"The forty-two families of the Kansai Jujutsu Association have all been wiped out... Who on earth did this?" After the incident concluded, Eishun Konoe, having returned to his normal state, said with a hint of shock the next day after receiving intelligence from his subordinates. He hadn't expected that in just one night, those families who secretly controlled the power in Kansai would be completely wiped out. But that wasn't even the most important thing; what mattered more was who had killed them, or by what means they had been killed.
"...Were they all killed by the Kamina Style swordsmanship? That's truly terrifying~" But who could possess the ability to reach such a level? There were many experts within those families. Even if he were to eliminate all these families in a single night, unless he returned to his prime during the war era a dozen years ago, he would absolutely never reach such a stage.
"The guards here were at their weakest last night, yet there were no casualties. Could this have been the work of someone on our side? But in my memory, there shouldn't be anyone whose Kamina Style swordsmanship could achieve this level." Even the experts who had gone out on missions didn't possess such strength, so who could have done this?
"No! There is one other person whose swordsmanship could reach this level! But that's impossible; even if they all committed suicide together, it couldn't have been her. I must be overthinking it." Thinking of the possibility that had just occurred to him, Eishun Konoe quickly shook his head to deny it. The person he had just thought of was Yoshino, and it was worth noting that Yoshino also knew the Kamina Style swordsmanship.
Back during the Red Wings era, when Yoshino was learning magic from Al and Seguto, Eishun Konoe saw that Yoshino's learning talent was incredibly strong, and she already had a foundation in swordsmanship, so he taught her the Kamina Style swordsmanship that he had mastered, even passing on the highest-level ultimate technique, the Second Sword. Yoshino was not like him, who had grown old and lacked the power of his past. Although he didn't know if the current Yoshino possessed the strength of her prime, having even half of that power would be enough for Yoshino to wipe out all the people in those families.
"...Sigh~ Forget it, forget it. I originally wanted to resolve this issue in a peaceful way, but this is also a decent choice." Recalling the time when all the members of the Red Wings were still alive, Eishun Konoe gently pushed up his glasses and said with a wry smile, "It seems that the sharp edge I once possessed has been worn away little by little..."
That time in the Red Wings was so glorious. Even when facing the entire world as enemies in the Magical World, they could still remain unfazed in the face of thousands of troops, and in the end, they even achieved victory in the war. But what about now? A dozen years of comfortable life had slowly worn away his original spirit and pride. Now, he was just an ordinary person who possessed power but was restricted in every way. Indeed, he still needed someone like Nagi to lead him.
"Living in adversity and dying in comfort... I fear this phrase is quite fitting to describe me now. This life where one must consider everything has gradually made me weak. If it were the old me, I would have personally sent those old geezers who should have been in the coffin to their graves long ago. Now that these parasites have all gone to the place they belong, I should feel happy; why am I still agonizing over who killed them?" It seemed he was bound by the rules of the Old World and the Inner World.
"I hope this wasn't done by Yoshino. Yoshino is a good child, and I don't want her to walk down the path of darkness." Eishun Konoe sighed; he had slowly accepted this outcome. He hoped she could protect her precious daughter well and that she wouldn't get hurt; as for everything else, he would let her be.
In another room, Evangeline looked at the red-eyed Yoshino before her and whispered, "Yoshino, the scent of blood on you is quite heavy. Considering you went out last night, you wouldn't have done those things, would you? Or is it that the one controlling this body now is not Yoshino's will, but the will of 'Evil'?" Although she didn't know where Yoshino had picked it up, Evangeline could roughly guess some of it, and as for why she did it, that was already clear.
"Oh? You figured it out? That's right, I knew from the beginning that it would be impossible to hide it from you, Evangeline." Since she hadn't expected to hide it from Evangeline anyway, being discovered was within her expectations. Therefore, 'Evil' admitted to the matter openly, stretched her slightly sore shoulders, and said, "I just didn't want Yoshino's important student to encounter this kind of thing again. The principle of cutting the weeds and eliminating the roots is something I understood very well after that incident, so I don't want to see such things happen again."
She had let the tragedy happen back then because she was too benevolent, so she understood this principle very clearly. If one is going to do it, one must do it cleanly. No one would know if those fearless guys would be tempted by profit to kidnap Konoka again. "If someone threatens the safety of Yoshino's important friends, and Yoshino is unwilling to take action, then let me, this 'Evil', do it. I am not as indecisive as Yoshino; I will not have any hesitation."
