The anomaly did not escape Zero’s notice.

“――Partner?”

A mere instant.

But it was undeniable—her contractor, her other half, had died.

The flow of magic had ceased, and though it resumed in less than a second, the disturbance was unmistakable.

“Is the angel’s toxin corroding her body faster than expected…? I treated her before leaving, so she should revive within ten seconds even if she dies, but…”

The angel’s virus was composed of unknown substances and principles, unlike anything in this world.

What was colloquially called a “virus” was closer to a curse in nature.

Kei dying once or twice from the toxin was well within Zero’s expectations.

She had already woven multiple safeguards to ensure her survival, leaving no room for oversight.

Yes, there was nothing to worry about.

All that remained was to kill the angel.

“――And yet.”

Zero tilted her head.

At that moment, a bullet grazed past her, singeing a few strands of her hair as it whizzed by.

Slowly, she turned around.

Bathed in the morning sun, her face—which should have been beautiful—seemed strangely distorted.

The third floor of a certain building.

One of the countless underground factions lurking within the academy city.

Though not as formidable as the Silver Twilight, this organization had once boasted enough influence to warrant the Board’s vigilance.

Yet now, it lay in ruins.

“W-what the hell are you…! A damn bloodhound!?”

Zero paid no attention to the man aiming his gun at her, lost in thought as she stepped over the corpses littering the floor.

Even as she approached the sole survivor, her gaze never truly focused on him.

“Every precaution was taken. Every calculation was flawless. I even accounted for her being nursed back to health—she’s that kind of girl, after all. I knew everything.”

“W-what the hell are you babbling about!?”

Zero didn’t answer.

This dialogue was never meant for him—it was a monologue.

“――And yet!!”

Emotion, unrestrained, surged forth alongside her magic.

A quantity and quality of mana that should never have been unleashed in the heart of the city.

Only then did the man remember.

What she was called.

“Y-you’re Sorciera…!”

He had heard the rumors.

The name of the silver reaper whispered among the underworld factions.

An S-rank who belonged to no one, standing alone in her arrogance.

A monster who had openly opposed the Silver Twilight and even slaughtered the Professor, displaying power beyond comprehension.

Some said she was involved in the death of the Progenitor and the disappearance of the Scholar.

To organizations like his, she was nothing but a nuisance.

Yet no matter how hard they tried to erase her, they couldn’t even grasp her shadow, let alone her existence.

A folly akin to grasping the stars themselves.

A being so elusive that calling her a phantom would have been easier to accept.

And now, she stood before him.

“I’m surprised, you know.”

Zero still didn’t acknowledge his words.

She merely dragged her scythe along as she closed the distance between them.

“I never imagined I’d be swayed by something as trivial as emotion. To think I’d be shaken by my partner’s death. To feel anger…! And above all, to grieve…! Ugh!”

“Eeek!? S-stay back!”

The trigger was pulled again and again.

The bullets, procured through special channels from Zilnius Academy, were capable of felling even a C-rank Dungeon Lord.

But against Zero, they meant nothing.

“When she died, I felt regret…! I was afraid—what if she didn’t come back? Even though I knew the answer was absolute! Ahh, I want to return to her right now. To hold her, to pour all my love into her. She could die at any moment! I need to prove this love!”

“W-w-what the hell’s wrong with you!?”

“…But you see. There’s something I have to do first. This isn’t something I can leave to my little sisters. You understand, don’t you?”

For the first time, the man met Zero’s gaze.

Her beautiful eyes were so deep they threatened to swallow him whole—and it took no time at all to realize they were pure darkness.

The girl before him was brimming with madness.

He understood that, but it was already too late to do anything.

Hundreds of members had been slaughtered, and for no reason other than “they were in the way,” their remains had been disassembled and turned into grotesque ornaments plastered across the walls and floor.

Even the organization’s leader lay discarded on the ground, bisected at the waist.

“I won’t be satisfied until I kill the angel myself. It seems I’m angrier than I thought. Hahaha, so this is rage… How fascinating.”

With that, Zero conjured chains.

They coiled around the man’s neck before he could react, hoisting him into the air.

“G-gack!”

“Now, let’s gather some information. Behave, or you’ll die messily.”

With a flawless face and a sweet voice, Zero offered death as an alternative.

The man flailed desperately, struggling to respond.

“Hahaha, then let’s hear what you know about the angel.”

The man opened his mouth to answer.

But his constricted throat refused to let sound escape.

“G-giiih, aah…”

Watching him struggle to form words, Zero extended a hand, her gaze almost pitying.

Then, she pressed her fingertip against his forehead.

“!?”

Instantly, the man felt as though sparks had erupted inside his skull.

At the same time, an uncanny sensation washed over him—as if someone was rifling through his every thought.

By the time he realized it wasn’t an illusion, his brain had already been scorched to nothing.

“――I see. That’s enough to go on. So, they’ve teamed up with humans. How far the angels have fallen.”

With a glance at the now-brainless corpse, Zero dismissed the chains.

The body hit the ground with a dull thud, but Zero paid it no mind.

After all, it was neither someone her beloved girl knew nor a beautiful girl herself.

“Now then, let’s hunt based on this information. While I’m still feeling rational.”

With a smile so enchanting it could steal one’s breath, Zero vanished from the spot.

■

At the same time, Terukami Mizuhi was supposed to be carrying out her mission alongside Tatari—but that wasn’t happening.

