Turning around, the Shogun looked at the Origin Stone sealed inside the container before her. Perhaps because of some resonance, it was still radiating light.
Hum!
Without another word, she swung her blade and sliced through it as easily as cutting vegetables.
Boom! Boom!
The next second, a deafening explosion came from above. The light flickered several times before finally fading away.
"No—!!! How is this possible!!!"
Immediately afterward came a woman's scream.
For some reason, hearing it left her feeling rather pleased...
Beep—!
"The stone has been destroyed."
She switched on her communicator and spoke to Gai.
"Good work... All that's left now is Inori..."
Gai had also finished eliminating the remaining GHQ forces and finally had time to speak with her.
"Leave it to me."
She cut the connection and followed the stairs to the rooftop at the summit of Ward 24. The place had already transformed into a dreamlike landscape. The ground consisted of floating platforms formed from hexagonal tiles, while fine snow had begun falling from the night sky. Presumably, this was an aftereffect of the ritual being interrupted.
"You... Da'ath was—"
Mana, who was controlling Inori's body, instinctively took a step backward when she saw her arrive.
"Give her back to me."
The Shogun spoke plainly.
"...!"
Mana's body trembled. Then she suddenly burst into crazed laughter.
"Hahahaha—!!! You... Why are all of you treating me like this?! I only wanted to be with Shu—"
She covered her face, her voice turning choked with sobs.
"If you want to be with him, you can choose another way. This method is unacceptable."
The Shogun answered coldly.
"I chose this method precisely because there was no other way!!!"
Mana roared.
"...No."
The Shogun fell silent for a moment. Looking at the tear-streaked girl before her, she lowered her eyes but still answered coldly.
"—!"
Mana's pupils contracted. Then she smiled.
"Heh... I thought you, of all people, would understand me..."
"No. You misunderstand. The one I understand is Inori Yuzuriha... I understand the terror of having one's body controlled. I understand the unease and the desire to confide in one's family. I also understand the anguish of hurting others while completely unaware of what one is doing. What I do not understand is the culprit who caused all of it."
She recalled memories that had once seemed like a nightmare. The danger her loss of control had brought to those around her, and the guilt of watching them desperately save her only to be injured because of her. She never wanted to experience that a second time, nor did she want anyone else to experience it.
"On the contrary, I... despise people like you who casually seize control of another person's body and mind."
She pressed a hand to her chest, then looked at Mana again and spoke coldly.
"Heh... So what? She and I are one and the same. Can you kill me? Or will you kill her?"
Mana sneered, unmoved.
"..."
The Shogun fell silent.
"You can't answer, can you? I knew it... You can't bring yourself to do it!!!"
The next instant, Mana's voice sounded beside her ear. Accompanied by the whistle of the great Void sword cutting through the air, the Shogun's body was pierced through.
Shnk!
Looking down at her impaled body, the light in the Shogun's eyes dimmed. Her gaze became vacant. Her legs trembled before giving way, and she collapsed onto the ground in a seated position, all vitality leaving her as her head drooped limply.
"Hehehe~ You really are naive... I suppose this is the advantage of having this body, isn't it? The greatest threat is finally gone. The Origin Stone may have been destroyed, but I still have a way to revive—!"
The next time Mana blinked, the "corpse" before her suddenly transformed into a simple puppet. She froze in confusion. Just as she was about to pull out her sword, a sharp pain struck the side of her neck.
"Wha—!"
Smack!
The next second, a hand chop landed. Her consciousness blurred and finally faded away. The Shogun caught her collapsing body and slowly sat down, allowing the girl to rest with her head on her lap.
She glanced at the fallen puppet and made it disappear.
Sure enough, this kind of puppet substitute never failed... Not only could it deceive people, it also let her enjoy the smug expression on their faces before they realized they had been tricked.
"...? Mio?"
Perhaps because Mana's consciousness had fallen unconscious, Inori's own awareness awakened. Looking up at the violet-haired beauty above her, she instinctively called her name.
"It's me... How do you feel?"
The Shogun asked gently, stroking the girl's head where it rested on her lap.
"My thoughts are a little... confused. I was... that wasn't... me! Mio... don't hate... me..."
Inori fearfully clutched at her sleeve.
"Do not be afraid... I know."
The Shogun took hold of the hand gripping her sleeve.
"Did I... cause trouble? For everyone..."
Inori asked cautiously.
"No... You didn't cause any trouble. Don't worry."
"...Liar."
Inori complained softly, her voice as adorable as a kitten's.
"It's all right now. After this, you won't be troubled by these things anymore."
The Shogun comforted her, then raised Musou Isshin. A faint violet glow appeared along its blade.
'Makoto? Can you hear me?'
She tried calling out to her mother. If Ei were there, she would answer immediately, but Makoto was another matter. Their circumstances were different.
[I'm here... I know what you want to do.]
Yet Makoto could actually hear her...
'You really can hear me...'
She was surprised.
[Yes. I'm a little surprised myself, but this is one of my own experiments. It may consume a great deal of power, so I cannot maintain it for long.]
Makoto explained.
'Mm... Um, this sword... could you—'
She struggled to explain herself clearly. The last time that runaway program had been separated from her body, she had still been unconscious. Ei and Makoto had handled everything, so she did not know how to do it herself.
[Of course. Let me do it.]
The next second, Makoto's figure gathered beside her. She was transparent rather than possessing the physical form Ei could manifest.
The kimono-clad beauty, whose appearance rivaled the Shogun's own, took the blade from her and simply infused it with her elemental power, causing the blade to become fluid-like.
