Bang, bang, bang. Facing Kurumi Tokisaki's continuous shooting, Kotori Itsuka used her extremely keen intuition enhanced by spirit power to easily block Kurumi's bullets.
"Hmph." Kurumi snorted coldly as she looked at Kotori, who kept knocking down her bullets, and let out a sneer. While maintaining her continuous fire with her long rifle, she lifted her short pistol in her other hand and fired it as well.
"Kotori!!!" Seeing this, Shido Itsuka shouted, because Kotori was once again surrounded by grayish-white space.
Bang, bang, bang. Watching Kotori frozen in midair, maintaining the motion of raising her huge blazing axe, Kurumi raised her shotgun again and fired another volley at her. Then, she aimed her shotgun at Kotori and fired a heavy shot, blasting Kotori away completely.
"Huff, huff, huff." After driving Kotori back, Kurumi began to pant heavily. Tohka knew she must have been reminded again of the friend she had personally killed, and her spirit was likely on the verge of collapse.
"Kotori!!!" Seeing this, Shido somehow mustered the strength to forcibly tear away the hands restraining him and tried to run over to Kotori. But at that moment, Kurumi's clones stopped him again.
"Enough. I can't keep watching. It's your turn—help me save Kurumi, but don't go overboard." Seeing Kurumi's focus shift back onto Shido and the black shadow on the ground trying to pull him in, while Kotori lay on the ground burning with healing flames, Tohka spoke up. She knew Kurumi had no intention of fighting Kotori anymore—didn't the original story have Kurumi just stand there motionless in the end? No one was sure if it was because she'd run out of time.
"Hmph, leave it to me. So, do you want me to kill that flaming spirit?" Inverse Tohka's voice sounded excited. After all, she hadn't been let out once since coming to this world, and she was about to go crazy from boredom.
"Tch, as if you could kill her. Alright, stop wasting time. And save Kurumi and take her away—don't pin her down and whale on her. I still have things to say to Kurumi, so don't make trouble. If you want to eat, I'll let you out when we get back." Kotori had an absurdly strong regeneration. Though Tohka didn't know how Murasame Reine had suppressed the previous Flame Spirit's recovery, she was sure it wouldn't be easy for even her Inverse self to kill Kotori.
"Tch, fine. Relax and don't resist me or I can't come out." Inverse Tohka clicked her tongue and stopped talking, beginning to release her power to take over the battlefield.
"Nani!!" While the two Tohkas were talking, Kurumi was staring in shock at Kotori, who was getting up unscathed. She hadn't expected this, and facing Kotori standing again, she was at a loss. She could only order her clones to charge and attack Kotori again. But as a long-range fighter, Kurumi had no way to suppress Kotori in close quarters. Flames instantly erupted from Kotori's body, blowing all the Kurumi clones away. Then, the axe in her hand transformed, becoming a huge weapon resembling a cannon. Its barrel glowed crimson, while Kurumi stood there like her soul had left her body, summoning more clones to try to block some of the damage.
"Camael Megiddo!!!" As Kotori shouted, searing flames blasted from the cannon's barrel. Her eyes were no longer clear but replaced by a crazed crimson.
"..."
Seeing the cannon pointed at her and the flames roaring forward, Kurumi fearfully took a step back. She was reminded again of the friend she had killed and had no courage to face Kotori, unable even to dodge for the moment.
Boom!!! With a thunderous noise, the flames surged toward the dazed Kurumi. But then, a giant black blade fell from the sky and embedded itself before her. The enormous column of fire split in two against the blade and surged past Kurumi's sides.
"!!!"
Not only the people on the scene—even on the command ship, Kannazuki and Reine Murasame nearly popped their eyes out in shock.
"The King actually descended personally—but Tohka's emotions aren't fluctuating much, which means she has mastered the reversal. Is she now a combination of angel and demon? That shouldn't be possible. For another spirit, maybe, but Tohka's crystal…" Reine frowned almost imperceptibly as she watched the monitor. She never expected Inverse Tohka to emerge, because her readings showed Tohka's emotions had been very stable. And Tohka's reversal was unlike the others—it wasn't her dark side surfacing but an entirely independent personality.
