Kimi no nawa...
Meanwhile, atop one of the buildings in Tengu City, Nia clung tightly to Ren's arm, her face full of hope.
"Come on, Ren-cchi… use Samael," she whined playfully. "So we can teleport to where Ash and Tenka are."
Ren looked at her with a flat gaze. Using Samael to grant Nia's wish wasn't a problem for her.
What made her hesitate was Nia herself.
"And… give me a friend discount…!!! The 'acquaintance' rate!" Nia added shamelessly. "At Comicet later, I'll give ten signed tickets! And if Samael's poison is removed, ten more bonus tickets!"
Ren immediately pushed Nia off her arm, her expression still cold and unreadable.
"Your Rasiel isn't damaged, right?" she said flatly. "Why do you need to go there in person? You already know Samael's abilities and consequences, yet you're still being reckless. Foolish, aren't you? Forget about the discount."
Nia pouted for a moment, then smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling.
"Because I want to see it live," she said lightly. "Way more impressive than just reading the data."
Ren fell silent, then let out a long breath. The reason was foolish. And she hated herself for even agreeing.
Yet, on the other hand… she also wanted to see for herself how her younger sibling, Tenka, would fare against Ash.
"…Troublesome," she murmured softly.
Finally, Ren gave a small nod. She agreed to Nia's request—of course, in her own way.
Secretly, she had no intention of actually using Samael. She would only siphon a tiny fraction of Nia's Reiryoku, without poison, without side effects.
For teleportation, Ren already had another solution.
She raised her wrist, revealing a faintly shimmering clear bracelet—Mirror Water, an artifact she had received as payment after helping Sith.
The artifact could transport its wearer to any location with just a thought.
Almost simultaneously, thinking of "helping" stirred a slight flush across Ren's face.
Nia noticed, her expression curious.
"Eh? Why are you suddenly blushing?"
Ren immediately turned her face away.
"None of your business."
Besides that, Ren also touched the small earring in her ear—an artifact for concealment and Reiryoku control that she had been wearing all this time.
A gift from Gabriel, given before they arrived in this world. With it, her presence would go completely undetected, even by DEM's most advanced sensors, AST, or Ratatoskr.
"Alright," Ren finally said. "But don't make a sound. We're just watching."
Nia beamed with satisfaction, nearly bouncing with excitement.
"Yatta~! Exclusive live battle!"
Ren only let out a single sigh, preparing the Mirror Water.
In her heart, she murmured softly:
Tohka… don't disappoint your big sister.
***
As the light of the Mirror Water faded, Ren and Nia stood atop the cracked stone cliff, cold wind sweeping through their clothes—meaningless to Spirits, yet still carrying the sharp scent of dust and lingering burned mana.
Before them, the white expanse that should have been snow had transformed into a battlefield of devastation.
The ground was fractured, ice crystals shattered like glass, and residual energy still faintly glowed in the air.
"I figured as much…" Nia murmured softly, her voice quieter than usual. "Watching this live makes my heart race… though I guess I missed the most climactic part."
She shrugged lightly.
"Well, later I can just use Rasiel to replay it. Their techniques—especially Ash's—are pure gold material…"
(Note: Nia actually needed time to persuade Ren. Don't be confused if the battle suddenly ends.)
Ren didn't respond.
She didn't even glance at her.
Her eyes were locked on the two figures in the distance.
Tenka.
The Final Sword: Paverschlev in her hand faded into particles of light, slowly disappearing until only Nahemah remained.
She knelt on the fractured ground, breathing heavily, her Astral Dress tattered and torn in places, her protective aura nearly extinguished.
Clearly—her Reiryoku was almost depleted.
Before her, Gabriel stood calmly.
No wounds.
No labored breaths.
No sign of fatigue.
The mana around him remained steady, even pulsing gently—the Hōgyoku at his core working incessantly, regenerating like an ever-flowing spring.
"You… win…" Tenka's voice was faint, hoarse, heavy to speak. She slowly lifted her gaze. "Do… as you wish."
The wind whispered past them.
Gabriel gave a faint smile—not mocking, not warm. More like the shadow of a meaning newly born.
The blade of Mugen rose, its tip pointing at Tenka.
Tenka closed her eyes.
Not out of fear of death—but because this battle had given her something far more valuable than mere life or death.
Gabriel lowered Mugen, the blunt side gently resting against Tenka's head.
Tenka opened her eyes, confused. No pain. No wound.
"Hm…?" her brows furrowed slightly. "Why didn't you finish it? Is this… an insult?"
