The sky was heavy, shrouded in a gauze-thin veil of lead. Though gray, the clouds were mere feathers suspended motionless, carrying no hint of moisture to come.
Sunlight had not truly retreated; instead, it filtered softly through the gloom as gentle milk-white rays, spreading evenly across rooftops and streets, coating the world in a matte glaze. Even the breeze felt too lazy to lift dust, merely strolling idly among the leaves of cherry trees, occasionally eliciting a quiet rustle—a small reminder to passersby that this was merely the sky taking a deep breath, no rain forthcoming.
"Alastor?"
"Hmm… his presence is growing fainter. I can only roughly pinpoint his direction. Go this way."
The black-haired girl had pursued a certain Crimson Denizen into Misaki City.
That werewolf Denizen's troublesome ability—to turn his entire body into mist—was particularly difficult for the girl to deal with. As long as even the slightest trace of mist remained, the werewolf Denizen wouldn't truly die. Thus, to kill him completely, every single wisp of mist had to be destroyed, leaving nothing behind.
Perhaps a masterful Unrestricted Spell caster like Margery Daw would've handled such an opponent more easily, using advanced spells to confine and disperse the mist. But this girl couldn't do that—she specialized purely in physical combat, a rarity even among Flame Haze and Crimson Denizens alike.
She had once received Tenmoku Ikko's recognition for her martial prowess, and thus became the wielder of Nietono no Shana. Yet she could not fully eliminate the mist-form of the werewolf Denizen, allowing him to escape into Misaki City.
The black-haired girl walked alone down the bustling shopping street, yet seemed to occupy another dimension altogether. The fragrant scent drifting from bakeries, children gathering around ice cream carts, couples in the throes of new romance cuddling close, a young man kneeling before a pachinko parlor weeping bitterly—all these sights were irrelevant, none able to draw even a flicker from the girl's eyes.
Likewise, the passersby paid no attention to her presence.
Her mind was wholly fixed on her target, the werewolf Denizen.
"He's actually stopped moving? He isn't running anymore?"
"Perhaps the act of escaping has depleted too much of his Power of Existence," Alastor replied from her pendant. "Though turning into mist makes him difficult to kill, any portion of mist you burn away is still a part of his body, sustained by his Power of Existence. His aura's growing increasingly faint, indicating he's nearing collapse. He hardly has enough left even to maintain his current form."
"So, he's stopped in order to feed, to replenish his depleted Power of Existence?"
The girl's brows knitted slightly, a crescent moon hidden behind storm clouds, bringing forth a wave of heavy worry and irritation.
If humans were consumed by the werewolf Denizen, they'd die, the world's balance would be further disturbed, and the Denizen himself would gain more strength, becoming even harder to kill. She was unwilling to accept any of these outcomes.
With that thought in mind, she unconsciously quickened her pace.
Nothing around her could cause her to slow down. To become a Flame Haze meant sacrificing one's own Power of Existence to form a contract with a Crimson Lord, severing all ties to the mortal world. Human attachments must never again taint her. From now on, she was no longer a person but the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter.
A Flame Haze who depended on others or needed companions was immature.
It's fine. This opponent is weak. He's just annoyingly persistent because of his mist form. There's no danger at all.
Yes, no danger at all.
Therefore… she wouldn't appear to save me this time…
The girl's heart stirred restlessly again. She realized it herself, realized she had once more begun thinking about that person.
"So irritating..."
What an irritating feeling…
What an irritating person…
It's all her fault. If she hadn't met her, if she hadn't been saved twice by her, she wouldn't be so frustrated now…
"I must hurry and find that Denizen..."
Only during battle could she control herself from thinking about that person.
Thinking of her, thinking of her, thinking of her… gradually, that figure filled her mind.
She couldn't understand why the more she resisted recalling that person, the clearer the image in her mind became.
And then—as she passed by someone—her hand moved by itself.
The girl grabbed the arm of a passerby, forcing herself to a stop.
