So the Hero Emilia dispatched the Devil King’s Army at breakneck speed—but then she let their leader escape before disappearing into another world herself.
That ensured peace in Ente Isla, more or less, but the personification of the angels’ miracles was now in some far-off planet. That, however, marked a good opportunity for the heavens to do away with Emilia, this half-angel, half–Ente Islan who proved an inconvenient obstacle to their colonization plans.
But every attempt at eliminating Emilia ended in failure. The reason? The Hero Emilia and the Devil King Satan had installed themselves into the society of this land Japan—and they learned how to work together, in public and private. If the Hero and the Devil King were to come to terms, that would bring peace and development to the people of Ente Isla…and that might tilt the Sephirot’s judgment.
“Alciel’s kidnapping in Efzahan and Archbishop Robertio’s assassination triggering a Crusade were both preliminary attempts to make angels the ‘approved’ race. They truly were trying to restage the melodrama of the Church receiving angelic protection to defeat the Devil King’s Army and save humanity. And with the Tree of Sephirot in her custody—and with it, Erone and Eleos—Ignora must have seen that as her last chance.”
But thanks to Gabriel’s secret betrayal, and Satan working together with Emilia in all possible ways, it fell apart. Olba was no longer a valuable pawn, an Archbishop was appointed who knew God’s real identity, and then the demons, angels, Hero, and humanity joined together to deny God herself.
“But Da’at took the form of a descendant of the angels anyway. Why was that?”
Suzuno began by warning Chiho that she could only say what Copyhara had explained to her, plus some of her own deductions.
“Lucifer was the first angel born in the ‘second generation,’ the one after they left their home planet. In terms of his lineage, he was from that former planet, but to him, his native world was Ente Isla and nowhere else. And with Emilia being born between an angel and Ente Islan human, the Sephirot must have concluded that even if it selected Lucifer, angels and Ente Islans were nothing but the same species, apparently. So the angels lost all of their superiority, and then…”
“…And then Camael lost all of his power.”
Chiho recalled the ring that used to be on her right hand. She, too, had shot down an angel once with that ring’s power. She could recall it with a cool mind now, but—really, that arrow shot down Raguel, a fellow human. When Raguel’s holy force–driven wings disappeared and he fell, she sweated it out quite a bit, worried she had actually taken someone’s life. But in the end, the Ente Isla Sephirot must’ve looked into the future and discovered that while humanity would continue to develop, angels would lose their miraculous powers over time.
After essentially losing to Maou and seeing his power drain, Camael was taken by his Regiment to the Malebrache homeland in the demon realms. There, she heard, remained the vestiges of a certain someone important to him, someone who drove him to despise Satanael and lose himself in the process.
“So what’s going to happen next?”
“We will stick to the plan. The members of the summit will make careful observations to see whether the holy force will truly fade from the world. Nyx and Eleos are under Copyhara’s supervision for now, but they are still rather shaken, so Amane is making an exception to her rules and providing care as an elder Sephirah family member.”
“…Sounds like there’s still a lot to do.”
“There is. From now on, the world will enter a phase of preventive maintenance. It will be plain, simple, inconspicuous, and painstaking…but it is vital work, deeply intertwined with Alas Ramus’s and Acieth’s futures. I intend to treat it quite seriously.”
Chiho closed her eyes, looking conflicted.
But in the end, she gave Suzuno a light bow. “Well, thank you so much for all of this… I’m sorry I wasn’t any help at all in the end…”
“Of course you helped.”
Suzuno’s strong tone made Chiho open her eyes.
“Without your power, Chiho, the summit, and the ensuing assault, would never have worked. Even now, many summit members are complaining to me about wanting you to lend a hand.”
“…They’re giving me way too much credit. I’m just a regular teen now. I have college exams.”
There was a lonesome tone to her voice, and the reason was clear to Suzuno: Even now, at this point, things had completely drifted out of Chiho’s hands. She couldn’t influence events in heaven, in the demon realms, or in Ente Isla. She couldn’t be involved in things, and she didn’t need to be. She should’ve been cut off from all the goings-on of Ente Isla, in fact. It was true that some were clamoring for her uncommon talents, but they had all given up on her coming to live there as Chiho Sasaki, a girl from another planet.
“Chiho, I…I, well…”
Suzuno leaned over the low table and took her hand.
“Suzuno?”
“I do not think we can allow that.”
“Huh?”
“Without you, we would all drift away. Our worlds were apart at first. Nobody could have been saved. But the idea that you would not, or could not, turn to any of us after everything is done with… A silly concept, is it not?”
“Umm…”
Chiho wavered. For some reason, Suzuno looked about ready to cry.
“To tell the truth, there is still one problem left unsolved.”
“Wh-what’s that?”
“The world wanted this. It wanted you, and all of us…to have this beautiful thing happen. And perhaps it is not vitally necessary any longer, but still…if it can happen, the world will be able to take one more step forward.”
“Beautiful…? Huh? What are you…?”
“…”
Suzuno seemed lost. She looked thoughtfully at her for a moment, then changed the subject.
“Ignora will be in the custody of Amane and Shiba for the time being. We have decided to keep her in Villa Rosa Sasazuka.”
“What? Even God’s moving in there?!”
She couldn’t help but shout it out. Suzuno talked over her.
“No matter the scope of her power, it won’t be enough to defy the mature Earth Sephirah. She is answering Amane’s questions and behaving in there, so that much is clear. The problem comes after that.”
“After that…?”
“Ente Isla has lost a god—one that never existed in the first place. That, and there is one other thing that must also be banished from Ente Isla for all eternity.”
Tears were now forming in Suzuno’s eyes. In them, Chiho felt she could see her resolve, and that of the many others she kept in her heart.
“The path and plans have already been laid out…and what comes after, as well.”
Chiho reflected on all the events leading up to today. After a moment—
“When are you going to do it?”
—She arrived at her answer.