For an instant, he thought that he was truly about to die. Only after everything settled down did he figure out why his life-saving ability hadn't activated.

That was because the giant claws had precisely managed to avoid him! [Bullet Time] would only automatically activate when he was in danger.

"Koutarou…"

Seiji didn't feel that this was an accident.

Such an accident would be impossible.

In that case, there was only one possible answer...

"Why didn't you kill me?" Seiji asked the coal seller.

Koutarou still had a look of hatred on his face. His face was distorted, and he was filled with killing intent. Yet, blood-red tears ran down from his eyes.

And then he clutched at his head, beginning to roar… no, cry! The demonic figure behind him became furiously agitated.

Seiji could only quietly watch.

All the giant claws transformed into mist and dissipated.

The mist in the entire area became even denser, to the point where the shrine was becoming difficult to see… No, the shrine itself was also transforming into mist!

This entire world was collapsing.

Apart from Seiji and the demonic Koutarou, it appeared to Seiji that not a single other existence was left in this world anymore.

Seiji noticed that Kungo's body, which should have still been inside the shrine, had disappeared as well.

Had he disappeared into mist, or…

No matter what, everything was now ending.

Seiji walked over to the coal seller who was crying tears of utter sadness.

"Koutarou…" Seiji called out the coal seller's name. Seiji then went up close, opened up his arms, and slowly hugged Koutarou.

"Harano… why…" Koutarou didn't reject Seiji's embrace. Instead, he kept crying as he asked a question. "Why… did everything become like this…"

'Why did my mother and younger brother die?

'Why did my younger sister turn into a demon?

'Why… why is it necessary to kill?'

Koutarou couldn't understand.

Although he felt that the beautiful woman from earlier wasn't lying to him, he still didn't understand.

This Harano person… didn't seem in the slightest bit like an evil demon to Koutarou!!

'If this Harano is an evil demon, then what am I?

'What is a demon? What is a human? Why do humans turn into demons? Why would a demon seem so much like a human?'

Koutarou couldn't understand…

All he wanted was to protect and save his younger sister, yet…

He couldn't bring himself to kill anyone!!!

"I'm sorry…" Seiji could only respond this way. "I'm truly… so sorry…"

"Wahhhhhhhh!!!!!" b.l.o.o.d.y tears poured out from Koutarou's eyes, covering his cheeks.

Right now, he greatly resembled a demon physically. However, Seiji felt that Koutarou's behavior was more human than anyone.

'I'm sorry that I was unable to save you.

'If there had been any way to, I definitely would have done it. But there was no other way…

'That's why, all I can do is say sorry.

'I'm sorry…

'I'm so sorry…'

"I'm so sorry…" Seiji muttered this out loud as tears also began to stream down his cheeks.

It was impossible to save everyone.

This was logic that he understood already.

However, the bitterness from facing such logic directly would still hit him with full impact.

Even though he had the supremely powerful ability of saving and loading, there would still be things that he couldn't accomplish.

Even if he had an even more powerful ability than saving and loading, there would still be things that he would be even more helpless about.

So, all he could do at the very least would be...

"I will remember you. Koutarou… I will remember your name for the rest of my life. I will remember that you were a kind coal seller. I will never forget you… until I die."

That was all he could do for Koutarou.

This truly… was all he could do.

"Harano…"

Koutarou was not consoled by this.

It was impossible for him to be consoled right now.

However… maybe just a tiny bit, but he did feel a tiny amount of warmth.

He didn't want to die. He still wanted to save his younger sister. Koutarou absolutely didn't want to die. He felt incredibly pained about the helpless dead end situation he was in!

But… if this was the only ending possible…

If he had to leave the world like this.

If at least one person could still remember him, perhaps… that would count as evidence as him having once lived.

"I… don't want to die!!!" Koutarou clutched on to Seiji even tighter and cried loudly.

"Yeah," Seiji responded.

"I also don't want my younger sister to die… I want her to become human again… so that she can live a good life…"

"Yeah."

"My mom… my younger brother… they didn't do anything wrong… they shouldn't have died…"

"Yeah."

"That person told me to kill you… but I couldn't bring myself to kill you in the end…"

"Yeah."

'You are a very kind person.

'Even though you became a demon, you're still human.

'Koutarou… you lived as a human, and you died as a human.'

Seiji hugged Koutarou tightly and listened to every single of Koutarou's dying words, memorizing everything.

Finally, the coal seller was no longer able to say anything.

...

Kungo slowly opened his eyes.

He felt that something was wrong with himself.

No, not just something minor. Something was majorly wrong!

His body felt completely different!

He didn't know how to describe it. To use an a.n.a.logy… if his previous body felt like snow, then his current body felt like water.

His body was now heavier, more physical, and possessed a different power.

The only problem with his body was that it was missing its left hand.

He couldn't feel his left hand… this body didn't have a left hand.

And then, Kungo understood what happened to his body.

Or, more accurately, what had been done to him.

"Master… why?" he asked the extravagantly clothed beautiful woman in front of him.

This black-haired woman smiled gently while looking at him. "You have always called me Master. Yet, I have never viewed you as a servant… never. I created you. You will live on even after I die. You are… my son. Isn't it only natural for a mother to want her son to live on during a life-and-death situation?"

Kungo was absolutely astounded.

He never knew before that his master had viewed him in such a way.

Kungo thought that he was only a servant, a tool to slay demons for his master's sake.

That was enough. He didn't need anything else… he had never desired anything more.

He would do anything that she desired, even if she commanded him to die.

He had been born because of her. He considered it his destiny to die for her.

Kungo had never tried to go against what he viewed as his fate. He was even happy with it. He felt that he was truly blessed to have such a fate in comparison to others who only lived for the sake of being alive.

Yet, his master had…

"No… I don't need to live on… Master should…"

"I have already lived," the beautiful woman told him. "I've finally remembered my past when this small closed-off world started collapsing. I had once been human… a real, living human who experienced an entire life in the real world.

"Although that world is countless times larger than this one, there are still many similarities, such as things that one is helpless about.

"It's impossible to change your personal background, there are things you must do, there are cages that are inescapable, and inexorable fate…

"I have lived already. I have experienced life, and I died while feeling pain, anger, sadness, hatred, and helplessness.

"I have no need to experience life once again.

"Rather than living in that so-called real world, my days here in this fake paradise were far happier and more peaceful.

"That's why, this is more than enough for me.

"I will die here, for the second time. And you… you have yet to truly live, so please go in my place to the real world.

"Perhaps the real world has become a better place. Or, perhaps it has become a worse place.

"Please come tell me about the real world when you finally die in the future and meet me again."

"Master…" Kungo widened his eyes in panic because he was witnessing his master gradually transforming into mist!

"Goodbye, my child." The woman smiled, and bade him farewell. "Please live well in the real world… Although things might be really difficult, please live as happily and blissfully as you can."

"No… no! Master, I don't want to!! Please take back this body!!!" Kungo grabbed on to the woman, but she was now transforming into mist at an even quicker pace.

"Finally, let me tell you the truth—I actually don't like this body that I gave to you. First of all, he's male. Second, he's missing a hand. Third, he's probably…" The woman then stopped. "Forget it, there's no need to tell you.

"Kungo, here is my final command for you. Please continue living on as well as you can to the best of your abilities."

"No! Master!!!" the samurai Kungo shouted in the greatest agony possible in this new and unfamiliar body of his.