—King. May I borrow your ear for a moment?
"Hm? What is it? Has your curiosity sprouted again?"
—I wish to pray.
"—...?"
—For the safety of the Master who is irreplaceable to both you and me, and for blessings upon her path ahead.
If an answer is to be found, I wish for that soul's solution and trajectory to be housed in as many blessings as possible.
"—...Hmph. Do as you please. You are a Princess. You should behave exactly as you wish."
—Thank you very much!
(The Sister habit is right here!)
—Thank you! Fou!
"––Now then... I shall accomplish what I must, oh King."
"I allow it. If you are to pray, pray to your heart's content; if you wish for fulfillment, wish with all your might."
"—Yes! Please, do not lose—"
(...How precious...)
"Let me pray for your safety—Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru—"
Pride — The Truth that stands by your side —
"Kuhahahahaha!! Die! Die!! Burn away without leaving even a trace!! My black flames! Use your ugliness as fuel to blaze and rage!!"
The fire and impeachment brought by the Avenger's high-speed flight scorch the hideous Beast.
[Noooooo!! It burns! It burns!!]
[W-What did we do?! Stop it! Stop it!]
[What is wrong with it! What is wrong with a parent owning their child—!!]
"It is obvious!! My impeachment is the voiceless scream of the girl!! Your repugnant definitions are the very soil that allows me to be Me!! 'Malice without reason' and 'Absurdity infesting the world'! That is all that I must avenge!!"
Breaking free even from the intangible prisons of space and time, the Avenger blazes brightly like a tiger!
"I told you!! Vengeance is mine!! Did you think that I!! That I!! Would fail to answer the 'voiceless voice seeking salvation' of a girl tormented by absurdity?! You crucible of vice who defiled the noble dragon she harbored in her heart! I! I cannot wait to tear you apart—!!"
He transforms his flames into countless bullets, impeaching the countless malices—!!
[Why! Why ar—]
"Sterilization!!"
She crushes a human face with her fist.
[What did we—]
"Disinfection!!"
She ventilates a human face with gunfire.
[Stop it!! Why us—!]
"Extraction!!"
She grabs a face, drags it out, and tramples it.
"Malignant tumors that metastasize without limit! I have judged that resection and extraction are the best course of action! I will save you! I will save you all!"
Defining the grudges of the curse as an infection, she treats the speaking faces one after another.
Punching, kicking, piercing, gouging, crushing, tearing, slashing—every conceivable 'treatment' is administered to the ugly Beast—!
[It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!!]
[Stop! Why! What did we do!]
[I'm not at fault! Everyone else was doing it, so I did it too! What's wrong with that—!?]
"Infection spreading. Continuing simultaneous extraction! Rest assured. I will save every last part of you!!"
Mercedes, who understands the human body and paradoxically knows exactly how to destroy it—the Angel of Steel continues her operation, just as her name implies—!
"To save!! A life!! I will do anything!! Yes, anything—!!"
[Help! Help me! I don't care what happens to the others! Just save me! Just me—!]
[Everyone said to do it! Right!? Right!? I'm not bad! Because everyone was doing it!]
[Hiii! No, no! I don't want to die!!]
[It's fun to oppress someone! But I don't want to be hurt!]
[Please, please—!]
The incomplete Beast if. Due to its current characteristics, it has been weakened beyond recognition. Because it does not possess Ritsuka Fujimaru, its original core, all of its skills are sealed.
The complete Beast if would, of course, not take such a hideous form. Azi Dahaka, having become a Beast-class, uses Ritsuka Fujimaru's body as a base. Her limbs would be entirely covered in malignant scales and cursed patterns. Fangs would line her mouth, and six horns would crown her head. She would be attended by male and female dragon heads. Her eyes would be filled with a horrific black and crimson shine, always wearing an innocent smile that seeks to love and cherish all the world. A mark signifying that she has conceived 'All the World's Evil' would be carved upon her womb. The true form is a Dragon-Human who sits upon a throne built of the corpses she has eaten and piled up, cherishing the world.
Her personality would remain unchanged from the original Ricca—respecting others, finding virtue, affirming everything, and pushing them forward. The calamity wielded by this cheerful and atrocious girl is 'Dialogue'. A Humanity's Evil that destroys the world solely through her way of being, placing 'All the World's Evil' into the spirit of her words, valuing dialogue and interaction. A Dragon Beast that, if there is a will, slips into the heart, nurturing and fattening every vice before devouring it.
'If there is a will, I will hold even the Demon King in my hand.' The absolute interference ability against personalities and intelligent lifeforms is Azi Dahaka's skill, [Nega-Communication]. The end result of a girl who should have been able to save humanity, her dragon-like nobility and integrity fallen into beasthood.
