Final Knot

Evil! Evil! Everywhere...!

Spreading! Overpowering! Rampant!

Guess I don't need to bother with this disguise anymore... Nobody's paying attention to us.

Mata Hari. Look at those two.

Wh-what the!? They were both executed alongside me...!

...

...

...They are ghouls. Over there. And over here. Ghouls everywhere.

I don't understand. Even ones I could have sworn we'd defeated are here...

Maybe they're like Tituba, and they keep reviving as long as they have a role to play...?

Apparently. Living people as well... But mixed in. Beside these monsters.

...

What is it, Nezha? Why do you keep glaring at everyone? There's nothing here but monsters.

...Granted, it WOULD feel pretty amazing to just let loose and go all out against these things...

Then again, if the way they're looking at us is anything to go by, it may come to that...

...

...I was looking. For Sanson.

However. Not here. As I expected. That is a relief.

...He always was a heavy sleeper.

So it's technically daybreak now, even though the day hasn't broken... And this town is looking more and more like the set of a damn zombie movie.

What'd the Bible call this again? "The Last Supper"?

No, that was one of Da Vinci's most famous paintings.

Perhaps you meant the Last Judgment, from the Book of Revelation? ...Oh, I guess you're familiar with it.

By the way, Robin...

I can't thank you enough for your help yesterday, and for keeping an eye on Senpai in prison all night.

Don't worry about it. I wasn't gonna let them take advantage of the confusion to execute Master in secret.

There's Senpai and Circe...

I see Abby's here too.

I guess she made it through the night okay... But she still seems awfully depressed.

...This court is now in session.

Will the defendant please step forward?

Well ain't this a lovely view.

The court will now review the charges leveled against The Fujimaru Company's child actress, Circe, who stands accused of being a witch.

EXCUSE me! I'm the QUEEN WiI mean, actress! Yes, actress... Get it right! Jeez...

Circe, you are accused of practicing witchcraft in public. There are a large number of people in this very courtroom who can attest to that personally.

Do you admit your guilt in this matter?

Guess I've got no choice.

The Book of Exodus clearly states "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

Can you tell this court why you went against God's teachings and sullied your hands in witchcraft?

I couldn't care less about your piddling little "God." The only divinity I worship is Hecate, goddess of witchcraft and necromancy.

But I will say this...

The only reason I used witchcraft back there was to keep innocent people safe. I never meant any harm.

So you admit your foul deeds of your own accord. I commend your honesty.

Though your crimes are still punishable by death and shall never be forgiven, I am willing to grant you mercy in light of your honesty.

Executioner, attach heavy weights to her feet to ensure her hanging is quick and painless.

Yes, Your Honor!

Forget that! Burn her!

It's not an execution if she doesn't SUFFER through it! Witches deserve to be burned at the stake!

Yeeeah...!

That's right. Cook her, roast her, and serve her up on a plate!

...I see. So that's what that feels like. Thanks, I hate it.

？！

...You're up next, Fujimaru.

And just so you know, I'm afraid my death-faking medicine won't work on you. Hehe.

...

...Fujimaru. You stand accused of many crimes.

First are the allegations from Mr. Carter. Tell us, officer, were you able to corroborate his claims?

I did find the remains of a campsite in the woods, Your Honor.

But I'm afraid it was already deserted, so I can't say for sure if Tituba was staying there.

I see. Then we shall put Mr. Carter's allegations aside for the moment.

Fine with me.

It is no sin for one to revive on one's own power. It is one of God's greatest miracles!

？！

Yeeeah.

Where can I find a female corpse? Somebody give me a young female corpse!

Oh, it's him. I guess he must have died in the riot...

...You know, I wonder what all these ghouls are gonna eat once there's no more corpses left to go around...

...Themselves. Their very sins.

The desire to atone. Can never be satiated. It is one. Of the great impurities.

The next accusation leveled against Fujimaru is

That's it. I've had enough!

Even if Mr. Ringmaster did do something bad, it's not his fault.

It's because he has always tried to help others, whether me or someone else, without worrying about himself or how it might look!!

What about me? I'm a witch, remember?

You saw that plain as day, right?

