Miko silently floated in front of the vortex of lights with a troubled expression.

“If I’m here then that means that I overdid it when I fought Isabel….Now that I think about it, I can’t remember half of the fight. Did I win?...I doubt it.”

Miko folded his arms behind his head.

“I must’ve allowed my alter ego to take over and my Irregularity to run wild. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get summoned here.”

He sighed.

“The last time I came here, I was out for six months in the real world; although, it felt like I spent millions of years in this one. So, I wonder how long I’ll be out for this time?....Then again, most of my time was spent traveling through the countless eras. I don’t know the actual time I spent in the Invisible World….”

He started scratching his head in an irritated fashion.

“Ah, screw it! I’ll wake up when I wake up. I’m sure the others can handle things until I wake up. Since I got time I’ll just make use of it.”

He straightened himself and started concentrating on a certain image. Soon something appeared before him. It was a young child dressed in white armor and wearing a blank white mask.

“Oh, it looks like you’re making progress.”

He floated closer to the child and started circling around them.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re conscious yet. However, I can still sense your eagerness to take the stage. I’ll be honest, I’m eager to see you take the stage too.”

He poked the child’s mask.

“You can hear me can’t you?”

Miko smiled.

“Oh, what’s this?”

“?!”

Miko quickly turned around when he heard a voice behind him.

“I didn’t expect to see other people here.”

Floating in front of him was a man that could only be described as radiant. He had short blonde hair that was bright as the sun. His golden eyes looked like they could see through all the world’s secrets, his face looked like it could charm even the heavens. He was wearing white and gold clothing and had a sword on his hip. He smiled at Miko and spoke.

“If you’re here then you’re Irregulars like me. Hm?”

He started looking at Miko like he was examining him.

“You…You’re Miko aren’t you?!”

“……..”

“You are. I saw your Satan form a while back, so I’m certain.”

(….Well, I guess it’s fine. After all, we might be able to sense each other but it’s not like we can locate each other in the real world.)

Miko thought.

“More importantly…”

Miko looked at him from head to toe before pointing at him with a smile.

“You’re the hero of this world, aren’t you?”

The man showed a strange smile.

“What makes you think that I am?”

“It’s obvious from your radiant aura. Not to mention you look like the complete opposite of me.”

“I see. Well, there’s no use hiding it. I’m the only one who’s worthy of the title Hero. After all, I fight for the benefit of humanity.”

“And I’m your polar opposite, the one who will destroy everything. I fight for myself.”

“Destroy everything?”

The man looked at the colorful vortex behind Miko.

“Ah, So that’s how it is. You’ve entered the Invisible World before, haven’t you? Which means that you’ve also traveled through time via Timeless Exploration.”

“You too?”

“Of course. In order to enter the Invisible World, you must experience Timeless Exploration first. This is my 5th time being summoned here by the way, but this is my first time meeting someone else here.”

“Then you’ve never met another Irregular before me?”

“No, I have. A rather peculiar one too; but that was in reality. Meeting one is rather hard after all. It’s not like we can announce our existence to the world. We would be hunted down by every Proxy out there…Well, I think you should be aware of that.”

He looked at the child behind Miko.

“Say, what’s that?”

Miko immediately hid the child behind him.

“Why hide them? It’s not like we can hurt each other here.”

The man laughed.

“But that child is strange. I can’t tell if it’s a boy or a girl because of the armor and mask but they’re an Irregular right? From their aura, they’re from the same spectrum as me which should make them your natural enemy. However, it’s like they’re….not fully awakened?”

The man started looking confused.

“Now that I think about it, I could always sense a strange entity among us Irregulars but I also thought it was you. Looks like I was wrong. Hm? Wait, why are there three of us here? Isn’t it too much of a coincidence that three irregulars would be summoned here at once?”

When Miko saw the man racking his brains he started having a bad feeling.

“Could it be that you summoned them here through the Spiritual Channels that connect us? But wait, isn’t it hard to summon each other’s spirit especially when you two are from opposite spectrums? The only exception is when…”

The man’s eyes widen and then a smile appeared on his face.

“I see. So that’s how it is. This has just gotten a lot more interesting.”

Miko sighed.

“Well, There’s nothing I can do if you figured it out.”

The man laughed.

“If I remember correctly, you’re currently in the Newgate Country, right? Do you mind if I come pay you a visit?”

“……..”

Miko looked at the man with a cold gaze.

“New Era huh?”

“Mari was right, you’re pretty smart.”

