Date A Re:Live
S3 Chapter 69: Sephira Fury, Part 12
By : Tohka_Yatogami
...
Summary
Even a similar story can take it's own path. Shido and Mana are amnesiac siblings living with their friend Kotori, however the past catches up to Shido when he nearly runs into a space quake, and his world changes as one girl asks... "Are you here to kill me?" (Stronger Ratatoskr, weaker DEM, games & movie are canon to story) [Shido/Tohka/Harem]
Before we begin, time to sound usual alert about Vol 17 for this arc.
WARNING! MINOR TO MAJOR SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 17, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
While the arc still has at least one chapter left (an epilogue of sorts without officially being one due to the story still having S4 left), I can at least say that this is chapter where the major Vol 17 spoilers will have already been revealed, so starting from the next chapter, the spoilers have passed. Now, time for the start notes. Well everyone, the fight between False Chinami, and Ethereal Origami, is about to begin.
I'll admit that I actually wanted to introduce a few more Ethereal Forms here, but ultimately, I consented to only Origami's because it felt like it would be too scrambled otherwise, and... because I haven't been able to figure out any fitting names for the other Sephira Spirits' Archangels yet ^^; *chuckles embarrassingly* So, the rest will be debuting throughout the crossover and/or Season 4.
Now to reply a guest review.
To Seeker213:
"Fair enough, there's always something that someone might not like, I had a good feeling not every would be as comfortable with the twists as I am, but it's how I wanted to write the story, and partially why I began writing in the first place, but I guess everyone's got their preferred twists. I'd say more about Westcott, but I won't cause this chapter's gonna be doing that part for me."
"Also, if you're thinking that the crossover is the result of the Heaven and Hell thing, that actually isn't why I'm doing the crossover. That's the result of the plot point in DxD's fourth arc where Rizevim gets an interest in other worlds/dimensions, and since Date A Live itself has another world through the Spirit Dimension, it just felt like the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, I can't say more on that due to spoilers for those who read both stories."
"I can see why you might see that, but I can assure you it isn't as bad as you think, there's a bit more of Origami's reaction to the whole thing with Chinami in this chapter that will aid in her development. As such, I apologize over not mentioning there was going to be more on that for this chapter, it's the one thing about multi-part chapters I hate myself, how info spread across them can make something look like what it isn't."
"To answer your question about Encore, that's what I'll be doing, but in a unique sense. The current version has this unique thing I began in Chapter 2 where each chapter ended with a photo being added to an album. So, for the first chapter, it'll be an event near S3's end, and showcases that idea before restarting to between Tohka and Origami's arc and then I'll be going chronologically from there."
"However, this is only for the slice of life events, any romantic events between arcs is planned to be in the DAR:L side story called the Dating Game."
Well, there's not much else for me to say, so I guess it's time to bring up the data sheet for Ethereal Origami, and then we can get this chapter started!
A/N: Slightly unrelated, but I figured I should mention it because there's one use of it in this chapter, and it's been a question I couldn't answer before now. To anyone who's been wondering if you can use the f-bomb in a T-Rated story, you can as long as it's not too often.
-Ethereal Origami, Code Name: [Seraph]-
Archangel: Lucifer - Metatron's Archangel counterpart. Unlike other Archangels, Lucifer has no resemblance to its Angel counterpart's form, taking a uniquely different form, namely a set of seven white streamers of various length on her back, with six of them shift into the shape of wings and the seventh acting as their supporting base, all with rainbow tips at their ends. Unlike Metatron, Lucifer doesn't need to move off Origami's body/vicinity, allowing her to use her light-based attacks from anywhere, in any way, and at any direction.
- Alternate Form: Amaterasu, Dawn of Radiance - The Ethereal counterpart of the Shemesh, Artelif, and Kadour formations. Using the power of the Amaterasu formation, Origami can create a multiple of attacks using her light, including stronger versions of the three formations this one is a counterpart to, and new ones such as light refraction, light scattering, and reflecting the attack off a surface.
- Alternate Form: Ehki, Heavenly Godspeed - The Ethereal counterpart of the Mal'akh formation. By absorbing all the nearby photons in the area and imbuing them within her body, Origami can make herself move so fast, only the Ethereal form of the Yamai twins' natural speed can exceed hers. While she's not actually going this fast, many claim that she moves as fast as light when using this ability.
- Alternate Form: Sulis, Eternal Lightwave - The Ethereal counterpart of the Zohar formation. By refracting all the nearby light she's compressed onto each other, Origami can create a translucent shell of light that can defend from many attacks, and the shell is movable as well, meaning Origami doesn't need to dispel and reform it for her to use it somewhere else.
- Alternate Form: Ra, Shining Prisma - A new formation exclusive to Origami's form, and nicknamed by Origami herself as her "Strategic formation." When using Ra, Origami creates a prism of light around her, and while within this prism, Origami's mind processes data at a right at least a thousand-fold faster than a normal person usually can, letting her think up strategies and prepare for the unexpected on the fly if she has the chance to use the formation.
- Powers: As the pinnacle of Origami's abilities, anything she could do in either her normal or Inverse Form is usable here even stronger, and her Ethereal Form has even more tricks of her own. The most notable difference between Origami's normal and Ethereal Form is that it uses less formations than before, which allows it to do more as Origami's formations now have multiple purposes rather than a singular one.
Also, unlike her normal form that relies on photon particles that weakens it when there's less light, Origami's Ethereal Form relies on sunlight and moonlight, meaning that as long as there's any kind of natural light, Origami will be able to use her powers without anything holding herself back. Origami's teleport dodge gains reaction time so fast, she'll always be teleported a good distance away by Lucifer, and can do it seven times in a row before Lucifer needs a 20 second recharge.