"...Sigh~ It is thanks to Yoshino using that move yesterday, exhausting her spiritual energy and falling into a deep sleep, that you had the opportunity to occupy Yoshino's consciousness." Hearing her words, Evangeline sighed helplessly, and then a strange light appeared in her eyes as she said with a hint of mockery, "To have both darkness and light existing within the body simultaneously, you are the first, Yoshino."
"And so what? As for the current me, I don't find it detestable." Regarding the word 'darkness', 'Evil' did not feel the slightest aversion; this was the principle she had realized. "Power has never been divided into justice and evil. Even if a righteous power is used by a person with an evil heart, that power can only be called darkness. When the power of darkness is used by a person with a kind heart, no matter how evil this power may be, it will ultimately be used for the light. The Holy See that hunted you down in the past was like that, typical hypocrites. Yoshino's case is using the power of darkness to protect the people she finds important."
"Yes. I don't think there is any big difference between darkness and light." At this moment, another Yoshino appeared beside 'Evil'; she was the 'Good' who had been watching from the side. Her mentality, having experienced the destruction of the world, was the same as 'Evil'. "Because of light, darkness appears, and without darkness, how could light exist?"
"Darkness and light have always existed together; the world always needs darkness to maintain a peaceful state with the light. These two forces are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, which is why we appear within Yoshino's body. Although it's a bit off for me to say this, I don't believe that darkness is weaker than light. The idea that light will eventually overcome darkness is just a fairy tale to deceive children."
"Ahahaha~" Upon hearing their remarks, Evangeline suddenly burst into joyful laughter. The smile on her face became increasingly intense, and it seemed she was quite happy to hear their views. "As expected of people who have experienced the destruction of the world; your views on good and evil are quite thorough. Having you by Yoshino's side will save her from a lot of trouble in the future. As expected of the person I like."
The two silently watched the laughing Evangeline and thought with some confusion: she was clearly just a tsundere and easily embarrassed loli, so they didn't know why every time she was in such an excited state, she could always say all those words that were originally too embarrassing to speak. Presumably, even she hadn't noticed it herself.
"Not good, Yoshino is about to wake up. I need to go back quickly. You must keep this secret for us, Evangeline. We're leaving." Having said that, the two consciousnesses returned to Yoshino's body. Yoshino's body, having lost consciousness, collapsed and was caught by Evangeline.
'Light in the darkness? If only Yoshino had been by my side in that world, how wonderful would that have been.' Looking at Yoshino's serene sleeping face, Evangeline thought with a sense of emotion. She couldn't help but recall herself from several hundred years ago, before she had turned into a True Ancestor, when she was still an innocent and kind Little Girl, a being who was simply showered with countless love. But all of this turned into a bubble that day. When she was sent to the pyre by her own knight, she realized that everything from the past had become a memory, and what remained for her afterwards was only endless darkness and slaughter.
"The current you is, to me, the light in the darkness, Yoshino. It's truly great to have met you; you must stay by my side in the future." Gently stroking Yoshino's face, she felt an unprecedented tranquility at this moment. She had grown a bit fond of this leisurely time. She hated being bored, but she liked the feeling of being with Yoshino.
Looking at Yoshino's softly parting lips, Evangeline swallowed her saliva. Although she often slept with Yoshino, she had never seen Yoshino's sleeping appearance since she went to bed early and woke up late, and seeing it now, she felt she couldn't help herself.
"This unconscious appearance is irresistible. Truly a charming child; no wonder she can contract so many cute girls in other worlds. She is simply a girl full of charm herself." Watching Yoshino's cherry lips, she couldn't help but kiss them. Accompanied by the sunlight, the scene became aesthetic.
"Mmm~" Just at this moment, Yoshino, whose consciousness had just recovered, felt her cherry lips being sealed by someone. Although it was a bit difficult to breathe, this sweet taste made her unable to help but wrap her arms around Evangeline's neck and start responding unconsciously. This was a skill she had developed unconsciously while sleeping when Nozomi Tojo and others were around.
'So practiced; I really don't know how many people have kissed her while she was asleep. But it doesn't matter; I will slowly make up the gap.' Looking at Yoshino's initiative to respond, Evangeline's eyes revealed a trace of a smile. Although she knew she couldn't monopolize Yoshino, she would make up the gap properly now.
It was just that she, lost in the moment, did not see the light appearing in the eyes of the Yoshinon hand puppet on the side, nor the door closing quietly.
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