Chapter 10: Manipulator

Chapter 10:
Manipulator

 

“GAH!”

After Serge slammed the butt of his spear into my stomach, I found myself curled up on the ground, vomiting. Guilty as I felt for dirtying the room where Miss Louise was staying, I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about hygiene. While I was battered and bruised, Serge looked none the worse for wear, as if the fight had just started. Simply put, none of my attacks had found their mark.

“How the heck do you even get that strong?” I muttered.

Serge certainly was powerful. Very powerful. I’d heard beforehand that he’d trained as an adventurer, but I hadn’t dreamed it was to this extent.

As I struggled to recover, Serge slammed his foot into me. His attacks were as merciless as his personality.

“Is this all you’ve got? Where’s the hero I heard so much about? Is this really the Scumbag Knight? Your only power comes from that Lost Item. Without it, you’re nothing.”

He slammed his foot down on me, and I had to grit my teeth. Blood trickled down my chin. I peeled myself off the floor and wiped it away. I thought he’d wear himself out with the constant onslaught, but Serge was still raring to go.

“Haaah… Haaah…” I wheezed. “You sure do have some fight in you.”

Normally, it would sap a person’s stamina to pummel me as continuously as he’d been doing, but seeing as how he wasn’t even close to panting, I sensed something amiss.

Serge eyed me as I swayed. He pulled something from his pocket—a small bottle filled with liquid. He chugged it before discarding the empty vial.

“Drugs, eh?”

“Body enhancers. This way I can keep beating on you.” Serge glanced at Miss Louise. He was speaking more for her benefit than mine.

Miss Louise was surrounded by her maids. Her face was pale as she shook her head. “N-no. Please, stop this.”

Serge threw his arms open. “The fun’s just getting started! You’re gonna have a front row seat when he starts throwing up blood, and you’ll get to watch as he dies miserably, innards leaking everywhere.”

That’s a bit extreme. But I’m more concerned about those drugs. Marie mentioned them in her journal. They give the user a temporary strength boost. Pretty standard game item.

“So you even brought steroids to this fight,” I said.

“No rules in a death match.”

I agreed with him there—not that I had the chance to do so, given his hulked-up fist swinging at me, which sent me flying. My back slammed into a wall, which cracked on impact.

“Urgh!” Blood sprayed past my lips.

Miss Louise shoved her maids away and scrambled to me, standing protectively in front of me with her arms thrown wide.

Serge narrowed his eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I can’t let this go on. Don’t hurt Leon any more than you already have.”

“He started this!”

“It doesn’t matter! I want you to stop!”

Serge took a stance with his spear, and the maids shouted at him, “Lord Serge! Lady Louise must still fulfill her role! We were ordered to take her to the top of the tree unharmed!”

He lowered his weapon, regarding me coldly. “I’m disappointed in you. I thought you’d put up more of a fight.”

I was still wincing in pain when Miss Louise helped me to my feet. We started out of the room together, which prompted her maids to stop us. Miss Louise snapped at them, “Stay back! I’m not going to run away, not after I’ve come this far. But if we stay, Serge is likely to kill Leon. I’m just taking him somewhere safe, and then I’ll come right back.” She lent me her shoulder, and I managed to hobble out of the room.

 

***

 

Louise supported Leon on her shoulder as they entered the corridor. Her tears wouldn’t stop. Seeing Serge beat on a man identical to her dead brother filled her with a sadness that words couldn’t express.

“You really are an idiot!” she scolded him.

“Ah ha ha. Sorry.”

Before leaving her family’s estate, Louise’s father had told her Leon’s message—an apology. She hadn’t understood what he meant, but she did now.

“So this is what you meant to say,” she said.

“Are you angry with me?”

“Of course I am! You’ve stirred up an incredible mess. I’ll beg for clemency on your behalf before I die, but I have no idea how things will turn out.”

Louise still fully intended to sacrifice herself, but she was willing to lend what support she could. She just had no way of knowing whether it would help once she was gone.

