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　The two men return to the dark underbelly with a small harvest that could fit in their small pockets. Shortly after entering the alleyway, an insidious side street that has been derided as the back part of the country, an alleyway that a child could barely pass through.

'I finally got you, you little shit!

　An adult voice, probably the owner of the store, came from behind the siblings. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to find out what they are. The market's interest was snatched away, and within a beat, the eerie silence and mockingly relaxed air made the muscles of the boy who fell under the brunt of it tense up.
　The boy reacted with a jerk and his shoulders reacted, and he looked back in fear.

　What he sees is the back of his fine, unblemished clothes. That meant that he hadn't noticed us.
　He skips a glance, his vision narrowed to the narrowness of the alley, people stopping to overlap at the end of it. Furthermore, something swung up in the sunlight that was spotlighted like an illumination created between the necks. The light from the silvery blade reflected dazzlingly through the gap and snatched the boy's eyes.

　At the same time as his eyes narrowed, the boy instantly sat down and gently closed his sister's ears in front of him, pinching her ears from both sides.
　The boy poured his nerves into his hand blocking his sister's ears, not wanting to create even the slightest gap. Don't let her hear anything.

　Then Latifah too lifted her own hand and laid it on her brother's trembling hand. And so they both closed their eyes guffawing as they turned away from what they didn't want to see - until it was all over.

　This is the end. That's why the boy would never be the only one to steal. If he died, how would his sister live? How could he live in this world without being able to see?
　The boy doesn't even look back at the main street that has become an everyday life, he goes through the narrow alleyway - holding his sister's hand tightly.


　The traffic, just avoiding the bright red furoshiki spread out like a stall, doesn't stop to catch a glimpse of the bad guys who have been defeated. Only indifference coils there, as if the show is over.

　With so few people of their own kind, this land is the last line of defense for those who have escaped.......and it is a lawless place. There are so many people in the mix that they have no one to admire but themselves. No, he didn't even have time for that.
　The boy couldn't understand it, but people were questioning how to live that day. The result of seeing only the reality that today and tomorrow would always be different.
　There was no salvation in this world. No one had the most important thing in life, and no one could blame them for it because they just couldn't afford to care about others.

　Could it be that the shopkeeper was also in need of a living?
　Maybe he was selling, knowing that in the end, being in business meant nothing, not even money?
　Maybe they were only asking for money, not for gratuitous service, but at least in exchange for money.
　So this world is rightly broken.


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　◇ ◇ ◇


　Crokel's mouth twisted lowly.
　As it was, he peeked his blue eyes with a suspicious light from the gap between his fingers and ruffled his hair.

''--!

　In an instant, Crockel received Ars's impending sword in an instant without changing his expression. Of course, it wasn't like he didn't have any plans. In the first place, [Hekuatla's Blue Eyes] has an overwhelming power against magic.
　Physical battles are the most effective as well, from the fact that it was instantly rewritten even after expressing all the magic up to now.

　The two are antagonistic in a state of brinkmanship, and Ars coldly bashes the gaze of all the shooters.

''What do you know!
'It comes, doesn't it? I don't know what I am to you.
I'd kill you in a heartbeat if you just told me that.
Haha, you're a quick study.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.
　After that, the ground loomed up in front of Ars.

''Tch!''

　It wasn't much magic, but it forced Ars to retreat from it.
　This wasn't magic, it was just the result of the ground fluctuating due to the influence of magic. In other words, it was an attack as a complete substance and there was no magic power passing through it alone.
　That's why 【Raging Predator (Gla Eater)】 couldn't deal with it. It's not even clear whether 【Raging Predator (Gla Eater)】 is acceptable in front of Crockel.
　Arus clicks his tongue at the narrowing of his options for dealing with the situation. He couldn't kill Crockel just yet.

　I'm somewhat glad that Ars saw through the physical attacks that are the weak point of 【Hekuatla's Blue Eyes】 early on, as opposed to Ars, who took a distance from him just to redress the situation.

　These attacks were merely a means of understanding that magic would not work on each other and could kill both of them. In other words, due to the nature of the magic eye, [Hekuatla's Blue Eyes] can only interfere with magic. Conversely, it can't interfere with anything that isn't magic, other than the power that uses magic power.

　That was also true of Arth's [Violent Predator (Gla Eater)].

　That's why the slash from the lightly swung sword barrel causes two huge trees in the distance to fall. But the fallen tree maintains a certain angle and the wind lifts it up. Then the blast spinning wildly around the giant tree dropped the branches and scraped the surface of the trunk.

　In the blink of an eye, a huge pile is formed, and Crockel lightly snaps his arm as if he were giving a command. The two stakes shot out like a bow fly in a straight line to the target, Ars.