[There. Insert it into this child's body. Move gently, though. She may not be able to endure too much.]
'Mm... Thank you... Makoto.'
She smiled.
[It's fine... What are you thanking me for?]
Makoto smiled softly and winked at her before dissolving into motes of light that merged back into her body.
"..."
Inori wore a blank expression. She seemed to have seen a ghostlike woman emerge from Mio's body, one who even resembled Mio herself. But her thoughts were so muddled at the moment that she assumed she must have been hallucinating and did not ask about it.
"Inori... can you close your eyes?"
The Shogun asked.
"Mm..."
The girl obediently closed her eyes without even asking why.
"You may feel something in a moment, but it will be all right..."
She warned her in advance.
"Mm..."
After hearing that, Inori nodded, then instinctively searched for the Shogun's hand and held it to reassure herself. The Shogun squeezed back.
"Here it comes, all right?"
She reminded her.
"Go ahead..."
Inori opened her eyes slightly and glanced at the Shogun aiming the fluid blade at her chest. She quickly closed them again and nodded with pursed lips.
Hum...
The blade entered the girl's chest. Fluid light spread throughout her body, just like the technique Ei had once used on the Shogun herself. Mana's consciousness—the core of the Apocalypse Virus—was extracted and purified.
"No—!!! Aaaaaaah—!!!!"
A miserable scream instantly filled the space... As the extracted crystal gradually dissolved, the voice became increasingly distorted before finally disappearing. Just as Gai had said, that was no longer Mana. The real Mana had died long ago. What remained was merely a virus carrying Mana's memories.
"Mmph~!! Ah—!"
Inori's face flushed slightly. Clutching the Shogun's hand, her body instinctively arched as several alluring little moans escaped her lips before she lost consciousness once more.
"Haa..."
The Shogun breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Makoto, whose hand now rested on her shoulder. Makoto smiled at her.
"Why not purify it a step further?"
Makoto helped her to her feet and gently made the suggestion.
"But... I'm afraid my power isn't enough. If I can't control it and something happens—"
She murmured worriedly. At this moment, she was simply a little girl beside her mother, instinctively confiding her worries to her.
"Hehe... It's all right, Shogun..."
Makoto understood what she was thinking and smiled tenderly. She moved behind her daughter, wrapped her arms around her from behind, and held Musou Isshin together with her.
"...Makoto?"
The Shogun stiffened, still somewhat afraid.
"It's all right... Mommy is here. Don't be afraid. Believe in yourself..."
Makoto whispered beside her ear as the two of them raised Musou Isshin together.
"..."
The Shogun silently stared at Musou Isshin held high above her head, listening to her mother's gentle whisper beside her ear.
'Ei and I will always be behind you, so don't be afraid. Mommy is right here with you.'
"...Mm."
The Shogun nodded, then slowly closed her eyes and activated Musou Isshin's purifying power—a purifying power that belonged uniquely to her.
Hum!
The next second, the blade radiated a crystalline, starry glow. The light gradually spread across the entire sky, enveloping all of Japan...
"—!"
This newly born power was unfamiliar to her. Feeling the light upon the blade intensify violently, even she instinctively tightened her grip for fear of making a mistake. B
ut at that moment, Makoto once again clasped her hand and merged her own elemental power with the Shogun's. The discomfort vanished instantly. Makoto's power fused seamlessly into her body and was absorbed without the slightest resistance. The Shogun returned to her senses and looked at her mother.
"..."
Makoto was looking at her as well. Their beautiful faces were extremely close, and what filled the Shogun's vision was Makoto's affectionate gaze.
"Come. Exert your strength together with me, because this belongs to you, Shogun... It is your one and only power."
She gently instructed her daughter.
"Mm..."
Hum! ×2
Both their bodies and the ends of their long hair glowed with dreamlike violet light. That starlight resonated with the radiance of Musou Isshin.
Shatter!
All across Japan, Apocalypse crystals began breaking apart and rising toward the starlight in the sky. In the end, they were completely purified, dissolving into delicate snow made of violet crystalline light. For a time, the scene was both breathtakingly beautiful and overwhelming.
It continued like this for several minutes...
When everything finally ended and the light faded away, the Shogun breathed slightly heavily and looked at Makoto beside her, who was not even out of breath.
"Thank you, Makoto..."
She thanked her mother sincerely.
"It's nothing... Everyone grows, don't they? Besides, my precious girl's road is still very long... There's no need to rush. And Shogun... you are different from us. You are special. You possess a power we do not, a power Teyvat itself does not possess. Musou Isshin is proof of that."
Makoto comforted her, her fingertips instinctively gathering together the ends of the Shogun's hair.
In Makoto's eyes, this child's potential was absurdly vast. She existed beyond the rules governing Teyvat. Perhaps one day, she would become the key to breaking the deadlock.
"..."
The Shogun listened in mild confusion, but warmth also filled her heart. Perhaps this was Makoto's particular kind of gentleness. It was different from Ei's gentleness, but as always, she loved them both.
Only...
"—!"
Her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed Makoto's appearance.
"Makoto, how did you become solid?"
She looked at the woman before her, who had somehow manifested a physical body without her noticing.
"Eh? Ah... I'm not sure either. Perhaps using elemental power just now affected my own state as well."
Makoto glanced down at her body but did not seem particularly concerned. She merely covered her lips and laughed softly.
So that was it. Suddenly becoming physical might take some getting used to, but it was wonderful... Both of her mothers could come out and stay with her now. Even if only for a short while, it still made her incredibly happy~!