As the two played and joked together, they were watched over with affection by Hassan and Salya.
"Rushd… oh, thank goodness. He's finally able to live a life where he can laugh every day…"
"…We can never thank him enough…"
Nearby, on a quiet cliff away from the crowd, Rikka sat bundled in her cloak.
"Ah, there you are! Hey!"
A familiar, cheerful voice called out. Sanzang came running over, waving her hand.
"Hi, Sanzang-chan."
Sanzang plopped down next to Rikka.
"Is it okay if I sit here? It's so beautiful!"
"You're supposed to ask before you sit, right? But of course, you're welcome."
The two of them sat in silence for a while, looking up at the sky.
"…Hey."
"Yeah?"
"It hasn't even been half a day since we met, has it?"
"…Ah, I guess not. We did dash here from the fortress, after all."
"…Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"…Are you scared?"
"—Hmm. I'm not really scared of dying. If that's how it ends, I can accept it. I'm not scared of fighting a god, either. If she's blocking the future, I just have to kick her out of the way."
"Gyatei… That's some intense resolve."
"But… there are things I'm afraid of."
"Oh? Like what?"
"—Ending halfway. Dying while leaving what I decided to do unfinished… that scares me."
"..."
"I'm scared of failing to get everyone's futures back. I'm scared of letting everyone down. —Falling before I've achieved anything… yeah, that's scary."
"If you're scared… even though you're scared, you won't stop?"
"It's because I'm scared. I have 'enemies,' but I don't believe in 'evil.' To me, the only real 'evil' is the part of myself that wants to give up. —So I look forward. I keep running. Because I know that as long as I'm running, as long as I'm moving forward, I don't have time to get lost in doubt."
"..."
"I don't mind losing to someone else. I can't beat Olga Marie in brains, and I can't match Mash's courage. I can't be a kind coward like Roman. —All I can do is move forward. Take back everyone's future. That's why—"
"That's why?"
"—I won't run away from being myself. I won't let go of the person who swore to take back the future. I believe the ending I want is at the end of the path I keep running. —I can lose to someone else. But…"
She thrust her fist toward the starry sky.
"I won't lose to the part of me that tries to get in the way of that oath. Stopping the journey or dying is the same as losing to myself. And as long as I don't lose, I won't die."
That was Rikka's unwavering feeling, her honest heart. And it was something that resonated deeply with Sanzang. To reach India, no matter what. West, and further west—
The girl beside her held the same burning desire that she once did. Strong, so strong. As unyielding as obsidian.
"…I see. Rikka, you've already met the 'Buddha,' haven't you?"
Sanzang realized that this girl's resolve, the sheer strength of her unchanging heart, was a state of 'Enlightenment' that everyone carries within them.
"—Zen-zai, Zen-zai. Well done."
Like a flower blooming in the mud. Like a person cultivating a beautiful heart even without praise.
"—Alright! It's decided!"
Sanzang struck her staff against the ground and held out her palm.
"Once we save this era, I'm making you my disciple! I'll light the way for you on your path! Just leave it to me! There's no one better at 'aiming for a goal and moving toward it' than me!"
"Monkey, Pig, Kappa, Rikka… the rhythm is terrible, so I'll pass."
"GYATEIIII?!"
"Just kidding! In that case… I'll call you 'Master,' Sanzang-chan!"
Sanzang gasped, and Rikka laughed. The cloak wrapped around her fluttered gently in the breeze.
"Oh dear, Master has found herself a new goal."
Touta and Moses laughed in the shadow of a building.
"Then it's a disciple's job to support her with a smile. —I'm counting on you, Lord Moses. She's reckless. If she thinks it's necessary, she'll accept Nirvana without a second thought."
"That won't do. Dying for someone else is beautiful, but it isn't right. —I suppose I have no choice. I'll have to hit them 'for real' so she doesn't have to overexert herself. Sigh. And here I was saving my best move for punching a god. Hehe."
Moses laughed brightly, pumping his fist.
"You're quite the irreverent one, aren't you?!"
"I respect God, you know. He's important and precious to me. But I'll still punch him. Closing the Pharaoh's heart, causing suffering with plagues, and then changing his mind after the people were already gone… I have a few choice words for that kind of high-handedness. My teachings are exactly what you'd expect. —Well, that's for another time. For now…"
"Master's smile comes first." The Saint smiled gently.
At the same time, in a private house—
"Are you ready, Bedivere?"
Bedivere, resting in a recovery capsule, nodded firmly.
"Yes. —Thank you, truly. My physical senses, my burnt-out soul… I feel as if I've been reborn."
"—I will not ask if that is a good thing. What we have given you is simply the opportunity to complete your journey," the King of Knights said quietly.
"Your journey will reach its end. You will return the Holy Sword in your right arm and fulfill your loyalty. —I have only one thing to say."
"…My King?"
The King of Knights offered a small smile.
