WORLD: BOUNDARY
BRANCHED WORLD: DATE A LIVE
LOCATION: NEIGHBORING WORLD
Laurel's frown deepened..
He'd made a mistake.
Was it because he was no longer human, used to moving in and out of metaphysical realms as easily as breathing?
His Inner Space was one of them. The space where he met the Omniscient Star was also one.
It was to say he hadn't thought about it.
That was freaking dangerous. Laurel's lips twitched with an annoyed click of his tongue.
Anyways, Kurumi will handle her part. Now... It was time for him to handle this part.
"To think you'd show up the moment I start making adjustments to this world, [Phantom]."
Turning his gaze back, to the woman behind.
A beautiful woman with pale skin, looking to be in her 20s.
Long, unkempt, pale blue hair tied into a right-side ponytail and sleepy blue eyes.
She stood there causally giving a long draggy stare to Laurel who simply shook his head.
"Can you turn around and let this pass? I'm just trying to fix the tragic fate of a person."
"I can't let that happen. Kurumi is absolutely necessary."
She replied back almost lazily. Through her furrowed brows could tell Laurel that she was wary of him.
'She sensed the slightest touch on the Sephira Crystal didn't she.'
Honestly, he'd like to not be involved in any fight between her, simply because he found it a pain in the ass.
It is very well possible to fight her, and winning was possible against [Phantom], but was it worth it...
Not really,
His goal was to finish here and fulfil his promise to Kurumi.
"I also cannot do that. Kurumi is one of us. Her wish is essentially our wish too. So, what is best for us is for you to walk away. Let's pretend this never happened."
Laurel said, letting his own expression slip into the same languid disinterest she wore.
[Phantom] tilted her head, slow as a falling petal.
"You're trying to de-escalate awfully fast, [Foreigner]."
Laurel tilted his head, letting a slow, sharp exhale slip out.
"Haah. One way or another, we'll be coming for you later. I might even throw in better service when I do."
"I refuse."
"We really can't come to an understanding, huh?"
Both of them, eyes glowing blue, stared at each other as the air suddenly felt tighter.
It was heavy. Invisible currents of energy swirled around the two, and immediately, the woman's form in front of him blurred.
Rather, her whole body was covered in mosaic. It was hard to tell shape or figure.
And as she did, she closed in on him.
Her right hand was stretched forward, towards one side. His chest, however, as she neared.
Both suddenly flinched.
KRACTUM!!!
KRTTCHHH!
A blinding flash ripped the skyless blanket above with the loud sound of thunder booming and lightning crackling.
The sound alone made the ground beneath them tremble. Then, slowly, it touched the ground.
It was a bolt, landing about three to four meters in front of the two.
Immediately, [Phantom] recoiled, springing several meters back as smoke billowed into the air.
She raised her formless, mosaic, glitching arm to shield her eyes. From there, she saw another figure.
Feminine. Long, flowing hair like ink, more defined than it should be, the undertone of her hair glowing purple.
With her purple hair, her eyes glowed purple too.
She held a odachi that dwarfed her own height, its tip buried in the ground, one hand resting lightly on the hilt as if the huge katana-like weapon weighed nothing.
"You... what do you think you're doing?"
KRACK—!
Arcs of purple lightning split the air, searing toward [Phantom] who blinked into action.
She darted left, then right, weaving between each lightning strike before retreating into the open sky.
Hovering above, [Phantom]'s brows deeply furrowed, though Laurel and Mei themselves could not see it.
"And you... I've been looking for you."
In the midst of it all, she nudged her head towards Laurel, staring down at him as the male let out a nervous smile.
But for now, Mei ignored him entirely, her attention already on the massive white gate behind.
Her gaze also fell on Kurumi for a moment, as her brows tightened.
"One word."
Mei demanded coldly.
"Stall."
Laurel replied. And immediately, with no questions asked or hesitation, Mei appeared mid-air behind [Phantom].
SHING—!
"Hngh!"
Mei slowly drew her absurdly long sword, with its edge shining purple.
As she drew the sword, arcs of purple filled the air, spreading everywhere in a fit of destruction.
SHAN!
Releasing the sword completely from the arc, the trail of purple rushed at [Phantom] at extremely fast speed.
[Phantom]'s teeth clenched as she rolled under the slash, diving toward the ground.
"Who are..."
"The name's Mei."
She twisted the sword in her grip, its edge catching the faint light before swinging in a single, fluid motion.
It shone violet in a massive arc that tore through the air. Then it turned crimson.
The speed made it look less like a strike and more like a piece of the horizon falling toward [Phantom].
'What is...'
Perhaps, she should have listened to the first [Foreigner]. This girl wasn't a spirit. That much she knew.
Her barriers were being affected, the barriers that were supposed to protect her.
The boundary of Omnipotence.
It was being interfered with.
As the massive slash grew closer, the air wrapped, and the huge arc in the air caved in the land.
