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Kyoko returned from the living room of the mansion, bringing a hair clip.
“Princess Marielle, here it is. Please take it.”
“Is it really okay for me to have it…?”
“Yes, it doesn’t seem to fit me very well.”
The clip she brought was a large one with a ribbon. Kyoko brought her hand to the reserved Marielle’s hair.
“Let me put it on. Actually, I’ve always wanted to do this to a younger gi…” As Kyoko spoke…
…Suddenly she was grabbed firmly by the arm by Rukino.
“W-what’s wrong?”
“…I’m sorry. He told me to do this.”
“He…?”
“Exactly!”
The heavy door suddenly opened with a loud noise.
The one who kicked the door violently was Eisuke, who was supposed to have gone to catch the robed woman. Kyoko’s shoulders shook in surprise.
“W-What’s wrong…!?”
“I happened to come to catch the culprit, you damned wretch. I knew you’d bite with the hair clip story. I won’t let you put that thing on Marielle.”
Eisuke pushed Kyoko away from Marielle. Kyoko glared at him.
“W-Why are you doing this so suddenly!? What happened to the woman in the robe!?”
“I don’t give a damn about that fourth-rate scum. You think I’m not going to take the opportunity to fight you when the boss of the robed woman is already here?” Eisuke grinned sadistically.
“W-what are you talking about…!?”
“I’m saying that you’re the real mastermind behind all this, Kyoko, the Hero.”
“What!?” Kyoko blinked unnaturally. But she immediately sighed in disgust. “…Enough of this nonsense. Tell me, what’s the point of this accusation?”
“Yesterday, when you asked Serika about the stuffed animals. You said, “I’m going to ask people for information about this suspicious woman.” But at the time, I said something like, “Suspicious person.” How did you know her gender?”
“…!?” Kyoko’s face contorted slightly at Eisuke’s question, but her eyes immediately became more intense. “Well, that was just a hunch!”
“Yeah, I admit it might have been a hunch. That’s why I didn’t say anything about it. But you were able to see all the witches, weren’t you?”
Kyoko gulped. Eisuke held up his index finger.
“The way to activate the brainwashing magic is by touching the target directly or… using a wand or a magic stone. These are the two ways. But when Serika was brainwashed, nothing significant touched her body. So, after all, the brainwashing on the witches could only be brainwashing magic activated by means of a magic stone that had been loaded with magic beforehand.”
“But, no magic stone was found at that time…!”
“Could it be because you take it away?”
Kyoko stiffened at Eisuke’s abrupt question.
“Those stuffed animals were the ones with the magic stones, weren’t they?”
Kyoko choked at Eisuke’s accusations.
“They say silence gives consent, don’t they? I was puzzled. I was wondering why you took such a dangerous thing that could lead you to be manipulated and took it home instead of burning it right there.”
“…B-But! No other woman who became a witch had anything like that! Don’t you remember!?”
“No, they didn’t, did they? Because you took them from them.”
Eisuke pulled Kyoko back even further.
“You always use that “flame formation” that covers the perimeter with a high wall of flames when you fight, don’t you? You say it’s to keep the citizens out, but… it’s to retrieve the magic stone that’s attached to the witch so that no one can see you, right?”
That wall of flames was high enough to hide Eisuke. It should be easy to secretly retrieve the magic stones that the women carried after they became witches were defeated.
“You’re wrong! Everything you say is speculation! If you’re so sure, show me the proof!”
“The proof is in your hand!” Eisuke pointed to the ribbon hair clip in Kyoko’s hand. “If I find a magic stone in that ribbon, you won’t have any more excuses, will you?”
“It can’t be…!”
“I saw through all your plans. You’re going to turn Marielle into a witch before we leave here, and then you’re going to get rid of her under the pretext that it’s for the good of the town. That was the plan, wasn’t it?”
Marielle’s face contorted. Kyoko bit her lip and leapt forward to retort.
“I bought this ribbon in this town! Of course there’s a chance it might contain a magic stone!”
“I see, so you’re going to admit there’s a magic stone in it. Hmm, good way to cover yourself…” Eisuke was impressed with her answers. But he snorted and urged her to continue. “Then take the magic stone out of that ribbon.”
“What!?”
“We’ll know when we see it. You are the only possible mastermind.”
At Eisuke’s provocation, Kyoko reluctantly opened the ribbon. …From it, a crystal-like stone rolled out. …It was a magic stone.
“T-This magic stone. What is this…!?”
Kyoko exclaimed. Eisuke laughed, but stifled the laughter soon after.
“Kuku, hahaha! You mean you were literally holding your heart in your hand?”
The magic stone had a… heart mark engraved on it.
“Didn’t you notice? That big little girl put a heart mark on the stuffed animal’s eye. That’s the stuffed animal you took from Serika yesterday.”
Kyoko’s face turned pale.
“You said magic stones were expensive. If you’re collecting magic stones, what would you do with them… I’d rather reuse them. But what a coincidence. What do you think?”