Wh-why are you trying to frame innocent people when you have a real witch right here in front of you?

No, that won't do at all. There must be a clear, unmistakable motive.

Otherwise, my objective will never be met. I need atonement. True atonement.

My niece is lying. She's off on one of those flights of fancy so common to girls her age.

It's no surprise that a skilled performer would have any number of tricks up his sleeve intended to mislead anyone who might cross his path.

And of course, he could just as easily use those tricks to have others take the fall for his own misdeeds.

... Uncle...Carter...

If I may address the spectators directly...

Would you mind if I led this court's proceedings for a moment?

...I trust that's all right with you, Your Honor?

...Very well, I shall permit it. You are certainly qualified to practice law.

Thank you, Your Honor.

(The whole atmosphere just changed in an instant...)

(Guess they're done with the pretense.)

As you will soon see, these traveling performers are directly responsible for Abigail's sins.

First of all... Let us refresh our memories pertaining to her first sin.

...

(...Abby? Why. She does not speak?)

？！

...

...This pertains to the events that befell Abigail's parents.

I created the first Salem with great attention to detail. My goal was to recreate history faithfully.

However, it began to diverge from the moment of its creation... Humans truly are strange creatures.

Even faced with identical situations, the outcome will differ in ways both large and small.

But the one thing that remained constant...was that a girl named Abigail Williams was always at the center.

I decided I had to keep a very close eye on this girl.

Though the Williams's deaths may have been caused by a gun misfiring, and a wagon overturning...

...young Abigail's actions were always ultimately behind them.

That was when we first met. Wasn't it, Abigail?

...

...Yes, Uncle.

Mother...went quiet... Father's neck...got tangled in the reins...

And in...the sky above the woods...

...there were many...black birds...

...Now, let's address her next sin. In the second Salem, I inadvertently allowed Chaldea to enter.

It was an act of interference I never foresaw, stemming from a single one of their observational instruments...

Flauros's Near-Future Observation Lens, Sheba. A highly advanced hybrid of science and magecraft capable of acquiring highly detailed visual data.

When the Demon God Pillars acted contrary to Goetia's expectations, it was able to observe and restrain them.

A detestable feature that was equal parts safety and liability. And, as if to prove that point, it scrounged up what little intelligence it had, and then had the temerity to act of its own accord...

...summoning a Heroic Spirit and sending it to this very land.

Apparently, the Queen of Sheba was the only human Goetia ever trusted.

What a disgusting display of sentiment. How anyone could feel such things is beyond me.

At any rate, Sheba detected the surviving Demon God Pillar, and alerted Chaldea.

Then it overloaded the Heroic Spirit Summoning System, and used itself as a catalyst to send a single Heroic Spirit into Salem.

I will admit, it was a quick and expeditious act.

At that point, the Salem phenomenon had devoured the magical energy of the fifty thousand people inside, and was proceeding at 105,000 times normal speed.

This Heroic Spirit's interference caused it to slow down dramatically.

However, doing so exhausted the Heroic Spirit, and the potency of her abilities was greatly reduced.

Ah yes, that reminds me. Whatever happened to the real Tituba, Abigail?

She...became a ghoul. She's still in the woods, even now.

That's right. It was your suggestion, and it was truly a wonderful one.

As I recall, ghouls consume the mind of the dead, thereby becoming one with them. Isn't that right?

...Let us now address her third sin.

Although the Heroic Spirit had been rendered nearly powerless, slowing down time had a hugely detrimental effect on the tests' efficiency.

And I had already used up the fifth Salem.

With time and magical energy running out, I began to grow reckless.

It was then that I asked you for advice. What was it you said to me?

I said...I would like to have a friend.

One...who is a poor, lonely child, completely forsaken by God...

And...even if God didn't love her...I could...

...!

...Ah!

Hm...? Lavinia Whateley!

...A... Ah...

Ah... Lavinia! You shouldn't be here! Run!

N-no. I-it's time I had...my day in court too.

Lavinia Whateley.

If you have decided to stop fleeing and are prepared to answer for your crimes, you are welcome in my court.

...Thank you, Lavinia.

...

Ahh... It's her... I've always wanted to eat her...

