"Hey! Kurumi! Can you wait a second—"
By the time Shido reached out his hand, hoping to grasp something, there was nothing left but empty air.
Staring at the traces left behind from his confrontation with Tokisaki Kurumi, Shido clenched his fists, biting his lip in frustration.
In the end, he hadn't solved anything.
He had said he would save Kurumi and Mana—but he accomplished nothing.
Not only were Kurumi and Mana seriously injured, but Origami, Tohka, and everyone at school got dragged into the mess as well, and he still failed to seal Kurumi's power.
Even Kotori's final attack was blocked by Tenqi Sanluo—Shido himself did absolutely nothing.
Wait... wha...
"Ah... right, Kotori!—You..."
As if suddenly remembering something, Shido quickly turned toward his sister—only to see Kotori's eyes darting about, both hands clenched tightly, her expression torn as though caught in a fierce internal struggle.
"Kotori...?"
Shido tilted his head, about to ask further—when a strange sensation of weightlessness washed over him.
The next moment, they had returned to the airship Fraxinus.
"...Shido, Kotori, are you two all right?"
Vice Commander Murasame Reine stepped forward and asked calmly.
"Reine, Kotori, she's—"
"Shido, let me rest for a bit. You need to rest too."
Before Shido could finish, Kotori—now without her Astral Dress—cut him off, her tone carrying the unmistakable authority of an order.
"No, Kotori, I—"
"Reine, take Shido to rest."
"Understood."
And with that, Shido, still protesting, was carried away by several burly crew members.
"..."
Kotori turned her back to them; her expression couldn't be seen.
"Kotori, you..."
"Reine, I know what I have to do."
Taking a deep breath, Kotori lifted her head. Determination burned brightly in her red eyes.
---
Elsewhere—
"Ah, this should do."
Having left together with Kurumi, Tenqi Sanluo arrived at a small, shabby-looking house.
"This is one of your hideouts?"
"Yes. We need bases like this to collect and organize information."
As she spoke, Kurumi pulled a flintlock musket from the shadows, attempting to channel her angel's power.
"...As I thought. The Fourth Bullet is unusable."
"Didn't expect even an angel could be damaged."
"This is the first time I've seen it myself."
Without the Fourth Bullet, Kurumi's left arm couldn't be restored immediately—it would have to heal slowly through her natural spirit regeneration.
"I didn't expect Miss Tenqi to block that blast in such a short time. I knew you were powerful, but every time I see it, I'm still astonished."
Since her injuries couldn't heal right away, Kurumi simply dismissed her musket and sat on a nearby chair, chatting idly.
"There are a lot of things you haven't seen yet," Tenqi Sanluo replied curtly, clearly not in the mood for small talk.
"And since you've seen my Demon King, don't even think of trying any selfish or unrealistic schemes."
The moment Kurumi recalled the black-and-red longsword in Tenqi's hand earlier, her smile froze on her face.
"Ah, yes. Miss Tenqi's Demon King is indeed formidable. But—why is it that you can wield both an Angel and a Demon King?"
Kurumi prided herself on her memory. She distinctly remembered having discussed spirit inversion with Tenqi before.
That was why, when Tenqi first summoned Shura Trial, she instantly recognized it as a Demon King rather than merely being surprised by its unusual power.
According to Kurumi's understanding—only inverted spirits transform their angels into demon kings.
So why was Tenqi an exception?
"You're asking me?"
Tenqi raised a brow, recalling the moment of her past life's death—when she encountered the Kabbalah Tree of Life.
Though her limited knowledge prevented her from fully explaining what happened, she remembered three glowing pillars around her—one of which turned from multicolored light to black and crimson as a sudden pain struck her heart. The three pillars intertwined around her and merged with her being.
She instinctively understood what those pillars represented the moment she became a Spirit.
But she still didn't know why it had happened.
She wasn't sure how spirits like Kurumi came into existence—but she knew her own situation was entirely different.
If there was any reasonable explanation, perhaps it was the fury and resentment that had accumulated deep within her heart.
But that wasn't important.
Rather than pondering where her power came from, it was better to think about how to wield it more effectively.
When she blocked Kotori's cannon earlier, she hadn't summoned Shura Trial right away. Instead, she'd deliberately used Burning Immortal Flame and Polar Ice Burst to split and absorb the attack—partly as training to improve her control over her angels.
After all, who opens a game of poker with the trump card right away?
The first time she summoned the Demon King was simply to intimidate Kurumi into behaving.
Shura Trial was her ace in the hole—a weapon requiring no finesse, just pure destructive power.
It wasn't something to be used lightly. Most of the time, Tenqi preferred using her two lesser angels—they were easier to control and consumed far less spiritual energy.
"I don't know, and I don't plan to find out."
Kurumi fell silent at Tenqi's blunt response.
Then, from the shadows beside her, a flintlock rifle emerged once again, which Kurumi held in her hands.
"...No matter what, Miss Tenqi did save me once."
As she spoke, Kurumi handed the rifle to Tenqi, her tone soft.
"Please take this as a small token of gratitude. All it needs is a bit of spirit energy to activate."
"Oh?"
Tenqi took the flintlock, examining it carefully from top to bottom.
"Didn't think this thing could even be used by someone else."
"While it's technically part of my angel, it's also just a weapon I can freely summon. Besides, I have plenty of them."
Tenqi aimed the rifle at a wall, infusing it with a touch of Burning Immortal Flame's power.
Bang!
A burst of crimson fire punched a clean hole straight through the wall.
"...Interesting. Mind giving me a pistol too?"
"Of course."
Kurumi reached into the shadows and tossed her a flintlock pistol.
"Still, considering you saved my life—two guns, no matter how interesting, hardly seem like enough payment."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Though her voice carried mock surprise, Kurumi's face showed no genuine emotion—clearly, she had anticipated this reaction.
"Then, what does Miss Tenqi want?"
"How long until your left arm recovers?"
Tenqi suddenly shifted the topic, catching Kurumi off guard.
"Hmm... without the Fourth Bullet, perhaps a few days."
"Good."
Tenqi thought for a moment.
"Miss Tokisaki, once you've mostly recovered, I want you to stay near that guy—Itsuka Shido—and monitor his every move. If there's anyone suspicious or noteworthy around him, report it to me."
"Eh?"
Kurumi blinked, seemingly surprised by the unexpected order.
Then, her lips curved into a faint smile.
"My, my... it seems Miss Tenqi has taken quite an interest in Shido."
"...Rather than him, I'm more interested in the people around him."
To Tenqi, the fact that Itsuka Shido could recklessly throw himself into danger time and time again yet remain unscathed suggested someone powerful—and hidden—was protecting him.
Moreover, every time she even thought about leveling Tenguu City, an inexplicable sense of danger flickered in her chest—vague but undeniably real.
She couldn't afford to ignore it.
The lessons from her past life were still fresh—never let your guard down.
She didn't consider herself omnipotent or invincible; caution was still necessary.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered intimidating Kurumi—her supposed ally—so directly.
Of course, part of it was simply because Tenqi hated beating around the bush.
"My, my... I don't quite understand, Miss Tenqi."
"Save the chatter. Just do it. Gather intel on anyone near Shido who stands out..."
Before she could finish, Tenqi suddenly felt her entire body weaken.
"I'll... find some fun in another city. You... just follow orders and—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Tenqi Sanluo Lost—vanished into thin air.
"My, my... Miss Tenqi is just the same as ever."
Kurumi stared at the spot where Tenqi had disappeared, a faint smile curling her lips.