Risk Factors: SS
Spacequake: S
Spirit's Astral Dress: AAA
Archangel Rank: S
Strength: 215
Consistency: 227
Spiritual Power: 252
Agility: 160
Intelligence: 256
At that moment, False Chinami thrust her Dark Arondight forward as planned, and everyone watched in horror as it was about to hit... only for it to break into pieces!
"W-what!?" False Chinami gasped.
"...I knew it, all along, the way her hatred was strong was too unnatural, and now I know it was because that hate wasn't' even hers." Origami cried, shedding happy tears.
"What... why are you crying? How can you smile like that, you saw a Human treat another of their kind like a tool, I don't see how the will of the Sandalphon could ever believe in your kind!" Inverse Origami questioned, incredulous to her reaction.
Origami sniffled, and giggled a bit.
- (*Silver Wings - Accel World*) -
"Because, you're looking at it all wrong, I thought my own family was my enemy... but she's not, she's trapped, and now I know I can save her. Yeah, we Humans aren't the same as Spirits, and we make mistakes, but we do our best to admit to them and move forward." Origami replied.
"Just like... just like someone showed me how to live, when I wanted to die long ago." She smiled.
Inverse Origami's eyes widened, surprised at that.
"You wanted to die, but... found reason to live? How could someone push you like that, how could you keep going, I don't get it, I... is this because of our hatred?" Inverse Origami asked.
"No, it's because that person gave me hope, the hope named... Shido Takamiya." Origami answered.
At that moment, Inverse Origami took another look at the words that Sandalphon spoke to the Inversions, and then... she understood it.
That hope wasn't just some kind of promise, it was a revelation that their future was one beyond a single-minded hate, that she could live by the path she chose to walk, not one decided by forces beyond her.
"I... I get it, I think I get it now, what you were trying to say... if that's the case then... to you who's inherited the power of the Metatron region, allow me to see your strength and let me know if its right to believe!"
"I will... thank you." Origami thanked.
At that moment, False Chinami was pushed away as suddenly, Origami's white Reiryoku manifested, but brighter than ever before.
Shido's eyes widen.
"That light, she's..." Shido breathed.
Soon the bright white Reiryoku exploded, forming a pillar of it that everyone saw.
"Whoa!" Mana exclaimed.
"Origami..." Mukuro breathed.
"You did it Origami, you've... Ethereal Shifted!" Tohka sniffled happily.
Slowly but surely, the light of Origami's transformation ended, and the sight of the Light Spirit's new form appeared before everyone. The sight of a crown or the wedding veil connected to it was completely absent, with two light blue ribbons tied around only a few strands of the sides of her head, but they didn't seem to be her Archangel which had yet to reveal itself.
Similar to before, Origami's Astral Dress kept its similar appearance to Tohka's if the princess gown theme was more like a wedding dress theme, though it also had changes that made it look more like an individual than it had previously. For one, while still mainly white, it seemed like the purest of white, with some light-pink gradients near the various ends of its non-light cloth.
Any trace of armor on her shoulder had faded, looking more like the normal sleeves of an outfit that lengthened the out to end at a zig-zag pattern, with another layer of cloth made from light extending out below it, with a more translucent look to it, with light-pink fingerless loves that had iridescent-platinum rings around their ends, which was the same color that everything formerly gold on her normal Astral Dress was.
Her boots which had always been similar to Tohka's had also shifted into a more aerodynamic shape, with some part of the sides near the heel having cured to gain a more wing-like shape, and her stockings being light-pink in color. Topping it all off was the blow near where her outfit showcased some of her cleavage, which had kept its butterfly like shape, but now looked like one with six wings, and taking a translucent rainbow color.
"Beautiful!" Rio commented.
"Origami, she looks so regal now, doesn't she?" Mikie commented.
"I know, she doesn't look like an Angel anymore, she looks more like... like..." Natsumi replied, trying to describe it.
"Like a Seraph."
Everyone turned to Mildred, who had made the comment.
"That's what we call one of the highest levels of Angels if not the highest depending on the origin related to them, and considering that was her prior code name, it only seems fitting her Ethereal Form is more than that." Mildred explained.
"Damn it... damn it all!" False Chinami screamed.
The robot wizard shook, clearly showing rage at the sight before her.
"How dare you feel hope from this, how could you not feel despair from this, you bitch!" False Chinami roared.
"...You wanna know how I honestly feel then?" Origami asked.
False Chinami growled at that.
"I'm truly happy to know that Chinami never hated me, and even more... now I know I have nothing to feel guilty over, I always thought accepting the Metatron Crystal had been a mistake regardless of the true result of that day, but now..." Origami explained.
"...Now I know had I not accepted it, I'd have been an orphan and never learned the truth, because you would have killed them through something else, at least like this Rio left their souls within me so I had part of them still living!" She exclaimed.
"Just what kind of bull crap are you talking about?" False Chinami glared.
Origami's hand trembled before she clenched it, and soon she breathed, showing an angry face towards the False Chinami, one that everyone noticed clearly showed hate.
"Simple... because despite that, that doesn't change the fact that because of you, they aren't alive right now, because of that... the only thing I can feel towards you is hatred!" Origami screamed.
Origami readied herself.
"That's why... I'll destroy you, free the real Chinami's soul, give her peace, and finally avenge my parent's murder!" Origami exclaimed.
"Just try it [Angel], because you'll be the one that dies today!" False Chinami countered.
