Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 127 Madness Part 3: "A Nightmare Yearning for Redemption"

"Ratatosk, I never imagined that you and my brother were from there." With that, Shinna threw the communicator that Shido had dropped in the grove to Kotori.

After taking the communicator, Kotori looked at Mana, who had agreed to reunite with her in this abandoned building, with a serious expression. "So you found out? What's your purpose?"

"Itsukawa Shidou."

Kotori's expression faltered slightly when she heard Mana mention her brother's name.

"You didn't deserve to be my sister for letting your brother come into contact with dangerous spirits with his bare hands. I'll take care of what happens next."

"Don't joke around. You mean you're going to hand Shido over to those unscrupulous businessmen like DEM?" Kotori said confidently, showing no sign of backing down when it came to Shido.

"How did you know?!" Mana seemed even more surprised to hear her identity as someone from DEM being revealed.

"Don't underestimate us. You're a military-industrial company that supplies display devices to the military and police outside of Ratatosk. You were transferred to AST from there, weren't you?"

As members of Woodman's inner circle, Ratatosk is unparalleled in intelligence gathering, given that the world's top data-stealing hackers are under their command.

Meanwhile, at Raizen High School, where Shido was located, a crimson shadow completely enveloped the area. Before any students could even react, they all collapsed to the ground.

The campus, which was originally filled with laughter and the sound of students reading aloud, suddenly became deathly silent.

"Miss Lingyin?"

Upon learning that his younger sister was away on urgent business, Shido, facing this unusual situation, sought help from Reine, who was still assisting with the strategy in Ratatosk.

"Analyze immediately..."

The perspective returns to the abandoned building where Kotori and Mana are facing off.

In response to Kotori's denigration of DEM, Mana immediately retorted, "You can't just dismiss the 'shady business' label. It gave me a reason to exist after losing my memory, and I'm extremely grateful to it."

"Really? They were treated like that..."

What do you mean?

Kotori was somewhat surprised to see that Mana was unaware of what DEM had done to her, but then she remembered the results Reine had obtained from analyzing the saliva on the cup Mana had used to drink water at her house…

Based on the current traces of magical alteration, Zhenna probably only has ten years left to live.

"Could it be... that you don't know?"

'Beep beep!'

Before they could continue speaking, their phones, which were in their pockets, suddenly rang. "It's me, what's up?" Kotori asked Kannazuki on the other end of the line.

"Commander, there's a huge spiritual energy reaction coming from Lai Chan High School!"

"What did you say!"

The two younger sisters put down their phones at the same time, looked at each other, and then ran together toward the building entrance.

While Shido was still gathering information, Tohka's somewhat weak voice came from the side.

"Shi...Shido..."

"Is Tohka alright?"

Upon seeing this, Shido went up without hesitation and helped Tohka up.

"My body feels so heavy..."

"Why am I the only one who's alright?" Shido asked Reine on the other end of the walkie-talkie, puzzled.

Another answer is that your body, which has sealed the spiritual power of Tohka and Yoshino, is essentially under the protection of the spirits, and under these circumstances, you are the only one who can function normally.

Shido now has two spiritual energy channels from the spirits. As long as the seal remains stable, regardless of his combat skills and the use of the angels, he is a true half-spirit.

"Shido-san, can you hear me? If you need something from me, please come to the rooftop. I suggest you come as soon as possible. Ahahaha~" Kurumi's voice echoed throughout the school via the school's public address system.

Upon hearing the broadcast, Shido looked at the weak Tohka with concern and said, "Tohka, why don't you rest here for a while?"

"what..."

"It's alright, I'll save everything!" Shido's eyes were firm. After only a slight hesitation, he bypassed Tohka and steadily ran towards the roof.

"Shido..." Tohka watched Shido's retreating figure as he headed towards the battlefield rooftop, her eyes filled with worry.

Shido ran all the way to the rooftop door, looked at the lock that had been broken with a gun, and somewhat uneasily pushed it open and went inside.

"what!"

