C.S.O.

 “Kill, Ku…ro-chan?”

Chiaki was shocked by what she heard.
It was as if she had heard a huge lie concocted by a demon.

But she knew there was nothing wrong with what she heard.
Ruko's smile indicated that she would do it.

“Yes.
And maybe we will do it soon” she continued.

Chiaki clenched her teeth and immediately grabbed Ruko's collar with full force.
Anger was evident in her eyes.

Kuroyuki and Yamato didn't do much, as if they could predict what would happen.

“Ruko-chan, why do you want to do that, and why can you say it so easily? Are all the things you say lies? Is everything that happened between us just a mere falsehood?”

“…”

Ruko remained silent.
She didn't respond to Chiaki's anger seriously.

“Khh…!”

Finally, anger reached its peak, and Chiaki slapped Ruko with all her might.
But even so, Ruko remained unmoved.

Tears flowed from Chiaki's eyes.
She showed deep sadness.

“Why…?”

The three people, besides Chiaki, didn't show an excessive reaction.
They seemed like demons enjoying Chiaki's sorrow.

“…Chiaki-chan…
if you want to know why? This had to happen sooner or later.
No matter what happens, we will still kill Onii-chan.”

“…”

Chiaki had given up.
She didn't want to hear any more words from them.
Killing the people they loved, Chiaki didn't want to imagine it, let alone do it.

But it was at that moment that an unexpected figure appeared.
Flamia entered their world wearing a sweet outfit.

“Uh…
what's happening here? Hmm…
a face I don't recognize, but it looks like Kuro.
And why is Chiaki crying? And why is your face red, Ruko?”

Ruko just smiled slightly.

“It's nothing.
I'm glad you could come.”

“Of course, I came.
You said you wanted to talk about something important regarding Kuro.
As a good wife, I will come.
This concerns our future as a family.
Hm…
could Kuro be getting another new wife?”

Flamia's guess was correct.
She seemed to have a sixth sense.
Unfortunately, only Chiaki knew the truth.

“First of all, why don't you sit down? Before we discuss serious matters…
about Onii-chan.
There's someone I want to introduce you to.”

“Um…
alright.”

Flamia still didn't know what was happening.
The reason why Chiaki was crying and who the two people resembling Ruko and Kuro were.

Flamia then sat next to Chiaki.
While Ruko sat on a nearby bench with the two people.

“Flamia-chan, first, I want to introduce you to Kuro's parents.
It can be said that they are our parents too.”

Flamia fell silent without reacting.
She didn't expect to meet their in-laws so soon.
No, it would be too strange if they weren't introduced, but Flamia didn't know them, so she worried about what they would think of her.

Kuro's parents must also know that she was the reason the three of them got married in CSO.
She wasn't worried if they were angry with her.

“..hehhh…
um…
I-I am one of Kuro's wives.
My name is Flamia.
N-Nice to meet you.
Maybe you already know, but I am one of the Valkyrie Maidens in CSO.”

Confusion was visible on Flamia's face.
It was understandable since this was the first time she met Kuro's parents.
The first impression as one of the daughters-in-law was quite important, and Flamia felt uncomfortable because she was showing her bad side.

“Don't worry, we won't bite you or anything like that.
You can talk to us normally.
After all, we are also your father and mother-in-law.”

“…”

“Oh, by the way, my name is Yamato, and this is Kuroyuki.
My one and only wife and Kuro's mother.”

“Aha ha…
why did you mention 'one and only'? Are you jealous of your own child?”

A cold tone and gaze emanated from Kuroyuki.
Everyone who saw it knew that Kuroyuki was more intimidating than what appeared on the surface.

“As you can see, all the women in our family are terrifying, so I hope you get used to things like this.
Although they may be cruel, they are actually kind-hearted.”

Not only their faces, but their personalities were also similar.

Flamia then remembered Ruko's nature, which could be terrifying in an instant.
Initially, she thought Ruko was possessed by a demon or something, but it was just a habit.

“I know that…
Ruko is a good girl.
I understand why she's famous.”

