Kiyotaka and Ichika stood next to each other.
Kiyotaka: [I need to tell you something. Lend me your ear.]
Ichika got closer as Kiyotaka whispered something in her ear, and Elsa rushed in.
Elsa: [Having a private conversation is rude. Especially with a woman who's acting as a third wheel on our date!]
Ichika: [Ul Dura!]
Elsa: [Using two elements at once!?]
Ichika fired off a sandstorm as Elsa felt cuts appearing on her body from shards of stone mixed in the winds.
Elsa: [Oh wow. I can't exactly dodge this.]
The sand covered the area, lowering the visibility of the surrounding area.
Elsa: [Oh? What's this?]
Ichika: [Fura!]
Kiyotaka slashed at her, forcing her to block when Elsa felt her arm get cut off.
Elsa: [What?]
She regenerated her arm as she attacked Kiyotaka, who jumped back out of sight.
Ichika: [El Fura!]
Elsa's arm was cut off again.
Elsa: [Annoying little...]
Kiyotaka stabbed his sword out as Elsa dodged, jumping back. Suddenly, ice pelted Elsa as she staggered from the impact.
Elsa: [Earth, Wind and Fire magic?]
Ichika: [Goa!]
A fireball erupted from Ichika's hands as Elsa dodged it.
Elsa: [She can use both versions of Fire Magic? You really are exciting me. I want to gut you so bad.]
Kiyotaka landed a slash.
Kiyotaka: (Earth, Wind, Fire in both forms. Also, she's adding Yang Magic to each spell, which means she's two-fold casting. El Dura was imbued with yang magic, making it a three-fold spell, too. Ichika is as strong as expected. She can use 5 out of the 6 elements she's capable of. It's likely she's unable to use Yin magic yet because there's no one to teach her. It is the most obscure magic type after all. Still, to pick up Mana String Theory and use it in a practical setting after hearing the basics only once? I'm impressed.)
The sand fell away to reveal Elsa with various shards of ice and stone sticking from her body, and she was sweating. She was clearly tired.
Kiyotaka: (She's still healing, but while her healing may be infinite, her stamina is not.)
Kiyotaka: [Looks like you're finished, Elsa.]
Elsa was panting hard to catch her breath.
Elsa: [You two... are so much fun.]
Kiyotaka: [I'm flattered.]
A girl with blue hair walked over.
Kiyotaka: [You?]
Maylie smiled.
Elsa: [It looks like the sibling duos are the only ones left.]
Kiyotaka: [Well, alright. I'm fine with that.]
Elsa: [What?]
Kiyotaka: [Dona!]
Kiyotaka fired a stone shard, which hit Maylie's leg, causing her to fall to the ground.
Maylie: [Ah!!!]
Elsa: [Maylie!]
Kiyotaka: [Coming out here was stupid, and given the fact that Rem and Frederica are likely dead, I'm a bit annoyed.]
Maylie: [It hurts!]
Kiyotaka: [You won't...]
Elsa appeared in front of Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka: (What the?)
Kiyotaka blocked the attack but was still flung through the wall.
Kiyotaka: (Damn it. She's even stronger than expected. Is she running on adrenaline now?)
Kiyotaka slowly got up. He was bleeding.
Kiyotaka: (Just me and Ichika aren't enough. One more person. Ichika can deal with Maylie, but I need one other person who can help me fight Elsa.)
Kiyotaka rushed over to see Elsa pull out the stone shard from Maylie. She wrapped her leg with a bandage to prevent the bleeding.
Kiyotaka: (Pulling it out itself is a mistake.)
Kiyotaka: [Ichika. Get out of here.]
Ichika: [What?]
Kiyotaka: [This is a loss on our part.]
Ichika: [Why do you think that!?]
Kiyotaka: [Haven't you noticed the Mabeasts?]
Ichika let out strings of mana.
Ichika: [We're surrounded.]
Kiyotaka: [Get out of here.]
Ichika: [No. I'm not going to leave you here!]
Kiyotaka: (There is a chance that when I die, it's not time travel but a change in dimensions. If that were the case, the people of this world would continue living even after I died. I want to keep Ichika alive at the very least.)
Kiyotaka went into an exchange with Elsa again. Elsa then threw some senbon at Ichika.
Ichika: [Dona!]
Ichika erected a wall that blocked the senbon as she jumped away after noticing something coming at her from behind. It was a Guiltylowe.
Kiyotaka: (Not that one. Why did it have to be that one?)
Ichika: [Huma!]
The Guiltylowe smashed the icicles by slashing its paw at the projectiles.
Kiyotaka: (Maylie is a Mabeast User. Her Mabeasts were strong enough that Frederica and Rem together couldn't kill them.)
Ichika: [What are we going to do now?]
