going on about?" "The end of days? Splendid. The destruction of all? Wonderful. I've no complaints in the slightest. And that pillar, in particularâ€”it's the peak of beauty, the apex of ugliness. Truly, magnificent is the only way to describe it. And yet..." Upon hearing those words, Kaito was reminded of something. It had been right after Elisabeth and Jeanne had been captured at the World's End. At some point, Vlad had moved over to where the two pillars stood. His arms were spread wide, and his eyes were glittering as he gazed at the Torture Princesses' transformations. "It's magnificent... It's the peak of beauty, the apex of ugliness... Truly, 'magnificent' is the only way to describe it." His face was as innocent as a child watching a meteor shower. However, his expression suddenly took a more serious turn. As he began rapidly coming back to his senses, Vlad started thinking. "...Still, though... Hmm..." Back then, what was it he'd been thinking about? Now the answer to that question would become clear. "Think about it. At the end of the day, the thirteen demons and their king were nothing more than the prelude to the end of days. What greater insult could there possibly be?" "You... Wait. Considering how oddly obedient you've been acting toward the Accumulation of Seventeen Years' Pain, you can't be... You were plotting revenge on God and Diablo?!" "Wait, you were?" The Kaiser gnashed his fangs in comprehension, and Kaito let out an unsuitably plain interjection as he stared at Vlad's back. Vlad puffed up his chest magnificently. "Quite! All this, all that I've done, has been for the sole purpose of obstructing God and Diablo and returning them to the nether! My dear successor's resolve just so happened to be convenient for carrying out my revenge, and fitting to boot! Go on, now, roar! Rage, seethe, madden! Those feelings are the sole fruit of the humiliation I supped on!" "Carrying out an act of personal revenge when faced with the end of days? Are you daft?" "Heeeee's a dumb-ass." Kaito was in no position to talk. In fact, he was by far the more foolish of the two. He himself was aware of that fact. But Vlad's tone was just so proud that he couldn't help but get in a quip. Not disheartened in the slightest by their assessments, Vlad went on. "Oh, a fool I am, but none the worse for it! Our world is a farce, after all, not a tragedy! I was unwittingly cast as an actor, and once my precious daughter was snatched from me, my own death was reduced to a mere opening act! It stands to reason that such a stage would make a buffoon of its star, no?" "You're the same as ever, I see. The way you think is entirely deviant from the norm." "And Kaiser, as the apex of what man's hands can reach, as a supreme hound, and yet as a demon who could no longer escape his master's influenceâ€”as you are now, surely you understand this thing we call hatred." "Hmph." "Whose neck should you truly be turning it on? Fruitlessly gnawing away at an unkillable man is hardly enough to satisfy you, is it?" The Kaiser offered no response. Instead, he chose silence. The sounds from the battle down below echoed on. Up in the air, though, it was impossibly quiet. It was as though they had been completely cut off from the world. However, that, too, came to an end. Vlad opened his mouth to speak again. When he did, his tone was deadly serious. "The proud should remain proud until the bitter end. For my sake, cast aside your anguish and wear your arrogance freely." *** "It wouldn't do for the Kaiser to disappoint a mere human." The Kaiser didn't move. Vlad, too, stood still. Eventually, the Kaiser snapped his tail. Seeming wholly displeased, he spat out his words. "Go, O unworthy master of mine." "Kaiser..." "It's true. Gnashing at that madness of yours would accomplish nothing. So go, before I change my mind. O ye who bestowed hatred upon me. Know that to the end, your twisted mind remined clear." Kaito gave a brief nod, then started making his way forward. For a second, though, he stopped. He turned and looked back. Vlad was still standing beside the Kaiser. Vlad gently waved his right arm, which hadn't yet finished regenerating. He called out in an innocent tone. "Farewell, my lord, my dear successorâ€”my son." Just this once, Kaito chose to allow Vlad to call him that. For some reason, Vlad was smiling. A strangely childlike smile was spread across his face. "Thanks to you, I enjoyed every one of my days." "Is that...so?" There were no lies or falsehoods in his words. Vlad was just indicating his gratitude as honestly as he could. And because that was the case, Kaito snapped his fingers. At this point, he didn't need the ability to convert pain into mana anymore. He unilaterally dissolved his contract with the currently inattentive Kaiser. The black beast's figure nearly vanished from existence. Right before he did, though, Kaito bound his knot to Vlad. Upon receiving the new contract, Vlad widened his eyes. "My oh my, I suppose that means the Kaiser has now truly lost his reason to stop you, but... Are you sure about this, my lord? Do you truly think I won't terrorize humanity?" "Don't forget about that self-destruct device I planted in your head." After whispering in a deep voice, Kaito turned around for good this time. Leaving behind his black armyâ€”in a sense, the only subordinates who'd followed him this farâ€”he advanced alone. He didn't turn back. As he faced forward, though, he gave his hand a gentle wave. "Bye, Vlad. At the end of the day, it was you who turned Elisabeth into the Torture Princess and gave rise to the reconstruction sect. I can't forgive you for that...but you did make my days pretty fun, too." "Good heavens, will