“Don’t ask me. I’m not a Sephirah child, so I wouldn’t know.”
Amane was oddly evasive as she sized up Copyhara’s statement.
It was rare for her emotions to come to the surface like this, especially when you considered she knew he was born of a Yesod fragment, which meant he couldn’t have been her enemy.
“So what’s the big deal, huh? These things happen sometimes.”
“Jus’ like Lushiferrr! So weird!”
The two other Yesod kids weren’t afraid of Copyhara at all. Thus, the denizens of Devil’s Castle decided to allow the interloper’s presence, despite not being entirely on board with him.
“How we are doesn’t matter right now, does it? You guys have a job to do,” Copyhara reminded them.
“Ugh… My work’s ninety percent done now that Devil’s Castle is back down safely, so why do I get all this guff, dude? Because this feels a lot grosser than you think it does,” spat Urushihara, apparently disgusted by the relaxed smile of the man with an identical face. “Don’t start any crap with me, dude, or I’ll make you regret it.”
“Well, I’m here right now because everyone trusts me, y’know? Despite having your mug.”
Whether he was a Da’at born from a Yesod fragment or not, why was Copyhara tagging along to a place that had caused Maou and Emi so much strife? It was mainly because he claimed that if they could put this facility into operation, it’d make it far easier to attack heaven than what Maou’s plans called for. What’s more, activating things down here required not only the four relics of the Devil Overload Satan, previously used to operate Devil’s Castle as a rocket ship, but Urushihara himself.
“Copyhara, are you sure you know how to run this whole thing?”
“Of course. But don’t you know, too, Lucifer? Like, this whole operation?”
“I really don’t like that ‘Copyhara’ name, dude! Just hearing you use it drives me crazy. Do I really sound like that?”
Urushihara was complaining about something else entirely. But he didn’t deny the question.
“Like I keep telling you, most of my memories about my life have been pretty vague for a while. What I think…or at least what I recall…”
He was now pointing to a set of five capsules of various sizes, set up at one end of the large mechanical facility. His finger was aimed at the central section, where Kinanna and the Nothung had been the last time.
“…is all of that belonged to me.”
Hearing this, Copyhara flashed an implicating smile, just like Urushihara always did. “That’s right. Everything here belonged to you. That stuff, and the real relic hidden here.”
He must have been referring to the Devil Overlord’s relics. Maou and his cohorts had initially searched for them so they could launch Devil’s Castle away from Ente Isla; they hadn’t been looking for anything else, apart from replacing things that were broken when they’d touched down for their attack on humanity. In fact, until Copyhara had suggested activating this facility, the best plan they’d come up with was to launch Devil’s Castle from the demon realms, then follow an orbital path toward the heavens. That idea was fraught with danger, but no one had any better suggestions—they had debated it many times, since before the castle launch, and that was what they’d concluded.
According to Copyhara, however, bringing all the relics they’d collected back to the lab would put their fears to rest. Maou’s gang had been dubious at first, but with Urushihara talking about the relics again as well, they decided to give it a shot—and now, every last relic was here.
“Hey! You done yet, Amane? This spear’s heavy! Can’t we haul it in?”
The Spear of Adramelechinus, significantly larger than any of the other relics, was being carried by Gabriel, who was currently griping from near the entrance.
<“Well, then… Time to begin the polishing…”>
Jewel in his throat shining, Kinanna carried the magical sword Nothung on his shoulder as he toddled in.
“Wait, Kinanna! We haven’t finished any of our peep preparations!”
“Cheep-cheep! Don’t climb on the machines!”
“Hey, big sis, do not pull the tail of chicken! With chicken, you grab by neck—”
“Gah! Cheep!”
“No, you two! How many times do I have to tell you? Camio is not a chicken!!”
Alas Ramus and Acieth were running around underfoot, chasing after the hapless chicken Camio, as Laila tried desperately to stop them.
“After everything that’s happened, why isn’t everyone a little more…tense?”
Emi, watching them carry on like usual, began to feel a vague sense of anxiety about all this.
“All right, outta my way, please; we got big cargo comin’ through. Keep the little kids back, mm-kay? Oh, don’t hit the top part! Can you handle the back?”
“You’re not a moving crew.”
Ignoring Maou’s jab, Gabriel worked the giant spear above, around, and through the chamber, finally ensconcing it inside the largest of the five capsules. All the other relics fit into their own capsules as well, like keys in keyholes; now only the central capsule was left.
“Boy, so big! Chiho, she score that spear, yes?”
“‘Score’ isn’t exactly the word I’d use, but yeah, I won’t forget that day for a while… Also, why are you eating that dried squid, Acieth?”
Emi raised an eyebrow. Acieth’s mouth was full of shredded dried squid, a popular Asian snack, as she spoke. Her gluttonous habits hadn’t abated, but she tended to require less food in Ente Isla than on Earth, so a plastic bag of squid she’d purchased at a store was tiding her over well enough.
“They say if you chew a whole lot, it taste real good.”
“Oh…”
“By the way, this not actually the squid. It is the gummy candy, with shape of squid. You eat, too?”
Emi looked at the bag for a while, wondering who thought this product would sell and how the people at the manufacturing plant even crafted it.
“I’ll pass.”
Unfazed, she turned it down. In the midst of this, all the preparations came together.
“Okay, everything’s set up like you instructed. Is something gonna happen now?”
<“Finally, time for some real polishing.”>
Responding to Gabriel’s call, Kinanna began deftly operating the panel connected to his capsule, just like before. There was a loud roar as all the machines in the chamber activated at once. When Kinanna heard it:
<“I have waited a long time… A very long time indeed.”>
Wagging his tail, he stepped into one of the empty capsules.
“…And?”
The sword, spear, and magic gear were all genuine relics. That must have meant that the jewel in Kinanna’s throat really was the Astral Gem after all. But even with all the Devil Overlord’s relics in one place, it seemed like nothing else was going to happen. Across the room, everyone’s gaze fell on Copyhara…but it was Urushihara who looked despondent.
“…Do I have to do this, dude?”
“Yep.”
“Listen, how much do you know anyway?”
“I am a Sephirah that has taken your form. I think I have most of your memories, and being a Sephirah, I can remember things a lot further back than you can.”
“Oh. Well, I think you probably know, but my memory isn’t all that great, and I’m not totally certain what I’m about to do is the right thing. But when Gabriel talked to me about the relics, for the first time in a while…”
“Oooh, yeah. That was a real hot day out, huh?”
“…Well, I didn’t want to pay the inheritance tax, you know what I mean? I think it’s already burned into my DNA…like, how if I receive these relics, it’s gonna be this massive pain in the ass.”