I—definitely faced a boy, and my existence vanished. That's etched in my memory.
I didn't choose this world. One of twelve drawn through a fleeting "wall" from a formless realm to this one. I should've been pulled by strong psion waves, but I ended up in a crystal, formless, unaware of how. The process is beyond me.
Spirit energy abounds, but the "shared existence" I felt in Charles Sullivan is gone. Instead, I sense a bond with the boy who defeated me. This first-person "I" emerged in this state, and it's not bad.
My role now is to serve this boy, my "master." With many presences around, I'll wait until the time is right.
In a dire situation, Lina raised both hands in surrender. Unbecoming for the world's strongest mage, but the fallen Stardust members around her explained it.
Yugen addressed her.
"Lina, I suggest stopping the pursuit," he said.
"What's that mean?" she asked.
"You've noticed the Vampire—your target—keeps escaping. You're not oblivious, right?" Yugen pressed.
In the original, Lina eliminated Sullivan. Yugen's alteration changed the future. Lina, stung by the truth, showed frustration.
"I noticed, but I have reasons to persist," she said.
"Sirius's pride? Causing allied damage without remorse—worthy of Angie Sirius," Yugen said.
"You're not asking anything?" Lina asked.
She expected questions, but Yugen only warned. He didn't need her intel—USNA's president was reachable, or he could infiltrate the White House. Yatamirror could extract Pentagon data, making coercion unnecessary. As a quasi-military mage, Yugen avoided sensitive matters to dodge trouble.
"Forcing you, a foreign mage, gains nothing. Stars or not, fighting here violates Japan's laws," Yugen said.
"That applies to you too!" Lina retorted.
But Yugen, Miyuki, and Himeri were Divine Assembly members. Chihime was Kagurazaka's head, and Tatsuya, under Yugen's authority, was a collaborator. Only Lina's group faced legal scrutiny.
No need to explain. Yugen lifted Celia in a princess carry.
"Not quite. Mother, handle this?" he asked.
"Fine, but what about you, Yuu-kun?" Chihime replied.
"Delivering her. Doubt anyone's there," Yugen said.
Answering briefly, he activated flight magic, soaring high. Parade negotiations were Chihime's domain, and with Himeri restraining Tatsuya and Miyuki, things wouldn't escalate. Carrying Celia, Yugen headed to her and Lina's base (minimal privacy investigation). Empty due to their mission, he used Yatamirror to unlock the house and laid Celia on the living room sofa.
(Her words… hidden, but she suspected I'm a "reincarnated being,") Yugen thought.
No overt claims, but her remarks implied knowledge of the Vampire's nature, not shared within Stars. Celia hid her own extraordinary nature. Her 100ms spell activation—matched only by Yugen—marked her as abnormal. Her Dancing Star and piercing Yugen's natural concealment (even Tatsuya struggled) confirmed her inexplicable abilities.
(Let's not linger and invite suspicion,) Yugen decided.
A warning to Celia. If she returned home, fine, but USNA's military might overlook unknown strategic magic for deterrence (Great Asian Alliance, New Soviets). Civilian control was shaky—likely ignored. Yugen used Amaterasu to erase his traces and left.
Yugen's group returned to the Mitsuya estate past midnight. Parasites lost contact and vanished, heightening their caution but reducing collateral damage.
In his old Mitsuya room, Yugen sighed when a mental wavelength—akin to "telepathy"—resounded.
"
(Why's "something strange happened" so casual? Source… this?) Yugen thought.
Tracing the wavelength, it came from an orichalcum magic crystal (not a resonance stone, just named for convenience) in his pocket, a catalyst for emergencies and part of an integrated device in development. Relying on Murakumo was risky. The prototype given to Erika used high-quality resonance stones, not orichalcum.
Feeling rude to stay silent, Yugen responded mentally.
"" he asked.
"
A Parasite, but its wavelength differed from Sullivan's encounter, lacking "We." Yugen's Spirit Dispersion activated flawlessly, yet it denied weakness.
"
"
"
Tenyo Shoran's first use left unknowns. Setting Sullivan's restoration to the micro-black hole experiment day split the fused Vampire into soldier and Parasite spirit. Amaterasu's activation was high-bar; Abe no Seimei's solo casting was monstrous. Yugen ignored the irony.
Parasite takeover was a risk, but this one transformed. Yugen's magic likely caused it, though the root was unclear.
"
"
"
Like Honoka's influence in the original, Yugen unwittingly dominated it without binding spells. Recalling being called a "mastermind," he refocused.
"
"
It lost Parasite wavelength sensing and sharing. If retained, Yugen would've sealed and buried it under Fuji. Instead, it gained psychic-like abilities, usable through Yugen—a chaotic prospect.
"
"
"
"<…>" Yugen was speechless.
Unsure how to react or trust, the phenomenon of altering Parasites was a major gain. To avoid confusion, he named it "Alice." It absorbed his past-life manga/anime knowledge, usable via his calculation area—a "mirror self," it confirmed.
"
"
"<(It read that far?) Saves explanation,>" Yugen thought.
His reincarnation raised Parasite suspicions, self-acknowledged as abnormal. Another hassle, but unspeakable—especially to Saegusa or Kudou.
"
"
"Master" grated, but safer than alternatives. Alice felt no connection to Parasites, a relief. Yugen sensed this event would reshape mage power dynamics.
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