“There’s no reason for you to push yourself like this,” she continued. “I chose this path. I told you before, I am content to be a sacrifice. I want to go to Leon’s side.”

In truth, Louise was scared. Some part of her wanted someone to save her. At the same time, Louise couldn’t endure the nightmares she’d had every night of her suffering brother. She’d convinced herself that he wouldn’t be lonely if she were by his side. It was a way to repay him for being helpless in the face of his death all those years ago. She had resolved herself.

To her surprise, Leon said, “You always have been a stickler when it comes to duty, even when you were younger.”

“Huh?” Louise was puzzled. Leon spoke as if he’d known her back then, even though they’d only met recently. She wasn’t able to respond, though; her insomnia had left her sleep-deprived, which had affected her judgment.

“I planned to fulfill our promise to attend the New Year’s Festival together and then disappear, but the stupid Sacred Tree got in my way and messed things up.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“It’s me. I mean, I’m your Leon. Didn’t you realize?”

“St-stop with the jokes! That’s not funny!”

Leon spoke as though he were actually her dead brother, but that was impossible. At least, Louise wanted it to be.

Leon put a hand over his stomach, wincing even as he forced a smile. It made her heart ache. “A long…long time ago, when we slept in the same bed, I pinned the blame on you when I wet the bed. Remember? You got so pissed you wouldn’t speak to me for a week.”

Louise had never told the other Leon that story. “H-how could you know about that?”

“I wanted to apologize, so I made a paper ring and gave it to you as a gift. You only forgave me after I admitted it was me in front of everyone and apologized.”

He got so carried away after she finally caved that he claimed the ring was a symbol of their promise to one day marry. It was a pretty embarrassing memory for them both, so she tried not to bring it up.

The tears came out faster. “Why… Why are you only telling me this now?!”

Leon wrapped Louise in his arms and softly explained, “It’d only cause problems for you if I showed up out of nowhere, having reincarnated into a new body. I was fine with just poking my head in. I wanted to see everyone again.”

“You should have told me! For so long, I…I’ve wanted to apologize to you!” Louise sobbed into Leon’s chest. She wanted to say more, but the words wouldn’t come out. She was now convinced her initial intuition about Leon was right, and she fully believed he was the reincarnation of her little brother. She ignored the inconsistencies, instead focusing on what she wanted to be true.

“I knew you’d bawl like this, so I didn’t want to say anything. I don’t bear you any grudge. I told you that at the end, didn’t I?”

Louise nodded, remembering Leon’s final hours. She had been unable to do anything but watch as he suffered.

“Do you seriously think I’d want you to sacrifice yourself for me? I was smiling at you at the end, wasn’t I?”

“Yes. Yes, you were.”

 

***

 

As death closed in on Louise’s little brother, famous doctors were crowded into his room, eyes glued to the floor. None of them had been able to help, even as Albergue begged for salvation.

“I’ll give you whatever you want! So please, save my son! You’re renowned experts—I hear you can even bring the dead back to life!”

One of the doctors shook his head. “The dead cannot be resurrected. That’s an exaggerated rumor. While I do think your son’s condition is a shame, I cannot discern the cause. I cannot even begin to guess why his body has deteriorated in this way. It’s almost like his soul is fighting to leave his flesh.”

As strange as it sounded, Leon wasn’t afflicted by any sort of sickness; his body was languishing for no discernible reason. That was why none of the doctors could do anything for him.

“A shaman said the same thing! If that’s true, then help us pin his soul in place!”

Naturally, Albergue had gathered experts in that particular field as well, but every single person had thrown up their hands.

“We’re doctors, not shamans.”

Albergue clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into the soft skin of his palms, making blood drip from them.

Louise clasped one of Leon’s hands in hers. “You can’t die on me, you hear? We made promises, so many of them. I’ll never let you live it down if you break them and leave me. You’re going to be the Guardian, remember? And we’re going to get married, right?”