Eisuke looked at her smugly, and Kyoko lowered her head in frustration. This attitude was the best proof that she was the guilty one. Seeing this, Marielle stood puzzled next to Eisuke.
“B-But why…? Why go to the trouble of manipulating someone with a tool and then defeating them yourself…?”
“Because she wants to be on the side of justice.”
“What do you mean…?”
“To exercise power and earn appreciation and respect, you must have enemies, don’t you? She made her own enemies and pretended to be on the side of justice.”
“B-But that’s…!”
Marielle’s face twisted in disappointment. Kyoko, the Hero… she wasn’t an ally of justice or anything. She was a mock Hero who created a fake enemy and defeated it herself. That was her true identity.
“Aah, I’ve been found out.” When she looked up, Kyoko was no longer smiling a dignified and righteous smile… she was smiling a twisted, creepy and bewitching smile. “And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids! …So, you know what will happen now, don’t you?” Kyoko unsheathed her greatsword with a jerk and…
Zuba!!!
Her sword unleashed a slash against the wall of the building. It created a large hole in it, which she cut in a criss-cross pattern. From there, Kyoko stepped outside into the large garden. …A flow of the situation that invited the battlefield. Eisuke laughed and jumped in as well, oblivious to her unusual murderous intent.
“Yeah, you’re going to kill all the witnesses, aren’t you? This is too promising and funny.”
“You won’t be able to laugh for long. I am justice itself. …And justice will prevail.”
“What justice are you talking about, you clown? You’re just a villain. Well, I don’t care as long as I can fight you.” Eisuke turned his displeasure into a smile and turned his arms slightly to brace himself. And finally, with icy, steely, boiling, angry eyes, he looked at Kyoko. “…But Serika and Marielle are my precious friends. I don’t like them being put in danger. I’m not going to make it easy for you, so get ready, b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲.”
Eisuke and Kyoko’s gazes met and sparks flew. Kyoko’s eyes narrowed tightly and she pointed the tip of her sword skyward. At that wild moment, with a Goo! on the blade of the sword, a red flame burst forth.
“I’ll finish you off with one blow!”
As Kyoko shouted this, two fiery lumps of flame were summoned into the darkening sky. It was as if they were micrometeors. If they hit correctly, Eisuke and the others would become scorched earth.
“Eat them!”
In response to Kyoko’s command, the mass of flames flew towards Eisuke.
“Ha, so finish me off in one fell swoop! I won’t let you do something so boring! Ka!!” Eisuke sneered. He crossed his arms on the spot and swung them. With a wave of his arms, he created a blast of air, which erased the flaming mass without a trace.
“…What?” Kyoko raised her voice. She looked closely at the scene before her. But no matter how many times she saw it, the fact that it happened remained immovable. With a wave of his arm, Eisuke had extinguished a meteoric mass of flames, as if he had blown out a candle with the air in his hand. Eisuke smirked.
“Damn… So, how about this!”
Kyoko lowered the still burning tip of her sword at an angle. As Eisuke watched cautiously, red sparks danced beneath his vision.
“You don’t say!?” Eisuke quickly spun on his heels and jumped back…
“Huh!?”
He held Marielle, who was behind him, in his arms, and jumped to throw her diagonally upwards. Almost at the same time.
Gooooooh!!
A column of flames rose vigorously from the footsteps where Eisuke and Marielle had just been.
“That was close…!”
Kyoko swung her sword even harder at Eisuke, who was holding Marielle by the waist.
“Burn to the bone!”
“Kyaaaah!”
Numerous columns of flames chased Eisuke and Marielle. With Marielle in his arms, Eisuke acrobatically dodged them with his superhuman physical abilities. Marielle’s eyes were dazzled by the intense sensation of floating as she was swept away by Eisuke’s inexhaustible dodges.
“M-My laaaaaady! Are you all right!?”
“You should be worried about me! I’m the one who protects her and avoids the flames!”
“Ugh, bwah…! I-I don’t feel so good…!”
“Hey, don’t throw up in my arms, Marielle!” Eisuke jumped high and landed on the wall of the building. He took another spring-like leap and charged at Kyoko. “Now it’s my turn!!” Eisuke extended his free right leg and charged at Kyoko.
…With a “Suka”, Eisuke’s leg ended up kicking the sky. The wind created by his strong legs blew downward, and Kyoko’s figure vanished.
“Was it an illusion…!?”
“No, it’s a residue of heat.”
Kyoko’s voice came from behind Eisuke. He turned around as fast as he could; a slash of flame was coming at him at close range. Marielle screamed and closed her eyes.
“Kyaah!?”
“God… dammit!” Almost by reflex, Eisuke kicked his opposite leg towards the slash. The ridiculous strength of Eisuke’s leg erased the fiery slash the moment it exploded. However, Eisuke lost his balance from the recoil and fell backwards with Marielle clutching at his chest. “Guha…! F̲u̲c̲k̲, you’ve got to be kidding me…!”
