Chapter 49

The strongest adversary, character overlap

After an entire day of flight, we’ve finally arrived at Elohim.

 

Man, as expected, there were some interference near the island, like holy beasts that seemed to be Chokmah’s subordinates, but everyone has grown so much stronger since coming to this world.

 

Particularly, it's great that everyone can now fly independently. Just devoting myself to supporting them was enough, and En and Chouta took care of all the holy beasts lying in wait.

 

It feels like enemies on the level of elemental wyverns aren’t even opponents anymore. As we approach the latter half of the story, it feels like anything that’s not an angel is child’s play.

 

──And so, as we continued through the skies and the land of Elohim came into view, an angel appeared before us.

 

『You're the savers, correct? We’ve been expecting you.』

 

The angel materialized in the empty sky in an instant.

 

That… was teleportation, wasn’t it? So sacred arts can pull that off… The birthplace really is amazing.

 

Still, showing up so abruptly without any warning is bad for my heart. I’d prefer a little more casual entrance.

 

Eh, I don’t have the right to say that? It’s fine for me. Because I’m an original protagonist.

 

『My name is Zaphkiel. I serve Binah-sama and am the chief angel of this island.』

 

"I’m Akatsuki En. And those are Rikidou Chouta, Mea, and T.P. Eight Olishua."

 

"Nice to meet you."

 

The young angel who had appeared before us via teleportation politely introduced himself, and En responded on behalf of all of us.

 

Even so, a chief angel, huh.

 

He has four wings. That’s the same number as Haniel-san, who’s under Netzach-san, and the chief angel who’s under Chesed-kun.

 

Since the island’s second-in-command himself came to greet us, does this mean Archangel Binah thinks highly of us? This seems promising.

 

“This guy’s strong…”

 

『Zaphkiel is the chief angel who often stands in for Binah at meetings of the Ten Angels and oversees the island’s governance. He’s also quite skilled in combat.』

 

“Hoh…”

 

…Listening to that, I started to feel a little uneasy about Binah-sama. I wonder if it's okay.

 

Well, it’s only natural that the top person in charge doesn’t necessarily manage every aspect of the island. It’s hard to imagine Malchut-sama-chan actually doing politics. No, I don’t know if that’s actually the case.

 

Just like how the Emperor and the Prime Minister both exist separately, it seems Binah-sama has a highly rational personality that values placing the right people in the right place.

 

Yeah… As for this angel Zaphkiel, the dark circles under his eyes are really something. I wonder if this man’s okay. Like other angels, he’s exceptionally handsome by human standards, but the look of fatigue could not be hidden from his complexion.

 

Just looking at him makes my image of Binah-sama as an intelligent beauty instantly turn into something like a black company president mistreating middle management. (tl note: A black corporation or black business, is a Japanese term for an exploitative, sweatshop-type employment system.)

 

I might want to keep that in mind.

 

『It is an honor to be praised by the Archangel of Mercy. Just as I heard from Binah-sama, you have been resurrected, Chesed-sama.』

 

『It’s thanks to these people here. I’d like to enter the island with them, so could you guide us to where Binah is?』

 

『Of course. That is why I have come to receive you. Binah-sama is waiting in the holy city of 'Beth.'』

 

“Oh, that helps!”

 

Okay, it’s nice that things got settled quickly. This time, thanks to Chesed’s automatic driving, Eight-chan got to take it easy this time.

 

Still, to have her chief angel already informed about Chesed’s revival, Binah-sama sure gets information extremely fast… As expected of the Angel of ‘Understanding.’

 

Just what kind of intelligence network does she have…? Or perhaps, does she possess a Clairvoyance-like ability like me to observe El's activities from afar? If that's the case, she's quite a dangerous archangel. I've been careful ever since coming to this world, and there’s no way I can let my character collapse even when no one is watching.

 

Considering she's one of the top-class big guns of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, she might even be able to read minds. I’ll prepare something like a "Mind Shield" by combining “Telekinesis”, “Barrier,” and various other supernatural abilities. Regarding perfect original protagonist moves, mine-reading countermeasures are the most basic of basics.

 

In any case, I appreciate that the highest authority already knows about us.

 

No, in this case, having Chesed on our side must also play a significant role. That alone should make us far more trustworthy from the perspective of the holy beasts.