I can't wait any longer...! Hey... What do you think you're doing...?

Back off, buddy. No one lays a hand on our witness while we're around.

M-Mr. Carter? I-I've got some evidence too.

Oh, really? If it will help these proceedings go smoothly, I would be happy to hear it.

Sure. Here it is...!

Urk...! Gah...

I-it's Powder of Ibn-Ghazi...designed to make spirits materialize!

W-want to know whose corpse...I made it from?

Kh-kh... Caw, caaaw!

If you're going...to hold a trial...it needs to be...on even ground.

It's not f-fair for...you to be the only one...in a mask.

Now...show yourself!

Caw, caaaw, caaaw!

Whateleeey.

Great! Thanks for all the help!

Now I can get into this courthouse's Bounded Field in my true form!

？！

I haven't handled a Demon God in a long time, but don't worry. It's just like riding a bike.

Now then, Demon God Pillar Räum! If you're going to show your true identity, and use your full power...

...then I have no qualms about expanding the scope of negotiations!

Okay, Master of Chaldea, you're all set!

As long as I'm here in this courtroom, nothing you do will break any religious precepts...

...and you'll no longer have to worry about an intelligence debuff. I promise you a square deal!

No need for thanks. We can talk price later!

Huh? I don't THINK so...

Oh really? Even though you wound up weakened and enslaved because you were overly confident of your Demon God Pillar resistance?

Oof, you reeeally don't pull your punches, do you, Circe...?

Wait, hold that thought. Something's going on over there...

？！

Burn the witches! B-burn them, burn them, burn theeem!

The hell? Does this mean every villager here was already a ghoul to begin with!?

...Guess so. Ugh, this means they were even better at disguises than us, much as it pains me to admit it.

So by day, they're rational people, and by night, they're voracious ghouls...

I don't know if Abigail affected them or they affected Abigail, but whatever the case they're clearly not holding back anymore.

That's true... But even so, they were all human when this began.

Perfectly ordinary humans who simply had the misfortune of finding themselves trapped in this Salem.

Everyone's like that once you get past the surface. You never have to worry about this with animals.

I was careless. Negligent. Do we need. To eradicate them?

They're all coming at us at once! Wh-what should we do, Master!?

？！

Is that...Tituba? No... That's...

Aah, aah, aaaaaahhh...

Not again? How many times has it been? I'm sick of this! Sick of it!

Aaaaaahhh...!!!

...A-Abby. L-look at me...

Caaaw! Her fourth sin...

...was inviting the souls of sinners here into Salem.

She summoned those who took part in humanity's witch hunts here, and did so most mercifully.

Traitors who let their fears get the better of them and sold out their own families. Instigators who succumbed to the sick thrill of entrapping others.

Double-crossers who refused to face the truth of the torture machine in which they were complicit. Hypocrites who went harangued all who would listen about invisible demons only they could see.

Yes...they were all irredeemably greedy. So greedy that even I can no longer satiate them!

Even in death, they begged for redemption! So they entrusted their wish for forgiveness to a false Grail!

...Abigail!

...(Huff, huff, huff)...!

Abigail... D-does it hurt...?

...Wait... This smell... Roses...

Ahh... Iä...Iä...!

What should I do...!? Is it okay to set you free?

Lavinia! We are putting Abby. Back to normal.

The descent is almost...upon us.

Abby is...still here. But, it's too late...

What...!?

...She can reach. Such realms!?

Your Honor! Judge Hathorne! This is not yet over! Continue the trial!

You will see this through once again. You WILL sentence these witches.

Yes, of course...Mr. Carter... (Gnaw, gnash...)

O-order... Orrrderrr...

Good. That's it. Uphold the honor of the holy court, and continue this trial.

Continue to pass judgment here in this godforsaken Salem until a god worth worshipping appears!

You shall do it as many times as it takes! You shall revive as many times as you must, even until you are no more than a lump of writhing tissue!

...No, you shall not.

This court is no longer in session, Räum.

You may have tried to use the entire city of Salem as a catalyst for summoning a host of spirits...

...but the people of Salem's magical energy is running dry. You have nothing left to work with.

And I will not rest until every last grain of gold dust that slipped through King Solomon's fingers is returned to him.