- (*insert song end*) -
The False Chinami held out her Dark Arondight, the sword and its fragments pulling together before flying at her, followed by False Chinami stabbing the broken blade into her CR-Unit, causing her to scream as her form began to change. Her machine body shifted as its skin grayed out, and most of her hair went pitch black, her sclera becoming black and many of her body's wires breached free of her.
"Oh my god, what just happened?" Kaguya asked, hugging onto her sister.
"I don't know, but... she feels dangerous, like a living force of destruction." Yuzuru replied, doing the same.
"...It seems like she forced her robotic form to integrate with the Dark Maryoku in her CR-Unit, she's mutated into a living personification of the power... at least, that's my theory based on what we're seeing." Rinne theorized.
Kurumi nodded at that.
"It makes sense, as a machine, she can likely handle such an act compared to a living creature." Kurumi answered.
False Chinami's body began moving erratically before the power fully settled, and she gave a seething, furious look towards Origami.
"I will swallow you beyond the depths of dying, and erase you from this world!" False Chinami stated.
Origami took a deep breath, looking at the robotic fake of her cousin.
"[Lucifer!]"
A flash went off as Origami's Archangel finally appeared, manifesting on her back as seven white streamers of various lengths, taking the shape of wings and their supporting in the middle, all with rainbow tips at their ends.
Upon fully awakening, the wings glow a bright white, making the rainbow tips shine and sparkle.
"Ready to end this, Lucifer?" Origami asked.
"[Yeah, you and I together!]" Lucifer agreed.
Origami and Chinami rush at each other, truly beginning their final battle with one another.
Reine looked around her as she, Seigo and Isamu finally arrived at the area the latter wanted the visual illusion to bring them to. One she saw it, she was amazed at the sight she saw before her, it was the Spirit Dimension back when Seigo had arrived in it.
"Seigo, is this..." Reine asked.
"Yep, this is what the Spirit Dimension looked like when I landed in here." Seigo answered.
"Not as beautiful as when it was Heaven, but it's still a huge "Wow" factor, isn't it?" He asked.
"I... well... yeah, it really is." Reine agreed.
"Yes, it would be accurate to say the reason the name of Heaven was lost to this world was when I had the Spirits born to live here, they were my wish to help restore Humanity of the taint left in them by the Devil." Isamu explained.
Reine soon sees the sight of the renewed Heaven's first days, where the Sephira Crystals, which had only recently been created by the surviving Angels being transformed into them, had been placed in ten spots of the currently colorless and concept-like land before them.
As each one was placed, a tenth of the world suddenly began to develop based on the former powers of the Angel residing inside the crystals, and soon in the center of the world, Isamu began to shake, starting to succumb to his curse.
"After I set everything up, all that was left was to give the Spirits a proper progenitor, one that I made inherit my strength, but only the strength that would allow the world to heal, and the strength to create, rather than destroy." Isamu explained.
Isamu soon motioned himself to a spot, and shakily extended his hands as he focused all the power he could, causing parts of the world to flicker as the power he compressed was put into place, soon exploding out as something like a Spacequake, but instead of harming the world, it gifted it.
He soon looked down to see a small bundle, and picked it up as the baby within it began to cry, upon feeling its touch, the baby quickly stopped crying and calmed down as it saw her father for the first time.
"I created a child, and due to my weakened strength, I didn't have enough to form another, limiting the Spirits to only woman, unlike Humans who also had man... and that was when my physical form finally ceased." Isamu revealed, a sad look in his eyes.
Isamu shed a tear before his body collapsed, and his physical form dissolved into particles, leaving only the astral projection that he was today.
"The Sephira Crystals would soon create their guardians, and they'd be unaware of me through the little power I had left, they would only know this child was the [Spirit of Origin] that all others came from, and she must be protected." Isamu stated, motioning to the Sandalphon guardian picking the baby up.
"Due to the family that I entrusted the task to on Earth, I left her with a name to show she had the same importance as them, and in a sense ,was the Spirit Dimension's counterpart to that family, that name... was Mio Takamiya." He revealed.
After having not seen her face, the Sandalphon Guardian shifted the baby in her arms, allowing Reine to see her... see a baby girl with the same hair and eye color as herself, with the only difference being the eyes of a Spirit she possessed.
"Wait, that baby, it looks just like... just like..." Reine gasped, starting to piece something together.
"Just like you?" Seigo stated.
Isamu closed his eyes, looking away as he revealed what had come next.
"Of course it would, because... that baby is you." Isamu verified.
Reine's eyes widened, and she felt her legs give out slightly, looking at the sight before her, and then at her hands before looking back again.
"I'm... a Spirit?" Reine, or rather Mio, asked.
"...Yeah, and you always have been." Seigo confirmed, staying close to comfort her.
As it all sunk in, she turned to Isamu.
"Then... why did you send me to Earth, live as if I was Seigo's sister?" Mio asked.
"I can't answer that, because... I never did." Isamu answered.
Mio's eyes widened.
"That was when I realized my greatest mistake, that there was no way I could outsmart the Devil, because his power was so opposite I couldn't predict... causing this chain of events to happen."
Isamu put his finger on Mio's head, causing it to glow slightly, and making her eyes widen as she felt a jolt through her head.
False Chinami roared as she thrust her arms out, charging blasts from her wires.
"DIE!" False Chinami screamed.
Dark beams streamed out, homing in on Origami's location.
"[Sulis - Eternal Lightwave!]"
Origami put her hands forward, and light gathered as a protective shell that blocked the attack, but a few beams went around and aimed at her from other directions.
