"The Angel has descended! The goddess is among us!" Beneath the statue of Miku Izayoi, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers. One after another, beams of light rose skyward, merging in the air to form a massive barrier that enveloped the people gathered in the city center.
Beyond the crowd, the city aged beneath the assault of gray-silver particles—decaying, collapsing. But the virus was stopped by the barrier, unable to reach those within.
Don't think about
The beautiful sun they have,
I see it too—
Even the sunset changes every day.
I know,
I've always had a pair of invisible wings,
They lift me high,
And give me hope.
"The Angel is fighting! Let us pray for her!" At the base of every statue, countless people raised their voices in prayer. From them, unseen yet pure light of blessing emerged—an ocean of radiance surging in a single direction.
In Britain, the great cathedrals were filled to capacity. The vast pillars of light continued expanding, covering more and more of the land, driving back the crimson that had conquered the skies.
"This is the new hymn of salvation! The Angel is saving humanity, saving the world! Let us hold the sacred melody within our hearts! Let us sing this hymn of deliverance aloud, swearing in the Angel's name to spread her light forever!"
"In the Angel's name, we vow—to proclaim her voice for all eternity!"
Their cries echoed through and beyond the cathedrals, forming an overwhelming chorus. Waves of fervent, pure light rose higher, invisible but vast and boundless, streaming steadfastly toward one point.
At last I see,
All dreams have blossomed bright,
Youthful hearts chase on,
Their song so clear and strong.
On stage, Miku Izayoi sang with absolute devotion—as if she had been born solely to sing. She hadn't even realized her own transformation, but Kurumi Tokisaki, watching from another timeline behind her, noticed.
An endless flow of unseen light poured into Miku's heart. A void opened within her, and from it emerged a pair of radiant white wings—they were the Angel's Wings.
"Spirits do not possess Voids. Only humans can. But when countless humans wish for an Angel, their hearts bestow a Void upon her. Its name... Angel's Wings." With a sweet smile, Kurumi infused a trace of her consciousness into her other self—Miku's body, her avatar.
The pair of pure white wings fluttered, brushing against Shu Ouma's back. From that touch, a pair of wings sprouted from him as well.
"What is this...?" Feeling a strange sensation, Shu tried to glance behind him, but the wings responded to his will—folding forward so he could see them clearly.
"Shu-kun! I've given you the power to fly. Go and fight! Only your Void can cut through the virus. Only your Void can strike down the consciousness of the virus within Mana!"
"Kurumi-san?" Shu looked at Kurumi, then at Miku Izayoi. Which one was the real Kurumi?
"I am Kurumi Tokisaki, and I am also Miku Izayoi. We're both Kurumi-chan." Tilting her head, she showed an adorably sweet smile, then clasped her cheeks with both hands, her eyes sparkling like a maiden in love.
"Oh..." Shu nodded, not fully understanding but somehow convinced. Spreading his wings, he gripped his greatsword and charged toward the colossal jellyfish.
Countless tentacles lashed out at him, but each one was severed by his shining blade. Segments of tentacle fell into the sea, and the water began to bubble violently. From beneath the waves, massive gray-silver insect-like creatures crawled out, swarming densely across the snow-white beach.
"So it's not going to be that easy, huh?" Kurumi switched into her Astral Dress. Time power activated, summoning another Kurumi beside her. "Trained soldiers are meant for moments like this! Transform—Tohka Yatogami, the strongest in combat!"
Smiling faintly, the second Kurumi unleashed her transformation power, taking the form of Tohka Yatogami.
"Kurumi-chan, you're so mean! You didn't feed me for ten whole years. I'm starving—I feel faint!" The newly manifested Tohka burst into tears, collapsing weakly in front of Kurumi.
"Ugh... behave! We'll fight first, and I'll let you eat your fill afterward." Kurumi tried awkwardly to comfort Tohka Yatogami. She hadn't expected that when she retained her own consciousness within a split body, the transformation would amplify the avatar's original personality to such extremes.
"Chicken leg!" Tohka's eyes sparkled like stars, drool beginning to stream down her chin. With sudden energy, she lunged forward, mouth wide open, aiming straight for Kurumi's head.
Of course, Tohka's mouth couldn't possibly open wide enough to bite someone's head—and a head didn't even look like a chicken leg. What she actually bit was Kurumi's ponytail. Clad in her purple Astral Dress, Tohka clung to Kurumi's back like a koala.
"Tohka, let go! Hair isn't food—it's not edible! You're drooling all over it!" Kurumi tried to push away her overly enthusiastic avatar but couldn't budge her.
"I'll have to switch again... In this situation, Yoshino's ability is more useful." Kurumi created another clone, transforming the next avatar into the timid blue-haired loli—Yoshino.
