I'll kill you after I finish this game!

Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Three Riders of the Black Round Table, Part Two: A Night Walk Filled with Conflicting Emotions

"Ding Li, Er Zi, Xing Shilang, you guys need to pull yourselves together."

In the severed parallel phases, on Mars, the only intact planet in the solar system, Ryusui Mikado brought the three near-death individuals back.

Seeing the three of them so weak that they seemed about to disappear at any moment, the joy of having achieved their goal was shattered upon seeing their companions' dire situation.

Although they were rescued by Sojiro and Shiori, the three of them were already close to the other side.

They were using Yin-Yang techniques to heal them, but they were unable to strengthen and stabilize their life force.

It was obvious that Yumen Ryusui knew what would happen to the three of them, but he didn't want to accept it.

"...Don't waste your energy...cough...go do what you...should be doing, little one..."

His long, silver hair was disheveled and scattered. Lying on the ground, only the upper body of the Fiendish Moon Knight remained. His entire body was covered in cracks, like a piece of ceramic about to shatter, with many fragments flying out and scattering from the gaps in his body.

With a hoarse voice, he looked at Mikado Ryusui, who was gritting his teeth as he treated him and Ding Lierzi. Although he was saddened by his sister's death, Kyouzuki Keishiro was still grieving.

But he could feel his sister Sakuya's presence in his soul, and if he could, he didn't want to live, but he also didn't want to die.

This conflicting feeling stems from the fact that Sakuya extended his life, and he cannot simply give up on himself.

However, now that he has been hit by Nanami's fist, he has suffered uncontrollable damage to both his body and soul.

He's dying, there's no saving him.

Knowing the answer, Oozuki Keishiro felt no fear; on the contrary, his heart was at peace.

"Hmm... Dragon, Water... Let's go help... Lord Nightwalker..."

The damage Erzi suffered was also irreversible. The spirit dog-like creature was radiating spiritual light, and its form was no longer stable.

"Cough cough... We're beyond saving, Longshui."

Leaning against Erzi, Ding Li, who was in the same situation but had lost half of his body, forced a not-so-good smile, signaling to Long Shui not to waste his energy.

"You three idiots! Don't give up so easily! Don't close your eyes! Don't fall asleep!!"

Tears welled up uncontrollably in Mikado Ryusui's eyes as he channeled his magical power with all his might, trying to pull them back from the brink of death.

We've already come this far, why leave like this? Didn't we agree to survive until the very end and have a banquet?

"Ugh, ugh... How long-winded! Isn't this how... the world we live in is? Eternal rebirth... It's annoying... but... it doesn't feel so bad now... I can go back and meet Sakuya again..."

With his eyes vacant, Okabe no Kyoushirou smiled and uttered words that silenced everyone who knew him.

Rather than going back to the past to meet again endlessly, Keishiro Kyouzuki would rather walk towards tomorrow with Sakuya.

But now that he has lost Sakuya and is about to die, if he goes back after death, will he be able to see Sakuya again?

Although it's regrettable that he can't walk towards tomorrow with this group of noisy companions, he is not alone at this moment.

Right, Saki...yeah...

"Yes, as long as I can be with my brother, whether we're heading towards tomorrow or going back to the past, Sakuya will always be Keishiro's inseparable wing."

His consciousness plunged into boundless darkness. He could no longer hear Ryusui Mikado's shouts, but once again he heard Sakuya's gentle whispers, and Keishiro felt at ease.

Under the tearful gaze of Mikado Ryusui, Keishiro, with a final, relieved smile on his lips, disintegrated into countless fragments and vanished into the world before her eyes.

"Neither of us wants to say goodbye, because saying goodbye means starting all over again. We wish you, Ryusui, and Lord Nightwalker, a happy ending..."

Ding Lierzi, who also dissipated into countless spiritual particles, gave Yumen Longshui his final farewell amidst those specks of light.

Nothing we do is meaningless; even when we are tightly bound by the threads of fate, we still want to move towards tomorrow.

"I won't... let you down..."

After wiping away her tears, Yumen Ryusui took one last look at the fragments and specks of light scattered between heaven and earth, and finally walked towards her own battlefield.

Beyond the dominance of the throne, everyone is the protagonist of their own story.

Although we don't know whether tomorrow will be salvation or the end, if we hesitate because of this, then we are not qualified to go to tomorrow.

...........

Suwahara City, above the private Tsukinozawa Academy.

"Ahhh~~~, that was quite a commotion."

On the other side, Matara Yagyō, who was traveling with Mikado Ryūmei, opened his third eye on his forehead and looked towards the sky.

It was easy to observe the massive aftershocks of the battle caused by Soujiro and Shiori through the Heavenly Eye.

The objective has been successfully achieved, and the level of prayer power supplied to the two has become much larger than before.

While both Modara Yako and Mikado Ryūmei were happy, they also felt heavy-hearted, because in addition to Sojirō and Shiori, who were no longer needed, there were four more at this point.

In other words, four of them have already sacrificed their lives. How could they not feel heavy-hearted amidst their joy?

The connection between Ding Li and Er Zi has completely disappeared, and they must be two of the four who sacrificed themselves.

Judging from the fact that the formation is still in place, Yumen Longshui must not have died in battle.

That leaves only Keishiro Kyouzuki and Sakuya Kyouzuki.

With a simple calculation, Ye Xing and Long Ming knew the extent of their own casualties.

"...Are you confident?"

Yumen Longming looked down at the school below. This was one of the two remaining of the eight altars of the Golden Alchemy Array.

