In unison, the four of them had their feet stepped back again at the bar's lowest floor.

In other words, it was the floor where the bartender usually worked, as well as the place where Endou met Mizuki before.

But, the bartender himself wasn't there, and because of that, silence has been descending upon the room.

Likewise the sun bathed the room fainter.

Those tables seemed to be a pretty mess which was fitting for a bar with bustling customers.

And the bar itself, it was pretty popular, after all.

Nevertheless, the air in the room itself was different from usual due to no customers.

It was still common due it was a morning bar. So, not many people visited it at these hours.

However, the dampening silence was closer to evening, when the sun dove into the boundary.

And also, as time flows, one of them was starting to feel something not right.

He was Endou, who felt odd of the air around him.

Therefore, Endou pushed his feet more and more to the edge of the room as he felt an unfamiliar scent that was not ought to be there. It was so fast as the others thought he was going there by teleportation or something ilk.

While the others were taking two or three footsteps forward, suddenly Endou spoke to them, but his tone was kind of different than calm.

"-Stop there! Don't get close!"

He said that in a curt as he raised his hand to his left. As it should be, the others were also frightened as they heard Endou. Any person who saw this aroused to ask him what happened; yet, they won't ask anything.

Meanwhile, on Endou's vision himself, something was being unfolded in front of him. Something laid before his eyes, and thus it seemed to be confusing---more like it was eerie, something ominous which the shape of itself aroused his fear and emotion; in actuality, his eyebrows furrowed as he opened his mouth a bit.

"How terrible,"

He muttered these words as if anyone but himself was hearing this.

On the floor, there lied a ring--no, more like currently worn on someone's finger. It was a single finger with a ring that seemed already fallen to the ground at some time. The finger's edge, where the nail ought to reside by now, was nothing which therefore means gouged, and on the other side of the finger, it was but a horrible gradation of the skin and dark-colored speck of dust.

What did seem more bizarre is if the finger slowly became dust, there should no blood flew out. Or at least it did not involve any trace but a mere speck of dust.

But, on the edge that it turned into a bag of black dust, in fact, the dust itself was not black. It was more certain to be colored by dark liquid as it resembled dried blood. That liquid itself had sprayed the floor and even the lower parts of the wall around it.

Moreover, on the wall, there painted two circles. It wasn't even close to being perfect, and inside was another shape that ought to be intricate. Anyone would assume it was a magic circle, and yes, it was a magic circle. If it just otherwise, something inside those circles ought to visible, yet, that magic circle stained by those dark liquids.

Endou took that finger afterward. When he happened to grab the finger, it suddenly became nothingness, and unlike before, it didn't leave any trace at all. Therefore, on his hand, there rested only the ring which the diamond also had gouged out. Upon he saw that, he whispered his thoughts about that jewelry.

"Maybe it will be any use later..."

His thoughts echoed as he kept it somewhere inside his cloak. Again, it resounded: "...Wait, perhaps it will lure us into a trap. I am pretty sure of it..."

"...But, forget it, it should be fine for now..." His mind stopped speaking as he let out a calm sigh

--Alas, since that finger appeared on that floor, the atmosphere around it gradually became dreary and horrible without letting the others knew.

Endou's gaze then turned back on the other three as he snapped back at reality. His right hand raised and held his cloak as he spoke to them.

"Sorry, guys. It wasn't a thing that you guys ought to see."

He said his eyes as now his gaze became more solemn. He added :

"I know, he gave us a job for this. It was not like I am underestimating you all, but it absolutely will blow your minds up."

He should say that with a bit frantic, but he was far from it after all.

Afterward, Mizuki shook her head as she replied to him.

"No. You shan't say it. Instead, on the contrary, we must thank you for reminding us of it..."

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"...After all, your expression was no good, either." A light smile rose up to her face.

"...But it doesn't reduce the probability that we are still curious about that. Or it doesn't change the fact of our curiosity..."

Nami's tone sounded ridicule Endou, as she sarcastically giggled.

As he heard this, his left lips stretched a bit.

He furrowed as he made a noise.

Thereupon, their expression turned back heavy, and Endou took some steps almost to the middle of the room.

Endou then let out another sigh, and then he began to speak.

"Fine, but I'll give you a piece of information about that thing I had seen just now."

Now, the other three encircled him as if they want to hear him like children to a campfire.

-------------

Reine jumped out of the mid-air thereupon she stretched her very hand.

David, upon seeing it he grinned and furrowed wickedly.

She was about dozens of meters high above him.

He grinned more and more wicked as he said:

"...Interesting."

He said that as he laughed at her.

When Reine stretched his hand, on her senses,

she dove deeper and deeper to find the inevitable truth to destroy him, as her mind now went clear.

--And she had found that truth.

Only a projection was insufficient against him.

First, because he negated all projections,

Moreover, he was able to negate the concepts and such about it,

And next, he also could use more projections against someone.

It was a big chance that he would use the stronger ones.

She held her breath.

"------------------------"

She had known that trick to defeat him.

It was using the inevitable truth, as it ignored any evasion,

The Truth.