Absolute interference rights over those with a heart and mental activity. Slipping into the heart, instantly discerning worries and desires, and granting those wishes with 'All the World's Evil'. Then, the dragon's evil wisdom enchants the target, corrupting their personality and making them into kin. And then, it eats. Pouring love as it desires, forcing them to offer everything, and devouring every last bit of that human in the name of love. Being grateful to the lifeform that loved it, loving and loving and loving it to the end. Those captivated by this Beast are filled without exception with the Dragon Beast's love—'All the World's Evil'.
It is truly the courtship of a Beast that does not recognize itself as a living being and cannot view others as the same existence. As long as one is an intelligent entity, one cannot escape the fate of becoming a sacrifice to the Dragon Beast. If there is even a shred of malignancy in the heart, Azi Dahaka will surely find it, nurture it, cherish it, and devour it completely. The entire world is a dining hall for the wicked dragon, and all life is merely fodder to be filled with love and consumed. And that means—if one possesses the minimum mind of an intelligent lifeform, one becomes Azi Dahaka's food. This applies even to existences from the outer universe and non-living entities.
And that skill sublimates directly. With infinite love. Devouring the star with endless curiosity and gratitude. The If of Original Sin, where a single girl's way of being was inverted, fallen to the extreme, and sublimated as a Beast's Authority.
'The Wicked Dragon that Sneers at All Creation, Azi Dahaka' — Words are fangs, conversation is fire. A dragon that is a Beast that devours everything just by being there. All life is her food, and the star itself is a cafeteria to satisfy her love.
—However. Those skills and Original Sins have been stripped away by the recognition of virtue by her master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and her farewell to sin. The Azi Dahaka before them now, dragged out while still in fetal movement, is like a fetus forced into the outside world. It is a dying beast with no power. The words of those parasitic to Humanity's Evil do not leave the realm of wretched begging for life.
—Such selfish pleas—
"Die completely—!!!"
The Crimson Witch standing by her side would never heed them—!!
[[[Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!]]]
"Ahahahaha!! You burn quite well!! Naturally! My fire is the blade of impeachment that burns away the fallen and the foolish! Is it hot? Is it painful!? —Drop dead, you rabble!! I won't leave even ashes of the likes of you—!!!"
[[[Why, why, why! Why—!!]]]
"The agony and pain you taste—is equal to dust compared to the despair Ricca tasted!! Die, burn, disappear!! There is no place for you, not even in hell—!!"
The flames rage, blaze, and go wild.
Becoming the hellfire that burns sins, they sweep away the Beast—!!
[[Ahahahaha! Ahahahahaha!!]]
Even while receiving that impeachment, the Beast sneers.
[[Useless! Useless! We will not perish! We will not vanish! Because we are beings that have that woman as a core! As long as she exists, we will continue to exist as Beast if: Azi Dahaka!]]
"...!"
[[How could she have 'Pride'...! She is an imitation of us! We raised her to be so! Everything she possesses is what we made her possess! A defective human product who cannot even tame 'Arrogance'! Can she truly cut us off—!!]]
"Arrogance—Pride..."
[[Therefore—]]
"Kuhahahaha!!"
"Disposal!!"
Mercedes crushes the ugly faces of the man and woman; the Avenger laughs.
"—You realized it! Avenger who is not Edée!"
"You..."
"You must have seen it! Master's radiance! You must have seen it! Master's footprints! —That is the final key! The final move to slay this Beast!!"
"—...!"
"You are the final hope to smash 'Arrogance'! Therefore! I invited you!! —Now, go! Tell Master, who is twisting her head over there!! —Jeanne d'Arc!! The proud Hero who waves her flag and burns with hatred solely for the sake of the irreplaceable one!!"
"Please provide mental rest. A call to a neighboring patient is also a precious panacea————Open wide!!"
[[Stop it! Ricca has no will—]]
"Silence!! A parent is one who cherishes a child, raises them, and eventually sees them off on their journey!! You are no parents; you are not even qualified to speak!! 'The right to celebrate life is permitted to all things'!! That Arrogance that makes me want to vomit! We will burn it!! Thoroughly!! Brilliantly!! Until nothing remains!!"
"Extracting with top priority—!!"
pushed forward, Jeanne is thrust in front of her Master.
"Ah—"
"Ugh, ugh, ugh...! Ah! Jeanne! What should I do!? What should I do!"
Ricca flusters in panic.
