Ch.17 Crystal world

With Yukio back in control of himself he managed to share information he knew about the castle that Manami created. He was weaker since those three shadows left his body but he still retained enough power to fight on even grounds with a spirit and then some. But his armor was different, he lacked a helm and now the armor was thinner, had aqua blue trim, and now a black torn cloth wrapped around his waist that fades into blue at the bottom, with two joining belts shaped like an X. The only thing he needed was weapon, but he couldn't summon sandalphon, the dark Camael, and his lance was inside the castle somewhere. Mana approaches him and hands him a pair of sabers the ones used by Alice.

"Here I think you should use these"

"But these are wizard weapons they should be used by you or Origami"

"Alice called out to you as she died I think she would want this"

"….Okay"

Yukio takes the two weapons and uses some of his remaining power to combine them into a new dual spear-like weapon called the Ascalon. After testing his skills with the weapon by swinging it through the air he decides who the teams should be since the castle has multiple routes to the throne room. Route one would be taken by Tohka, Mana, Yoshino, Kotori, and Shido himself; the second route had Kasumi, Ellen, and the twins; route three would be handled by Yukio, Origami, Miku, and Kurumi. As the groups prepare to leave Ellen requests something of Yukio.

"Wait…"

"What?"

"Let me be on your team"

"I thought I made my feelings clear Ellen"

"I know but please allow me to at least once to fight alongside the real you"

Shido walks up to Yukio and taps his shoulder.

"I know how you feel believe me, but she won't get this chance ever again"

"Alright but only because my dad wants it….Kurumi switch with Ellen"

Kurumi shakes her head sarcastically.

"(Sigh) trade one mother for another oh well"

Now that the teams were ready Yukio shows all of them where the different entry points are and everyone enters from their given point. Once inside the corridors were a sight to behold the whole structure was beautiful and a true treat to the eyes. In their route Origami can't help but question the capacity of a young girl like Manami.

"A child created this?"

Yukio explains.

"Mom wanted Manami to have nothing but happy thoughts, so she would read her stories with nothing but pictures of castles and flower fields, and don't forget Manami can warp reality within a range so this place is her dream life.

"The only thing missing is her daddy"

"Don't worry she may try to stop us but dad's group will be fine"

In Shido's group they stop and gaze at the room they're in which was the flower field Tohka talked with Yukio at from the dream. Yoshino comments on the sight.

"This place is so pretty"

Yoshinon adds to the comment.

"Yeah it's the perfect place for romance"

"Yoshinon please not here!"

"Oh you were just having dreamy thoughts were you Yoshino?"

Shido looks around and can't help but feel happy about the idea Manami has of beautiful.

"I know this place is fake, but I'm at least glad that my daughter has such a good imagination"

As the group of four gazes at the beauty of the field Mana pick a blue rose growing nearby.

"(And to think I'm going to miss out on watching her grow up")

The groups awe is interrupted when a flurry of black fireballs rain from the sky and burn the field turning the beautiful field into a twilight view of hell, and from the fake sky a shadow hovers down, Rosa she was holding both her normal spear and the inverse Camael, and she was wearing half of an astral dress on the left side of her body, and her hair had grown longer and messier covering part of her face; she looked at the group with a psychotic smile.

"You should know by now I hate being ignored Mana Takamiya"

Mana looks at Rosa with disgust.

"I thought I was done with you"

"You're not done until I say you're done, and now I'm here to settle the score with you and that girl with that smartass puppet"

Yoshino looks at Rosa with sleight fear due her terrifying presence.

"I don't want to fight her she's scary"

Yoshinon talks to Yoshino to change her mind.

"Yoshino you can't back away now; like she said we have a score to settle!"

Kotori joins in their banter and points her Camael at Rosa.

"Hey the fire shtick is my thing, so don't think you can beat the original!"

Mana ignores their banter and suggests that they leave Rosa to Yoshino, but Rosa has a different idea; she aims her flaming halberd at Shido and creates a cage of fire around his body which slowys begins to close around him. The girls freak out over this and all shout for him.

"There you see; if you want to save that guy then you'll have to rip my head from by body"

Tohka shouts back at Rosa.

"Why would you do something so meaningless!?"

Rosa clenches her teeth.

"Meaningless Meaningless! Oh but it does have meaning now that I have a hostage you have no choice but to fight me to the with everything you've got"

The girls ready themselves as Rosa charges with her two weapons at them. Elsewhere Yukio's group makes their way into what appears to be a play room filled with tons of stuffed animals and toys; there was also many pictures on the ceiling drawn with crayons, and playing with a few of the toys was a girl wearing inverse Tohka's complete astral dress, but wasn't armed; it was Alice acting like a little girl. She seemed to be having the best time until she looked and saw Ellen alongside Yukio, who were very shocked to see her alive although everybody was. Alice was the first to speak.

"You…saw me?"

Miku commented on her behavior.

"Are you playing with toys like a little girl?"

"No this isn't what you think!"

Yukio tried to talk with her.

"Alice how? We watched you die"

"I know, I can't remember much but I do remember waking up in here and saw all these toys and then I…."

Ellen deduces the situation

"You wanted to be a little girl is that it?"

"Mother I just wanted…."

Ellen looks at her daughter with pity.

"You wanted just wanted one time to be a child because you never got the chance"

"Uh huh father wanted me to be perfect in every way so I never played only trained and studied endlessly"

"Still that is no excuse for this childish behavior; you are a wizard of DEM"

Yukio slaps Ellen for her comment.

"Just because YOU had the choice to become a wizard doesn't mean SHE did; No she was born into that life because of that madman"

Alice shouts back at Yukio.