Leon smiled at her through the pain, which only made her heart ache more.

“Sorry. I will keep my promise to you. When you’re in trouble, I swear…I’ll jump in…to save you.” The pain flared, and he couldn’t continue.

Louise shook her head and threw her arms around him. Like a child, she clung desperately to him, as if that might root his soul in place.

“Don’t leave me! Don’t leave your sister behind!”

Leon died that same day.

 

***

 

“I’d never want you to sacrifice yourself,” said Leon.

Louise shook her head. “But then…why can I hear your voice? You’ve been screaming at me to save you!”

“Flowers don’t bloom from the Sacred Tree. There has to be some explanation behind all of this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m looking into it. That’s why I need you to trust me and come along until I know for sure.”

Before Louise realized what was happening, Leon had tugged her outside to the deck, where Arroganz waited. Soldiers and Armors lay collapsed all around it.

Leon turned to face Louise. “I’m sorry for everything up until now, but I swear we’ll be together forever from now on.”

She threw her arms around him, clinging.

Their moment was short-lived as the deck shook violently.

“Whoa!” Leon cried out in surprise.

Louise glanced around and realized they were rising in altitude. “It’s floating upward?”

The vessel had been suspended in the air ever since the Einhorn rammed it, but now it was moving again.

Leon wrapped his arms tightly around Louise and tried to climb into Arroganz. “Come, this way.”

“W-wait! Something strange is going on here.”

 

***

 

Serge sprinted down one of the ship’s corridors. “That woman… She betrayed us at the eleventh hour.” He had been monitoring her and Leon after they left, and now he hurried to the deck in pursuit.

When he arrived, he found Leon and Louise embracing. Something in him snapped. “Hey, hey. You really think you can run away this late in the game?”

Leon stayed silent as Louise answered, “Serge, leave us be.”

Having overheard their whole conversation, he laughed derisively. “You really think your little brother came back to life? What a hopeless idiot. Did you forget this liar was born around the exact same time as your Leon?”

If this Leon really was her brother reincarnated, then it would be odd for them to have been born around the same time. It was an obvious doubt to have, but it shook Louise. “Leon?” she asked, turning to him.

Leon said nothing, and Serge pulled out his handgun.

“Damn impostor. Might be easy to fool Louise since she’s in a weak state of mind, but you aren’t gonna pull the wool over anyone else’s eyes. You’re a fake hero—all talk and no action. And now you’re gonna die.”

“Leon?” Louise called again, her voice desperate. “Tell me one thing. What did you write inside that paper ring? That’s a secret no one knew except you and me. If you really are who you say, you should know what it was, right?!”

It was a question no one else would know the answer to.

“Uh…” Leon cleared his throat, refusing to meet her gaze. “I think it said ‘I love you’?”

Wrong answer. Louise shoved him away, face contorting in disgust. “You tricked me.”

“That’s a shame,” said Leon. “It was going so well.”

The large vessel finally arrived at the top of the Sacred Tree. Louise retreated, putting distance between her and Leon. He tried to yank her back, but Serge aimed a shot at the floor between them, stopping him.

“Don’t move,” he warned. “You just stand there and watch. Look, the Sacred Tree’s flower has finally come into view.”

There was a single white chrysanthemum at the top of the tree, and some hundred thin, rope-like tentacles shot out of it. They slung through the air, searching for Louise. A voice echoed around them.

“Big Sis, where are you? I can’t find you.”

Recognizing the voice as her little brother’s, Louise’s own voice grew hoarse as she answered, “Here. I’m right here! Your big sister is here, Leon!”

The tentacles reacted, shooting toward her. Leon, who had been watching the scene play out, frantically scrambled after Louise to try to stop her, but Serge fired again. This time, he didn’t bother with a warning shot; the bullet found its mark.

“Guh!”