 

Being able to avoid unnecessary clashes with the local residents was a convenient development for us humans.

 

As things progressed smoothly, we were guided by Binah-sama’s chief angel, Zaphkiel-san, to the holy city of Elohim, Beth, aboard the "Merciful Phoenix."

 

Now then, what kind of island could it be?

 

Just as Binah hadn’t appeared yet, her island, Elohim, also hadn’t appeared in the original work.

 

Fundamentally, the scenery of Fairy World is reminiscent of a fantasy world’s familiar medieval European vibe. However, just as Chesed’s island, El, was set at a high altitude, each island has its own distinct features, just like on Earth.

 

In terms of meta, if all the islands looked similar, it would lessen the sense of adventure. So some variation in the background is necessary.

 

That said, the feeling of slowly descending from the sky and approaching the ground always excites me, no matter how many times I experience it.

 

I enjoy both takeoff and landing. Yup, flying through the skies is nice. That night, I got excited by such a conversation with Ross.

 

Curious about the scenery of the new island, I hugged Kabbalah-chan in my arms and gazed down at the view from Chesed’s back.

 

Then, the moment everyone’s eyes fell on a distinctive structure standing in the town below, their eyes went wide.

 

“Hey, En.”

 

“Aah.”

 

“...?”

 

The three of them had looks of bewilderment on their faces.

 

I was also similarly surprised. While I wasn’t as bewildered as they are, I couldn’t help but admire it with a, “So that’s how it is!”

 

From the scenery of the town reflected in my eyes, I quickly grasped the tastes and preferences of Binah-sama, the administrator of this island. At the same time, I guessed the reason she’s disliked by other archangels.

 

Those human hating guys would naturally not be pleased with these.

 

“That’s, the Tokyo Tower, isn’t it?”

 

The holy city of Elohim, "Beth."

 

In this place, there are tourist attractions familiar to us earthling arranged here and there.

 

Of course, all of them are counterfeits.

 

“Not just Tokyo Tower. There’s the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Five-storied Pagoda, and even the Sphinx. Ah, and over there’s a KFC.” [En]

 

“What the heck…? This feeling of randomness is…” [Chouta]

 

“But, they’re really well-made.” [Mea]

 

“Yeah, really well-made forgery.” [En]

 

“It’s not just their looks. Even the insides are well-made.” [Chouta]

 

After running an analysis with “Search,” the quality turned out to be exceptionally high, not just on its outward appearance.

 

If these weren’t plagiarized, I would’ve had no reservations praising Elohim's imitation techniques.

 

However, seeing a mishmash of familiar structures all crammed into a single city was like a child's toy box turned upside down, creating chaotic landscape,.

 

No, it’s certainly intricate, but... it’s the disappointing feeling you get when someone who doesn’t really understand the cultures of the countries they’re imitating tries to superficially grasp them and then lumps everything together in one place.

 

To compare it to fanfiction, it would be like an author with only a casual level of knowledge about the original work attempting to write a multi-crossover story, that kind of situation.

 

If the one responsible for pushing forward this chaotic town planning is the island’s administrator, then there’s one thing I can guess about her character──The third Archangel of Sefirot Binah is something of a global Earth maniac.

 

The layout of the holy city of "Beth" is a modern design, clearly referenced by developed countries on Earth.

 

The mix of various residential styles, Japanese, Western, and Chinese, is reminiscent of Japanese towns.

 

The impressively intricate counterfeit buildings leave a strong impression, but their numbers are not overwhelming, and there are just as many buildings in fairy world styles, like those seen in Adonai and El.

 

The ratio is about half and half. It’s a townscape that shows the fusion with the earth’s ambience.

 

“It’s like Japan.” [Chouta]

 

“Aah, you see towns like that in the countryside. A town built with shabby knock-offs.” [En]

 

The overall atmosphere resembles modern rural Japan, but the towering great trees and the holy beasts roaming the streets clearly indicate that this is not Japan.

 

The townspeople looked at us, escorted by Zaphkiel-san, with curious eyes. Their gazes held no hostility. Whether they were friendly was unclear, but they seemed far less antagonistic than the people of Tsebaoth.

 

『That is Binah-sama’s palace.』

 

Led past the gatekeepers with Zaphkiel-san’s face pass, we entered the administrator of this island’s base of operations.

