119 – 119. Cycle of Reincarnation.
With a thud, a red stream of blood flowed from the man’s pure white form.
The large wound across his chest was undeniably fatal to anyone who beheld it.
Ichimaru Shiki looked down at his own wound with an expressionless face.
“Did you not think it was too easy?”
As Makina’s scattered half crumbled like ashes on the ground, her voice echoed.
It was too clear and composed to be a final testament, overflowing with composure.
From behind the remnants of the holy seat, the woman walked out.
The woman who still retained her radiance, Deux Makina, with a perplexing smile.
“You can’t expect to create a divine avatar once and fail to do so twice.”
Though his magical power had waned, the monstrous being akin to a calamity continued to close in slowly.
“I knew you weren’t to be underestimated. After all, you are the first human to have ever killed my avatar. I anticipated the day you would become my equal, but I never expected you to reach that level so soon.”
With a sharp gaze, Deux Makina stared at the man with eyes like those of a predator.
“I was delighted. Knowing that my only confidant, the one who understands that this damned world is a lie, treads the same heavens as I do was truly exhilarating. It brought a sense of liberation, enough for me to believe that I could understand you, at least in part.”
Step by step, closing the distance until he was right before the man, Makina sneered.
“However, it wasn’t so. Your audacity to try to kill me filled me with resentment, and I couldn’t bear the sight of you still trying to escape my embrace, so much so that my anger surged uncontrollably.”
The god standing before him now gazed into the man’s emerald eyes.
“Realizing a fact I couldn’t bear, I, too, became impatient. Why did you choose that woman? Why did you, who share my perspective, care for the world instead of me? My feelings towards you, the incomprehensible you, led me to a pitiful state of despair.”
Deux Makina intoned,
“Upon reaching that point, a thought suddenly occurred to me. If I cannot possess you, then I must kill you with my own hands.”
At her words, Ichimaru Shiki reached out towards his chest wound with a wry smile.
“I don’t quite fancy things getting that hardcore.”
“Your will is futile at this point. Your death has become inevitable.”
Conventional magic is composed of incantations, magic power, and the will of the sorcerer.
By adding a spell, the power increases, and by adding a restriction, it gains more functions than intended.
“Spatial Severance. You must have thought I would restrict my ability just as you did, seeing that I didn’t stop. That’s partially true. I did think the same as you.”
With a composed expression, Makina reached out into the air.
“Since you are the only one who can kill me, you can use me for a while. Furthermore, I have sacrificed all my kin as well.”
Taang, as her finger flicked through the air, dozens of scars appeared on the writhing body of Ichimaru Shiki.
The flow of blood that was barely stopped by her hand spread into the air.
“Did you really think that the equality imposed as a constraint would last until the end?”
Makina raised her head slowly as she watched the man collapsing in the violet haze.
“What a big mistake. We fell far short. It’s truly sad how foolishness prevails instead of understanding each other throughout life.”
Even as she spoke, the air around her seemed to sink.
The gaze upon the fragmented man’s corpse was filled with a sense of awkwardness and regret.
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“A fitting end for a fool frolicking among humans.”
Taking a short breath, Deuce Makina lowered her head and turned away.
The foundation she had built up had crumbled, so she needed to rebuild it.
As she pondered her future plans, a familiar presence suddenly felt.
“…!”
It was right behind her.
“Since when have you been standing above me, harboring such a foolish ‘misconception’?”
When Makina turned her head, Ichimaru Shiki, who should have been horrifically fragmented into pieces, was alive and well, breathing.
Deuce Makina frowned and muttered.
“…This can’t be real.”
“What exactly is it that doesn’t make sense?”
The man smiled mischievously.
“You can easily come back from this extent too, can’t you? Since we are equals?”
It wasn’t about that.
Being the one who controlled space, it was possible for her to easily heal a mere avatar sent down to the surface.
Even if she had reached the level of a god, recovering from being torn apart by another’s power was not easy.
It was almost impossible.
Not even a sign of recovery was visible, yet resurrection occurred in an instant.
“…How much have you truly given up?”
Ichimaru Shiki reached out his hand into the air.
“Everything I can sacrifice.”
Whoosh─! A mix of blue and red flames rose behind him.
Within, a white sword was gripped tightly.
Byakuyasha, Ichimaru Shiki gazed at the woman before him and uttered.
“Unfold.”