Leon purposefully threw himself in the gun’s trajectory to make sure it didn’t hit Louise, but as a result, he wasn’t able to catch her. She leaped from the deck, and the tentacles caught her, dragging her toward the flower.

“Miss Louise!” Leon cried, hand stretched after her. Realizing it was futile, he turned and glared at Serge.

“We’re going into round two, and no one’s here to save you this time.” Having emptied his chamber, Serge discarded his gun. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another vial, chugging it before tossing it over his shoulder. Then he grabbed his spear.

Leon started walking leisurely toward Serge. He made no move to reach for a weapon.

“What’s wrong? That weapon at your hip just a dust collector? At least grab something before I—”

“You’re a nuisance. Out of the way.”

“Wha?!”

In the blink of an eye, Leon surged forward, slamming his fist into Serge’s face. Serge collapsed hard onto the deck. It took only a single blow, and he found himself staring up from his back. Leon didn’t bother with him after that; he climbed into Arroganz, where he rendezvoused with Luxion.

“This isn’t our original plan. Were you unable to secure Louise?” asked Luxion.

“It was going great there until the end. Dammit! Can’t believe they had a secret just between the two of them. It’s the other Leon’s fault our plans got so screwed up.”

Serge tried to get to his feet, but Leon had done more damage than he even realized; he couldn’t get his bearings. The drugs he’d taken ensured there was minimal pain, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. Leon didn’t even bother glancing back as he slipped into Arroganz’s cockpit and left.

Blood spilled out of Serge’s nose as he clenched his teeth. “Just gonna pretend I’m not here, huh?! Bastard. So he was just using me!” Leon had purposefully let Serge pummel him. When that realization hit Serge, he trembled with anger. Never before had he tasted such humiliation. All the confidence he’d built began to crumble.

 

***

 

I sat safely inside Arroganz’s cockpit as we approached the blooming flower at the top of the Sacred Tree. Disgusting tentacles were still sprouting from it.

“Is this thing really part of the Sacred Tree?”

It was a little too gross for my taste. Hundreds of those tentacles wiggled around, refusing to let me close. As if that weren’t bad enough, there were columnar devices deployed around the area.

“Luxion, what are those?”

“Defenses that Ideal created. He’s also been jamming me this whole time, trying to prevent me from analyzing them.”

“I can’t believe Serge. He’d really go this far?”

“Well, while it took some time, I did finish the analysis. Normally, I would have destroyed them with my main body’s primary cannon, but you failed to convince our target, so we no longer have that option.”

“I told you, it was going pretty well there ’til the end!” I snapped. “Anyway, what can you tell me about the flower?”

We’d split up earlier so he could conduct his investigation. Ideal’s defense systems had prevented our progress until now, so this had been our first chance to get some answers.

“The flower is unrelated to the Sacred Tree. It is currently connected to it, but it’s only siphoning energy.”

“So it’s something else entirely?” I surmised.

“I detect a Demonic Suit. Not an entire one, mind you, but part of a core that was left behind and possessed the tree.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

The first thing I thought of was the old man I’d fought in our war with the former Principality of Fanoss. He’d almost killed me using that same technology. Demonic Suits were a weapon the new humans had devised to do battle with artificial intelligences like Luxion. To sum it up, they were a huge pain in the ass.

“No, I am not.”

“And you’re telling me it has Miss Louise in its grasp? Then that means…”

If the Demonic Suit had consumed her, she was beyond saving. There was no way to separate them once they merged, and a human who merged didn’t live long.

“No,” said Luxion. “As long as the core is intact, we can save her. It’s fortunate that it is. However, if we don’t act fast, she really will merge completely.”

“Then let’s get her out of there ASAP.”

But why did a Demonic Suit pick Miss Louise in the first place? Why go out of its way to mimic Leon’s voice? He can’t really be trapped inside it, can he?

No, that was impossible. Unless it had managed to suck in his soul somehow? My thoughts were a jumbled mess.