The man pointed his thumb at himself.

“Just so you know, I’m one of those who are pushing for us to recruit you. As a fellow Irregular, I’m the one who’s most aware of what you’re capable of after all.”

Miko looked at the colorful vortex behind him.

“You said that this is your 5th time being summoned here then you must’ve seen the same things that I’ve seen.”

“Not necessarily. When we enter this place we’re shown whatever we need to see the most, that’s different from person to person. For example, most of the time when I travel back in time I witness some of history's greatest warriors and the techniques they used. They were important references that I needed to get stronger.”

“Then, you didn’t see the horrors back then?”

“No, I did. I’ve been killed more times than I can count too; always in battle though.”

“….So what’s the answer you came to after returning to reality?”

The man smiled and headed towards the vortex.

“If we meet in reality, I’ll tell you. Until then, see ya.”

He then disappeared into the vortex.

“….You should go back now.”

Miko said to the child before heading into the light himself. Just before he was swallowed he thought to himself.

(So you can also experience things that’s beneficial to you huh?)

He grinned.

“I think I need an entirely new skill set for future battles.”

************

The Red Light District.

“……..”

Luka sat alone on the top of a building allowing the sunlight to warm her body.

“What’s on your mind, Lulu?”

Ouroboros appeared beside her and spoke to her with a gentle smile.

“Take a guess.”

“Miko huh?”

He took a seat beside her.

“Well, I can't blame you. You guys found him in a horrifying state both physically and mentally.”

“….I wonder if I could’ve done something to prevent it?”

“Nope, nothing.”

Luka looked at Ouroboros with a frown.

“Why are you so certain?”

“Then let me ask, what do you think you could have done?”

“….I could’ve stuck with him and not allow him to feel alienated.”

“Ah, so that’s the problem. You believe that this happened because of the way you guys reacted when he explained the reasons behind his show of brutality.”

“How can I not think that? He left by himself immediately after to go to a meeting he hid from everyone else and almost died because of it. Don’t you think that alone shows that he feels like he can’t rely on us?....”

She paused for a bit before whispering.

“Also, you didn’t see the look on his face that day…that lonely look of disappointment and acquiescence.”

“I believe that has more to do with his nature than your actions on that day.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that he’s the type to never lay himself bare or let himself be vulnerable. He never reveals what he’s truly thinking, but also doesn’t try to clear up any misunderstandings about himself. In fact, he welcomes them. What I’m saying is that he’s deceitful by nature. So him getting himself in that situation is all on him. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“…Even so, I feel like I haven’t truly tried to understand him and that makes me feel bad.”

Ouroboros remained quiet for a bit before speaking.

“Lulu, why are you fighting this war?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious?”

“I know that it’s because you love Miko but is that enough to risk your life like this? Did you forget? You have your own goals; ambitions that you share with your family. Are you going to put that at risk for Miko’s sake?”

“….Why do I feel like you’re not talking about this war alone?”

“Because I’m not. It’s clear as day that Miko intends to walk the path of destruction; and its also obvious that he intends to do so alone. In other words, he plans to leave you in the future. I know you realized this, and yet you followed him into the flames over and over again like a moth. For your own sake, this must be your last time. If not, there’s a high chance that you’ll die a horrible death.”

Luka didn’t reply immediately. She thought about Ouroboros’ words for a while before speaking.

“What you say is true, Father. For the sake of my clan and the ambitions that we share, I can’t continue to blindly follow Miko like this.”

Ouroboros sighed.

“But?”

“….But, I can't just turn my back on him. If I believe that I can lend him a hand then I will. However, there are other ways to do so.”

“Oh?”

“I once said that I would defeat Miko’s enemies. I also said that his greatest enemy is himself. I intend to keep my promise.”

She looked at Ouroboros with a serious gaze.

“I’m not just following him blindly. I simply wish to understand the enemy that I must fight in the future. I want to know his strengths, his weaknesses, I wish to know everything about him. It just happens that my greatest foe is also the man I love; that’s all.”

Ouroboros looked at her in silence for a bit before opening his mouth to say something.

“ATTENTION! ATTENTION!”

Before he could a loud voice reverberated all over the city.

“That’s the city’s alarm..”

She stood up and looked into the distance. She could see a large fleet of airships coming towards the city.

“Let’s continue this another time, Father.”

Ouroboros smiled and stood up.

“I suppose we have no other choice.”

Luka clenched her fists and her eyes became slit.

“Looks like Miko’s enemies have come for him once again.”