Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"I don't want to be treated as a prop that can be discarded after it's been used! I absolutely won't allow it to go anywhere else!"

"If I were to become one of them, I'd rather die here right now! I'd rather drag him down with me, so he can never escape me!"

"That's why! That's why I absolutely will not admit it! I will absolutely not admit that I am his NR!"

am I crazy?

Is my brain broken?

After uttering that forbidden confession, a small, rational voice deep within Eri's heart asked her this question.

It's understandable to call this childish, unreasonable possessiveness.

However, considering Utsumi Erise's background and her mind, which should have become more mature and resilient after experiencing the Tokyo Incident, this declaration was undoubtedly a groundbreaking and subversive change.

However, this is a common trait among those 'entangled with Novia', and there are many examples of this; it's not surprising at all.

In this light, the law-abiding Luce is a major exception.

In short, Eri Se simply couldn't tolerate the taboo associated with that relationship.

so......

So, this is probably the only way.

Eri's heart was screaming, or rather, shouting wildly.

That was something beyond the factors of anger and the concept of gluttony, a creaking sound emanating from Eri Se herself, the Lord's Mind, Perimanderes—

I will never let you fall into depravity. Believe that this is the only love I can give to myself, the only one born into this world.

"That's the only way..."

Eri muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on Chitose Manazuru in front of her.

"Step by step..."

Then his gaze fell on Lilith behind him.

“One by one. Go over there and kill you all.”

“I killed you, Chitose. I killed Kuonji. I killed Lilith. I killed everyone—the fact that you are still alive is something I cannot forgive!”

"Novia, me too! That's right, does this same principle apply to you now? If so, that makes things much easier..."

"I...I really like you..."

Then, just as this terrifying, bloody, and loving confession was about to reach its climax—

A handprint was placed on the back of Eri's neck.

"Snapped."

A soft sound.

It was as if something had gone out.

The burning, frenzied flames in Eri's eyes vanished instantly, her body went limp, and she fell backward, only to be caught by Novia.

"It's said that it would be even better if you could listen to others finish speaking instead of taking action without saying a word."

The silver-haired youth couldn't help but sigh.

My emotions included helplessness, headaches, and... how should I put it... a sense of déjà vu, like "I knew it."

Ever since learning about the relationship between Samael and Samir, Novia had felt that this was a possibility, so she glanced at Lilith.

Facing Novia's gaze, Lilith not only did not restrain herself, but instead revealed an extremely smug, radiant smile, as if to say, "See, this is what my son of wrath, Lilith, is like."

Yes, it really looks like it.

That kind of madness where someone would destroy everything, even themselves, just to get someone.

Lilith knew better than anyone else.

Therefore, it's understandable what Eri Se wants most in this situation.

Immediately afterwards, Lilith stretched out a hand, her slender fingers drawing a provocative arc in the air. She even produced a lollipop from who-knows-where, and with the tip of her small tongue, gently licked the crystal-clear candy... It was a scene of shimmering water and boundless spring.

That expression, that posture, seemed to be proclaiming—

Yes, that's right.

“I used to be like that.”

"Any questions?"

"If there's a problem, you can punish us like before, okay? ~"

579: The younger sister should teach the older sister! (5k5)

The unpleasant smell lingered deep inside my nasal cavity.

It was a loss that could not be recovered.

What did I say? How could I say such things...?

A deep sense of regret weighed heavily on Erise's heart, leaving her with no way to stop it.

Logically speaking, Eri should be feeling very sad.

She should have been able to cry her heart out, but Erise couldn't shed a single tear; she had never cried in her fourteen years.

therefore,

Eri grabbed the sheet and tried to curl up inside it; that's how she opened her eyes in a state of ethereal sleep—

Two figures slowly came into view.

Grandmother... no, Masuru Chitose's face didn't reveal much of her expression; her demeanor was calm, just as always.

And a little further away from Chitose, that guy was leaning against the table.

Novia.

Eri looked back on her near-self-destructive madness, her reckless obsession, and her fanaticism of "I'll get it even if the world is destroyed" from yesterday in this excessive tranquility, and it all seemed somewhat unreal.

But soon Eri took a deep breath, sat up straight, the blanket slipped off her shoulders, and her gaze passed over Novia before finally landing on Chitose Manazuru.

More than her delusional thoughts, Erise is now most confused about Chitose's claim that she is her mother, and what kind of relationship she has with Novia.

Just then, Novia seemed to notice Eri's confusion and spoke up.

"Erise".

"Do you remember? Six years ago, after we finished dealing with the London incident, we were on that ship returning to Akihabara from London. When the ship was sailing over that land that was originally Russian territory and had been completely submerged by the sea, it was attacked by a large group of drones of unknown origin."

Eri knew this, of course.

After that day, he disappeared as if he had never existed, leaving her all alone.

“I…I remember,” she managed to squeeze out from deep in her throat, “that was the day 'you' disappeared.”

Novia nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised by her answer. Her gaze then slowly shifted from Erise's pale face to Manazuru Chitose, and she continued:

"The specific location of the attack, if converted to an old-era map, before the sea level rose and that land was completely submerged by the cold seawater, was the Tunguska region in Siberia."

Tunguska.

This term, which is only occasionally mentioned in human history classes, brought that resounding yet distant, almost legendary name to life—

The Tunguska event.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the cause of that mysterious explosion, whose power has been estimated by later scientists to be equivalent to hundreds of atomic bombs detonating simultaneously over Hiroshima, became the most powerful and mysterious explosion in human history.