That is what I swore I would do as a Heroic Spirit!

Oh yes. I will eventually return to the void where my kin await.

But not yet. No, not yet...

Ahh... Ahhh... G-God... Matthew... Luke...

"During the trial, the queen of the southern kingdom stood beside those of this age, confirming their guilt."

"She had come from the ends of the earth...to hear Solomon's wisdom for herself."

"But here, she found one who far surpassed Solomon...!"

Let us now review her fifth sin. This is the most grievous yet...

Placing trust in others. What a foolish, naive thing to do.

Abigail's unshakable faith shrouded Salem in a veil of light.

It was this very thing that completely obviated guilt, and with it, any distinction between good and evil.

Thus were these sinners stuck in purgatory, neither punished nor forgiven for their foul deeds.

Enough to give even the Witchfinder General a chance for salvation. Enough for him to see healing in a place so dripping with evil that even I cannot stand it.

Abigail, you have sinned once again...

Yes... It is because you are a sinner that you trusted...me...

Croak! Croak! Croooak!

Fujimaru of Chaldea... Queen of Sheba...

If you want her, come and claim her. I shall protect my niece...with my life...

Now pray. Pray. Pray, prey, prey...

Punishment, punishment, punishment, punishment... Ask for punishment...

Ask and you shall receive!

The Demon God Pillar Räum...! He is behind this entire abnormality!

...!

Fujimaru...

...Mash! ...Fujimaru!

Da Vinci! It's so good to hear your voice again! Our comms must be back online!

Damn straight! And that's not all. In case you haven't noticed yet...

...the Mistthe Bounded Field clouds that have been covering Salem are rapidly dissipating!

I'm looking at the area you're in right now, and we're finally getting data about your battle.

And whoa, this reading... I knew it had to be a Demon God Pillar! Hang in there! I'm sending reinforcements!

Thank you! That would be great!

No problem. Not that you'll need them, seeing how the US Army is on its way there as we speak.

Yeaaahhh!

Try THIS glorious star-spangled banner on for size, you cretins!

？！

What!? Why!?

What are you saying, Fujimaru? Don't be ridiculous.

No, my friend has a point.

Magical energy is being consumed at an absolutely astonishing rate. And not only on the east coast, but across the entire continent.

This consumption is primarily taking place in heavily populated areas. We are receiving more reports with every passing second. This phenomenon seems to have no regard for the old Bounded Fields in place whatsoever.

Hmm. I don't have time to choose my words carefully, so at peril of being laughed out of the room...

...I believe the very underpinnings of magecraft itself are starting to become fractured.

...A heretic...!!!

Ahh, not again! That means there are casualties among ordinary people in this, correct!?

Then valor on the battlefield is all the more important now!

？！

...There are still a number of Chaldea agents and mages cooperating with us that are keeping an eye on Salem's perimeter. I'll ask them for help.

No, wait. That won't be nearly enough to make a difference...

We'll have to call on ALL the help: alchemists, agents of the Holy Church, knights...

I'll have to put out a maximum alert letting them know there's a heretic that could pose a threat to us all.

Whatever happens, I swear that I will assume all responsibility on behalf of Chaldea!

That could end up giving them an excuse to dismantle Chaldea as it stands now. But I'm afraid it must be done nonetheless. We have no alternative.

That's why Chaldea exists in the first place.

Even if every last record is scrubbed away, Chaldea will still have fulfilled its role.

We're the first line of defense. Whether we're up against a heretical sword projected from a Demon God Pillar, or a threat to all of humanity itself...

...we will be the shield against the legend poised to descend upon us, and against the relics of heresy!

The rest of the staff and I will take it from here. Mash, you focus on staying abreast of the situation, and Fujimaru, I need you to focus on this next decision.

Listen up, Fujimaru. We're going to temporarily seal Salem off again.

Only this time, we're going to do so from the outside, by establishing multiple Bounded Fields.

Unfortunately, this means you'll be sealed in there too.

If you're unable to resolve this in the limited time you have, then we're going to have to use every means at our disposal to incinerate EVERYTHING within these Bounded Fields we're about to erect.

