Chapter 99

"In other words, you are not considered 'Black Amber' in the system's judgment."

The failure at the start of the second phase was not unexpected for Black Amber, but it still dealt her a blow.

"Perhaps we can ask the Main Control Consciousness for authorization."

The puppet proposed a feasible solution, but then both of them shook their heads. "Awakening the Main Control Consciousness once requires 3,000 points of recognition, and at this stage our card strength and demand are not yet at such a luxurious level."

Their current biggest crisis is Mukuro Hoshimiya, but this crisis doesn't pose much of a threat to Amber right now. It's more of a target for the next stage than a crisis. And if they focus on Mio Takamiya, then they don't need to spend 3,000 points to create a bunch of helpers who won't play any role in the battle.

From any perspective, this is unnecessary.

The results of several days of hard work died in the womb. Even Black Amber sighed a little. But it didn't matter. It was just something she did on a whim. And after she got the power of Kurumi Tokisaki, or rather, Mio Takamiya, she could try again.

Now let's switch to Shier and get ready to attend the party that Kotori has prepared.

Chapter 74 The Itsuka Sisters to Join Schicksal?

Kotori Itsuka never imagined that she would one day have such a friendly relationship with Schicksal, or rather, with the Valkyrie in Schicksal. After all, before she truly came into contact with Schicksal, her view of Schicksal was no different from her view of DEM, and was even worse.

After all, although DEM is superior to Ratatoskr and also operates with the goal of killing elves, the former is not a reason to dislike the other party, while the latter is basically politically correct, or even something that must be done from the perspective of humans.

Kotori, being an elf, dislikes killing elves, but she's not naive enough to deny the legitimacy of such an act.

In these two aspects, Schicksal is the same as DEM, but what makes Kotori have a bad impression of Schicksal is Schicksal's consistent style of doing things and its decision-making.

As is well known, Schicksal's style of doing things is extremely powerful. When only Schicksal could fight against the Elves, it used this as a Schicksal's ambition to bring the entire world under its 'protection'.

If it weren't for the advent of DEM and Manifestation Device, Möbius might have actually succeeded.

Nobody likes an ambitious person, especially one who plans to take away your interests, Kotori is no exception.

But now... perhaps because she's had more contact with Yulande, Kotori actually feels that Schicksal isn't as terrible as she imagined.

The St. Freya Hotel boasts ample and spacious entertainment facilities, making it easy to arrange gatherings of just around ten people. From the 'Zong Suite' designed for VIPs on the top floor to the swimming pool, outdoor pool, private cinema, and banquet venues, St. Freya can provide it all.

The group was currently in a swimming pool, not the outdoor pool on the rooftop. Although Kotori thought it would be nice to go there, Shiori dissuaded her by saying, "Don't cause too much trouble for others."

Although Kotori really wanted to explain to Shiori that the swimming pool was cleaned every day to ensure the quality of service, she swallowed her words.

Fortunately, the pool here isn't bad either; at least it has an artificial beach and slides, but it's far inferior to the one on the top floor and the water park.

The top floor is fine, but the water park and stuff... even Kotori wouldn't dare to wander around with a group of unsealed spirits when she had a choice.

Pulling her thoughts back, Kotori looked at Shiori, who had gone from being a stranger at first, to gradually becoming familiar with the spirits after being pulled into the group by Kaguya Yamae, and now had successfully won the spirits' Shiori with her 'reliable older sister' aura. A smile finally appeared on Kotori's lips.

This trip to the spirit nest was worthwhile, and... this is more like it! While it's a general consensus that other spirits aren't as easy to win over as Tohka, having someone as difficult as Seven Deadly Sins as a second target is way too overpowered.

This is how it should be done! Although those elves can't be easily won over, they won't show such malice right away either. Instead, they'll interact with each other first and slowly build up their friendship.

This normal procedure finally calmed Kotori's mind.

"Aren't you going to come and play together?"

Just as she was thinking, a tall and voluptuous figure appeared beside her, visible even out of the corner of her eye.

"..."

Kotori took a breath, then turned to look at the blonde girl who was almost a head taller than her, and then revealed a tense expression.

"... What's wrong with you?"

