"...You... came... back? Sho...gun..."
"Mm... What happened to you? What occurred?"
She hurriedly pulled the girl into her arms, pressing her cheek against the other's icy face with aching tenderness. The instant she touched her, she realized just how abnormally cold her entire body was.
"...Are you very cold?"
She drew back slightly, gazing at the pale face so close to her own, concern filling her eyes.
"Cough... mm... a little..."
Pandora narrowed her eyes, barely able to keep them open, and nodded weakly. Even so, she did not reveal any overt expression of pain, which only made the Shogun's heart ache more.
"!"
Without hesitation, she slid one arm beneath the girl's knees and lifted her in a princess carry. The girl's weight was shockingly light. She quickly carried her into a nearby house within the village, laid her on the bed, covered her with blankets, and lit an oil lamp, hanging it by the bedside to warm her body.
Pandora leaned against the headboard, curling up with her knees drawn to her chest as before. With the help of the oil lamp, she seemed slightly better, but her complexion remained terribly pale.
"...What happened? How did you end up like this?"
She sat gently at the edge of the bed, raising her hand to cup Pandora's cheek, her thumb unconsciously brushing along the girl's skin.
"It was... the Great Rabbit."
Pandora narrowed her eyes, savoring the fleeting warmth of that touch for a few seconds before softly answering.
"...What?"
"The Great Rabbit... one of the three great mabeasts created by the Witch of Gluttony. They attacked the village. They attacked the Sanctuary..."
Sensing Pandora's breath growing weaker, the Shogun moved closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and letting her lean against her chest.
"They?"
"Mm... The Great Rabbit moves in swarms. When they reached the Sanctuary, there were several thousand of them."
Pandora obediently buried her face in the softness of her chest, speaking in a frail voice.
"...Why did they come?"
"They are easily drawn to magic power. The greater the magic power, the more eagerly they gather..."
As Pandora explained, the Shogun's brows furrowed deeper.
"Why is it snowing?"
She asked.
"This... isn't ordinary snow. It was formed by a massive concentration of magic power... a magical phenomenon. The Great Rabbit was likely drawn to it."
Pandora slowly shifted her gaze toward the heavy snowfall outside the window.
"Who did this?"
Her voice had grown unbearably cold.
"..."
Pandora shook her head.
"...I don't know. I'm sorry... Shogun..."
She apologized softly, like a small kitten.
"It's fine... You don't need to apologize."
She gently stroked Pandora's hair in reassurance.
"That child and the others... I... transferred them to the ruins. If you go there, you'll find them."
"Mm. I saw them... Was that all your doing?"
She asked warmly.
"..."
Pandora nodded lightly, her hair brushing against the Shogun's clothing with a faint rustle of fabric.
"...Shall I carry you back?"
She lowered her head and asked the girl in her arms.
"..."
But Pandora refused.
"Why?"
"I'm sorry... It seems... I can't go back anymore."
She said it with a faint, pitying smile.
"...?"
The Shogun froze for a moment. Then, without words, she sought clarification with her eyes—only to see Pandora's body gradually turning transparent. Not just transparent, but slowly fading away.
"You... how..."
For once, she truly did not know what to do.
"My authority is limited... When the Great Rabbit attacked, all I could do was barely transfer the others. The ruins have a barrier against danger, so it was the safest place. But... under their assault, even the barrier couldn't hold for long. So... I thought... I would let them eat their fill."
"...Eat their fill? How?"
Her voice began to tremble.
"..."
Pandora silently opened the fist she had been clenching all along, revealing the shattered remnants of a blue crystal—broken beyond recognition, reduced to fragments. It had once been her life-saving source of magic power, something the two of them had obtained together. Now it was nothing but debris.
"You didn't... feed that to—"
"Mm. It was purer and denser than the magic power that lured them here. It was enough to override the original source. Once they've eaten their fill, they leave obediently. They won't attack anyone again."
Pandora smiled weakly.
"How can you still smile at a time like this? You're practically—"
Seeing that familiar calm smile, a rare flicker of anger rose in the Shogun's heart.
"Because... perhaps this is the only redemption someone as sinful as I can offer."
She had never claimed to be innocent. She was also a part of "Pandora"—the same existence. She was not blameless. On the contrary... she bore sin. Even if everything had been done by her other half, as that other half's counterpart, perhaps she too should repay those sins. Maybe that was the true meaning of the Witch of Vainglory.
Once, "she" had destroyed that child's family. Now, in exchange for her own life, she had preserved that child and everyone else's. It was a meager redemption.
"You... look like you're about to die. Don't scare me! Aren't you supposed to be unable to die? Haven't you always come back to cling to me after dying? Isn't that how it's always been?"
She held Pandora tightly, complaining with a faint hint of coquettish grievance.
"...I'm sorry... This time... it's a little... different..."
Pandora spoke weakly against her warm embrace.
"..."
