Chapter 57: Shockingly Unexpected Outcomes

"Rinne…."

Shido woke up with tears tracing down his cheeks.

"Shido!"

Maria exclaimed happily, checking up on him to see if he was okay.

Overcoming his dazed state, Shido sat up quickly. His body seemed to have turned back to normal, since his erection had ceased thanks to Rinne's reiryoku for suppressing it.

"Sorry Maria, I gotta go right now!" He got on his feet and walked to the door, reaching for the handle. "Rinne needs my help!"

He opened the door, and when he saw the giant black and white sphere above him, he was too stunned to speak. It gave him the vibes of Mio Takamiya's devastating Angel.

Even so, there's no reason for him to give up!

Rinne wanted to help him, only to be stopped by Mukuro, who mistook her for a common love rival. She didn't know any better, but she was partially responsible for her misery over the past year. He couldn't imagine how she retrieved her memories, the process must have been one hell of tribulation!

"[Raphael]…"

He chanted, trying to activate the Angel of Hurricanes. To his joy, his body started floating. It seemed that Rinne's powers were not only able to negate the detrimental effect of Ren's poison, but was also able to lift the restrictions placed upon his reiryoku! Mentally thanking the kind childhood friend Spirit, he looked up with determination.

For some reason, he felt his powers weren't as great as before, probably because he wasn't completely recovered. Despite that, he did not plan on chickening out.

"No Shido, Rinne said that she doesn't need help."

Maria suddenly shouted.

"What?"

Shido was bewildered.

Maria took out a device from her right ear, which was as small as a tiny candy. It was left by Rinne for the purpose of communication. She pressed the tiny orb, and a recording played out:

"Please tell Shido to rest assured, I've got everything under control."

— Back to the barrier of Ain Soph—

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ren laughed hysterically.

It had been five minutes, and never once did she stop the tightening of her vines. She had discovered that this method would wear Mayuri out faster than simply firing energy shots.

Mayuri, on the other hand, was losing stamina expeditiously. She may have the endurance granted by a super-powerful Angel, but it was nothing compared to the cheat one that the villainess possessed.

Finally, [Kerubiel] was shattered completely, revealing Mayuri and Rinne inside. Out of her depth, Mayuri started coughing up blood violently.

"Finally, you have run out of reiryoku!"

Ren clenched her fist, and to her command, the vines were closing in on the battered and exhausted girls.

"AHHH!"

Rinne and Mayuri were both tied up like crabs for boiling waters, not to mention the thorns on the vines scratching their unblemished skins and making them bleed; painful cries escaping their lips.

"The beautiful struggles of Tragic Fallen Angels~ "

Ren laughed satisfyingly as she stared at the struggling girls, and after giving them one final look, she raised her hand.

"And, scene~"

However…

"With this, all requirements are met."

Rinne held out her right hand, and a pink tiny orb was resting in her palm.

"—? !"

Before she could understand the meaning of this, Rinne crushed it in her hand.

A pink barrier suddenly emerged with Rinne's body in the center, before enlarging in her surrounding areas and destroying all the thorny vines.

In the next moment, the world of the giant chess board that was created by the black and white squares started shaking violently, and the monotone barrier around her started to change.

Just like the flipping of a chess piece, a portion of the black-and-white boards were tainted pink. As it turned out, the formerly symmetrical chessboard became as disorganized as a white paper scribbled with ink.

And as for the Giant Tree that pierced through the top of the barrier, it was contaminated by a mysterious substance, as its trunks were becoming turbid in a pinkish gray color.

Noticing the change of [Ain Soph], Ren couldn't help but squint.

"[Eden]...?"

It was Rinne's angel, the one that was supposedly replaced by [Ain Soph].

Actually, [Eden] and [Ain Soph] were the same kind of angel, it was just that one was the prototype and the other one was the evolved version. Whether it was ability or nature, there was no difference.

Ren widened her eyes, and what reflected in her pupils was Rinne holding Mayuri in her arms! They were scratched and bleeding in several parts of their bodies, but that didn't ruin their beauties in the slightest.

"Thank you, Mayuri." Rinne turned her gaze to her little sister, a trait of softness in her eyes. "Leave the rest to me."

Mayuri smiled back and nodded weakly.

Seeing how collected and calm Rinne was, Ren had a bad feeling about this.

"You are using [Ain Soph] as well?"

Ren couldn't help but gasp.

"That's right, with the same method as the one you used earlier."

Rinne gave a light smile.

"First, you purposely provoked me and Mayuri. Then, you let us beat you into a bloody pulp. Next, you absorbed a bit of our reiryoku via your wounds, which were infused with the little orb in your hand. Finally, you activated mom's Angel with the stolen reiryoku of Tree of Life."

"Clever…" Ren snorted. "I didn't tell you anything, yet you figured it out."

"You may have stolen half of the reiryoku from the Tree of Life, but you never paid attention to the other half."

"The other half?"

"I don't know how you were able to steal it, but the moment you tried, the Guardian Spirit of the Tree took action by transferring the remaining powers away."

"The Guardian Spirit?"

"Her name is Maki, and she's good friends with Rio, if you must know."

"..."

Ren was silent. Those were really news to her; no wonder why she felt something was off. If she could create tiny reiryoku orbs by herself, why couldn't Rinne do the same?

As much as she hated to admit, Rinne really outsmarted her on this one.

At this time, half of the barrier became the color of purplish pink, rivaling the black-and-white area that belonged to Ren. However, when Rinne tried to advance further, it wouldn't move another inch.

