"From your mouth, I hear only coldness. In your eyes, they're nothing but numbers. You..."
Behind Zeroy, in his vision, Rentarō Satomi saw hell.
A hell piled with corpses, crimson stench suffocating him. The countless bodies made him tremble.
"You're no god. You're a demon... how many have you killed?"
"..."
Zeroy narrowed her eyes.
"Do you mean to stop me?"
"With everything I have, I will stop you!"
He raised his gun without hesitation.
"Heh... is that so?"
She sighed.
From that moment, though still half-white, half-black, he had become an accomplice of evil. Innocent no more.
The reason her perception hadn't shifted fully was because his "justice" had not yet shielded pests who harmed innocents. Anyhow, his path was clear.
She disliked it. It meant one less innocent, one more pest to purge.
"Then you, too, are a pest. However, before I cleanse you, answer me this—
Your justice is protecting criminals from me. Have you thought about what happens when they escape and harm others?"
"When innocents are hurt because of your protection, what are you then? An accomplice?"
"Is your kindness truly right?"
"What have you saved? When the Holy Child was about to burn, what did you do?"
Rentarō, unwilling to strike the mob, had been pinned to the ground. He had shouted himself hoarse, yet done nothing, nearly letting the Holy Child die.
In the original tale, he had done the same. A mechanized soldier, yet pinned by mere guards, watching Tina being almost executed.
"You knew you couldn't beat me, yet you rushed out—and dragged that child with you."
Her gaze fell on Enju Aihara, silent at his side.
"Did you think about her fate, bound to your justice?"
"—!"
Rentarō's pupils shrank. He realized only then that he had pulled her into this.
"Enju... go to Kisara."
"No! I won't leave you!"
Enju didn't agree with his justice. To her, bad people deserved punishment. That said, she cared for him, her brother-figure, so she followed.
"Enju!"
"No! I think you're right, so I'll fight too!"
"No... she's right. You shouldn't be involved."
"Rentarō..."
"Enough. I'll help you."
Zeroy snapped her fingers.
"Patchi."
A circle flared under Enju's feet. Chains of mana bound her, carrying her away.
With Enju gone, Rentarō spoke low.
"You're right... maybe I've erred. Even so, that doesn't make you right."
Even silenced by her words, he refused to yield.
"The guilty should face the law, not slaughter. Will you kill every criminal in the world?"
"Why not?"
Zeroy blinked, as though it were a foolish question.
"You really don't see them as human... demon!" he spat.
"They aren't. They're pests."
"Have you thought of the consequences? You only kill to sate yourself. Have you thought of the consequences?!"
"Pfft—"
She laughed.
"Fool. Of course I have. The consequence is this: pests die, the world is reborn. And under my shadow, crime itself will fall. What's bad about that?"
"And the cost? How many die by your hand?!"
"No one dies by my hand. Only pests."
Her gaze chilled. She lifted her bloodied blade, pointing at him.
"I thought you had wisdom. Instead, you spew self-serving drivel. You can't even stand by your warped ideals."
"The twisted one is you!"
Rentarō charged.
Nonetheless, the gap was vast. Even without her Kagari armor, her raw power dwarfed his mechanized body.
His fiery spirit, that clichéd hero's edge, meant nothing here.
Against Zeroy, it didn't even buy him one more strike.
Her blade flashed. His arm flew.
"Is that all? Pathetic. Don't insult me again with such nonsense."
His scream tore out, but another cut severed his other arm.
"And you have no future."
Her blade pierced his chest, merciless.
...
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