Miyume was thinking.

What exactly should she do in this situation?

Sorciera, who appeared as if to protect her, faced off against Nameless and the Doctor.

Was there something she could do, even a little?

Thinking this, she kept her thoughts going.

However, the scene before her seemed to mock her determination.

“I don’t get it. I don’t know about that!”

Nameless yelled, releasing black flames.

An overwhelmingly powerful strike that incinerates concepts.

In front of it, the two simply swung their large scythes lightly.

Just that.

Neither a magical barrier nor a dodge.

The strike, with its graceful movement, dispersed the black flames.

“Hehe, you make such a cute sound. You are even more wonderful than her, you know?”
“You’re really saying such cruel things. What will you do if she actually starts crying?”

Beside Sorciera, another Sorciera leaned in closely, peering over with a familiar expression.

Seeing the two identical girls, Nameless spoke with genuine annoyance.

“Is that child Zero? …Such a hassle.”
“I knew Sorciera had been snooping around the Deep Dream Project… but I never imagined it was for this.”

The Doctor nodded in agreement.

At those words, Yume realized it too.

A girl with red eyes, very similar to Sorciera.
Her body was constructed as a data-roid.

The reason why the normally unrelated Sorciera had contacted Kanon.
It must have been for this.

“Hmm, I don’t like how you’re taking the answer before I even spoil the details. This is the best stage where I, together with my Master, can fight. Don’t interfere.”

Zero said this and pressed her body closely to Sorciera, lovingly combing her hair with her fingers.

“Ah, my beloved Master, if it’s something you desire, I will make it a reality. I will kill anything that becomes an obstacle. Please, command me.”

“Hah… same as always, Zero.”

Sorciera gave Zero a cold look and exhaled in exasperation.

This must be how they always were.

“Ugh, showing it off… I heard Zero was like this, but seeing it firsthand really makes me angry.”

“Oh? Is it jealousy? How ugly. My Master is mine, after all.”

Saying this, Zero pressed her lips to the silver hair she had scooped up.

In that instant, Nameless screamed, and black flames erupted.

“Stop! Sorciera is mine!”

“She isn’t yours, nor anyone’s.”

Sorciera replied calmly, not moving before the flames.
Instead, Zero deployed a cannon formation to intercept the flames.

The converged shots, shining brightly, collided directly with the flames, causing explosions all around.

“Oh, did I overdo it a bit?”
“That’s too much, really.”
“Ahhahahaha! Sometimes something flashy like this isn’t bad, right?”

Zero said with a smile, gently lifting Sorciera’s chin.
Sorciera waved her hand in a rather annoyed manner and brushed it off.

“Stop playing around. Let’s go.”

She said that, then dashed forward, holding her jade scythe.

As she ran, Zero exaggeratedly shrugged and then deployed a teleportation magic circle, vanishing from the scene.

“Since it’s a special debut, you should try to hold on a bit longer.”

The smoke from the explosion was torn apart by jade lightning, and Sorciera appeared in front of Nameless.

There was no plan, only a terrifyingly direct assault.

Nameless, caught off guard by this unusual action from Sorciera, quickly activated Ex-Gear.

“Act 4!”

The slash functioned as an aggressive defense.

A shield of slashes was placed in front of Sorciera as she closed in.

However, Sorciera only smiled and did not stop her steps.

(She’s setting something up!)

Realizing this, Nameless quickly deployed a magic circle for converging shots.

Above her, black feathers fluttered.

“Zero.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Right above Nameless.

Zero had teleported and was now holding a fully charged scythe.

This wasn’t in its usual cannon form, but a single, concentrated strike with magical energy infused into the blade.

“If I had to name it, I suppose it would be Converged Slash.”

With a tone as if speaking to someone else, Zero mercilessly brought the scythe down on Nameless.

The silver trajectory it drew was like a falling star, striking through the gap in Nameless’s defense.

“Ahh!”

Nameless, attempting to dodge at the last second, was slashed across her back at an angle.

Bathing in the blood that splattered, Zero stared at Nameless with expressionless eyes and swung the scythe again.

“How ugly humans are. They scream at the slightest pain.”

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Turning around, Nameless released a barrage of shots.

Zero avoided them with graceful steps, then vanished through a teleportation magic circle.

Seeing the black feathers swirling where she had been, Nameless exhaled angrily and quickly turned around.

But it was too late.

“You like me, don’t you? You shouldn’t look away.”

“Impossible.”

Sorciera, with the shield of slashes in front of her, had aimed her gun at Nameless.

Up close, Sorciera’s converged shot using the scythe was an option that hadn’t existed before.