"Ivan don't speak ill of our mother and father"

"Ivan, so you know who I am now?"

"Yes I knew it when I saw you after father worked on you, but I'd like to know why you would call the woman who killed our mother your true mother"

"And how can you call these devils mom and dad!?"

"Because they gave me life and raised me"

"No, Ellen died after we were born and Westcott used you, and wasn't he the one who caused you to die!"

"But that was….the only way I could be of use to him"

"Mom and dad's are supposed to care for you and love you unconditionally, but this woman and that freak did nothing of the sort, and I bet they never once said I love you Alice once"

Ellen tries to say something but her pride stops her from saying anything. Alice looks down at the ground and clenches her fist.

"Like you know what my life was like; you who had a loving family, never required to put your body through hell, or having to kill people just so you could have home…you're the one who doesn't understand brother!"

Alice summons Nehemah and takes a stance, but Yukio looks at her with an expression of sadness.

"I'm sorry"

Alice lowers her stance.

"Sorry about what?"

"About what you had to go through, you're right I don't understand because I do have a good life with loving parents and caring siblings so…"

Yukio extends his hand towards Alice.

"You should have one too"

"What are you implying?"

"Alice if you want I can be your brother starting now, and my first act will be letting you come with us, and become part of our family"

"But Ivan I can't… I won't live with the woman who killed our mother"

Ellen speaks to Alice with a serious look.

"Alice the person who ended my life wasn't nightmare"

"Mother?"

"No your father did it Lucifuge told me himself and he has knowledge"

"But if that's true then I…"

Alice becomes nauseous at the realiazation and falls to her knees.

"I nearly a little girl for no reason…and I attacked my brother and his parents….what have I been doing then….what have I done"

Alice begins crying and disgusted with herself since her actions were nothing but malicious assault against innocent. Origami looks at Ellen with surprise.

"Ellen why did you?"

"I'm acting as a true mother for once in my life even though she hasn't been born yet"

Yukio walks over to Alice while Miku pulls out a hankey and starts sobbing like she was watching a soap opera. Origami remains silent but is tempted to join Miku in her sobbing. Yukio kneels to Alice and hugs her.

"Alice please come with us we can help you, we can give you a better life"

Alice looks up at the young man with his open arms and smiles.

"Can I?"

"Of course anyone can change I truly believe that"

Alice stands up happy about Yukio's invitation, but their moment is ruined when Ellen holds her sword up to them.

"But even so I cannot allow a traitor to roam free with DEM secrets and of course abandoning the director"

Yukio tells Alice to stay back since he'll defeat Ellen alone to avoid killing her, but as he launches a blast from his lance Ellen does nothing to defend herself, and the projectile knocks her against the wall of the room knocking her to near unconsciousness she stayed awake for the two siblings to talk with her. But Ellen only says one thing.

"Don't say anything, but please just let me make a request"

"Ellen…" Yukio utters

"I know it seems childish for the two of you but I'd like for you two, just once….call me mommy"

The two look at Ellen and gently give her what she wants as she passes out with a smile. The group rounds together as Miku applauds like she had just finished watching a season finale of show. Origami is somewhat showing signs of tearing up. They decide to explain everything to Kasumi and Manami when everything was settled. Back at the garden the fight against Rosa was reaching its conclusion, but it was going in her favor as she madly laughs while shooting blasts of black fire from her halberd. Kotori then hatches an idea, Mana attacks Rosa distracting her while Yoshino is charging an attack, but Rosa sees this.

"I'm not falling for that again!"

Rosa charges her own version of the meggido cannon, and charges it faster than than Yoshino's attack.

"Too bad for you…. now die!"

Rosa launches a large black fire ball at Yoshino which creates a crater in the ground. Rosa snickers at Yoshino who she believes is dead, and then Kotori shouts.

"Hey faker down here!"

Rosa looks and sees Kotori using her meggido cannon and launches the massive burst of flame at Rosa hitting her directly.

"Got her"

The Yoshino that Rosa hit was actually a block of ice reflecting Yoshino from the other side of the room. With their victory assured Kotori and the others take a breather to recover only for Rosa to scream outloud and throw her spear at Kotori and runs through her leg pinning her to the ground.

"I… did not… like that!"

Rosa then throws her halberd into the ground which causes fire pillars to erupt from the ground, and Mana shouts.

"What are you doing you'll destroy the entire room doing that!"

"SO BE IT!"

Tohka who was sitting away waiting for an idea realizes now there was little choice at this point and shouts.

"Darkness!"

She enters her inverse form and uses Nehmah to attack Rosa by severing her hand and then running her through with the blade, and Mana sees the opportunity and also runs Rosa through. Once they pull out their blades Rosa falls to the ground and manages to stay on her feet.

"No…not yet…I won't die….until I've….proven myself to Alice…"

Tohka lowers herself down to finish off Rosa before she her limit exceeded, but looks at Rosa and asks.

"Any last requests?"

"Shut it….all I need….is my Alice….and..She's gone…so you can take your offer and shove it!"

Tohka prepares to finish Rosa when Mana insists that she do it which Tohka agrees to.

"Mana I've always hated you…but this damn body…I can't..
Mana slashes Rosa across the chest, and Rosa backs away, falls off a nearby ledge, and dies upon impact with the ground. The fire cage around Shido disappears as the girls express their concern and joy that he's alive, but after a moment of reprieve they make their way up the stairs nearby. In the third route the girls have no opponent to fight, but in the center of it all where all the routes converge someone was waiting there ready to confront the first group to show up.