Even knowing that, do you still

？！

...

Ahh, I can smell its alluring aroma everywhere... The descent is almost upon us...

Iä...Iä...Y'gna...

Croak... Croak...

Abi...gail... ...Abigaaailll...

RäumI mean, Carter's head is tearing itself off!

？！

？！

Dammit!

...

...A...

？！

Croak... Croak... The space-time gates...are increasing in number...

No nonfictional mage...can hope to stand against this threat...

Her sixth... sin is...barely worth mentioning...

Abigail will surely abandon...everything...

Human hearts... Words... Hope...

...Ghh.

She just...crushed Räum under her heel...

...Abby...

...

...Lavinia...

...Lavinia? ...I guess she's dead.

Lavinia...

...

？！

...A-Abby?

...It's too late.

...Afraid so.

Abigail lost the last of her humanity while Räum kept us busy.

...I see. Guess there's nothing we can do but take her out!

？！

Bolts. Cannot reach her.

...Yeah, kinda figured, but had to try.

...

Sut-Typhon... Sut-Typhon...

Thou art a sinner... Thou art the sixth knot...

To seek redemption in this land of heresy is to reap the devil's harvest.

Now, let us pray to our Father who art in heaven...

Sut-Typhon... Sut-Typhon...

Thou art a sinner... Thou art the seventh knot...

To seek redemption in this land of purgatory is to worship false idols...!

...

Uh-oh. This distortion in the Bounded Field... This violation of religious precepts... That's not a Demon God. It's a FALSE god, in every sense of the word...

？！

...Pain...

...Aching... Suffering...

What are the most precious joys for a human...?

Happiness... Love... These all fade and disappear...

But the guilt one feels over one's sins... That torment lasts forever...

Even in death, it is the impulse that drives evil ghosts to act...

...and turns them into detestable ghouls...

Is there anyone who has never sinned...?

Is there anyone in this whole world who is not a child of sin...?

No. And so I will bestow my gift upon all sinners: punishment.

Punishment in the form of unadulterated suffering... That is the only path to redemption...

So I will bless each and every person in this world with suffering.

That is my joy...

Abby, please... Stop this...

The gates reach across all of time and space.

Oh, I'm sorry... I'm still not accustomed to using them...

Ahh, this Bounded Field...keeps obstructing me... I can't focus my aim... I can't inflict enough pain...

I see... So I can't reach outside. Even though all I'm trying to do is find the most sinful people alive...

Then...if I just reach through the Bounded Field itself to send pain directly into the mages' hearts...

Please, stop this...!!!

？！

I see you understand, Mr. Ringmaster. Unlike Mash...

？！

Even with all these people looking for salvation...? Your happiness...is my happiness too, you know?

Save...me?

That's awful... Poor things...

But it's not nearly enough...

？！

I can never leave Salem... Not ever.

My own sins still sleep deep within this land.

So then...I'll just have to make everywhere part of Salem. I'll connect everything myself.

...Master.

We must kill. That false god.

？！

That. Not Abigail. It is a false god. An evil god.

If Abigail. Fallen from grace. Truly possesses untainted strength...

Then something should remain. Even after we defeat it...!

My own soul. Is proof of that!!!

？！

That's right. Everything...

England, Rome, Jerusalem... I'll connect them all to each other...to me...

And then, I will bestow eternal, unending pain...pain...pain...! Upon everyone...!

Bael went back in time. Andras shut down during his escape.

Phenex is trapped in the pain of his endless life. And I'll be making a garden to tend to my wounds.

What about you, Räum? What will be your solution to all of this?

...Good question. I believe I will put my faith in...faith. Superstition.

Delirium. Enlightenment. Fiction. They will be my tools to end reality.

Hm? What do you mean by that?

This world is rife with legends, with stories that are neither divine, mystical, nor demons incarnate.

The Mage's Association has a department dedicated to folklore. It is one of the Association's most closely guarded secrets. What's more, it is guarded by Brishsan, one of our king's pupils.

I will see what I can accomplish by combining these legends with superstition.

I believe I will start by creating a town steeped in superstition. I will conduct trial after trial there, until I get the results I want.

We exist solely to save mankind. However...

