It has been a day since the meeting was held. And this one day…
Whoosh
It passed so quietly, without any events, that one could question if it truly was a crisis situation.
Based on the information provided by the Student Council, each academy investigated the coordinates where the mass was observed, but nothing unusual was found at those coordinates. At the very least, everyone recognized that it was something that couldn’t be detected with the naked eye.
However, the introduction decree for the nearby coordinates issued by the committee was still valid. Of course, this only applied to the Sanctum Tower and the High Cathedral of the Union.
And because they had to control the radius of the Sanctum Tower located in D.U., traffic congestion was inevitable.
Mika, who had been soothing the Traffic Office Head for a while, stiffened her face as she looked at the information received from Millennium.
The energy constituting the mass is gradually changing.
That was a precursor announcing the full-scale invasion of Color.
*
“I had anticipated that an invasion by Color could happen someday, but this is completely unexpected. Cheonsang-ui Mikael. The one residing in her body is not the Teacher, but the true owner of that mystery… she was actually already the reversed owner of the mystery.”
“Indeed. I wasn’t able to read that the emblem embedded in her body had already reversed. It concealed its essence so well that it had likely escaped Color’s recognition until now, before being unleashed upon the world.”
“That’s right!”
In the Meeting Room where the three members of Gematria gathered. These somewhat bizarre beings of otherworldly nature occupied their respective seats around the round table.
Among them, the one dressed in a Black Suit had to endure an unfortunate fate of being beaten to a pulp by the presence known as Mika Terror. It took him some time to recover, which slightly delayed the convening of the Gematria meeting.
“Black Suit. I have one question to ask.”
“…Is that so? Please, ask without hesitation.”
“My muse, now stained by fear, is still a noble and beautiful existence, isn’t she?”
“…”
Upon hearing the sudden question from the Maestro, Black Suit fell silent. He couldn’t help but wonder whether he should answer this seriously or let it slide.
“…Her appearance hasn’t changed significantly, Maestro. There is a slight difference in the atmosphere surrounding her, but other than that…”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Is that all you were curious about?”
“That’s right?”
As Black Suit answered the Maestro’s question, he thought inwardly, ‘Is this really my colleague?’ and turned his gaze toward Golkont.
“Golkont. How is the progress of what you were preparing in contrast to Color?”
“It’s still incomplete. The idea that Color could make it impossible for Kivotos to observe is intriguing, but its feasibility… oh, it’s not so skeptical as to express that degree of doubt.”
“So, it means that the invasion by Color has happened at a pace too rapid to have been anticipated.”
Black Suit nodded. Indeed, the current situation was unexpected.
Who would have predicted the existence of Mika Terror?
Even the fact was hidden from Mika, who shared the same body.
“Even if the water has already spilled, research must continue. It’s a necessary measure to prevent any future interventions, not just for this invasion.”
“That—”
Brrring!
All movements of Gematria came to a halt. With a sound like a ship’s horn, the space above the round table began to warp.
“…Hmm?”
Then, with a clomp, a mature-looking girl descended upon it. A girl dressed in a dress with wolf ears.
The first thing her emotionless gaze landed on was Black Suit. Afterward, she scanned the Maestro, and then Golkont, bringing her gaze back once more to Black Suit.
Her eyes, seemingly containing the depths of the abyss, sank deeply as if gazing into the deepest places of the ocean. Facing that gaze, Black Suit had a gut feeling.
This was not just a small matter.
“…Anubis.”
The goddess of death who guides all to the underworld. The emergence of her presence indicated something clear.
The invasion of Color. It had officially begun.
*
The girl with fox ears, Yurizono Seiya. Today, as always, she wandered endlessly through the world of prophetic dreams, a deep slumber.
Wandering and wandering, she sought to protect everything from the impending crisis.
The past, present, and future.
She indulged in all of that knowledge without disguise.
In fact, even the distinction of today’s date was vague. Seiya was that deeply immersed in her prophetic dream.
One day, she realized one fact.
[Teacher… Arius has betrayed us. Why? Why? Why? What exactly…? I never wished for this outcome. If it goes on like this, Seiya-chan… Azusa-chan said it wasn’t like that. I don’t know what happened anymore… everything is lost… ]
Under the leadership of Misono Mika and the Arius Branch, she glimpsed a future—a past where she was ambushed. Whichever it was, at the moment she saw it in her prophetic dream…
Seiya recognized that she was peering into the story of a parallel world.
And suddenly, everything became more complicated.
She had no way of distinguishing between prophetic dreams of the world she currently lived in and those of the parallel world.
The contents shown in dreams from different timelines became intertwined.
And the contents shown in dreams from various timelines in another world got mixed as well…
[What does that mean? Nagisa-chan is still perfectly locked away. Just yesterday, we had tea time together.]