"Thank you for fifteen hundred years of loyalty, Bedivere. You are… truly. A knight who has upheld his faith and pride to the very end. You are my pride."
"...!"
Hearing the King's praise, Bedivere covered his face and wept.
The Sun King and Nefertari were asleep. Quietly, peacefully. Nestled together on the throne, they slept in a silence that felt like a sanctuary. Their faces were full of contentment; they lacked nothing and desired nothing more than this peace.
The sun was slowly setting, cherishing the peerless existence blooming at its side. The Sun Boat of the Dark Night drifted through the sky, cradling them both.
"Phew…"
"Good work, Director." Mash greeted Olga Marie as she finished her tasks.
"Good work. …Go to sleep. Tomorrow is the final battle."
"I could say the same to you, Director."
Olga Marie blinked, then laughed. The two shared a smile.
"I suppose so. …Are you okay, Mash?"
"Yes. …I'm scared, but I can do this."
Olga Marie knew. She knew that Mash fought while swallowing her fear. She knew that Mash had never truly discarded her terror.
"Even if I'm scared… I have the miracle from that day. That's why I can keep going."
"…The miracle from that day?"
Mash nodded and began to speak. Of the beginning of it all. Of the starting point—
I died once. There was a huge explosion, and rubble fell. I lost all feeling in my lower body.
—Lev's sabotage.
Yes. …I knew I wouldn't last another two minutes. —To be honest, I was a little scared.
I thought about what I could do with the time I had left, and I realized I could do nothing.
…But.
"Are you okay? You're alive, right?"
Someone held my hand. Someone tried to save me in the middle of those flames.
Of course, it was impossible to save me. That person understood that clearly, too.
But… that person sat by my side, leaning against the rubble, and looked after me.
"I'm right here, so don't worry."
No trembling, no fear. They just spoke to me. They didn't run away, and they didn't abandon me. I heard later that they never even considered it, even though they could have.
"I'll stay with you until your life ends. It's okay, you won't be lonely. Everyone dies, after all."
Even with the end of their life only a minute away, that person was smiling. They held my hand in that crumbling room just so that my end wouldn't be sad or lonely.
That person risked their life just to put my mind at ease. They believed that was the best thing they could do.
…Their hand was covered in cuts and bruises. But it was so warm—and that is what awakened Galahad.
…I understand now. The Heroic Spirit Galahad didn't just recognize me. He believed in the goodness of humanity—the kind of goodness that allows someone to do that. I wasn't just saved; I was entrusted with something. He told me to live for the sake of things like that.
That is why I fight. I fight for the beautiful thing I saw that day.
…I am living like this for the sake of my Senpai, the dragon who gave me a miracle and keeps flying straighter than anyone else… the coolest person in the world.
"…So that's what happened." Olga Marie smiled gently.
"Listen, Mash. Never forget those feelings. No matter what happens, no matter what you face, never let go of who you are. —Your existence is shaped by expressing those feelings."
"The kindness that allows you to fight for the sake of a single miracle… that is your strength. It is a strength no one can imitate. It belongs to you alone. —Don't forget that, Mash. Don't ever lose sight of how you use your life."
"Yes! Thank you so much, Director! —And, one more thing."
"?"
Mash spoke the words she had intended to say.
"Thank you for becoming friends with me and Senpai!"
"—Don't be silly. Becoming friends… isn't such a big deal."
With a bright red face, Olga Marie finally managed to squeeze out a reply.
And then, the dawn broke. The curtain rose on the battle that would decide their fate—
The Following Day
"A god resides in Izumo; truth be certain, breath into the soul. Amaterasu in the mountains, rivers, and skies—this is the proof of purification!"
Tamamo-no-Mae activated her Noble Phantasm, Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu on the Weightless Stone under the Sunlit Watery Sky, minimizing the mana consumption of the allied forces gathered in the wasteland.
"My name is Tamamo-no-Seishiki! The divine treasure, the Mirror of Ukane! —Did you see that?! The majestic form of Serious-Tamamo, or Siri-Moe for short! ♥"
"That's my Tamamo! You look so sparkly and wonderful—!"
"THANK YOU SO MUUUUCH! ♥"
"—They have gathered."
In the heart of the pyramid, the Heroic King's voice rang out. The assembled army, a magnificent lineup of heroes, waited for the King's command.
"From this moment—with every ounce of our might, we shall bring down that abominable Holy City!!"
A swarm of Sphinxes roared, filling the sky. An army of Hanumans let out a battle cry, covering the earth. At the center sat the Sun Boat, while chariots tore across the ground.
—Gramps?!
From the northern sky, a storm and thunderclouds descended, trampling the Holy City alongside the cataclysms.
—He came—!
"Fuhaha! It seems the final reinforcements have arrived!! Now, everyone—it is time for the opening act!!"
A thunderous roar of voices shook the earth as the march began.
"Howl as if your life depends on it, Lion King—!!"
The final battle for the Holy Land had begun!
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