The Shogun pressed her lips together, a faint anger in her expression as she looked down at Pandora.
"...Shogun, may I?"
Perhaps because her body had warmed slightly, Pandora's tone returned to its usual calmness. There was no fear or anxiety about her impending disappearance. Instead, there was a trace of relief. She lifted her hand toward the Shogun's forehead, softly asking for permission.
"...You may."
The Shogun looked at the pale fingertips hovering before her, warmth flickering in her eyes. She nodded gently, allowing Pandora's fingers to touch her forehead.
"..."
Pandora slowly closed her eyes. Several seconds later, she opened them again—and this time, something in her gaze had changed. There was a deeper familiarity. A more tender affection.
"Why did you hide it from me? Don't you think it's a little unfair to this loop's me? Hehe... How sly of you, Shogun."
Pandora caressed her cheek. A faint mist shimmered in her eyes, yet her smile was as gentle as water.
"I'm sorry... I hadn't had the chance... I meant to tell you later..."
"It's fine. Now I know. But next time, you must tell 'me' immediately, alright? Otherwise... even I would get angry with you."
Pandora shook her head lightly.
"!"
The Shogun bit her lip and summoned Musou Isshin, intending to try channeling power into her. Even if it was elemental energy, it should still work. She could not simply watch Pandora leave her. Perhaps influenced by Ei, she could not bear to lose someone close to her. Never again.
But—
Pandora stopped her in the next instant, grasping her hand.
"What are you doing? I might be able to save you."
She asked in dissatisfaction.
"You can't... I know my condition. You must not waste your precious power on someone like this."
Pandora answered weakly.
"Let go."
She said coldly.
Pandora shook her head.
"If you still acknowledge me as your younger sister, then let go."
She knew the words were unfair, but she no longer cared.
"I'm sorry... Please allow Pandora to be selfish for once. Leave your regrets for me... to the next 'me.'"
Hummm—
Her body had already faded by half. Her lower body was gone, like starlight erased from existence.
"Then what about you now? Are you truly willing... to give up?"
"Mm... If my disappearance now allows the next me to feel your warmth, then I'm willing."
Pandora smiled, without a trace of unwillingness—only happiness.
"You... truly are a witch. Your way of thinking is so strange."
The Shogun puffed her cheeks, complaining softly.
"Hehe... Mm. That's just how I am."
Pandora looked at her with indulgent affection.
Hummm—
The particles of light had reached Pandora's chest. Only her neck and head remained.
"...Are you truly leaving me?"
"No. I will never leave you. Never..."
Her neck vanished as well.
"Shogun..."
"What?"
She held back the sting in her nose and looked into Pandora's eyes.
"...Have I... earned... even a trace... of your trust...?"
"Mm. I never doubted you in the first place... idiot."
"Hehe... I see... I'm so happy..."
Hummm—
After forcing out those final words, the girl in her arms completely vanished. The weight that had once rested there disappeared in an instant, leaving only empty air. Countless starlike particles shimmered briefly in the void—before fading away entirely.
...
"Shogun... are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Ei appeared beside her and wrapped her arms around her trembling figure, pressing her forehead gently against hers with a mother's tenderness.
"I'm fine... My nose just feels a little sore."
Resting against Ei's shoulder, she spoke in a subdued voice.
"We still have opportunities. We once pursued eternity, after all. We are patient... aren't we?"
"Mm..."
She slowly steadied her mind and stood up once more. Her eyes cooled into a frigid hue. She bent down, picked up the fragments of the magic crystal Pandora had dropped when she vanished, and walked outside. Beneath the snow, she buried the remnants and erected a simple grave marker.
Ei followed her out. Seeing her crouched before the grave, Ei bent her knees and knelt beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder in silent comfort.
"We will see that child again, Shogun."
Ei reassured her softly.
"I know... I'm only mourning the her of this moment."
"Mm..."
Ei nodded in understanding, occasionally brushing snowflakes from her daughter's hair. As she looked at the name carved upon the grave marker, a flicker of anger rose in her own heart.
After all, that girl had become her daughter's new elder sister—one she had acknowledged herself. And now only a gravestone remained. It felt like a slap to the face.
"So this is how painful loss is... Ei, I think I understand you a little better now."
"...I never wanted you to taste this feeling. But since things have already come to this..."
"It's not over yet. It hasn't reached despair. It can still be undone."
She rose to her feet again, regaining her composure.
"Mm... What do you plan to do next?"
Ei asked.
"Before I look for Natsuki Subaru again, there's something I need to settle."
Her voice was icy.
"Very well... I'll leave it to you. Bring my share of it as well."
Pandora's death had pained Ei deeply too.
Back in the ruins, aside from Pandora, there had been one more person missing.
Roswaal.
No second set of footprints had been found near the ruins, which meant he most likely had not left his room at all. Or perhaps he had flown. Either way, she would go and see for herself.
Bang!