Meanwhile, light glimmered along Mugen's blade. The cracks forming the robotic eye symbol near the tsuba vanished, and the sword was sheathed in one smooth motion.
The cold wind swept through Gabriel's black cloak.
"I am merely an observer," he said flatly. "Not an executioner. Ending a life… is not Ash's style."
Tenka stared at him, her eyes full of curiosity.
"You're truly strange… Human? Or… not human at all?"
Gabriel closed his eyes briefly. "Ash is a pale mist," he said calmly. "Cannot be categorized."
His eyes opened again, meeting Tenka's directly without wavering.
"And one piece of advice—high Output use gives you temporary advantage, but in the end, it leaves you fragile. Understand?"
Tenka gave a faint smile.
"Truly… strange."
Ignoring Tenka's words, Gabriel tilted his head slightly, his voice calm, distant yet piercing.
"Dark Hime," he said. "Tell me… your name. Let Ash carve it into this memory."
"Call me as you wish," Tenka whispered. "Dark Hime… it doesn't matter."
Behind the silver bangs that partially hid his face, Gabriel closed his eyes once more.
"I cannot," he finally said, his tone dropping—deeper, more certain. "A name… is the root of existence. Not just a call… but meaning."
His eyes opened again, fixed unwaveringly on her.
"The reason something exists. Without a name… it is merely a shell."
The cold wind threaded between them. Silence pressed heavy.
Tenka's breath, once ragged, now began to steady. Her chest rose and fell slowly, her rhythm returning to order.
"Then…" she murmured softly, almost drowned by the whispering wind. "Give me a name."
A brief pause.
Then Gabriel moved—not as a conqueror, but as someone performing a ritual that ought to be completed.
He knelt before Tenka.
Fingers faintly veiled in Mana traced across the snow-dusted ground, drawing lines of light—kanji by kanji—forming slowly, as if etched into destiny itself.
The glow shimmered softly.
夜刀神 十香
Gabriel gazed at the result for a moment, then lifted his eyes.
"How about this," he said calmly. "Your name… Yatogami Tenka."
Silence fell between them again, calmer than before—not a pressuring quiet, but a quiet that accepted.
"Yatogami… Tenka…" she repeated softly, as if tasting the sound of her own name.
With the last fragments of her Reiryoku, she knelt slightly and etched the same writing into the snowy ground—right beside the trail of light Gabriel had inscribed.
Her lines wavered, but were clear.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Light. Genuine.
For some reason… the name felt right.
Not something given—but something that had finally returned.
Amid the breaths that were beginning to steady, a faint pulse throbbed in her head.
Flashes of memory appeared like shards of broken glass: the night sky, a voice calling out, a warm feeling without shape.
All tied to a single sound—Yatogami.
Perhaps that was her.
Or another version of herself.
"A nice name," she finally said, her voice soft but certain. "I like it."
Gabriel only gave a slight nod. No victory on his face. Only the certainty he had already expected.
He stood.
Tenka rose slowly as well.
Suddenly, she grabbed Gabriel by the collar and pulled him close.
A brief kiss brushed his lips.
In an instant, Gabriel's mind seemed to stop working.
He recoiled reflexively, even stumbling backward on the snow, and dragged himself several steps away.
"W-what are you doing…!?" his voice cracked. "Why are you kissing Ash all of a sudden!? I-it's immoral…!"
His reaction was not without reason. Gabriel knew that another part of Tenka—Tohka—harbored feelings for Shido.
Receiving a kiss from the same body felt like a form of betrayal to him.
Yet Tenka showed no hint of panic. Whether she didn't care—or simply hadn't understood human customs—was unclear.
"Why are you panicking, Ash?" she asked innocently. "Don't humans do that after receiving a name? Isn't it a sign of acceptance and gratitude?"
A fraction of a second later, her expression shifted slightly.
Her hand rose to her temple.
Fragments of memories that were not entirely her own flowed in—emotions, shadows, sensations strange yet familiar.
Tohka's memories, incomplete, fragmented… but enough to make her pause for a moment.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the change in Tenka did not entirely originate from herself.
The Hōgyoku was working behind the scenes.
Due to the difference in their power levels being only one tier apart, Gabriel had not yet fully mastered control over the Hōgyoku. The artifact did not remain idle—it reacted on its own, following gaps within the soul.
As a result, at certain moments, someone's deepest desires could manifest randomly… even without the owner of those desires realizing it.
And Tenka was simply one outcome of that reaction.
___
Author's Note:
How do you like it?
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By now, you should understand what I mean, right? (•_<) tehe~
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