　But if they are released that carefully, there is plenty of time left to deal with Ars. It's precisely because he knows that that's what he dares to do.
　It's not an advanced magical battle to defeat an opponent, but only the simplest and most primitive battle is left.


　In a motion that must have been repeated many times, Ars sheathed his AWR in a move that eliminated any waste, and thrust both arms out.
　The objective multiple barriers deployed in front. A moment before the stake slams into the translucent wall, crushing the tip slightly and about to crack the trunk.

'I won't let that happen,'

　The strings of letters floating in the glowing blue eyes switch, deciphering and disintegrating the constructed formula.

'............'

　As Ars had expected, the barrier could no longer hold its configuration and the translucent wall disappeared. The stake that had been crushed at the tip stabbed into the ground, weakening its momentum but crossing it as there was no longer anything to block it.

　However, Ars doesn't move an inch from the spot. Of course, he didn't appear to have suffered a single scrape, let alone fatal damage. It was just a little dusty, though.
　This was close to the way they dealt with each other's abilities and the practice of killing each other that would take place in the future.

　The mere wood that was crushed at the tip hit the ground hard and stood slowly upright as its speed was killed. The upside down state slowed time, and the two stakes began to fall at the same time, just past the right angle.
　A roar shakes the ground and a watered-down silence comes over it like an end to a curtain.


'I told you, I know most of you and I'm grateful to you. After all, I was the one who went to abandon you to the outside world.
What does that mean?

　It's as if Ars, who looks back sharply, can't even anticipate the words he doesn't remember in his brain.
　It was Crockel who was surprised by Ars's reaction.

''You haven't been told anything?
..........
'Ars, you're just one of the many failures I've discarded to the outside world. That's why I used to regret it when I saw you. Apparently, that means Alpha protected you after I discarded you.

　--Godd*mn it, Bellick, you hid it from me!

　He let out such a swear word in his chest, but considering his position, he couldn't have told anyone - not even Ars himself.
　However, that could have been a clue to unraveling Ars's unusual abilities. Even if Ars thought so, what had actually changed, or what might have changed nothing in the end.

　Still, the only reason Beric didn't tell Ars about this fact is because he couldn't see the significance of being a magician, or more to the point, what he was fighting for. No, it was Beric himself who did so. That's why he made his mouth even heavier. It was in that sense that Beric let Ars into the academy. Beric may have misjudged the decision of whether he should tell Ars, who had achieved control over his different abilities and killed his mind, from a parental heart.


　In the midst of the relief on her face, she looked at him with disdain, as if she were looking at the wretch. It's a good thing that you're able to get the best out of it. It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to find a way to get the best out of it.

I'm sure that the current system is built on a very fragile foundation. Soon Babel will collapse.
"....!　So let's get the people out of the way.
That's different. It's a thinning out. 'Babel is ... it would be silly to explain it from scratch, so I'll just tell you what you don't know. Babel is just a device. Of course it takes an enormous amount of magic to make it work.
Will that supply be interrupted?
It will happen soon. That's why we need a replacement before that. I had to make a replacement sooner but you have enough magical energy to do it now. I won't have to worry about that for the next few hundred years. Of course, we'll need to select people who can live inside without overloading the protective barrier for that purpose. I can't stand it anymore, there's some rubbish living comfortably inside the protective wall.

　Crockel's lightly lifted cheeks drop at once, replaced by a sharp object that seems to be holding back his anger. But next, his mouth breaks out in an eerie manner.

''Is that the cause you stand for?''
Great cause. I don't want anyone to understand me. I don't want anyone to understand me, just...?

　Crockel twisted his head, a question mark in his mouth as he spoke the words that seemed to disappear on his own. But then he turned the conversation back to say it again, as if he'd forgotten about it.

'Surely no one may notice when it's all over. But after we fail, it's too late.

　It was an eerie assertion that was far from consistent, and Ars felt a vibe that was somewhat similar to his own. There was no way to overlook it, but something about it gave Ars a sense of déjà vu.



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　The boy was wiping Latifah's face. His face was good, and if only he could see, he might have been able to cooperate with his siblings to survive.
　No, that was idealistic, the boy spat at the possibility that he had given up long ago.
　No, no, no, it's not that kind of dream, so ... yes ... there's a good chance that someone will pick up Latifah as an adopted child, if only she can see. There was no doubt about it, because the boy had firmly seen such children in his life.

　Even if they were separated, his sister could live, and it would only be selfish to hope that he would be there. The boy wiped away the squeezed tears that were rising and pulled his sister's hand again.

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