C.S.O - Chapter 43 [Light and Darkness]

 "O-Onii-chan, ...is it really you? This isn't a dream, right?"

Tears streamed down Ruko's face. She cried not out of sadness, but out of joy.

"Who else but me? Just wait a moment, I will set you free."

Kuro, no, Lucifer swung his sword, severing the chains that bound Ruko's body. Unfortunately, the chains restraining Ruko were stronger than anticipated.

"Tch!"

"[Do you think it would be that easy?]"

Michael's voice echoed throughout the white world. Suddenly, a multitude of light tentacles began attacking Lucifer.

By slashing and dodging, Lucifer managed to buy some time, but his sword was caught by the white tentacles, and eventually, Lucifer was also captured.

At that moment, the light gathered and formed the figure of a young child with golden hair and nine pairs of wings on their back.

The pure and awe-inspiring presence made anyone aware that the child was the true form of Michael.

The young child flew and touched Lucifer's chin with a curious gaze.

"I don't know how you managed to come here, but you should be aware that this is my world. You can't do as you please or escape easily."

"Miki!!"

Michael turned towards Ruko with a smile that made people think she was a holy girl.

"Don't worry. This will only take a moment. The time when you will turn white again will soon come. I can destroy this cursed demon in an instant, but the problem lies with the demon over there. Although I have to admit that he is strong, it's not enough. No matter what, the 'desire of the world' cannot be changed."

"....Desire of the world?"

Michael didn't answer and only smiled mysteriously.

Then Michael disappeared before the two of them.

"Miki...."

Although in Ruko's eyes, what Michael did was quite cruel, deep in her heart, she knew it was all for her sake.

"Hime, don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"Onii-chan, why do you say that? Do you have a plan?"

Although Kuro had returned, the situation had not changed. They were still at a disadvantage. That's why Ruko found Lucifer's behavior strange.

Lucifer was able to come to that world at the same time Kuro arrived in CSO. A fool didn't need to think much to know that all of this had been planned. Even Kuro's plan to awaken the power of the Demon God was part of it.

The question was, what would their next move be?

"Not really. I only came here, and he went there. That's it."

"..."

Ruko was rendered speechless.

"But... you seem so calm. You must have some kind of plan. Am I wrong?"

"Our plan was simply to come to this place to free you. Meanwhile, he (Kuro) was tasked with buying us time. Unfortunately, as you have seen for yourself..."

Nevertheless, there was no sign of panic from Lucifer.

No. More accurately, Lucifer was not allowed to show it in any situation.

Lucifer represented one of the demons embodying the seven deadly sins, pride. That's why he would never submit to anyone, even if that person was stronger than him. He wouldn't even bow to a god.

"Onii-chan..."

Ruko was certainly aware of this, but she couldn't help but hope.

"Don't worry. My strength still can't defeat that damn angel. But that doesn't mean I will be weak forever."

Lucifer showed a wide, menacing smile.

♦♦♦

Meanwhile, in CSO, after Kuro reappeared, Chiaki and Flamia's eyes were once again filled with a hopeful light.

"Kuro..."

"Kuro-chan..."

Tears turned into smiles, but it wasn't just that which made the situation heartwarming.

Without caring about the enemies in front of them, Chiaki and Flamia immediately hugged Kuro while in a fighting position.

"You guys..."

Kuro wanted to tell them to get out of the way, but he changed his mind. No, rather, he couldn't. He understood when someone dear to him disappeared.

Besides, his death would surely shock both of them. There was no harm in granting their wishes.

"Uuu...this isn't a dream..."

"Yes. I thought you were just an illusion. After feeling your warmth, I knew it was you... hehe."

"..."

Their embrace grew tighter, and for some reason, they became like clingy children to their parents.

Kuro's face reddened as he remembered the sensation of being touched by his two wives, whom he hadn't touched in a long time. For some reason, he immediately had dirty thoughts.

"With this, we don't have to hesitate to punish you," Flamia said with a wide smile.

"...uh..."

Kuro didn't know how to react, but he could imagine what was about to happen to him.