Having just finished chatting with Kurumi Rita, Amber came over to check on Kotori's condition and was a little confused.

"No... it's nothing..."

Kotori mouth to retort, but then swallowed it back. What else could she say? "You've grown so much in just a few days!"

Although she knew that Yulande's previous condition was not normal, Kotori felt that it was magical and abstract to see that Durandal's development was even greater than it had been two years ago. Is this really the kind of development a 17-year-old can have?

The body influences a person's personality and preferences due to the biological instincts brought about by hormones. However, it seems that Yulande's personality has not changed much so far, which is already something Kotori can be thankful for.

But... after glancing once more at the fair and voluptuous scenery hidden by the swimsuit, Kotori couldn't help but lower her head.

It was like comparing a bean sprout to a potato; they weren't even worthy of being compared. This clear and enormous disparity made Kotori's eyes twitch. We were on the same side before, weren't we...?

"I'm waiting for you here. But you, are you alright over there? I didn't expect to interrupt your training today."

Dispelling the thoughts in her mind, Kotori greeted him politely.

"In fact, the Blade of Immortality generally does not have rest days except after the mission is over. Of course, rest days do exist in the rules, but everyone wants to maintain their best physical condition so that they can be ready to attack at any time."

Amber said.

"That's only part of the reason. More importantly, even Yulande trains every day, so we can't afford to slack off."

Rita's cheerful voice came from behind them.

Seeing that she was all alone, Amber asked in confusion, "Where Shier and the others?"

"Shier and Kurumi are preparing toys for everyone to play with."

Rita spoke in her usual unhurried tone, "Origami voluntarily stayed in the training room. After all, she now has enough ability to become an 'instructor'. Although her teaching ability is lacking, she is still a good sparring partner."

Amber felt there was a lot of exaggeration in this "voluntary" decision, but considering Origami's increasingly heavy gaze as she saw herself transformed into a big Durandal, she still acquiesced to Rita's arrangement.

"I saw how much she was looking forward to it before, but she still gave up in the end... This effort and hard work to improve her strength is truly worthy of someone who can become the captain of the second team of the Blade of Immortality at this age."

Amber nodded.

Kotori blinked. She did remember the name Origami Tobiichi. She had heard that Origami Tobiichi was a rising star in the Blade of Immortality, with talent and strength among the best of her generation. However, the two of them had never actually met before. They had only met once, and it wasn't a pleasant encounter. Although it wasn't a problem with how they got along, it was true that she was the culprit who caused Origami's tragedy, so she hadn't thought of inviting her.

She knew Origami was coming because Yulande had mentioned it.

That doesn't matter. Kotori's goal is simply to let Shiori make contact with the spirits and express her gratitude to Yulande for her help. One more or one less person won't make much difference, especially since the other party has already taken the initiative to say so, and obviously doesn't intend to hold a grudge against her.

"Speaking of which, Kotori said she would wait for me. Was there something you wanted to say?"

Amber looked at Kotori.

"Really..."

Kotori glanced at Rita standing next to the two of them. She had originally intended to speak with Yulande alone, but since Rita was Yulande's inseparable adjutant, it seemed that listening in wouldn't have any impact.

"Shiori and I will join Schicksal."

Chapter Seventy-Five: The Filter Shatters.

Upon hearing this, Amber and Rita were both stunned.

"What happened in Ratatoskr?"

Amber frowned and asked, showing no joy or even the slightest delight, which made Kotori quite happy.

From anyone's perspective except for Black Amber, the Itsuka Sisters joining Schicksal is a very beneficial thing. After all, Schicksal rarely claims a relationship between two organizations as "cooperation". In the past, when facing most countries and organizations, Schicksal's relationship was always one of "aid" or "protection".

As is well known, if an organization can carry out a project alone, then doing it alone is the option that maximizes its benefits.

The Spirit Spiritual Power Sealing Project is the core of the only possible plan to truly resolve the threat of Spatial Quake. The fate of Shiori Itsuka greatly affects the feasibility of this plan, while Kotori Itsuka has a great influence on Shiori Itsuka's fate and background.