It was a thing that anyone could not alter.

She created it by the Truth of Creation that was lying beyond any concepts of it.

Her magic circuits--those were now but overflowing energy that surpassed her limits.

Even those were different than before.

Her power before was nowhere on that level.

As she created those Truths in the fastest second,

A Planck second.

As a mere Planck second passed, on her left, right, and above her head,

there appeared some guns and more weapons that seemed to be bows, arrows, spears, needles, and spikes countlessly unfolded around.

It was clearly a projection.

It seemed so, but in actuality, it was a projection that stands above any of it. projection

Not the projection, but the weapons,

Those weapons were those that shouldn't be projected.

Due to its tremendously immense power,

It could even delete any concepts and laws that weren't according to it.

In other words, it may negate any concepts such as durability, regeneration, even such likes of speed and immortality, and more.

Therefore, those weapons were too strong to be a projection because they encompassed a Truth that made those concepts.

Spontaneously she took the gun on her left and above her head.

As she fired a shot from one of those guns, those countless weapons that surrounded her thrown at him, so it caused a very loss on David's body parts, along with ruby fluids spilled out vigorously from it,

Explosions then came violently, caused by those weapons made his body flung far backward until it hit a statue of that garden, which was regal and made out of quartz.

His body was already worth being called rarely cooked.

Due to even the dust barely covered his entire body--no--it was a state distinctive from a perfect body.

His body seemed to be cross-amputated.

Furthermore, in terms of the part where that amputation went, the state itself was beyond amputation.

Despite those, it was less unsightly due to less blood dripped out from his body.

Still, those parts which considered to be amputated was worth being called burnt, and to be more exact, erased from the existence permanently--

--And at last, his soul now had also been erased.

That is the statement that ought to be the closest to express his state now.

Reine then descended back on the ground. As she walked before him, she stopped and put her hands as they covered her face.

She did so because the sight in front of her seemed a bit repulsive to her.

Then, she tried to peek as her fingers went up, so it made a space for her sight.

Suddenly, a statue behind him emitted a fiery glow on its eyes.

The shape was apparently a man from ancient Rome mythology, with the left hand clasped a burning torch.

Because of it, the torch also emitted a burning glow.

That statue then gradually made a crack, and it also emitted that fiery glow from before.

Afterward, the garden lamps that surrounded the garden crashed.

It added a more eerie and horrible impression of that place.

Those bulbs inside it also crashed at it was replaced with fire.

From those lamps which were nearby him, they automatically released some fiery chains that bind him at once,

--thus, it caused his body to float in the air.

Suddenly, Hiruko reappeared at that place, once again.

He stepped out his feet from the dark shadows of the garden.

"You there, step back," said him as he gazed towards Reine. As she went behind him and left before him, he walked towards that corpse.

"...I knew it. You aren't David."

And thus, he continued and have some talks with him. No, it was more exact to be a monologue in front of his corpse.

Apparently, that chant before wasn't a mere chant that used for lighting the entire garden,

It was also a chant to unravel things, especially this one.

Lies.

It opened a truth hidden beneath lies, and no matter what, that lie could not escape from its grasp as long as it was on the garden.

And it was because he activated the chant only for that garden.

Hiruko had planned it from the start, and absurdly he had already known that he wasn't David from the start.

From the way he spoke or act,

Indeed, it was not much different from the original him.

But somehow, Hiruko figured out the truth behind him.

Inside his body, there was someone else that could act like David.

"...And where is he?!"

Hiruko asked in his impertinent tone.

"Answer me, now!"

Suddenly, the corpse started to spit a burst of laughter--

--It wasn't loud, but it sounded as worth as a mockery.

It was odd.

His soul was supposed to go away from existence.

It was permanent, but why did it come back?

Why did it laugh?

"...Oh, I see. Your eyes weren't even there after all."

Even though Hiruko said so, it applied to his other senses but his mouth.

Hiruko let out his sight as he spoke, intending to stop his laughter.

"Alright, then Imma call you . After all, you can't shut your mouth."

He seemed furious, but in fact, he was uneven yet to reach that point.

And finally, Speaker left a reply to him.

"...You're so mean...fine...I will shut..."

"Good. Now then, answer my question." Hiruko said as his tone sounded more relaxed, although his face was still bitter.

"...Hmph, Like I'm going to answer. You sore loser shall know your place."

David sounded a mockery to Hiruko. However, it didn't arouse Hiruko's anger, and he put a calm expression nonetheless.

"Oo. In that case--"

His gaze now was being keener. It was closer to being a 'searing gaze' as if it came from the deepest layer of hell. It left an impression of 'I must burn you with this holy fires of purgatory' but actually,

"--I must use this technique."

His thought spoke to him. It seemed there was no other choice that could help him in that situation.

His hand stretched out as he moved quickly to the corpse.

When he was right in front of it, he grasped the head and--

Radiant -- Exorcism

「ラディアント -- 悪魔払い ! 」

"UuuUuOOOOooAAA!"

Said Hiruko in a loud and booming voice as the Speaker let out his painful cry. It seemed something had happened with his body and soul.