Mukuro's Wishes (Day 3)

"...in this love story, the innocent maiden has finally received the proposal from her love, and they are now officially betrothed. What direction will the journey of life take them next…?"

In a flash of golden lights, a curvaceous figure appeared out of the void space.

Opening her golden eyes, the girl looked around and located the mysterious figure that was talking earlier.

"Welcome to my world again, Mukuro-sama. How was your second day in this world with your Nushi-sama?"

The girl in a clown suit named Ren smiled as she greeted the guest.

"Muku had a wonderful time, the best of the best." Mukuro replied with a dreamy expression.

"That's so good to hear, I'm glad that my wish made you happy." Ren nodded in satisfaction. "I heard that he proposed to you, did you say yes?"

"Of course! Muku couldn't be happier!" Mukuro exclaimed with stars in her eyes: "Nushi-sama had never proposed to anyone before, so Muku was deeply honored!"

"Wonderful! So when will the two of you get married?" Ren asked with a smirk, her both eyes were freed from the bandage, and she looked more mysterious than beautiful in this state. "I know, how about you make your last wish for a marriage?"

Once the couple was engaged, all that was left was the wedding ceremony. The question would only be the date, location, and guests.

The date was not a problem, since Mukuro wished to marry Shido as soon as possible. Once they exchanged their wedding vows, they would be able to start a family for real.

As for the location, she would prefer somewhere less crowded, considering she wasn't the type to enjoy attention. She only wanted her Nushi-sama to enjoy her most beautiful moment in her life.

Last but not least, the guest list would be important for her too. If possible, she would let the other Spirits join and witness the ceremony, however, they were separated due to inconvenient reasons, not to mention the fact that the Yamai Sisters failed to show up last night.

Nevertheless, she would commence the wedding without regret.

In addition, it was a tradition for the father of the bride to walk her down the aisle and deliver her to the groom, sealing the ceremony as a sign of entrusting his daughter to his son-in-law.

However, Mukuro never knew her father, and she didn't know if her adopted parents could count.

"I see you are having trouble deciding~" Ren's words snapped Mukuro out of her thoughts, making the blonde blink in surprise. "Maybe I can give you some ideas."

After Mukuro nodded, Ren started giving her thoughts: "First of all, you should marry in nice weather, since no one wants to get wet. Second, outdoor marriage is more romantic, so a little bit of nature can't hurt. Third, overcoming a trial before the ceremony is more meaningful."

"Mun!" Mukuro nodded at the ideas happily. She certainly loved how romantic the wedding would be, after all, she was still, probably always, a maiden in love. "Muku's third wish is — Having a perfect wedding for Muku and Nushi-sama!"

"Fantastic!" Ren winked as she poked her lips with her index finger. "Allow me to make you the perfect wedding of a lifetime!"

With that, she activated the powers of her Angel, distorting the scenery for a brief moment before resting her hands.

"Alright, Mukuro-sama. Please wait for tomorrow, and everything will be going perfectly like in your most romantic dreams."

After saying that, Ren disappeared in front of Mukuro, leaving the young girl floating alone.

Pondering, Mukuro gently bit her finger, and closed her golden eyes. A faint trace of excitement showed on her lips.

In the church foyer with white walls, the white gauze hanging from the heights covered the colorful floor-to-ceiling windows, a blue-haired teenage boy was sitting on the side bench waiting, with a hint of joy in his calm face.

After all, today is the most important day in his life.

Shido Itsuka, merely a college student, was wearing a white suit, which consisted of a white shirt with a beige coat, a black collar and a red bow tie. It was a formal attire that was only worn on special occasions. But at this moment, this suit was the perfect one for him, after all, he would attend his own wedding as the groom.

And the bride was an angel descended from heaven.

On the red carpet under the ceremony stage, a blonde girl kneeled dignifiedly on it. She was the Zodiac Spirit, Mukuro Hoshimiya, and the most eye-catching part about her was undoubtedly her long blonde hair that was almost the same length as her body. Her fluffy hair under the two buns was scattered like a waterfall, floating in the air against gravity. Although Mukuro was barely a high school student like Kotori and Yoshino, her body was too voluptuous compared to others. Her gigantic breasts almost seemed to burst out from her pure white wedding dress, and they looked extremely soft and squishy. She was a traditional girl exuding a mysterious aura; looking at the golden pupils on her gorgeous face, it seemed as if she could see the infinite starry sky.