"I don't have anything I can boast about! Awawa, what do I do! If I think about it, I basically only did lessons! I can't beat Gudou-shi in subculture knowledge! What do I do!"
"—...Something to boast about, is it?"
—Ah, good grief. This Master is, truly...
"—You idiot!"
Bonk, she raps Ricca on the head.
"Ouch!?"
"Calm down, my Ricca. —Something you can boast about? You already possess it, do you not?"
"Eh—?"
[[Stop it! Stop it! Stop it—!!!]]
The ugly Beast howls.
[[Don't teach her!! Don't let her recognize it!! She is! She is!!]]
"The fatal tear is right there!! Now, tell her!! —It is time for the farewell!!"
"Don't tell me you forgot because it was too obvious? ...Then, allow me to say it."
[[Stop iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!!]]
—Jeanne d'Arc declares it.
"—You are 'Ricca Fujimaru'. You love communication and subculture in general. You hate betrayal and prejudice. —Your conviction is..."
—The 'Pride' she had been holding up without even realizing it.
"'If there is a will, I'll become friends even with God' —Isn't that right? My beloved Master—"
————That's, right——————
Why didn't I notice until now?
Why had I forgotten until now?
I exist. I am here.
I was here. Certainly.
There was no need to search for pride.
The Seeker saved me.
—Please, have a good journey.
Everyone in my high school life accepted me.
—You don't worry about whether someone's a guy or a girl. You just interact with everyone. That's why your gender is 'Ricca'. With affection. It's incredibly rude, though!
Everyone at Chaldea gave me irreplaceable time.
You are our precious comrade. That remains true even if you aren't a Master.
—Olga Marie
And, I met destiny—
—Romani
Senpai, you are my precious Senpai!
—Mash
And—
—Fuhahahaha! That is fitting for one who calls herself my Master!!
—My beloved King, Gil.
That's right. That was it.
All of that is my 'Pride'.
Everything about me that started from my meeting with the Seeker is the very 'Pride' I uphold.
The bonds with everyone I met through the Seeker's guidance are my 'Pride'.
—That's right.
That's right. The world is in crisis right now.
Everyone is waiting for someone's help.
The whole world—is waiting for me!
The whole world is looking at me!
That's right! The only one who can wield the power to save the world right now is me!
The future of sorrow covering the world!
Brush it away!
Stand against it!
—The one who can protect the irreplaceable love! Is me, standing right here, supported by everyone, carrying our bonds—!
Not for someone else.
Not because someone forced it on me!
For the sake of my own wish, which I desire myself—!! Yes! I am—not a copy!!
I will shout it loudly!! I am here!
My pride is here!! I am a monster harboring a Beast that destroys everything in my heart...!!
—Embracing that darkness, I advance toward the light!! The only existence of its kind in this world!!
That name is—!!
[[Stop iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!]]
"Tch!!"
The monster of Arrogance growls its fangs, intending to crunch Jeanne d'Arc along with everything else!
"You—!!"
—But.
"—Thank you. Jeanne. I finally found it."
In an instant, Doujigiri Yasutsuna slices the two entities apart.
"—Ricca!?"
[[Gyaaaaaaaa!! Riccaaaaaa!! Y-Youuuuu...!!]]
Radiantly, without hesitation. She looks straight at the Beast.
[[You would raise a hand against your parent—!! The one who raised you was]]
"Silence!!"
[[!!]]
Chakiri. She raises the katana high.
"And listen!! If you say that what is here is 'All the World', then that's just fine!!"
And then, the girl declares.
"I am Ricca Fujimaru!! Master Number 48!! Height 158cm, weight is a secret!! Three sizes are 84, 56, 82 from the top!! Things I like are communication! Subculture in general!! Things I hate are prejudice and betrayal!! Chaldea's one and only Master!! A young maiden fighting to save the world!! Boyfriend currently recruiting!! My 'Pride' is—"
In an instant, wedges of radiance pierce the Beast, and chains wrap tight around it.
"If there is a will! I will become friends even with God!! This way of being, this way of living! —The very position of bearing 'All the World's Salvation' as humanity's final Master!! That is my everything!!"
She shouts loudly. Kicking away hell, blowing it away.
"—Ah. That is. —The figure of a 'Human' who saves the world. Ricca Fujimaru—"
The Avenger murmurs with deep emotion.
—Here, the 'Beast' is slain.
And a 'Human' achieves rebirth—
And then—
'—My, oh my. How gallant. It is very regrettable that my turn was cut short, but if it was for the sake of this moment, I have no choice but to be convinced. What a very sturdy, heroically shining soul. —Yes, it is blindingly bright.'
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