Other side

Tokomaha lost over a hundred of her clones in an instant without even knowing what killed them. She had just entered the Prichet district and seen a group of people that definitely didn't belong there when something struck them down from above. Thus, the true extent of the danger that awaits them is still unknown.

But Aurelia doesn't feel the need to take any precautions and flies straight across the rooftops toward their destination with a swarm of golden weapons following her. She will crush all opposition with overwhelming power and not let anything slow her down in taking revenge on Shelnir. If not her, then Alverost will get to taste her revenge.

Still, the God of Growth wonders what could have taken out all her clones at once. There couldn't be over a hundred skilled assassins that struck all at the same time without any of her seeing them. There was no wide-range attack that flattened the entire district, and the floating upside-down city had already left the area, which rules out some kind of weapon from there.

The demons will begin to bounce back now that the devils' support has disappeared. Kamii and Hestia stayed behind to clean up the castle of any intruders. It's only a matter of time until those two will finish off the last stragglers. That's why Tokomaha needs to do her part here.

"Out of my way." Without moving her hands, Aurelia rains death onto dozens of devils standing on the rooftops while trying to hurl balls of fire at her. Even though she seems enraged, she has enough control not to damage the buildings with her barrage of golden weapons.

Tokomaha runs at the forefront of an army of clones, washing over the devils in the streets like a tidal wave. Even the elites among them don't stand a chance now that she knows how to circumvent their armor. They quickly make their way through the streets and reach the vicinity of where her earlier copies had been eliminated.

"We are here." The leaf-haired girl speaks into her mind to contact Senka. It took her some time to get used to this, but she's grateful that they can communicate quickly through the living doll.

"Look out for the false gods. Don't try to fight them if they hold something in their hands you have never seen before." Comes Senka's reply, though it sounds more like Chaos said it. In Zohigal, the enemies had weapons that could shoot arrows of light. Chaos said that those were called laser guns, which are as powerful as bolts of lightning.

Tokomaha understands that getting hit by lightning is incredibly deadly. She journeyed with the God of Storm for a time and has seen her handiwork. Even if the laser guns can't compare in visual impact, she knows not to underestimate them.

Aurelia, on the other hand, seems wholly unfazed by the prospect of facing weapons wielded by the false gods and their soldiers. Her body is on a different level compared to anybody else's in the harem of Chaos. Never once has her golden skin been blemished by a scratch, let alone a wound.

The God of Growth is consolidating all her clones in the city and making them converge on the Prichet district from all sides. This time, she will keep many out of range to get a clear picture of what it is that could destroy her copies so quickly. They may be pressed for time, but it's better than to go in blindly with her real body and get hurt.

In the central plaza of the rather affluent district are piles of dead demons and devils alike. At the very center stands a ring of soldiers in black armor, much like those they encountered in Zohigal. Her clones saw some of them earlier while they were still in transit, but this seems to have been their destination.

They're protecting a machine that appears to be drilling into the ground, operated by a group of humans and demons with metal bits sticking out of their bodies. At their center is a boy with golden hair, wearing a shirt, short pants, and a backpack. He looks barely older than twelve, but the calculating intelligence in his green eyes is undeniable.

Tokomaha has seen his face on the big screen floating above Zohigal and earlier above Arkaim. It's Alverost, and this time, it must be the real him.

She watches from the streets and alleyways leading up to the plaza. Aside from the drill, there doesn't seem to be any other contraption that could have eliminated her clones earlier. Last time, the machine hadn't even been set up yet, so it couldn't have come from that.

In either case, that drill puts a time limit on them. No matter what their plan is, it will most likely be completed when it finishes the hole. Before that happens, Tokomaha has to stop them; for that, she can sacrifice any number of clones. More than a thousand of her are ready to storm them from all sides at once.

Just then, a rain of golden weapons falling in a perfectly circular pattern instantly eliminates all the soldiers in black. Even though Aurelia had the chance to kill the false god boy with that volley, she instead decides to reveal herself by landing in the square a dozen steps away from Alverost.

"Finally." She says in a tone that causes Tokomaha's ears to twitch. This is the first time she has heard so much hatred in the golden woman's voice. "You will pay for all your crimes against life, Alverost."

"I think not." Although his expression suggests that he's nervous, he speaks in a defiant tone while raising his hand. He has a wristband with a cylindrical device at its center, which reflects the light like the windows in the city do.

In the next instant, Aurelia's skin color turns into that of a regular human being, and all the golden weapons floating around her drop to the ground. She falls to her knees and gasps for air, utter confusion on her face as she looks down at her hands.

"What... have you done?" She glares at Alverost, as confusion makes way for disbelief when understanding dawns on her. He sneers at her, judging that he doesn't really need to answer. Even then, he takes the time to do so anyway.

"You rely the most on the Imagination Engine. I'm glad that it was you who came here." He says while showing off the device on his wrist. He then waves his other hand, upon which his backpack opens on its own, and a metallic arm extends over his shoulder. "When you have to shoot... shoot. Don't talk."

Tokomaha's eyes widen, and she instantly rushes forward along with all of her clones. But before she can take even two steps, the sound of a single laser shot rings out across the plaza.