Chapter 646: 'Distorted Love'

When Alice and the other members of the Human-Demon Allied Forces, along with the Gods, arrived at the centremost area of the God Realm…… the Sanctuary, they saw Shallow Vernal with her back turned away from them, staring somewhere, and Kuromueina, biting her lips in front of what looked like a giant cocoon.

If one only looks at the current situation, it may look like Shallow Vernal had won her battle…… but that was not the case. It was Kuromueina who won in their battle. This is why Shallow Vernal allowed her to touch the cradle.

Quickly detecting this, Alice immediately understood that the problem was the Cradle of Oblivion, and thus, she immediately moved to Kuromueina's side.

[Kuro-san! ! ? ———–This is…… Tsk!? This is the third worst pattern I had imagined……]

[……Kuromueina…… Shalltear….. Can you…… disarm that?]

[I could. Or rather, if it's just disarming it, it's really easy. There are no complicated procedures required, nor did Shallow Vernal-sama prepare any jamming techniques of any kind…… but how many layers does this thing have!? I can't even grasp the full structure of this thing…… This is because the technique she used in this "isn't designed to keep others from disarming it, it's a technique designed only to make you bet your time to disarm it"!]

Yes, the technique used on the Cradle of Oblivion was really simple. Even if one is a beginner in magic, they can disarm this if they devote some of their time…… but this cradle needs an unimaginable amount of this disarms…… a vast amount of "simple" locks was piled up so much that they could swallow up several worlds, and disarming them, one by one, would take an enormous amount of time.

Turning to Alice and the others, whose expressions were as stiffened as Kuromueina, Shallow Vernal calmly spoke.

[……That's obvious. I spent half a year building it. If that's the case, doesn't it stand to reason that it would take all of you at least six months at the earliest to disarm it?]

[Ah, yes, yes! It's a simple quantitative operation, which means we're limited in the ways we could use to deal with this…… You've done something really troublesome, seriously……]

Alice's thoughts were racing at super-speed as she responded to Shallow Vernal's words. How about using Kuromueina's Prologue in it? No, that isn't possible either.

Prologue: The Beginning of the Story, allows Kuromueina to make the impossible possible. However, disarming this cradle isn't "impossible". Even if she assumes that it is impossible to deactivate it in time, her ability doesn't have any definite time limit set on it.

No, in the first place, the option of destroying the cradle instead of foolishly disarming it…… With that thought in mind, Alice turned her gaze to Kuromueina next to her.

Thereupon, Kuromueina also seemed to have understood Alice's thoughts…… and she shook her head.

[……We can't…… We shouldn't destroy it. At this moment, Kaito-kun's "blessing had been temporarily canceled"…… And while he's in this cradle, Kaito-kun's soul is blended within it, merged with the cradle. If we destroy the cradle…… I don't know what will happen with Kaito-kun.]

[…………………]

Listening to Kuromueina's words, Alice gritted her teeth. Her thoughts were moving incessantly, but she still couldn't come up with a method that seemed effective.

(……No, none of those methods have a success rate of more than 20%. All of them have a slight chance of success…… Did she do this as a countermeasure to Kuro-san's ability? But that would suggest that Shallow Vernal-sama knew about Kuro's ability beforehand…… D*mn it! It's too risky…… Think…… If one method doesn't work, combine them to increase the success rate……)

If one were to describe it, the situation could be described as Shallow Vernal "holding Kaito's soul hostage", making Kuromueina and Alice unable to choose drastic measures…… In some ways, Shallow Vernal had prepared a devious counter-measure.

In front of the Human-Demon Allied Forces, whose expressions darkened as they realized that the situation was bad, the representatives of the Gods, Chronois and Life bowed to Shallow Vernal.

[……We apologize, Shallow Vernal-sama. We were unable to carry out the duties you had assigned to us.]

[It's fine, I don't mind. I wasn't expecting much about you all, nor did I care about the outcome of your battle. This had always been a battle between Kaito-san and I. All other battles just exist outside the important board. Since you're done with your duties, you should rest your bodies.]

[ ! ? ]

Looking down at Chronois and Life who were bowing their heads, with her usual intonationless voice, Shallow Vernal said with a small smile on her lips.

Seeing this, Kuromueina's eyes widened, and her shoulders shook.

[……When…… Since when?]

[Unnn? Is something the matter, Kuro?]

[Since when did you "switch" with each other!? Where's Shiro!? Where's the real Shiro!!!? Answer me! "Earth God"!!!]

[………………..]

Hearing Kuromueina's furious shouts, everyone's eyes focused on "Shallow Vernal". Thereupon, with a sound like breaking glass, the appearance of the Shallow Vernal in front of them changed.