Luxion interrupted, “I believe I understand. The Demonic Suit was seeking someone with the Sacred Tree’s divine protection.”

“It was doing what now?”

“Here it comes.”

The flower rapidly wilted, producing an enormous seed. A crack appeared in it, and an enormous hand shot forth. A black suit, exactly like the one I’d seen before, pried out of the shell.

“Don’t tell me Miss Louise is inside of that thing?”

“She is definitely embedded within it,” Luxion said. “It’s using her as an energy source. Such a despicable creation. Shall I dispose of it?”

“After we rescue Miss Louise.”

I brought Arroganz closer, and the Demonic Suit threw its arms open and used Miss Louise’s voice to declare, “Wonderful. This woman makes for a perfect nucleus. All my energy had long dried up, but now I have an inexhaustible amount to sustain me! I can use it to destroy the entire world!”

I charged toward it, swinging down with my battleaxe. The blade failed so hard to saw through the enemy that it shattered on impact.

“How is that thing so tough?!”

“This is different from the Black Knight. It’s a nearly perfect, full suit. Its power is likewise amplified.”

I gritted my teeth. “You should have said that sooner!” I leaped back, disposing of my broken axe. I grabbed my rifle instead and took aim, but it avoided every single one of my shots. “It’s fast!”

“Of course it is. The old humans struggled immensely against the Demonic Suits. However, from the data I am receiving now, it seems to be at half its original strength.”

“Thanks. I understand now. It’ll be insanely tough to beat this thing and rescue Miss Louise. So? Any bright ideas?” I asked as I dodged the enemy’s incoming fists.

“We remove Louise from the suit and penetrate its core. The main issue is that you failed to convince her earlier. I doubt she will want to leave the suit of her own accord. In fact…”

As the Demonic Suit lunged again, I pulled out a scythe and parried its attack.

“I won’t forgive you. You’re going to pay for tricking me,” Miss Louise hissed, full of hatred. It didn’t sound like the suit was speaking this time.

“She’s conscious in there?!”

I slammed my foot into the suit to put some distance between us, and it threw its arms open again.

“Dammit!”

When I kicked it away, the suit had pierced Arroganz’s leg. I didn’t have to wonder for long how it managed that, since I spotted a tail wagging through the air behind it.

“That thing is dangerous.”

“The entire suit is dangerous. That said…” Luxion trailed off.

Two voices were spilling out of the suit. One was clearly Miss Louise. The other, I assumed, belonged to Leon.

“Ahh, Leon, I feel like we’re finally together again.”

“Big Sis, let’s beat this guy together. He’ll pay for deceiving you.”

“Yes. Let’s do it, Leon.”

The Demonic Suit flew at me again, and I put the pedal to the metal to escape it. I had a solid lead, but even Arroganz’s superior abilities couldn’t keep the enemy at bay; it slowly gained on me.

“This brings back nightmares of facing that old man,” I grumbled.

“Master, now is not the time for jokes. We never planned for a Demonic Suit reviving itself like this. What shall we do?”

As the Demonic Suit chased me, grotesque eyeballs popped up all over it, unleashing magic. The air around it turned bitter cold, and sharp, needle-like icicles began to form. They sailed through the air after me, and no matter how I dodged, they homed in.

“They’re missiles!”

“Engaging the enemy,” said Luxion.

He purged the lid to the container on Arroganz’s back, unleashing missiles of his own to destroy the icicles. At the same time, he deployed the drones stored there. Round robots equipped with gatling guns swooped through the air, shooting down any remaining projectiles. Arroganz fired bullets of its own.

The Demonic Suit countered with more magic, and the air filled with explosions and deflected spells. This was turning into a flashy battle.

“Well, now what am I gonna do?” I wondered, continuing to employ evasive maneuvers while I tried to figure out how to save Miss Louise.

 

***

 

Marie had witnessed the events from beginning to end as she stood on the Einhorn’s bridge, and even now, she watched as the battle unfolded.