The wedding dress couldn't cover up her overdeveloped body at all: The soft silk tightly bound to her smooth skin, outlining her perfect curves, and squeezed out a sexy cleavage between her lofty melons. The inside of the clothes shone with a blurred brilliance, reminiscent of the vast galaxy. Tracing down, the long dress covered both of her legs perfectly, but the curve of her hips still betrayed how seductive she was underneath.

"This is the moment that Muku has always been waiting for ~" A faint blush appeared on Mukuro's face. "Muku is so happy~"

"I'm equally happy as you." Shido said sincerely.

It was already 4 in the afternoon, and the two didn't reach this location without facing obstacles. "Thank you for your help earlier. If it weren't for you, the two of us wouldn't have made it."

A blonde-haired man and a black-haired woman slightly bowed their heads to Shido and Mukuro.

"You're welcome, it's always a pleasure to extend a helping hand."

Shido smiled at the couple. He remembered that they were one of the couples who participated in the special activity of this church, and they would be next for their wedding.

"It's our turn. Once again, thank you both for your help. We wish you happiness for the rest of your lives."

The older couple smiled as they walked out.

Thinking back to what kind of trial they had faced, Shido couldn't help but give a wry smile…

—Earlier that day—

"May I have everyone's attention?"

In Chiba city, the host of the local church spoke via his microphone.

Today was the anniversary of the foundation of this church, and to thank everyone for their support, they offered to host the wedding for free today, which attracted five couples to select this day for their marriages. Naturally, a lot of guests were invited to witness the sacred ceremonies as well, and they were eager to see what kind of activity would occur.

Shido and Mukuro were one of the couples who signed up for the wedding ceremony today. Interestingly enough, they were No. 5 and No. 6 participants, which were the perfect numbers for them considering their names. (Shido had the number "5" in his last name while Mukuro had the number "6" in her first name)

These two were certainly the youngest pair, since the other ones were at least over 20 years old. When people saw the young soon-to-be-wed couples, they felt that there was still hope for the Japanese population in the future.

Currently, all five pairs were standing on the red carpet outside of the church, giving everyone a glimpse of their most handsome and most beautiful moments in their lives, as they were dressed in the clothing of brides and grooms.

Shido and Mukuro, undoubtedly, were the most attractive pair, after all, Mukuro's beauty was unparalleled among females, including the Spirits.

Almost everyone's gaze was fixated on her, ignoring Shido on the side — not that he minded.

Despite that, Mukuro felt a slight discomfort about the situation: She preferred a quiet environment, yet she was surrounded by the fanatic audience, who were eager to take pictures of her from every possible angle, and she couldn't help but subconsciously snuggle with her lover.

"Muku, I didn't expect you to book a church for our wedding on your own, how did you find this place?"

"It's a secret, Nushi-sama~"

The simplest exchange of conversation was interpreted as PDA, and many men gritted their teeth as they silently cursed the lucky bastard who was able to marry such a gorgeous girl. However, no matter how bitter they felt, she was never theirs to begin with.

Three out of four grooms couldn't help but stare at Mukuro secretly as well, but their subtle actions didn't go unnoticed by their brides. As a result, they were brutally scolded by their partners. Only one groom focused on his own lover, showing that he was a faithful man who could resist temptation from elsewhere.

"Allow me to explain the rules:" The host continued his announcement.

"We have collected your wedding rings, and we have placed them in different locations on the mountain!" Saying that, he pointed to a mountain from behind, which caused everyone to gasp. "Each of you will have to find your own rings in three hours, and if you don't, you will have to go last in the ceremony."

Hearing that, the couples were surprised. They have submitted their weddings to the church beforehand, but they didn't expect them to conduct this kind of event.

"Don't worry, we will have the cars take each couple to their respective locations on the mountain, and we will have you change your clothes before departure." He pointed to five fancy cars nearby, continuing, "After all, you don't want your wedding dress to get dirty, right?"

The crowd started murmuring to each other, wondering how they would witness the "scavenger hunt".

"Don't worry, we will have drones livestreaming the progress of those couples for free!" The host spoke excitedly. "As long as you download our APP!"