"Can we discuss that later? This is not the time to think about it."

"Of course, we know that," Chiaki replied. "We just wanted to let you know that you won't be able to escape anymore."

Kuro felt great pressure from Chiaki. Despite that, he smiled instead.

"I have no intention of running away."

More precisely, Kuro had already decided not to run anymore.

Kuro refocused on Michael. At the same time, Chiaki and Flamia released their embrace and also focused on Michael.

Their swords returned to their hands, shining even brighter as if a new light had illuminated them.

Indeed, it was the light of hope.

Unlike the two of them, Kuro still held the dark black sword full of a threatening aura. The difference lay in the status he possessed.

🔱Kuro Kanata

🔱Demon God [God of Darkness]

🔱Level xxxx

As usual, Kuro had an unbelievably insane status. Perhaps with this, Kuro had enough power to defeat Michael.

But it wasn't just him who had such a status.

🔱Michael

🔱Divine Archangel

🔱Level xxxx

Not only their statuses, but Michael's wings had also increased to eight pairs. Furthermore, a strong holy aura radiated from her body and the sword in her hand.

"This is worse than I thought."

Kuro broke into a cold sweat. He did have great power, but he still felt threatened by Michael's presence.

"Don't worry, we're with you."

"Can you tell us what we should do? If things continue like this, I feel like we will lose Ruko-chan."

Kuro didn't refute Chiaki's words.

The wings on Michael's back were proof that Michael had almost completely taken over Ruko's body. At the same time, the number of pairs of wings indicated the tremendous power that Michael could wield.

"...well... it doesn't mean I don't have a plan, it's just that none of those plans will work."

Kuro didn't explain further about his plan, but there was no sign that the two of them were unsatisfied with that explanation.

Kuro's actions thus far were enough evidence that he truly cared about both of them or rather, everyone who was precious to him.

"In other words, we can only keep fighting until your plan can be executed? I see. I was thinking of reducing your punishment, but I guess I should increase it instead."

Chiaki smiled, but her eyes didn't. She understood that certain conditions were needed for Kuro's plan to work, but there were no clues at all that made the path in front of them possible.

"Kuro... is there anything else you want to say?"

"Be careful, even if she can't use her full power, Michael can see the future and read the thoughts of her opponents. You can imagine the rest."

For some reason, the two of them weren't too surprised.

In the scriptures, Michael was known as the highest and strongest angel. Her power could be said to be almost on par with her creator.

If compared to their power, which was in the form of game-like statuses, their condition was like a mouse fighting against a lion.

But that didn't mean there was no hope. If Kuro had come this far, it meant their hope hadn't completely vanished.

That's why...

"It's not a problem at all."

"If she can see the future, I will make her see a bleak future. If she sees my thoughts, I just need to make her feel disgusted until she doesn't want to see them anymore."

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I agree, Chiaki."

Seeing no fear in their eyes, Kuro smiled.

Then, the three of them advanced toward Michael, the strongest angel.

♦♦♦

The first attack came from Chiaki. Using the skill [Boost Ultra], she increased her speed and strength by five times. Although the effect was significant, it only lasted for a short time.

The distance to Michael disappeared instantly, and she swung her sword, Durandal, without hesitation. However, Michael disappeared briefly before the sharp edge could touch her.

Chiaki was surprised that her attack was easily evaded, but considering who their opponent was, it was a reasonable action.

With the Map function, Chiaki knew Michael vanished in the 2 o'clock direction. She immediately moved there at the same speed and prepared her skill, [Holy Storm Burst].

But at that moment, Flamia suddenly appeared behind Chiaki, ready to use her skill.

"Flame Lance Raim."

Thousands of fire spears rained down on Michael simultaneously.

Although she could see the future and read minds, if attacked with something unavoidable, Michael would still be affected. That's what they aimed for.

Then, as the spear rain began to attack, Chiaki unleashed the Holy Storm Burst she had saved earlier. The result of this combined attack was a storm of fiery spears.

Michael's body was engulfed by the powerful storm of fire. With an attack like that, players with a level of 700 or above would lose their HP in a matter of seconds.

