――The god of discord and conflict, Eris. Just hearing that name gives me a bad feeling.

Tsugumi held back the urge to clutch her head and began speaking quietly.

“…I’ve heard a story like this before. There were gods who descended to earth before Amaterasu established the rules. They were drawn to the despair and resentment that spread across this country. ――Maybe that’s why. Many of the gods who whimsically sent down their divine fragments were labeled as ‘evil’ by the people. Most of them were eliminated by the gods associated with the government, but maybe there are still some evil gods hiding somewhere.”

Tsugumi spoke with a thoughtful expression.

In fact, Tsugumi had seen an example with Freyja. Freyja, while not outright an evil god, has a strong inclination toward causing trouble. It’s a bit of a prejudice, but that goddess seems like the type who would casually drink alcohol while enjoying the tragedies that occurred in this country.

“The gods who escaped Amaterasu’s rules can wield far more power than those who follow the regulations. If they wanted, they could interfere with the mortal realm as they please. For example, like with this ritual.”

Normally, a god belonging to the government would find and deal with a rogue god acting as they pleased, but when they hide behind something like a magical girl, it becomes impossible to find them. Even the gods wouldn’t go out of their way to reexamine the contract gods of magical girls.

“――And you think that god is Eris?”

“Just a theory. But I can at least say for certain that the god you’re talking about isn’t Nemesis.”

The divine fragments that gods send down often vary depending on the impression people have of them.

For example, Tsugumi’s contract god, Bell, has a strong interest in food, likely due to such influences.

In other words, it would be extremely difficult for a goddess of righteous anger――like Nemesis, widely known for being on the side of justice――to ignore her image and act in the way described here. It would make more sense to assume it was a different god from the start.

…But perhaps it’s understandable that Azuma, who received the same education as Tsugumi, didn’t notice this.

To a magical girl, their contract god is absolute. If Bell suddenly claimed she was actually Odin, the supreme god of Norse mythology, Tsugumi would probably believe it without question. Even if she had doubts, she would never outright disbelieve them.

…Even so, the bad feeling Tsugumi had since realizing the deception wouldn’t go away.

Even if Azuma’s contract god isn’t Eris, there’s still a high chance it’s another malicious god.

If that’s the case, all the assumptions would be overturned.

Why would Azuma’s contract god go so far as to disguise themselves and assist in carrying out this ritual? It must be for some awful reason.

Fighting back the urge to cry from her grim imagination, Tsugumi asked Asakura a question.

“You said earlier that this ritual is under the goddess’s supervision, but is it really a ritual to summon this ‘Gino-kami’ or whatever? Could it have been rewritten to have a different effect?”

――A ritual that now requires a bloody process, skipping the proper procedures.

Is what’s being summoned truly the same god as before?

When Tsugumi said this, Asakura’s face visibly flinched. Scratching his head with both hands, he muttered,

“No way… Could everything have been a lie? Does that mean I’ll never see her again… Sakon…? If that’s the case, then why did I even…?”

“…Huh? I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, but isn’t it impossible to meet someone who’s already… dead? Anyway, I want to hear more about the ritual――”

Even though Tsugumi felt uneasy, she responded. But Asakura just kept mumbling incoherently, clutching his head. …Maybe the blow from the staff hit him harder than expected.

As Tsugumi watched him nervously, Asakura suddenly lost strength, his body slumping as if he had passed out from the shock.

…Tsugumi still had questions for him, like about the ropes binding his hands and feet, but in this state, she doubted she would get any sensible answers.

“Back to square one again… Guess I’ll have to search around the pedestal.”

With that, Tsugumi stepped toward the pedestal, hoping to find some kind of clue.

◆ ◆ ◆

By the time Tsugumi had noticed something about Eris, the battle between Mibu and Azuma was approaching its climax.

“Hmm… I don’t think that’s Nemesis. You’re probably being deceived by Eris or someone similar.”

During the fight, when Mibu asked Azuma a question similar to what Tsugumi had asked, Azuma confidently spoke about Nemesis, claiming justice was on her side.

Then Mibu suddenly blurted out something strange without any warning. …For an attempt at throwing her off, it was an awfully crude taunt.

“What are you talking about? That’s impossible.”

Azuma, covering her wound with shadows, replied with irritation.

…After that bizarre comment, Mibu casually continued their small talk while relentlessly stabbing Azuma’s skin with a knife.

Unaware of it herself, whenever Azuma didn’t respond properly, Mibu would increase the speed of their sword strikes. What a frustrating trait.