Eisuke clicked his tongue and dodged only by ducking. It seemed that Kyoko’s ability to manipulate flames could even manipulate heat waves to create residual heat images. The air Kyoko emanated glowed with heat around her, and afterimages of her with her sword in her hand appeared all over the place. More than fifty Kyokos were laughing at the same time, not just ten or twenty.
“Your power is indeed tremendous, but any attack is meaningless if it doesn’t hit, right? It’s like the two of us trying to see who will be hit first, isn’t it?”
Eisuke looked at Kyoko, whose mouth was twisted in a bewitching manner, with a stern expression on his face. He placed a hand on Marielle’s shoulder and pulled her back.
“Marielle, this way you won’t be in danger.”
“What…?”
Marielle recoiled at Eisuke’s words. All the residual kyoko held their swords diagonally backward. A tornado of flames engulfed the bodies of their swords.
“Take this!”
And all of them at once unleashed a slash of flame. The sickle-shaped slash of flame struck Eisuke like a monster’s claw. Eisuke looked at it coldly.
He stretched out his arms and stopped defending himself.
“What…!?”
In front of Marielle’s eyes, speechless…
Goooooo!
A searing burst of flames engulfed Eisuke’s entire body.
“M-Mister Eisuke!”
Marielle shouted as the storm of flames spread like a tower. Kyoko scoffed.
“Hahaha, I was wondering what you were going to do, but I didn’t expect you to give up! Well, it was for the best! My flames of judgment will surely consume evil! These flames are my justice! You will be consumed along with your sins!” Kyoko’s cynical laugh echoed through the flames…
“…That’s too much, isn’t it? So, who was going to burn?”
“…What the…!?”
The swirling flames were extinguished with an explosion of even greater force. Kyoko looked up in surprise at that moment.
“What…!? How are you… alive…!?”
Eisuke’s whole body was on fire.
Eisuke’s black silhouette, burning in the lotus-red flames, approached her easily, who was reflexively backing away. Eisuke smiled through the flames.
“I’m not going to burn to death just because I’m surrounded by flames. My training has already brought me to the brink of death.”
Eisuke’s steel body, immovable even against a sword, was able to withstand the extreme heat of the flames with ease, just like heat-resistant glass. The pain of the burns did not appeal to his sense of pain at all; on the contrary, the flames burned into Eisuke’s arms and legs, becoming a part of him.
“The game was to see who would be the first to fall. I will not lose, even if I am consumed by your flames. If you play too much with fire, I’ll show you the horror of its burns myself!”
Eisuke ran towards Kyoko, still engulfed in flames. She clicked her tongue and ran out to face him as well. At the same time, the other residual Kyokos ran past like obedient soldiers and attacked Eisuke at the same time. A moment later they were about to swing their swords above Eisuke’s head.
“It’s useless for you to use clones! They can all go to hell!”
Eisuke swung his left arm in a wide side slash.
Goooooooo!
The burst of force from Eisuke’s arm and the flames clinging to it mingled, creating a torrent of explosive flames. Swept away by the scorching storm, all the residual images were extinguished.
“Impossible…!”
“Let’s gooooo!”
Without pause, Eisuke’s flame-covered kick triggered a fierce clash with Kyoko’s sword. The flames collided with each other, and the heat from the flames was released with the pressure of the sword.
“Tsk… don’t underestimate me!”
Kyoko released a torrent of fire from the palm of her left hand, which was not holding the sword. The flames reached up to Eisuke’s cheek, who shook his head and ducked, causing the ends of his hair to fly into dust.
“Ha, that’s nothing!”
Eisuke didn’t flinch, and immediately threw a right to Kyoko’s chest. A painful blow, engulfed in flames. Kyoko was thrown backwards by the heat and impact of the blow.
“Guhaa…?!” Kyoko rolled on the ground. Somehow, using her sword as a support, she managed to get back up… but….
Eisuke was already running toward her at full speed. On his leg, a red flame burned to illuminate the evening darkness. It was… even bigger than when she received his most powerful flame attack.
“I-It can’t be possible…!”
…Eisuke’s right leg scraped furiously against the ground, creating a friction that made the flame burn even hotter. It grew so big that it could engulf Eisuke, and it violently soared towards the heavens to consume its enemies.
“Justice is only ego when you call yourself its ally! Don’t drag my companions into your foul delirium!”
Eisuke said sharply and jumped up. He planted his leg straight at her and pushed with all his might. Like a dragon, the flames swirled and bared their fangs at Kyoko. The dragon’s roar was shouted instead by Eisuke, who of course meant it. His throat quivered and he roared.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
Eisuke’s flaming kick exploded into her torso.
Kyoko flew out, scorched by the flames, and crashed into the wall of her mansion; all the debris engulfed in flames. A red glow burned in her retinas. Eisuke flipped over and landed on the spot. He shook his leg to put out the remaining fire with wind, then just said:
“Judgment flames, right? If so, you’re the sinner who should be burned first.”