"..."
Not mentioning Reine's reaction, everyone present was staring at Tohka in shock. She was completely different now—no longer serene but radiating a wild power. Waves of force poured from her, even stronger than Kotori's frenzy.
"Tohka…" Speechless, Tokisaki Kurumi looked up at the descending Tohka. She had never imagined Tohka would be the one to save her. The pressure Tohka exuded was extraordinarily heavy, and since Kurumi didn't understand Tohka's state, she didn't dare call out to her.
"Hmm, looks like a new enemy has appeared." Kotori was still in her out-of-control state, and without assessing the gap between them, she charged straight at Tohka with her huge red axe, flames surging even more violently.
"Kotori, stop! You're no match for her!" Seeing this Tohka, Shido felt an inexplicable dread. Although she hadn't yet attacked, his instincts told him his sister had no chance.
But unfortunately, Kotori couldn't hear him now. Her crimson eyes only saw the black-armored Tohka calmly watching her.
"Heh-heh, admirable courage." Tohka cast Kotori a faint glance and flicked a hand behind her. The giant blade planted before Kurumi trembled violently, then flew into Tohka's grasp.
Boom.
The tens-of-meters-long blade collided with Kotori's flaming axe, and an earsplitting explosion rang out. Kotori's red-and-white figure flew backward, smashing through the roof and crashing into a classroom below.
"Kotori…" Shido ran to the hole Kotori had made. But soon he sighed in relief—she wasn't seriously injured, just sitting up clutching her head painfully, her eyes now clear again.
"Shido, behind you—Tohka!" Before he could fully relax, Reine's panicked voice came through the earpiece. He felt a chill behind him and turned to see the giant sword poised over his head.
"Damn, right now Shido probably doesn't have the healing power anymore." Reine knew that when Kotori withdrew her power, his regeneration ceased. As for Tohka's power, she wasn't sure if he still retained it. So, she prepared to intervene—this reversal was too unexpected. If Shido died, she'd lose control too. But just as she was about to act, she saw Tohka retract her sword and step back from Shido, letting Reine relax. At least for now, she didn't have to take action.
"Tch." Inverse Tohka only glanced at Shido dismissively and lost interest. Because of Tohka's influence, she didn't finish him off. Otherwise, with her style of merciless slaughter, Kotori would've been in far worse shape.
"Tohka…" Kurumi instinctively stepped back as Tohka approached her. But she quickly stopped herself—her instincts said that even in this inverse state, Tohka wouldn't harm her.
"All right, all right—let's go. That girl still has things to say to you." Inverse Tohka looked at Kurumi's heterochromatic eyes with impatience, clearly annoyed she'd only been allowed this little time—and hadn't even gotten to eat anything.
Without another word, she flew over, grabbed Kurumi by the shoulder, and swiftly left, ignoring Mana, Origami, and Kotori climbing back out of the ruined classroom.
"Kotori, are you okay? How are you feeling?" Watching Inverse Tohka leave with Kurumi, Shido finally exhaled. He rushed to his sister; afraid she'd go berserk again.
"Onii-chan… sorry." Kotori apologized weakly and passed out. Whether from her clash with Tohka or the mental strain, she lost consciousness.
"All right, Shido, forget Tohka and Kurumi—bring Kotori back immediately. You don't have to worry about the other two." Reine's voice sounded again. She just wanted Shido to return so she could check whether Tohka had withdrawn her power. Not that she worried about his health—with only Yoshino's power left, he wouldn't collapse.
"Okay." Hearing Reine, Shido finally relaxed.
"..."
Tohka had no idea what was happening at the school. She was standing silently facing Kurumi. After Inverse Tohka had dropped Kurumi off here, she had sulked away without a word, annoyed she hadn't even gotten a meal. Tohka was speechless—was she just a childish glutton?
"What is going on in that brain of hers? I really want to crack her skull open and look." Tohka was exasperated—was fighting and eating really all she cared about?
