♣♣♣
TEN days passed by before I knew it.
“It’s finally time.”
Dad had hurried back to Deshmel. Nakona wanted to come over, too, but someone had to stay with René and Moné, so she stayed at Rofola with them. Deshmel was said to be the safest place in the world, but there was no telling what might happen. Of course, I was confident Renge would pull it off, and I intended to help him in any way I could. But even so, it wasn’t worth risking the kids.
At this point, the glowing specks of Air weren’t rising from the ground anymore. Today was definitely the end of the line. We had the barriers set up over Rofola and Fei Lu. Revireus, Shida, Eure, Shinsen, and the other Mythicals were all on the ready to destroy any Kaguya that might come falling down.
Apparently, the evacuation of the various countries wasn’t completely finished yet. Moving tens of thousands of people to other continents in just ten days was impossible. And there were people living self-sufficiently on this continent without being part of any country. Finding all of them was a difficult task.
Even if they realized something bad was happening to our world, making the trek to one of the countries was too dangerous. With the Sugula’s fast approach, more monsters kept appearing.
But today, we’ll be getting rid of this black sky! For sure!
“We’re almost at our limit. It’s time,” Renge said.
“We’re counting on you, Renge,” Dad said.
Renge nodded silently.
We were in front of the fort’s entrance. Me, Dad, Deshmel’s employees…and everyone in this world. All of our expectations lay squarely on Renge’s shoulders.
“I’ll do what I can…and Tina, you’ll help me, right?” Renge said to me.
“Yeah. Go on…” I wasn’t sure what else to say now. But after a moment’s thought… “Let’s both do our best!”
“…Yes!” Renge nodded firmly, seemingly happy with my parting words.
Renge floated up into the air, and suddenly removed his scarf. The scarf he always wore flapped, its full-length coiling around his body and changing shape.
A white…mantle?
It looked familiar, like a strange, Japanese battle surcoat.
What’s that…?
✦ ✦ ✦
“This is Renge’s true human form…”
“It’s my first time seeing it…”
I heard two familiar voices behind me.
“Jiril, Mirage!”
They were both visibly surprised. Apparently, the way Renge looked now was different from before.
Is it really just because he took off his scarf?
“His original human form? You mean, this?” I pointed up at him.
“That’s riiiight. You’ve never seen Renge without his scarf, have yoooou?”
“R-Right.”
“We haven’t either, hm, but Eure told me about it once. That scarf serves as a limiter because Renge is too strong. He uses it to seal his true form.”
“He does…?”
“What…?”
Dad and I both went pale.
All the power he showed off until now was him holding back…? When he defeated that army on the Caralus Plains or defeated Feles when she was merged with the castle, that was him with his power inhibited…?
“That’s right,” someone answered, making us jolt.
“Really?!” we turned to look.
It was Renge himself. Not just us, all of Deshmel’s people were surprised.
“My father was a Cerberus. Cerberi are considered pureblooded sovereign beasts, and my father was considered especially talented. He was far stronger than this world’s standard. And since my power is too focused on destruction, I have to keep it suppressed so it doesn’t pose a threat to all life in this world.”
“Whoa…”
“You were that strong?!” Dad asked.
“I could even influence Air itself. Right now, the Sugula sucked up all the Air so it doesn’t matter, but normally the mana produced in my body can influence the Air’s purity.”
It can do what?!
“So this is probably the last time I’ll ever take on this form.”
I hung my head quietly. He was going to use the black flames that destroy matter down to its very concept, to make sure the Sugula could never be created again. This was something he wasn’t able to do before.
But now, Renge could do it.
I nodded, and Renge smiled at me.
“Good luck!” I told him resolutely.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Renge took to the sky, his pure-white visage soon disappearing from sight. I brought my hands together and held them over my chest in prayer. Clenched in my palm was my and Renge’s Pact Stone. The crystallization of my parents’ love.
“Air, the one and only God in this world, please have mercy upon our lives,” I whispered time and again, hoping my words reached the powers that be.
When I closed my eyes, I could see the same scenery as Renge.
This is strange…is this the pact’s power, too? It’s like we’re flying together…
He wasn’t looking down, so I wasn’t scared, and I couldn’t tell if he was flying too fast, either.
“There,” I heard Renge’s whisper in my head.
I could see it. A vast, pitch-black darkness, and something writhing within it.
“Let’s go, Tina. Together. Hell Flame—Concept Erasure!”
Yes, I’ll pray, too. I’ll pray for your safe return. For the world to live on. For the Sugula…to be purified. Air, the one and only God in this world, please have mercy upon our lives…
I poured the power of the Stella into our Pact Stone. I could sense Renge’s appearance and voice because we were connected through our Pact Stone. And that link was something we could use.
So that you and me can live together in this world…!
Me and Renge united our powers, so that we might both purify the Sugula and destroy its very concept.
Please, work…!
A flash of light blinded me. The world was awash with white, and at its center, I could see someone smile.
Are you…Air?
The figure didn’t answer me. Maybe they didn’t hear me. As my eyes got used to the light, I could see a field of flowers. And standing at its center was a black-haired man.
“The Sugula is disappearing!” I heard Dad call out.
I gasped and looked up at the sky, and my mouth fell open. The night sky was strewn with glittering stars. How long has it been since I last saw the night sky…?
The Sugula didn’t rain down on us.
“…It worked,” Dad muttered.
“The sky! I can see the night sky!”
“W-Wooow! The Sugula’s disappearing! It’s being purified!”
“He did it! He did it, we’re saved!”
“Look! It worked! Renge managed to relay the Holy Woman’s Stella! The Sugula’s vanishing!”
Everyone cheered. Large hands wrapped around me from the flank and pulled me into a big bear hug.
“You did it! Oh, Tina, you really did it!”
“Y-Yeah!” I said, entrusting myself to Dad’s arms.
All around the world, people were cheering in elation. I could almost hear it when I closed my eyes.
Oh, thank goodness…!
“Whoa?!” Dad exclaimed as I went limp in his arms.
“O-Oh, sorry… I guess the relief just made all the tension drain from my body…” I mumbled.
“Oh, I see… Right, you’ve been nervous all morning. You can rest now, Tina. Because tomorrow, things are going to get a bit messy.”
“Y-Yeah, I will… But, I need to wait for Renge…”
But before I could finish that sentence, my body floated up. A pair of hands picked me up under my shoulder and knees in a princess-style embrace, and a warmth enveloped me. It wasn’t Dad.
“Renge!” I exclaimed happily.
“It worked,” he said plainly.
“Yeah, I saw it…! Welcome back.”
“I’m home…!”
Renge smiled at me, his face unobstructed by his scarf. I reached out and wrapped my arms around his neck. I was so excited I didn’t even realize what I’d done, and only a little later did the embarrassment settle in.
But maybe it was because of this elation…
I realized that I was called into this world…so I could experience this moment.
TO BE CONTINUED…