With a single kick, she blasted open the door of the house before her. Killing intent radiated from her entire body as she stepped inside. The sharp click of her heels echoed like a heartbeat, steady and oppressive.
When she reached his room, it was just as she had expected. Roswaal stood there, clasping his Gospel in his hands as though in prayer.
"Miss Raiden, is it? As expected... it was you."
He opened his eyes and smiled without the slightest concern.
"..."
She did not respond. She merely stepped closer, her delicate hand hidden beneath her sleeve slowly tightening. The crisp sound of puppetlike joints faintly echoed.
"...Why are you still here?"
Her voice was glacial.
"Why? Naturally, to see how the spectacle concludes~"
He shrugged exaggeratedly, hugging the Gospel to his chest like a devout believer. In that moment, the extremism he usually concealed was laid bare.
"..."
A murderous chill rose across her face. Lightning flickered faintly within her eyes. Even the corner of her eye twitched slightly.
"Oh my~? It's rare to see you so astonishingly angry. You're usually so indifferent. What happened? Did they perhaps do something to Lady Emilia—"
Thud!
In the next instant, she seized him by the throat with one hand and lifted him as easily as if he weighed nothing, then smashed him violently against the wall behind him!
Boom!
The wall rippled from the force, a human-shaped crater forming instantly.
"Ugh—ah!!"
Roswaal felt as though every bone in his body had shattered. Blood sprayed from his mouth. The composure he once displayed was gone, replaced by raw pain.
She held him suspended against the wall, violet eyes blazing with danger. Expressionless. As though looking at a corpse.
He understood then—he had touched her reverse scale.
Crack...
Her fingers tightened further around his throat.
"Puh!"
Another mouthful of blood.
"Hehe... hahaha!! To see you like this... It seems Lady Emilia truly matters to you—"
The image of Pandora's weak smile before vanishing flashed through her mind. The fury in her chest surged again, though she did not strike immediately.
"You... caused Pandora's death."
Her voice was deathly cold.
"...!"
He froze.
"...Pandora?"
Who?
Not Emilia?
Then... had he failed? Had his gamble collapsed?
"This is repayment for her."
Crack!
Her fist slammed into his face.
Bang!
"Puh!!"
His features twisted grotesquely. Several teeth shot from his mouth.
She forced his jaws open with her bare hands and slammed his mouth down onto the corner of a table by the bedside, his front teeth pressed against the edge.
"This is the price of provoking me."
She drove her knee down onto the back of his head—
Crack!!!!
"Aaaaagh!!!!!!"
Blood splattered across the floor.
His teeth were crushed violently against the table's edge. Upper and lower rows shattered. Fragments pierced into his gums as blood poured from his mouth.
It was not over.
Seeing his body convulsing, she brought her knee down again.
Crack!
His jaw dislocated grotesquely, hanging at an unnatural angle before she kicked him away. He crashed to the floor.
"Aaaah!! Aaahhh!!!"
He writhed in a pool of blood, clutching his ruined mouth.
[Haa... Shogun...]
"..."
[Give him a swift end...]
Ei spoke.
"That would be too merciful."
For once, she did not heed her mother. Looking down at the man crawling in blood, impatience flickered across her face.
Bang!
She kicked him in the abdomen. His body shot like a cannonball through the doorway and landed in the snow outside. The pristine white instantly stained crimson.
[Haa... Very well... Then perhaps burning him?]
Ei relented, offering a compromise.
"Fine."
She stepped toward Roswaal's collapsed body. He clutched his stomach, vomiting blood repeatedly. The kick had likely shattered several ribs—perhaps even punctured his lungs.
"You... cough... have you truly decided? To just... kill me...?"
He glared up at her through twisted features.
"Heh. I've heard that line before—from someone else. Not even ashes remain of her now."
"!!"
His composure cracked.
She raised her hand without another word.
Rumble—!
A thick violet bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking Roswaal directly.
Crack!
Fwoosh!!!
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
In an instant, his body ignited. Flames engulfed him as he rolled frantically in the snow. But the fire only grew fiercer, impossible to extinguish. He screamed and writhed as his flesh blackened, thick smoke curling upward, heat distorting the air before her cold face.
Eventually, he lay still—reduced to a charred, foul-smelling mass of burnt flesh.
Humm—
Ei manifested beside her, staring at what could no longer be called a corpse. Her expression was complicated.
"To be honest... I have never personally inflicted such a cruel execution upon someone before."
If anything, she had always ordered others to carry it out.
"...It's fine. I was the one who did it. My hands are the ones dirtied—not yours."
She turned toward her mother and answered gently.
"...Don't say that. Whatever comes, we face it together. Don't keep it all inside."
Ei embraced her, pressing her into her chest in comfort.
"Pandora... she..."
"I know. She's still alive. We'll see her again soon. Everything will return to how it was in the beginning."
Ei smiled softly and whispered into her ear, soothing her trembling daughter until she gradually calmed.