"A shield is useless if it can't protect you from every side!" False Chinami cackled.
"Oh, so this one doesn't?" Origami asked, smiling a bit.
False Chinami raised her eyebrows at that, only to gasp as the light shell moved itself in response to Lucifer's slight shifting, causing each beam to only meet the shell as it re-positioned itself in front of where each one hit.
Origami dispelled the shell, and the robotic wizard growled angrily.
"Damn you!" False Chinami shouted.
She rushed with her sword out, and Origami glared a bit.
"[Amaterasu - Dawn of Radiance!]"
Spheres of light formed before they twinkled like stars, and flashed forward, aiming at False Chinami.
The mechanical DEM member quickly started flying away, dodging the attacks as they all missed her, and giving a mocking grin towards Origami.
"[If you think that's all these stars can do, then you haven't seen them shine!]" Lucifer joked.
The light spheres soon crashed into parts of the debris, compressing and bouncing even faster as they continued their path towards the False Chinami, and making the robotic fake gasp as they refracted, scattered and reflected around her, making a storm of light around her.
"No way, how is this-Guh!" False Chinami screamed.
Soon many of the light spheres smashed into her, dealing heavy damage onto her, but only enough that her body smoked from where she took damage.
"You miserable... annoying... pest!" False Chinami glared.
"[Hey, we're only trying to give you a little sun, I mean you do look a little pale.]" Lucifer replied.
False Chinami's eyes twitched before her body shook heavily, soon causing a flare of Dark Maryoku to explode from her body.
"Don't you dare fuck with me!" False Chinami screamed furiously.
Origami felt the Dark Maryoku push against her.
'I won't... let this beat me, I have to destroy this monster, and save Chinami's soul!' Origami thought.
Origami screamed, causing her Light Reiryoku to flare out and push against False Chinami's power, surprising the latter as a bright light covers the entire area, making everyone shield their eyes.
"Look at all of that power!" Mayuri shouted.
"This power... is really superior to the Inverse Form?" Mukuro breathed, amazed at the sight.
Tohka nodded at that.
"Yeah, it is, nobody knows that better than me after I've used it twice." Tohka confirmed.
"Come on Origami, you can do it." Yoshino cheered quietly.
Origami zoomed at the robotic wizard again, causing her to growl before she rushed towards the Ethereal Light Spirit.
Mio soon found herself alone, looking at the sight of the village of the wizards that Isamu had created long ago, and soon enough... she saw horror as it was suddenly attacked weapons of war, quickly setting it ablaze!
Adults and children alike ran, with a few trying to combat the forces around them with magic, but it was quickly evident despite the potential of magic, there were too many forces and weapons attacking them for their efforts to turn the tide. Before the villagers knew it, their fellow wizards were slaughtered faster than they could defend themselves, or simply fight back.
"What... what is this?" Mio gasped.
"The one thing I didn't predict, as I said before, the Devil is my antithesis, and as such I can never predict him due to his opposite nature... if I had then I would have known this in time to prevent it." Isamu answered.
Mio tried to look for him, but couldn't find him.
"Don't try to look for me, I'm talking to you via your mind, just focus on what's happening here." Isamu explained.
Mio continued watching, and that's when she saw four familiar looking individuals... Westcott, Elliot, Ellen, and Karen, making her eyes shake at the fact she was able to recognize their younger selves so easily.
"Isamu, those are..." Mio gasped.
"Yes, when this village was made, there was an order known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The three who formed it were known as William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott, and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers... in other words, the ancestors of the DEM and Ratatoskr's founders." Isamu verified.
"Of course, how could I have been so blind, the only way Westcott, and Elliot, could have developed Realizer technology from the Maryoku at the speed they did was if..." Mio realized.
"...If they had studied magic all their lives." Isamu stated.
The sigh of the continued chaos soon made itself evident as the reactions of the four children.
Elliot had a hopeful look, intending to make sure he and the others would get out alive, and keeping a brave face as he did so. Karen wasn't as hopeful looking, being visibly scared at the destruction she saw, but stayed close wanting to belief in Elliot's courage.
Ellen had a very hateful looking face, filled with anger, to see all the destruction before her... the feeling of never losing to anyone was born in her heart, with her intention to make every non-wizard pay for today. However, it was Westcott who had the most extreme reaction.
He was clearly hit hard by the sight of the destruction, it had stained him, his eyes distant and he didn't move as it registered through him, but... it wasn't because he was terrified or being mentally broken. The answer was written all over his face by one thing, and that... was the smile he was giving, making Mio's eyes shake in horror.
'He's... smiling, just like the stories about his origins!' Mio thought.
As a large plume of smoke covered everyone's view, Mio saw something black within the smoke, and the glow of two red dots and a red line shaped themselves within it, soon rising to reveal a shadowed figure with two horns.
It tapped Westcott's shoulder, and soon the boy looked at him, the line representing the shadow's mouth said something as Westcott replied back, easily looking convinced before the shadow being forced itself into Westcott through his eyes.
"Wait a second, is that..." Mio asked.
"Yes, that was where my error allowed the Devil's second act against the world, the attack was influenced by his actions... and then he took the young Westcott's mind, who for reasons unknown enjoyed the destruction, and offered him something." Isamu answered.
"...Why do I feel I'm gonna regret hearing this answer." Mio mentioned, gulping a bit.
"What he offered him, was to have his power if he allowed him to merge with him to regain his power, making Westcott... into his reincarnated self, a new Devil."
Mio's eyes froze in place, and suddenly the comments Westcott made about becoming the Devil?