“Ah…
you mean in your world? Ruko is indeed beautiful and famous, but I hope you don't think it's all there is.”

“Eh?”

Flamia didn't understand what was meant by the word “naive,” but she also realized a great peculiarity that she should have noticed from the beginning.

Why weren't Kuro's parents surprised and easily accepting of her? They knew Flamia came from another world, but they didn't show an exaggerated reaction.
Just like Ruko, Kuro, and Chiaki when they first found out the truth about the CSO.

“So, is this what they mean by being accustomed to it?”

But Flamia realized more than just that peculiarity about the Kuro family.
She could sense a strange aura emanating from Yamato and Kuroyuki.
Strangely, Ruko was the same.
It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

“I can feel immense power from both of them.
I'm sure they are not ordinary humans like Kuro.”

Exactly.
Yamato and Kuroyuki were not ordinary humans.
They were Kanata.
God Slayers.

“Let's stop beating around the bush.
The bottom line is, we are happy to have you as part of our family, even though you are not human.
And now that we are a family, I want to discuss this with all of you as a family.”

Flamia didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
It was clear that she didn't feel either.
She knew she was well accepted, but…

“What's with this atmosphere? Somehow, I have a bad feeling.”

In addition, Chiaki had been silent since earlier.
Tears continued to flow, and what was more surprising was that Ruko seemed to let Chiaki stay like that for a long time.

Yes.
Something bad had happened.
And it might not take long to find out the truth.

“Flamia, Chiaki.
I'm sure you both have heard a little about our family from Kuro and Ruko, but now I want to tell you the whole truth.”

Chiaki suddenly stopped bowing.
Her tears also stopped.
Kuroyuki's words made Chiaki realize what issue they were going to discuss.

“Wait a moment.
I've heard everything from Kuro-chan.
About you being God Slayers and the Fallen God.”

Yuki nodded slowly, understanding Chiaki's words as if he had expected them.

“God Slayers? Fallen God?”

“Flamia-chan, we will explain that later.”

Finally, Flamia decided to restrain herself.
She realized it wasn't the right time to talk.

“Chiaki-chan, what you heard from Onii-chan is indeed true, but he knows he can't let you get involved any further.”

“…is it because I'm not a Kanata?”

“That's the main reason, but now you are our family too.
You are also a Kanata.
That's why we want to discuss this.
It's something I've wanted to tell both of you for a long time.”

The atmosphere grew heavy.

“Flamia, you are a human from another world.
This will also affect you, so I want you to listen carefully to what we want to say.
It might also have an impact on your world.”

“Uh?”

Confused looks appeared on Flamia's face, but no one cared.

“The first thing you need to know is about what is called 'God'.
…They are born from human beliefs.
They possess power that is also born from human beliefs.
With that power, they become beings higher than humans, and we call them 'gods'.” Yamato paused for a moment.
“Now, what happens if that belief disappears? I think you can guess.”

The existence known as 'God' will vanish.
Both of them understood this.

“…But 'God' is also a living creature, although not in the true sense.
They are eternal, and they don't want to disappear.
That's why they do things that make humans like us remember them and believe in them again.
That's when the event called the 'punishment of the gods' occurs.”

The gods, who were originally bringers of blessings and goodness, eventually turned evil.

“They are called the 'Fallen God', right?”

“Exactly, Flamia.
And this also applies to all of you.”

“…”

Flamia realized this was what it meant to have a connection.
Flamia is an existence just like the 'gods'.
She is also born from a belief, just like Odin and other gods.

The world they now know as Yggdrasil, but is now called the Celestial World (CSO), also originated from human beliefs.

“But don't worry, considering that Nordic mythology is still very strong, the likelihood of you disappearing is very small,” Kuroyuki explained.

“Back to the topic, the Fallen God attacks humans with power that is also born from belief.
There is no human capable of stopping them, except us.
The existence you call the ..God Slayer.”

These are the facts about the Kuro family.
Strangely, Flamia wasn't too surprised because she knew that Kuro and Ruko possessed strange powers.

But there was one thing bothering Flamia's mind.

