Chapter 83

After saying that, she left the room without looking back.

"What's wrong with Snake Sister? Why did she suddenly come over to warn us?"

After her figure completely disappeared and her footsteps grew farther and farther away, Kaguya asked Yuzuru in a low voice.

"I don't know the answer."

Yuzuru provided an excellent answer.

"It's probably that time of year. I've heard that as women get older, that's when they reach that stage, and women in that age group are the most unpredictable!"

Yoshino's puppet had just been threatened, offered her perspective, which was fueled by personal grudges.

Yoshino was also somewhat puzzled, but she never participated in such behind-the-scenes discussions; she simply stared wide-eyed as everyone speculated.

Unbeknownst to any of them, a pair of heterochromatic eyes had vanished from the room at some point in the shadows.

"You're so kind; you actually went out of your way to check on your own lab mice."

Back in the lab, Black Amber had barely sat down in her chair when she felt a heavy weight on her shoulder, warm breath on her right temple, and two soft, white arms descending from either side of her neck, encircling her like an embrace.

"Don't engage in these pointless tests, Kurumi Tokisaki."

Black Amber turned her head slightly to look at the girl behind her.

She was a girl with heterochromatic eyes, one red and one gold. The clock spinning in her golden pupils added a touch of mystery to her beauty, while her slightly closed red eyes added a hint of danger to her mystery.

"Oh dear, are you angry, Dr. Möbius?"

Kurumi Tokisaki was completely unfazed by the other party's threat. Instead, she said with great interest, "However, those three children really don't seem to have any sense of crisis. Or is it that you deliberately created a world for them where they can't feel any sense of crisis?"

She desperately wanted to believe that the woman in front of her was a kind-hearted person with a cold exterior, but having experienced betrayal herself, she knew very well that trusting others too easily came at a price.

But Möbius is currently the most likely person in the world to help her realize her long-cherished wish, so Kurumi very much hopes to establish a sufficiently solid cooperative relationship with this Bishop of Schicksal in front of her.

However, after building the Artificial Island, Möbius never came out again and stayed there for more than 20 years.

The defenses of Schicksal Sky Island were impregnable, and even Kurumi had no chance to infiltrate it, so she could only wait for an opportunity.

Her wait proved to be worthwhile. Even Möbius couldn't stay on that island forever, and the timing of Möbius's appearance was perfect, as the world's strongest being who killed three elves was not by her side.

Although it now seems that the story of killing three elves was just a public statement.

"If you want to cooperate, you need to show a cooperative attitude."

Faced with Kurumi Tokisaki's audacious behavior, Black Amber was not only not angry, but also a little interested. After all, she had not seen anyone face her with such fearlessness and even a proactive probing attitude for decades.

"So, you're saying you agree to cooperate with me?"

Kurumi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"If your original body were here, I might agree immediately."

"Original body?"

Kurumi's heart tightened, but she didn't show anything unusual and smiled, "Do you think I'm a clone?"

"I've already said, if we're going to cooperate, we should at least show some respect, right?"

"So, I didn't understand what you meant."

Kurumi didn't know why the other party knew about her abilities, but that didn't stop her from continuing to play dumb. If the other party was just bluffing her, she would simply keep it a secret. If the other party was truly convinced, she would then say that she had come in her original form from the beginning.

Anyway, no one knows which one is her original body. This clone is only one day apart from the original body. Whether it is Spirit Wave or way of thinking, except that there is no angel, it is no different from the original body.

How could she possibly let her true self take such a risk?

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Joining the Group

Thinking about it carefully, if the other party really saw through my angel, wouldn't that just prove that the other party is reliable as a partner?

With that thought, Kurumi felt relieved that her abilities had been exposed, and she no longer had any worries.

But Black Amber is not Amber; she's not made of clay.

Just as Kurumi relaxed, she suddenly felt a subtle force pulling her to the right. Before she could react and regain her balance, she was turned around by the force of the other person. Then she felt something hit the back of her left knee and she was forced to kneel on the spot.

Before she could react to the sudden movement, a hand behind her was already supporting her chin.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kurumi glanced at the white sleeve that had slipped under her armpit. She knew perfectly well that her current situation was the work of Möbius.

"You're definitely not an ordinary person. It seems you also have Stigmata? To be able to do this without Valkyrie Armor... could you really be an S-rank Valkyrie?"

Even though she suffered a minor setback, Kurumi still maintained her smile.

