[Synchronization]
[Synchronization]
The synchronization endlessly overlaps.
Zzzziiiing.
My head is ringing.
It’s been a while since I had a headache this bad.
What on earth is the Black Prince doing right now…?
Just as I was about to say something in the sudden grip of pain.
[So, how does it feel? Partner.]
I hear the Black Prince’s voice in my head.
The moment I heard that.
I felt it.
The moment my senses completely synchronized with Durandal.
Zzzziiiiiing!
A multitude of sensory information is transmitted to my brain through my senses.
In that moment when my senses endlessly expanded, I realized.
This is exactly the landscape of the world the Black Prince saw.
I have finally reached the stage of complete unison.
It feels like the sword and I have become one.
It wasn’t as epic as how enlightenment is described in martial arts novels; it was more like a mix of epic and chaotic.
[Now, call my name, no, my alias. Partner.]
The Black Prince says in my head.
Calling the spirit’s name is a ritual that must be performed during the first materialization.
This annoying setting that the author forced in to make that damned Kusunagi a true heroine is ridiculous.
Ha, some people call their female spirits and get all lovey-dovey, but why do I have to summon a male spirit?
It really rubs me the wrong way.
Of course, it’s not that I like Kusunagi. Unlike other heroines, she genuinely disgusts me.
First off, her childlike appearance is just not my type, and the level of her flat chest that doesn’t even distinguish her from a boy is something I can’t even bear to think about.
Even winning first place in popularity votes is basically a fluke, and considering she’s the culprit of the original ending that still pisses me off, I will never like Kusunagi no matter how much the world turns upside down.
Those popularity votes? Totally rigged, rigged!
I wouldn’t want her even if you paid me.
Just let Yuji and Kusunagi do their pure love thing.
Anyway, I’ve finally reached the stage of materialization.
Moreover, if I can save Haru through this materialization, there’s no need to owe Seira anything.
It’s disgusting and gay, but it can’t be helped.
I must call.
“Black Prince.”
The moment I finish my sentence.
Woooooooom!
The black blade trembles.
With it, black magic rises into the air, taking on a human form.
Clad in black full plate armor from head to toe, wearing a helmet that covers his entire face, he looks like a knight straight out of a painting.
It was the Black Prince.
Flap.
His dark crimson cloak billows behind him.
As soon as the majestic Black Prince, looking like something out of a movie, appeared, he spoke.
“Hmmm, ahhh… The clear air of this world. Do you know how much I’ve wanted to breathe it? Partner? The Black Prince, no, the Black Knight has finally descended upon the earth! The most magnificent hero’s return in the world!”
What?
“How about it? Did you fall for me? Right? Partner? Of course! It’s impossible not to be enchanted! No one can resist this magnificent figure of mine! Sadly, I’m not interested in male attention! Even if it’s my partner, that just won’t do! Kya-hahaha!”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in a man’s attention! No matter how much of a partner we are, that’s a definite no! Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
What a laugh that was, absurdly flamboyant and self-indulgent.
Ugh, my head hurts.
Why do I have to bear the embarrassment?
Look at the level of these lines; this is definitely a light novel.
I hope this isn’t some kind of solidification for no reason.
The lady needs a bit more punishment.
“How embarrassing.”
It really is embarrassing.
What a shameful sight to put out there.
“Embarrassing? Partner. You’re definitely a tsundere. Just admit it. You’re cool.”
The Black Prince says with a flippant voice.
Cool? Tsundere?
It makes my stomach churn.
Well, if you look at it, from a Japanese subculture otaku perspective, the design is pretty good.
Even in the original work, the design of the Black Prince received a lot of praise.
Besides, in the original, he was a heavy and quiet character, perhaps to impress Olivia.
In the animation, the Black Prince was brought to life with carefully crafted 3D modeling that captured the essence of the original illustrations.
Thanks to that, middle school disease otakus ended up loving the Black Prince.
Not that I do.
Liking male characters? That sounds way too gay.
I’ve already been tangled up with those dark, male characters like Yuji and the Black Prince lately, and it’s making my insides turn.
I’m not gay; I’m a perfectly normal heterosexual who loves women and despises bromance.
I have no idea who keeps mixing me in, but if this were a web novel, I would have sent a 5,700-character note directly to the author. No need for humanitarian drift.
“Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Now that the Black Prince, no, the Black Knight has appeared, Muramasa, your life is already forfeit!”
Swish.