Hearing the last part, the audience gave a cry smile and followed the instructions, but not before seeing the brides and grooms off.

Shido and Mukuro got in a BMW, which was super comfy inside, and the driver was a middle-aged lady. She turned her head and spoke:

"Welcome, young couple. I will be your guide, and I will explain the further instructions of this scavenger hunt."

Shido simply nodded, but Mukuro didn't respond, for she lamented the fact that she had to take off this pure white wedding dress that she spent hours working on.

In a certain field.

Shido was wearing Indiana Jones' khaki pants and shirt, while Mukuro was dressing up like Lara Croft. The two of them were holding a map, a compass, a protractor, and a string. In addition, they were given a backpack full of supplies, reflective belts, and a first-aid kit.

Each couple was given different locations, but they had one thing in common: They needed to find the wedding rings before the set time, which would be due in three hours. Of course, being the first one finding it would get an extra reward.

When Shido opened the map, he was blown away by the amount of details in it: Scale, Elevation, Bar scales, Grid Note, Projection Note, Slope, Symbol, and etc.

That was just the tip of the iceberg. He soon found a chart that explained the land features on the map, like hill, valley, ridge, saddle, and depression. In addition, there were different colors on the map, where blue stood for water, green stood for vegetation, black stood for manmade features, and etc.

However, most of these weren't going to be useful in this mission.

The box that contained their wedding rings was placed in Check Point C5. Recalling the instructions from earlier, Shido measured it with the protractor and the string, finding out that the location would be 1500 meters away, in the direction of 36 degrees Northeast.

(PS: Attach the string to the center of the protractor, then use the string to see how the angle is gonna be at.)

Of course, he didn't forget about the Pace Count: He tested how many paces it would take him to walk 100 meters, and it turned out to be 76. As long as he kept count of it every 76 paces, he would be able to find the destination properly.

(PS: A step from left foot and a step from right foot count as one pace overall.)

There was also something about the Azimuth and the G-M Angle, but Shido decided to ignore them.

Simple!

Mukuro had no knowledge of Land Navigation, so this responsibility fell on Shido. He was glad to be able to figure this out, since he wanted a perfect wedding for his fiancée too. With everything calculated, he took out the compass, held Mukuro's hand, and moved out in the direction of 36 degrees.

On top of them, there was a drone recording their movements, which transmitted it to the APP.

"Everyone, look at Number 5 and 6, they are moving toward their wedding rings too!"

The host yelled enthusiastically over the microphone, and the APP was showing five dots on a map. As it turned out, each couple was given a tracker so that the audience could see where they were located on the mountain. It was truly an exciting event for those spectators, probably more so for the participants.

After a few minutes, the host smirked mysteriously as he traced the movement of the loving couple who was hand-in-hand.

"However, are they really heading in the right direction?"

After one hour, Shido and Mukuro approached their supposed destination.

On the way there, the two didn't say much, mostly about the weather and the environment, both of which were perfectly nice for them. Of course, the thing that they enjoyed the most was each other's company.

Holding Mukuro's soft hand, Shido felt happy without conditions, but that didn't stop him from keeping count of his pace.

"— 1400! Just 100 more meters, we are almost there, Muku!"

"Nushi-sama is so good at this."

"Nah, it's just too easy."

Shido waved his hand lightly. Truth be told, this trip wasn't even tiring, neither of them broke a sweat, so the water supplies were untouched.

Their path, however, contained different kinds of terrain features. There was a stream that forced them to take a detour; a huge boulder that forced them to go around; and a fence that kept out tourists like them. Shido made sure to calculate the margin of error in distance, so they weren't missing the destination much.

Finally, they made it to the 1500 mark, and what was presented in front of them was — A puddle of water!

This certainly didn't look right, for what the instruction explained was that if a correct Check Point was found, there would be a sign inserted on the ground. In other words, they found the wrong spot!

Shido took out the map and checked again, but he didn't find anything wrong. "Nushi-sama, what's wrong?"

"It…it's nothing, I will figure it out."

Shido laid the map on the ground and put the protractor on it, trying to connect the Starting Point and the Check Point again. To his dismay, a huge wind blew past him, and before he could react, the map was snatched by the mischievous breeze!

