'Thank you for your help earlier, Ichijo-san.
No, no, I'm glad I could help you, Nito.

　Zeke almost cut me down after that.
　Ichijo interceded for us in the midst of all this.
　It's not resolved, but even so, it might be thanks to Ichijou that we didn't end up having to fight a battle.

''But why the princess........''
''...If you meet Hidaka-san, or maybe you'll understand. Perhaps he is an oppressed person like me.
The downtrodden?

　Ichijo doesn't understand the weight of those words.
　But that's just as well, this guy has probably never been abused before.
　Someone has always been by his side, and this guy has probably been admired.
　I've been watching Ichijo like that since I entered high school.
　I may have even had a feeling of admiration for him somewhere in my heart.
　That's why I often noticed Ichijo in my field of vision.
　But not knowing is not a bad thing.
　We were raised differently, so it's probably inevitable.

　Ichijou was trying to walk up to me.
　I can see now that that was a necessity for someone like me.

'Nito!'

　Zeke's impatient voice.
　He felt a wave of magic power behind him further.
　Five enemies and five spinning spears of light came flying in.
　It was probably wind attribute magic.

''The Wave of Erosion [Disappearing Aura]!

　I deployed enough waves to cover all five spears at once.
　But now that I think about it, that might not have been a good idea.
　I could have prevented it with my sword or my bare hands.
　I didn't have to think about efficiency.
　No ... no ... no. That's not the point.
　You can't get away with it.

　--The abyss is the master's very will. I'm not going to destroy what the master doesn't want to destroy. I won't violate what I don't want to violate. I only erase what I want to erase from the world.

Aaaaaaah!

　I heard a scream.
　But it wasn't coming from the five people in front.

　There was the figure of Ichijo, who had lost his left arm and was bleeding from his shoulder.

''Ichijo........''

　My erosion.
　My erosion invaded and erased Ichijo's arm.
　Why, wasn't the Abyss obeying my will?
　I told you that Vel said so, that I would not violate what I did not want to violate.

'Mr. Nito? .....

　Ichijo is looking at me confused.
　But I don't understand it either.
　Not once has this surge ever touched my people.

　Eliza and Alford rescue Ichijo.
　He stood up on Alford's shoulder.

'....Nito-san.

　Ichijou pointed behind me with his right hand.
　I can feel a hint of magic behind me.
　The enemy isn't dead yet, this isn't the time to regret it.

　I applied 《Reversing Prank 【Pole】 to the magic that popped into my head--.

''The Birth of Repentance (Parturé Pigma)!

　He reversed the magic "Restraint (Binding)" and unleashed that magic on all five people who came into view.
　I chose a magic to block the movement, reversed and chanted it so I could use it.
　Suddenly, I unconsciously took that action.

''Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!

　The five men stopped moving and all at once opened their mouths and began to scream.
　The brazen male's scream gradually became the voice of another.
　This.........is the cry of a baby.
　The five of them simultaneously restrained their own necks and began to suffer.
　That's when.
　Each of the five saw eight slender, pure white fingers coming out of their mouths, as if they were spreading and ripping their mouths apart from the inside.
　I knew it wasn't human.

　Not caring about their screams, the fingers ripped vertically across his face, across his chin, mouth, nose, brow, forehead, and head.
　The next moment, blood gushed out, and a small humanoid creature with oddly white skin came out of its body as if it were shedding its human skin.

''I've been born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!　I was born!

　It has unusually skinny, long, slender fingers and a ribbed flank.
　His arms and legs are no different from those of a human, but his long, pitch-black hair stands out, unbecoming of his small body.
　Blood is dripping from its body, face, and hair, probably because it came out of its body.
　It was like a newborn baby.
　The five children were scurrying around as if they were looking for something.
　They muttered incessantly that they had been born.
　It was as if they regretted being born.

''Wave of Healing (Heal Aura)!

　I came to my senses and immediately applied a hand to Ichijou's left shoulder.
　But Ichijou's arm is no longer back.
　His left arm was erased by erosion.

'Nito, what do you think you're doing?!'

　It was Alford.

'I'm........'
You went after Ichijou on purpose or on purpose!
'I didn't mean to! .....
It's all right, Mr. Alford.

　It was one article.

'The bleeding has subsided and I don't feel any fatigue. Besides I have my right arm........

　Ichijo replied with his right arm, rubbing his armless left shoulder.

''I'm sorry........Ichijo-san. I'm sorry........''
'Never mind. It was my fault for not evacuating when Mr. Zeke screamed.

　No, this is my fault.
　Ichijo is going to continue to lose his arm and he's not going to come back.
　That's what I did....

'Master!　Master!　Master!　Master!

　Then the five children I had just created approached me.
　The five of them are like Vel, calling me 'Master' in their mouths.

'What?' .....
Master, you were born!　And which one do we kill?

　I was horrified by their eyes.
　It was bizarre itself, a deep black that felt like it had been painted black with a crayon.
　It's a sucking sensation.

"Master, which one do we kill?

　I don't understand what they're asking me.
　One of them asks in a thin, high voice.

'Nito what are they?'

　Zeke's brow wrinkled and he was terribly alarmed.

'Master, do you want to kill this?　Do you want to kill it?
Don't do that. Go wherever you want, wherever you want.

　I said.
　'I can't deal with this incomprehensible stuff right now.

'My favorite part?'

　The five of them checked each other's faces, and then ran off somewhere else to see if the problem had been solved.

'What was that?'

　Eliza looked at his back as if he were looking at something dirty.

'Alford and Eliza, you stay here and watch Ichijou.
Okay.
Wait, I can walk.
No, you stay here and rest. Nito, we're going to destroy the factory.
Okay.
I'll be going with you, sir.

　Sufilia grabbed my arm.



Are you trying to kill Ichijo?
No I didn't mean that. I was trying to protect you.
But is there a single arm missing?

　I don't know how to answer that.

I don't know. This magic was supposed to obey my will. I had no intention of hurting either you or Ichijo. But Ichijou's arm....
I'm not sure, but doesn't that mean it's Nito-sama's will?

　Sufilia said with a big smile

'Will ... no!　I'm not going to kill him anymore!　He wasn't!

　But the facts prove it.
　If I'd been a little further off, if I hadn't realized it too late, I would have killed Ichijo.

You're in serious trouble.

　Zeke sighed.

'I get it. You deny it so much, that's what it's all about. And it's good to hear it from you. I don't want to talk about this anymore," he said. No matter how much we talk about it, it's not going to bring his arm back.

　What's wrong with me?
　It's normal - no, it's supposed to be normal.

Come on. Let's go. Let's destroy the factory.
Yeah.

　Then I suddenly remembered Vell's words.

　---- Do you doubt the abyss?

　I don't know what that means.
　But I couldn't help but feel something that stuck with me.