Blooming on Two Fronts

As his words fell, the moving stars came to a halt. An invisible force field firmly bound Merlin and his Four Great Beasts in place, like insects sealed in amber.

Merlin had no idea what had happened. The world had abruptly fallen still, and the mana within him had gone silent. Though he wanted to break free, it was nothing more than a futile wish.

Starfall Annihilation

In the next instant, the surging Torrent of Light spanned the endless starry sky, finally converging at one point and piercing through heaven and earth.

Merlin's Four Great Beasts vanished in an instant beneath the washing current of light, like bubbles under the sun. At the same time, Merlin's limbs disappeared as well, restoring him to the appearance he had possessed thousands of years ago, when he had still been a divine child.

"Lord Crimson Moon..."

He murmured, a bitter smile touching his lips. Within the warm light, Merlin suddenly recalled a morning from over a thousand years ago. The sunlight that day had seemed just as warm.

"From today onward, you are free. Is there anything you want to do?"

The golden-haired girl in splendid attire smiled sweetly. Still-warm corpses lay scattered across the ground, their crimson blood soaking into the damp earth. The fragrance of soil mingled with a pungent scent of blood, making the scene seem eerie yet strangely harmonious.

The limbless boy lay weakly on the ground, staring blankly at the girl's profile. Her crimson eyes were so dazzling that even the finest gemstones could not compare to a fraction of their brilliance.

"Hey, you're about to die."

The girl waved a hand before the boy's eyes.

"Mm."

The boy snapped back to his senses, a flush rising across his pale face. He seemed not to have heard what she had said at all.

"I said—you're about to die. Is there really nothing you want to do? Wouldn't it be regrettable to die like this?"

The girl could not help bending down, leaning close to the boy as she examined him with interest.

"I want..."

Looking at the lovely face so close before him, the boy swallowed the words he had wanted to say.

"I want to live."

"Tch—"

The girl narrowed her eyes and stared into his. Something seemed to lie within those crimson pupils, making the boy unable to meet her gaze. He could only instinctively avert his eyes.

A brief silence followed. He could almost hear his own heartbeat, his nerves tightening further and further, until, before reaching their breaking point, he heard an answer as beautiful as heavenly music.

"Very well. Then do your best to live on, boy."

This time, I fear I will have to break my promise, Lord Crimson Moon.

Thousands of years later, he once again faced power comparable to that of a god. Only this time, there would be no salvation—only the end of his life.

The light grew ever more blazing, until it finally swallowed everything around it.

When the light faded, Merlin opened his eyes and stared at the scene before him in astonishment.

"Are you upset that you didn't die?"

Michael bent down and studied Merlin with interest, raising a hand and waving it before his face.

"If you died just like that, wouldn't you feel unwilling to accept it?"

"I..."

Merlin opened his mouth, unsure what he wanted to say. For some reason, Michael's figure before him overlapped with that of Lord Crimson Moon.

"I... I want to live. I still have things I need to do."

"Fine. As expected of the Crown, even your begging has such a distinctive flair. Still, I'm in quite a good mood today. Since you hadn't intended to kill me either, I'll spare your life this time. But next time may be different."

Michael rose to his feet and spoke casually, in an exceptionally good mood. If Merlin had not been there, he might even have wanted to dance to Pure Land of Bliss. The sea of flowers had vanished, and they had returned from the Sea of Stars to the outer layer of the world. He looked toward Shiki Abandoned Amusement Park, where the battle was also nearing its end.

He took one step, and with the next, crossed space to appear on Aozaki Aoko's battlefield. With the star core driving him, he possessed the power to overturn all phenomena, making him almost omnipotent.

The near-dead Alice Kuonji had been restored to normal by the time reversal of the Fifth Magic. Enhanced by magic, the dense barrage of blue Magic Bullets was like a Gatling gun spewing blue flames. No matter what methods Tōko Aozaki used, they were utterly destroyed under this absolute violence.

"Is that... Aoko?"

Michael could scarcely believe his eyes, but the fluctuations of her soul told him that this was indeed Aoko herself. Her long red hair burned like flames, while torrents of blue aetheric energy erupted with every movement, shattering the red Rune Script before her. She formed a stark contrast to the Aoko he remembered.

"It's over."

Alice Kuonji spoke softly. She was right. The moment Aozaki Aoko made her choice, victory and defeat had already been decided. Shiki Abandoned Amusement Park had been completely destroyed amid the pursuit and escape, and the battle had only ended when one side ran out of strength.