The solidified Black Prince points at Muramasa with a finger.
Muramasa’s expression turns pale.
“Wh-what do you mean by solidification…?”
“You don’t need to know that, partner. You know? As promised to Kurosawa-kun, you must definitely rescue the lady.”
Red light glimmers on the Black Prince’s visor.
Swish.
As the Black Prince lifts his hand, a translucent red thread rises between Muramasa and me.
It’s a connection of consciousness established through Mind Break, connecting her to me.
Being a psychic skill, normally it shouldn’t be visible, but the Black Prince utilized his own power to solidify this concept.
“Wait a second. Huh?! What is this? Why can’t I cancel it? Hic!”
Muramasa’s face twists into a pout.
Sparks fly on the translucent consciousness connection.
The red connection starts to turn black.
“No! I am Yodo Muramasa! The terrifying spirit that has devoured the souls of countless masters! Why am I being humiliated by a novice spirit I’ve never seen before?!”
Muramasa mutters in panic.
The reason the spirit Muramasa was able to possess Haru’s body is that originally Muramasa was a spirit of Yodo that grew its power by devouring the souls of its masters.
That’s why the other title attached to Muramasa in the story is the evil spirit.
It’s a cliché power-stealing dark sword set up that’s all too common in subculture.
“Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Calling this Black Knight ‘novice’? That’s fresh and funny!”
The Black Prince laughs.
Sparks fly!
“I’m the novice! The novice, you say! Before the noble and fearless Black Prince Raul Napoleon Bonaparte, protector of the Great French Empire and Bonaparte Imperial Family, and the great hero who saved the world during the Great Disaster? Humiliation? Novice?”
Can he really just spew this nonsense himself?
I’m so embarrassed I could die.
“Hey, lady.”
The Black Prince’s voice lowers.
“H-hic!”
Muramasa hiccups.
“Losing to me is just as natural as water flowing downwards. The vile power gained by stealing souls can’t possibly be at the same level as my noble power obtained through the Five Crowns’ heroic deeds of saving the world; that just doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“It’s a natural result, flowing as it should be. If the ugly power gained by stealing souls is on the same level as my noble strength obtained through the Five Crowns’ achievement in saving the world, then that just doesn’t make sense, does it?”
A serious voice, unlike usual.
Muramasa’s face turns white upon hearing the Black Prince’s words.
In this world, a summoned spirit is like an additional summon given to a user with special abilities.
It’s influenced by the user’s magic and stats, capable of amplifying the user’s abilities simply by being summoned, and each spirit possesses unique skills, allowing for limited independent action—so says the lore book.
Of course, maintaining its materialization requires continuous magic consumption, so it can’t be sustained for long.
But for now, this is sufficient.
The potential as a spirit is similar between Kusunagi and the Black Prince.
However, while Kusunagi is in a growth phase, the Black Prince is in a completed phase.
In other words, the Black Prince is currently stronger than Kusunagi from Volume 12.
Still, hearing a light novel line like that makes my skin crawl.
It’s not even a beautiful girl saying it; why is a guy spouting such lines?
I can’t stomach it.
“P-Please, spare me!”
“Not a chance.”
“W-What are you going to do to me?! I-I’m sure you’ll mess me up!! Like, like an adult video!!”
“Not happening. Even so, it’s a gentleman’s duty to treat women kindly. I won’t do anything that rough. But…”
Suddenly.
As the Black Prince pulls the black line, a translucent figure slowly emerges from Kurosawa Haru’s body.
“You’re an evil spirit, so you should be prepared to take a hit.”
“Eeeek! I’m sorry!! I’ll repent!!!”
“Partner, I’ve got your back!”
Suddenly.
As the Black Prince pulls the line like fishing, a crimson-haired beautiful girl completely pops out of Haru’s body.
Woooooo.
The Muramasa in Haru’s hand loses its light.
Thud.
Muramasa falls from her hand to the ground.
Swish.
Haru’s hair color changes from crimson to black.
Specifically, it turns into a two-tone hair of black and crimson appearing simultaneously.
Exactly like in the original, proof that Muramasa’s possession has been lifted.
Flop.
Haru collapses towards my body.
In a reflex, I embrace her.
‘Finally here.’
Now, all that’s left is to enter the dream world.
In the original, as they fight, Kusunagi’s attack lands, separating Muramasa from Haru’s body, just as Yuji’s and Haru’s magic overlap and they enter the dream world.
In other words, a light novel-style coincidence.
