[Your fatigue doesn't last long, because like Koyanskaya, you are now one of this land's 'masters.' As long as you remain in this territory, the land will continuously heal your wounds, your exhausted body, and your spent magical energy.]
[After taking in some fresh air outside the tent, you look back and see Koyanskaya standing behind you, looking slightly absent-minded. You ask what she's worried about.]
[At first, she doesn't want to say. But under your persistent questioning, she finally answers.]
There were currently only two primary Beasts in the Tunguska Sanctuary. If she completed her final evolution, the Dark Koyanskaya's end would be to be absorbed and completely erased.
"Now that I'm growing far faster than she is, if she ever becomes aware that the power gap between us is widening, she'll definitely lash out in a final counterattack before she dies."
[After expressing her concerns, Light Koyanskaya urges you to be careful. You calm her with a smile, promising that with the "One Thread of Fate," you won't be caught off guard when crisis comes.]
[Besides, you don't think the Dark Koyanskaya will actually kill you—not yet. She doesn't know she can't absorb the pure energy you generate, and won't risk losing such a useful tool.]
[Hearing this, she relaxed slightly. She gave you a gentle look, raised a hand to softly stroke your cheek—and then let her fingers slowly slip downward.]
"Before you head out today… Sajyou-kun, will you stay with me for a while?"
[Hearing her voice, and feeling your stamina quickly recover under this land's power, you take Light Koyanskaya and her mature, voluptuous body back into the tent. Before long, the carefully wrought bed creaks in protest.]
[You gradually pour your love for her into more and more vigorous motions, answering the ravenous thirst of the beast.]
[Morning passes in this way. By afternoon, Light Koyanskaya is sprawled on the soft bed, her pink hair like cherry blossoms scattered across the sheets, which are already drenched with sweat.]
[She embraces you gently. Although she's a bit reluctant, she knows today's task must continue. The competition with the Dark Koyanskaya has just begun. Seeing the affection in her eyes, you give her a light kiss on the lips and say you'll return early today. She readily agrees.]
[Now that you've nearly cleansed all the resentment around this region with empathy magecraft, the next purification rituals must be performed farther away. Fortunately, you don't have to walk. Within the Tunguska Sanctuary, Light Koyanskaya can manifest any Phantasmal Species in the sky for you to ride.]
[You mount a silver Pegasus and fly toward the distance. But the moment you pass over the river, you realize that the ground beneath is roiling with a war of monsters.]
[You urge the Pegasus to land a bit higher and peer downward through the mist. It isn't an illusion. Genuine "monsters," phantasmal species, have appeared on this land, engaged in a ferocious struggle, generating powerful resentment with every bite and claw swipe. That resentment flows in a particular direction.]
The ground below is scorched wasteland, blackened, broken trees jutting into the mist-laden sky. Purple lightning flickers occasionally across leaden clouds.
There was no doubt—this was the charred remnant of the Tunguska explosion, the place where countless resentments gathered: the so-called Tunguska Sanctuary.
More ominously, after each phantasmal species fell in battle, its life did not end. Its body crumbled into rich magical energy, and new phantasmal species rose from the scorched earth nearby, joining the endless cycle.
If in the area where Izaya lived, all the grudges of living beings had been turned into pure, balanced energy…
Then this place was like an altar filled to the brim with malice.
These phantasmal species were formed of resentment, feeding bite by bite on cruel energy, which in turn was offered to a will hidden deep within the ground.
"So this is the Dark Koyanskaya's lair, huh…"
Just as the thought flashed through his mind, he suddenly felt a blast of death-filled magical energy surge toward his back.
Under that intense malice, Izaya instinctively tried to react—but his body felt so heavy that he couldn't even perform the most basic evasive maneuver.
However, in that fraction of an instant, he felt as though the entire world had come to a halt.
His vision changed completely.
The roaring malice and howls of the phantasmal species below his feet vanished in an instant. The whole world began to flow strangely, slowly, at an unbelievable speed.
The Dark Koyanskaya's malice turned into a sea of countless ash-gray threads, each one representing a possible outcome.
And among those countless possibilities, only one thread was different.
It was thin and almost inconspicuous, yet it emitted a faint golden light. Like the track of a god, it wound forward through the gaps in the net of death, pointing to the single possible escape.
—the One Thread of Fate.
Without thinking, Izaya moved. Guided by the golden line, his body, as if it were not his own, slipped into pure instinct.
His body leaned sharply to the left, narrowly dodging the rushing torrent of magecraft. A searing blast of flame grazed the edge of his clothes. As he bent forward, a gust of wind roared past and a phantom claw brushed over his head.
Each step was a desperate brush with death. By the time the dust settled, Izaya's back was drenched in sweat, and he was panting heavily.
At that moment, he heard approaching footsteps.
Izaya looked up abruptly—and saw a woman.
She wore a beautiful white dress interwoven with golden threads. Her delicate face was full of worry.
"Are you alright, Sajyou-kun?"
Seeing that very familiar face and hearing that very straightforward concern didn't make Izaya feel any safer.
He stared at the woman in front of him.
He knew Koyanskaya far too well. If this truly were her, she would only express her concern in a roundabout, teasing way. She would never be so openly straightforward.
There was no doubt—this was the Beast known as the Dark Koyanskaya.
[The Dark Koyanskaya keenly catches your subtle expression changes. Her initially worried face curves into a slow, satisfied smile.]
Black magical energy twisted and writhed around her as it erupted from her body. In a flash, the beautiful white dress morphed into jet-black tights. Her soft pink hair turned into a cascade of gold.
