"Don't worry about Akira." Noin said, folding her arms over the back of the chair. "If anything happens, he'll show up in a flash."
"Haha, what kind of metaphor is that?" The others chuckled.
"Akira's not like that but he's reliable." Asta added, lifting her mug of milk and taking a hearty sip.
Though she didn't expect to grow as tall as the other girls, she at least hoped for a few more inches. Otherwise, every time Akira picked her up like a child, it'd make her feel oddly conflicted.
Despite the awkwardness that had arisen between her and Akira during the last expedition, thanks to Lyra, Asta had since put those doubts aside. After a few peaceful days together, she had fallen back into the warmth of Akira's presence.
"He's like a kid, if you ask me." Ryana mumbled, raising an eyebrow. "He makes weird moves and calls me 'big sister' with that ridiculous smile."
"Still… Akira's always looked after me." Celty added softly, her round glasses slightly tilted. "I think… I think he's very reliable…"
As everyone turned to look at her, Celty squeaked and lifted her book to cover her blushing face.
Lyra blinked, then looked around. "Wait, how did this become a compliment session for him?"
The mood lightened, and laughter filled the room. Even Astraea couldn't help but smile.
As the girls chatted and chuckled, Ryuu, who had been double-checking the gear and equipment, raised her hand.
"Shouldn't we head out now?" She reminded calmly. "Didn't we promise Shakti yesterday to increase patrol coverage?"
As much as she wanted to learn more about Akira's little mystery, a promise was a promise.
"Let's move." Alise clapped her hands and leapt to her feet. "Let's wipe out some evil today."
"Let's go, little ones!"
"We're going, Astraea-sama!" The girls chorused enthusiastically.
Astraea rose with them and followed them to the door, her gaze soft.
Waving her hand, she whispered gently, "Have a good trip, my children."
Meanwhile…
Akira had already finished the breakfast lovingly prepared by Kaguya and Maryuu. After stuffing himself full, he had left early and hurried toward a familiar destination: the abandoned church.
With a creak, the old door opened.
Empty.
No one was here yet.
"Looks like the two are late." He muttered.
With a casual wave of his hand, the dust on the nearby bench was swept away by a small gust of wind. He sat down quietly and turned his gaze to the statue of an unknown goddess. Raising a finger, he pointed toward the altar.
Then—
Squelch.
A red flash shimmered at his fingertip. Five threads of blood extended from his hand, slithering and intertwining like threads in a loom.
Akira had begun using the development ability he had acquired through healing Zald. Green light pulsed through the crimson veins, illuminating his hand with a mystic glow.
"Whoa… this is more effective than I expected." Akira muttered, watching the energy flow.
Come to think of it, when he had used the development ability Mystery to craft magical items, he had felt something peculiar. Like a hidden door waiting to be opened.
Maybe I can try…
A glimmer of realization passed through his eyes.
Without wasting another second, he began experimenting, preparing to unlock the potential of another of his mysterious powers.
With the falna sealed on his back, the inscription of Mystery began to shimmer with divine brilliance. A soft, holy light pulsed outward.
The faint green glow of Treatment, which had previously only manifested as a gentle radiance, suddenly shifted. Like a living thing, the energy condensed into a slender green thread, winding slowly and deliberately around the threads of blood Akira had conjured earlier.
And then, something miraculous happened. Before his very eyes, the two forces, life and blood, intertwined and began to merge. From that fusion, a third element emerged.
A luminous thread of golden-yellow light was born. It radiated with dazzling warmth, a brilliant hue that seemed to carry vitality itself. It glowed like the first ray of sunlight after a storm, both gentle and powerful.
Akira's breath hitched in his throat. His heart began to race, pounding violently in his chest. A wave of emotions crashed over him, excitement and a flicker of unease.
"I didn't expect this…" He whispered.
The combination of these three forces, Mystery, Treatment, and Blood, had created something completely new. Something that couldn't be defined by any one of them alone.
He hesitated, then reached out. His fingertips brushed against the luminous thread. Warmth flowed into him. Not just heat, but a living, nurturing energy, like touching the heartbeat of life itself. It felt sacred.
This… this might even be able to treat Alfia.
Akira's lips curled into a smirk, pleased with himself. "As expected of me… I am a genius."
But before testing it on someone else, he had to verify its effects.
"Let's try it on myself first."
He extended his left hand, and a flame appeared in his palm. The fire gathered and compressed into a dense ball of heat. With a sudden clenched fist, the compressed flame exploded. The skin of his palm blackened instantly, scorched and blistered.
"Damn, better hurry before my natural regeneration kicks in."
Without wasting a second, Akira brought the golden silk thread toward the wound. The moment it touched his charred flesh, the thread responded. It reacted as if drawn by instinct, spreading out over the burnt skin.
A wave of soothing coolness flowed into the wound. It was as if countless microscopic lives had awakened and gone to work. Akira could feel it, the damaged cells knitting themselves together, the carbonized skin shedding like ash, revealing new, soft pink flesh beneath.
Within seconds, his hand was completely healed. Not even a scar remained. And more than that, his drowsiness vanished.
The fatigue he hadn't realized had clung to his body like mist evaporated all at once. His mind cleared, sharper than ever. His body felt light.
"This energy… it doesn't just heal the body. It restores the mind as well."
He clenched and unclenched his fist, marveling at the seamless regeneration. But just as he was about to continue testing, the sound of footsteps echoed outside the church door.
Someone was coming.
Akira's eyes sharpened. He quickly dispersed the remaining golden threads, brushing away the traces of his experiment, and stood up. Sweeping his magic sense toward the church entrance, he furrowed his brow.
"Zald and Alfia? And… someone else?"
Another presence, one that was unmistakably divine.
"Tch. Looks like Zald brought that evil god with him."
The night before, in the man-made labyrinth of Knossos
The cavernous stone chambers were quiet. Only eight rooms flickered with the glow of firelight. The flames painted the stone walls with deep, writhing shadows and in those shadows lurked evil.
Gods and mortals alike, draped in wicked auras and clothed in ambition, sat together in whispered conference. Cruelty glittered in their eyes, unruliness laced their words. They had gathered to finalize the next stage of their assault.
The air was thick with schemes and promises.
Once the meeting concluded, the evil gods retreated into the darkness, returning to their respective familias like spiders crawling back to their webs. Only Erebus remained.
Finally free from the obligation of playing the part of the enigmatic "black curtain," he strolled over to Zald with exaggerated interest, slapping the tall warrior's armored shoulder.