The feeling of being physically restrained was certainly uncomfortable, but she didn't intend to resist directly, since the other party's intention seemed to be merely to retaliate for her earlier actions.

However, Möbius's actions were far more excessive than his own, and he seemed to be a very petty person.

Kurumi thought to herself as she felt the other person's hands roaming over her chin and cheeks.

The smooth touch in her hand didn't make Black Amber feel any attachment. She was just doing this to assert her dominance. She didn't intend to answer Kurumi's question, but instead said to herself, "Don't underestimate my intelligence network, Kurumi Tokisaki. I know everything about you and everything you've been through."

"Omniscient?"

Kurumi wanted to laugh, but couldn't quite manage it.

People who say such things are usually frogs in a well, or complacent people who have been lucky enough to rise with the wind. But would Möbius be one of them?

Kurumi doesn't want her to be, nor does she think she is.

"In fact, you and your ideals make me laugh."

"What did you say?"

Kurumi's previously nonchalant gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Betrayed by the justice he longed for, he became a vengeful ghost. He knew there was no turning back after what he had done, but he couldn't sever his past expectations."

Black Amber's tone was not sarcastic as Kurumi had imagined; instead, it was unusually calm, which calmed Kurumi down considerably.

Do you think this is ridiculous?

Kurumi was too lazy to ask how the other party knew her ideal. In her opinion, it was irrelevant. What mattered was that the other party's skills and abilities had exceeded her imagination, and her own long-cherished wish was the fundamental purpose of her cooperation. If the other party thought her wish was ridiculous, then she had no reason to die because of this.

"Certainly."

Black Amber nodded, and after Kurumi considered giving up on the cooperation, she said, "But I accept your request."

"Ask?"

Kurumi paused for a moment, then realized what she meant. "You mean cooperation?"

"Don't get me wrong, you're not qualified to cooperate with me at all, and you can't bring me anything."

Black Amber's voice, which had been calm to the point of being cold, suddenly became soft and sweet. "Unless you are willing to become my guinea pig, then I can treat you as a collaborator and an equal... Of course, only while you still have research value."

"Oh? I thought someone with your personality would forcibly keep me on the operating table?"

Feeling scorned like this, Kurumi wanted to retaliate, but Möbius knew her very well, while she knew almost nothing about Möbius. Under these circumstances, she could only continue to probe with nonchalant words.

"The power of time is indeed fascinating, but I don't force anyone's hobbies, at least not in experimental cases."

This sentence offered Kurumi some comfort. Although she couldn't be considered a good person based solely on this sentence, she was at least someone with principles.

Kurumi knew, of course, that words could be easily lied about, but she didn't think the other person was lying at this moment. Moreover... Kurumi was also very clear that the other person had completely taken control of the conversation at this moment, just like how the other person had been unmoved no matter how she tried to probe before, but was only giving her some information now.

The other person is trying to control me with words.

"Then what about accepting my request?"

Kurumi asked calmly.

"Your goal is the Origin Spirit, so at least we're aligned on that goal."

Black Amber spoke calmly, "You ask me why your ideals are laughable? It's because you know you're on a path of self-destruction, yet you keep pushing yourself further and further away with various excuses, making yourself forget the path beneath your feet."

No one likes to be labeled as having self-destructive tendencies, but Kurumi remained silent about it.

"You know very well that even if you go back to the past, you'll only be going to your death. Your life and your actions are meaningless. You're only alive because you haven't died... In that case, why not give me your useless life?"

Black Amber said, "Rather than you wasting it, I'd rather use it. I need the essence of the Origin Spirit. After I successfully analyze it, I don't care about her life."

"Become my power, and then, after everything is over, I will grant your request and hand over the Origin Spirit to you."

The air fell silent after the sound faded.

Kurumi initially found the other person's knowing attitude ridiculous. How could you possibly know me better than I do? But as the other person spoke, she gradually stopped laughing.

She became an elf because she wanted to be Hero of Justice and kill all the monsters that harmed humanity. But the truth about the monsters was that they were just like her, elf girls who had even killed her closest friend with their own hands.

After learning the truth, she fell into intense self-loathing, feeling as if her entire worldview had collapsed. She hated herself and also hated Mio Takamiya, who had given her the Spiritron Crystal. However, Mio Takamiya directly sent her back to the Neighboring Realm. When she woke up again, more than ten years had passed.