“…You’re still eating?”

“Yes, eating makes me hungry, so—”

Tatari answered cheerfully, her shadow splitting into countless serpentine tendrils, each holding a different snack.

“Fried chicken, pork cutlet, fried dumplings… Hehehe, lots of fried food today. Want some?”

“No, I’ll pass. Just watching is enough to fill me up.”

“You’re a light eater, huh?”

“I’d say I’m normal…”

The two had ventured into the city to search for the angel, but their progress was anything but smooth.

The reason, of course, was the glutton beside her.

“Since it’s school hours, we’re more likely to encounter students who’ve gone berserk, right?”

“Yep! They apparently snap suddenly, so I wanted to go where there are lots of people!”

“That much I understand. That’s why we’ve been searching crowded areas in the central district. But… watching you, it just looks like you wanted breakfast.”

“Really?”

Tatari tilted her head.

Just then, someone called out to her.

“Um, excuse me!”

“Hm? Need something from me?”

The voice belonged to a female student, who approached Tatari with visible excitement.

“Y-you’re Tatari-sama, right!? I-I’m a huge fan! H-here, please take this!”

“Wow, really!? Are you sure!?”

With a radiant smile, Tatari accepted the sweet bread offered to her.

Then, she immediately tore open the packaging and took a bite.

Two seconds later, it was gone.

“No matter how many times I see it, I can’t wrap my head around how fast you eat…”

As Mizuhi stared in disbelief, Tatari clasped her hands together and bowed to the girl.

“It was delicious! Thank you!”

“Y-yes! Keep up the good work!”

“Hehehe, I’ll do my best. …Oh, I should return the favor!”

With that, one of the shadows at Tatari’s feet rose up and manifested before the girl.

“Huh?”

The girl let out a confused sound.

But before she could even question what was happening—

“Thanks for the meal~”

The shadow swallowed her whole.

It looked like a snake devouring its prey in one gulp, and Mizuhi hastily turned to Tatari.

“Hey! What are you doing!? You can’t just eat your fans!”

“Don’t worry~ I don’t usually eat living humans, you know?”

“Did you forget you tried to eat me…?”

Tatari responded with nothing but a smile.

The shadow that had swallowed the girl regurgitated her less than ten seconds later.

“Eep!”

“Whoops, you okay?”

“Y-yes…”

Tatari caught the girl as she tumbled out, then nodded in satisfaction before stepping back.

Mizuhi rushed over immediately.

“Are you alright!? If you’re hurt, I’ll incinerate it right away!”

“I—I got eaten by Tatari-sama!”

“…Huh?”

Mizuhi blinked at the girl’s ecstatic shriek.

“I’ve been a Tatari-sama fan for five years… I never thought this day would come! Ah, I love you…”

The girl plopped down on the spot, dazed.

Mizuhi finally understood.

“This is… the limit break.”

Knowledge granted to her by Kei.

“Feeling better now?”

“Yes, thank you so much!”

As Tatari and the girl exchanged words, Mizuhi tilted her head.

Noticing her confusion, Tatari smiled brightly.

“I can eat curses and illnesses from dungeons, you see. So sometimes, I help by eating them. Right?”

“Yeah! …But that’s weird. I haven’t been in any dungeons lately.”

Tatari giggled as the girl tilted her head in confusion.

“Alright, let’s get going~”

Leaving the dazed girl behind, Tatari resumed walking.

Mizuhi hurried after her.

“Was it really okay to leave her like that? She still seemed a little out of it.”

“Some people get like that after I eat them~”

“You do this often…?”

Tatari nodded at Mizuhi’s question.

“They’re delicious, you know? Want to try next time?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Too bad~”

As she spoke, Tatari began eating the takoyaki one of her shadows had procured.

Yet her feet never stopped moving.

“Where are we going?”

“To the angel~”

“You already know where it is!?”

Tatari popped a takoyaki ball into her mouth and nodded.

“When did you—… I thought you were just having a long breakfast.”

“Hehehe~ I was actually scouting for people infected by the angel. The smartphone the Board had was stale and tasteless by now. I wanted something fresher, juicier to go on.”

“Since when do clues have a ‘juicy’ quality…? I see.”

Another piece of dubious knowledge took root in Mizuhi’s mind.

“That girl was about to go berserk soon. That’s why she was ripe and delicious~ The best time to eat infected people is right before they snap. Good to know!”

This time, she bit into a taiyaki.

“My nose is really sensitive to delicious smells, you see~”

This was a unique sensory ability only Tatari possessed—something no ordinary human had.

Her power to track the traces and “scents” of her prey was a byproduct of her monstrous nature.

Though she called it a “scent,” it was closer to mana perception in essence.

While inferior to Demonsgear, her detection abilities were among the finest even among S-ranks.

“Hehehe, I might finally get to eat an angel~”

“No, we were told to retrieve it, not eat it. Don’t you dare.”

“…Are you a stickler like Rokuhara?”

Tatari puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.

After a moment of thought, Mizuhi relented slightly.

“Fine, you can’t eat the whole thing. But you can take a bite off the edge.”

“You’re flexible~ I like that!”

Watching Tatari’s smile return, Mizuhi came to a realization.

(I see. She’s basically the same as Toa in terms of handling.)

Of course, that wasn’t true at all—but Mizuhi nodded to herself, satisfied with her conclusion.