When Rinka next opened her eyes, it was hell.

Flames stretched endlessly to the edges of her vision.

The charred corpses of people were grotesquely twisted by the heat, forcibly curling into unnatural shapes.

There was death everywhere.

“…What is this?”

Rinka tried to move her body.

But instead, a massive tentacle at the edge of her vision moved.

It casually swept across an amusement park structure, collapsing it in an instant.

“No, stop!”

The tentacle slashed through the area, taking human corpses with it before finally coming to a halt.

At the same time, Rinka understood.

That was the body of Ouroboros, created by the Silver Twilight.

She had become Ouroboros.

“I remember now.”

It was the memory of defeat.

A memory of despair, mocking her resolve as a mere girl.

“I… lost to the Professor, and then…”

Pushed forward by a mysterious girl, Rinka had returned to face the Professor.

She was ready to kill him, even if it meant dying herself.

But that didn’t happen.

To the Professor, Rinka’s betrayal was a negligible variable, unworthy of concern.

“Wait… what about Tōraku and the others?!”

When Rinka stirred, the tentacles destroyed their surroundings with every slight movement.

But at that moment, she couldn’t care less.

“If what the Professor said is true, then Tōraku and the others should be chasing after me… They’re here.”

Scanning the area with the eyes of the monster, Rinka spotted Tōraku and Mihaya.

They appeared so small compared to her now, each holding their weapons, staring at her.

There was no kindness in their eyes.

“So… I’m a monster, huh.”

Being part of the organization, she understood what she looked like now.

Her human body had probably already been consumed by the dungeon, leaving her a mere monster.

Even so, Rinka looked forward.

“What I want to do…”

Ouroboros was originally a plan outside of the Demonsgear project for the coming disaster.

Rinka knew that the artificial god-like body was at least somewhat controllable.

Therefore, she didn’t hesitate.

“I’ll take control of this body and make sure I’m killed without causing more damage!”

She resolved to let Tōraku and the others kill her.

It was a terribly painful and self-sacrificing answer for a young girl’s wish.

Yet it was the best solution at the moment.

■

“Tōraku, her movements have suddenly slowed.”

Armed, Rutora informed Tōraku.

Just as she said, Ouroboros’s movements had become more sluggish than before.

The tentacles emerging from the shadows were still active, but the main body, Ouroboros, had stopped after a sweeping attack.

“What’s going on?”

Mihaya asked while shooting down the tentacles from the shadows.

“I don’t know. All we know is that this thing was in the underground facility.”

“That Professor… we really should’ve chased and killed him. He seemed to know where Rinka was.”

Mihaya remembered the middle-aged man they encountered, the Professor, a high-ranking member of the Silver Twilight. He had escaped mockingly in front of them.

Managing to escape from a Demonsgear contractor proved his skill.

“Please be safe, Rinka…!”

Seeing the carnage around him, Tōraku could only hope.

Bodies littered the ground, and he prayed his friend wasn’t among them.

“She wasn’t in the facility. Maybe she’s already evacuated.”

Sensing Tōraku’s anxiety, Mihaya offered comforting words. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

“Yeah, I hope so.”

Their mission had been accomplished by infiltrating the underground facility in search of Rinka.

However, one concern remained.

They had yet to realize that the monster in front of them was what had become of Rinka.

“Let’s take down this creature quickly and search for Rinka.”

“Yeah. Let’s go, Rutora.”

“Right.”

Tōraku and Mihaya dashed forward, evading, slashing, and shooting through the tentacles.

Thanks to Rutora’s abilities, they managed to suppress Ouroboros’s regenerative powers, even if only temporarily.

What’s more, Ouroboros’s attacks seemed half-hearted.

That gave them the upper hand.

(It’s strange… It feels like the attacks have changed. Almost like it’s letting us strike it…)

It felt eerily similar to when his swordmaster had purposely allowed Tōraku to defeat him during training.

The experience honed his intuition, revealing a mismatch between the opponent’s strength and its actions.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Hesitation would only lead to more casualties.

“Now’s our chance.”

“Anytime, Tōraku.”

Rutora responded, amplifying her power. It was the raw force, before it manifested as magic.

The essence of cutting through any concept.

“Mihaya, get back.”

“Got it.”

Mihaya nodded and leapt behind Tōraku.

Simultaneously, Tōraku took up the stance of an iai strike, his white blade, Rutora, at his side.

“Exhale…!”

With a deep breath, Tōraku and Rutora became one, executing a flawless strike.

“Haah!”

The strike surpassed the speed of sound, the perfect fusion of ancient swordsmanship and modern supernatural power of the Demonsgear.

It wasn’t merely a cut—it embodied the very concept of cutting.

The white flash raced towards Ouroboros like an arrow.

Several tentacles leapt out of the shadows to block the blow, but each was sliced cleanly through.

The strike reached its target in less than a second.

Ouroboros faced the oncoming attack.

“Haha, as expected.”

With an innocent smile, it opened its tentacles wide, ready to accept the blow.

Even knowing that the strike would tear its existence apart, it did not resist.

“Thank you… for giving me a place to belong.”

Having abandoned her human form, Rinka could no longer speak properly.

Instead of words of gratitude, a shrill roar echoed throughout the amusement park.

The strike closed in on the helpless creature.

And then—

“Foolishness.”

The white blade was crushed from above.

A silver light descended from the sky, like a falling star that never ceased to shine, crashing to the ground.

“What the—?!”

The area was engulfed in silver light.

When Tōraku opened his eyes again, Ouroboros stood, unharmed.

“My strike… was blocked?”

“Tōraku, above!”

Rutora’s alarmed voice prompted Tōraku to look up.

There, a girl floated.

Her silver-blue hair swayed in the wind, her fairy-tale-like outfit, and a massive black scythe stood out against the night sky.

A vast magical circle hovered in the air around her, glowing purple and blue, enveloping the entire amusement park.

“Sorciera…”

Beside him, Mihaya spoke her name.

Ah, that’s right. That’s what she’s called, Tōraku thought dazedly.

In his hands, the white blade trembled.

“Tōraku, we must flee. Now.”

“Rutora?”

“We cannot fight her. She’s far stronger than the data suggests. She’s… my sister… and our nemesis.”

“Sister…?”

Before Tōraku could question further, a silver light descended before them.

It tore up the ground, leaving the asphalt molten and bubbling.

Tōraku understood.

Had it hit them, they wouldn’t have survived.

It was a warning, intentionally missing.

“You must not choose the wrong path.”

With a melodic voice, Sorciera spoke.

She pointed the scythe at Tōraku.

“This is the selection of the stars.”