Though Azuma had focused on evading, avoiding any serious wounds, at this rate, she might still be overwhelmed.

Despite Azuma’s growing anxiety, Mibu continued talking without a care.

“Seriously, there’s no way that’s Nemesis, right? Did you not get any basic education? That’s not good; you have to study properly.”

“…I can’t understand what you’re saying. What is up with this person?”

Azuma looked at Mibu with an expression of disbelief, but Mibu, while casually flicking the blood off her knife, said calmly,

“Hmm. Are you unconsciously avoiding realizing something? Or is your contract god manipulating your thoughts…? Hmm. ―Well, whatever! We don’t have time, so let’s just beat you…!”

Mibu seemed to come to a decision by herself and increased the number of knives in her hand. These knives were shaped like kunai and clearly showed signs of being thrown toward Azuma.

The moment Azuma braced herself for this, Mibu threw all the kunai high into the air.

The thrown kunai scattered in all directions, disappearing from sight in no time.

“…Huh?”

Azuma, momentarily stunned by Mibu’s sudden action, did not miss the opportunity and quickly prepared to counter as Mibu flew toward her.

Azuma dodged Mibu by sliding on the ground with shadows.

However, Mibu adjusted her speed to match Azuma’s movement and quickly closed the distance, bringing her blade within reach.

Realizing that this was getting nowhere, Azuma decided to reposition herself by teleporting away from the scene.

—Little did she know that this was the biggest mistake she could make.

Just as Azuma relocated to a place out of Mibu’s sight and tried to steady her breath, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her foot.

Looking down in discomfort, she saw a slender needle embedded in the edge of her shoe.

It was likely from when she was dodging the kunai. Truly, there was no room for carelessness.

—Despite how foolish Mibu might seem, her combat sense was exceptional. She was a truly troublesome opponent.

As Azuma, frustrated, reached down to pull out the needle, she felt a tingling numbness in her fingertips.

…She must have lost too much blood. She might be on the verge of anemia.

Thinking this, as she touched the needle, the scenery suddenly wavered, and the ground rushed toward her. She heard a dull thud near her ear.

—It was then that she realized she was lying on the ground.

Her limbs felt as though they were being electrocuted, and she couldn’t move a single finger.

As Azuma was confused about what had happened, a filthy, blood-stained coat fluttered at the edge of her vision.

“So, I was right to come here. Azuma-san, your actions are quite predictable.”

Peering down at the fallen Azuma, Mibu said this.

—The reason for this situation was simple.

Mibu had set traps in the likely areas where Azuma would move during the fight—electrified blades—and waited for Azuma to step into them.

The reason Mibu hadn’t used visible electricity until now was to make Azuma let her guard down.

Throwing the kunai up at the start served both to keep the lightning rods unnoticed and to narrow Azuma’s escape routes.

Given Azuma’s personality, she would likely unconsciously avoid the direction the kunai had gone when teleporting, making it easy to set up the trap.

Mibu hadn’t expected Azuma to fall into the trap so quickly, but she decided it must have been good luck. Well, from Azuma’s perspective, it was just bad luck.

“…Ugh, ugh.”

“Yeah, the shock is strong enough to knock out a bear. You’d better not try to move.”

Mibu said this, extending her right hand toward Azuma’s head.

Grasping Azuma’s head firmly, she moved her fingers around, checking the shape of the skull, and then whispered softly,

“—Ah, this is it.”

Without any further warning, Mibu sent an electric current into Azuma’s brain.

…If Mibu’s contract god had been present, it surely would have screamed to stop this reckless act.

But Mibu was certain that this would sever something…

It was an instinct born from having cut through many things.

The captivating nature of Mibu’s actions and demeanor is one reason some fans are deeply attached to her, but that’s not relevant right now.

…As the current flowed through Azuma’s most sensitive area, she convulsed and relived past events like a slideshow.

Her life replayed as if she were gazing at paintings displayed in a hallway.

—In her childhood, before she even turned ten. Azuma cried alone in an orphanage.

She was one of the few survivors of a major fire, marked by ugly burn scars all over her body. Due to these circumstances, Azuma was always isolated from both adults and children, perpetually lonely.

The one who extended a hand to this lonely Azuma was the winged goddess—Nemesis.

The goddess who made a contract with the young Azuma revealed the truth about the fire and hinted at performing the ritual again.

…Looking back calmly, it seems that from that time, she was subtly fed revengeful thoughts.