She stared in disbelief at her own hand that had moved without permission. Her brain froze in confusion, unable to process what just happened.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
The girl, and the person whose arm she grabbed, simultaneously let out a startled exclamation.
Their gazes met. Hirai Yukari instantly recognized the girl before her, pupils trembling fiercely in shock.
Why her?!
Having lent her body to Nitocris several times, Hirai Yukari had already seen this girl more than once—this girl was none other than the contractor of Alastor, the God of Retribution, one of the three pillars of the Crimson Realm!
Hirai Yukari was also fully aware that her own Kami-sama paid unusually close attention to this particular Flame Haze.
Although Nitocris had explained that her interest was solely due to Alastor, the God of Retribution, Yukari's instincts screamed that it couldn't possibly be that simple.
Her Kami-sama might not have lied, but she was definitely hiding something!
The moment she recognized the girl, Yukari almost cried out aloud—but luckily, she stopped herself just before the words could escape and reveal her.
But internally, panic had already set in. In her heart, a groundhog was screaming at full volume.
Have I been found out? What do I do now?!
"…What's the matter? Is there something special about this girl?"
A pendant suddenly speaking out loud would've shocked an ordinary person, wouldn't it? Yet Alastor casually addressed the black-haired girl without concern.
"No… I don't recognize her at all."
The black-haired girl stared deeply at Yukari, her expression becoming even more puzzled—she was certain she'd never seen this face before.
"Hmm… No matter how I look at her, she seems to be nothing but an ordinary human. She's not a Torch, and there's no trace of a Denizen about her either…"
"..."
The black-haired girl remained silent, eyebrows knitted tightly as she stared intently at Yukari's face. Her gaze grew sharper, heavier, as if pressing down upon Yukari so hard she dared not even breathe.
Fortunately, her salvation soon arrived.
"Hmm... since we've confirmed she's neither a Torch nor a Denizen—just a regular human—let's not waste more time on her. The Denizen's presence in this city is fading fast. It'll be troublesome if we let him slip away."
At Alastor's words, the black-haired girl's gaze briefly landed on Yukari again—sharp as a star plunging into the night. Only after another long moment did she release Yukari's arm expressionlessly, glancing down at the pendant on her chest.
"Alastor, may I ask her one more question?"
"Oh? There shouldn't be an issue, if it's just a single question."
"Yes, just one is enough."
Just as Yukari sighed in relief, the black-haired girl turned her gaze toward her again.
"I want to know... Have we met somewhere before?"
If she's actively asking, then it means she probably hasn't noticed anything...
Comforting herself with this thought, Yukari lightly touched her chest, trying her best to steady her turbulent heartbeat, and replied aloud.
"I don't think so… I don't recall meeting you before."
"Is that so…"
She gave a quiet hum in acknowledgment. The doll-like girl's lovely face showed no sign of emotional change, as cold as frost.
Then, without another word, the girl turned coldly around, seemingly ready to leave.
I finally passed... Hirai Yukari thought, breathing a long sigh of relief deep inside her heart.
However, in the very next instant—
A blade flashed like lightning, slicing the air as fluidly as water. Before a sound could escape Yukari's throat, the cold edge was already pressed against her neck, instantly freezing the relaxed smile on her face.
"You... really aren't honest at all."
The black-haired girl's eyes were as sharp as swords, her voice threaded with an icy killing intent.
Hirai Yukari stood frozen in place, raising both hands to indicate she meant no harm. She couldn't understand why the other girl was accusing her, desperately racking her brain to find the flaw she must have exposed.
"You clearly appear to be an ordinary human. Then why weren't you shocked at all when you heard Alastor's voice? A talking pendant should have been incomprehensible to a normal human, shouldn't it?"
So that's what gave me away?!
But... but still...
"There are plenty of people around here. None of them seem surprised either. Why single me out?"
"Normal humans can't hear my voice unless I deliberately remove my restriction. In their eyes, the conversation just now was entirely between the two of you," Alastor's voice echoed once more. "But clearly, you heard me. Otherwise, your reaction would've been confusion, not denial."
"..."
I'm done for... Yukari belatedly realized she'd fallen into a trap.
