GHQ Headquarters, Ward 24—
"Mana, welcome home, my queen."
Upon seeing Mana return in control of Inori Yuzuriha's body, Da'ath floated down from the sky and knelt before her on one knee.
"It took you this long to accomplish it. I am beginning to question your competence, Da'ath."
Mana glanced at him and reprimanded him coldly.
"I am deeply ashamed. Environmental factors created numerous obstacles along the way, but nearly all of them were ultimately insignificant. Your return is worth any sacrifice we could make."
Da'ath explained respectfully.
"Is that so...? Then I will forgive you for now. And Shuichiro..."
"—!"
Keido's face instantly turned pale.
"You truly have not changed at all, not since the day you killed my father."
Mana looked mockingly at the man before her.
"..."
Keido immediately dropped to his knees without a word.
"Heh. Let us set that aside for now, Lady Mana. How does it feel? This body."
Da'ath smiled, stepped before her, and asked.
"Mm—I'm still somewhat unaccustomed to it. Its reactions are a little sluggish. Perhaps that child is resisting from within? Heh, even though she is nothing more than a vessel and an impostor?"
Looking at her own hand, she shrugged and smiled, but her eyes were filled with bone-chilling coldness.
"But it does not matter. Before long, I will become everything she is."
Rustle...
Mana directly undid the jacket of Inori's school uniform and slipped it off, revealing the graceful body beneath the white shirt. She then tore away the ribbon at her collar and unfastened its upper buttons, indecently exposing her collarbones.
"Afterward, let us do something enjoyable together, Shu."
She licked one finger, then sat directly upon the steps and crossed her slender legs, which were wrapped in black thigh-high stockings.
Raising one foot, she slipped off the small leather shoe and spun it from one fingertip by its heel before casually tossing it aside. She did the same with the other shoe, then stroked her stocking-clad thigh as though admiring it, lightly pressing her fingertips against the skin. Her delicate feet, freed from the restraints of her shoes but still covered in black stockings, rose slightly. As she rubbed her legs together, the silk produced a soft rustling sound.
"Hehe... What a wonderful body... even though it is only a vessel."
She sighed in admiration.
"Shu will surely love this body, will he not? His big sister's new body~ Afterward, I will offer all of it to you~ Because your big sister—"
Bzzt!
Before she could finish, Inori's consciousness forcibly broke through her restraints and seized control of her mind for an instant.
"No! Do not touch my body!"
After taking control, Inori pleaded with her.
"Shut up, you impostor! Interfere with me again, and I will hurt this body!"
Having lost all patience after being forced aside, Mana immediately dragged her consciousness back into control and issued a hateful warning.
"Ugh—! Do not... touch my body!"
"I will not say it twice!"
The body's eyes had now become different colors. The left was cherry-pink, while the right was crimson.
"This body... no... I... Mio... Mio!"
Slap!
The next instant, Mana struck herself across the face as an act of self-harm.
"Urgh!"
As expected, Inori cried out first.
"Do not mention that woman to me!"
Mana roared.
"...Monster."
"What did you say?"
Mana's pupils contracted. As though the word had struck directly at her heart, she asked in an icy voice.
"Monster... You are... a monster who defiles my body... a monster who wants to give my body to a man."
After being slapped, Inori no longer sounded panicked. Instead, an eerie calm entered her voice. Her single cherry-pink eye dimmed as though she had lost all hope.
"—!"
Mana flew into a complete rage. She directly invoked the Power of the King and plunged a hand into her own chest, seized the embryonic form of the Void sword before it could fully manifest, and crushed it viciously.
"Aaaaaah—!"
Inori instantly screamed in agony, and even Mana's consciousness cried out with her.
Bzzz!
By the time Mana released her grip, Inori's consciousness had already fallen unconscious, leaving the body under her complete control once more.
"Heh... What a troublesome woman."
She sneered, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and removed the uniform skirt and shirt. Crystals spread across her entire body, reshaping and recombining into a dress. Her stocking-clad feet, still covered by the thigh-highs she had never removed, were directly enclosed within crystal-formed high heels. She casually applied eye shadow and styled her hair.
"Da'ath."
"Yes, my queen."
Da'ath appeared.
"Connect us to every broadcasting network in the world. There are a few words I want you to deliver on my behalf."
"As you command."
Beep—!
"...?"
Hearing the terminal ring, Mana froze for a moment before taking it from the pocket of Inori's discarded uniform skirt.