The once figuratively words had become all the more terrifying, because now she knew his use of them was actually literal, and it didn't take long for her to realize a bigger connection to Westcott housing the Devil's soul.
"The Inversion taint, it's the Devil's influence that's within him! That's the reason why the Spirits have the Demon Kings when in their Inverse Forms, isn't it!?" She stated.
"I'm afraid so, and they share the name of the Demons that my 10 surviving Angels only narrowly defeated in battle." Isamu sighed in confirmation.
Elliot soon managed to get himself, both Mathers sisters, and Westcott away from their village, with the attackers never realizing their escape as they kept running... nor of the being that fused with Westcott through his eyes.
Eyes that marked damage that would echo throughout the world for the next half of the century.
Mio breathes as Isamu moved his hand off her head, and she breathed heavily.
"I'm guessing you just saw the whole thing about Devil Westcott, I know what you're thinking, and I ended up working under that psychopath due to my job no less." Seigo stated, sighing a bit.
"Wait, I'm confused... how does that relate to me ended up on Earth?" Mio asked.
"Simple, because its related to how Rinne was born." Isamu explained.
Mio's jaw dropped right open at that, and when she looked at Seigo, his light form moved up and down to act like nodding his head.
"You see, Rinne was an attempt of Westcott's to create a copy of you to replace you, and get the power of the Spirits for the sake of awakening the dormant powers the Devil left within him." Seigo explained.
"Oh, and the worst part? His efforts in doing so are what caused the terrifying devastation we know as the Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami of 2004." He added.
Isamu claps his hands, revealing the events of that day in the visual illusion around them.
After briefly showing that the four had split off from each other over the years, the sight of Westcott, along with Ellen, as teenagers was seen as the two stood in an area of Indonesia without any people, with the two of them preparing a spell together.
A dimensional ripple appeared as a humanoid body began forming from the magic that would one day become Maryoku, and within the ripple, a brief sight of a child-aged Mio was seen... followed by a huge explosion as the two were knocked to the ground.
Soon, the image of Rinne's still forming body got shot into the ripple, while Mio began being tossed within it.
"Despite my current form and lack of power, I still could do a little, so I jumped after you before redirecting where you'd end up... because they had a duty related to protecting you, I sent you to the only people I could trust you with, and guided you to Japan." Isamu explained.
"...The Takamiya family!" Mio realized.
Seigo does his movement nod again.
"Yep, that's when you ended up becoming my sister, of course Isamu altered are memories to avoid confusion, and he ended up giving you the false identity of Reine because..." Seigo answered.
Seigo thought for a bit, trying to remember that.
"Because before I handled that, I ended up naming Rinne, and figured a similar sounding name would through Westcott off if he ever tried looking for you." Isamu explained.
"That was it!" Seigo replied.
Isamu and Mio sweat dropped at that, before the former cleared his throat.
"Case in point, the reason why Rinne was so different from the other Spirits was because she was based off you, but was also her own person, I'm pretty sure the was claimed a Sandalphon region Spirit due to her outfit's coloration." Isamu mentioned.
"Ok, wait... does that mean Seigo and Rinne meeting was indirectly part of Westcott's plans?" Mio asked.
Seigo moved left and right to represent shaking his head.
"Well, not exactly, more of a kinda sorta." Seigo answered.
Mio looks at him confused.
"Well in the part of me falling in love with her and having kids? That was me, Westcott only needed Half-Spirits to open the gate for his plans, and then have Rinne go through it, I could have fallen in love with any other Spirit and the same thing would have likely happened." He explained.
"Oh, now I get it." Mio replied.
Mio soon wondered something, and looked at Isamu.
"Hey Isamu, what exactly is this "key" that the Takamiya family carries, and how does it relate to Shido since I'm guessing that it's in his sealing powers?" Mio asked.
"That "key" is the last hope for Humanity's survival, and... for it to regain everything it lost since the Devil first damaged the world." Isamu answered.
Mio looked at him surprised.
"You've seen how Rinne can revive the dead right? Well, consider that a hint of sorts, but to even the world, and all the innocents with good hearts that were unfairly silenced before their time." Isamu explained.
"Back when I first made it without knowing the Devil's survival, it was meant to slowly erase the damage, I wanted to help Earth regain its beauty, and that was something reaching contact with the Spirit Dimension was meant to be, the day the Takamiya family would meet you in the other world."
Isamu sighed, looking saddened.
"Unfortunately, when I realized he survived, it became more... the Devil's already been corrupting people into a stage so horrible, they can't be saved, and he'll use them to destroy this world for good. The only way to stop it, is to bring everything that was lost back, and change the tide to annihilate his evil in one go at the source, hopefully before Westcott fully resurrects the power he gave to him, and becomes his successor." He revealed.
Mio gasped, putting a hand near Isamu before he looked at Mio.
"For the longest time, ever since I saw the Devil's Survival, I tried having visions of where the future would go... but each one had the same result, Tohka was captured, then her Sephira Crystal stolen after she was killed, the same future leading to full annihilation, but that's when Seigo made me realize something."
"He did? What was it?" Mio asked.
"Simple, when I caused Shido's birth, I somehow created a possibility that altered his vision, and finally showed him the future could change, and the world saved, and that proof continued with the Arusu sisters becoming Spirits, the birth of Rio, even Mayuri's creation!" Seigo stated.
Isamu nodded, hugging Mio close.
"Mio... I don't know how this will end, but there is hope, but you are the final piece, the lock for the "key" to open... I know that I'm asking much, but I beg you, help Shido save this world, it's my one wish that you get to live in happiness somehow." Isamu stated, shedding some tears.
