Explosions and dark blue Reiryoku beams ravaged the forest without mercy.
Trees were uprooted, the ground split apart, and craters gaped open beneath the artificially gray sky.
The one-kilometer-wide Bounded Field completely sealed off the outside world—its light dim like the moments before dawn, with thin mist forming an invisible boundary wall.
Amid the devastation, Gabriel moved.
Fast. Precise. Almost beautiful.
He dodged, twisted his body, even deflected the vectors of incoming attacks with the smallest touch—as if he were not fighting, but dancing along the lines of death.
High above the battlefield, Moegami continued firing Reiryoku beams through the barrels of Satan. Her expression no longer held hesitation—only the will to destroy.
Even while moving, Gabriel's mind kept working.
Building a Field for an arena really is much more convenient.
A few days ago, when I fought Tenka, I should have done this… instead of dragging the fight all the way to the North Pole.
Too impulsive.
Not calculated enough.
He shifted his step, and a beam missed his shoulder by a fraction of a second.
But…
I can't keep dodging forever.
It wouldn't look cool.
A faint smile formed on his face.
The next instant—his body vanished.
Gabriel appeared directly behind her, standing back-to-back with Moegami.
Time seemed to slow.
The drifting dust looked like static particles suspended in the air.
The tip of his katana pointed downward, toward the earth's center of gravity.
His voice was calm.
"Kudakero: Mugen Kyōen."
{Note: not Kyoka Suigetsu 🗿}
Near the tsuba, at the base of the blade, a mechanical slit opened—resembling a robotic eye. Its pattern was identical to the Gigan: layered geometric circles overlapping each other.
At the same time—pale white mana flowed out from his body.
It did not explode.
It was not wild.
Calm.
Dense.
As if a first gate… had just been opened.
The air within the Field changed.
The mist trembled.
And for the first time since the battle began—the spiritual pressure within the arena was no longer dominated by Moegami alone.
Moegami twisted her body in a single sharp motion.
Her right hand rose to shoulder level, fingers straightened like a spear.
Dark-blue Reiryoku gathered at its tip—dense, pulsing, spinning like the cracked core of a star.
Without hesitation, she thrust backward.
A beam of Reiryoku shot through the air.
But—Gabriel's body that had been pierced scattered like mist swept away by the wind.
An illusion.
A visual distortion created by the Gigan before the Shikai had fully activated.
Gabriel's voice came from another direction.
"Isn't that cruel, Tobiichi-san? No… perhaps Ash should call you by another name?"
Moegami turned.
Gabriel stood upon the fractured ground, not appearing to move even slightly. Calm. Stable. As if all this chaos were nothing more than a stage backdrop.
In a fraction of a second, his mind spun.
A title.
A fitting name.
In the sky, the barrels of Satan began to move.
They separated, rotated, then locked together and fused. Their mechanical structure shifted, forming a single colossal cannon with layered magic circles unfolding behind it.
Dark-blue Reiryoku condensed at its center.
The spiritual pressure surged dramatically.
Ah.
An idea crossed his mind.
Gabriel raised Mugen, pointing the tip of the blade straight toward Moegami.
The mechanical eye near the tsuba glimmered.
"Fallen Light."
A faint smile spread across his lips.
"That is the perfect name."
At that very moment—the cannons of Satan roared.
A colossal beam fired all at once. A dark-blue line split the Field, becoming a pillar of darkness capable of erasing anything it touched.
The air trembled, and the artificial space within the Bounded Field cracked under the pressure of the overflowing energy.
The pillar shot straight toward Gabriel. Yet he remained still, making no attempt to evade.
"Ten Unit: Output Release," he said flatly.
In an instant, mana erupted within his body.
His left hand, which had been holding the katana's sheath, let go and the scabbard fell onto the cracked ground beneath him. Gabriel raised his palm forward.
The Hōgyoku at his core pulsed, violet energy spreading like creeping roots, wrapping around his arm.
A moment later, the dark-blue Reiryoku pillar struck him. The ground and trees around him melted away, forming a massive crater.
Yet none of it managed to injure Gabriel.
The blast finally ceased.
Gabriel looked at his hand, still completely intact.
"If only you had fired it in a thread-thin line," he murmured casually, "my hand might have been cut off."
He paused, as if suddenly realizing something important he had forgotten.