The sight of the enemy reminded Angie of the Black Knight. “Why is one of those things here?! What in the world is going on?”

Livia clasped her hands, worried. “Do you think Mr. Leon will be all right?”

“He was able to defeat the Black Knight, but we have no idea what this enemy is capable of. It’s impossible to say.”

“Oh no!”

Jilk, Brad, Greg, and Chris floated around the Einhorn in their own Armors. Julius had retired to the bridge to keep tabs on Loic.

“Is that flower thing on the Sacred Tree normal?” Marie asked Loic.

“No, not as far as I know.” Loic’s voice started casual, but he quickly corrected his tone, sounding more polite when he said, “I mean, no, ma’am. It’s not normal. At least, I’ve never heard of anything like it before. There is no recorded instance of a flower blooming on the tree.”

“Then why are you going so far as to offer it a human sacrifice?”

“The decision was made by the heads of the Six Great Houses. After losing repeatedly to Earl Bartfort, I think they are terrified that the Sacred Tree might abandon them.”

Julius pulled a face. “So Bartfort is the catalyst.”

“I disagree. Sooner or later, I’m sure they would have offered someone. The will of the Sacred Tree is absolute in the Alzer Republic. Especially if it speaks so that everyone can hear it. In such a case, more people are likely to believe in it and its demands.”

Marie held her head in her hands. If Louise dies on us, Albergue will become the final boss! I definitely don’t wanna face that! We came all this way. You can’t tell me it was all meaningless, or—huh, Noelle?

Noelle stood there with the sapling in her arms, watching the battlefield outside. The crest on the back of her right hand glowed faintly.

Julius was also keeping an eye on the situation. He was chagrined to be unable to go out and help. “I wish we could do something, but we’d probably just get in the way.” After all, the Armors he and his friends were using were all lesser copies of Arroganz. Meaning, if Arroganz was struggling, they didn’t stand a chance.

“Julius, don’t say that. You have to help him!” Marie pleaded. “Even with Arroganz, Leon can’t beat that thing, can he? But you guys are way more skilled when it comes to piloting, I know it. I’m sure you can cover for your Armor’s weakness with your technique.”

“You’re mistaken,” Angie said.

“Wh-what do you mean?!”

“Leon is strong. He’s only struggling because his enemy has taken Louise hostage. If only we could rectify that problem, then Leon would be able to—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Noelle interjected, “Let me do it.”

Marie’s eyes flew to Noelle. Now the Sacred Tree Sapling was glowing as well. “What? Noelle, what are you—”

“If you wanna pull Louise out of there, we’re gonna have to convince her first,” Noelle said. “But if things keep up like this, we won’t even be able to talk to her. That’s where I come in. If I can get close, my voice will reach her.”

“Y-you’re sure about that?!”

“I-I think so, anyway,” Noelle stammered.

Livia shook her head. “No. We can’t let you put yourself in danger, Miss Noelle.”

Fortunately, Loic had Noelle’s back. “No, that actually stands a chance at working. I’ve heard the Priestess can communicate directly with people’s hearts, assuming they also have a crest. I read some histories reporting this phenomenon, in fact, and according to them, the Priestess can use the tree to connect to other people. If she can get close enough to touch Louise, she should be able to talk to her.”

“Hold up!” Marie interrupted, balking at the idea. “She’s the Priestess of the sapling, not the Sacred Tree. Those are separate things. We can’t let her—”

Before she could finish, white light poured out of Livia, creating patterns on her skin as her hair floated up.

“Gyaaah! She’s lighting up like a ghost!” Marie squealed.

“Shut it,” Angie snapped. “Livia, are you up for this?”

“I can’t entirely control it yet, but I should be able to do it, if only for a short time.”

“I’ll help out. Noelle, you come too.”

Unable to follow what was happening, Noelle furrowed her brows. “Huh? Uh, um…”

Angie grabbed her hand and yanked. “You said your voice can reach her, right? And that you can convince her? Then Livia and I will pitch in.”