[Hare Menjou Calling—]
Those words were displayed upon the screen.
"...Someone is actually worried about you. How troublesome."
Crack!
She placed it beneath her foot and crushed it.
Back then, no one cared about me. Why should you, a mere vessel, have anyone who cares for you?!
...
Bzzt!
A streak of lightning resembling a meteor crossed the sky. After passing over Tokyo Bay and spotting the passenger ship upon the sea, it changed direction and descended diagonally toward the deck. Midway through its fall, it abruptly slowed, then transformed into a cloud of dreamlike particles just before landing and reassembled into human form.
"Haa..."
Having accomplished her objective, the Shogun casually smoothed her long hair. However, when she saw the profound darkness filling the distant sky, she frowned once more.
What... has happened now?
Could that virus be erupting again?
It does not matter. Under my plan, the students have already boarded the ship. They have all been saved.
With that, she pushed open the door and entered the passenger ship's first-floor hall. Seeing the many students inside, she relaxed slightly. It appeared the plan had indeed succeeded. However... when she spotted Ayase and the others at one of the tables, she saw that everyone wore gloomy expressions. Something had clearly happened.
"Mio! Did you see Inori?"
The next instant, Hare spotted her return, hurried over, grabbed her arm, and asked anxiously.
"Inori? I did not see her. Was she not with all of you?"
The Shogun froze and looked toward the others.
"..." ×N
They instinctively averted their gazes.
"Where is she? What happened?"
Seeing this, the Shogun frowned and asked in a grave voice.
"When we boarded the ship, we happened to encounter soldiers retreating from the battlefield. They opened fire on us, and Inori stayed behind on the ground to cover our escape. Then she... never came back. At least, that is what Hare told us. None of us noticed at the time."
Yahiro explained guiltily.
"—!"
The Shogun's brows knitted together. Rather than blaming them immediately, she pursed her lips and began considering the situation. Then she instinctively looked toward Ward 24 in the distance, where the scene resembled the viral outbreak that had occurred in Tokyo before. The ominous suspicion in her mind steadily intensified.
Could Inori be over there?
The moment that thought entered her mind, she prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, however, something else happened.
"There is a broadcast from Ward 24! Turn on the television!"
Argo, one of Funeral Parlor's members who had come from the Kuhouin estate, hurried down from the second floor and called out to everyone in the room. He picked up the remote and switched on the television, immediately revealing footage being transmitted from Ward 24.
"Is this... a worldwide broadcast?"
Someone recognized it. Not only them, but students from every floor gathered around and watched the large television together.
The Shogun also stopped and instinctively looked at Da'ath on the screen. Had she not cut this fellow apart with a single slash before? How was he still alive?
Is his vitality truly so tenacious?
"I have appeared before you today to say only one thing—do not interfere with us."
Da'ath spoke coldly before the camera.
"Within the past several minutes, Ward 24 has suffered thirty-four physical attacks and forty-two thousand hacking attempts. I have therefore reached a conclusion. It seems none of you wish to live."
The young man on the screen smiled indifferently.
"I despise being interrupted while I am singing. Since you wish to be destroyed, we shall grant your desire. I have decided to ask this world exactly how much each and every one of you is worth."
Tap, tap...
"—!" ×N
Those words were spoken by someone else. The voice was familiar—indeed, every member of Funeral Parlor should have recognized it. A slender silhouette then appeared in front of Da'ath.
"That voice—!"
Hare realized it first.
Was that Inori's voice?!
"On December 25, the present world will come to an end. A new world will be born beneath Eve's witness. Everyone, please look forward to it."
Bzzt—!
The broadcast cut out.
"Mio... that voice just now—"
Ayase looked toward her.
"It was indeed Inori's voice..."
She nodded, though she did not appear particularly surprised.
"I knew it. But why would she—"
"That was not her."
The Shogun interrupted flatly.
"Huh?" ×N
They froze.
"I said it was her voice. I did not say it was Inori herself."
She crossed her arms.
"...?"
Ayase stared blankly at her...
What does that mean?
Click!
"Gai is awake!"
At that moment, a member of Funeral Parlor rushed out of the infirmary and shouted excitedly to the others.
"—!" ×N
The members of Funeral Parlor instantly lit up with joy and rushed toward the infirmary in a crowd. Ayase did the same. In fact, she was the most anxious one among them.
"..."
Seeing this, the Shogun followed as well. She needed to ask him about Inori. When Hare saw her going, she hesitated briefly before gritting her teeth and following close beside her.