...neither faith, nor old age, nor permanence, nor hope, has been able to save humanity so far.

I'm sure you now understand this too, Zepar. The truth can never save mankind.

You're being rash. We have not tried every truth or version of it. Your conclusion is

Silence. Enough. You're just like all the other fools, piling failure upon failure with no results at all!

Truth is useless. My key lies in superstition. Fiction. Things that don't exist in this universe.

Things that don't exist in this universe...? Do you mean you're going to open paths to alternate worlds? Places that don't even exist in parallel dimensions?

That is beyond us. We were born of order and common sense. We are bound by this world's laws.

Even if there are universes outside our own, you have no means of reaching them, and no attunement to them.

Indeed. But by sheer, mad coincidence, I won't have to reach it myself.

Humans, Zepar. Humans have already taken care of everything.

Happily, a fictional mythology describing the fever dreams of a single man just so happened to also describe a higher being from the outer universe.

The two align perfectly. And a tiny part of that being has left an imprint on this universe.

Even if every word of this man's story was nothing but sheer delusion, he still succeeded in opening a path.

This was, doubtless, a prophecy. And in this mad prophecy, I saw possibilities.

I will take this madness, this fiction, and make it real. This new reality is what will save mankind.

...Yes, of course. We should have seen it all along.

We could never do it ourselves. This very universe makes it impossible. In which case...

...what we needed was a monster from another world, who is not bound by our laws. A being who abides by rules that even we, in our limitless wisdom, cannot comprehend.

And it is this fictional Foreigner who will finally put an end to mankind.

...Ridiculous. A number of dropouts emerged from within us during the battle at the Temple of Time.

Demon God Räum, in Goetia's absence, I decree the following:

This delusion of yours will be your undoing. Your approach already failed fourteen thousand years ago.

Sorry, Mr. Ringmaster... It's just not working.

Good... Now I'm sure...I can't save anyone that way...

Fujimaru...? This just...isn't enough suffering to save the world.

？！

Fujimaru of Chaldea...? I'm sure you understand...

You also wished for everyone in the world to be saved...

Isn't that right? That's why you were invited to Salem, after all.

Your guilt sought solace here. I mean, it IS a truly horrific sin on your hands...

The people of Earth missed their chance to be judged... Ever since, they have lived with souls unsaved...

That's a far greater sin than anything Sanson, or Hopkins, or Uncle Carter ever did...

But, that doesn't matter anymore. You no longer need to suffer for your sins. I'll pardon you myself...

？！

Senpai...! Please, get a hold of yourself!

？！

Master...!!!

...La mort est l'espoir!

Robin!

You're outta your mind if you think our Ringmaster's got anything to feel guilty about.

I got NO clue what you're on about, but I know you're dead wrong about that.

Take it from me. If our Ringmaster had any unconscious feelings, it wasn't GUILT for the world.

If anything at all, it'd be responsibility to all the people he failed to save. Arrogance in believing that he could've done better if only he'd somehow done things differently.

He may be great, but he's still just an ordinary person, same as me. There's no way he ever wished to save everyone in the world. Not even once!

He couldn't give a rat's ass about saving people in a walled garden.

All he cares about is making sure everyone's got a bright future ahead of 'em!

？！

Good, you've got that easygoing spark back in your eyes. That's more like it.

I mean, enough's enough with this "no killing no matter what" crap. You can't go around trying to seek forgiveness from people who're already dead.

Otherwise, that scholar guy wouldn't have a damn leg to stand on. That was his last ray of hope, after all.

？！

You Servants...have no right to tell the living what to do.

...Abigail. You're a Servant too.

The only difference is that you've got all of Salem's incredible magical energy at your command.

...That's not true...

？！

Senpai is right, Abby. There's a great, wide world outside of Salem.

A real world that no book can do justice. Not even the Bible.

A world that people built, working together, and are still building more even to this day...

That's the sort of future we have the power to create for ourselves.

...

Hehehe... Hahaha... So what?

Did you figure it would be easy to just save a single child...? Is that what you thought?

...There. I just broke through your little barriers.

...!!!

...I guess I just couldn't hold back any longer. Now, there's nowhere in the world I can't reach...

