Chapter 251: CH 250

“So Plato’s passed… When I said I’d give him leave, that’s not quite what I meant…”

Deep within the imperial palace, the Demon Queen who sat solemnly on the throne seemed to whisper that as we entered her vision.

As before, the Demon Queen was wrapped in a black ceremonial robe, but her face was no longer covered by a veil.

In her hand, she held a dark black crystal smeared in blood.

That was likely Plato’s.

As we had planned, Claire-sama was positioned up front.

At present, only Claire-sama, Manaria-sama, Lily-sama and I were in the throne room.

The Pope and the others who were still drained from their fight with Plato were resting at the gate. Rodd-sama and the remaining others were preparing the Magi Shibley.

Claire-sama shot a sharp stare at the Demon Queen before speaking.

“Rei… no, Demon Queen. As you say, Plato has been defeated. All that remains is you and Rates.”

“It appears so. What of it?”

“Have you still not given up on ending humanity’s history?”

“… So you already know. Was it TAIM?”

“That’s right.”

“Is that so…”

For a few moments, there was only silence between the two.

“Demon Queen, even now it is not too late. Please think this over.”

“Impossible, Claire-sama. This is the only option I have left.”

“That’s not true, if we all think about it together, surely, surely there’s a better―”

“Yes, there was a time that I thought that as well. However, it was pointless. Do you even know how many times I’ve tried and failed before reaching this conclusion? No matter how much time I spent, the result was always the same. There’s no choice but to end it, all of it.”

“Demon Queen…”

Claire-sama sadly murmured.

“… You said that I hadn’t changed, but I believe that you’re the one who truly hasn’t changed.”

“Which part of me?”

“The part where you come to your own conclusion, and then try to bear everything on your own shoulders.”

In response to Claire’s words, the Demon Queen’s face momentarily distorted.

I don’t really care, but could you not leave me behind and move on to the climax?

The one who spoke next was Manaria-sama.

“Regardless, we must stop you. Please don’t think ill of us.”

“It’s fine, Manaria-sama. I was sure that it would eventually come down to this between us.”

“Please don’t say something so sad. It is I that must raise my hand against someone that looks just like… no, against another individual whom I deeply care for.”

“Then why not just, not?”

“Considering my position, that’s not something I can do.”

The Demon Queen spoke intimately with Manaria-sama as well.

It seems that I was being left behind here as well.

“R-rei-san, to me, you’re my only Rei-san!”

“Lily-sama, you really are a nice person. If I didn’t have Claire-sama, I might have actually fallen for you.”

“So basically, doesn’t that just mean that I still don’t have a chance…!”

As tears formed in Lily-sama’s eyes, I pat her head.

Lily-sama really was cute, but I still only had eyes for Claire-sama.

Claire-sama, what a sinful woman.

“It’s straightforward. If you all win and I die, human history will continue to repeat as before. If I win, human history will find its end. Extremely simple.”

“Is there any chance to negotiate?”

“There is not, Claire-sama.”

“Is that so…”

Claire-sama’s face twisted in pain.

I was at my limits.

“Just look at me, playing the role of the tragic heroine.It’s fine if I’ve lost it, but I ask that Claire-sama not be dragged in.”

“…”

In response to my words the Demon Queen seemed to feel ashamed.

“I mean simply put, you’ve just lost your passion for Claire-sama, isn’t that it? Pathetic. Are you really me? And as if that’s not enough, you’d use that as a reason to end the world? Admittedly I tend to be a bit of a nuisance, but I’m nowhere near your level.”

“As if you could understand.”

“Of course I understand, this is about me after all. It seems that I lived far too long and went senile. Aah jeez. Even thinking that this is one of my possible futures makes me shudder.”

Putting everything into it, I stuck my tongue out at the Demon Queen.

“… You too would come to understand, if you were to tread the same path as I.”

“I won’t listen to your excuses. Now, I am the one living my life. Right now, I absolutely love Claire-sama, I love the world that Claire-sama lives in, and I love those who love Claire-sama. That is me. I couldn’t care less about the future.”

“… What a frustrating stance, to think I’d hear it from myself.”

“That’s mutual.”

I too was quite fed up with this so-called Demon Queen.

“It seems we have no words left to exchange. Then, shall we begin?”

“… ! Demon Queen!”

“Claire-sama, I ask that you don’t resist. Then, I’ll be able to give you a painless death.”

Those words signaled the beginning of our final fight.

“Rei! Onee-sama!”

“Yes!”

“I got it.”

I cast the earth magic, Muddy Soil, turning the throne room walls and ceiling into mud.

“Flare Blast!”

Manaria-sama followed up with high affinity fire magic, blowing it all away in an instant.

Including the upper floor.

To have caused such a large explosion without harming any of her allies, I had no choice but to praise Manaria-sama’s fine control over magic.

Additionally, Lily-sama had cut down any shards that happened to fly our way.

The magnificently built throne room had become the one part of the palace that had collapsed, exposing it to the outside.

“…”

It seems that the Demon Queen was aware of our aim.

She had already deployed a magic barrier.

We were to destroy that with a Rodd-sama’s long distance attack.

The Magi Shibley’s sights had already been aligned to point here.

However, there was one thing that we hadn’t expected.

“Wha…!?”

“Uhh!?”

“This…”

“Could be bad.”

The barrier that the Demon Queen had generated was magnitudes thicker than it had been.

The walls, which were a deeper black than darkness itself, almost seemed to sever off the rest of the world.

“So this was what Plato was talking about…”

Claire-sama bit her lip in frustration.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just a conjecture, but it’s likely the Demon Queen absorbed magical energy from Plato. Otherwise, it’s difficult to explain why Plato was so weak.”

“That’s correct, Claire-sama.”

The Demon Queen replied to Claire-sama’s deduction from the other side of the darkness.

“Rodd-sama’s attack during the previous fight had caught me by surprise. So, I took the liberty of preparing some countermeasures.

“… Khh.”

Even then, there was a faint hope that the Magi Shibley would be able to break through.

In truth, the weapon was already aimed. All that was left was to clear the path.

In spite of that,

“Ah, I should say, my countermeasures don’t end there.”

It was immediately obvious what the Demon Queen was trying to say.

“Your foolish plans, the Demon Queen has already seen through them.”

A hoarse elderly voice came from behind us.

As though in cue, the space right in front of Rodd-sama and the others distorted, spawning an imposing giant insect.

“Rates!”

“Oh? I recommend that you don’t carelessly rush off. You all are going to keep me company, isn’t that right, Claire-sama?”

“Khh…”

Our forces had been divided.

With this Rodd-sama’s Magi Shibley would not reach the Demon Queen.

We were also unable to rejoin with Rodd-sama and the others.

What could we do…?

It was then that we heard young voices call out to us from behind.

“Claire-okaasama, Rei-okaasama!”

“Don’t worry yourselves about us! Mei and I will do something about it!”

It was Mei and Alea.

The two held the wand and sword that they had each inherited from Dorothea, standing alongside Rodd-sama to protect the Magi Shibley.

“Please run!”

“Run!”

“No, it’s pointless. After all, I was commanded to not allow even one escape.”

As though mocking Claire-sama’s and my own words, Rates laughed.

“Well then… as you’ve all said, should we proceed with the final fight?”

The Demon Queen’s words sounded like a death sentence.