Watching Mio Takamiya vanish through the Sky Castle's gate, all the light drained from Eggy's eyes. Even Aiwass's expression dimmed.
It was over. Before an existence like the Demon King, the chains created by both the World Spirit and the Angel of Science lacked both strength and resilience.
Tick, tack...
"Activate Incomplete Domain Zafkiel: World Time."
"Zafkiel: Zayin!"
Bang
However, at that very moment, a deep voice rang out, followed by the gunshot of a bullet. A Crown enveloped the Sky Castle, stopping time. It didn't last—the shadow over the castle began to crack—but it was enough, because the voice echoed once more...
"Raphael: The Tsuofuel...."
Buzzzz....
At the same time, a portal opened, and a black chain shot out at a speed impossible to perceive through conventional means. It writhed like a viper and wrapped around Mio Takamiya's still-visible hand.
Along with it, a massive typhoon slammed violently into the Sky Castle.
""¿¡..!?""
Eggy and Aiwass were both stunned. They quickly turned their heads, and what they saw left them speechless—not just them, but also the girls on their Thrones. They couldn't understand how a portal could be opened inside Yuki's spiritual world, which was protected by the Crown. Even Requiem and Mio Takamiya couldn't do that unless Yuki allowed it.
The mystery was quickly solved, because the one who emerged from the portal was the owner of the spiritual world itself.
"Nushi-sama..."
"Danna-sama.."
"Yuki-kun..."
"Yuki-san..."
The Spirits on the Thrones murmured in shock, but then—
"Yuki? No, this isn't our idiot..."
Eggy immediately noticed the difference. After all, Yuki was still bound by Requiem's chains. And the Yuki who came out of the portal had a completely different aura—sharp like a blade. Behind his emotionless expression lay deep pain. His Astral Dress was different too, black as ink, with eight swords floating around him. Most striking of all was the Crown trapping the Sky Castle.
So he wasn't a Clone. Yuki's clones didn't have Crowns on their heads. And he couldn't be the Yuki of this timeline either, since that Yuki had used his Crown to protect the World...
There was only one explanation.
"My turn has come.... It's time to fulfill my part of the deal."
Frowning, First Timeline Yuki pulled with all his strength, and Mio Takamiya's figure began to emerge.
"Reine!! I've come for you!"
He had gambled everything on this timeline. He had even gone so far as to deceive himself—entering this world from the very beginning. Only here could Requiem fail to find him, allowing him to prepare everything for this moment...
Using the Seventh Bullet in the future to arrive in time to this timeline, preventing Mio Takamiya from being devoured, and using his Crown to stop the Sky Castle.
He had failed in the previous timeline. This time, he wouldn't.
"....."
Inside Mio Takamiya's subconscious, Reine smiled when she heard Yuki's words.
This was the miracle she had been waiting for—the one that never came in the previous timeline, but succeeded in this one.
A miracle only an Impostor could achieve, because only an Impostor could understand another Impostor....
Watching the chain stretch through Mio Takamiya's subconscious and bind Ain Soph, while another chain extended in search of its next target, Reine took a step forward. Now that the chain had captured her Angel, she could grab it and escape.
But—
"Shinji... Shinji..."
Her steps halted. She turned her head, looking at her Original, still crying with her face buried in her legs.
It left Reine with conflicting emotions...
"Reine! Hurry!"
At that moment, Yuki's urgent voice rang out again. The Incomplete Domain was about to end, and he needed to seal the Demon King...
But Reine didn't care. She stared quietly at her Original before letting out a sigh.
"Our promise will have to wait..."
She took hold of the extended chain and walked toward her Original, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to lift her head.
"¿¡...!?"
Their eyes met. Mio blinked in confusion before her gaze locked onto the chain in Reine's hand...
"Impostor!?"
As someone who had fought Yuki, she knew his energy all too well.
"No, he's Shinji..."
Reine denied it. She tightened her grip on the chain, and the black chain changed to a milky white. Its aura shifted as well.
"Shinji?!..."
The drastic change startled Mio. She stood up, then immediately began crying again. She knew her Hero wouldn't abandon her. She knew he would come for her.
Overjoyed, Mio instinctively reached out toward the chain...
Buzzzz
The moment her hand tried to touch it, the chain violently rejected her. Mio froze in shock. Shinji was rejecting her. She couldn't understand it.
Shinji was her beloved. They loved each other. It was impossible for him to reject her...
"Why... why.... Shinji..."
"Because you're a Demon King...."
The answer came quickly—from her Clone. Unlike Shinji, her Clone wasn't rejecting her. On the contrary, he was constantly pulling her, trying to drag her out of this subconscious world.
"!!...!!"
Her Clone's response drained all life from her. She collapsed to her knees again, but this time she had lost all hope.
She understood why Shinji rejected the Demon King. It wasn't his fault—it was hers. Thirty years ago, he saved her from a Demon King that caused his death. Being rejected was only natural...
But then something happened. Her Astral Dress began to change. The deep jet-black lightened, the withered flowers on her head regained their vitality, and Atiel—the Demon King within her—vanished, replaced by Ain Soph.
The transformation left Mio staring at herself in shock. She lifted her head, and Reine standing before her had changed too—now wearing the same Astral Dress Mio had before.
"I am an Impostor. My happiness is your happiness."
With a sigh, the chain in Reine's hand switched sides and tightly bound Mio Takamiya, who responded by embracing her with love as her consciousness began to fade....
"Why?..."
Even so, one question remained. Mio couldn't understand it. Her Clone had exchanged Ain Soph for Atiel, taking her sin upon herself.
This had been her chance to stop being a Clone and become the true Mio Takamiya. Reine shared the same feelings—she loved Shinji passionately. They could have been together and lived happily. That was why Mio had lost hope before, because she believed she could never be with her beloved again, and by her reasoning, her Clone would never let such a once-in-a-lifetime chance slip away.
But Reine changed everything. She abandoned her love for Shinji and gave it to her.
Mio couldn't understand it. If it were her, she would never have done that...
"I do it because I love him. I will never steal your happiness. Besides...."
Pausing, Reine raised a hand to her hair and smiled brightly.
"As an Impostor, I should be with my own Impostor..."
Yuki had shown her hope—that even she deserved happiness too. Her own happiness, not a feeling borrowed from her Original. So she would believe. Miracles existed. This was one of them.
"He's very special too. That's why I'll wait here... no matter how long it takes, I know he'll come for me..."
Because just like Mio Takamiya, Reine also trusted her Hero—the one who promised to save her and love her. So even if he became a Demon King, she knew he wouldn't reject her and would come for her. He would definitely come to save her....
Mio stared at her in a daze, her eyes never leaving her Clone as the chain along with Ain Soph pulled her away and she vanished from the subconscious world...
Until the very end, Reine kept smiling, both hands behind her back, watching her Original disappear in her place.
"I'll wait for you... my Champion."
Because she didn't need a Hero. She needed something greater—someone who never lost....