Upon hearing this, Eri looked at Chitose Manazuru instinctively.

Meeting Eri's gaze, Chitose gave a faint smile.

“When I was eight years old, in 1908, after the Tunguska event, I met Novia in that birch forest that was completely destroyed and everything was scorched by the flames.”

“I was born into a magic family that had long since declined and was on the verge of extinction. Although it is called a family, it is actually an exaggeration.” Chitose’s tone was self-deprecating. “By my generation, only I was left in the Masuru family. At that time, with the faint, almost negligible, magical perception of nature that this family had passed down through generations, I vaguely sensed that a huge magical force would emerge in the distant, icy north.”

"So, at the age of eight, I embarked on a journey to Siberia alone. Perhaps it was out of a magician's innate pursuit of the word 'root,' or perhaps it was just a child's curiosity about the unknown. But as you all know, what I encountered was not some magical ritual, nor any miracle, but a disaster known as the 'Tunguska event.'"

The Emperor spoke very casually, as if it were of no importance.

"Flames and shockwaves engulfed everything in my vision. The sky was stained with the color of blood and fire, and the earth cracked violently beneath my feet. I thought I was going to die. In the face of such destructive power, humanity seemed pale and laughable. But, just before I lost consciousness, someone appeared."

Chitose Masuru turned her gaze toward Novia.

"He appeared out of thin air, walking out from the other side of a torn light. He mistook me for someone else, a girl named 'Erise' who looked a lot like me."

Chisui paused, seemingly lost in a brief recollection of that distant memory.

She looked back at Erise, who was already dumbfounded and whose mind had completely shut down.

"If I hadn't met him, if I hadn't met Novia, who mistook me for you and offered me a helping hand, I might have died long ago on that charred, eternal Siberian permafrost."

It turned out to be the case.

Eri understood everything.

All the mysteries have been solved.

All the confusion has been explained.

Through.

Time travel.

So strange, so illogical, yet so... logical, after all, it's mysterious, after all, that's what magic is all about.

but,

"Why...why..."

Erise's voice trembled uncontrollably as she looked at the calm Chitose, then at Novia.

"If that's how it is, if that's how it is! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you keep it from me all this time?!"

It's very painful to be deceived by the person you trust most.

Chitose was the one who answered Eri Sei's question.

“Because, Eri, as I told you, you originated from Novia, but it wasn’t through normal means. I asked Scaya to help me obtain a drop of Novia’s blood.”

Because our arrival was sudden, we must also prepare for our sudden departure.

Eight-year-old Chitose Masuru probably thought this way.

"In the decades that followed, I tried thousands of ways to study, analyze, and 'use' this blood-derived substance. Whether it was the Clock Tower, the Atlas Institute, or the Wandering Sea, all attempts ended in complete failure, far beyond what any human magic, science, or even wisdom could analyze or comprehend."

"Until the unprecedented Holy Grail War, which swept the globe, broke out without warning, this matter, which I considered my lifelong obsession, finally saw a glimmer of hope. I used the Holy Grail War's system, utilizing its immense magical power that could grant almost any wish, to try to 'hatch' that drop of 'blood' as a 'seed' of life. However, just as I was about to succeed, an unexpected event occurred on the Tokyo battlefield where I was."

"The blood that served as the seed was unexpectedly and completely absorbed into the divine core of Izanami-no-Mikoto, the Japanese mythological mother goddess who appeared in her full form at that time. Thus, you, who should have been born as my and Novia's 'offspring,' or even 'half of me,' became, by some twist of fate, the child of that goddess of the underworld's defilement."

Izanami.

The mother who protected Eri.

"Izanami was also puzzled by this for quite some time, but after all, she was an ancient deity who governed the fundamental concept of 'death,' and her definition of bloodline, life, and even existence was far broader than that of humans. She didn't care where you came from; she only believed that you were a unique 'child' born and nurtured from her divine body... As for why you are still so similar to me, it's probably because I have been taking care of you for a longer time."

"Izanami believes that you will be the new founder of the Toyo pantheon in the new era."

"So, she gave you her surname."

"To help people see the heavens is to become the God of Heaven; to help people build a nation is to become the God of the Nation. If one helps the son of another to go to the boundless and endless universe, then one is naturally called—Utsumi."

"Then, she named you 'Erice,' which truly means Elysium (the ultimate paradise)—the final resting place of heroes from Greek mythology. She hoped that you would become a new, cosmic mother goddess, transcending earth, sky, and national boundaries. A final resting place for all the brave 'children' who sacrificed themselves to explore that dark forest, gently and selflessly. That's roughly the meaning."

The "universe" that humans can most directly perceive is the vast and boundless starry sky above their heads.

In that starry sky, the most dazzling, the most central, the one that gives light and heat to all things, is the star called the "Sun".

Walking with the sun, guiding the souls of the departed, and granting peace to heroes—is this not the perfect embodiment of the power of the supreme Eastern Lord—the sun god—in the Ryukyu Shinto legends?

The grand concept of "universe" bestowed by Izanami is the ultimate complement and sublimation of her divine kingship, which originated from the Eastern sun god.

So, what about the other one?

What Eri knew amidst the chaos in Tokyo—

Poymanderis.

As one of the supreme beings in ancient Greek Hermetic alchemical theology, what exactly is this supreme "Mind of the Lord"?