Mio's eyes slowly widened, and tears begin to shed from her eyes as well.
"I get it, I think I finally get it, why I've been able to fight through all the sadness I've had to experience... because part of me didn't want to give up for everyone I love, and care for!" Mio realized, crying a bit.
Mio hugged her father, making Isamu sniffle before Seigo cried loudly.
"I wish I could hug right now!" Seigo cried out.
"Mio, this is... the last thing I can do for you, I'm going to... free your lost memories and restore everything, after this... you must go to Shido and unlock the key, this is the last of my time... left in this world... know that I'll always be proud to have been... your father, even with the short time we had together." Isamu smiled, sniffling a bit.
"Daddy..." Mio cried, closing her eyes as she looked down.
Isamu looked at Seigo, soon patting his light form's head.
"Thank you as well Seigo, continue on as you always have from here... and goodbye."
Mio reached out as the visual illusion shattered, and Isamu broke into light before her eyes, signifying his true erasure from the world. One of the light particles flew towards her head, and soon enough... she felt all her erased memories return, with Seigo also feeling the same as it echoed towards his life force.
As the reality set before her, and her forgotten memories integrated alongside her current ones, she cried loudly towards the sky as the pain of losing Isamu fully sink in, regardless if she had known him as a husband... or her real father.
"Mio... I'm so sorry, if only I could have done more." Seigo apologized.
"No, don't apologize Seigo..." Mio replied.
Taking a deep breath, Mio gained a determined look, and turned as if knowing where Shido and the others were before looking to the sky determinedly.
"I know what I have to do, and I won't hesitate, because I'm the [Spirit of Origin], and I will help save this world!" Mio screamed.
Seigo looked, a happy expression on his lack of a face, and soon he felt Mio hold him in her hands.
"Come on, let's go."
False Chinami, and Origami, both gave loud screams as they clashed in the sky, with everyone on the ground struggling to keep themselves on their feet as the recoil from the clashing glows of the Dark Maryoku, and the white Light Reiryoku, filled the sky.
- (*Silvery Wings - Accel World*) -
The two broke off, with both giving intense glares at one another, and the False Chinami soon charging more power into her wires as she aimed them.
"Take this, my [Dark... Barrage!]" False Chinami shouted.
A fast flurry of shots fire out towards Origami, faster than she was ready for, though luckily, she had a solution.
"[Ra - Shining Prisma!]"
A prism of light forms around Origami, but rather than being a full barrier to shield her, it was a field that suddenly flooded her synapses with so much data at once, she felt time slow down as she processed information at an accelerated rate.
"Lucifer, how do you think we should go with this?" Origami wondered.
"[Try flying forward with a twirl, swapping into a spin, and then I think we have an opening to use Ehki against her.]" Lucifer replied.
"Got it!" Origami agreed.
The prism soon broke, and Origami dived forward, twirling a bit before she spun, allowing her to fly and evade all of the robotic wizard's shot, surprising False Chinami greatly as she wasn't hit even once.
"Impossible!" False Chinami exclaimed.
"Alright faker, now it's time for game, set, and match!" Origami shouted.
Origami quickly began absorbing all the nearby photons in the area, and then imbued them into her body, before anyone even realized it...
"[Ehki - Heavenly Godspeed!]"
Origami began moving so fast that even the Yamai twins were shocked to see her speed exceeded their own, causing a Sonic Boom to go off behind her, and blowing away the nearby clouds. False Chinami's eyes widened as she completely lost the ability to predict the Light Spirit's movements.
"What's happening!?" False Chinami asked loudly.
Origami screamed loudly, soon pulling her hand back before throwing it forward, coated with light shaped as a sword, and then smashing right through the mechanical fake's body, severing it in two as Origami flew out with a spirit in hand.
The Light Spirit soon aimed towards the ground and landed, skidding to a stop before turning to see the Adeptus 3 wizard's mechanical body crash to the ground, where everyone noticed only her upper half, aside from past her elbows, had stayed intact.
- (*insert song end*) -
"N-No, this... this can't be, how!?" False Chinami stuttered.
"This battle's over Chinami, that's all that you need to know." Origami stated.
Looking at the spirit in her arms, Origami smiled at Chinami.
"Hey, are you alright?" Origami asked.
The young spirit of Chinami looked at her cousin, smiling as a tear appeared in her eye.
"Thank you, Origami... thank you so much." Chinami thanked.
"You're welcome, now come on, my body's got room for a third soul, as long as I'm alive you can spend the rest of my days gaining the happiness you deserve with my parents." Origami smiled, tearing up a bit.
Chinami closes her eyes, giving a teary smile as she nods, and soon she let herself be absorbed into Origami's body. Once that was done, Origami turned to Chinami, and showed her look of hatred at her again, coating light as a sword around her hand again.
"Wait, what the... no you wouldn't!" False Chinami gasped.
Everyone else panicked the same way, knowing exactly what Origami intended to do, and that was... murder the robot copy.
"No, don't do it Origami, don't-" Mana exclaimed.
Mana attempted to run at her, but was stopped as Shido, and Tohka, both held out their hands in front of her.
"Huh, what are you-" Mana asked.
"I want to believe in Origami, that she won't do this, we need... to have faith in her." Shido answered.
While the two were both sweating, showing even they were worried she might do the deed, but Mana ultimately consented.
As Origami neared the False Chinami, the robotic wizard panicked, trying to think of a way out...
"Stop it, I'll switch sides, and join Ratatoskr, I'll even give you some of DEM's tech to prove it!" False Chinami begged, sweating a bit.
