I, the only superpower on earth

Just a few hours before the secret meeting between the prime minister and Ito Mio started, the RV just arrived at the boulevard.

On the other side, on Mount Huangming, Shigu stared at Manami Mizuhara.

"...Actually, the real you are afraid of having power?"

Shigu said so.

Facing the young man's question, Mizuhara Manami fell silent.

"Fear……"

Xiao Xiao's wind echoed in his ears.

In this shrine with hundreds of years of history, although the weeds and shrubs in the atrium have been exterminated by Shigu's sacred tree clone, it is still full of desolation and emptiness.

At this time, attracted by the howling autumn wind, the air of desolation and emptiness lingers irresistibly in the courtyard, and the slightly moist soil under the feet is like a cemetery where gods are buried.

After an unknown amount of time, Mizuhara Mana finally raised her head again and stared bravely at Shitiya.

"Yeah... I'm really scared.

"However, what I am afraid of is not having power, but that the me after having power will become a completely different self from the current me.

"...Just like Ito Mio-senpai."

"I don't believe that Mio-senpai is a pure monster without blood or tears. There must be hesitation and loneliness in her heart.

"—Perhaps Mio-senpai does have a monster-like side. Before she gained power, she had many strange behaviors. She is not afraid of pain, and she never shows a weak expression, just like a woman who will never back down A fighter, or a killer who always keeps calm.

"But... even for Mio-senpai like that, before she gained power, I saw the tenderness in her eyes. That tenderness is the proof of Mio-senpai's humanity.

"Perhaps Mr. Store Manager, you will think that gentleness is weakness, but there is nothing wrong with being weak. Don't you have to be a monster who is never afraid of killing and never stops killing?"

Mizuhara Mana stared at Shitiya, the anger in her chest slowly filled.

That anger was like swollen water in a spring pond, rising gradually.

"I like a senior like that. Although her face may not be that good-looking, at that time she would not hurt others. She would not become so cruel.

"Although the current senior is unimaginably beautiful——but, whether she appeared in the abandoned factory or the indiscriminate killing on the streets of Moshita Town, she has become completely different from the original senior.

"So——I can only think that the so-called power you bestowed, Mr. Store Manager, can only be obtained by distorting your own mind. However, if you are distorted by this power and change yourself, then Is the person who gained the power still the original self?

"Moreover, this power may also lead the new self to the path of destruction—whether it is destroying myself or others, that is not what I want. What I want is to be full of fantasy, as if wandering in the Above the sky, there is a world of mysticism that does not hurt others at the expense of others, not this kind of mysterious power that feeds on the flesh and blood of others, even uglier than the ugliest human beings!"

The girl's aroused anger turned into sharp words, and she attacked Shitani word by word.

That was the thought that hovered in the girl's mind during this period of time. It was her voice intertwined with remorse and comprehension.

The character and determination of the girl are fully reflected in the words.

However, Xi Gu, who was still looking at her, just looked at her with a smile, with a little appreciation in his eyes. ,

Then said lightly.

"It's an interesting statement, but there's one thing you seem to be wrong about, Manami, and it's dead wrong.

"I will not set any boundaries in the power of others, or what price they need to exchange. The power I bestow has never had a clear nature, and there is no absolute requirement. It is like a seed, no matter What kind of results will be planted. It will only depend on each person's own endowment.

"Someone received the seed, but the soil was too poor to conceive anything from that seed; there was also a person who planted the seed, poured his heart and soul into it, and finally grew a gorgeous flower; still others , buried the seeds, but thorns grew out of the ground... But no matter what the result of that seed grows, it has nothing to do with me in essence."

"But... Mio-senpai..."

There was some hesitation and confusion in the girl's voice.

It was probably because what Xigu said was completely inconsistent with what she expected.

But she could tell that there was absolutely no lie in Xi Gu's words, it was his voice from the heart.

Moreover, the incarnation of such a high god should not have any need to lie.

However, if that's the case...

"That's just the result of Ito Mio's own wish.

"...In the final analysis, apart from those two days together, and the story Mineyama Mia told you—how much do you know about Ito Mio?"

The girl wanted to say something, but at this moment, Xi Gu's eyes that looked at her suddenly glowed with brilliance.

No, not the physical light that actually occurs.

It's just a mental illusion.

However, that hallucination was imprinted on the retina in an incomparably clear manner, just like a movie being shown in a theater.

That was the story before Mio Ito gained power.

——She, in ragged clothes, stumbled and escaped from the abandoned factory; the conversation in the bookstore after seeing Xigu; the girl's distant past; things related to Hiromi Ito; her wish; her commandments...

A strong sense of dizziness hit Mizuhara Manami's brain, and scenes from the past became active scenes in front of her eyes.

In an instant, a large amount of information was transmitted to the brain through vision, but the impact of this amount of information was not the one that shocked Mizuhara Manami the most, and really made her mind tremble.

— is the content of those messages.

"Senior Mio..."

He murmured the name in his heart.

Mizuhara Mana stood there speechless, standing there in a daze until all the images in front of her were played.

At this moment, she was finally completely convinced by what Xi Gu said.

She also finally fully understood that the power of "flesh and flesh resonance" displayed by Ito Mio was not forced by Shigu, but the result of her own wishes.

However, precisely because of this realization, the girl fell into deeper despair.

There will be no chance again...have you met the former Meixu-senpai?

"There is a chance."

Xi Gu seemed to hear what was in his mind. Said to her casually.

Mizuhara Manami shuddered all over, at this moment. , a red solidified object was thrown from Xi Gu's hand.

Mizuhara Manami subconsciously caught this thing.

When she took a closer look, it was a piece of blood that was as clear as crystal.

"...It has a similar effect to that pendant, but the power contained in it is far stronger than that pendant."

"Unlike a pendant, once you use it, there is no chance of regretting it. It is also impossible to stop.

"So - when you really have that awareness, smash it.

"...Then, you will stand at the same height as Ito Mio and see the world in her eyes."