Two lights that appear and float in the sky.
　Within each of these lights, a figure appears.
　With familiar wings on their backs, they are angels, no doubt.
　Girls with helmets covering the upper half of their faces, wearing white armor and holding golden spears of different sides.
　Their appearance was so similar that I thought they were twins.

"Sheikh, meikh.
Do you know him?
"Oh, that's my sister.

　And when it comes to Himik's sister, the first thing you can be sure of is that she is a cutthroat angel of the topmost angel.

Is she strong?
Individually, she's a mid-level sister. But together, they're a force to be reckoned with.
"So that's the type.

　Individually, they're so-so, but when it comes to working together, they're a pain in the ass.
　Such an entity has emerged.
　This is honestly not a good situation.
　Ahead is Amelia, who lost her freedom of body to the demon king's soul, and behind her are her twin top angels.
　Now what to do.

"Hmph, Himik.

　But .

What's up, Lord?

　We know what we can do.
　Not yet, the game is in play, but there is no checkmate.

Can you win?
"Humph, don't be crazy, Lord.
?

　The situation is on a bad note.
　Despite such a situation, Himiku's expression behind the helmet is probably a smile.
　The voice of Himikku was so out of place and calm that it felt like this.

"Tell me to win and I'll offer the Lord the victory.

　And the words that were spun next had more supremacy than anyone else in the room.
　There was not a hint of hesitation or desperation in fighting his sister.

"Okay, then. Will you win and come back in one piece?

　That's why I dared to ask her for a difficult favor on one condition, instead of just winning.
　Did she find my request difficult, or did she just do it without me having a second thought?

Yeah, I'll do it.

　This way, she answered clearly.
　Seeing her nod firmly.

"Yeah, I'm on it.

　Then there's no way I'm going to give up on her after asking her for a favor.
　I redoubled my efforts and confronted Amelia.
　She's been watching the angel in the sky for a long time, but as Himikku leaps into the sky, she quickly turns her gaze to me.
　It seems that the easiest one to take down first.
　Well, that's fine.
　That's better for us.
　I glanced behind me and, perhaps sensing what I was about to do, all three of them gave me a quick thumbs-up.
　You can't help but smile, knowing that you're in good company.

"Kah, well, let's get it over with!

　Connection with the mineral tree.
　Roots sprout from the hilt and entwine around my arm.
　It begins to circulate.
　The roots of the mineral tree begin to pulsate and my heart races.
　From here on out, it's pure and total combat.
　No thought of the rest.

Let's go!

　The voice comes from the bottom of your stomach, and with a spirited look, you lean forward and kick the ground at once.
　Then you produce a blast of air behind you and start running.
　Now, this is the moment of truth!



　Another side

　Dark, heavy, suffocating.
　And noisy.
　That's how I felt when I started to wake up lightly.
　Gradually, I'm starting to wake up, but my consciousness isn't clear.
　I'm trying to remember something, but I can't remember anything.
　I feel as if something is holding me down, even though it is me and yet it is not me.
　I want to wake up, but I can't.
　I don't want to sleep, but I'm trying to force myself to sleep.
　I think something is wrong and try to squirm, but I can't free myself.
　I want to reach out my hand, but I can't tell if I'm reaching out.
　I feel as if I'm submerged in something like thick water.
　I try to open my mouth, but I can't open it.
　What's happening to me?
　A flicker of doubt is priming me to clarify my existence, little by little.
　But still the body does not work firmly.
　My ears, which always hear the rhythm of the music, let alone open my eyes, do not hear anything.
　On the contrary, it doesn't pick up any noise.
　Quiet, the quietest I've ever heard.
　I was getting more and more afraid of the crushing, crushing sensation.
　Anyway, I struggled not to stay.


　You don't feel the sensation of moving your body, but you try your best to move it.
　I don't know if it moves, but I struggle to move it anyway.
　I can't decide whether it's up, down, or sideways, and I struggle on and on.
　And then I explore my surroundings.
　Somebody.
　Somebody.

Tuskete!

　I don't know how long it took me to get those words out.
　Just for a moment, I let them out as best I could, layered on top of my lighter breathing.
　Then I reach out in the direction I'd desperately wanted to go.
　There's no one there.
　I know that, but still.

Yeah, I know that.

　In the midst of thinking I wouldn't give up.
　Gently, there was someone holding my hand.
　And that hand pulled me up with a squeeze.

Hi, Amy. I'm so glad you're okay.
"That voice, Mike?
Yeah, yeah. It's Mike, living in your midst.

　I didn't understand it at first.
　Because when I was pulled up and could see clearly in front of me, there was a humanoid, white figure standing in front of me.
　I vaguely recognized it as a microphone from the voice I heard.
　It wasn't like the usual microphone.