It can be said that the one who truly makes the choice between the two is Kotori Itsuka. No matter how much Shiori has her own ideas, she will believe that her sister, who is with her day and night, will not harm her, and she will believe that her sister can find the best way out for the two of them.

Therefore, when Kotori is not causing any problems, Kotori is the core who truly determines the direction of this plan.

When Kotori says she wants to join Schicksal, it means that Shiori has also made a choice. Ratatoskr will lose the opportunity to cooperate with Schicksal, and Schicksal will become the only one to explain the method of "truly solving the Spatial Quake".

If the feasibility of this method can be made acceptable in the early stages, then Möbius's influence in the world will rise to a new level.

There will inevitably be various obstacles and calculations involved, and things will certainly not be as simple as Kotori thought. However, Kotori knew that the addition of the two of them would be of great benefit to Schicksal.

Despite these advantages, Yulande wasn't immediately happy; instead, she worried about her own situation, which cheered Kotori up.

"Ratatoskr... has been facing a lot of criticism lately."

Thinking about what had happened recently, Kotori's mood worsened. "The Spirit Seduction Plan was supposed to be entirely managed by Fraxinus, but recently Ratatoskr sent an advisor, saying it would make it easier for us to apply for assistance more quickly."

It sounds like this is providing Fraxinus with a more convenient application process and preferential resources, but in reality, it's a way to monitor Fraxinus while slowly suppressing her rights.

Previously, although the application process was cumbersome, she could apply anytime and it was generally approved. But now it's different. Now she needs to apply through an "advisor," and if she goes directly to someone, she's told that "we haven't received a report from the advisor."

Kotori could certainly react to this, but more than anger, she felt a chill in her heart and an urgent sense of urgency.

His intention to leave Schicksal was not a secret to the higher-ups, and the previous decision to reclaim the right to negotiate with Schicksal was a response to this.

Kotori was well aware that it was normal to not be friendly to traitors, so although she was helpless, she didn't mind too much about having her right to negotiate taken away. But this time was different. The reason Kotori Ratatoskr was because of Ratatoskr's behavior of 'getting along well with elves'.

How can you convince the elves that Ratatoskr won't harm them after being sealed away? It's simple: make the elves their direct superiors. That's why Kotori Itsuka and Ratatoskr hit it off. You want to reassure the elves, and as an elf, I also want to protect them—a win-win situation.

Although the current actions that encroach on her rights are not significant, and can be resolved by making a fuss, this signal still made Kotori somewhat nervous. This is because Kotori realized that all the guarantees she could give Shiori and the confidence she had in protecting the other spirits were based solely on Ratatoskr's willingness to maintain a win-win situation.

If Ratatoskr were to change his mind, this small warning could very well turn into incredibly tough shackles.

Why didn't Kotori think this would happen? Because Kotori believed that Ratatoskr's ideal of 'peaceful coexistence with the Spirits' would inevitably need Shiori to carry it out. Ratatoskr, holding this ideal, couldn't possibly turn against her. But... thinking about it carefully, could Ratatoskr's ideal really last forever? Just because of her actions, they resorted to such methods. If one day they really wanted to study the Spirits, could she stop them without any preparation?

Kotori knew, of course, that Ratatoskr's warning was because of her actions. Normally, it would be perfectly normal for Kotori to not give Kotori a friendly look and to take back the power of those who had switched jobs. But... this wasn't a commercial company. If Ratatoskr took a hard line, not only would he take away her power, but he might also take Kotori Shiori and Tohka in a package deal.

Moreover... Ratatoskr's previous image was not that of a normal organization, but rather an idealistic one.

When idealistic organizations become tainted with reality, everything brought about by that golden facade will rebound at an even faster pace.

If Ratatoskr wasn't an idealistic organization, Kotori would never have joined in the first place. The reason Kotori is so eager now is because of the distrust that arose after her idealized view of Ratatoskr was shattered.

But none of this could be easily explained. After all, from a normal perspective, no matter what, she was a traitor who deserved her fate, Kotori could only smile bitterly.

Rita understood all of this very well. In fact, from the very beginning, Rita never thought that Ratatoskr would be any kind of good person, as evidenced by Shiori's initial reaction when she learned about Ratatoskr.