Some stubborn mages are still putting up a fight, but they'll all crumble sooner or later...

Okay, this is REALLY bad, Fujimaru. She's effectively got her hands on unlimited magical energy now.

And she's not going to stop "forgiving" until everyone on this planet is neck-deep in unimaginable torment!

...I... No, we won't let that happen!

She's got to have a limit. She's GOT to.

？！

...

...Circe, I know I've already put you through a lot, but I have one last favor to ask of you.

I wouldn't say that myself... But anyway, let's hear it.

Abigail still isn't using the gates to their full potential.

She hasn't completely fused with this "Outer God" of hers. That means Mash is right. She DOES have a limit.

She should be able to punch through my barrier and hurt Fujimaru, but she hasn't done that either.

So...I'd like you to help me seal up all of these gates from the inside, Circe.

After all, you're good at locking people up and making sure they never escape, right?

Huh!? You got a lotta nerve, saying that to my face, y'know!

...So what you're REALLY asking is for me to help you take the full force of all that torment she's directing at the outside world, right?

I...suppose you could put it that way, yes... Haha.

Hehe, look at you, being all honest. Okay, I'm in.

Can't have one of the last remaining witches show me, THE QUEEN WITCH, up, now can I?

All right then...

Fujimaru! Oh, right! We forged a contract, so...Master!

Sheba and I are sitting this fight out!

Instead, we're going to use our magecraft to make another barrier inside this town hall!

You can't...

That's tantamount to suicide... God would never allow that...

Sorry, rookie, but the only deity I worship is Hecate, goddess of witchcraft and necromancy!

And she's nothing like this superstitious hokum of yours!

...!

...Hm.

Oh?

Wait... No way...!

Master, the weight on our shoulders is gone! That barrier got rid of the spell that's been weakening us!

My full power. Now. Unleashed!

？！

Thank you, Queen of Sheba! Thank you, Circe!

You're...welcome...

But...if you wouldn't mind...hurrying up...

Yeah... Please...

Your Master...sure likes...to take his time...doesn't he...?

...Yes, he does.

？！

Mr. Ringmaster... The time for playacting is over...

？！

？！

...Yes...

Yes, I am very willful...

Which is why I can't wait any longer. I'm dying to forgive you before I forgive anyone else...!

？！

...!!!

？！

No... No, you can't! Absolutely not! If you do...!

Father may forgive you... But I never will...!

So please... Would you do me a favor...

...and die in vain, here in my Salem!?

...Ah... Ahhh... No, please. Come back...

God is...disappearing...from within me...

Ah...ah...

Somebody... Anybody... Please, take me away from here...

Any...body...

？！

...Abi...gail...

...Lavinia?

Lavinia's breathing again... ...Circe, did you do this?

Yup. Sure did!

I gave her some medicine to alleviate her shock from the blood loss right after she collapsed.

But...I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do to help her... I'm sorry.

The anesthesia is the only thing keeping her going, but all it's doing is helping with her pain...

...A... Abby...

You're back...to normal... I...guess I...failed again...

But, I think...maybe that's...a good thing...

I was always...jealous of your...golden hair...

The Demon God Pillar brought me...me and my family...into this world...

We... We never existed in the real Salem... We're...just characters...from a work of fiction...

Oh no, you're so cold... Please, Lavinia...

Don't go... S-stay with me...please...

S-some...how...it was all so real... D-does... Does that mean...we were really...friends...?

F-friends born...under the same...comet...

Of course. We'll always be friends, comet or no. No matter how much time goes by...

I remember...watching...the sea with you...from that hill...

I wanted...to see the whales...one more time...

...

...

...Lavinia...

...

？！

？！

...I don't know. I just can't say.

...But I can say that her malicious aura is gone now...

Nezha was right about that. Besides...

...I think it would be the height of arrogance to interfere in other people's lives to try to save someone at this point.

To try and rob someone of their chance to repent, and make amends...

If anything, I'm the one who should be punished for acting so thoughtlessly...

？！

...Yes. And I think I always will.

But, even so... Lavinia, I'm so grateful to you.

I pray that your soul finds its way homeback to where your family is waiting for you.