Folding her hands before her proud chest, she looked at him with interest and said quietly:
"You really are amazing, Sajyou-kun… You're nothing like an ordinary human."
The roars of the battling phantasmal species still resounded across the scorched land.
The Dark Koyanskaya's uniquely cold, inorganic voice rang in Izaya's ear.
"What do you think about my proposal from yesterday?"
She paused, then continued:
"I don't know what benefits that woman has given you… But anything she can give you, I can too. And what's more, I can promise you that in the future, you'll get to live as a human."
Hearing that last part, Izaya couldn't help but frown.
"Live as a human…? What kind of promise is that?"
"You still don't see it? That woman is far more dangerous than you think."
[The Dark Koyanskaya gradually explains Koyanskaya's true goal.]
[Although Koyanskaya recognizes human civilization, she is still the same kind of being as the Dark Koyanskaya. Both Beasts embody animals that were cut apart and used by humans—war dogs, lab animals, livestock, and so on.]
"Recognize human civilization? Don't be ridiculous. Do you really think helping her now means she won't become an enemy of human rationality later?"
Koyanskaya of Darkness sneered.
"No one in this world knows her better than I do. Her so-called recognition'of civilization is just so she can better control humans."
"Bluntly put, she just wants to seize human civilization for herself, keep humans as pets, and enjoy them at her leisure."
Though she claimed to recognize civilization, at her core she still aimed to destroy humanity. The former meant total annihilation; the latter meant a twisted domination.
Izaya wore a pensive look.
Thinking of it that way, it indeed explained why she had come to him today.
The Dark Koyanskaya hadn't attacked him. She probably didn't want to completely enrage Light Koyanskaya, yet at the same time she hoped to drive a wedge between them. So she'd come here to make this proposal.
If Light Koyanskaya hadn't already bared her devilish side to him yesterday, the Dark Koyanskaya might really have succeeded in sowing discord between them.
With that thought, Izaya couldn't help but smile and said slowly:
"I understand what you're trying to say… But I'm sorry. I still have to help her."
Before the Dark Koyanskaya could answer, he added:
"But at the same time, I also want to help you… I just have one question first."
"Ask."
Her expression remained indifferent.
"You said you reject all of humanity. So why come to me—a human—for help?"
"Because you're different from those humans… To begin with, I've never seen a human who actually tried to help a Beast."
Her normally flat voice carried a faint fluctuation.
"That's my question, Sajyou Izaya."
"You know that whether it's me or her, we'll eventually become enemies of humanity—so why are you still trying to help us?"
That was also one of the main reasons she'd never moved to deal him a fatal blow.
As a Beast—especially one born from deep hatred of humanity—she would inevitably become the greatest enemy of human rationality once she reached full growth.
Yet even though he knew what it meant for her to become the ultimate Dark Koyanskaya, he still wanted to help her.
The Beast known as the Dark Koyanskaya had pondered this seriously more than once, but had never come up with an answer.
"Is it because you want to live beneath her feet, to be the slave under her skirt?"
"Or do you have some ulterior motive, hoping she'll help you in the future? But pinning your hopes on a Beast who hates humans is far too pathetic, isn't it?"
Izaya looked into the golden eyes of the blonde woman and asked:
"What do you think is the prerequisite for using empathy magecraft?"
The Dark Koyanskaya instinctively frowned.
Empathy, in simple terms, was the conceptual technique of "understanding and resolving" pain, achieved by heightening one's capacity to synchronize minds to the absolute limit.
Its essence wasn't in "casting magecraft," but in connecting, enduring, and finally understanding that painful "resentment."
Izaya gazed out at the scorched land carved out by the explosion and spoke slowly:
"The dead souls in this region are saturated with hatred. They can't let go of their grudges."
"When I use empathy magecraft, I link my mental field with theirs and feel their pain… At the same time, they can also sense my thoughts."
In other words, if Izaya truly harbored malice toward this land, then those resentments would never accept "purification."
"Dark Koyanskaya, why do you think I want to cleanse this land?"
At his words, the blonde woman raised her eyes. The golden pupils that were always so cold rippled faintly.
"Because I'm ashamed."
Izaya smiled.
"Ashamed…?"
"Yes."
The black-haired youth nodded lightly, eyes drifting to the phantasmal species still locked in battle.
Then his gentle voice rang out again.
"Humans hurt every other life on this planet for their own benefit. I've not seen it with my own eyes, but I've heard plenty of stories."
"So when I see the resentment of the beings of this land, I want to do what I can… Not just out of sympathy, but also out of reflection and a sense of shame."
"At the very least, I want to do what's within my power… And among humans, there are still many people like me."
His words fell softly.
The phantasmal species that had been fighting constantly now seemed to vanish into nothing.
Silence stretched between them.
The Dark Koyanskaya said nothing for a long time, then finally spoke:
"So you're saying that my denial of human civilization, my desire to destroy everything, is wrong?"
Her golden, beast-like eyes fixed on him coldly.
"Then tell me—what is the right path?"
"That's simple."
Izaya smiled. This time, there was a touch of deeper meaning in it.
Both Light Koyanskaya and Dark Koyanskaya bore deep malice toward humanity.
But to Izaya, they weren't just Beasts.
After these days of getting along with Koyanskaya, he was increasingly sure of one thing.
That was all it was…
She was really just thirsty.
Whether they were hostile to humans or not didn't matter to him. As long as they didn't harbor a determination to annihilate human rationality itself, then—
Be it her or Koyanskaya, he could accept all of them.
With that thought, he extended a hand to the woman.
"There's no need to compromise with human rationality… But at least, first try living in harmony with me."