However, since the lore book has clarified backstory regarding entering the dream world, I can make a coincidence into fate.
I see the recoil device embedded near Haru’s chest.
Placing my hand on the flickering recoil device, likely due to Muramasa’s departure.
The recoil device is akin to the engine of a vehicle, controlling the magic of the spatial weapon.
Naturally, although weak, it’s linked to the user’s consciousness.
In the first place, the spatial weapon is operated by using both the user’s consciousness and body.
“Cough! Stop it!”
“The lady needs a bit more of a beating!”
“Is that the mindset of a gentleman?!”
“That’s just how it is in France!”
I hear a banter between the Black Prince and Muramasa behind me.
Anyway, if I infuse my magic into this recoil device and cause it to resonate with my own, I can temporarily connect consciousness with the other party through magic and infiltrate the dream world.
Normally, invading another’s dream world would be fundamentally impossible.
But right now, the owner’s soul is trapped, the possessed spirit has departed, the mental barrier is lifted, and the dream world is in an empty, exceptional situation, making it possible.
I really don’t get why Japanese subcultures love making exceptions in their lore so much.
I don’t know what’s happening.
This one is an exception, that one is an exception, and it feels like being ordinary is the special thing itself, which makes you question reality.
“Haah.”
Taking a deep breath, I pull Haru into an embrace.
Our cores touch each other.
With that, I raise my magic.
Thump, thump.
The Magic Core and the Black Stone heat up and start pumping magic.
The surging magic flows through the magic circuit and gathers in the core in my chest.
Wuuuuuuuuung!
The moment her core responds to mine.
“Ugh!”
A headache like my head is splitting and the world goes dark.
I did it.
With that brief thought, I fainted.
*
I can feel a hot energy.
Twitch.
I lift my heavy eyelids.
I look around.
The sky is hazy with thick smoke.
I see the entire Kurosawa Mansion, a traditional Japanese mansion, engulfed in flames.
It looks just like a scene from an anime.
“Here we are.”
This is Haru’s inner world.
A landscape frozen in time since the day the Kurosawa family was wiped out ten years ago. She is trapped in that preserved moment.
From now on, I have to eliminate the Golden Magic placed by the Messiah and break down the walls to pull her out from the corner of this place.
I feel around my waist.
I touch Durandal.
I draw Durandal and quietly infuse it with magic.
[Durandal Online]
Combat mode activates.
Unlike usual, there is no voice of the Black Prince.
It’s a bit lonely.
Here, in someone else’s inner world, just maintaining my existence as an outsider depletes my mental energy.
I need to wrap this up and get back.
‘The body of the Golden Magic is in the main house.’
Specifically, right in front of Haru’s room.
The Golden Magic that the Messiah has takes the form of the Messiah himself in this inner world.
That’s right.
In the original work, this is the exact spot where the protagonist faces off against the final boss for the first time.
After the protagonist overcomes the battle with the Golden Magic in the form of the Messiah, who represents his past trauma, he reaches out to his sister, who is curled up, crying in the corner of the collapsing mansion.
It’s the highlight of volume 12 that exudes that stereotypical light novel essence.
The animation also brilliantly recreates this, birthing the toxic fandom “Harudan” that chanted for the sister ending.
“Damn it…”
And now I have to do that.
A sigh escapes me.
Anyway, it’s already spilled milk. There’s no helping it.
I cautiously step into the burning mansion.
Fwoosh.
A crimson flame licks its tongue out, greedily swallowing up the entire mansion.
But it can’t invade me, protected by the combat mode of the portrait weapon.
‘The location of the Golden Magic is…’
I unleash darkness and synchronize my perception.
With a darkness radar, I should be able to find it.
Or like in the original work.
[It seems an uninvited guest has arrived.]
The Golden Magic might reveal itself directly.
Rumbling.
From among the surging flames, someone emerges.
Black hair, black eyes.
Dressed in a white suit, with white shoes, wielding a dull-edged sword in his hand.
The ultimate boss of this world, the Messiah, who has an incomprehensible crazy belief of saving the world through destruction.
It is the Golden Magic taking on his form.
[This is troublesome. If we rescue her…]
Fwoosh.
The sword in the Golden Magic’s hand catches fire.
The flames wrapping around the mansion get sucked into his instincts.
The sword he holds is the Messiah’s portrait weapon, the transcendent weapon, World Breaker, Leventein.
Not Lævateinn, but pronounced as Leventein in Japanese.
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