You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"Yes, schools, cemeteries, homes...anywhere where lingering psychological fluctuations might remain."

"What...what are you talking about?"

Altair's voice trembled, and his face was deathly pale.

"Stop...don't say anymore!"

"But as expected, the train station had the most cases, after all, it was the initial scene of the incident—"

Yes, your creator, Setsuna Shimazaki, committed suicide by lying on the tracks on August 23rd... right here at this station!

"Stop talking, can't you hear me?!"

Clang!

Bang!

The saber was deflected, and the princess in military uniform knelt on the ground, firmly bound to it by the bandage-like light. She stared at Iori with almost manic eyes, but was completely shocked in the next instant, and even her heart stopped beating.

“Althael, this is…”

Iori placed the birdcage containing the will-o'-the-wisp in front of Gun-hime.

"Shimazaki Setsuna—your mother's spirit!"

Chapter 450 The mind makes one weak.

Athena is a very capable woman.

Possessing wisdom and lurking in the shadows, she is both capable of action and can stand alone. Although she is only a follower god, with Iori's extraordinary magical power, she is no less than a true follower god.

At Iori's level, many things are like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut; it's better to leave them to the goddess of wisdom.

She was extremely dissatisfied with Iori, but as a servant, she would not deliberately mess up the task assigned by her master—this was the attitude of a loser, refusing to accept anything that would damage the dignity of the goddess.

Even her intimate behavior with Akame was helping her become a god-slayer; in a sense, it could be said that Athena sacrificed herself to complete her mission.

This time, she did everything perfectly again.

Setsuna Shimazaki is an ordinary high school girl who has neither supernatural powers nor a social status in the secular world; she is merely a talented doujinshi artist.

If this were in neighboring China, the label "JK (high school girl) painter" alone would attract a large number of fans, and her works are indeed of a very high standard, already reaching the threshold of professional status.

However, Japan is a rather contradictory society. In reality, a cautious and timid otaku might transform into a troll online.

Chinese otaku are mostly all talk and no action, but in reality, they have extremely high tolerance and their aggression is pitifully low compared to their Japanese counterparts.

Looking at the world, Chinese people are actually among the most morally upright and well-mannered, even online they are considered very polite.

Cyberbullying in Japan is often illogical. It's not because you did anything wrong, but simply because you exposed a weakness, which naturally attracts a bunch of shameless people.

Setsuna Shimazaki was like that; for some reason, he attracted a swarm of flies, and then, due to the relentless harassment, he became depressed and ultimately chose to end his life at the train station.

The character "Altaire" was her last work before her death, and it can be said to be her greatest masterpiece.

There are likely some things that Iori hasn't found out yet. Only Shimazaki Setsuna knows what she's been through, but the facts remain unchanged:

The girl was killed by "invisible violence".

Why Altair was given life is something even she herself probably doesn't know, but she knows what she has to do:

I have not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword.

She hated the world that drove Setsuna Shimazaki to his death and wanted to repay it with countless times more pain!

Therefore, some things are just natural.

Although, in hindsight, her actions were thwarted by Iori's divine intervention right from the start...

"In an instant... was that woman... the real Grim Reaper?"

If this is just a fleeting moment of soul... ugh!

Iori didn't give the military princess a chance to touch the birdcage. Those strips of light tightly bound her, and she could only reach out her hand, but she could never cross that short line, as if it were an insurmountable chasm between life and death.

Biting her lip, on the verge of tears, Altair displayed an expression she had never shown before.

Everyone has parts of themselves they don't want others to touch. Once those parts are exposed, you'll find that the so-called "heart" is a meaningless burden, because it only makes people weak.

Iori looked down at the military princess, who was completely at the mercy of others, and a trace of pity appeared in his eyes.

That being said, he wasn't a heartless person; he still had a very soft spot in his heart. However, he wouldn't kneel down helplessly like Altair, reduced to a state of resignation, to lament, regret, or plead...

The difference lies not only in the power disparity, but also in the fact that Iori does not expose her weaknesses to others—even those who share a bed with her cannot always understand her thoughts.

In comparison, Altair is undoubtedly not mature enough, but she should not be criticized, because according to Iori's calculations, she should still be just an "infant".

"This is a country where urban legends are prevalent, with ghost stories, UFOs, mysterious creatures... but the advantage of information technology is that as long as you put in the effort, you can find almost anything you want."

Iori put the birdcage away, and Gun-hime's gaze followed it, looking utterly lost.

"Aizen Iori... what are you...?"

"Finding your background information and related settings is easy, and by delving deeper, you can naturally find out the identity of the original author—and of course, what happened to her."

How pitiful! So young, yet she gave up her life, leaving this world with just a light jump...

But this is absolutely not her fault!

The military princess shuddered!

Iori also stared at the birdcage, taking in the ever-changing shape of the will-o'-the-wisp.

"Because of her talent, she was envied; because she was not good at dealing with such things, she was attacked and besieged... She could not find anyone to rely on, nor anyone to confide in. The overly innocent girl walked into a dead end."