"Nooooo!" Shido and Mukuro both exclaimed helplessly. If they wanted to retrieve it, all they needed to do was activate their angels; however, they were aware that the drone was livestreaming their movements, so exposing their supernatural powers would be quite unwise. Therefore, they had to chase the map on foot.

"Oh Lord! They made a rookie mistake of not holding the map down with a rock, and now they have paid dearly." The host commented as he watched Shido and Mukuro chasing their map on the computer screen. "Can they retrieve the map? Even if they do, can they still remember their pace count?"

… "Ha…Gotcha!"

Finally, Shido caught the map without exposing his extraordinary speed or supernatural powers. "Mun….The wind is so mischievous, but we won."

Mukuro pouted as she caught up to her lover. "But — where are we?"

It was quite lucky for the two of them that they didn't go too far. However, they didn't remember how many steps they took during this period of time, or the direction that they ran.

Without the sense of location, Shido felt that he was lost in this deserted area. Even so, he refused to give up.

He looked at the surroundings, trying to figure out the approximate location they stood. He noticed that a hill was on his left from far away, meaning that it was on his west; he saw the valley on his right in the vicinity, meaning that it was on his south. In this case, he realized that the two of them were somewhere in the middle of the map.

To his surprise, there was another Check Point nearby!

That one belonged to another couple, but it could be helpful for him at this moment: As long as he found this place, he could use it as a new Starting Point and find his own Check Point again!

When he explained this good news to Mukuro, the blonde lover naturally praised him for his brightness. With this, the couple set out again.

After a few minutes, when Shido was about to check the compass — "Ouch!" He heard a man tripping on a boulder and spraining his ankle!

Quickly, his bride bent down and checked his injury, finding out that his ankle was bruised badly. She checked the bag full of supplies, but the first aid kit was nowhere to be found. It seemed they lost it somewhere, which was quite unfortunate in a situation like this.

The man struggled to put on a brave smile and stand up, but his fiancée insisted that he should take a break.

"But we are almost there! I can't let our wedding day be ruined." He gritted his teeth stubbornly. "Honey, don't worry about that." His fiancée cooed assuredly: "It's just a game."

"No, this game is crucial to our happiness!" He struggled to stand up, shaking his leg. "Stop, you will hurt yourself more!" She cried out as she stopped him.

Just when the couple was about to continue arguing, someone interrupted them. "Excuse me, do you need first-aid?"

The older couple turned around, finding out that a younger couple approached them and offered them something that they desperately needed.

"Yes, thank you so much!" The fiancée quickly bowed to Shido.

Hearing the answer, Shido efficiently took out a sanitizing wiper and cleansed the wounded part of the man.

"..." The man flinched a little, but soon calmed down.

"Sorry, did it hurt? I will make it quick."

"No, it's great."

Shido wrapped bandages around the older man's ankle next, making sure to cease the pain that he was feeling. With that being done, he was at least able to stand like a newborn deer.

Although he was still feeling pain, it was a lot better than being left unattended.

"We can't thank you enough, young couple." The older couple bowed to Shido and Mukuro once again.

"It's no problem. I'm glad that our first-aid kit came in handy." Shido responded. "How did you hurt your ankle?" Mukuro asked curiously.

"Silly me, I was standing on a boulder for a clear view, then I tripped myself haha." The man laughed embarrassingly.

"That's what you get for showing off!" His fiancée punched his shoulder lightly.

Now that they were standing closer, Shido saw that this man had blonde hair, handsome facial features, and a strapping physique that many men dreamed of building. He had the look of a foreigner, for he was wearing camper's clothing, though it was covered in dust at the moment, it didn't tarnish his manliness.

The woman had black hair, smooth facial features, and a slender figure that many women envied. She wore clothes that matched her fiancé's, showing the strong bond between the two of them, which was more especially true when she was helping him stand and leaning him on her shoulders.

"We haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Shido Itsuka, and this is my fiancée, Mukuro Hoshimiya." "Pleasure. I'm Chris Leroy, and this is my honey, Emi Takanashi."

Hearing the names of the two, Shido realized that this man was indeed a foreigner, for his name couldn't be more obvious about that.

"I heard that you were almost there…Did you mean your Check Point?" Shido asked.

"That's right, it's only 200 meters away, and it's at Check Point D7. The Grid Azimuth is 328 degrees, and by subtracting the G-M angle of 10 degrees, the Magnetic Azimuth is 318 degrees." Chris answered.