Kiyotaka: [Just fend off the Mabeasts. If I die, run away.]
Ichika: [What?]
Kiyotaka rushed in, exchanging blows with Elsa as the sound of metal could be heard. Kiyotaka had many wounds, and he was bleeding profusely when he felt the blade almost slip into his gut as it was cutting his stomach. He grabbed Elsa's arm to stop her.
Elsa: [So close. Almost...]
Kiyotaka pointed a finger gun with his free hand as blood dripped from his mouth.
Kiyotaka: [Gona!]
Kiyotaka fired a shard of stone coated in fire through her eye as she fell back. Meanwhile, Ichika jumped back, avoiding the attack of the Guiltylowe.
Ichika: [Ul Gora!]
Ichika fused fire and Wind magic as it sliced the Guiltylowe's legs off, leaving it defenceless.
Ichika: [Ul Dona!]
Ichika dropped a boulder on its head, crushing its skull, but then she felt the impact of another Mabeast hit her side as she was flung into the outside wall of the mansion.
Kiyotaka: (The hole through the head should buy me some...)
Kiyotaka felt a blade in his back.
Kiyotaka: (She got up already?)
Ichika: [Senpai!!!]
Kiyotaka: (Wait, her eye... it didn't heal? I see. It's because it was cauterised. The information is too late for this loop though.)
Kiyotaka: [Ichika. I'm going to kill Elsa now. Kill Maylie and live your life to the fullest.]
Kiyotaka: (Present a scenario where Ichika has no choice but to abandon my corpse.)
Kiyotaka lifted his hand to the sky.
Ichika: [Senpai don't!]
Kiyotaka: [Ichika!]
Ichika: [Senpai?]
Kiyotaka: [I love you.]
Ichika: [Senpai!!!]
Kiyotaka: [Ul Gona! Ul Gona! Ul Gona!]
Kiyotaka rained down three sets of 20 flaming stone shards on his and Elsa's positions, imbuing the spell with Yang magic as Elsa and he were completely cut apart by the spell.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Re:Birth ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Kiyotaka woke up in the trial room. He began screaming in pain.
Kiyotaka: [Why? Why? Why? I knew it would hurt, but still... Why?]
Echidna: [You have once again earned the qualification. I invite you]
Kiyotaka felt the area around him light up.
Echidna: [... to a『Witch's Tea Party』.]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
There was a vast expanse of blue above.
Echidna: [I don't often invite the same guest to my tea parties twice. Feel free to be proud.]
Kiyotaka: (My mind feels calmer.)
Kiyotaka: [Tell me one thing Echidna. Elsa, did she die?]
Echidna: [Using flames to cauterise her wounds is a solution, and I can confirm that solution has a 100% success rate.]
Kiyotaka: [Then Ichika...]
Echidna: [She has a 95% chance of killing the Mabeast User and escaping.]
Kiyotaka: [Good.]
Echidna: [That method was rather extreme, though.]
Kiyotaka: [It was the only way to get her to abandon my corpse.]
Kiyotaka sighed for a second.
Kiyotaka: [Can I ask why I'm so calm?]
Echidna: [It's because of the tea you drank last time. It directly affected your Sloth Witch Factor, encouraging stability. If not for that, your soul itself would have crumbled to pieces. Now, I'm ready to accept your gratitude.]
Kiyotaka: [Overwrite the vow. I want to remember you.]
Echidna blushed.
Echidna: [Well... I... um...]
Kiyotaka: [I know it's possible since I can feel that something is missing.]
Echidna was shocked.
Echidna: [A...All right.]
Kiyotaka: (She doesn't even want something in return? Honesty. This woman isn't serious about her plan at all. If she were, I'd probably die a lot more before defeating her, but with all the information I've gathered and the current events, I can't see myself dying more than 1 more time. Or is this a facade to make me underestimate her? I don't think so.)
Kiyotaka sat down.
Kiyotaka: [To show my thanks, I'll humour you to a conversation again.]
Echidna pouted.
Echidna: [You really are a conniving man. Making women fall in love with you must be a specialty of yours.]
Kiyotaka: [It's a side effect of being capable. Nothing more. Nothing less.]
Echidna: [But I really don't understand what you see in that, Emilia. She's stupid and naive. She's not even in your league.]
Kiyotaka: [That was uncalled for. Also, she's too immature for me.]
Echidna: [But isn't that just an excuse to deny yourself something that you think will be a weakness?]
Kiyotaka: [What?]
Echidna: [You keep people at arm's length because you believe they will be used against you, but now that you're attached to them, you're trying to maintain a distance from them so people won't think of using them against you.]
Kiyotaka: [Is that what you believe?]
Echidna: [I've seen your memories. I know it's true, so please answer my question.]