As soon as Shido stepped onto the rooftop, he saw Kurumi standing alone with her hands on her hips, who had been waiting for him for a long time. "Welcome, welcome! I've been waiting for you for a long time, Shido-san."

"Kurumi, what did you do?!" Shido asked anxiously.

"Isn't it beautiful? The City of Ghoul is a barrier that absorbs the time of those who step on my shadow."

"time?"

"Well, this..."

As she spoke, Kurumi used her bangs, which she usually used to cover her left eye, to lift them, revealing a golden clock that was spinning rapidly clockwise to Shido.

"This is my time, or you could say my lifespan. My angel does indeed possess wonderful abilities, but the problem is that each time it's used, it consumes a lot of time. So, I sometimes replenish my time like this."

"Ah! What!"

Seeing Shido's reaction, Kurumi deliberately placed her hand on her chest and said in a wicked tone, "Everyone is my pitiful and adorable food, ah~ but~ but~ only Shido-san is special, therefore..."

Kurumi's slender, pale fingers, like graceful butterflies, slowly approached her luscious red lips. Then, she extended her pink tongue and gently licked her fingertips, as if preparing to savor the most delicious dish in the world.

"I came here to merge with you, to devour you directly." A red light flickered in her right eye, making it clear to anyone who noticed her that she was dangerous.

It seemed like she was just stating a trivial matter, and Kurumi's expression remained unchanged.

"Kurumi, I'm your target, right? Then just attack me. What's the point of dragging others into this!"

"I want Shido-san to take back what he said yesterday, but this is the real me! So, do you still think that someone who treats humans as food is worth making you say those things?"

"Shido-san~ I really hope you take back what you said before! You should think carefully, because in my Eclipse Castle, every second you hesitate, their lives will be extended by one more second."

As if to proclaim her grave sins, Kurumi kept emphasizing the crimes she had committed.

"So, please take back everything you said." She walked up to Shido, gently placing her hand on his face, then coaxed, "If that's the case, I might be able to break the barrier~"

Perhaps for someone like Kurumi, who is prepared to play the villain for the rest of her life, she longs to be saved, but also understands that it is impossible, so she might as well deny that she can be saved from the beginning.

Shido hesitated, seemingly undergoing a fierce internal struggle. But at this crucial moment, Kurumi pressed her lips to his ear and spoke seductively...

"Come on~ come on~ hurry up~ if you're too late, you'll lose everything."

Shido took a deep breath and looked at Kurumi with a determined gaze. "Release the barrier, Kurumi."

Kurumi's smile gradually widened, as if she had expected it. But to her surprise, Shido continued, "However, I will not give up on you either."

What are you saying?

Kurumi looked at Shido's incredibly determined eyes, and finally sighed, saying, "Ah, I'm speechless." Then, she lightly jumped back and raised her right hand to the sky.

Beep beep beep—!

Suddenly, a piercing spatial quake alarm blared! The sound, like a sharp whistle, tore through the crimson sky above the campus.

Above Lai Chan High School, the azure sky seemed to be being kneaded by an invisible giant hand, and began to show strange distortions.

As space continued to twist and deform, a huge energy sphere radiating a mysterious purple light gradually appeared.

"You know what this sound means, right?"

"Spacequake Alert!"

Not far away, gazing at the purple sphere that appeared above Raizen High School, which was shrouded in the City of Ghoul, Ming couldn't help but show a worried expression.

"Kurumi, I won't stop you from threatening me, but are you treating AST like a decoration?" Ming muttered to himself, turning the naginata-type demon king [Black Flame Demon - Reason] in his hand before looking at Kusakabe Ryoko and the others who were rushing over at top speed.

With a slight movement, he sprang up from his spot. Then, like a nimble cheetah, Ming leaped into the air at an astonishing speed.

In the blink of an eye, he was standing steadily in mid-air, looking down at Liaozi and the others below.

At this moment, he exuded a powerful and confident aura, like an insurmountable mountain, inspiring awe in all who beheld him.

"Flame Beast! It really is you!" Ryoko shouted from the front. Perhaps because he had seen Mana defeat him a few days ago, he was no longer as afraid as before.