Then, in a certain instant, the thought of 'the sky is so blue' suddenly came to mind, so I took a step forward... This kind of thing is not uncommon.

Some might say this is escapism, that nothing can be changed, that there are better ways to handle things, but that one is too young, not strong enough, and not tactful enough.

"Such outrageous remarks make me want to vomit!"

Iori swore, which was unusual for him, and his tone was so harsh that it surprised Gun-hime and brought her back to her senses.

"What...are you thinking?"

"You have to be strong to grow up; only children run away from reality—that sounds like something a news anchor would say."

Too many people like to gossip about other people's affairs, even though they haven't experienced them or understand them. They just act like they know everything because it doesn't concern them.

That's true; after all, evaluating others is the easiest job in the world.

"..."

"Courage, willpower, money, mindset, physical health... not everyone has the resources to face reality."

But the prevailing worldly standards demand that people be strong—isn't that an unreasonable approach?

"In that instant, she... wasn't cowardly, she just... couldn't see any hope."

"You can run away! Or you can give up!"

If no one is harmed, then there is no need to bear any burden or responsibility!

Iori's expression was serious: "If it were me, I would probably make the exact opposite choice. Not only would I not commit suicide, but I would also retaliate fiercely."

Even so, I will not deny Ms. Shimazaki's choice... She has worked very hard and persevered for a long time, and no one can blame her for it.

The real problem is this society that pushed her to this point, showed her no kindness whatsoever, and was completely distorted by the malice in people's hearts!

Yes, her death was a release from this place.

The military princess listened, mesmerized, staring blankly at the will-o'-the-wisp: "Death... is it also a grand event?"

"maybe."

Iori narrowed her eyes slightly, taking full account of Altair's reaction, and said, "But it's a pity that although this was her own choice, at the last moment... she must have had some attachment to this world."

"Attachment? That's impossible!"

Altair denied this without hesitation, saying almost through gritted teeth, "There's nothing to miss! Back then, no one offered her a helping hand!"

In that case, no one can be saved!

If given the chance, this guy would definitely blow the doomsday horn without hesitation, right?

She didn't do that, which indirectly proves that her power was insufficient... That ability to distort reality and materialize fantasy must also be subject to some kind of "rules." Before the conditions are met, she is powerless to attack the world itself.

For example... like the restraining force of Type-Moon?

An invisible force maintains the normal operation of the world. Since the military princess cannot confront it directly, she creates bugs by summoning well-known fantasy characters, much like throwing stones into a machine.

The more fantasy characters there are, and the more active they are, the easier it is for the world's rules to be shaken, and the more powerful the military princess becomes—this is a reasonable explanation derived from the current information.

Various thoughts raced through Iori's mind, but this did not prevent him from patiently guiding the military princess:

Why are you so certain?

"Does she need any reason? She's so desperate she's about to..."

"But she created you before she left this world."

"—!"

"Altair, that is the name of Alpha Aquilae, also known as Altair (in Japan as Hiko-sei).

Do you know the meaning people have given to the Qixi Festival?

"...What is it?"

"[To convey a positive vision to someone]"

Iori looked at Gun-hime like a loving elder would care for a child.

"I am certain that when she depicted this image, she was not filled with hatred and despair!"

On the contrary, it was her blessing and longing for all the beautiful things in this world.

Even though she was treated cruelly, she did not retaliate against the world in the same way.

That's right, it wasn't suicide, but an escape called 'flight'... only it didn't take off.

"Like Icarus?"

After saying this, the military girl suddenly burst into tears.

The light band's restraints had somehow been released, and the Military Princess no longer had any intention of attacking Iori. She covered her face with her hands, looking as helpless as a weeping angel.

Why did it take so long to realize this...?

No mother would want her child to be born carrying hatred; what gave her life was Shimazaki Setsuna's beautiful vision—that miracles are always caused by love.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Setsuna... I can't do it, I can't..."

Tears like silver beads fell to the ground. Altair gazed at the will-o'-the-wisp in the birdcage and said painfully, "This world... this world that is so cruel to you, I can't love it!"

For me, the beautiful things were gone forever from the very beginning!

I'm sorry, Setsuna... I couldn't fulfill what you wanted to do to me... Ugh, damn it!

But just then, a voice, like the first rays of dawn breaking through the clouds, entered her ears, instantly stopping her crying:

She still has a chance to come back to you.

"!"

Altair opened his eyes wide, as if a believer had seen a saint who had redeemed the world.

"Really...? But how do I do it..."

"You just need to trust me."

Iori smiled, her gaze falling on the will-o'-the-wisp, the girl's sleeping face faintly reflected in her pupils.

“But you didn’t really have a choice anyway, Miss Altair.”

"……All right."

Junji's attention was also on the birdcage, and her gaze gradually became firm.

"Even if it's a pact with the devil!"

That's really going too far! Calling me a devil is just too... condescending.

Iori shook her head and smiled silently.

Compared to a fantastical character who is fearless of death and has no attachments, a flesh-and-blood character with a "heart" is definitely easier to control.