Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

The monster just continued to tremble, speechless in response to my question.

"…You can't laugh, can you?"

I exhaled a sigh, half out of pity, half from disbelief. There was no point in talking to this monster any further, nor in getting an apology for Nina.

I realized that I just needed to get on with what I had to do.

"Where is everyone from school?"

"Oh! Right! You must be worried too, huh? About where your classmates went?" The caterpillar-like creature in front of me writhed as it shouted back in a shrill, panicked tone.

The teachers, the kids at school… no one could find them. I couldn't exorcise this monster without knowing where they were, so I had to ask. The wriggling monster shouted as if in agony, and its frantic, squirming movements reminded me of a documentary on caterpillars I'd recently seen in science class.

"If you kill me… they'll all disappear! They'll be left here, all alone!"

Its desperate words felt strangely empty.

"They'll be stuck in this world, right?"

"Oh, yes! You're clever! So clever!"

The monster's voices took on a gleeful tone as it spun its masks round and round.

"This is my world! A superior Sixth-Rank Queen can create a small world like this! If it vanishes, then everyone will remain here forever!"

I let the monster finish, then nodded.

"Then there's… no problem."

"W-What?"

The amusement park on the school rooftop—the monster's self-proclaimed "world"—was probably created through an advanced form of

Trait Transformation

. With enough magical energy, anything could be created, including a world of its own.

However, such a feat would require a massive amount of magic.

I didn't fully understand what it meant to be a "superior Sixth-Rank," but even within the same rank, magic capacity could vary widely. The power to create worlds like this must come with substantial magic reserves.

But ultimately…

Trait Transformation

is still magic. If I use

Oborozuki

, it'll erase everything.

This world would disappear, releasing everyone trapped within it.

So, there was no problem at all.

"Wait, Itsuki! Hold on! If we combine our knowledge, you could become a king in this world!"

Good. I was now sure everyone would return.

"A true Seventh-Rank King can create a perfect world! Together, you and I could make an ideal wonderland beyond imagination!"

I ignored the monster's pleas and focused on what I needed to do.

Was there anything else I needed to confirm?

No. There wasn't.

"And that's not all!" it continued, desperate. "If we join forces, we could even eliminate those other Seventh-Rank Kings hiding away in other worlds!"

"No thanks."

Now, without hesitation, I could exorcise this thing.

"That kind of stuff doesn't interest me."

"Don't be absurd! We're this close! I was going to be king!"

I gathered my magic, weaving it into threads, preparing five strands. When they fused together, a black moon emerged.

"

Oborozuki

."

"Stop! Do you know how much we struggled to get here? All of our hard work… wasted…"

"Struggled?"

I couldn't help but pause at that word. I felt an impulse to respond, though I knew the monster could likely no longer hear me as

Oborozuki

consumed it, reducing it to black dust.

"You only did it for your own amusement, didn't you?"

I didn't know if the monster could hear me, but there was no response. Instead, the amusement park surrounding us began to fade, slowly dissolving from view.

Of course… this world was a creation of magic.

Now that the monster's magic was sealed by

Oborozuki

, there was no way for this world to continue existing.

As the monster dissolved into black mist, the entire amusement park vanished. We were left suspended in midair, high above the ground.

"W-What the…!?"

Below us was the school courtyard, about a hundred meters down. Panicked, I reached out toward Nina, but there, spread out above the ground, were the rest of the students and teachers, also floating helplessly, hundreds of them.

I immediately wove

Doushi Silveit

threads into a net, spreading it through the air. I pulled on the threads, slowing everyone's descent, and safely lowering them to the ground.

I scanned the area, making sure no one had been missed. Suddenly, I spotted a small sphere, streaked in white, red, and green, slipping through the net and plummeting like a shooting star. Quickly, I grabbed it with

Doushi Silveit

and reeled it in. It was an artifact.

I pocketed it and gently landed in the courtyard. As I released the net, everyone lay peacefully, each and every person from school still asleep.

The sight of hundreds lying in the courtyard, seemingly asleep, was bizarre.

"We need to call Ms. Akane…"

I muttered to myself, realizing we were far beyond handling this alone.

We needed help from the Jinzaigetsu clan… people like Akane.

Just as I started toward the school's office to make the call, I felt a powerful tug on my shirt from behind.

"…Nina?"

Turning, I saw Nina gripping my shirt tightly. Her face was obscured by her blonde hair, her head hung low, leaving me unable to see her expression.

But her trembling hands told me enough, so I held her hand in mine.

"Are… you okay?" I asked gently, uncertain if my words were enough.

With the little bit I'd seen of her memories, I could understand what Irina meant.

Nina's heart had been shattered. Forced to watch her father die, to laugh against her will as those she loved were killed before her, she had lost herself. Irina had sealed those memories to protect her.

Now I understood why Irina had tried to keep Nina from becoming an exorcist.

And now, that seal had been broken. Unearthed by the monster, Nina's trauma had resurfaced.

"Itsuki…"

Nina whispered my name, her voice quiet and unsteady.

"A year ago… I remembered everything."

Her voice, cracking and filled with pain, continued.

"I laughed… when Papa died. I laughed as I watched the monsters kill everyone."

"No, Nina. That was the monster's doing…"

Her guilt was misplaced. I wanted her to understand that, to shake free of this burden, so I said it aloud, but she looked up at me.

"But Itsuki… you came. You came for me, and that's all that mattered."

Her gaze was empty, her eyes hollow, as she looked right at me.

"I can't be an exorcist… I laughed when everyone died. I have nothing left. Nothing at all."

Would she believe me if I told her she was wrong? There was something else she needed to hear, something deeper.

"That's why… I don't want any of it. Not magic, not talent, not the spirits. I don't need any of it."

She squeezed my hand with a strength that almost hurt, as if she feared I might leave her, that I'd let go.

Though the pain made me want to pull away, I tightened my grip instead. Her fragile form, her quiet voice, needed to know she wasn't alone.

"All I need… is you, Itsuki."

Her empty eyes reflected only me.

"All I need… is you."