Even if it was a surprise attack, getting close came with great risks.

But now, those risks were nearly nonexistent.

“—Oh, don’t run away. My Master is offering you this shot. Enjoy it fully with your whole body.”

A voice came from somewhere.

At the same time, countless magic circles appeared around Nameless, and silver chains wrapped around her.

Tied up, Nameless could only watch as Sorciera, with her converged shot complete, appeared before her.

“Know the brilliance of the stars.”

“Ah—!”

The trigger was pulled.

The slash reduced the power of the shot slightly, but no matter how much, the stars were not going to fall just because of that.

“Ugh!?”

Bound by the chains, Nameless wasn’t even allowed to be blasted away by the shot.

Just as Zero had said, Nameless received the full force of the shot with her entire body.

(If I let my guard down, I’ll lose consciousness—)

Exposed to the high-density magic until the chains were destroyed by the shot, Nameless collapsed to the ground as the barrage ended.

Even so, she still remained somewhat intact, as Sorciera hadn’t infused the attack with lethal intent.

(Sorciera is still holding back, as always. But the one next to her isn’t…!)

Nameless looked up at Zero, who appeared beside Sorciera, and grimaced.

Out of charity, Sorciera could never truly kill Nameless or harm her.

It was all a game of restraint, a farce, in a sense.

But the one next to her was taking that farce seriously.

Zero, covered in blood, laughed.

That blood came from the deep cut she had inflicted on Nameless’s back with intent to kill.

“Act 1.”

Black flames enveloped Nameless’s back, starting to heal the wound.

Soon after, a sharp pain struck her body.

“Who gave you permission to heal?”

“Ahh!”

Before she realized it, Zero was standing over her, stepping on the wound and looking down at her.

With a twisted smile, Zero moved her foot, digging into the wound.

“You’ve mocked my Master quite a bit, haven’t you!? Ahhahahahahaha! I’m the only one who can torment her! I’m the only one who can hurt her and be hurt by her! You have no place in our world! Stay out of it!”

“Ugh… you’re insane!”

“….Hmph, to hear that from you is surprising.”

Now, as if the previous rage was a lie, Zero said this with a blank expression.

Sorciera, observing the scene, sighed and spoke with exasperation.

“Hurry up and let’s go. I’m not interested in anyone who can’t even dance.”

“That’s true, I suppose.”

Zero smiled brightly, detached her feet from Nameless, and began following Sorciera.

Nameless felt an overwhelming sense of relief from the bottom of her heart.

(Saved…! Sorciera’s compassion worked. Sorciera couldn’t bear to witness my death. That’s why I was spared.)

However, this also meant that if Sorciera were unaware…

In a fleeting moment, Zero’s massacre would be possible.

“Faster. I need to heal… Sorry.”

Nameless apologized softly as her body was enveloped in flames.

In front of Nameless’s gaze, the Doctor and the other two were facing off.

The Doctor had been watching the moment Nameless was defeated.

No, the Doctor had been watching from the beginning to the end.

That was all there was to it.

“…I can’t win.”

Analysis was the Doctor’s strong suit.

Therefore, the Doctor had been attempting to exploit the opening in the attacks aimed at Nameless by the two others.

That, in turn, was a grave mistake.

They had no openings at all.

“Well then, next is you. Would you tell me your name?”

“…Doctor, Zero-Two.”

“Not good. I asked for your name.”

“Can’t even give a proper introduction? It seems the dDctor lacks education.”

Blood-soaked Zero smiled.

Her figure instinctively evoked the sensation of death, and the Doctor moved without thinking.

“Divided Death!”

Knowing victory was impossible, the instinct screamed that it had to be done.

There was no logic, no reasoning.

The Doctor was simply afraid of the presence in front of her.

“Still that, huh? The academic world really should try a bit more variety.”

With those words, Zero began to charge.

At the same time, Sorciera fired a blast.

The jade-colored lightning-covered blasts continuously shut down the functions of Divided Death.

As Zero dashed through the falling butterflies, her distorted smile wide, the Doctor frantically summoned Divided Death.

However, in the next moment, seeing its functions fail, the Doctor realized her defeat both rationally and instinctively.

“…Ah.”

“Hahahahahaha! That’s the punishment for describing the Master’s compassion with such a foolish word!”

The giant scythe came down.

A slash aimed straight at her head.

Faced with the approaching pitch-black killing intent—

“Act 4!”

Nameless appeared in front of the Doctor to take the blow.

Then, in quick succession, flames were shot toward Zero.

“Because you’re here! Sorciera fights! You—! If only you—! If only Demonsgear weren’t here!”