(PS: To convert a grid azimuth to a magnetic azimuth, you SUBTRACT the G-M Angle.)

"Hold on, what do you mean Azimuth and G-M Angle?" Shido was shocked when he heard these terms.

"Well, you need to be careful about the azimuth so you can walk in the right direction." Chris laughed. "If you don't, you will find the wrong place and get lost."

BANG!

Shido felt a hammer hitting his head. His guts felt something was wrong with the direction he was leading Mukuro to, but he wasn't sure why. He assumed that the method he used for direction earlier was correct, yet he couldn't be more wrong:

Earlier, the direction he calculated was correct, but not the degrees. It was supposed to be 26 degrees instead of 36 degrees due to the G-M Angle!

It was thanks to helping this couple that he managed to find the answer. If he chose not to help them, he might never find the Check Point with Mukuro! And in the end, he might not be able to deliver the ring to her finger!

As it turned out, Shido carried Chris by the left shoulder so that he wouldn't need to walk on his injured ankle. Mukuro and Emi followed from behind, chatting to each other merrily. Since the destination for this older couple was close, it would be appropriate to walk them there.

Chris explained that he was from the United States, and he was a member of the Boy Scout of America during his childhood, so he had a lot of knowledge in Land Navigation. He loved to travel, and when he turned 22, he moved to Japan for more adventures in nature. On the other hand, Emi was a nurse in a hospital of Chiba City, and she was the one who took care of him when he got injured in the wilderness. After that, they fell in love with each other.

He was aware of the language and cultural barriers, so he worked his ass off and overcame both at an astonishing speed. After some communication with Emi's parents, he was finally able to engage with her, and the rest was history.

Shido was genuinely blown away by Chris' determination to pursue love, for he didn't stop at the supposedly difficult language barrier. Also, he noticed that he was the one groom that didn't stare at Mukuro like the others. It proved that he was indeed a faithful partner.

When they reached the Check Point, they saw a sign indicating the symbol "D7", and there was a box attached to it. Chris and Emi smiled happily as they opened it and took out the rings, which were shiny under the sun, indicating the beauty of their eternal oath for each other.

"Thank you, Mr. Itsuka and Ms. Hoshimiya! Hope you find your rings too!"

After exchanging information for a few minutes, Shido managed to locate the precise position that he was currently in, and figured out the correct direction of his destination. With all the questions resolved, Shido and Mukuro thanked the couple before heading out for their own Check Point.

On top of them was a drone, live streaming everything to the broadcast. The audience all cheered when Shido and Mukuro helped the injured couple, and celebrated when they reached their destination. Seeing them opening the box and taking out the rings was definitely an icing on the cake for them.

"Look, Muku, that's our Check Point!"

By the time of 3:30, Shido and Mukuro finally found their destination, concluding their journey with success.

"So good, Nushi-sama is the best!"

When they found the box and opened it, they saw the rings resting inside peacefully, shining brightly as the sunlight entered the container.

However, it wasn't the time to put them on yet, they would have to wait until the wedding. Speaking of which, a car headed toward them at a regular speed, before coming to a stop 10 meters away from them.

The same lady driver from earlier stepped out of the car, opening the door for the couple.

Shido and Mukuro smiled and entered hand in hand, giving the audience another feast of the eyes.

Finally, the game was over, and they could finally go back to the church for their wedding. They may not be the first to the finish line, but that did not matter. They were here for the memory, and that was invaluable for them.

—Back to the wedding—

"In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit."

"Amen."

There were a lot of guests in the audience, but none of them were acquainted with Shido or Mukuro. Even so, they stayed for them.

"Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

"And with your spirit."

Shido smiled as he looked Mukuro in the eyes, for they were standing close to each other as they faced the priest holding the Bible.

"Dearly beloved, you have come together into the house of the church so that in the presence of the church's minister and the community, your intention to enter into marriage may be strengthened by the Lord with a sacred seal."

The priest announced.

"Shido Itsuka, and Mukruo Hoshimiya, have you come here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?"

"I have."

Shido and Mukuro spoke in unison.

"Are you prepared, as you follow the path of marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?"

"I am."

The couple responded in unison again.

"Since it is your intention to enter the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church."

Shido and Mukuro joined their right hands.

