Epsilon had completed her preparations and reached the stage of executing the Reincarnation Formula, yet she understood all too well that this forbidden art far exceeded her own capabilities.
This was magic clearly belonging to the domain of the gods; among the Six Kings, she suspected only Kuromueina could have performed it flawlessly. Epsilon lacked the necessary precision in her magic power control techniques, but more than that, her own innate power was simply insufficient to meet the ritual's required output.
Epsilon had known this from the moment she began her research into the forbidden book. She realized she could not bring the art to fruition without a sacrifice. To secure a future with Miyabi, she would have to offer up a part of herself—a price paid in blood and power.
Standing before the magic circle she had painstakingly drawn, Epsilon unleashed her full might. At her command, the Blue Twin Horns of an Ice Ogre manifested upon her brow.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, Epsilon snapped off her own horns and laid them in the center of the magic circle. These two horns, which housed the very core of her essence as an Ice Ogre, would serve as the medium for the ritual.
By doing this, Epsilon surrendered her ability to ever return to her original form. She would never again assume her Serious Form once the forbidden art was complete. It was a staggering portion of her power—strength she had spent countless centuries forging and refining—yet Miyabi was so precious to her that she felt no regret in the offering.
It was not merely about the length of time they had spent together. In the face of the bond they shared and her desperate desire to walk toward a shared future, such a sacrifice felt trivial.
By forcibly compensating for her lack of output with that sacrifice, the forbidden art took hold. Miyabi’s soul was bound to a new vessel and reincarnated.
Perhaps because the core of an Ice Ogre’s power had been used as the price, Miyabi was reborn as a demon gifted with the power of ice. While her hair had transitioned to a pale, shimmering light blue, her appearance was otherwise that of her younger self—exactly as she had looked on the day she first met Epsilon.
“Miyabi... do you... do you know who I am?”
Epsilon believed she had met all the necessary conditions, but the ritual had been forced into completion through sheer willpower and sacrifice. She called out to her friend, her heart gripped by anxiety.
At the sound of her voice, Miyabi slowly opened her eyes. A blank, bewildered expression crossed her face.
“Huh? Ix-sama? Why are you... wait, I was supposed to be dead. Why does my body feel so light?”
“Miyabi!”
“Hawa?! Wait—Ix-sama, why are you hugging me? Since when did I get such a reward? Is this a dream? Or did I die and go to heaven? Does heaven really come with this kind of service?”
The voice and the manner of speaking were exactly as Epsilon remembered. Overcome with emotion, she pulled the resurrected Miyabi into a crushing embrace, her tears flowing freely.
Miyabi, having no memory of her time spent in the void of death, looked around in a panic, unable to grasp the situation. However, she seemed genuinely happy to be held; though confused, she naturally wrapped her arms around Epsilon’s back and returned the embrace.
Once Epsilon finally stopped crying, Miyabi listened to the explanation of how she had been reincarnated as a demon. She was simply delighted to be with Epsilon again. The fact that she was no longer human mattered little to her; she accepted her new reality almost instantly.
“Miyabi, how do you feel? Is anything wrong? The ritual was incredibly difficult and forced into place, so there might be side effects.”
“Let’s see... my body actually feels rejuvenated. I’m in peak condition. As for anything else... hmm. Wait. Ix-sama, I was a former Hero-role, right? A former otherworlder?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“I can’t remember anything from when I was in the otherworld. I remember everything that happened after I arrived here, but everything before that is just... gone. It’s like those memories were never there.”
“What? The memories were affected?”
“Oh, it’s not a problem at all. I remember everything since I met you, and nothing else is missing, so I’m fine.”
Due to the strain of the reincarnation ritual, Miyabi had lost her memories of life before Trinia. To her, it was a world she could never return to anyway, so she didn't mind the loss.
Epsilon, however, was filled with a sense of responsibility. Her expression clouded with regret. She had heard stories of Miyabi’s original world—stories of a grandmother who had been kind to her. Epsilon looked as if she were mourning the loss of Miyabi’s heritage, blaming her own lack of skill for erasing such a vital part of her friend’s past.
Seeing this, Miyabi hurriedly tried to change the subject. But as she looked up at Epsilon’s head, she gasped in horror.
“Ix-sama? Your horns... they’re broken.”
“Hmm? Oh, these? I offered them as the price for the forbidden art. They will never grow back.”
“What? No... you sacrificed them for me? Because you brought me back, you lost your horns?”
Now it was Miyabi’s turn to be overcome with grief. She knew those horns only appeared when Epsilon took her Serious Form. She knew they were the source of the specialized cold air used to manifest Epsilon's weapons. They were her friend's ultimate trump card.
The realization that Epsilon had permanently crippled her own combat potential for her sake filled Miyabi with guilt. Epsilon, however, simply smiled.
“Do not worry about it. For a friend as irreplaceable as you, the price was far too cheap. I lost something, it’s true, and I regret that I couldn't perform the ritual perfectly... but more than that, I am just happy I could see you again, Miyabi.”
“Ix-sama... yes. I’m so happy to be with you that it washes away the guilt.”
Though they both harbored small regrets and lingering guilt, the joy of their reunion was far greater. For both Epsilon and Miyabi, the outcome was more than they could have hoped for.
At the time, it seemed like a happy ending. However, a short while later, the appearance of a Singularity in the world would cause the gears of their fate to turn once more.
In a special world created solely for Kaito's birthday, Epsilon was currently bowing her head deep toward the floor. She was prostrate in a dogeza, a posture of the highest apology she had learned from Miyabi.
“To begin with, let’s talk about why I called you here at this specific time. I’m the type of god who keeps her promises. Because of my contract with Shallow Vernal and my agreement with Kuromueina, I’ve been showing a fair amount of consideration within Trinia. I’ll even overlook lèse-majesté once. But this world... it isn't Trinia.”
Pressure so immense it made space itself groan radiated from the being before her. As Megiddo had once noted about Canaris, a battle could not even exist between Epsilon and this entity. If the being simply released the aura they were currently suppressing, Epsilon was certain she would be obliterated by the mere weight of their existence.
“You may raise your head for now. I’ll permit you to speak. However, I want you to consider very carefully that every word you utter might be the last of your life...”
Hearing the words of the overwhelming superior who had summoned her—delivered in a dry, dispassionate voice—Epsilon slowly raised her head.
The being was not exaggerating. If Epsilon misspoke even once, her life would end then and there.
“Now, for the first question. Do you understand why I’ve called you?”
As Epsilon trembled with profound awe, the God with Rainbow-colored Eyes gazed down at her in silence.