"Nani!" Shiori stared blankly at Kuesumi, not expecting such an answer.
"Are you sure you are saving them? Or are you toying with their emotions?" Kuesumi looked at Shiori seriously and said.
"I am saving them! Living a normal life, isn't that what you Spirits hope for?" Shiori asked, surprised.
"What makes you have the misconception that all Spirits need to be saved?"
"You are too arrogant, young lady."
"Power is the first prerequisite for their safety. If you seal their power, they will be completely helpless against those who covet them. Is that what you wish for?"
"Empty salvation, playing with their emotions, and then leaving them to live under the surveillance of those with ulterior motives. How is this any different from the 'taming of wolves into dogs' that humans have done since ancient times? They would live completely under human surveillance. Once they do anything unfavorable to humans, measures would be taken."
"Young lady, are you truly saving them?"
Kuesumi, somewhat agitated by Shiori's ridiculous hypocrisy, expressed her views.
"How could that be? I just... I just..."
Shiori remembered the battleships in the sky, constantly monitoring the Spirits' states and emotions. Wasn't that also a form of soft imprisonment?
As Spirits, they could never truly integrate into normal life. Because they were Spirits, possessing powers that humans could not understand or control, humans feared them. They wanted to control them. Ratatoskr's approach was already quite gentle. Remembering Honjou Nia's plight, Kuesumi's heart burned with anger. Human experimentation, what an ugly revelation of humanity's insane desire for power.
"Nia~, Shiori-san, right?" Kuesumi wanted to tell this naive, hypocritical, saintly protagonist something. Don't blame Kuesumi for not being gentle with women. It's just that this world is too messed up, setting up protagonists like this daydreaming kid.
Only in a two-dimensional world could such a protagonist appear. In the real world, she would have died countless times over.
"Please... please say."
Shiori listened to Kuesumi's theories with a pale face, her heart now a complex mess.
"What if you didn't have the ability to seal Spirits' powers? Can you imagine how this world would treat Spirits?"
Kuesumi's words not only stunned Shiori but also the usually calm Kurumi beside her.
Yes! They had never thought about it. If there was no power in the world to seal Spirits, then humanity's malice towards uncontrollable Spirits, driven by their strong desire for control, would escalate by more than just one level. Since they couldn't be controlled, and couldn't be used, then they should be destroyed! Humans would fight to their last drop of blood to exterminate the Spirits who 'invaded' their homeland. Thinking of this, Shiori couldn't help but shiver twice down her spine.
"I... I... I..."
Shiori couldn't imagine such a scene, whether it was rivers of human blood or Spirits lying dead across the land. She didn't want to think about it, and she absolutely dared not. No matter the outcome, she didn't want it.
"I won't let such a thing happen. Never, absolutely never!" Shiori gathered all her fear of the imagined future into her throat and screamed it out.
"Still can't understand? There's a limit to foolishness, alright!"
Kuesumi looked at Shiori like this and couldn't help but cover her head. Having seen protagonists from various worlds, Kuesumi had never encountered one quite like this. Touma from a certain ten thousand light novels, whom Kuesumi greatly admired. His optimistic attitude despite living in daily misfortune, and his overly kind nature, made him impossible to dislike. Ayumi Aikawa from the Zombie world, a girl who was remarkably calm even in the face of death. Her desire to make those around her happy was truly admirable. Even enduring various 'abuses,' she lived optimistically, a successor to the previous generation's dream of justice, Shiori-san. The Admiral in the Ship Girl world, that small figure working hard for the world, that cute little Admiral who habitually acted spoiled. Yet, she was exceptionally reliable in battle, like a little adult. And the Ship Girls' pure belief and souls were so beautiful that Kuesumi was reluctant to leave, feeling a pang of sadness when she did.
The current Shiori was just a puppet on a chessboard. Wielding a Master Ball (sealing ability), she captured Spirits one by one. Moreover, Kuesumi didn't trust her and Kotori's superiors at all. So, after all the Spirits were gathered, he wouldn't make any small moves. Elliot Baldwin Woodman, the founder of Ratatoskr. Thirty years ago, he and two others created DEM Industries. The three of them, in order to turn the world into a magicians' world, summoned immense power from another dimension, the 'First Spirit.' He also claimed to have fallen in love with the First Spirit. Haha, what a melodramatic reason.
Kuesumi didn't believe a word from such an old fox. When immense power was laid before him, would he not touch it? As for the reason, seeing the First Spirit again, did that count?
The current Shiori was just a chess piece on a board, every move known by that guy. In the original story, when Tohka and Shido encountered Ellen on the island, there were only the three of them! And communication was affected, so how did he know Shido manifested an Angel? If he wasn't monitoring Shiori, someone with countless ties to the First Spirit, Kuesumi wouldn't believe it even if you killed her.
She shook her head slightly, kicking out the extraneous thoughts. Regarding Shiori's childish statements, Kuesumi thought, 'Do you think you're God?' You say you can stop it, and you can? It seems this person needs a lesson.
"Your ideas are far too small-minded. You're still just a dreamy child, after all."
"Then, stop me now!"
"Otherwise, all of humanity in the entire world will be destroyed."
As she said this, Kuesumi released a massive amount of spiritual power. A colossal pillar of spiritual light shot into the sky, like a golden giant sword splitting the heavens in two. The entire Earth began to tremble slightly. Under the impact of Kuesumi's spiritual power, the Japanese plate began to shake violently, as if it could sink into the sea at any moment.
"What~, come on! Let me see your resolve." At this moment, Kuesumi was like a world-destroying demon king, her alluring purple eyes becoming cold and ruthless. The cold light in her eyes pierced directly into Shiori's heart, suppressing Shiori's courage.
"Vice Commander, the Spirit's energy is off the charts!"
"Vice Commander, the Commander has not yet woken up."
"Vice Commander, should we provide support?"
Goldie, the masochist, looked grimly at Kuesumi, who was like a demon god on the video feed. For a moment, he couldn't issue an order.
"For now, do not provoke the opponent. Continue to observe, observe the opponent's psychological index. Once the opponent attacks, provide fire support first. Then, teleport the Commander and the others back."
As the masochist issued the order, the cultivation master Reine clenched her fists.
"Please be safe, Shiori!"
She prayed inwardly; if she hadn't been mindful of her identity, she would have already made her move.
"Is that all your resolve amounts to? It seems you're only good at being stubborn, so farewell."
Kuesumi watched Shiori, who was kneeling on the ground in despair, and shook her head in disappointment.
She extended her right hand, and a massive amount of energy began to gather.
If Shiori remained motionless in Kuesumi's shadow, she would undoubtedly be reduced to ashes by this attack.
"Huh!?"
"You're not allowed to hurt my older sister."
"Kotori... Kotori."
Kotori, who had awakened at some unknown point, suppressed her exhaustion and stood in front of Shiori.
"Hmph~~, then let's die together!"
As she spoke, the enormous energy in her hand surged, like a pillar of light reaching the heavens, shooting towards Shiori and her.
The massive Spirit Cannon tore through the sky and flew towards outer space.
"Let's go, Kurumi!"
"Heh~~, my dear."
Kurumi smiled as she linked arms with Kuesumi, and the two flew into the sky, slowly disappearing.
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