his rebellious phase never end?" Vlad let out an exasperated moan. In all likelihood, he was shrugging. But Kaito didn't look his way. This time, he flew straight ahead. Not toward the Diablo pillar. But to the God pillar beside it. "S-Sir Kaito!" "That's the wrong one!" The voices came from the ice, far down below. Izabella and Lute let out cries of dismay in unison. Even though they'd been absorbed in their own battles, Kaito's flight path had caught their attention. After all, Kaito Sena was the Mad King, as well a servant of Elisabeth, the Diablo pillar's core. He was so dangerous, he might well destroy the whole world in pursuit of his objective. And for some reason, instead of going to the Diablo pillar, he was heading for the God pillar beside it. We should stop him... No, but howâ€”?! Lute ground his fangs. At the moment, Kaito Sena had reached the pinnacle of magecraft. He was standing atop a summit so high that no one else could stand in his way. He had perhaps even surpassed the Saint in her heyday. Thinking he needed to at least try, Lute opened his mouth and got ready to convey the situation and his orders to the demi-human cannoneers and the beastfolk archers. At that moment, though, almost like he'd sensed Lute's bewilderment... ...Kaito Sena suddenly looked down. Ah... Upon seeing his face, Lute remembered something. Now that they were in the game's final turns, it finally came back to him. I'd...forgotten... "But I'm fine... I'm still me, after all." It was a scene from back at the World Tree. Lute's wife, Ain, had asked Kaito a question, and that had been his response. Then Kaito had given her an awkward smile. Upon seeing his face, Lute had secretly felt a tinge of relief. After all, that good-hearted expression had definitely been Kaito Sena's. At that moment, a strong thought had suddenly crossed Lute's mind. Perhaps... Perhaps he ought to make sure to remember that smile. It would be best if he made sure to remember it, no matter what happened. He hadn't quite known why, but he'd been certain of that. And yet I... Why had he forgotten? Why hadn't he called out to Kaito? Why hadn't he talked to him? Had he been overwhelmed by the sheer power commanded by that boy who'd become the Mad King? That was hardly a decent excuse. And just a short while ago, he'd even gotten a chance to remember. "Take care, Lute! And try not to get hurt, or you'll make your wife sad!" Those hadn't been the words of a man planning on forsaking the world. How could I have forgotten?! And that's not all; I...I forgot oh-so-many things! Lute howled internally, his thoughts racing. That expression Kaito had made hadn't been the only thing to slip his mind. He'd forgotten who Kaito Sena was by nature. Lute thought back over the information he'd once checked in the beastfolk lands. Kaito Sena came from another world, one where he'd been abused and eventually killed. Then the Torture Princess had summoned him as an Unsullied Soul to act as her servant. Originally, Kaito had been nothing but a powerless boy, a tragic child victimized without anyone to protect him. In this world, there were many his age who lived and worked as adults. However, he was different. And there certainly wasn't anyone as young as he who had scraped away at their own limits for the sake of the world like he had. Yet somehow, everyone had forgotten that simple fact. Not a single one of the adults who were supposed to be protecting the world had remembered. "Sir Kaito!" "Sir Kaito Sena, you mustn't!" As Lute shouted out to him, so did Izabella. Startled, Lute glanced to his side. Her half-mechanized face had sternly stiffened. In all likelihood, she'd come to the same realization Lute had. They had collectively placed the burden of the entire world on the back of a single boy. They were the ones who were soldiers. It should have been their burden to bear. Kaito Sena offered no reply to their cries of regret. All he didâ€” â€”was smile a vaguely awkward smile. Then after thinking it over for a moment, Kaito reacted. He waved with big, childlike sweeps. The meaning of that gesture was the same across worlds. And because of that, Lute and the others gasped. Kaito kept frantically waving. He was saying one word. "Good-bye." The God pillar was swathed in white feathers and red roses. Kaito hovered in the air before it. Hidden away between the tangled web of briars was a golden princess. She was sleeping, and her body was adorned with the same feathers and roses. Her form resembled that of both Sleeping Beauty and a crucified saint. As he faced Jeanne de Rais's cruelly bound body, Kaito snapped his fingers. Azure flower petals flashed across his wrists. After transforming his mana, blood and all, he sent it over through Jeanne's lips. As the petals melted in her mouth, she faintly opened her eyes. Kaito nonchalantly raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Jeanne. Long time no see." "Mis...ter...why...?" "Sorry, Jeanne. All this time, I've been going on and on about Elisabeth, Elisabeth, Elisabeth. But I was worried about you, too. And if you don't believe me, then hey, Izabella's been concerned enough about you for both of us. Cut me a little slack, will ya?" "Are...you...quite...dense...? I'm ask...ing...why... you're...here..." Blood dribbled from Jeanne's mouth as she spoke. Kaito didn't answer her question. Instead, he spoke as if he were chanting an incantation. His weak smile was still plastered across his face. "'God desired a contractor so He could maintain His peaceful rest, but He wasn't picky about who that was. As long as there was someone there who wouldn't fall apart the moment the contract was formed, it would be possible