Returning to an empty house among the other relatively abandoned homes in the Tenth Region, they slipped inside, rather breaking in.
Only after they entered then did Empty finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But the moment she came to her senses,
"B-bandages, bandages… Pain relief—"
She began scurrying around the room in a mild frenzy, muttering in a flustered panic.
"Not… necessary…"
Ikari spoke from where he lay sprawled across the living room couch.
His voice was thin, rough with exhaustion. He was done for the moment, burnt out, completely.
Still, he didn't stop Empty, though. She knelt beside him, still nervous. And, seeing that, he glanced sideways at her.
"You… you did something to me, didn't you?"
"Nu?"
Hearing that, Empty tilted her head to the sides in confusion.
Ikari, in response stared blankly at her before deciding to brush it off after her reaction.
"…Doesn't matter. If that's the case, then I'll wait till you're ready."
He said it almost to himself, placing a hand over his face, sinking further into the cushions.
Currently, he was in a state in which he had accumulated a lot of fatigue. It would be best if he got any amount of rest he could get now.
Having defeated Tonami and Sheri, the remaining ones left were naturally Tsuan and False Proxy.
Ayame and Isami had already agreed to join him; hence, they would take on one of the two.
Of course, it'd be better if Empty had gone with them. However, the girl wouldn't stop clinging to him.
But, at the very least, one thing he was glad for was that, this game is almost over.
In the first place.
All of this killing is just a trick. Quite the uncouth farce. A farce that one must embrace; otherwise the Dominion won't appear.
Cautious, crafty, paranoid.
The Dominion of the tenth region, Malkuth, is that sort of Quasi-Spirit.
Even with the overwhelming power surpassing all others, she will never show up.
It was always the quasi-spirits under her control that appeared.
False Proxy is one of them.
Maybe some of the other Quasi-Spirits have already noticed it. No, even if noticed, they wouldn't be able to resist the temptation.
By being able to chip away at life, the Quasi-Spirits in this region are granted a real sense of survival.
Believing in that, they would continue to fight if as in a dream.
Likewise, the Dominion was also the same, secretly participating in the battle in order to experience the same sensation of life.
Such a war, where they take it so seriously, only for everything, their deaths, to have zero meaning…
It was that sort of story he didn't like.
Nay. He wasn't someone with a hero complex, nor does he believe he can save everyone.
Those who are within reach are those whom he would help. It may seem hypocritical, but really, he simply just hated it.
What is beyond the scenery painted by the Tenth Region Dominion?
Death. Nothing.
Even if he were to obey the rules of the Doll Master and kill all of them, eventually reaching her, then what is the use, when his condition has worsened after that?
What's the use?
Eventually, he would, like them, have no choice but to embrace the coldness of death; that's what.
More so, above all. He'll disappoint "them." Was it worth it, then? Short answer: No.
In the shadows of one girl's dreams being achieved, there will be over ten girls crying over their dreams being shattered.
The same is true of love.
When your love is realised, someone who also likes that person will definitely cry. It will make her deeply heartbroken.
Perhaps it will make her unable to fall in love again.
He'll help them. And in turn, they'll help him. For him to realise his dream, and for them to realise their deeper desires.
'That is also why I should do my best and lure Doll Master out. Let's think.'
Ikari's thoughts slowly sank in.
He was more than aware of the fact that Doll Master was puppeteering the games secretly, amongst which she uses her dolls to oversee the games.
Doll Master watching him would explain how quickly she located him.
If that's the case, then it would mean she was also currently watching him.
Again, knowing Doll Master, she would definitely assign dolls to participate in the games—for pure amusement, obviously.
What's a killing game when you yourself aren't participating? Thus, it would make sense she would do it like this.
In that case, the suspected doll is False Proxy.
However, remembering the earlier words the doll had delivered to him today…
'Then, she's too quiet… Even if we assume False Proxy indeed is her doll, then at least she would have X, a participant, already.'
But then… 'What if that wasn't the case to begin with?'
'If it were the ninja girl, I'd have felt her gaze, even if distorted. Ms Aiai was personally handled by me… and that Ibusaki girl…'
It couldn't have been any of the girls he'd already killed; if it were them, then there's no way he wouldn't have known upon their reconstruction.
At the very least, the feeling he got with Lycros and Ayako Machi and those other two dolls, he'd have already seen through it.
The fact that he felt no such reaction from them had to mean otherwise.
And amongst all those who had been declared by the doll master in the morning, the only person he hadn't encountered was the Ibusaki girl.
Yes, there was Tsuan, but think of the famed girl who was called Biscuit Smasher (on Deus, what sort of name is that?).
He didn't believe someone of that level to be fishy.
Basically, that type was just different.
Thinking that, Ikari opened his eyes…
Could that be the case?
…
Doll Master,
"──Mu, mu, mu.... fu."
Doll Master sighed. Destroying two amongst the dolls that surrounded her.
Though it were only two. Despite it only being two, Doll Master's heart was deeply, deeply hurt. Just like a mother who had lost her beloved child.
Yet, still, despite that, she had quite the scowl on her face as she looked at the image of a male through a crystal.
"What do you want to do?"
One of her dolls came to her side as it asked that question.
To that, the Doll Master only threw a fit, "In the first place, it's weird! A male spirit, not to talk about an inverse! Damn you!"
She already knew. Well aware of how much he was ruining her game. Yet, she couldn't make any moves yet.
It wasn't something as simple as targeting those he had already killed again.
No, those ones by legal standards are already considered dead, as he had "killed" them in a sense already.
"Really, the power of time is unfair."
However,
"Hehehe~ If I can turn him into a doll, I can become even more powerful~!"
She thought ecstatically. No one would make a finer doll than him. Not even any of her dolls would compare to him by the time she's done with him.
And now that he looked exhausted, it was the time to strike. Ayame and Isami aside, being part of the remaining five, now it was only he.
While she couldn't reach him currently, as he was spreading his reiryoku around certain parts of the deserted cityscape which meant he'd also caught on.
A shame, but nothing she could do about that.
Thinking that, her thoughts were cut off as she was suddenly disturbed.
"My master, my master, I have returned now."
Shaking back and forth, two dolls had come back. With clothes mimicking an angel, there was a wing on their back which was a self-made work of Doll Master.
"What happened?"
Doll Master looked back to her other dolls, which were wiggling as though they'd been overcome by a strong emotion.
"This was my first time going into the Sixth Region (Tiphereth)."
"How dreadful─"
They began; however, before they continued, Doll Master cut them off.
"Hey… Is there a harvest?"
Doll Master asked that. The Angel Doll Party looked at each other before nodding. Then, they began explaining.
As they soon finished their explanations, the Doll Master's expression turned smug in the blink of an eye.
"Hehe~! Even the world is on my side. Be it today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, for an eternity─this region is ours."
"But then, how's There's one more problem besides that. How is Tsuan?"
"Asleep, in the wilderness."
Doll Master blinked in surprise.
"Is she not considering being attacked?"
Rather, it could also be seen differently. That she is confident in her own strength.