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: [I don't need her to be smart. If I were looking for a partner who was as smart as me, it would take a long time to find someone like that if I even could find someone like that...]
Echidna: [But I...]
Kiyotaka: [... that isn't a manipulating, coniving witch.]
Echidna pouted again.
Kiyotaka: [Besides, the reason I like Emilia is because she's my opposite. She's kind to a fault and willing to believe in people. If I were the dark, she'd be the light. She's my moral compass. She has been there for me and believed in my ability to change. She's my centre. She completes me.]
Echidna: [How romantic. I didn't expect that from you.]
Kiyotaka: [I didn't either. The thought of someone like me falling in love should be laughable.]
Echidna was clearly annoyed.
Echidna: [So you're choosing that dunce over me, is that it?]
Kiyotaka: [Why are you acting like we're romantically involved?]
Echidna: [So you're going to toss me aside right after seducing me?]
Kiytoaka: [First off, I had no intention of doing that, and second, didn't you do the same with Roswaal?]
Echidna: [...]
Kiyotaka: [Well, not that I mind. After all, I'm not fond of that sadistic clown.]
Echidna: [How cruel.]
Kiyotaka: [That's something coming from you.]
Echidna: [Well, you're not wrong.]
Kiyotaka: [Now for my questions.]
Echidna sat expectantly.
Kiyotaka: [The『Great Rabbit』. Do you have knowledge on it that you didn't write in your books?]
Echidna: [To the『Great Rabbit』, all other living things are food. It desires nothing but to satisfy its hunger. All it leaves behind is a deserted field. What makes the『Great Rabbit』so difficult is its viability. A single one is capable of multiplying indefinitely. ]
Kiyotaka: [I thought as much. But is there a way to kill it permanently?]
Echidna: [To destroy it, you'd have to kill every last one at the same time.]
Kiyotaka: (Even Reinhard would have a tough time doing that. Though I doubt they'd be able to hurt him.)
Kiyotaka: [Do you have any more information?]
Echidna: [It carries such great risk that I hesitate to suggest it...What if I told you I could give you an opportunity to talk with the『Witch Of Gluttony』Daphane?]
Kiyotaka: [I'll take the opportunity.]
Echidana: [No hesitation at all... alright fine. I'll let her temporarily inhabit my presence. During that time, she and I literally trade places.]
Kiyotaka: (A lie. What is this witch thinking?)
Echidna: [But I really don't recommend it. There is no death in this dimension, but if your mind sustains an injury that causes it to break, it will remain shattered even after you return to your body.]
Kiyotaka: [With everything I've been through, that won't be something easy to achieve. Do it.]
Echidna: [You're as confident as always. But let me say one thing first. No matter what you do, don't release Daphane's restraints. You are also forbidden to touch her. You should avoid eye contact, too, if possible. I wish you the best.]
Echidna's form transformed into hundreds of balls of light as Kiyotaka covered his eyes to shield them from the light. They then reformed into a small child with green hair.
???: [Ah! We meet at last!]
Kiyotaka: (This child... no restraints? Not Daphane then. The shape... Typhon was it? She was the『Witch Of Pride』according to what I remember.)
Typhon: [You're... let's see... Taka! Taka, right?]
Kiyotaka: [Taka?]
Kiytoaka: (Only using the last part of my first name?)
She stood up, walking towards Kiyotaka.
Typhon: [Are you a bad guy, Taka? I've been wondering about that this whole time!]
Kiyotaka: (She's been observing me, huh?)
Kiyotaka: [I'm not sure about that.]
She extended her hand to Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka: (Refusing her would only cause more aggression. I'm not in a good position. Still... I don't sense killing intent. Regardless, this will be painful.)
Kiyotaka grabbed her hand.
Typhon: [Sin can only be repaid with pain.]
Kiytoaka: (Wait, this is...)
Typhon: [Oh! If you don't feel pain, you must not be a bad guy! That's great!]
Kiyotaka: (Me? Not a bad guy? That's ridiculous. The things I've done are definitely wrong on many levels. How could I not be a bad guy?)
Kiyotaka sat in his seat, staring at his missing arm.
Typhon: [So you see yourself as a sinner even though you've redeemed yourself?]
Kiyotaka: [Redeem... redeemed myself?]
Typhon: [You've suffered alone for so long without complaining. You accepted your punishment from fate properly and were forgiven.]
Kiyotaka: [Forgiven? What are you even talking about?]
Typhon: [Redemption can only be repaid with forgiveness. Your heart is becoming lighter, Taka.]
Kiyotaka: [Wait, what you said is ridiculous...]
Typhon: [Well, that's all Typhon came here for. Come quickly, Erva!]
Typhon became those balls of light as a voice rang out from the sky.