Taking the form of an angel with pure white wings on her back……

[I wonder, when is it that we switched? I can at least tell you that the Shallow Vernal you exchanged words with when you first entered the Sanctuary was the real one though.]

[……Eden-san…… I was wondering why I can't see you in a battle like this…… Whose side are you really on?]

[I'm not on either side though.]

[Don't you understand? Kaito-san's memory might be erased, you know? Don't you also like Kaito-san too?]

["And what exactly is wrong with that?"]

[……What did you say?]

Even though she was thinking that Eden was on her side since she had given her advice, Eden appeared in the Sanctuary, cooperating with Shallow Vernal. As Alice's eyes glared at Eden, confronting her about this matter, Eden tilted her head, looking like she really was wondering what Alice was talking about.

[I don't really care who wins. Even if my beloved child's memories disappear, as long as it is the choice of my beloved child, I will affirm it. I will love my child who has his memories until now. I will still love my child who doesn't have his memories until now. I will support my child, push his back forward if he chooses to walk towards his destruction. I will embrace my child even as he is being destroyed. No matter what choice my beloved child chooses, I will stay by his side and holding all my love for him, I will affirm his choice. Yes, that's right…… Holding his memories or not…… All of that is but "a trivial matter before my love".]

[……The God of Kaito-san's world really had some screws missing in her head.]

Without hiding the madness that was seeping out of her, a twisted smile appeared on Eden's lips. Saying things like Kaito, regaining his memory or not, is just a trivial matter in front of her love……

In a way, Eden loves Kaito more than anyone else. That's why her feelings are more distorted than anyone else. Even if Kaito's choice ends with his destruction, she would affirm it with a big smile filled with her overflowing love.

That's why, for Eden…… it really doesn't matter who wins this match.

[Well, I guess I'll answer your question. If you're looking for Shallow Vernal…… She's over there, inside that cradle with my beloved child.]

[ [ ! ? ] ]

[If one were to describe me, let's see. I'm like the referee in this match. If I see any irregularity, I will interfere, but otherwise, I will just watch…… Yes, I'm the referee in this match between Shallow Vernal and my child. And thus, Alice…… Unfortunately, I can't approve of "that plan you had in your mind". I will not allow you to interfere in my child's fight.]

[……If we just remove the hindrance of a referee, we could do all the irregularity we could think about after all.]

During her conversation with Eden, Alice had continued to strategize and had come up with several methods that would give her a high chance of winning. The one that would have the highest chance…… Using Ἑκατόγχειρες's Ultimate Battle Form to double the speed of the disarming the techniques used on the cradle.

However, Eden stopped her from doing so. She won't allow her to interfere in Kaito's battle……

[Yes, that's right. Your Ἑκατόγχειρες Ultimate Battle Form gives you great power. Infinite growth and evolution…… I see, with that, "you'll eventually be able to win". With that, "you can even win against my omniscient and omnipotent real body"……]

[What!? Don't tell me……!?]

Immediately after hearing Eden's words, feeling tremendous power, Alice looked up.

At the end of Alice's gaze———— was a star. In the sky of the God Realm that has turned into night, there floats something with a nature that is too different to exist in the night sky…… an iron star————- The omniscient and omnipotent Eden's real body……

[Would you like to give it a try? Will you grow to be more powerful than the omniscient and omnipotent me, or will the match between my beloved child and Shallow Vernal end before you could…… I think it's a bad bet for you though. Ahh, I'll have you know that my body obviously also has the ability to infinitely grow and evolve. It would be great if this doesn't turn into a tug-of-war.]

[Kuhh……]

[If you understand, "intervene in a straightforward manner"…… You've already got a clue how to do that, right? You don't have much time left. Shallow Vernal has set 30 days in the virtual world for her battle against my child…… and half of that time has already passed.]

[…………………]

[The victory condition for my child is to escape from the virtual world…… To do so, he must reach a place where "he can clearly recognize that he's in a false world". The clue to its location is also within your reach. If you know where it is…… Kuromueina, you must touch the cradle and call out to my child. As long as my child is aware that he's in a false world, he will hear your voice.]

[……Eh?]

Eden's words sound like a piece of advice…… No, they definitely were a piece of advice.

[……Seriously, what are you thinking?]

[Just as I told you, as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter what the result of this match will be…… However, well, let's see. If it's about which side I would support…… I don't have to tell you my answer, do I?]

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [……With the mad personality she has, I actually think that she's more of a last boss.]

? ? ? : [Eden-san really is the only one whose thought process couldn't be shaken, isn't she? She will always have that twisted personality of hers.]

T/N: 60/187