One-way traffic

Accelerator, the strongest esper in Academy City.

He still wore that cool smile, raising the corners of his mouth in a cold manner.

"As expected, I'm still not suited to doing things that are out of my style. Damn it, I've been completely outmaneuvered."

"But... this kind of life isn't so bad, you bastard."

Followed by.

Two destructive forces exploded here.

Ultimately, they cancel each other out.

Nothing is left.

————————————————————————————————————

Click—click click—

The crack in the air disappeared completely.

then.

The last threat in this world has also come to an end.

"…it's over?"

Kakine Teitoku couldn't help but stare at the air in mid-air.

but.

The crack did disappear, but no one ever came back out from inside.

"Hey... could it be...?!"

Advisari did not reply.

The next moment.

Kakine Teitoku's body began to become blurry.

"...My existence here is sustained by that guy's ideas. If I disappear here without warning, it can only mean that...!"

Still no response.

However, Kakine Teitoku had already guessed how things would turn out.

“...that damn bastard.”

The second-ranked superpowered individual gritted his teeth and frowned unhappily.

In the end, he could only disappear from the spot with great resentment.

Advisari gazed at the distant horizon alone, squinting his eyes.

"...Accelerator, huh?"

————————————————————————————————————

everything is over.

Everyone witnessed the huge crack in mid-air disappear.

Both Itsuka Shido and Takamiya Mana breathed a sigh of relief.

The next thing needs to be dealt with before AST (Analog and Surveillance).

"Look...it's that person from before."

Advisari then descended from the sky.

"Excuse me...! Is this situation completely over?"

"No matter what, it's all over now."

Advisari's tone remained as calm as ever.

"I can no longer sense any life in that space. To be precise, that space, which was as big as the entire universe, was also destroyed by that enormous force."

"Does that mean that demon will never have a chance to be resurrected?"

Perhaps that's really the case.

In any case, the demon known as DO Apis has finally met its end.

"...What about Yifang?"

The girl's voice came from behind.

This situation was anticipated.

Advisari slowly turned around, only to see a face that couldn't believe what was happening.

A white-haired girl with twin tails, dressed as a shrine maiden, stood there in front of me, looking completely bewildered.

"What about the others...? If they've already defeated the enemy, they must have returned by now!"

"...I already said that."

The girl's heart froze completely, like ice.

"There was no trace of life in that space."

Click.

It was as if such a voice echoed in my mind.

She stood there, stunned, and knelt down on the ground.

"Hatsune Miku!!"

Itsuka Shido and the others quickly ran towards her.

But all of that is irrelevant now.

Something slid down my cheek.

In reality, most people could probably guess that.

What would it mean if Kakine Teitoku, summoned by Accelerator, disappeared?

“…Hatsune, Miss.”

Shido Itsuka took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"Accelerator... He went there to protect everyone."

"He truly protected us all, protected this city, and protected the world."

"He... is absolutely a true 'hero.'"

So, there's no need to be sad anymore.

If someone sacrifices themselves as a hero, it will surely bring a bright future to everyone.

Hatsune Miku is well aware of this.

Yes, Accelerator is a hero, a hero who protected everyone. I should be happy for him, absolutely not…

There's no need to hide anything.

Advisari's voice came through.

He stared at himself and uttered the only words that showed any humanity.

"Cry it out. This is the most important way for you humans to express your emotions."

Tick.

Even the girl herself was unaware of everything.

Tears dripped directly onto the ground beneath her.

"There's no need to hide it. This is your right. Feel free to express your human emotions."

Advisari watched her quietly.

"At least you still have the right to cry."

at last.

The girl could no longer bear it all.

"Ugh... Ahh ...

Itsuka Shido, Takamiya Mana, and the only remaining conscious spirit, Yatogami Tohka.

Everyone looked at her with sorrowful expressions.

Look at that girl, kneeling alone on the spot, venting all her emotions.

Normally, such behavior would certainly have drawn displeasure and rebuke from the other party.

But that won't happen anymore.

No one will ever tell me again that I'm petty or boring.

The world continues to function smoothly.

It's just that one person has quietly disappeared from this world.

It's no big deal.

The world continues to flow normally today.

And probably no one will know.

Who exactly protected this world? Who exactly safeguarded the opportunity for this world to continue as it is today?

Touhou Gensokyo

Chapter 400 A Realm Far From the Mortal World

then.

In a world as bright as day, the tranquil atmosphere is enough to please the eye.

Below, at the endless horizon, something seemed to extend to the very edge of sight.

That's a forest.

The forest is so dense and boundless that even from this cloud-like height, it is difficult to see its boundaries at a glance.

Compared to the bustling and noisy cities of modern society, this place can only be described with two words.

Primitive and tranquil.

There seemed to be no trace of human habitation in the thicket; apart from the endless trees, there were only countless strange plants and animals.

However, this is not a pleasant place for ordinary people.

Although the environment is very much back to its original natural state, it is still quite dangerous, like a deep abyss canyon.

Of course, most villagers are quite sensible and won't go to such strange places unless there's a reason.

It's not just because there's an environmental crisis lurking in this forest.

More importantly, because there are things here that they cannot understand.

Yes.

Non-human beings.

"The time is... close to nightfall."

A figure slowly emerged from the deserted woods.

Walking alone on the path shimmering in the sunlight through the shade of the trees, he was a figure that could take anyone's breath away.

Wonderful, mysterious.

On her doll-like, exquisite face, there was only a calmness devoid of any emotion.

A girl with short, golden hair walked along this forest path.

Compared to the pristine forest, the girl's clothing was quite distinctive.

It looks like the blue and white dress that medieval nobles would wear, like the kind of clothing that Western dolls would wear.