"I, Shido Itsuka, take you, Mukuro Hoshimiya, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life."

"Muku, Mukuro Hoshimiya, takes Nushi-sama, Shido Itsuka, to be Muku's husband. Muku promises to be faithful to Nushi-sama, in good items and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love Nushi-sama and to honor Nushi-sama all the days of Muku's life."

The priest nodded contentedly, but was a bit confused when he heard Mukuro's oath. Nevertheless, he continued:

"May the Lord in his kindness strengthen the consent you have declared before the Church and graciously bring to fulfill his blessings within you. What God has joined, let no one put asunder. May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God who joined together our first parents in paradise, strength and bless in Chris the consent you have declared before the Church, so that what God joins together no one may put asunder. Let us bless the Lord."

The priest now sprinkled the wedding rings with holy water before handing them to Shido and Mukuro.

"Mukuro Hoshimiya, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the father, and the son, and the holy spirit."

Saying that, Shido placed the ring on Mukuro's finger.

"Shido Itsuka, receive this ring as a sign of Muku's love and fidelity. In the name of the father, and the son, and the holy spirit."

Saying that, Mukuro placed the ring on Shido's finger.

"Now let us humbly invoke God's blessing upon this bride and groom, that in his kindness he may favor with his help those on whom he has bestowed the Sacrament of Matrimony."

The priest spoke loudly.

"In the sight of God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss!"

With the long-awaited approval here, Shido and Mukuro kissed each other on the lips with the happiest smile on their faces, extracting a thunderous applause from the audience.

After the ceremony, Shido and Mukuro decided to take a walk. The place they picked was not a regular park, but the outer space.

"When I am with you, Muku, I feel like I can do anything in life!"

"Muku feels the same, Nushi-sama."

When the couple was about to kiss one more time, an unpleasant voice disrupted the perfect harmony.

"Your public display of affection is too much, even for me!"

Turning their heads, they saw a familiar figure dressed in a clown costume. "Ren?" Mukuro blurted out dumbly.

"You know her, Muku?" Shido looked at her with a confused look, then rubbed his head in pain. "...Ah..My head…"

Smirking in a malicious manner, Ren raised her hand and cried out: "Samael!"

Dry Air.

Dark Scenery.

Poisonous Plants.

This was a mysterious arena exclusive to Ren, but now she had teleported the young couple here for an exception.

"Mun…Muku….can't move…" Mukuro cried out painfully as her legs gave out on her.

"Muku! Are you okay? Hey you, what is this place?" Shido bent down and tried to console Mukuro, before yelling at the clown girl for an explanation.

"Hahahaha, that doesn't sound like someone who will beg for his life!" Ignoring his demand for answers, Ren simply laughed hysterically: "My Angel, [Samael], grants three wishes without any limits. Of course, the corresponding price — will be your life!"

"But it should be fine for you, right? You have fulfilled every dream that a woman should have, Mukuro-sama. Making your man of destiny fall for you, marrying him, and having sexual intercourse… Oh, did I forget about the part about having children?" She continued with an arrogant attitude: "What a rare finale to behold. How about you say some last words to your beloved? This is exactly what the tragic hero and heroine should be doing…like…Swan Lake!"

(Note: In a certain version of Swan Lake, the prince was killed and the princess was taken away by the evil sorcerer)

Hearing these words, Shido felt a roller coaster of emotions: Anger, Fear, Resentment…

"Sorry, Nushi-sama…." A labored voice sounded from behind, and Shido turned around, only to see tears streaming down Mukuro's cheeks.

"Muku made a foolish decision and fell for that woman's tricks. Muku felt something was wrong, yet Muku couldn't resist the temptation."

"No, Muku, this isn't your fault!"

"It is! Muku became selfish again, wishing for things that Muku doesn't deserve!" Mukuro cried even more tears. "First, Muku wished to become Nushi-sama's favorite girl. Second, Muku wished to stay in this world longer. And third, Muku wished to have a perfect wedding with Nushi-sama."

"...So…this was all….Ren's doing?"

"That's right, now you finally understand." Ren smirked in a contended manner. "Now it's time for me to collect my dues, and that will be your reiryoku, life, and soul!"

"—Cut the crap already—!"