"It's just intuition, and a sense of déjà vu, ha... This scene has probably been repeated countless times."

Modoro Yoko naturally knew what Mikado Ryūmei was saying to him, a sneer appearing on his face, followed by a helpless sigh.

His intuition told him he could do it; it was a kind of familiar feeling of knowing it all along.

To be honest, I can't describe the mix of joy and unease I feel right now, whether I'm confident in achieving Tai Chi.

The joy comes from the fact that I am about to take the final step I have been longing for, while the deplorable thing is that my actions are just like those of a puppet on a stage play.

When the time is right, we can let Modoro perform on stage at night. It's that ominous feeling of being manipulated like a puppet.

Moreover, that stale sense of familiarity reminded him that he seemed to have seen this scene before.

What kind of world is Eternal Return? Modoro learned very clearly from Matilda during his Night Journey.

Was achieving Tai Chi predetermined, or was it the result of one's own efforts?

All destiny is locked away, and perhaps all one's actions are in vain.

This feeling of irritability that makes nighttime walking is truly awful.

Once I achieve Tai Chi, I will certainly not be weaker than my own general. At that time, I will go there and have a proper conversation with that master who manipulates everything.

This is not a joke; Modoro Night Walker truly had this thought, after all, he was a very self-centered individual with his own strongest spirit.

Therefore, Motara Yexing formed hand seals and unleashed a burst of power towards the academy below.

This power was not intended to destroy the academy, but rather to destroy the spells of the Eight Directions Altar.

After all, Motora Nightwalker was a genius of sorcery, and he had already analyzed the Golden Alchemy Circle ritual quite thoroughly.

In terms of complexity and precision, it is indeed the work of the gods; if the Night Walker wanted to destroy it, he would have to destroy all eight altars at the same time.

However, six of the Golden Alchemy Arrays have already been opened, and the power of these six altars has been linked to a certain Golden Otherworld.

If none of them had been activated at the beginning, Nightwalker would have been confident in destroying the Golden Alchemy Array, but he couldn't do it now.

Having witnessed the power of gold, he knew that the other party was already infinitely close to the "heaven," and that there was a qualitative difference between his own power and that of the other party.

Therefore, at this moment, Ye Xing and Long Ming's primary intention was not destruction, but rather to provoke and lure the enemy to descend. Ye Xing laughed happily:

"So... who will be the next stepping stone?"

The entire Suwahara city's ley lines, centered on the academy, emitted a strange fluctuation. Subtle earthquakes caused panic among many Suwahara residents and also alarmed some members of the Black Round Table.

"Surprisingly, you're still as arrogant as ever, human. You dare to speak so presumptuously when your strength isn't absolutely overwhelming. Do you want to try stepping on me as a stepping stone?"

However, Ye Xing's actions did not attract the people at the Black Round Table. Instead, a voice like that of a young girl came from above and reached Ye Xing and Long Ming's ears.

Looking up in the direction of the sound, they saw a girl with wings on her back, resembling an angel, slowly flying out of the previously empty sky.

Jibril, a winged girl of unparalleled beauty, exuded an overwhelming presence that made the surrounding space feel as viscous as mud.

The dazzling cross-shaped eyes gazed down at the two people below, looking at their heads with the same scrutinizing gaze one would give an artwork.

Hearing Jibril's sudden words, which were filled with supermassive killing intent, Modoro Nightwalker shrugged helplessly, then stroked his chin and looked her up and down, saying, "Hmm... I'm sorry, beautiful lady, you're not suitable to be Modoro Nightwalker's stepping stone. Our wavelengths just didn't click."

Looking at Jibril, he knew she wasn't his type. Although she was powerful, she couldn't give Modoro a sense of resonance or a mysterious feeling.

Fighting this person won't lead to anything I'm looking for.

It was probably this kind of intuitive feeling that told Modoro Nightwalker that Jibril was not a suitable opponent for him.

"If it's not her, then leave it to me."

Upon hearing Modoro's words, Mikado Ryūmei's eyes narrowed, and he conjured talismans in his hands, scattering them around him.

Since Jibril is not the opponent that Modoro Nightwalker should fight, she needs to distract him.

With a thought, he activated the parallel phase space traction above the altar node beneath his feet, preparing to transfer himself and Jibril to the battlefield.

"...Don't die. If you die in battle, Longshui will cry."

In an instant, Motara Yagyō watched the two figures disappear, paused for a moment, and then spoke to Mikado Ryūmei.

"Ha, it's quite a novelty to hear that from an arrogant kid like you."

Upon hearing this, Mikado Ryūmei, whose figure had disappeared along with Jibril, smiled happily at the last moment. Then, he left his last words to Modoro Yagyō: "If Mother is gone, Ryūsui still has a husband, right? She has grown up, and the responsibility of comforting her no longer rests on Mother's shoulders."

"......"

Watching Mikado Ryūmei and Jibril disappear, Modoro Yagyō sighed silently.

Mikado Ryūmei's meaning was clear: she didn't have absolute confidence that Jibril would return unscathed.

Even if she dies in battle, Longshui still has someone she loves.

Motuo Night Walker, go and take care of Longshui, fulfill your duties as your fiancé!

That's what Mikado Ryūmei meant, right...?

"But it seems there's another meaning to it as well."

Modoro muttered to himself, then turned to look at the two people who had appeared not far from him. He stared at one of them, Eluneore, who was smoking and exuding murderous intent, and said with a light laugh, "She doesn't seem to want to see you again, you eternally burning Rakshasa."