At this moment, she certainly understood Kotori's predicament of being unable to express her grievances. However, while the person involved could not speak out, she, as an outsider, could say, "For an employee who has not harmed the organization's interests and is planning to leave normally, Ratatoskr's actions are not a big deal. However, for an organization that is recruiting talent under the banner of 'getting along well with the elves,' to issue a warning by threatening that 'if they do not obey, the safety of the elves cannot be guaranteed' is somewhat ridiculous."

Suppressing Kotori's rights as the 'greatest obstacle to damage' is something normal organizations can do, but Ratatoskr cannot.

"This should only be the opinion of a small group of people."

Hearing someone speak her mind made Kotori feel a little better, "Actually, not long after, someone came to assure me that they would give me satisfactory compensation."

That's what they said, but they both knew it was a classic case of the carrot and stick.

It would be best if we could win over Kotori, but if we can't... there's not much we can do.

After all, everyone knows that the Itsuka Sisters are on good terms with Yulande.

Kotori fears this very thing, and Ratatoskr has no way to deal with it, so he can only try to win her over. But what if she and Yulande hadn't had a relationship back then? What would Ratatoskr have done then?

Kotori dared not think too deeply about it.

Chapter 76: Seen but Unable to Reach.

Kotori was getting impatient; the atmosphere in Ratatoskr and the impending darkness made her want to escape as soon as possible.

In fact, Schicksal may not be a good place either, but after explaining these things to Shiori last night, the question Shiori raised made Kotori ponder for a long time.

What bad things did Möbius do?

Kotori wanted to say that Möbius had done too many things, but when the words actually reached her lips, she found herself unable to say them. Upon careful reflection, Kotori realized that the wariness and fear that most people in the world felt towards Möbius stemmed entirely from their own imagination.

Möbius wanted to rule the world. Möbius must have conducted unforgivable human experiments while researching Stigmata. Möbius must have some kind of conspiracy to do this.

Conversely, even in the countries and organizations that Möbius controlled, Möbius merely held rather than used his excessive power.

The Stigmata, which allows an ordinary girl to easily lift a truck weighing several tons, is theoretically something that could not have been produced so easily. It must have involved countless experiments and sacrifices. However, until now, this theory has remained speculation and has not been confirmed.

Even if there are human experiments, why must these experiments be inhumane or even horrific?

The Valkyrie are loyal to Schicksal and Möbius, so why can't it be that Möbius truly has the charisma to carry out the slogan, or that the Stigmata must have changed their minds?

Thinking about this, Kotori felt as if her impression of Möbius had been shattered, just as her impression of Ratatoskr had been.

But... in the end, while it can't prove that Möbius isn't a good person, it also can't prove that Möbius is a good person. Kotori isn't a black-and-white person. Therefore, Shiori's words only gave Kotori a completely new perspective on Möbius, one that transcended preconceived notions.

What truly made Kotori feel that she could first turn to Schicksal was Yulande.

"I can't trust anyone else, but if it's you, I think it's worth the gamble."

Kotori said, "I hope to continue serving as the chief executor of the Spirit Seduction Plan after joining Schicksal, and to have the plan managed solely by the Blade of Immortality. The people of Fraxinus are all trusted confidants personally selected by me, and there will be no spies. Of course, if Schicksal is not at ease, they can conduct a thorough review."

Kotori's intention is to make Yulande a powerful backer. Although the highest-ranking figure is still Möbius cannot bypass Yulande to directly manipulate Kotori's side.

'The vassal state of my vassal state is not my vassal state,' something like that.

Kotori still hoped to bring the Fraxinus people with her, since they were her old team and trustworthy people. If she were to leave alone, their fate would probably not be good.

Rita lowered her eyes slightly. This was somewhat like using a friend's relationship to get in through connections, and bringing along Fraxinus's group, considering Yulande's personality, also involved a bit of moral blackmail.

However, Rita didn't say this out loud. She had said before that abusing power for personal gain is undoubtedly a dirty trick, but if a company's executives can't even do that, then the company won't last long. If there are only benefits on paper, ambitious and capable people won't work for you. Although there are also people who are not ambitious but capable, they are undoubtedly a very small minority.