But-

"!?"

"!?"

Both of them were shocked when Michael emerged unscathed.

"[Holy Barrier]."

A light surrounded Michael like a strong shield. That was the reason why Michael was unharmed.

"Both of you, step aside!"

Suddenly, Kuro appeared in the sky. He prepared to strike Michael along with the ball surrounding her.

His black sword was filled with a sinister aura that made anyone shudder. It was the power of darkness.

"Shin Kamikiri-ryu [Yami no Shin'en]."

Darkness engulfed the ball of light, but the light still held its bright glow.

Both of them clashed in an attempt to defeat each other. Light and darkness scattered in all directions like fireworks. The land surrounding them was destroyed by the fragments of their deadly attacks.

Chiaki and Flamia moved away instead of defending themselves using their shield skills. Besides knowing that their skills wouldn't be strong enough to withstand the attacks, they also needed to conserve their MP.

"I don't know why our attacks didn't have any effect," Flamia nodded in agreement. After all, their powers were already beyond reason.

Finally, darkness managed to create cracks in the ball of light, but Michael quickly counterattacked with a barrage of light bullets from dozens of magic circles that suddenly appeared in the sky.

Not to be outdone, Kuro also created dark bullets and retaliated. The two attacks clashed like deadly guided missiles.

Then they engaged in a sword fight, their speed and agility far surpassing the limits of the CSO system.

"Shin Kamikiri-ryu [Chizakura]," Kuro unleashed one of the most lethal attacks from the Shin Kamikiri-ryu. This attack fired magical bullets and Ki from the blades of their swords at a speed invisible to the naked eye. The result was a large number of energy bullets created, raining down like a deadly storm.

Not to be outdone, Michael countered with the same attack. "[Shin Kamikiri-ryu [Chizakura]]"

Once again, light and darkness clashed. In the midst of the deadly storm, Kuro and Michael slashed at each other with their swords.

"[Surrender! As long as the will of the world is on my side, you have no chance of winning. You may have risen as a Demon God, but you should know that it is a fatal mistake.]"

"Tch! Stop talking so much! You should know what I'm thinking."

Kuro created dozens of black orbs and shot them at Michael from all directions.

Michael flew back to maintain distance. She created light orbs and shot them toward Kuro's black orbs. As the two orbs collided, a massive vibration occurred, and the land suddenly became deep as if crushed by something. This was normal considering that both orbs manipulated gravity.

Shortly after, everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened. But the impact of their battle proved the severity of the damage.

"[No matter what, you will never win. Stop resisting and accept your death!]"

At first glance, Michael's power indeed surpassed Kuro's abilities. By imitating Kuro's attacks, Michael wanted to show that it was all just a game to her.

Furthermore, she hadn't unleashed her full power yet. She seemed to be saying that she could kill Kuro whenever she wanted.

Indeed, that was what was supposed to happen.

But why hadn't it happened yet?

"If you want to kill me, go ahead. It should be easy with your power."

With the ability to see the future, Michael could attack Kuro from an untouchable point. She didn't need to bother telling Kuro to surrender.

"No, you can't do it. Even with your power, you haven't seen where I will die, right?"

Michael didn't deny it, but she didn't confirm it either.

"Michael, you may be the strongest, but among all of us, you are the angel who cannot break the rules. In other words, you can only punish the guilty."

"So, you conclude that I can't kill you? Foolish. Do you forget who you are?"

Kuro smiled.

"In your eyes, I may be nothing more than a lowly and filthy demon, but if that's the case, why do you want to kill me so badly? Isn't that a violation of your rules?"

"[...]"

"We may have been created by the same creator, but we have different roles. You should know that. And that's what makes me wonder why you are interfering in this world's affairs?"

Demons seduce humans onto the wrong path in every way possible. Angels observe and guide humans but not directly or unless necessary. Michael's actions had already violated that.

And even though she was gradually persuading Ruko, it could be said that her actions had gone beyond the limit. Now, by possessing Ruko's body, Michael was directly involved.