???: [First! To strike all that defies reason in the world! Second! Who cares about committing every heinous evildoing? Third! Whether it's ugly or beautiful...]
A woman with blond hair in a ponytail became visible.
???: [... if you're here in this fleeting world, don't expect to make it back unscathed!]
As she collided with the ground, dust and love hearts formed.
???: [My fist will restore the world! My anger will cleanse the world! My fury, the rage in my fists, shall be my answer.]
She punched Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka: (My arm is... healed? What an unfortunate ability to possess. Well... it's fortunate for me.)
She began having a tantrum as the world itself shook.
Kiyotaka: (... for some reason, she reminds me a little of Emilia. The shape of her eyes... her demeanour. Her mother? Maybe. But that would make Emilia the daughter of a Witch and it would mean her father is an elf.)
Kiyotaka: [Thank you for healing me,『Witch Of Wrath』Minerva.]
Minerva: [Don't do anything reckless like that again. Next time, I'll just heal everyone!]
Kiyotaka: (Why are you making it sound like a threat?)
Kiyotaka sighed as Minerva turned into balls of light.
Kiyotaka: (Well, like mother, like daughter, I guess.)
Then, a coffin with spider legs appeared as it opened up to reveal a girl with grey hair restrained inside.
Kiyotaka: (Restraints... this must be her. Daphane, the『Witch Of Gluttony』who created the『Three Great Mabeasts』400 years ago.)
Daphane: [What would you like to ask of Daphane, Kiyorun?]
Kiyotaka: (... I did not expect Kiyorun.)
Daphane: [I'm here because Chid-Chid asked me to come, but I don't want to be awake any longer than I have to be, so please don't drag this out with dull conversation.]
Kiyotaka: [I'd like to ask you about...]
Daphane: [Oh?... This might be toxic to me...]
The coffin scurried back a little.
Daphane: [My body is throbbing. You give off a scent that I really, really love...]
She came closer.
Daphane: [It's making me want to eat you.]
Kiyotaka: (Those restraints are definitely not coming off.)
Kiyotaka: [I wanted to ask about the『Three Great Mabeasts』you made.]
Daphane: [The『Three Great Mabeasts』?]
Kiytoaka: [The『 Great Rabbit』and the『Black Serpent』in particular.]
Daphane: [The Bunny and the Snake?]
Kiyotaka: [How do I kill the『The Great Rabbit』and the『Black Serpent』?]
Daphane: [The『The Great Rabbit』relies on mana to find its prey. It's naturally drawn to places that have a lot of mana, so you could use a powerful magic user as a lure.]
Kiyotaka: (Roswaal.)
Kiyotaka: [Are you saying that they'll all gather mindlessly?]
Daphane: [There may be many of them, but they all share one consciousness. They don't have the wisdom to avoid being killed or anything. Are you finished with me now?]
Kiyotaka: [The『Black Serpent』is next.]
Daphane: [I don't know.]
Kiyotaka: [What?]
Daphane: [It's uncontrollable and unpredictable. Kills everything in sight but is smart about it. It spreads disease to anything it touches. Its toxins can come alive and attack people. Even I don't know how to kill it.]
Kiyotaka: (If that's the case, I'd have to leave it to someone like Reinhard. Still asking for him to be nearby is like praying to the gods and expecting an answer.)
Daphne became hundreds of balls of light as Echidna reformed. She was drinking tea at the table. Kiyotaka noticed that he was sitting at the table with his cup to his lips. Kiyotaka set the tea down.
Kiyotaka: [Please don't try to trick me into drinking your bodily fluid tea.]
Echidna: [It was worth a shot.]
She laughed a little.
Echidna: [So? Did Daphane give you any useful information?]
Kiyotaka: [She did. I thank you for letting me talk to her "Teacher"]
Echidna: [I don't feel gratitude from the way you said that.]
Kiyotaka: [Regardless, I want to ask you one more question.]
Echidna: [Hm?]
Kiyotaka: [How do I return here?]
Echidna: [Oh?]
Kiyotaka: [I might need to ask you another question. So I'd like you to give me a way to return.]
Echidna: [It feels nice to be depended on, but it's quite a difficult thing. The conditions to attend the『Witch's Tea Party』grow stricter each time, and you have already been invited twice. If you cry out "I want to know" from the bottom of your heart, then your voice will reach me, but it will need to be louder each time. ]
Kiyotaka: (That explains how I was invited this time.)
Echidna: [You can also talk to me during the trial.]
Kiyotaka: [Got it.]
The world around Kiyotaka began to fade.
Echidna: [Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. If you do attend the『Witch's Tea Party』for a third time... there's something I'd like to tell you.]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Kiyotaka woke up in the trial room.
Kiyotaka: (Everything feels ready, but I feel like there is still some difficulty ahead.)
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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