"Everyone, no passage ahead!" Ming stood in the air, his aura growing stronger. "You are no match for me. Do not take another step forward."

But Kusakabe Ryoko was not about to give up. "Ha! There are countless innocent students in the school behind you! How can I let a spacequake destroy them and their future!" With that, she commanded her team to launch an attack.

Ming was seen heading towards the approximately eighty-odd members of AST at an astonishing speed!

His figure moved with lightning speed, creating a sharp gust of wind.

While Ming and AST are engaged in battle, let's shift our perspective back to Shido's side.

"Hehehe~ Ah~ Come on~ Come on~ What should we do~" Kurumi spread her hands, looking at Shido in front of her with a playful look in her eyes, "If a spacequake occurs here, who knows what will happen to those students who have fainted."

"Uh..."

Shido broke out in a cold sweat; this forced choice was indeed a troublesome problem for him.

"Shi, Kurumi's mental state is changing; she seems to be terrified of you."

Upon hearing Lingyin's words, Shido suddenly understood something.

"I see."

"Kurumi, you said your goal is to devour me, right? Then stop the spatial tremor, or else..."

Without hesitation, Shido reached for the railing and, to Kurumi's astonishment, stood on it, declaring, "I'll jump off here and die right here!"

"Treat yourself as a hostage? Try that kind of intimidation if you dare."

Seeing that Kurumi didn't believe him, Shido took a deep breath, closed his eyes, leaned back, and fell down the building behind him.

Kurumi gritted her teeth, never expecting Shido to actually dare to do such a thing.

Shido felt a powerful gust of wind surging in from all directions, as if it were about to devour him. His body involuntarily plummeted downwards, the speed increasing rapidly, with only the whistling wind filling his ears.

At that critical moment, a dark shadow flashed past like a ghost. Kurumi was forced to pick him up and jump back onto the school rooftop.

"I can't believe it! Are you... really an idiot?!" Kurumi's tone became extremely agitated, and she no longer had the playful demeanor she had just displayed. She stared intently at Shido, who had fallen back onto the rooftop.

"Now I understand... I have value as a hostage. Stop the spatial tremor and remove the barrier as well, or I'll bite my tongue and kill myself!"

Shido's tone didn't sound like he was lying, and Kurumi, seeing Shido's crazy behavior just now, didn't dare to gamble anymore, so she had no choice but to obediently cancel the General Domain and the Spatial Tremor hanging in the air.

He stood up again, looked at Kurumi, and continued seriously:

"Okay, there's one more."

"Anything else?"

"Kurumi, can you give me a chance to start over?"

"Still talking... so nosy..." Her expression gradually became hesitant.

How do you know such a thing?

Kurumi began to waver, and Shido pressed his advantage, saying:

"Perhaps you'll come to enjoy an ordinary life, otherwise... you wouldn't have bothered with our date!"

"But, this kind of thing..."

"Yes, I can do it!" the boy shouted hoarsely, determined to save the girl in front of him.

Even Kurumi was moved by this.

"Your mistakes will take a lifetime to make up for, but... Kurumi, no matter how wrong you are, it can't be a reason for me to give up on you!"

"I…"

Seeing that Kurumi had been persuaded, Shido changed his tone, smiled, and extended his hand, inviting the girl to experience an ordinary life together in the future, thus redeeming her.

"Come on, Kurumi."

"Shido-san... I... really..."

The girl cautiously reached out her hand, and just as she was about to touch the past... her abdomen was pierced from behind. A pure white arm suddenly appeared in Kurumi's pierced abdomen.

"No way~ Don't be fooled by such words..." A voice identical to Kurumi's rang out, but no one was seen.

"Kurumi!"

"No...don't...me..."

"Okay, okay, I understand. Rest in peace."

The arm that had pierced through her abdomen was pulled away, leaving a bloody hole in Kurumi's lower body, from which drops of bright red blood oozed.

Shido could only helplessly watch Kurumi's utterly desperate expression, and in the end, all he saw was the unsaved girl after her spirit dress faded...