Akatsuki Translations

“No! Echelle-sama!!”

From high above, watching the scene unfold, Kalkara screamed. She couldn’t make out the details from afar, but something was undeniably wrong.

Echelle was standing where Jain had been.

And worse—Echelle was directly in front of the Evil Eye.

A desperate situation.

If things continued like this, she would die.

Kalkara whipped around toward the Wind Maiden in urgency.

“Release your power from me!!”

“B-but—!”

“Hurry!! You need to leave this place and continue purifying Uuga’s air!!”

The Wind Maiden hesitated for a brief moment but ultimately nodded and withdrew her power. Immediately, Kalkara plummeted straight downward. She summoned the power of the Spirit of Stone, forging a massive boulder in her hands and shaping it to her will.

“【Greatsword of Stone!!】”

Raising the enormous blade high above her head, she brought it down without hesitation—straight onto the colossal Eye that was poised to incinerate Echelle.

『Z　　　　　　　 Z　　　』

The enormous Eye crumbled.

Kalkara stole a glance at Echelle.

Within the mirrored shelter Kalkara had conjured, Echelle sat motionless, her eyes vacant and unfocused. Even as Kalkara approached, she gave no reaction.

“…………”

“Hallucinations? Confusion?!”

Kalkara swiftly assessed the situation, her sharp gaze scanning the surroundings.

In the corner of the mirrored shelter, the Evil Eye’s light flickered once more. Without missing a beat, she summoned a massive boulder and slammed it down, crushing it completely.

『z　　　』

“Echelle-sama! Please, stay with me!!”

“…………K-Kalkara…?”

A response.

She still seemed dazed, but it was a good sign.

Kalkara let out a small breath of relief—but she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

Not yet.

She spotted Jain in the distance. Wasting no time, she pulled him closer and turned on her heel.

They had to get out of here—immediately.

『z　　　』『　　z』　『z』『　　　z　　　』『z　』『　　　　　z　　　　』

“……!!”

And then she saw it.

A writhing mass of Evil Eyes, spilling forth from the dragon’s roots, creeping toward them like a nightmarish tide.

Dozens—no, more than that.

Each one beginning to radiate with a sinister glow, preparing to unleash its power.

Kalkara instinctively conjured a massive boulder, trying to block the Evil Eyes’ line of sight—but she was too late.

“Fireball! Now!!”

A new voice rang out.

A barrage of fireballs exploded through the air, slamming into the Evil Eyes one after another, reducing them to cinders.

And through the smoldering remains, the 【White Serpent】 surged forward.

“Where’s Jain?!”

The White Serpent’ second-in-command, Rabin, shouted the moment she arrived.

Kalkara pointed to where Jain lay, and in the blink of an eye—so fast it was startling—Rabin was at his side. She checked for signs of life and, upon confirming them, let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Echelle-sama acted recklessly,” Kalkara muttered.

“…I owe you. Seriously.”

Her gratitude was short and to the point. She turned to Echelle and spoke with unwavering clarity before immediately drawing a knife and nodding firmly at Kalkara.

“We’re getting out of Uuga. This place is done for.”

“…There’s no other choice, then.”

“If we die, it’s over! Move!!”

Kalkara hoisted the dazed Echelle onto her back and leaped out of the mirrored shelter.

They had to carve a path forward—somehow, some way.

They had to escape.

Kicking aside the eyes, pushing through the chaos, running toward the exit—

『　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Z　　　　　　　　　　　　　　』

『　　　　　　　　Z　　』　『　　　　　　　Z　』　　『　Z　　　　　　　　』

『　Z　　　　』『　　Z　』『　Z　　　　』『　　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z　』『　　Z　　』『　　Z　』『　Z　　　　』『　　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z　　』『　　　　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z　　　　』『　　Z　』『　　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z　』『　Z』『　　　　　Z　』『Z』『　Z　』『　Z　　　　　』『　　　　Z　』

『　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Z　　　　　　　　　　　　　　』

But the moment she dared believe they had a chance—

She realized just how naïve that thought had been.

The Evil Eyes Jain had shattered.

The ones Echelle had incinerated.

The ones Kalkara had crushed to dust.

Their numbers had been replaced—no, surpassed—by the endless swarm emerging before them.

The Dragon’s Roots coiled all around them, consuming their surroundings.

Left, right, below, above—every surface was lined with Evil Eyes.

“…This is impossible.”

Someone from the White Serpent let out a strangled whimper.

The Evil Eyes began to glow again.

Kalkara had no time to react—no way to stop it.

The light swallowed her whole—

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Echelle drifted through the hazy depths of her consciousness. 

She felt like she understood what was happening around her. Or at least, she thought she did. But some part of her—deep and instinctual—refused to acknowledge it. The Evil Eyes had stripped her of resistance, and faced with the crushing weight of reality, her mind recoiled. 

—You don’t have to wake up. Waking up will only bring you pain.

A voice spoke. 

It was her. 

A younger version of herself had appeared before her without warning. 

A girl covered in scars, frail and emaciated, her hair tangled and ragged, her eyes murky with despair. 

Yes… once upon a time, she had believed that. 

