a tremendous crash echoed across the isolated island.

The recoil from the clash made Kotori's hand ache, and her expression turned grave.

Was she inferior in strength?

Seeing Xiu Er's unchanged ease, Kotori truly had no confidence.

Strange, why did she feel a trace of cold?

Kotori suddenly noticed that ice had somehow formed along the blade of Burning Annihilation Demon.

This was!

Alarm bells rang in her mind, but before Kotori could react, Xiu Er's attack had already reached her.

Kotori could only hastily raise her Battle Axe before her. Gokurokugai slammed against the axe, and the immense force forced her back several steps.

Yet from that moment on, the initiative Kotori had gained was gone, and the rhythm of the battle was completely under Xiu Er's control.

Attack after attack came from different angles, swift and precise.

From one strike at first, to five, ten, then twenty.

Xiu Er's attacks became faster and faster, and exhausted from defending herself, Kotori could not find any chance to strike back!

Only during this process did she finally see the source of the chill.

At some point, a layer of ice had covered the blade of Gokurokugai in Xiu Er's hand. Like Burning Annihilation Demon, which carried flames with every strike, each of his attacks now carried cold with it.

Every time she blocked one of Xiu Er's attacks, the cold spread from the blade onto Kotori's Angel.

This was Yoshino's power!

Kotori immediately understood everything, but even knowing that could not change the fact that she was being suppressed.

As the battle grew increasingly intense, areas of Kotori's body began to be covered in frost beneath the storm-like intensity of Xiu Er's assault.

They were proof of the attacks she had failed to block as they grazed her body.

Although Healing Flame could heal her wounds, for some reason, the ice's influence made her recovery speed far slower than before.

To be honest, Kotori's combat skills were not particularly impressive. The reason she had been able to keep from losing all this time was largely due to Healing Flame's support.

But as she used her power for longer and longer, Kotori's mental state was no longer very stable.

"Hah... hah... ngh..."

After maintaining such high-intensity combat for so long, Kotori's consciousness wavered for an instant.

And in that instant, Xiu Er seized the opening in her wide-open guard.

He closed in directly, entering Kotori's inner range. At this distance, the enormous Battle Axe became a burden instead, and she could not defend herself at all.

Xiu Er gripped his sword with both hands, holding the Greatsword parallel to his body, its tip aimed directly at Kotori's heart...

Squelch!

With the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, Gokurokugai passed through Kotori's body and pinned her to the ground.

At the last moment, Kotori had still tried to evade the attack. The blade had indeed missed its intended target and pierced beside her heart instead.

Even so, even if her heart had truly been pierced, Kotori's regenerative ability would likely have restored her. The cold on the sword also invaded her body through the wound.

That Phoenix-like regenerative ability was so powerful that, even with her body pierced through, Kotori's life force did not weaken in the slightest.

But now, she could no longer remain rational.

Violent emotions flooded her heart. The expression in her eyes was gone. At this moment, the consciousness called Kotori had fallen asleep, leaving behind only an irrational beast...

BOSS Phase Two

Kotori had gone berserk.

That was Xiu Er's conclusion.

Under his detection, the spiritual power within Kotori's body had become chaotic.

Kotori's Spirit Crystallization was unstable. Thus, using her spiritual power for too long would cause her to enter a berserk state, making her original personality abnormally battle-hungry.

Just like now.

Kotori ignored the Greatsword lodged in her body, grabbed the blade, and forcibly tore herself free.

In an instant, blood sprayed everywhere, accompanied by the sickening sound of flesh tearing apart.

Naturally, Xiu Er could not simply watch her continue like that. He immediately pulled out Gokurokugai and sent her flying with a spinning kick.

Kotori's actions had caused the Greatsword to tear apart half her body. Fortunately, Xiu Er had withdrawn his weapon in time, preventing her from truly tearing herself in half. Even if she could recover, it was still rather horrifying to watch. Thus, Kotori was able to break free from her restraints.

This truly shocked Xiu Er.

He knew that Kotori was crazy in this state, but he had not expected her to be this crazy. It exceeded his expectations.

After breaking free, Kotori did not pause. She immediately charged at him with Burning Annihilation Demon raised.

Half her body was covered in blue flames, the sign of Healing Flame repairing her body. With madness filling her face, Kotori charged forward with her Battle Axe like a flame demon from hell.

Having already analyzed her fighting style, Xiu Er continued to deal with her in the same way as before.