“How pitiful,” “If only that hadn’t happened,” “So sad,” “The sacrificial victim escaped and now lives happily,” “You are so unhappy,” “How sad,” “Your parents died in vain,” “If the ritual had succeeded, you would have been a successful person’s child.”

“Ah, how pitiful.”

The goddess’s endless words seemed caring but were always self-righteous.

Yet, Azuma was so dependent on the goddess that she never questioned it. After all, there was no one else to affirm her.

Slowly, she was guided by thoughts that tightened like a noose. When she learned Greek mythology in school, she found it a bit strange, but once the goddess denied it, she never questioned it again.

Twisted ideologies and broken wishes appeared as glittering treasures to Azuma, blindfolded by the goddess.

—Ah, but.

Azuma looked back at the path she had walked. It was covered in blood and entrails from unknown people, with silent eyeballs looking at her resentfully.

—Was this life, stepping over unknown others, truly right?

“—…Ugh, bleh, cough.”

The pain mixing in her head and stomach made her vomit stomach acid.

Through her swirling vision, she saw the goddess watching her.

And Mibu, standing next to her, also seemed to see the goddess, glaring at her with a knife in hand.

Breathing shallowly, Azuma questioned the goddess.

“…W-why did the goddess choose me?”

—This had always been on her mind.

To young Azuma, the goddess’s presence was a salvation, but why did the goddess appear to her?

The goddess, resting her chin on her finger as if deep in thought, tilted her head and said,

“Because your crying face was so very cute?”

“Huh…?”

Azuma, confused, voiced her bewilderment, and the goddess giggled as she responded,

“Because you were pitiful, unsightly, your burn scars were adorable yet ugly, small, simple, weak-minded, easily swayed, ridiculous, mediocre, childish, foolish, shallow— and all that was so very cute. That’s why.”

“I decided to watch you from close by, to see you fall apart.”

With that, the goddess smiled brightly without any trace of regret.

Azuma’s limbs trembled, her heart raced loudly. Yet, her body felt unnervingly cold.

—Everything about her life so far, everything, had been nothing more than a toy for the goddess.

The moment Azuma fully realized this, her body reached its limit, and she lost consciousness. Considering the damage from the electric shock, she would likely remain unconscious for a while.

—As Azuma lay motionless, Mibu, glancing at her from the side, stood up straight and said,

“Well, it seems like the conversation is over. Can I leave now? I need to secure the hostages and stop the ritual, so I’m quite busy.”

At that moment, Mibu’s mindset was simple: with the battle against Azuma, who was part of the mastermind’s faction, done, it was time to go rescue the hostages. Her disinterest in Azuma’s circumstances made this thought process quite natural for her.

Of course, if the unpleasant, bird-like goddess attacked her, Mibu was prepared to fight, but she was confident that wouldn’t happen.

The goddess, however, looked at Mibu with a highly displeased expression.

“I dislike you, you’re not interesting, boring, and disgusting.”

“Yeah, yeah. So, can I go now?”

The goddess’s words did not seem to resonate with Mibu, and she replied with a hint of exasperation.

“The ritual won’t stop… It’s pointless to go. It started the moment the pedestal was activated. The moon won’t come unless there’s a reason to leave the cage. The stars can’t appear if the vessel is in despair. Managing the magical beasts doesn’t matter. I only made a path. I’ll play again after everything is destroyed. With the children too. So, the bet… is my win.”

“—Look, it’s coming out soon.”

The goddess, speaking in her incomprehensible manner, pointed to the sky.

At that moment, the sky, which had been dyed a deep blue-purple, began to crack from above the building—directly above the target, the Dawn Star.

What was revealed through the gap… left Mibu speechless.

◆　◆　◆

As Tsugumi was exploring the area around the pedestal, a sudden sound like glass shattering from above echoed.

In that instant, she felt an overwhelming, dense presence pressing down on her. Then, as if speaking directly into her mind, she heard a voice.

“Look up.”

“If you can’t stop it, it’s your loss. My win. Right, ■Shif■ru?”

Holding her spinning head, Tsugumi staggered as if guided by some unseen force towards the softly glowing pedestal. As she slowly looked up, following the voice in her head, she muttered,

“—…I really can’t deal with any more trouble.”

Her exasperation surpassed despair as she spoke.

From the large hole in the ceiling, the deep blue-purple sky was visible.

Through the crack in the sky above, a giant eye… looked down upon Tsugumi.