"Not a bad tactic." Ren's expression became calm again. "But unfortunately, your little orb only served the purpose of cohesion, not of invasion. Otherwise, I would have lost already."

If Rinne's reiryoku was more invasive like her sister's, she would not only gain control of [Ain Soph], but also summon [Ain Soph Aur] in her possession.

"...Even so, this is enough."

Rinne gritted her teeth and responded.

'—So painful.' The bottom of her heart sent her an excruciating feeling of pain.

The moment she regained half of the control of this place, she felt like something important was slipping from the palm of her hand, and no matter what she tried to make it stay, it just wouldn't listen to her.

The hole in her heart unwittingly enlarged several times, endless sadness and regret filling her entire brain.

It was just like the moment of losing her mother.

If she could, she would like to drop her arms and bawl her eyes out on the ground, giving up this battle voluntarily, even if it meant getting killed by Ren.

But, with Mayuri in need of protection, she must continue the fight.

"[Edict…"

Loosening her gritted teeth, she imitated Ren's tone from earlier, declaring softly.

At the same time, the huge barrier around them started shaking slightly, as if waiting for the orders of the new master.

In this short moment, all of the information gathered in her head, her mind running at full speed.

Just like Ren mentioned earlier, her Angel was only in the state of cohesion with [Ain Soph]. If she wanted to rewrite a law, it would have to gain the approval of Ren as well.

The content of her very first order could decide the outcome of this duel.

From the earlier battle, Ren activated the powers of [Ain Soph] several times, but she wasn't able to ban Mayuri's Angel. There were limits to making orders, for this atmosphere served the purpose of maintaining fairness, not granting special privileges.

She couldn't wish to "power-up herself" or "nullify the opponent", the only target that she could modify must be the "Environment".

Therefore, Rinne needed to create a fair environment that would be acceptable for both parties.

"...From now on, getting injured—will faint]!"

The moment her voice left her lips, the purplish pink color engulfed the entire barrier.

But, it stopped when it reached Ren, for she was the co-owner, and it would require her consent to make this law functional. Nevertheless, she scoffed at the order requested.

"Fainting? Are you serious? This is such an embarrassment!"

In the next second, the colors turned back to black and white. It seemed that Ren didn't approve this message.

"I will do you one better! [Edict…"

Ren raised her hand and let out a sinister laughter.

"...From anon on, getting injured—means death!]

The barrier started shaking and changing in colors, but when it reached Rinne's area, it stopped. Just like before, it awaited the approval of the co-owner.

Rinne had a chill down her spine, knowing that this would be a huge disadvantage toward her; after all, she needed to take care of Mayuri. If it was all by herself, it would be more feasible. But still, she had reasons not to die, unlike Ren, who had been longing for nothing but revenge. And the best solution would be….

"...Fine, challenge accepted."

Despite all this, there was no way for her to get out of here alive with Mayuri without a fight. Thinking about it carefully, fainting or dying in this barrier wouldn't really matter for them, for Ren would kill the two of them either way. If anything, it was just Ren cutting off her own chance of survival.

"Our differences aren't really that extreme~"

Ren smirked.

Getting injured means death.

Now, as long as an individual gets hurt from the opponent's attack, even if it's the slightest scratch on the surface of the skin, it would end her life instantly.

And this law includes everyone inside this barrier.

Rinne and Mayuri took a deep breath, knowing full well that dropping their guards for even one moment could be their downfall.

Ren, devoid of her usual cheeky demeanor, started staring at the two seriously as well. Even she knew better than to be careless in a time like this.

—Back to Shido and Maria—

"Things are not going so well."

Maria explained the situation to Shido, much to his worry.

"In this case, I must go up there and help them." Shido had an apprehensive expression, looking up to the barrier with his fists clenched. "I can't just stand here and do nothing while Rinne and Mayuri are putting their lives on the front line for me."

"Wait, I'm coming with you—"

"—No, I need you to stay here and look after the others."

Shido said with a soft and gentle gaze, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Shido."

Maria looked at him with a dreamy gaze, feeling her chest hot at the moment. This was the man that she had fallen for, and he didn't disappoint. Therefore, she was willing to help him and give him the support he required.

"Good luck."

With that, Maria went back to the room.

Shido nodded and flew up, despite knowing that the odds were against him. Even so, he had a reason to keep fighting.

When he reached the surface of the barrier, he felt an immense presence that belonged to a deity. It imposed him to the point of driving him to his knees, but still, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, summoning the sword of [Sandalphone] and gaining strength in the process.

"HAAA!"

With a loud roar, he slashed the barrier with full force, creating a crack on the surface! His strength was astonishing, but that wasn't enough to break it open.

I need to be creative…

Stopping for a second to rethink his strategy, he summoned [Michael] and pressed the tip of the key angel into the energy field. With a twist, he managed to open a portal that could fit one person! However, the hole started fixing itself and getting smaller.

Not wasting any time, Shido squeezed himself in before it could close on him.

The inside of the field was black-and-white just like the outside, except some pinkish colors were scattered in the surroundings. OF course, this wasn't in his concern at all. He quickly looked around to find his loved ones.

To his relief, he saw Mayuri, who was floating in the air while holding out her right hand in a certain direction.

Following where her hand was reaching, his eyes presented him the sight of—

—Rinne being stabbed in the stomach by Ren!

A/N:

Ouch, can this really be happening?