Reality had been filled with nothing but suffering. Thinking about it was enough to suffocate her with grief. So she had chosen not to think. 

There were many things about her past that she could no longer remember. 

But— 

—But now… it’s different.

Yes. Now, it was different. 

The hardships had only grown. There were far too many things she couldn’t handle on her own. 

But— 

There were more people now. People who helped her. People who thought with her, worried with her, and stood by her side. 

That’s why— 

She had to open her eyes. 

“…………”

Slowly, Echelle’s eyes fluttered open. 

Reality came into focus. 

The first thing she saw was Kalkara’s back. It was familiar. She remembered clinging to it in the past, just like this. Kalkara’s back was warm—so warm it felt like it could heal the wounds left by her younger siblings’ blows. She had always liked that warmth. 

Around her, she saw Rabin and the rest of the White Serpent. 

Not too long ago, she hadn’t liked them very much. When Uuga fell into chaos and she had been rendered powerless, they had been the first to abandon her. 

But now… she didn’t dislike them as much. 

In the end, they had worked together. And when she actually took the time to talk to them, she realized they weren’t bad people. 

More than anything, they were the ones who had given her the chance to make amends with Kalkara. 

So, no—she didn’t hate them. 

And now— 

Now, Kalkara, the White Serpent, and she herself— 

They were all about to be killed. 

“…No.”

Before the countless Dragon’s Evil Eyes, Echelle let out a faint whisper. 

No. 

She couldn’t accept this ending. 

Not when things had just started to get fun. 

Not when she had finally been pulled out of the darkness, finally been saved, finally begun to look forward. 

To lose everything here, to let it all end in a place like this— 

Absolutely not. 

She refused.

—You don’t want this?

Once again, she appeared before her.

But this time, she was different.

This Echelle was the same age as her, yet she wore a jet-black dress. A veil draped over her face, making her features barely visible.

She was smiling.

But Echelle never smiled like that.

That eerie, seductive smile—she would never make a face like that.

—You don’t want to die?

I don’t want to die.

—Why?

Because…

Because I want to be happier.

I want to learn more. I want to become smarter. I want to grow stronger. And then—

Then, maybe…

—You want it?

…I do.

The moment she admitted it, the Echelle in the black dress laughed.

A shrill, delighted cackle.

It was her own voice, and yet, it rang out with a force that felt like it was mocking the very fabric of the world itself.

Echelle scowled.

How annoying.

Even when she covered her ears, the laughter reached her.

Of course, it did.

Because that laughter was spilling from her own lips.

—Then, why don’t we steal it?

The Echelle in the black dress stepped closer, wrapped her arms around her, and whispered—

A wicked, knowing smile on her lips.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Kalkara resigned herself to death.

The glow of the eyes had reached its peak, a mass of malice and murderous intent ready to erase them in an instant—

But—

“Huh?!”

Just before it happened, mirrors manifested around her.

Towering like a barrier, these powerful mirrors reflected everything. The magic eyes unleashed their power, only to see it turned back upon them. Their own reflected attacks struck them down, shattering them.

『　　　　　ＺＺ　　Ｚ　　　　　　』　

『　　Ｚ　　Ｚ　　　　　　　』　　『　　　　　Ｚ　　　Ｚ　　Ｚ　　　』

A strange cacophony of cries echoed as the magic eyes, confused by their own destruction, burned in the mirrored reflection.

Kalkara, saved from death in the final moment, was momentarily stunned. Then, she turned sharply.

“Echelle-sama! You’ve awakened—”

And then—

She saw.

Echelle had changed.

Just moments ago, she had been wearing the robes of a priestess, adorned with charms hanging from her neck—clumsy, perhaps, but necessary for her safety.

But now—

“—Hah?”

Echelle had stepped down from Kalkara’s back.

And she was different.

She wore a jet-black dress. A dark veil obscured her face. The shattered gleam on her dress—were those fragments of broken mirrors?

Her hair, once a murky red, had turned pitch black.

Even her fingers were wrapped in mirrors, extending like eerie, sharpened claws.

“【M-Miralphyne】…?”

Kalkara recalled the Mirror Spirit, who had once manifested in the battle against Aesula.

But—this was different.

Because she was Echelle.

And yet, Echelle was Miralphyne.

No—Miralphyne and Echelle had become one.

And what would happen next—

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

Echelle laughed.

A terrible sound.

So terrible that even Kalkara and Rabin shuddered.

The very roots of the dragon that surrounded them writhed—as if in fear.

—ZZ… Z…—

—Z… Z… Z…—

The magic eyes moved.

Even if they were tainted, they were still the eyes of the Dragon of Sloth—yet now, they acted with terrifying speed. More magic eyes were generated, and they all turned toward Echelle.

As if they recognized her as the greatest threat.

And yet—

Even surrounded, Echelle laughed.

Laughed.

Laughed.

And mocked.

“Ahhh—”

The 【Beloved Child of an Evil Spirit】—it had all been a misunderstanding.

From the very moment she first prayed and received power, her abnormal strength had led them all to assume—

That she was merely given power.

But no—

She had been the power all along.

“Won’t you give it to me?”

A new 【Spirit-bound】 had appeared—one who had fused with the Mirror Spirit, Miralphyne.