"Kurumi-chan! Yoshinon's gone missing!" The moment Yoshino appeared, she clung to Kurumi's leg and burst into tears, her falling tears turning into small ice crystals on the stage.
"..."
"Sigh... Segai, send me a massive amount of food and a white rabbit plushie—ASAP!" At this point, calling for external help was her only option.
As she stalled for time, the swarm of monstrous insects crept closer—their grotesque forms becoming visible. Kurumi sighed and created yet another clone.
"Spirit of Flame—Kotori Itsuka!"
"I haven't had a lollipop in ten years... I'm dying..." The red twin-tailed loli collapsed dramatically before Kurumi, looking pale and ghostly. The faint flames around her body flickered weakly, as if she were being cremated alive.
"..."
"And make sure to bring lollipops," Kurumi added quickly to her order for Segai. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tohka's drool reaching the edge of her ponytail, just about to drip.
Kurumi immediately split off another clone and transferred her main consciousness into the new body.
"Uuuh... I was wrong! Please stop drooling on me! I shouldn't have neglected you all before... I'm sorry for ignoring you until now and only relying on you at the last moment!" The clone-Kurumi was as pure as a child, crying out of fear as Tohka's drool and Yoshino's tears surrounded her. She cried together with Yoshino, both wailing pitifully.
"Uuuh... I shouldn't have been arrogant. I made you fight without food—I'm such a terrible person! I'm sorry! I've already apologized, so please stop the saliva attack!"
Watching her clone sob, Tohka chew happily on her hair, Yoshino cry in terror, and Kotori lying listlessly, Kurumi couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt and melancholy.
"Kurumi-chan, don't cry. It'll be over soon, I promise," she muttered softly, patting her own head to comfort the clone. The poor thing looked so pitiful—but she still couldn't bear to be drenched in drool and tears.
"Yamai! Can you fight for me? I'm really not suited for large-scale attacks." Kurumi created a fifth clone, transforming it into the Wind Spirit, Yamai. Her tone was serious as she requested the Spirit's aid.
"Kurumi-chan, we are one and the same—you don't need to be so polite." Yamai took off from the stage, standing midair before the endless swarm of colossal beetles, her expression cold and composed.
"Angel—Raphael!" she cried sharply. A roaring tempest surrounded Yamai, shredding the insects within the storm into countless viral particles. Within the maelstrom, Yamai's Astral Dress took shape—tight-fitting leather straps barely covering her body, provocative yet alluringly imposing. Chains trailed behind her, dancing like the wind as she unleashed volleys of wind-arrows to cleanse the battlefield of viral corruption.
Within Kurumi's body, the river of time-force surged like a raging torrent. The constant drain of her power made her body tremble with weakness. The wind power Yamai wielded was, in truth, Kurumi's time energy, converted through the primordial essence of her Concept. Every bit of that consumption weighed directly upon her.
"Sister... this time, I'll save you." Shu Ouma ascended steadily toward the jellyfish-like viral form. With every moment, he drew closer to its head. The severed tentacles grew longer and thicker, and now gigantic insects emerged—each one requiring Yamai's full strength to destroy. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep up.
Bzzz... A dense buzzing sound came from above. The tentacles that fell from the sky turned into swarms of enormous mosquito-like creatures, descending upon the stage like a black cloud.
"Chapter of Wind!" In that critical moment, Yamai's chains flew upward, forming a massive seal above the swarm before crashing down.
Inside the seal, hurricanes raged wildly. The mosquitoes were torn apart en masse, disintegrating into rain-like particles of the virus.
When the seal faded, one insect escaped the storm and hurtled straight toward Kurumi. Exhausted from expending her time-force through Yamai's spell, she could barely move.
Her wine-red eyes widened in alarm—she couldn't even lift a hand. Was she really about to be hit by that disgusting thing? No, anything but that.
"Prismatic Shield!" In desperation, a colorful barrier materialized behind her. The insect slammed into it and was instantly shattered by its reflective force.
"Angel-sama, my deepest apologies for failing to protect you sooner!" From the shining silver pillar of light, Daryl rushed forward. The column connected to the sky, its movement visible even from afar.
"Daryl... why are you here?" Kurumi asked weakly, her voice tired.
"This unworthy knight cannot aid much, but I am your sworn protector, Angel-sama. Please, allow me to remain by your side," Daryl said, kneeling before the stage. He had thought he'd done something wrong—that was why the Angel had gone off alone.
"Uuuh... when will the food get here..." came a weak, teary voice in reply. Daryl looked up—and froze.
Th-this... what was this?! So many Angels! The one singing was clearly an Angel, the one before him was an Angel, the one with a little girl clinging to her leg was an Angel, and even the one with another chewing on her hair was an Angel. Just at a glance, there were at least three of them. How... how could there be so many Angels?