"Are you ready? I'm about to send you back to the past. But remember, since you're not me, you won't be able to stay there very long." Looking at Origami standing before her, Kurumi smiled sweetly as she spoke.
"I understand. Hurry up—I'll settle this as fast as I can." Hearing Kurumi's words, Origami nodded firmly, showing no intention of waiting even one more second. She wanted to change everything right away.
"Oh my, I still have to say this: changing the past can bring about all sorts of uncontrollable consequences. Are you sure you're prepared to bear that?" At this point, Tohka couldn't help but add a reminder. If nothing else, look at Marvel—they reset timelines all the time, and each time the world changed in terrifying ways. Even if you eliminate one enemy, new, even scarier enemies always appear.
"Hmph." Well, Tohka's relationship with Origami was never exactly warm. So, when she heard this warning, Origami only lifted her chin proudly, looking at Tohka with a face full of disdain.
"Fine, good luck to you. Don't come crying to me later." Having her earnest words thrown back at her, Tohka could only shrug. In any case, this girl would soon have plenty to cry about. She herself still had a chance to return if she wanted.
"Then let's begin. Come forth, Zafkiel." Seeing that everything was settled, Kurumi wasted no more words. She immediately activated her angel. In an instant, a giant clock appeared before them, and she leveled her musket at one of the clock's numerals.
"Yud Bet—the Twelfth Bullet." A technique Tohka had never seen Kurumi use before was unleashed. Kurumi pointed her gun at Origami and fired. Immediately, Origami vanished, and Tohka could feel a surge of causal force rippling through the world.
"Now then, it's our turn." But Kurumi didn't stop there. She pointed her long gun at Tohka and her short gun at herself.
Bang!!
....
"So dizzy... This is Tengu City five years ago?" When Tohka opened her eyes again, she found herself standing atop a building. But it wasn't the same rooftop she'd stood on before. After all, the Spirit Apartments hadn't been built back then. And now she realized she herself was semi-transparent.
"That's right—this is Tengu City five years ago. Right now, we're in a spirit form. Basically, we can see everything happening, but we can't interfere. Just think of it as watching a 3D movie." Kurumi's voice rang out as well, and Tohka turned to see Kurumi beside her.
"Looks like we arrived a bit late. The Flame Spirit has already gone berserk." Tohka turned her gaze toward the sea of fire in the distance. But then she noticed Kurumi's expression had become unusually complex. She must be remembering the friend she'd had to kill with her own hands.
"There, there, don't be sad. Once all this is over, I'll help you fulfill one of your wishes." Seeing Kurumi show such rare sorrow, Tohka stepped closer, hugging her gently from behind so Kurumi could lean against her.
"...Thank you, Tohka." Sure enough, when she heard those words, Kurumi's shoulders trembled slightly. She whispered her thanks without saying anything more.
But right then, a golden radiance appeared in the sky. Origami had arrived. Kurumi must have sent her here a moment later than them so they could watch everything unfold.
High in the sky, surrounded by a golden halo, Origami quickly scanned the area. When she spotted Tohka and Kurumi in their semi-transparent state, she looked a little surprised. But she immediately shifted her gaze elsewhere—she could feel the world itself rejecting her presence, and the power Kurumi had anchored to her was draining rapidly.
So, Origami turned her eyes to the depths of the burning city. There, a red-haired girl was unleashing flames that engulfed the entire skyline.
But that wasn't what drew Origami's attention the most. What made her heart clench was the blue-haired boy standing before the girl, and not far away, her true target—the phantom's semi-transparent figure.
"You... You're the one behind all of this. The source of every sin. Die!" Origami's sun-like rings began to spin. A set of glowing halos slowly rotated before her, then merged into a massive cannon.
"Final Judgment Angel—Crown Cannon!"
A colossal beam erupted from the barrel, blasting straight toward the phantom, who had been caught completely off guard.
Seeing the sheer power of this attack, both Tohka and Kurumi couldn't help but suck in a breath. Kurumi knew that no matter what she did, she could never withstand a shot like that. And Tohka realized that if she didn't have the Kabbalah Tree and didn't release her Final Sword, she would barely be able to fight Origami evenly—or perhaps even be suppressed outright.
But after all, it was the First Spirit. How could the phantom be taken down so easily? At the critical moment, it broke free of the Final Judgment Angel's lock and dodged the blast. In its haste, its true form briefly flickered into view—only for an instant. Apart from Tohka, no one seemed to notice.
And then, the beam that had missed did not stop. It continued, flying straight toward a corner of Tengu City. In the next instant, in Origami's despairing gaze, it swallowed up a young couple.
"Uu... Papa... Mama!"
A white-haired little girl, shoved aside by the two adults at the last second, began crying out in agony.
"..."
For a moment, Origami, Kurumi, and even Tohka—who had already known the truth—were all stunned.
"Ah... Aaaaahhhh!!"
But Origami was the first to react. Staring at the weeping child, she clutched her head and let out a shriek of anguish. At the same time, her golden angel began slowly turning black.