It was a soul of hatred that made one shudder. This existence, a mixture of self-loathing and hatred for others, had an extremely bitter taste.
The sadness disappeared.
The joy was gone.
The anger also disappeared.
All that is left is immense hatred, hatred, hatred.
The deepest, darkest emotions gnawed at Shinji's soul.
That was the true form of Calydon, a madness more terrible than falling into hell.
My head felt like it was bursting and my body temperature was gradually being stripped away.
The facial features were damaged by the injected substance.
A darkness that cannot be faced.
The ugliness is too great to look at.
It makes people want to die.
But, you can't die yet.
Because there are more important things to do than death, more important than this darkness.
There is another obsession supporting me.
Revenge, kill Amakusa Shiro Tokisada.
Kill Amakusa Shiro.
Kill Amakusa.
Kill.
kill!
kill!
kill!
The black fog condensed into substance, and boundless darkness enveloped Shinji's body, wantonly devouring his spiritual foundation and changing his form.
You can become whatever you want.
Be it a monster, a demon, or some other alien creature.
As my consciousness grew deeper, the colors before my eyes became increasingly monotonous, leaving only endless darkness.
Come on, come on, I accept them all.
As long as I can kill that bastard, no matter what the cost—
Just before the last ray of clarity faded, a voice penetrated the boundless darkness and reached the deepest part of the soul.
"That won't do."
Huh? This voice, Yustisa...
"You can't do this, Shinji."
It really is your voice, Yustisa. It’s so good to hear your voice again.
Wait a moment, I'll see you soon.
I'll kill that bastard right away and avenge you.
"Can't!"
Ah, I know you are worried about me and think about me with all your heart.
But you are no longer here, so I can do whatever I want.
"Shinji, wake up!!! Look at me! Listen to my voice! Feel it with your heart!"
See... Hear... Feel...
When I opened my eyelids, I saw the same hateful darkness, but there was a ray of light at the end of the darkness.
Pure light.
White light.
Warm light.
Shinji was extremely familiar with this light. It was the light that had been with him ever since he came into this world, and had never left him for a moment.
"Yustisa."
Calling the name again.
"Yes, it's me."
Along with this response, the connection that had been silent for many days, as if it had been severed long ago, suddenly became active, and the bond of magic, spirit, and soul was miraculously restored.
"Yustisa, is it really you?"
"Yes, it's me, it's me, Shinji."
The same voice, the same gentleness, the same response, made Shinji feel like he was in a dream.
"But, but you are not..."
"I'm gone now, am I?"
Calmly stating the cruel truth, a truth that he was unwilling to face even though he didn't care about life or death.
He remained silent and did not dare to answer, for he was afraid that if he answered, he would wake up from this dream.
"It's okay, don't be afraid, this is not a dream, I'm still here, and the connection between you and me is the best proof of that."
"Before that, I... Why couldn't I sense you, why, why didn't you come to me..."
"Because I was locked up by Kishua in a closed alien space and was just released."
"Lock him up? The old man with the gem? Sure enough, he is in cahoots with that bastard. They planned to bring us here!!!"
Because the contract was restored, Shinji's dull and withered state of mind was injected with new vitality, and his thinking became much clearer.
"What on earth are these two bastards planning? Are they really going to destroy the world?"
"Of course that's impossible. Through the communication over the past few days, I can see that these two people are definitely not lunatics who want to destroy the world. They love this world more than 99% of people."
"Wait, you said passion? Then how do you explain that bastard's wish?"
"In fact, the information you told me is correct. Amakusa Shiro's wish has always been for all of humanity to be immortal. From the Einzbern's perspective, this is salvation. From another perspective, this is also a kind of destruction. Can humans without death still be considered humans?"
What you said makes a lot of sense and leaves me speechless.
"Then what on earth are they doing? Why are they torturing you and me like this?"
When Shinji thought about his life over the past few days, he felt a surge of anger in his heart.
"Kishia has already told us his purpose. To collect data on the uncontaminated Greater Holy Grail, and to make me think about whether the Einzbern family's thousand-year obsession is really what I want."
"Where's that bastard?"
Yustisa hesitated for a moment and replied, "It seems to be related to you?"
"It's related to me? Did I provoke him? I just want to have some experience, collect some data, and then go back. Is it necessary to torture me to death? Can't you talk to me properly? Can I cooperate with you if necessary? How do you explain that bastard?"
"Neither Amakusa Shiro Tokisada nor Kisuya told me the specific reason. They just said it was a trial and they would tell you the reason after the trial."
"Trial, haha, trial, is there such a trial?"
Hearing this explanation, Shinji let out a series of laughs that were cold and miserable, as if something was broken, and Yustisa felt extremely distressed.
"You know, in these few short days, I died and lived, lived and died, lived and died again, I don't know how I managed to get through it."
"I... know, because I am the same. I have been watching you, but I can't be with you. How much pain you are in, how much pain I am in."
"Yustisa..."
"So, do whatever you want. I will support you no matter what you decide. It's just that - I don't want you to be consumed by hatred and turn into a monster."
Yustisa's prayer was transmitted to Shinji's heart without reservation through the connection between the two, warming his soul that had endured countless pains and was torn apart.
"Is it too late? I have already used the 'Wild Boar of Divine Punishment', and I don't know how long I can last with the little consciousness left."
"It's not too late. As long as you have a firm will and believe in yourself, you won't be affected by hatred at all, because this is your ability and the reason why Kishua chose you."
"My abilities?"
"Close your eyes, relax your mind, and feel carefully. What envelops you is not only hatred, but also longing."
The pure white light flowed into Shinji's consciousness, guiding his consciousness to sink deeper and deeper.
"I am not the only one who cares about you. This is the source of your true power, the magic that belongs only to you."
Then, Shinji saw the light hidden in the deepest part of his heart, which was his origin.