"Don't even bother, would you have spared my parents if they had been begging before you!?" Origami screamed.
False Chinami's eyes widened, knowing that nothing she said would work, so she used what was left of her arm to try and drag herself away in vain, with Origami walking to her faster than she could move.
At that moment, everyone saw Origami stomp her foot on the False Chinami's torso, locking her in place as she rose her sword up and prepared to strike.
"Origami!" Tohka exclaimed.
"Don't do it!" Shido shouted.
Origami began to breath heavily, sweating as images of her life flashed by, relating to all the good times with her parents, up until the very day they died due to the actions of the machine before her, and with it, she swung her sword down!
Everyone's eyes widened as the blade neared the machine... only for Origami to stop only moments before she pierced through the mechanical faker's face.
"...No, despite how much I want to, even though I hate you more than anything, I will not become you." Origami stated.
"You're chickening out, hah!" False Chinami mocked.
Origami shook her head, giving a hateful, but pitiful look towards the False Chinami.
"Wrong, I'm being the better person, because it's a crueler fate for you to live in this state, knowing you are responsible for everything that led to you being in your current state." Origami answered.
False Chinami's eyes widened, her eyes shaking as she heard those words.
Origami soon reverted back to normal, walking towards the others before stopping in front of Shido, and then... began crying heavily. Shido hugged her close, rubbing her back to comfort her.
"Shido, tell me... was it the right choice to spare her, when I... I..." Origami sobbed.
"I'm proud of you Origami, I remember how fragile and timid you were when we first met, and how it felt like you'd break if something happened to me, but you've grown so much since then... to not take her life despite how you feel, I know your parents are proud." Shido reassured.
"We all are Origami, and now she can't chain you down, you're free from her." Tohka smiled.
Origami sniffled a bit more, smiling a bit as she hugged the two of them.
The others all joined in in a somewhat group hug, but while that happened, False Chinami suddenly gave a quiet, but maniacal laughter towards them.
"Oh, you think you made the right choice, can you still say that after I do this?" False Chinami said with a dark smirk.
"Activate command: Link Up, connected to Inverse Void gate, change activation requirements... set to self-destruct, timer at 5 seconds!" She exclaimed loudly.
That got everyone's attention, and a beeping sound was heard from her, an insane laughter coming out the wrecked machine.
"Sir Westcott has a special toy he's been waiting to raze the world with, and I'll destroy myself to bring it here, I'll let him end you now with the power he's obtained from all your Inverse Forms!" False Chinami stated, giving a smug smile.
Mukuro quickly tried to summon Michael and lock the robot's systems before it was too late, but the timer expired before she could even say her Angel's name, and the mechanical wizard powered off, falling to the ground before exploding!
"We're too late!" Rinne gasped.
- (*Metal Madness' Arrival - Sonic Heroes*) -
Soon the sound of laughter is heard as a dark portal opens up, and the sight of a machine's single glowing red eye looked through the portal.
"Chinami, how lovely of you to open such a gate for me, and the timing was fitting too!" Westcott laughed.
"...Westcott." Shido breathed, glaring a bit.
Soon from within the portal, the sight of the dark machine opening in one spot was seen, revealing Westcott sitting inside of it... but now his original colors from 30 years ago had been restored, with the only difference being his eyes now looked demonic, with glowing red snake-like pupils.
"It was already a treat to have [Zodiac] enter her Inverse Form, but to have all of the new Inversion samples, it was just... delightful, and now I have everything I need!" Westcott declared, cackling slightly.
The machine's giant black hands grab the sides of the portal, soon pushing on it make it larger, and revealing the black machine as a bigger, stronger, darker and more dangerous looking version of the Deus.
"Prepare yourselves Humanity, because finally... the time has come, the Demon King has returned through my greatest creation, the Diabolus!" Westcott announced.
"He... he made an even stronger version of the Deus..." Kurumi breathed in fear.
Westcott laughed as the portal began getting large enough that the Deus began forcing itself through, making everyone get ready as it prepared to breach into the world.
"The end is now!" Westcott declared victoriously.
- (*insert song end*) -
"No, it's not over, it hasn't even begun, and nor will it begin today!"
Everyone turned in shock at that voice, seeing Reine/Mio run towards them with the light representing Seigo following her.
"Reine, why are you here?" Shido asked.
"No time for that, just listen to what we're about to say!" Seigo shouted.
Rinne, Shido, Mana, and Rio all gasped as they recognized Seigo's voice.
"...Seigo?" Rinne whispered in shock.
"Uh... alright, what do you need us to do?" Tohka asked.
Mio breathed, soon turning to Shido.
"Shido, listen to what your father tells you very carefully, because you need to give me the key." Mio stated.
"Huh?" Shido blinked.
"Just trust us Shido, you and the Spirits of the Sephira, unite your energies together and then focus them, then unleash that power at Reine!" Seigo stated.
Despite being confused, Shido looked at his harem, and soon one by one, they all nodded in agreement.
'Key, what are they... wait, it can't be!' Westcott realized.
- (*Gohan powers up - Dragonball Z*) -
Shido held his hands out like he was channeling something, and soon the ten Sephira Spirits each held out a hand around him, closing their eyes as they focused their powers toward him. Shido began to channel their power and his own, soon creating a rainbow mass of Reiryoku.
Once it was formed, it took the shape of a keyhole, and once he saw Mio nod at him... he thrust it forward into Mio's body, making her scream.
"For the world I came from, for the world I live in now, and for the sacrifice my father made... I will help his dream be realized, and not just save this world, but help bring back everything that was taken from it by you and the Devil!" Mio exclaimed loudly.
