Chapter 43: First Floor of the Castle, The Truth Revealed

We were already inside the castle of the Demon Queen, Eien no Shi. We didn’t know what she had prepared for us, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy. We walked cautiously, looking in all directions, staying alert. As we passed through the first hallway, we saw several paintings of different demons. After looking at a few, we came to the conclusion that they were members of the Royal Family of Demons. Then we saw that the last portrait was of Kori. I hated it with all my heart; I wanted to destroy it, but I restrained myself.

As we continued walking, we saw several windows with red glass and black streaks forming flames with skulls in the center. Suddenly, we heard the same voice of Eien no Shi speaking to us with a wicked tone:

—“I see you’re admiring our art. And by the way, Taiyaki, I noticed you saw the painting of your old friend Kori. Why don’t you talk to her and settle your differences? Oh, right, she chose the correct path—the winning one. You’re nothing but a fool who doesn’t know what he’s doing. Do you want to die here for her? I doubt you can defeat us with your power. Or am I wrong?

It seems you have problems, Fran. Tell me, do you really think you can beat me with that trick? I doubt it will work. I already know everything about you—where you come from and all of it. I hope this doesn’t break the tension with your Fusion. You didn’t think I would investigate you, spy on you, read your mind? For now, I’ll just watch how things unfold. I hope everything falls apart for you—in fact, it will fall apart—but that’s not my concern.

As for the others fused with you, and the rest, if you’re curious about what I said, why don’t you ask your friend Taiyaki about everything I mentioned? Oh wait, I doubt you’ll want to listen to her once you learn the truth about her. Let’s see how long it takes before you waste time arguing about it. Do it, and lose all the time you need to defeat us. We won’t allow you to fuse again. We’re not so stupid as to miss such an opportunity. Power lies in information. Maybe I’ve said too much, but that’s what I enjoy.

I don’t think I’ll have any problems anymore, so I’ll be waiting on the third floor. But first, you’ll have to fight the two bosses of the first and second floors before facing me. Good luck in your battles against my two best demonic soldiers. Live or die, the choice is yours.”

The atmosphere fell into silence. All the other fusions turned to look at us. Akane, Mizuki, and Rem wanted to ask me everything. The only one who stayed quiet was Mizu, because she already knew everything. She didn’t know how to help me, so she remained silent.

—“Taiyaki, tell me, is it true you’ve been hiding something from us? And that damn Demon Queen is right—that you’ve been hiding who you really are?” said Mizuki angrily.
—“Tell us what you’re hiding. Do you have something up your sleeve?” said Rem, clearly upset as well.
—“Have you not been honest with us this whole time?” Mizuki added, still angry.

The rest of the girls didn’t know what to say; they were intrigued by what the Demon Queen had revealed. Then Mizu spoke to Rem, Akane, and Mizuki:

—“Wait. Before Taiyaki answers and explains everything, let’s finish this mission first. This isn’t the right time.”

Mizu tried to calm the situation so we could stay focused. Then the Fusion of Ranma and her friends spoke:

—“I’ll make this simple. First, I’ll look into your mind, Taiyaki, and see all your memories. Then we’ll know what to do at this moment, and decide what to do with you.”

She touched our forehead, and on a screen, she revealed everything about my past. They also learned the truth about Mizu—she was actually Cleer. And I was Franco, a man—or rather, both of us—mentally 34 years old adults.

The silence was overwhelming. No one spoke, no one knew what to say. Then the Fusion of Ranma and her friends simply approached us, hugged us, and said:

—“If you were a pervert, I would have killed you already. But I can see you’re not—you avoided all those perverted acts at all costs. I can see you’ve taken this very seriously, even planning to sacrifice your life to take down the Demon Queen. Honestly, I don’t know what to say… but I know you’re not a bad person. I can fully understand why you did all this. You acted like a mature person, knew what to do in every situation, never took advantage of it, and were as responsible as your friend Cleer. I can’t be angry about that—and I know the others can’t be either after seeing everything. Besides, I find it funny that you still have your own tastes, even though you’re a man mentally.

You have our support, Franco, and yours too, Cleer—or rather, Taiyaki and Mizu, the Magical Girls of the Magic Guild of the Kingdom.”

Then they all came closer to hug us. In our minds, I felt Akane, Mizuki, and Rem embracing me and Cleer. Then Mizuki, Rem, and Akane told us:

—“Your past doesn’t matter. You’re still a responsible person. And besides, when all this is over, we can go shopping like always, as friends. To us, you’re our friends, no matter your past, only who you are now and your actions.”

At that moment, the Fusion of Ranma and her friends said:

—“Alright, it’s time to end the reign of that damn witch—because we are the Magical Girls!”

We were all excited to continue. Then a furious scream echoed. It was the Demon Queen shouting:

—“Damn it! Shit! I can’t believe they don’t hate her! They should hate her and argue among themselves. But I was wrong… so I’ll let my third best warrior finish you off—and that is the Witch Lamia. Say hello to Terra no Fire no Sasuke!”

At that moment, a Lamia wearing a witch’s hat appeared before us. She had pale white skin, white hair, horns, red eyes, and a dark violet hat. She wore a revealing dark violet top that exposed part of her chest.

With a mocking smile, the Lamia said to us:

—“It’s time to kill you, filthy human scum. You won’t pass this way. I’ll kill you, and then I’ll take your souls so you can watch as we kill and torment your loved ones.”