“But how did you become ..God Slayers?” Flamia asked.
“I'm sure your powers weren't obtained at birth.
That's why you had a marriage within the same bloodline, right?”

Yamato and Kuroyuki smiled faintly.

“You're right.
From now on, I will explain about our family and the real problem we face.”

Yamato's gaze became serious.

“As Flamia said, our powers are indeed not acquired at birth.
We obtain our powers when we turn 7, but we get them through a contract.
Yes, we made an agreement with another existence to obtain the power of the God Slayer.
And I think you can guess what other existence it is.”

The atmosphere became uneasy again.
Yamato's explanation seemed like a bad omen.

“…The other existence you mean is…
demons, right?”

“Why do you think that, Chiaki?”

“Human beings are weak.
We can turn into mere chunks of flesh because of trivial matters…
You said another existence, but I'm sure the existence you're referring to is not a god from a specific mythology.
That would make you become gods yourselves, which contradicts the power you possess.
So, besides gods from other mythologies or beings with the power to kill gods, there is only…
demons.”

Yamato smiled slightly, showing his pleasure with Chiaki's assumption.

“You're right, Chiaki, but you forgot one thing.
Demons are not the only beings capable of killing gods.
Angels also possess the same power.”

Although in various religions and mythologies, demons and angels are considered weaker beings with lower status than 'gods,' it is also mentioned in various mythologies that they possess incredible power.

In Norse mythology, it is also mentioned that Odin fought against demons in Ragnarok.
This is the simplest example.

“Wait a minute, didn't you mention making a pact with angels as well?” Flamia asked.
“As far as I know, demons and angels are opposed to each other and even try to kill each other.”

“In mythology and religion, they do indeed annihilate each other, but this is where the descendant of Kanata plays a role.

“…”

“…”

Kuroyuki continued.

“Our lineage has a special power that allows demons and angels to inhabit our bodies without rejection.
Essentially, we are easily possessed by other creatures.
In order to obtain and control our powers, we made a pact.”

“The result of that pact granted us the power of God Slayer, but at the same time, it made us half-demon beings.”

“Unfortunately, that's not all we have,” Ruko added.
“Along with the power we possess, we also experience side effects from it.”

Both of them could guess what side effects were being referred to.

“Do you mean dual personalities and multiple eyes…?” Chiaki asked, confirming her suspicion.

Ruko nodded softly in affirmation.

It wasn't just Kuro who had a dual personality; Yamato, Kuroyuki, and Ruko themselves had other personalities residing within them, more accurately described as demons inhabiting their bodies.

Upon realizing this, Chiaki grasped something important and understood why they were discussing this now.

“Wait…
you don't mean that Kuro-chan…”

“Unfortunately, your assumption is correct, Chiaki.”

The atmosphere grew tenser, but Flamia still didn't fully comprehend what was being implied, though she sensed it had something to do with Kuro.

“Onii-chan has merged with the demon inside him.
If we don't take action, Onii-chan will be in great danger.”

“…and let's not forget about this world,” Yamato interjected casually.

Kuroyuki took his turn to speak.

“From the beginning, Kuro has always been special.
But not in the way you imagine.
Since we were young, we possessed strong supernatural abilities that allowed us to see ghosts, demons, or similar entities.
Unfortunately, Kuro didn't have that ability.
However, behind his weakness, for some reason, he possessed extraordinary physical strength.
We didn't find it strange since it had happened in our family before.”

“…..but that's where our mistake lies.”

Chiaki narrowed her eyes.
She knew where their conversation was headed.

“When one member of our family lacks supernatural abilities, there are only two possibilities.
Either they are not destined to be God Slayers, or they die.”

Flamia and Chiaki were taken aback, but Yamato remained calm.

“And the third possibility is that their power is merely obstructed by a certain reason.” Yamato continued.
“To uncover that possibility, we performed a ceremony to awaken Kuro's power.
The ceremony took place when Kuro was 9 years old.”

“!”

“Chiaki-chan, it seems you can already guess what happened on that day and what followed…
I hope you won't be too surprised by what we're about to tell you.”

Chiaki and Flamia had a foreboding feeling.