"…Why did I… block it?" he said in mild confusion.
Meanwhile, high above, the barrels of Satan, which had previously fused together, began moving again.
They spread out into a circular formation, surrounding the sky of the Field.
Each barrel pointed directly at Gabriel.
Reiryoku of dark blue gathered once again.
Moegami raised her right hand straight forward, preparing the next attack.
Energy accumulated.
Spiritual pressure intensified.
But before the barrage of shots could be released, Gabriel suddenly vanished from where he stood.
In the blink of an eye, he was already standing right in front of Moegami.
So close that there was barely any distance between them.
He raised his hand, then gently pressed his index finger against Moegami's forehead.
A light touch.
Instantly, Moegami's body swayed.
The dark reiryoku that had been boiling like black mud slowly calmed, settling like water that had lost its source of heat.
At the same time, Satan and the remaining Inverse Astral Dress gradually faded away, as if they no longer had a medium to sustain their existence.
Her consciousness began to fade.
Just before her body could fall backward, Gabriel raised his other hand.
A gentle vortex of wind formed, supporting Moegami's body so she would not crash to the ground.
A faint smile appeared on Gabriel's face.
"Quite a decent scenario," he said calmly.
"Ash approves."
Slowly, they descended through the air.
At the same time, Gabriel's mana overflowed throughout the entire Field—not to destroy, but to restore.
The cracks in the artificial sky closed.
The craters fused back together.
The scorched trees reassembled themselves, as if time had been rewound a few minutes.
When they finally landed, Gabriel walked a few steps toward the nearest tree.
Carefully, he leaned Moegami's body against its trunk.
Her position was stable.
Peaceful.
As if she were merely asleep in the middle of a forest that no longer showed any trace of battle.
Gabriel raised his right hand.
With a light snap of his fingers, the Bounded Field surrounding the area instantly cracked, then collapsed like invisible glass shattered from within.
The barrier layer vanished without a sound, returning the forest to its true sky.
A natural breeze began to flow again.
Real sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves.
At the same time, the costume he wore as Ash began to fade.
The three pairs of pale white wings on his back dissolved into particles of mana, disappearing one by one.
His white hair slowly turned black again, returning to its original color.
Now, the one standing there was simply Gabriel—without the persona of the Pale Mist Sovereign.
***
Several hours had passed.
The state of emergency had ended, and the citizens had already left the underground shelters about an hour ago.
The sky over Tengu City was now covered in the darkness of night. Streetlights glowed dimly, casting a faint yellow reflection across the cold asphalt.
Gabriel had already moved Moegami from the forest back to the city.
Now the girl sat unconscious in front of a convenience store that was still open 24 hours, leaning against the glass wall beside a vending machine.
Next to her, Gabriel sat casually on the sidewalk.
In his hand was a cup of instant ramen, still steaming warmly.
"Chicken flavor is pretty good too…" he murmured quietly after sipping the broth.
Thin steam drifted into the night air.
A few seconds later, Moegami's brow twitched.
Gabriel caught the subtle change in her breathing rhythm through his Ki perception. He stopped sipping and casually turned his head toward the girl.
Moegami's eyelids slowly opened.
Her gaze remained empty for a few moments as she tried to piece together her memories—the Spacequake sirens, her search for Gabriel, and… darkness.
"You're awake," Gabriel said lightly. "Tobiichi-san?"
Moegami turned her head.
Her eyes finally focused on Gabriel sitting not far from her—holding a cup of noodles as if nothing unusual had happened.
Her expression changed immediately.
"Michaelis-kun…!" Her voice came out slightly hoarse. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"
The concern in her tone was unmistakable.
Gabriel blinked, then gave a small smile.
"Me? I'm fine. I even found my necklace," he said casually. He lifted the cup noodles slightly. "I even got to watch something pretty cool."
Moegami frowned.
"Watch…?"
"Yeah. There was this group wearing tight suits—kind of like swimsuits, but with weapons. They were flying around and fighting a girl who had some kind of… special ability. Pretty cool, actually."
He spoke in an innocent tone, as if he had truly been nothing more than a passerby who happened to witness the scene.
___
Author's Note:
So, how was it? Did you enjoy it? Gabriel fighting Origami, ehehe~ 😏
Leave me some comments and let me know what you think!