The narrowing of the distance was in an instant.
“Eternal Petrification.”
Makina stared fiercely at the man.
…Has time stopped now? The speed was so fast that it seemed like that, but her senses still defended her abilities, shouting.
No matter how high she ascended to godhood, there were always limits to her magical reserves.
Seemingly relying on the expenditure of both physical and magical strength, it appeared as if he was counting on her complacency.
“Do you dare to challenge me?!”
Makina swiftly unleashed a spatial devastation while quickly wielding her sword to parry.
Clang! Only one man blocked the devastation.
Once again, Ichimaru Shiki’s arm was severed, and blood began to flow in the air.
“Reversal.”
The man continued to smile.
“Endless Cycle.”
In an instant, Ichimaru Shiki’s body was restored, and his sword flew towards Makina’s neck.
Swoosh! This time, Makina’s eyes widened in shock as her head was severed.
Even as her head fell to the ground, she couldn’t comprehend the current situation.
“Is this how I die?”
With that question in mind, she closed her eyes, feeling life force surging from Makina’s body once again.
Unable to understand what was happening, Makina opened her eyes in astonishment.
There stood Ichimaru Shiki, perfectly unscathed.
“I tend to be quite fearful.”
The man with crimson eyes chuckled as he circled around her.
“If you were the type to let your guard down, and if I had been overwhelmingly strong, there would have been no need for such measures. But you knew of my strength from the start.”
Ichimaru Shiki struck the air.
Memories of the past were overlaid on the rippling surface by the waves of magic.
It was a showdown.
In a state where their powers were evenly matched, they clashed with all their might.
For a monster that had lived for thousands of years, the power it had stored was boundless, overflowing with sacrifices.
It was a formidable monster to contend with by those attempting to fight by reasoning.
Hence, they were defeated.
Before dying, the man sacrificed his life to initiate consciousness, and time rewound, bringing him back.
Turning back the time of the entire world was impossible through sheer power alone, so the original owner perished, and he became possessed in his place.
“How can I defeat you? How can I ensure victory in a decisive moment? I pondered endlessly and found some answers.”
Great determination and adaptability.
If given enough time and opportunities to correct errors, victory is possible.
At the very least, he would not be defeated.
Confidently, he intertwined his magic with the boundary interfering with the world in this space.
Since he alone couldn’t experience the benefits of the magic, he added further constraints.
“Endless Cycle. It doesn’t reverse the world’s time. It only confines our bodies and souls in a specific space, endlessly cycling.”
The targets were only Ichimaru Shiki and Deus Makina.
With each death, their powers diminished slightly, and even if one were to die quickly, the magic binding them in this space would last for at least a hundred years.
Unable to bring anything in and left to rot in a desolate state, perhaps they would have to live alone for hundreds of years.
“Even if it’s a hundred years, couldn’t a weakened you, even as foolish as Kenichi, be caught? Perhaps everyone will have their turn after enjoying their fates.”
With that, Ichimaru Shiki smiled and the world flickered for a moment.
Talking about the constraints, the means to complete the magic.
Truly, as he said, it had come to a point where for decades, or even centuries, they would swing their swords together.
Leaning his sword casually against my shoulder, I stared at the man with silver eyes, while Deus Makina, his face contorted, focused his mind.
“He’s insane.”
Having completed all the sword techniques, Ichimaru Shiki seemed to have no intention of talking to her anymore. Without a word, he simply aimed his sword.
Seeing him, Deus Makina smirked twistedly and muttered.
“So, you like it more this way.”
At that moment, the brightness of the sword held by Makina was dazzling enough to rival the sun’s radiance.
Having understood everything, she had no intention of holding back her strength.
The woman who poured all her power swung her sword at the man rushing towards her.
“As expected, you are my true understanding!”
With that shout, Deus Makina’s sword pierced the man’s heart.
It was truly a fight to the death.
The fierce woman, in turn, swung her sword to bisect the man’s torso.
***
“Hoo…”
The breath pulled up from her lungs met the cold air and dissipated.
Sawamura Sento, wrapped in winter clothes, blinked her eyes at the snowflakes falling gently from the white sky.
Seems like we won’t be seeing the first snow together this year either.
Exhaling deeply, she quickly passed through the bustling streets, mentioning Christmas.
Two years had passed since her beloved Ichimaru Shiki disappeared.