“Chiaki, Flamia…
on that day, we killed Kuro.”

“”?!””

Silence fell.
Yamato's words contradicted reality, but so far, their story was not something to be laughed off.

Kuro was still alive until now and was in a relationship with them.
He was a good husband, but his loyalty was questionable.

Chiaki bit her lower lip, while Flamia clenched her fists tightly.
Joke or not, they were still angry to hear that their husband had died.

“A-Are you kidding?” Flamia asked.
“Besides, this isn't CSO where you can resurrect after death.”

“Unfortunately, we're not kidding.
The ritual did require Kuro to die, but that's when we also made a pact with a demon.
In other words, the way the ritual works is that when Kuro is on the verge of death, the demon will possess his body and awaken his powers.
It's like replenishing almost empty water with a different substance.”

“I understand, but it seems the ritual didn't go well.”

“You catch on quickly, Chiaki.
I'm glad to have you as my daughter-in-law.
And I'm sure you feel the same way, Flamia.”

Yamato sighed heavily.

“Unfortunately, as you said, the ritual failed.
And as I mentioned earlier, that's when Kuro died.”

“…we still don't understand.”

“Not only you, as his parents, we also don't understand what happened.
However, right after his death, Kuro came back to life after exactly 6 hours.”

“!?”

“Not only that, but he also gained the power of the demon, making him a God Slayer.
But upon his resurrection, a great disaster struck the entire world.
You surely remember the global calamity that occurred at that time.
Whether it is related or not, the temple where the ritual took place was destroyed.
Only 10 people remained with special powers.”

“…”

“…”

“Now, do you understand our real problem?”

Even for a God Slayer like Yamato, Kuro's power is too strong and mysterious.
For ordinary people like Chiaki, Kuro's power has always been extraordinary from the beginning, which is why she didn't pay much attention to the immense power that he displayed.

But it doesn't mean she doesn't understand.
If the natural disasters that occurred worldwide a few years ago were connected to Kuro, then they are indeed in trouble.

“Wait a moment, I'm a bit confused.
Weren't you the ones who performed the ritual? In other words, you must know what happened to Kuro at that time, right?”

“From your perspective, it's understandable to blame us.
That's true, and we don't deny it.
Nevertheless, we killed our own child.” Kuroyuki explained.
“Flamia, regardless of anything, we are his parents, and we didn't want him to die.
But this had to be done.”

Kuroyuki's face looked gloomy.
His fingers trembled as he remembered the issue he wanted to forget as a parent.

“But now that Kuro is alive, that's enough for us…
even though he possesses power on par with a Demon God.”

The power of love and affection could be seen in their eyes.
Whatever happens, Kuro remains their child.

“But that's not our biggest problem now.
The problem is the demon that has merged with Kuro.
If this continues, Kuro will become a full-fledged demon.
And considering the power he possesses, I don't need to tell you what would happen.”

“To prevent that, we have to kill Onii-chan.
We have to kill the demon.”

The atmosphere became slightly calmer as some of the issues became clearer.

Flamia and Chiaki leaned their bodies against something, feeling a bit relieved, but they both knew it was just the beginning.

Killing the demon within Kuro, in other words, the other personality of Kuro, Shiro.
Can they do it?

“I understand that you want to kill Kuro's other personality…
but how will you do it?”

“I'm also aware that Kuro- umm…
I mean, the demon has extraordinary power.
Do you know the identity of the demon? Perhaps then we won't need to kill it.”

If the entity within their bodies is a demon, in other words, an existence originating from beliefs, by knowing the origin of the demon, they can gauge the strength of the demon residing within Kuro.

“I'm glad you quickly understand what we're facing.
I also know that you want to find another solution so we don't have to kill it.
I'm truly glad to know that you genuinely love Kuro.”

“…”

“…”

“But I hope you don't hope for something that might disappoint you.”

Yamato wanted to say that there is no other choice.
And they have to go through with it.

“Just so you know, when we say 'kill', we mean we have to separate them, not actually kill Kuro,” Kuroyuki explained.
“We have a special ritual to resolve this kind of problem.”