So, Seiya rummaged through more prophetic dreams. And in the end, she could finally glimpse Mika, who was walking the path of destruction.
[Te, Teacher!!! Ah, no… I should have protected you… Ugh…]
Seiya understood that this ‘Mika’ from another world was the original personality of the Mika she knew.
To begin with, that could not be the Mika she knew. The image of Mika, who had fought against Gehenna, becoming a lover of a student from Gehenna was an impossible phenomenon.
[Ah, aah…!!!]
‘Mika’ cried as she cradled the teacher’s lifeless form in her arms. Beatrice, who had transformed into a monster and almost brought death to Mika in this world, watched the scene with a grotesque smile.
And then…
[What is…?]
A card that had been held in the teacher’s embrace.
It transformed into light and enveloped ‘Mika’.
[…]
At that moment, ‘Mika’s’ gaze changed. She became fully aware of her current state.
The adult card. A little miracle granted only to the teacher.
Yet, the reality was a self-sacrifice secured by the teacher’s life.
This miracle, holding the teacher’s last breath, carried an unprecedentedly powerful force. Completely targeted at ‘Mika’, she, though for a brief time…
Could unleash the most powerful and magnificent aspect of the archangel without reservation.
[W-What is that power…! This is impossible, a thing that should not happen! Teacher…! Are you really going to mess up my plans to the very end!!! How dare you!!!]
[Hey, shut up, you monster. Can you keep that mouth of yours closed? Your breath is quite horrendous.]
[…Ha! A pitiable loser barks like that. But really, what are you? You don’t truly understand why the teacher ended up like this, do you? It’s all because you are weak—— Gyaaargh?!]
[Didn’t I tell you to be quiet? Yeah, don’t you think you should understand a little when someone talks? But if you can’t because you’re a monster, that can’t be helped.]
In one blow.
With a simple sweep of her hand, ‘Mika’ literally erased Beatrice’s wings and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
Finally, ‘Mika’ stepped forward to destroy the grotesque monster before her.
The ensuing battle was one-sided.
Could that formidable being, who had given ‘Mika’ and Arius Squad an overwhelming defeat just moments ago, truly be the same?
Seiya, watching the fight until the end, suddenly sensed a drastic change in the atmosphere surrounding Arius’s intelligence center.
It was just a prophetic dream… and moreover, just fragments of events occurring in the parallel world, yet…
The presence of ‘Color’ instilled profound fear in Seiya.
Unlike Seiya, who watched through a thick screen, ‘Mika’ was palpably under the cognition of Color.
The prophetic dream ended there. Seiya was sure that had it continued, she too would have been influenced by Color.
No, she was certain that she would inevitably be affected.
Seiya’s consciousness slipped once more into the depths below the surface. To begin with, she hadn’t even surfaced at all.
The fear of Color should have made her hesitate, but Seiya pushed herself deeper into the prophetic dreams for everyone’s sake.
Through this process, she was able to acquire most of the puzzle pieces she needed, but… Seiya understood that she lacked one last piece.
At that moment, ‘Mika’ opened her eyes in a new body. As Color recognized Kivotos, the invasion commenced.
And at the same time, Yurizono Seiya succeeded in flowing into the prophetic dream where the last puzzle piece she had sought after lay dormant.
Six towers suddenly emerged across Kivotos. A sky stained red. A storm that engulfed the world.
Detached from all that… a girl stood at the top of the Clock Tower of Trinity, gazing blankly at the sky.
Transformed into a realm of terror, Mika Terror with black wings and a halo.
From behind her, Mika appeared.
[…How strange. How did you know to find me here? To begin with, our grand Student Council President should be too busy to come looking for me at a place like this. Well, either way, it’s meaningless struggle.]
[…Mika.]
[To put it another way, yes. Vanitas vanitatum, right?]
A world on the brink of destruction.
Within it, a pure white angel searching for hope approached the fallen archangel deeply steeped in despair.
[Help me, Mika. I need your assistance.]
[That won’t ever happen, right? I couldn’t care less whether this world lives or dies. Yeah, this place without the teacher—]
[Mika, I’ve told you repeatedly that evading responsibility is a bad habit.]
[…?!]
[Well, for this situation, I suppose all the responsibility falls on me…]
[Wait. How do you know that…!]
The fallen angel’s eyes widened. As she hurriedly tried to turn away, she found herself embraced by the angel.
[If it’s the Mika I know, I didn’t think you would act so coldly here. So, in that respect, I’m asking again.]
[W-Wait, that can’t be true. No way?]
[Help me, Mika.]
[Teacher…?]
Seiya finally held the last piece of the puzzle in her hand.
“…!”
The cycle of prophetic dreams continued endlessly.
At its end, the girl opened her eyes.