“Tch, looks like an injured beast.”

Zero performed a backflip.

The vacant space was immediately pierced by silver gunfire.

The Doctor used Divided Death to absorb magic power, while Nameless set up a defense with flames.

(Sorciera convergence blasts!? When did she…!)

They executed flawless synchronization, turning even the slightest opening into an attack.

This was why the Doctor couldn’t act.

A distorted, yet perfectly fitting, codependent combat form.

Their battle logic, built on each other’s existence, was nearly impossible to break.

(And most terrifying of all—)

The barrage ended, and visibility cleared.

There, standing back-to-back, were Sorciera and Zero.

“Well, it’s about time we close the curtain.”

“The grand finale. You should offer your prayers and thanks to us.”

Sorciera raised her right hand, and Zero raised her left in front of the Doctor and Nameless.

A magic circle began to form.

A spell so advanced that human science could not even begin to analyze it.

A magic that interfered with the very laws of the world.

Immense magical power overflowed throughout the room, causing cracks and creaks throughout.

(This… this is what’s truly terrifying…!)

The Doctor understood after observing.

Why had Nameless been so completely defeated?

Even with perfect teamwork, they were not an easy opponent to defeat.

So what had brought about that defeat?

(Sorciera and Zero’s resonance state! That’s the core of this form! They supply each other with magic power, constantly enhancing each other…!)

It was a magic unique to Sorciera and Zero.

A magic only possible because they were, together, Sorciera.

“Hehe, that look of despair, it’s lovely. So beautiful.”

“Ah, I wanted to see that look of fear. It feels so good.”

Their magic powers devoured, entangled, and merged, sublimating into even greater magical force.

The barrage needed no trigger.

They understood each other without any signal.

“‘Know the brilliance of the twin stars’.”

There was no sound.

First, there was only light, and that alone was all the Doctor could observe.

“This is… the end of my research…”

Before she knew it, the Doctor had spread her arms, trying to absorb the barrage.

Her consciousness connected to the academic world, where other Doctors were still fervently engaged in their discussions.

Speculations and hypotheses varied, but without exception, every Doctor was excited.

“Please, fill us even more, Sorciera!”

Driven by her emotions, the Doctor was about to charge forward when her collar was grabbed.

Looking, she saw Nameless with a desperate expression.

“Are you crazy!? You can’t die! Who will complete the Exgear if you do!? Run, now!”

Using Exgear, Nameless fired both flames and slashes.

Then, as if to deliver the finishing blow, she shot five convergence blasts into the silver light.

(Simultaneous ability use!? This is definitely going to burn out my brain…!)

Sparks flew from the incomplete Exgear, and Nameless herself was wracked with severe headaches and sharp pain throughout her body.

Her desperate final attack, pushing beyond the limit, vanished in the light after a brief moment of balance.

But, it had bought a fleeting instant.

“Grab on!”

Nameless reached her hand toward the Doctor.

As the Doctor took her hand, Nameless activated a teleportation magic circle—

■

“Fuh, they escaped.”

While looking at the large red hole that had melted through the walls, Zero made that declaration.

Sorciera smiled upon hearing her words.

“In the end, we let them escape.”

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You really are such a kind and earnest child… So, what do you say? Shall we have a dance?”

With that, Zero pointed her scythe at Sorciera.

Sorciera sighed and readied her jade-colored scythe, a thin smile on her face.

“Hehe, do you think you can satisfy me?”

Both of them readied their weapons and prepared to charge.

“—Wait!”

Miyume rushed in between them.

Already past the limit of the Mystic Eye of Truth, she was now just an ordinary girl, waving her hands in a flustered manner as she shouted.

“I don’t get why you two are fighting! And why did Sorciera split into two!? Were you twins!?”

Seeing Miyume’s gestures and words, Zero seemed to lose her will to fight and threw her scythe aside.

Then, bored, she opened her mouth.

“How uncouth. Really, because of you, we’ve run out of time.”

“Huh?”

“Well then, Master. Please entertain me again sometime.”

“Sure. If I feel like it.”

Casting a glance at the disappearing Zero, who turned into particles of light, Sorciera casually said just that.

Though cold, Zero seemed to be satisfied until the very end.

“…Ha.”

Miyume slumped down, understanding that it was finally over.

As soon as she realized that, all the strength drained from her body.

Sorciera approached Miyume, patted her head, and smiled.

“Good job. You’re starting to show a better face.”

“…Eh, really?”

Being honestly praised by someone who had fought in such an outlandish way, Miyume felt a mix of awe, gratitude, relief, and various other emotions.

She just smiled wearily and made a peace sign.