Noelle timidly accepted Livia’s outstretched hand. Livia gently took the sapling and placed it between the three of them. They held hands in a ring around it, and the sapling began to glow even more brightly.

“It won’t last long,” Livia warned. “If you’re going to persuade her, please do it quickly.”

“G-got it.” Noelle snapped her eyes shut.

At the same time, the Demonic Suit outside slowed. Marie might have noticed if her eyes hadn’t been glued to the three women inside. They were enveloped in a faint light. Marie had no idea what was happening.

No way. You’re telling me Olivia’s accessing her Saint power all on her own? Without any items to help her? H-how is she doing that?!

Shocked by Livia’s sudden growth, Marie turned her gaze outside.

Now if Noelle can just convince Louise…

 

***

 

The scenery that greeted Noelle was bizarre.

Amazing, she thought. With this, I really will be able to reach Louise with my voice.

She had sent her consciousness to a psychic plane. Everything around her was blurry and indistinct. She glanced around, at a loss for where to go, when she felt something burning fiercely.

“This way,” came a voice. “Don’t stray from us.”

It was Angie. It surprised Noelle to see that Angie burned with a flame of hatred, and this anger was directed at Noelle.

“Uh, right…”

Livia’s emotions were also visible, manifesting in a thick, viscous blob of jealousy. She retained a human shape, just as Angie did, and as Noelle looked at them, she became anxious about her own appearance.

Livia clasped Noelle’s hand. “Right now, we need to do what we came here to do.”

Terrified as Noelle was, she was more concerned with saving Louise. “Y-yeah, I know.” She feared the emotions the other girls held toward her, but they also gave her a better understanding of how intensely they cared for Leon.

As Noelle searched for Louise, she swore, “Louise, I’m going to drag you back no matter what, and you’re finally gonna listen to everything I have to say!”

 

***

 

In Louise’s psychic plane, she was being embraced from behind by a younger Leon. Since this wasn’t reality, they were both completely naked, and their silhouettes were blurred together. But even though he was behind her and his figure was distorted, she could still sense his presence.

“Big Sis, you need to kill him,” her little brother pleaded.

“I will. Whatever you want, I will make sure you have it.”

The Demonic Suit lunged after Arroganz, wielding such overwhelming power that it drove Arroganz into a corner. Inside, it was just Louise and her little brother. She was truly happy.

“Leon, we’ll be together forever, won’t we?”

“Of course we will. Forever. And you’ll do whatever I ask you to do, won’t you, Big Sis?”

“Yes. I’ll do whatever you want. After all, I’m—”

Intruders—Noelle, Livia, and Angie—appeared out of nowhere, interrupting her.

“There she is!” Noelle shouted. “Louise, what do you think you’re doing?!”

“Noelle!” Louise hissed. Hostility rolled off of her in waves, distorting the psychic plane.

Angie threw her arms out, creating a barrier that protected them from Louise’s magical attacks. “Noelle, hurry up and convince her!”

Livia had been the one to create a path into Louise’s psychic plane, but their entry had been forced, which meant they couldn’t be there for long. “Please be as quick as you can. This…power of mine is difficult to control…”

Seeing the way Livia grimaced in pain, Noelle wasted no time. “Louise, enough of this. Leon only told those lies to help you. He wanted to save you.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! Don’t taint my precious memories! How dare you intrude… You’ll pay for this. I’ll make you pay!” Louise had lost her grip on sanity.

Her younger brother, still embracing her from behind, grinned. “That’s right. We can’t let them get away with this, Big Sis. Let’s kill them. I hate them too. Let’s murder everyone.”

“Yes. Noelle is the eyesore who tried to take you from me. We’ll annihilate her!” As soon as Louise declared that, a blizzard raged around them.