Shido screamed as he activated Zafkiel, loading the 7th bullet, Zayin, and shooting it at Ren. However, the bullet was blocked by a poisonous vine.

"As expected of the King of the Spirits, you don't give up without a fight." Ren laughed in a relatively relaxed tone. "But how about this?"

Before Shido could react, Ren summoned a vine and sliced off Shido's right hand, the flintlock firearm still attached to his fingers!

"Awwww!" Shido shouted in pain, staring at his right hand lying motionlessly on the ground. "Nushi-sama!" Mukuro also exclaimed at the same time, trying to activate her angel. However, nothing came out of her hands: "Why…?"

"Haven't you ever paid attention? I absorbed all your powers after you made the three wishes! Ha! Even the brightest star will be merely a darkened rock once fallen to the ground! The Spirit of Cosmos, the strongest one of the bunch, now is no more than a helpless little girl waiting for her prince to come to rescue! But her prince's current condition is way more critical, don't you agree?" Ren snickered viciously.

At this moment, Shido activated Zafkiel again, but with his left hand. He loaded the 4th bullet, Dalet, and tried to shoot himself with it.

However —

Ren sliced off Shido's left hand as well!

"Awwwwwww…..!" With both hands cut off, Shido stood there helplessly as he stared at his bleeding, dismembered wrists in disbelief.

"HAHAHAHA! You really think I will give you time to recover?" Ren laughed uncontrollably: "Without hands, what kind of powers can you activate?" She put poisonous vines around Shido's neck, strangling it tighter and tighter.

Mukuro, despite being paralyzed, tried to reach Shido, but Ren also entangled her hair, as well as her torso and limbs, with spiked vines of venom, respectively, saying she would kiss two of the most significant components constituting her beauty goodbye, if she dared to move.

As she said that, she raised her hand and was ready to sink the poison in Shido's neck, however…

The vines around Shido's neck were torn off!

It was Mukuro who bit them off with her bare teeth! Of course this blonde beauty sustained heavy damage for her actions: Her long, golden hair was cut off, leaving only short portions of them; her flawless snowy skin was deeply punctured and badly lacerated in dozens of places, and blood was dripping from her mouth. Not to mention losing reiryoku also deactivated her ability of regenerating, resulting in her wedding dress tainted with the redness of her blood, as if many scarlet roses blooming on a pure white background.

"Muku!" Shido cried his lungs out. He rather let his own suffering be one thousand times worse than to have her getting hurt.

"Nushi...sama…" Enduring her grave injuries, Mukuro forcibly formed a smile: "Nushi-sama will do the same for Muku." She tore off parts of her wedding dress to tend the ghastly wounds on him.

"Muku…" Shido burst into tears, feeling inadequate to protect his significant other, also for the mutual love bonding them together. Maybe they wouldn't be able to make it this time, but dying with his angelic golden fairy, from a certain point of view, counted as a blessing.

"I can't believe it! You actually sacrificed your hair and skin for him?!" Ren was shocked too: "You've earned my respect, and as the demonstration of such respect, I'll grant you a quick death!"

"Despite our best efforts, we refuse to die." Mukuro strained to form a sentence: "It's one of life's mysteries." Then, despite the intense pain, extreme fatigue, and profuse bleeding, she managed to stand up in front of Shido, extending her arms as a shield to protect her lover with determination.

"Impressive, truly impressive." Ren shook her head: "But I recommend one of you saying 'It's my greatest honor dying with you' and the other saying 'The honor is mine'. Now enjoy your eternal honeymoon…in the netherworld!" She accumulated all her reiryoku to form a miniature-sun-like ball of super-condensed energy, then, like firing a BFG 9000, she tossed it to Mukuro, intending to leave nothing but an enormous crater on its ground zero.

But —

— KABOOM!

The sphere of destruction was intercepted in its trajectory, before its blast radius could reach the couple.

"I concur, both of you are too young to die." A clear and beautiful voice sounded from behind, causing everyone to widen their eyes.

A girl with long golden hair—Mayuri.

"Cavalry has arrived."

And beside her, there was a pink-haired girl — Rinne Sonogami.

A/N:

Greetings! The climax of the arc is finally here! I thank you all for patiently waiting this long! With Mayuri and Rinne to the rescue, can they get Shido and Muku out of this pickle?

PS: Special thanks to lixiaofossil for editing this chapter.