Kurumi, determined to use this power to reverse time to return to the moment of the first Spatial Quake and kill Kurumi Mio Takamiya, embarked on a path of solitude.

Time is her power, but also the constraint she has on using angels. To gain enough time to travel back so far in time, her own time is not enough, so she has to plunder the time of others.

In this way, she had killed more than 10,000 people. These were all scum of depravity, but they were still human lives. While Kurumi mocked herself for being the scum of scum, the executioner among executioners, she also held onto the hope that "as long as the Origin Spirit are killed in the past, there will be no future with Spirits, and those who died because of Spirits will not die."

But what is the actual situation?

"Putting aside your series of psychological analyses, I have to admit that the conditions you offered were indeed very attractive."

Kurumi let out a breath, and her smile returned, "So, what's my first job?"

"Make me a cup of coffee."

"?"

Chapter 40 Miku: I have seen a beautiful girl.

Amemiya City, Japan, a hotel owned by Schicksal.

The St. Freya Hotel, which had never been officially named before, finally got its name.

The Valkyrie were training in the hotel's underground training grounds as usual. Since the Blade of Immortality arrived in Japan, the hotel had not accepted any new check-in or reservation applications. Although the original guests were not asked to leave, basically no one would stay at the hotel for more than a week. Even if someone did, they would check out hastily because they wondered, "Why are there so few people in the whole hotel?" and worried that something might have happened.

Therefore, even though she is a well-known school idol in Amemiya City, Miku did not encounter any discomfort or difficulties in her life here. In fact, because the hotel's outdoor swimming pool, cinema, and restaurant were all empty, she enjoyed Emperor-class experience as if the entire hotel was working for her.

As for why it's said that 'the entire hotel is for her,' it's because the Valkyrie active in the hotel are not just 'neighbors' in her eyes, but beautiful scenery that adds color to her life.

A mature older sister, an innocent and resilient young girl, a taciturn yet sharp-tongued eccentric—so many outstanding women surround her every day. Living and eating with her is like living in paradise. Here, she can not only play and joke with these beautiful girls, but also use her singing to relieve their fatigue from training, earning their gratitude or sparkling glances.

It's fair to say that Miku, who originally wanted to go back quickly, is now somewhat reluctant to leave.

She lived for so long and carefully endured for two years, seemingly laying the groundwork for this kind of life. Not to mention that she would later join Schicksal and gain access to a wealth of resources, becoming a world-class star.

Rindouji Girls' Academy? That's a place I don't recognize.

Although the gray-blonde-haired girl and the white-haired maid kept a close watch on her, preventing her from getting close to the three most beautiful girls here, Miku quickly stopped worrying.

After all, according to her intelligence, she would be able to meet Dr. Möbius today.

Miku, who had been looking forward to this for a long time and even stayed in the first place because she was attracted to his face, had been anticipating it ever since she opened her eyes.

"Miku seems very happy today, is it because of that?"

Inside the restaurant, the Valkyrie were already lined up to receive their breakfasts. The girl in front of Miku asked curiously.

"Today, Miku officially joins Schicksal, right? From now on, we're family."

The older sister behind me had a gentle smile.

"We still need to see if Dr. Möbius is easy to get along with."

Miku had almost decided to stay, but her face still showed a mixture of anticipation and worry, as if she was afraid of the uncertain future.

"It's okay. Even if you don't join Schicksal in the end, you'll still be our good friend."

The older sister's smile remained unchanged, "I'll definitely attend your concerts in the future."

"Bishop Möbius is a very good man!"

The girl in front of him looked at him with certainty and admiration. "She is an upright and compassionate person. The Valkyrie protect the world, and Bishop Möbius protects the Valkyrie from behind!"

Everyone knows that the Valkyrie Armor and Stigmata were designed by Möbius, so there's nothing wrong with what she said.

Miku actually felt the same way; someone who could shout a slogan like "Fight for all that is good in the world" couldn't possibly be a bad person.

The older sister smiled at the girl's words, neither refuting nor admitting them.

She couldn't quite describe what kind of person Möbius was. While she didn't think Möbius was a bad person, she didn't believe he was particularly kind either.

However, everything Möbius is doing so far is good for the world and for humanity, and that alone is enough to make her work for Schicksal. Moreover... under the leadership of Yulande, even if Möbius really has some kind of conspiracy, it will definitely be overthrown.