Chiaki and Flamia started to look relieved.

“But here's the difficulty.
We can't force Kuro to perform the ritual.
You remember he is Kanata.
He knows what will happen if he does this ritual, and most likely, he will refuse.”

“…and why would Kuro refuse?” Chiaki asked.
“He must also know that it's dangerous to stay merged with that demon for too long.”

Regarding that, Chiaki, the ritual has a side effect.
The side effect is…
Kuro will lose his memories.”

“!?”

Both of them were left with no choice but to be shocked.

But it doesn't mean they didn't understand why Kuro refused.

“KH!”

Chiaki clenched her fist tightly.
Flamia suddenly held her hand to calm Chiaki down.

At that moment, Chiaki realized that Flamia also felt what she felt.

“…in other words, you gathered us because you want us to persuade Kuro to do the ritual, right?”

Kuroyuki nodded slowly, while Yamato sighed deeply.

“It might seem cruel.
We don't want you to do it if you don't want to, but right now, it's the only solution we can think of.”

“…”

“…”

Both of them remained silent.

“We can't possibly fight against Kuro because that would mean two God Slayers fighting each other.
And honestly, the two of us won't win against Kuro even if we use our full power.
And the same goes for you.”

Flamia can use all her power.
With that power, she might be able to force Kuro if he refuses.
Unfortunately, even though Yamato, Kuroyuki, and Flamia combine their powers, they still can't defeat Kuro.
This makes them wonder how powerful Kuro is.

But that's not the most important issue.
The most important issue is that Kuro will lose his memories.
The memories of their time together will vanish like smoke.
All those memories are precious.
And because they are precious, Kuro will refuse to lose them all.

“…”

Ruko has made up her mind to make Kuro do the ritual.
She is prepared for whatever happens.
Why is Kuro able to do all of this?

“As parents, we beg you to persuade Kuro to do the ritual.
We don't want to see our son die again.”

“…maybe he will lose his memories, but it's better than parting with him.”

“Whatever decision you make, we will accept it.
I hope you think it through.”

Silence fell.
Everyone seemed to be considering what Yamato and Kuroyuki said.

Suddenly, Yamato's cell phone rang.
Yamato answered it with a serious expression.

“…what? Are you serious? Alright, we'll be there soon.”

Yamato hung up his phone.
He glanced at his wife with a serious look.
As if understanding, Kuroyuki nodded silently.

“Sorry, we have some work to do.
It happens to be an issue we have been investigating for a long time.
See you again.”

“…”

Without saying a word, both of them left the house.

The sound of a sports car engine roared loudly and eventually sped off in the quiet neighborhood.

“…”

“…”

Flamia and Chiaki stared at the only person left with curious and slightly annoyed expressions.

“Um…
by the way, where is Onii-chan going?”

Chiaki sighed.

“He's with his new wife.
They're probably enjoying themselves at the CSO.” Chiaki replied with a flat tone.

“……………..huh?”

———————————————————–

Meanwhile, at the same time, Kuro suddenly sneezed while walking in the forest with Mea.

“Kuro-kun, could it be that you caught a cold here?”

“I don't know, but I feel like someone is talking about me.
And I think I can guess who it is.”

“A ha ha…”

“Well, I guess Mea already knows who I truly am and, of course, about the secrets of this world.”

Mea smiled softly, but then she let out a heavy sigh.

“Well…
honestly, I still don't understand it fully, but that means I am indeed a half succubus.”

Mea looked at the bright sky along with the strong wind blowing through the leaves.
Mea caught one of the leaves and let it fall slowly to the grassy ground.

Mea smiled softly and looked at Kuro.

“The secrets of the world…
somehow, I'm not surprised at all.
I seem to accept everything easily.
But Kuro-kun, I'm more interested in the secret you hold rather than the secret of the world.”

“…”

“I understand that you are a God Slayer, and I understand the existence of Fallen Gods and True Gods.
But I still don't understand who you truly are.”

“…”

“Is it true that you are …
Kuro-kun, the one I've known all this time, is the same person who took my virginity?”

The answer to that question is…