Vol. 3 Ch. 4 Ep. 24: Kyrie for the Students Part 2

...

What is happening? Where are the reinforcements...?

Where is Barbara? I summon you!

...!

This song...

This is...Kyrie Eleison?

It cannot be!

No! The song of mercy cannot play in my territory!

This should be impossible! What trickery is this?

I ensured the instruments and gramophones were broken. Is this a twisted miracle?

I won't believe it. It must be a curse! Only hatred and contempt can echo within my halls.

Every last one of you deserves to rot and suffer in this hell! You deserve no salvation!

"Shut up."

What did you say to me?!

...!!!

How dare you speak to me this way!

How dare you speak to me this way!

ARGHHHH!!!

Sh-She's changing again?!

I will not be defeated! Saori, come to your master!

You will be the new sacrifice!

...!

You were the one who brought Sensei here! You must be punished!

Yes, Madame.

L-Leader?!

What in the seven hells do you think you're doing?

My Arius Squad... I would sacrifice myself a thousand times over to make up for what I've done to all of you.

Well, Madame? Come and get me!

That idiotic, Sensei! We have to go! Now!

"This is the final battle! Let's finish this!"

Yes! I'm ready!

BEATRICE!!!

Argh! Graaah!

H-How...! Why...? My...

My plan...my territory...my ritual...

My...my...power!

Ahhhh!

*pant*... *pant*... *pant*...

I-Is it...over?

Ack! Is Hime okay?!

Atsuko! No!

She's still up there. I don't know if she's...

Get her down! P-Please! Right now!

Oh no...

Hime! Hime! Wake up! P-Please...wake up...

H-Hime...

Her injuries... She's lost too much blood.

Hime... A-Atsuko... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...so please, just open your eyes... I'll do anything...

Don't...d-don't leave me. Hime...!

...

...

Saori...?

A-Atsuko! Yes! Yes, it's me!

Hime!

H-Hime! Can you hear us?!

Good morning.

Saori, Hiyori, Misaki... I'm back.

Welcome back, Atsuko. You're home.

Hi, Saori.

Hime. Y-You're alive. You're okay.

I'm...right here.

I can feel you in my arms, so I can believe it. Thank you... Thank you for surviving, Atsuko.

You... You came for me. You saved me.

*sob*

No more tears, Saori. I'm safe...thanks to you.

Sensei...helped us?

Yes. That's right...

Thank you, Sensei. Everything's going to be okay now. I can feel it.

Yes. Everything is okay now.

Go to the fallen Beatrice.

U-Ugh...

I'll never be defeated...not by you...!

You think you've won? All you did was disrupt my ritual, Sensei!

I still have Barbara and the Arius troops! I still have the Mimesises!

Don't look down at me like that! You've won nothing! You think everything is over now?!

Not everything, but it's time to close this little storybook.

"...!"

Golconde?!

Now, now. Let's skip the theatrics. I am terribly sorry if I surprised you. I am Golconde of Gematria.

Although introductions may be unnecessary, Sensei. We've met before. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows!

Put those silly little weapons down. I'm only here to retrieve Madame.

Me?!

I'm not in the business of picking a fool's fight! Not all Gematria can turn into monsters like Madame, after all.

And yes, yes. Madame, this was not your story to enter, and Sensei was not your rival. Even I can SEE that! Hahaha, get it?

...!

The events, conflicts, and processes you started are now insignificant bygones.

My beautiful Madame. You aren't the main character nor the antagonist. Instead, look up the term "plot device" in the dictionary.

U-Ugh...!

Sensei, wherever you intervene, you rewrite the story with your desired ending. If not for you, our poor Madame would have been successful.

Your chosen form of conflict resolution was believing in your students? A bit bland and overdone, if you ask me.

Oh dear, oh dear. Have I made you uncomfortable? That's ever so rude of me.

I'll return with Madame now. Please, stand up, Madame.

*cough* You're...

Do you plan to stop me? I would strongly recommend against that, Sensei.

I can utilize various tools. The halo-destroying bomb you have is one of my creations.

Oh my, I wouldn't detonate it in this holy place. It wouldn't be effective against you at all. Not a tiny bit.

I never was able to confirm if it could successfully destroy a halo. Hm. I suppose I'll just throw it away.

Madame, your experiment has failed. Off we go.

Golconde!!

Excuse us. I'll see you again, Sensei.