While she tried to chase them out of her psychic plane, outside in the real world, the Demonic Suit unleashed the full extent of its power. It drained what mana it could from Louise to fuel its attacks on Arroganz.

“Ah ha ha ha! Fall to ruin! The world doesn’t need a fake!” Despite how dearly Louise had thought of him before, she fully intended to take his life.

Noelle bit her lip. “What’s going on with you? You’re always so calm and collected. What happened? Remember how you fawned and fussed over Leon?”

Louise’s face contorted with anger. Hatred welled up from deep inside her. “What would you know?! You’re the one who took Leon from me!”

“Louise, are you trying to say you…”

“He was so precious to me. No, more than that—I loved him! And yet my adorable little Leon chose you instead. Do you know how that vexed me? And now that I’ve finally found happiness, you’re trying to take that from me too!”

The Demonic Suit’s power continued to climb. In no time at all, frost filled the battlefield, covering the Sacred Tree’s leaves and branches as the blizzard swept the area. The suit wielded two ice blades as it lunged at Arroganz.

Arroganz lifted its arms to block, but they were sliced clean off.

“Leon!” Noelle screamed.

Louise cackled. “Ah ha ha! Now it’s my turn to steal your Leon from you. Then there will only be one Leon left in the world—the one that will spend eternity with me.”

Noelle glared at her. “Do you really think your little brother would—”

Outside the psychic plane, fighting the Demonic Suit, Leon asked the same question. “Do you really think your little brother would choose to sacrifice you like this?!”

Louise froze in place. “Sh-shut up. A fake like you has no business talking about him!”

“What, so you realized it already?” Leon scoffed. “I see. You were just pretending to be ignorant. You can’t deny it, can you? All the stories you and your family told me about your brother made it clear: he’s not the type of guy to sacrifice his own sister.”

Louise’s heart wavered. He’s right, she thought. Leon would never sacrifice me. B-but this is just because he’s been so lonely all this time.

Having convinced herself, she bore down on Arroganz. “Don’t try to manipulate me!”

“Problem is, I think you’re already being manipulated. Why not test to see if that is the real Leon or not? If he is, then he should be able to answer whatever question you throw at him.”

Louise stopped moving.

Worried, the boy clinging to her back asked, “What’s wrong, Big Sis?”

Louise peered over her shoulder, trying to get a look at his face. The outline was so blurred that it was difficult to make him out. “Leon… Leon, what do you think about Noelle?”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden? That doesn’t matter, does it?”

Once the seed of doubt was planted in her mind, it only seemed to grow. Louise had to be certain.

“Don’t you remember Noelle? You have to. You got along so well, and you played so much together. R-remember? How you’d sneak out just so you could spend time with her?”

Noelle gaped. “What?”

Realizing what Louise was trying to do, Angie slapped a hand over Noelle’s mouth. “Stay quiet. Things might take an interesting turn.”

Anxious, Louise kept prompting the blurry figure to respond. “D-doesn’t that ring any bells? You were engaged, and you were so close.”

Her little brother smiled. “That’s right. I remember. But you’re the most important person in the world to me, Big Sis.”

Louise shook her head. “No. Leon always treasured Noelle more than anything. After they were engaged, it was all her. I came second. Wh-who are you? Why do you have his voice and face?” She quickly put distance between herself and the impostor.

Noelle reached out and grabbed her hand. “Louise, hurry! This way!”

Alas, the impostor’s form slowly morphed into that of an ominous Demonic Suit. “I was so close. Ah well. I suppose I can still make use of you.”

It reached out with its enormous hand, snatching up Louise. At the same instant, Noelle and the other girls were expelled from her psychic plane.

“Louise!” Noelle thrust a hand toward her. Louise reached for it, but they were too far away. The girls were forced out, and Louise was absorbed into the suit.

“Good. Now I can get back to unleashing my fury. Once I’ve used you for all you’re worth, I’ll have to find a replacement,” said the suit as it guzzled energy from Louise’s crest, powering itself up even more.