It was an upside-down V shape that was left.
But Mei didn't lower her weapon; she still clenched the handle of her blade as though the battle weren't finished.
SHUA—!
True enough, she felt something behind her and turned.
By the time she turned towards [Phantom], her sword was already raised high.
"You won't die."
She muttered that. And within the frame of a second. The sword fell.
[Skill: Chef]
TRUE SLASH:
THREAD THAT CROSSES THE OMNIPOTENT BOUNDARY.
—ANGUSTAVIA.
None of them saw it. Even Laurel couldn't see it.
When the sword fell, they couldn't see it. All that they saw was the raised sword suddenly facing low.
Then it happened.
Cracks webbed through the invisible barrier around [Phantom], the impossible shell of her God Authority torn in two.
Both Laurel, and [Phantom] who it affected couldn't help but just stare in shock or surprise.
Laurel's thoughts snapped into focus.
How the hell... she read [Phantom]'s Omnipotent Boundary... and cut it???
That was absurd. That slash would have to be a severance-type slash, or, at the very least...
....require someone with enough Reiryoku to bypass another spirit's Reiryokuken for it to truly break that defense.
And in truth. It was.
Laurel's face paled as he watched [Phantom] descend, now kneeling against the ground.
She looked more surprised that she lost, though it barely showed.
Mei too landed without a sound, closing the distance one slow step at a time. Still pointing her blade at [Phantom].
"Laurel."
She tilted her head as though to ask if she could go ahead and finish it, but Laurel shook his head.
Walking past her, he stopped a few paces from [Phantom].
"In that sense, both of you are just the same. Honestly, I won't spout idealistic words, but seriously, aren't there other ways to settle this than eventually killing your daughters?"
"What if you both stayed close to him and protected him yourselves?"
"You'd keep him safe and get to be with him. Maybe even explain all this spirit nonsense on your own terms."
Honestly, that seemed to be one way. And along the lines, she could even introduce him to the whole spirit shinnanegans.
"You wouldn't understand."
[Phantom] managed to force that out, clearly extremely annoyed.
"Yeah. I won't understand, 'cause I don't want that sort of thing to happen to people I care about."
Laurel then looked at Mei, who still pointed her sword dangerously at Phantom.
Following his line of sight, she then beheld Mei. True. This girl is strong. She had to give him that.
"But then, what if you face a situation whereby all is hopeless, can you truly say that?"
"Who knows. It depends on the situation. If something can still be done, then I'll do everything in me to make it so."
Phantom froze, then for a moment, her eyes darkened. Eventually she slowly began fading.
"You... who are you?"
"The name is Laurel."
"I see. Perhaps, we might meet much sooner than you think."
Laurel didn't reply, simply watching her fade away. She wasn't dead. She simply escaped.
However, now that [Phantom] was gone, Mei's attention turned to Laurel.
She neared him, with slow steps, closing the distance until she stood close enough for him to feel her presence.
She leaned in slightly, almost sniffing the air.
As Mei did, she paused, her eyes slowly darkening, the light in her eyes fading.
"Who? Which girl is it?"
"M–Mei, calm down."
Her tone sharpened. "Is it that one?"
That one? Laurel followed her glance, which made the colors in his expression drain away.
Mei turned to behold Kurumi's physical body still standing motionless by the massive white gate.
"Mei, really nothing happened between us."
"Really."
A thin line was drawn in the air as Mei turned to look at him straight from her eyes.
Since when did his sweet Mei become like this? Was it because of him?
Probably.
But, certainly, «Ei»'s influence was definitely there. He was sure about that.
Ahhh...
Anyways, it seemed like this was his fault.
Hence, he exhaled, stepping forward, closing the gap and pulling her into his arms.
He pulled her into his arms in a deep embrace.
She was stunned for a moment, startled, before the edge in her stance eased, melting into the familiar warmth he knew.
"Eh? Laurel. This—"
"I'm sorry. Should have said this earlier."
"N—no, I was the inpatient one..."
Mei's slow yet nervous voice came through, and Laurel couldn't help but sigh, holding her tighter to reassure her.
...And then, just as they remained in each other's arms—
"Oh my. I look away for one moment, and now I see this."
The voice came from the side.
Laurel turned to find Kurumi strolling toward them, as her heels clicked softly against the white platform.
She stopped a few meters away, hands resting loosely behind her back.
"Nice to meet you, Raiden-san. I've heard plenty about you. And don't worry—"
Kurumi paused for a moment before her smile tilted into something wicked,
"—he's too much of a wuss to actually cheat on you."
Laurel's expression darkened, however, Mei let her lips curl into a slow smile at that.
"Thank you. Tokisaki-san."
Laurel looked between them, speechless for a beat, before blinking in sudden realization.
"Wait—no, that's not—ugh, never mind. How did it go?"
Kurumi paused for a moment, and then with a faint smile....