"Well, I'd love to have a chat over an emotional reunion, Amy, but I... Honestly, I don't have time. So you really need to listen to me, okay?

　Mike, who is always comfortable, is in a hurry.
　That's what's been making me nervous.

"Where we are and what's going on now. I guess that's what Amy is wondering about first.

　Can you explain it to me in order?
　Mike would show me gestures such as holding up his index finger and pointing at the water or waving his index finger.
　Indeed, my last memory is of suddenly hearing a frightening voice, calling out to Jiro for help, and then I don't ...... understand.
　I look up and it's dark, and if I look down I can see the dark water.
　I've never been here and I've never seen a place like this.

To put it simply, this place is inside you, or more specifically, inside your mind.

　And Mike said this dark space was inside of me.
　Well, I don't think I'm that dark, but I'm actually like this.
　I'm shocked.

But I've been transformed by the spirit of the demon king, so there's no need to be depressed, it's a very different world now.
Demon King, you mean Mike, right?　So it's Mike's fault that it happened?
You could say that's the question, or you could say it's not.

　I wonder if he smiled, but in response to Mike's vague answer, I say, "Don't be deceitful.

I'm not deceiving you. To explain that, I'm going to tell you who I really am.

　Smiling at my attitude as always, Mike slowly opened his mouth.

I told Amy and others that I am the persona of the Demon King, but I'm not. The real persona of the Demon King is this black surface you're treading on right now.

　I followed him as he quickly pointed downward and saw the black surface of the water.

And I am the key to this demon king's seal. Now I am the remnants of a wise man you named Mike. And a fool who was turned into a human pillar after being forced to clean up after a brave man long ago.

　Mike began to narrate his existence in a matter-of-fact and concise manner.
　His appearance seemed to indicate that his initial narrative of not knowing who he was was was a lie.

I'm sorry, Amy. What I told you about my memory loss was actually a lie. I knew you were summoned to be a candidate for the hero. I really just didn't want to give this demon king's soul to the sun gods, and I hereby apologize for the trouble I put you through.

　Mike speaks as if to affirm my thoughts.
　As Mike bows his head, I'm beginning to lose track of what he's talking about because it's so outlandish.
　Mike is not the Demon King, he's a wise man, and he used me because he doesn't want to give me his soul?
　I thought I had been friendly with you in my own way, but I thought that was a lie.

''At first I was going to purify this demon king's soul inside your body to get rid of it, but seeing you inside me, I changed my mind. I was going to take a long time to purify the magic of this soul and give it to you as a token of atonement for the trouble I caused you with the demon king's soul. But I didn't expect it, because I was exposed to the holy sword's light, and the demon king's grudge suddenly became more active and uncontrollable. Thanks to this, I was able to break through the partition and swallow your soul until it was swollen.

　He was planning to spend a really long time to erase the Demon King's soul, and to do so, he cast a wise man's magic on me.

I was on the verge of losing your soul and I managed to find it and pull it out, but your search and the fact that I tried to calm the demon king's soul and your search for it also wiped out my magic power. I can't hold this soul back anymore.

　I couldn't say anything to Mike, who paused in a hand up pose, saying there was nothing more to do.
　But somehow I knew that I was going to disappear.
　It's funny.
　I would normally cry and scream, but I don't have the energy to do so.
　Maybe it's because I was drowned in the soul of the demon king a while ago, or maybe it's because I've realized that I can't resist that thing.

"I'm going to disappear.
Yeah, if you don't do anything.

　Then, as I was about to give up, Mike gently shone a ray of hope on me.

Fortunately, we still have a move left. Or should I say, you made a move on me?


"?　What kind of thing?
Now there's a being fighting for my soul. It's hard to tell from here, but the demon king's soul's consciousness is heading that way. Thanks to that, I can move freely like this. But that doesn't mean I can't do anything about it.

　Isn't it with nothing to do in the end?
　As if he knew that I was thinking that, Mike showed me a tsk tsk gesture.

Yes, I can't do anything. But I'm a wise man. I'm the smart one when it comes to teaching something. I'm not the one to do anything here. It's you, Amy.

　It was as if he was guiding a bad student, and Mike nodded at him.
　These words reminded me of the first time I met Mike.
　Looking back, Mike had a suspicious vibe from the beginning.
　But strangely enough, I didn't think he was a bad person.

Come on, I'll tell you. The secret of the sage's art, from now on you are the sage's apprentice. Are you ready, my disciple?　Otherworldly wisdom is a little difficult, you know?

　Maybe that's why I don't know if it's because when you challenge me like this with a suspicious atmosphere .

OK!　No problem!　I'll do my best!

　I encouraged my weakened self and increased the intensity like when I start a dance practice.

Let's challenge!


　Another side END


　Word of the Day

　Unexpected events have a bad connotation, but there are cases where it's a good thing.