"As long as the will of the world is on your side, I won't win. But what if the tables were turned?"

"Fool! You're just a demon. Are you trying to be a hero?"

"...No, I will only protect my sister from you! Now, get ready!"

"You damn demon!!"

A pair of wings reappeared on Michael's back. With this, she was using her full power.

"Even though I'm not allowed to kill you, I will do it for the sake of this child. Get ready!"

Kuro realized he was in trouble, but he showed no signs of fear. Instead, he smiled.

Michael's figure then disappeared and reappeared behind Kuro. It was fast, too fast. With Kuro's current power, he couldn't even see Michael's speed.

And that became a sign of who would be the winner of this battle.

"Die!"

With her sword, Michael stabbed Kuro's heart.

"..guuh!"

Kuro spat out fresh blood. With the power of an angel and Michael's sword, it was only a matter of time before he perished.

(But before that happens...)

"Don't think I'll let you do as you please!!"

With his free hand, he gripped Michael's sword until his hand bled.

He then smiled widely as if he had no fear of death.

"You.."

"Ah.. if you can read what I'm thinking, then you surely know what will happen next. Unfortunately, it's already too late!!"

Suddenly, a light shone in Kuro's hand. The light came from his wedding ring.

Yes, he used the power of the Ring of Rinne.

"Sorry, but I will take my sister back! LUCIFEEEEERRRRR!!!"

Kuro's loud shout signaled Lucifer to rise.

With the dimensional manipulation ability of the Ring of Rinne, he finally connected with Kuro. His temporarily lost power returned, and he was filled with the power of darkness.

The light that bound him shattered, and he finally freed himself. He then approached Ruko with his dark sword.

"This time, I will truly set you free, Hime."

With a few swift slashes, he shattered the shackles that bound Ruko. Ruko, who finally regained her freedom, immediately embraced Lucifer.

"Onii-chan..."

"I want to hold you longer, Hime. But we have to hurry. Otherwise, he will die."

"Eh?"

Not fully understanding, Ruko could only nod.

Then, the ring on Lucifer's hand emitted a glow, and they left that place. When she opened her eyes, Ruko was surprised to see the ceiling of her room.

"...this..."

Her guess was correct. Right now, she had returned to her original body. In other words, she was back on Earth.

Not long after, she heard footsteps.

"Hime..."

It was Lucifer. Even so, he was no different from Kuro.

"Onii-chan..."

Ruko quickly removed her VR Gear and immediately hugged Lucifer, but her strength faded from her body. Lucifer quickly held her to prevent her from falling.

"Don't force yourself. The side effects of separating your soul from Michael are still significant."

"Separation?"

Ruko had no choice but to be surprised. As far as she knew, soul separation from a demon could only happen when they died. She was still alive, which meant Kuro (Lucifer) had done something unprecedented.

"You must be surprised. But for now, rest. Leave everything to us."

Ruko remembered what had happened.

"Onii-chan!"

Lucifer nodded.

"That's right. After I confirm your condition, I will return to that world immediately. I'm sorry, but for now, please endure."

Lucifer smiled, but it was a sad smile. And Ruko didn't miss it.

"Onii-chan, tell me! What actually happened?"

"... "

Lucifer didn't answer. He gritted his teeth as if holding back something terrible.

"Onii-chan..."

"... It's okay... Wait for a moment. I promise we will be reunited like before."

Suddenly, light began to shine from the ring on Lucifer's hand. Then, after the light disappeared, Lucifer's figure was nowhere to be found.

"Onii-chan..."

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling enveloped Ruko. She felt nauseous and cold. Something bad had happened.

"Onii-chan..."

Ruko struggled to her feet. Though her body was weak and powerless, she forced herself to move and stand up.

She crawled on the floor toward her computer desk. Then, using the chair as support, she managed to sit up.

After successfully sitting, she immediately went to the website that was streaming the battle in CSO.

The result... The feeling of dread that had been creeping up on her grew stronger.

"Onii-chan..."

The figure of her beloved older brother lay motionless with a sword pierced through his heart.

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