Finale part 3: Thank you [END]

Oliver stood in the doorway for a few moments, taking in the scene, before he practically sprinted to me. He embraced me with an intensity that I’d never felt before. Safe to say, his sudden appearance left me speechless.

“Chiyo! So you’re safe after all… I’m so glad.”

Blood rushed to my head. I didn’t know how to react or what to say, so I just stayed comfortably in Oliver’s embrace for a few moments. After our loving reunion was over, he turned to Soldier and immediately he was on guard, his hand resting on his sword.

“And who are you?”

I responded in his stead. “This is the Devil. Or what remains of him, at least. We were just having a chat over some tea.”

That might not have been the best way to word it, because without any further ado Oliver shot out of his crouching position to slay the greatest enemy of humanity. But Serpens Aurum bounced off Soldier like it was a plastic toy. He didn’t seem perturbed, and simply remained seated with a serene expression.

“I see, an uninvited visitor.” He mused, “I remember how your ancestor gave my witches quite the hard time. Even my dear familiar, Morgenster, couldn’t deal with her and had to flee for his life. I miss that goat. He was old-fashioned and had a sense for drama, but his heart was in the right place. Anyway, I don’t remember an intrusion ever happening before. Is it because of your blood? No, it must be the power of love bringing you two together, no matter the circumstances.”

Apparently not intending to elaborate on that point, he reached for his tea and slowly sipped from it.

“Chiyo, let’s get out of here, this guy is bad news. We can’t take him head-on.” Oliver said, a tinge of panic was intelligible in his voice.

Of course, Oliver was scared of coming face-to-face with the Devil himself. But after the chat we’d had, I couldn’t help but think Soldier wasn't all that bad after all. Just very, very misguided.

“No, let’s stay for a little bit longer. I’m curious about what he said just now. Hey Soldier, what do you mean with that talk about love bringing us together? I don’t get it.”

“It’s true, love is the strongest force of all. It’s something I’ve realized while observing the world from here for many years. I first realized the power of love when the Gods spoke to me about possessing another’s heart and soul, so I thought that absorbing people’s capacity for love would grant me more strength. How foolish I was! When I made contracts with witches, I took away their ability to love and gave them a fraction of my strength in return, so they could help me on my quest. I branded them with the kanji for ‘love’, to signify what I had stolen from them, but in the end they were little more than slaves to me. I realize that now. That’s why I wanted to correct that error by not taking anything away from you, as an experiment. Whether it failed or not, I honestly can’t tell.”

I guess I almost got conned into believing a ‘love and peace’ type of hippie’s ramblings. But I wasn’t about to let myself get fooled. “So you’re telling me this world runs on love? That sounds so stupid!”

Soldier thought for a moment, but came up with an example that would quickly shut me up. “Haven’t you felt it? As the two of you grew closer, your attacks got stronger as well when you touched hands. That wasn’t my doing, it’s simply this world doing its natural work.”

Oliver and I glanced at each other. It all made sense now. It really was love pushing us through the impossible odds we’d faced so far.

I was satisfied with the answers I got out of Soldier. I didn’t want to be rude, but it was our time to leave. Oliver had been on edge the entire time, and I didn't want to keep him here any longer than necessary.

“So with everything said and done, how do we wake up again? How can we get out of this inner realm of yours?”

A smile flickered across Soldier’s face. It broadened into a wide, toothy grin. It wasn’t the creepy kind of grin, but the kind of genuine smile you get from someone you’re saying your final goodbyes to. It could’ve just been me, but it appeared like he had been waiting for this moment for all his life.

“I believe you know the answer already, it’s quite simple. You let me rest in peace. Now, go ahead! Show me how strong your love is.”

So that’s how it was. I admired Soldier’s resolve, I really did. But it was time to let him atone for what he’d done. Perhaps one day, who knows, I’d be able to show him the right path through my actions as he looked down upon us from the next life.

“Oliver, it’s time to go.” I echoed the words I’d spoken when we’d first met.

Oliver, stoic as ever, took up his sword without a word. He held out his hand to me, longing for my touch. I hesitated for a second as I looked back at Soldier, but he seemed to be completely at peace. I accepted Oliver’s hand, who aimed his sword at Soldier, no, the Devil. Then we both shouted at the top of our lungs.

SUPER

TWINKLE

BUSTER

BEAM

In an instant the whole room disintegrated as a fiery blast blew the house to pieces. An amazing power, much stronger than ever before, surged through me. It shot into Oliver at the point where our hands met and blazed out of Serpens Aurum. This was the true potential of the Devil.

The remnants of the house collapsed around us, revealing a crystal clear blue sky. Ah, I’d never seen such a beautiful color before. The both of us started floating up into the air as cracks began to form in the garden, the pond, and the very heavens. I looked down on the increasingly dollhouse-like scene and felt a profound feeling of gratitude.

Thank you, Devil, for bringing me into this world. Thank you for the many adventures I’ve had. Thank you for pulling me out of my boring life of being a shut-in. But most of all, thank you for making me meet Oliver. Farewell, villain of this story. All the best to you.

Oliver squeezed my hand, pulling me back to reality. We were lying in front of the shrine, hand in hand. I raised my gaze and saw him smiling tenderly at me. How can a guy be this cute? It seriously puzzles me.

I was right to not go back home after all. I wanted to be here, with Oliver, on the run from all kinds of adversaries while learning more about this world. As dangerous as it is, at least we’re free. And if that day comes when I have to go back to Japan, it’ll be together with Oliver. We’ll figure out a way, even if we have to confront the very Gods themselves.

Mom, dad, everyone… You can wait a little bit longer for me, right?

VOLUME 1: END