Touko fell to the ground with her back against the wall.

Despite her severe injuries, she did not take her eyes off Aoko. Her internal organs were bleeding heavily, several bones throughout her body had been broken, and her mana was nearly exhausted. Even moving a single finger was little more than a dream.

Her Mystic Eyes had been shattered from within by one of Aoko's attacks and would never open again.

It was the first time in her life she had been in such a sorry state, battered and covered in wounds. Perhaps the only thing that surprised her was that while her breathing was somewhat hurried, it was not disordered.

Before her stood her unscathed younger sister, looking down at her. How truly ironic. It seemed that the thing she had wanted to see had appeared right before her eyes.

"I thought you'd at least hold out a little longer."

Touko spoke not in self-mockery, but as a simple observation. Aoko answered with a cold gaze.

Aozaki Aoko did not approach Touko. Instead, she raised her right hand several steps away, ready to deliver the final blow to her prey at any moment. This was Touko's rightful end—the fate of the defeated.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

She suddenly asked. Moonlight streamed in through the half-collapsed wall, casting their shadows onto the ground. The warmth of mana had already faded, leaving only cold heaviness to rule this space.

"I wanted one last cigarette. Too bad I finished them all while waiting for you. Japanese tobacco is bland and flavorless. It doesn't interest me at all."

Touko patted her empty pocket, a bitter smile appearing on her face.

"That really sounds like an ordinary person's last words."

Aoko merely replied softly.

"I don't want my last words to sound like a riddle. But go ahead and take them as the final barking of a beaten dog."

Though Touko's words carried undisguised mockery, they held no hostility or hatred toward Aoko. Perhaps that was because the person she had truly wanted revenge on had never been Aoko herself, but rather the origin that had trapped both her and her sister—their birth as magi.

The two talked for quite some time, from their experiences over the years to this battle, and finally to the Fifth Magic itself and a dangerous interloper.

"I never expected that guy to help you so resolutely. That really isn't like him."

Tōko Aozaki glanced in Michael's direction with a hint of teasing.

"According to him, it was merely a transaction."

"The guy I know has never made a fair deal."

Aozaki Aoko fell silent, pretending not to have heard her.

"Fine. I only have one final question."

Tōko Aozaki let out a soft breath, as though she were using it to bid farewell to her grandfather and bring her revenge against the Aozaki Family to a close. Though she had failed utterly and completely, it was all in the past now. There was no need to mention it again.

"What does it feel like to be touched by the Root?"

Knowledge regarding magic should not have been disclosed, not even a little. But as Touko's final request, perhaps it was acceptable to share some of her own impressions.

"It was white, Sis. To be honest, I didn't really understand it either."

After voicing that seemingly unrelated impression, Aoko's arm suddenly came down. More accurately, she had merely issued the command in her mind for it to come down, but her body could not move.

"Miss Touko, don't go slandering others right before you die. I'm just a kindhearted passerby."

Michael walked out with a light laugh, paying no attention to Aoko's eyes, which seemed almost ready to spit fire.

"Really? Just a kindhearted passerby?"

"Well, maybe, perhaps, probably, I suppose. But I'm still quite happy to make things difficult for you, Miss Touko."

"Tch—you're still so insincere."

"How many people in this world are truly the same inside and out?"

Michael shrugged, released his control over Aozaki Aoko, then abruptly leaped backward. Yet a tightly clenched fair fist still appeared before him and smashed heavily into his face.

"Hiss—don't hit people in the face! Aoko, that was too much!"

"Mm-hmm~~"

Aozaki Aoko withdrew her fist, feeling incomparably refreshed, like drinking a cold beverage on a scorching summer day. She had wanted to do that for a long time, but had never found the chance. Now, she had finally gotten her wish.

"How about sparing Miss Touko's life this time?"

Michael covered his aching nose as he spoke indistinctly.

"Hah, so your relationship really is unusual. You're still thinking of saving her at a time like this."

Aozaki Aoko gave a cold snort and narrowed her eyes, like a cat that had discovered a new toy.

"She's an old client, after all. Besides, I only said we'd spare Miss Touko's life. I never said we'd let her go for free."

"Mm—?"

Seemingly understanding Michael's meaning, a silent smile appeared at the corner of Aozaki Aoko's lips. It was alluring and beautiful, yet inexplicably sent a chill down one's spine.

Tōko Aozaki's brows furrowed deeply. She felt that things were starting to go wrong, slipping into an unknown direction.