"The reason we suspected you is also because of your wording earlier."
Alastor's voice lowered again as he spoke. "When we asked you whether we'd met before, your reply was 'I don't recall meeting you two,' rather than 'I don't recall meeting you.' If you truly couldn't hear my voice, I should've appeared as nothing more than an ordinary pendant in your eyes, and you wouldn't have used the plural form."
"So, who are you exactly?"
The black-haired girl pressed the icy blade onto Yukari's shoulder. It seemed if Yukari's next answer displeased her even slightly, she'd slice off her head without hesitation. "You seem completely human no matter how I look, yet clearly you aren't. Are you a Denizen disguised as human using some special Unrestricted Spell?"
She's totally misunderstanding!
And it was entirely due to Yukari's own mistake.
Of course, Yukari knew the reason Nitocris had remained silent until now was precisely to avoid detection by this girl and Alastor. Her Kami-sama was surely watching and protecting her from the shadows. In the end, Yukari herself had become a burden, making her feel deeply guilty toward the god.
Though Yukari knew that, with Nitocris's protection, this blade probably couldn't harm her... understanding was one thing, but it was impossible to fully suppress fear with a sharp blade pressed against her neck. Instinctive reactions weren't so easily overcome, especially considering the girl's murderous intent radiated a chill far colder and more terrifying than the blade itself.
"Put away your weapon. You're frightening my contractor."
Nitocris's voice, emerging from the pendant hidden beneath Yukari's clothes, broke through the freezing, suffocating silence.
"!!!"
The instant the voice sounded, both the black-haired girl and Alastor fell speechless in shock. The girl's hand even shook slightly, nearly nicking Yukari's skin. For such a powerful warrior acknowledged by Nietono no Shana, trembling hands should have been unthinkable—clearly revealing how tremendous a shock Nitocris's sudden voice had triggered within her.
Immediately afterward, both the girl and Alastor clearly felt the aura surrounding Yukari change. No, not merely "change." Rather, the disguise she had been maintaining finally peeled away, revealing the truth beneath.
The girl in front of them was indeed human—this was not wrong—but mixed within the scent of humanity, there was now something else.
Yukari slowly reached inside her shirt. Under the focused gaze of the black-haired girl and Alastor, she took out a golden pendant, the very source of Nitocris's voice.
"Though this isn't our first meeting, it's indeed our first face-to-face conversation like this. Greetings, Alastor, the 'Flame of Heaven,' God of Retribution of the Crimson Realm, and you, the current Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter."
The pendant on the black-haired girl's chest was an oval-shaped crimson jewel, countless sparks of firelight flickering restlessly within.
The pendant on Yukari's chest was a golden disc engraved with the Eye of Horus, edged with symbols of the sun's rays.
Two black-haired girls, each contracted with a god, each communicating through their pendants—
Two existences so similar, finally encountering each other today.
"Hmph... The Crimson Realm? Indeed, you aren't a Crimson Denizen."
Sparks flickered within the crimson jewel as Alastor spoke in a complicated, heavy tone. "Your immeasurable Power of Existence is comparable in scale even to us 'Gods.' Moreover, within your existence, I sense an 'Authority'... So, you truly are a pillar of the human world?"
"You could indeed put it that way. I stand on humanity's side, after all."
The one I've been searching for is right before my eyes... Although she couldn't see her face, the black-haired girl recognized her immediately by voice alone.
Her heart felt unbearably congested, as though filled with countless things she wanted to say, countless questions she wished to ask, countless emotions she wanted to vent... yet now, in this very moment, she found herself utterly incapable of voicing a single one.
The air around seemed to solidify into something dense and tangible, pressing heavily upon the hearts of the two girls.
The shifting atmosphere was entirely due to the two gods currently in conversation.
"If that is the case," Alastor spoke again, his voice filled with restrained accusation, "then why have you only now revealed yourself? Why have you done nothing these past several thousand years, standing idly by as the human world suffered distortion after distortion under the predation of Denizens, causing severe imbalance between the worlds?"
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