"Sigh… I've used up so much today. Looks like I'll have to gather time again. Tohka—how much do you really know about the First Spirit?" Kurumi finally broke the silence. She'd lost everything today—not a scrap of time gained, and her abilities had been drained. But what she cared about most was the words Tohka had been interrupted from finishing.
"You're still obsessing over that, huh? Why insist on changing the past? If you do, you'll bear a karmic backlash. Even if you have enough time to return, you still wouldn't be her match." Tohka disagreed completely. Having seen countless restarts in Marvel, she knew changing the past caused endless ripples. She wouldn't dare tamper with time lightly.
"Tohka… I don't know how much you know. But if I can stop her—stop all this sorrow—I'd gladly die." Kurumi looked at her not with her usual sickly-sweet smile, but with resolute determination.
"Well…" Seeing Kurumi like this, Tohka couldn't refute her. After thinking a moment, she decided not to tell her directly. She recalled the Spirit imprisoned by DEM. If she wanted to rescue her, she'd need Kurumi's help.
"I only know part of it. But there's someone else—she knows much more." Tohka finally spoke. She'd decided to leave the rest to the person who knew the true secrets.
"Really? Who is she? I'll go find her now." Kurumi looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"That one is also one of us—the Second Spirit. As the second Spirit to appear after the First, and the bearer of the all-knowing Angel Rasiel, she absolutely knows a lot of inside info." Without keeping Kurumi in suspense, Tohka directly shared the intel Nia Honjou had known.
"Really? Since you know about her, you must know where she is—tell me and I'll go to her right now." Kurumi grabbed Tohka's shoulders in excitement.
"Stop—don't shake me." Dizzy from being shaken, Tohka quickly pushed her hands away. "She was captured by DEM. Their equipment was developed from her abilities. I only know this much. Where she is now, I don't know. It's a top secret inside DEM. If you want to find her, you'll have to capture a high-ranking officer. And don't just rush their headquarters—when the time comes, I'll contact you and we'll go together. If you charge in alone, you'll definitely be caught." She finished in one breath, adding this last warning—otherwise she feared Kurumi might do something rash.
"…All right. I understand." Kurumi fell silent, then nodded. Tohka had underestimated her—Kurumi had spent years preparing and wasn't about to throw it all away on impulse.
"Then, see you next time. And… thank you, Tohka." Kurumi surprised her with what she did next—she stepped up and kissed Tohka softly on the lips. Then she leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Aiyaa, little Tohka—you'd better take care of yourself. Don't forget—you belong to me."
"W-wait—what are you doing? What do you mean, I'm yours? You…!" Tohka's face turned red as she flailed in embarrassment.
"Aiyaa, little Tohka, you're surprisingly pure. Well, until next time—hahaha." Kurumi laughed, satisfied, and sank into her shadow, disappearing.
"Damn it—what was that supposed to mean?!" Tohka glared at where she'd vanished—but her stomach promptly growled again.
"Ugh, I'm starving. Time to eat." She shook her head and walked off to the nearest restaurant.
"…Wait, isn't this the same place as yesterday?" Reaching the door, she realized it was indeed the same buffet—and her photo was on the banned list.
"Whatever. They probably won't recognize me. Better tidy up first." She pulled down her bangs to cover her forehead, glanced in the glass, and, satisfied, walked in.
"...."
"We've detected a spirit's wave signature—and it's different from the others." In a building in Britain, a white-haired woman calmly reported to the white-haired man before her.
"Hmm… a inverse spirit? How interesting. I didn't expect the very thing we've been researching to appear now." The man looked excitedly at the report, especially at the photo of the black-armored girl and the gothic lolita beside her.
"Yes. Based on what we received, it seems to be a inverse spirit—and probably the inverse form of the Tenth Spirit, the Princess."
"Very well. Allen, prepare yourself. In a few days, head to Tengu City. Meet this spirit—and once you confirm the target, I'll come in person." The man smiled and gave his orders.
"Yes." The woman nodded and turned to leave the office to execute them.
Tohka knew none of this. She was once again being personally escorted out of the buffet by the owner, clutching her coupons. Another photo of her new look had just been added to the "banned" list.