"Because, I am Mio Takamiya... the Spirit of Origin!" She screamed loudly.
This surprised some of the others before the light enveloped his entire body, causing an explosion of Rainbow colored Reiryoku to burst out, and before Westcott could even realize it... the portal that the Diabolus was trying to open was forced to close, with the machine's strength losing!
"No... no!" Westcott exclaimed.
"Diabolus, don't you dare lost to this, don't let her overpower you, force the portal back open!" He ordered.
The machine made a noise as if to respond, and keep pushing with all of its strength, but it was all for naught as the portal was forcefully closed and the Diabolus pushed back inside of it.
"She's closing it, she's really closing it!" Tohka exclaimed happily.
"Amazing..." Mana breathed.
"How strong is she right now to do this?" Mukuro asked.
Rinne looked at the sight before her, and could feel it... while she could tell the power had no offensive or defensive strength, possibly having no possible way to harm anything due to its nature, one thing was perfectly clear to her.
"She's... she's even more powerful than I am!" Rinne shouted.
This caught everyone's attention, surprised that Rinne of all people would make a claim like that.
After a long struggle, the portal was soon almost fully closed, and Westcott could only glare thorough it.
"This isn't over, when I can finally cross back to this world, you will suffer my wrath!" Westcott shouted angrily.
The portal closed completely after that, leaving no traces of itself as Mio's Reiryoku clad body just stood there panting, completely exhausted from having used Reiryoku for the first time in three decades.
- (*insert song end*) -
Everyone stared in shock at Mio, surprised at what had just happened.
"...Father, please tell us, what just happened?" Shido asked.
"This is the real Reine you just saw, the spirit that came before any other, and the Spirit that Westcott used as a basis to give life to your mother..." Seigo explained.
Rinne looked at Seigo when he said that, surprised and confused.
"...her name, is Mio Takamiya." He answered.
Mio soon fell over, losing consciousness before Shido caught her in his arms, and the Reiryoku covering her body vanished.
To his surprise, the form that everyone had come to know as Reine Murasame faded away, leaving a girl with the same hair color, and even the string that acted as Reine's hair tie which had moved to near the bottom of her waist length hair. She wore a pink sleeveless strap dress, and a light blue short-sleeved hoodie jacket, with the pockets having tied strings just like the one in her hair, green plaid shorts, and a pair of sneakers with white socks.
"No way..." Shido breathed.
Everyone looked at the Spirit in Shido's arms before her eyes slowly flickered open, revealing Reine's usual eyes, but with Spirit pupils, which looked at the boy holding her... soon making her blush as she felt the hormones of her body's biological age rush to her head.
"Uh... Shido, maybe you could put me down?" Mio asked.
The others were in for a long story, because it was the time for the final secrets Mio had learned to be shared with them.
There you have it, the fight with Origami and Chinami is over, the last of Isamu's secrets has been told to Reine, while she's been revealed as the Mio Takamiya (Though I have a feeling that some of you expected this part ^^;), the Spirit of Origin! A preview of what everyone will face against when Westcott prepares his final move has been revealed, and Mio's regained her true form.
So, as of this moment... nearly every secret this story has been revealed, with only a few small ones left to be cleared in the next and final chapter of the Sephira Fury arc. Now, since I'm expecting this question due to its relation to a previous one, is Mio going to be joining Shido's harem at some point? Well, due to how Vol 17 shows she's in love with Shido, and because she's a canon Spirit... yes, she will join it, but she's the only addition I'll be making, and she still has to develop those feelings first.
Well, all that's really left now for this arc is kinda an overview of the aftermath, Mio explaining everything with Seigo's add, a bit of moments with Seigo since his light form's hanging around with everyone, Ratatoskr's consideration to what was learned, but most of all... we'll be seeing the scene between Shido and Mukuro that Vol 15 has near the end, because I haven't had the proper after bonding moment between them just yet.
Before we close things off, I'd like to thank everyone whose stuck with the story up to now, mainly because I know the last chapter revealed one big shocker that was a pretty major reveal. I hope the Mayuri Judgment movie arc is as enjoyable once I begin, it as the crossover with Legend of the Heavenly Dragons. Also, before I forget, just a small reminder that after I finish Season 3, I'm adding the Date AST Re:Strike chapters into the story like I said was decided early in Mukuro's story line, so the next two-so updates will be those.
Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^
-Spirit Bond Levels & Passive Abilities-
Tohka - 100%, MAX (Form a mana barrier automatically)
Origami - 100%, MAX (Teleport Dodging)
Yoshino - 99% (Dampen enemy territories)
Kotori - 99% (Healing from fatal wounds minus losing his head, doesn't work on wounds caused by blunt force)
Kurumi - 99% (Hide in his shadow, and only his)
Rinne - (Summon a second copy of an Angel)
Natsumi - 99% (Transform into Shiori)
Kaguya - 99% (Flight)
Yuzuru - 99% (Weight Manipulation)
Miku - 99% (Pain Reliever)
Maria - (Restore dying/withered/dead vegetation and plant life)
Marina - (Remove toxins or other harmful substances, either from a living creature or an object)
Rio - (Create a soothing aura of Reiryoku to reduce a sealed Spirit's anger)
Mana - (Share a mental link that can be turned on and off at will)
Nia - 99% (Photographic Memory)
Mayuri - (Disrupt any Reiryoku near him with a special magnetic field)
Mukuro - 99% (Safely use all 100% of his body's physical power)
Mio - Maxed ( Ability Currently Unknown )