 

The palace is reminiscent of an Egyptian palace.

 

It’s slightly smaller than Netzach's castle, but from a Japanese perspective, its design exudes an otherworldly charm. I was wondering what to do if the structure introduced as Binah-sama’s base was something like the White House or Edo Castle.

 

『It exists.』

 

It does!? Are you serious, Binah-sama… You can't show your power without plagiarizing foreign cultures, you’re such a deplorable guy!

 

Ah, coming from me, someone who’s been stealing others’ abilities left and right, that’s a bit of a boomerang.

 

Still, you know. This much familiarity with Earth’s culture makes me suspect that Binah-sama might have some ways to observe the human world or a means to open dimensional gates. That’s something I’d really like to confirm.

 

“If it’s the latter, it might secure us a way back.”

 

“That’s if they’re willing to cooperate with us, right…?”

 

As I mused optimistically about the prospects hereafter, En replied with a remark with hidden meanings.

 

Well, that’s the problem right there. From the fact that she went out of their way to send her chief angel, who’s clearly busy, to greet us, and from this townscape that shows respect for Earth’s culture, I think we can expect something. But completely letting our guard down would be foolish. Honestly, the further we’ve come, the more suspicious I’ve become.

 

Look, even Kabbalah-chan seems a bit intimidated by the grand building, her tail fidgeting while perched on my shoulder. Don’t worry, Kabbalah-chan, I’m here for you.

 

“Kyuu!”

 

Good, I’ll give you a tulle later, so hang in there for now. If you want, you can hide inside the top hat like last time.

 

After disembarking from our low-altitude flight, we passed through the palace gates and walked straight down a red carpet stretching through a spacious interior. By the way, I had Chesed-kun shrink to about the size of a small bird. Since his body is made of darkness, I can freely adjust his size at will.

 

The knights lined up indoors were quite different from Netzach’s place, where ogres are the main force. Here, many of them were beautiful elven holy beasts.

 

Hmm, so Binah-sama has a thing for good looks… I’m feeling more and more disappointed. Could it be that hiding Tsubasa was for those kinds of things… A disappointing glasses-wearing beauty, I think I’m fine with that.

 

『There’s no need to be nervous, Mea-sama. Binah-sama is a friendly person. Please, just act as you normally would.』

 

“O, okay…”

 

Noticing Mea-chan’s nervousness as we neared the throne room, Zaphkiel-san reassured her while walking alongside us.

 

What incredible perception, considering he never even looked at her.

 

Considering how little variation Mea-chan’s facial expression typically shows, realizing this at first glance is no small feat.

 

As expected of a mid-level manager honed under a black company president. It’s common knowledge in the fanfiction community that overworked employees or bullied underdogs often develop cheat-level strength.

 

『This way.』

 

Zaphkiel-san led us to a large door reminiscent of a shrunken great detective’s eye-catch in the credits. (tl note: eye catch refers to the title of the anime that appears before and after commercial breaks.)

 

As he stood before it, the door automatically opened, revealing a spacious throne room inside.

 

However, the only holy beast waiting there was a single person.

 

It was a weary-looking young man standing beside the throne at the end of the red carpet—it was Zaphkiel-san.

 

“Eh…?”

 

First, Mea let out a voice of confusion.

 

Looking in front, Zaphkiel-san is there.

 

Looking in the distance, Zaphkiel-san is there.

 

──Two Zaphkiel-sans… It’s coming, Eight-chan!

 

As I receive some kind of signal, Chouta turned to the Zaphkiel-san who had guided us and asked,

 

“Is that one there your twin?”

 

A twin angel, sound’s normal. It’s only in anime, but I’ve heard of Harut and Marut before.

 

I wondered if Zaphkiel-san might also have a brother like that... But in response to Chouta’s question, the Zaphkiel-san before us gave a meaningful smile, while the one further in openly scowled.

 

Oh? This is…

 

『I only borrowed his appearance. I’m shy, after all.』

 

“!?”

 

I heard a whispering female voice in my mind.

 

It came from the Zaphkiel standing before us. Saying that, he strode confidently along the red carpet broke into a mischievous smile that didn’t suit his straight-laced appearance──and he seated himself on the throne, looking as if he owned it.

 

The moment he snapped his fingers, his appearance transformed from weary young man into a striking and dignified woman clad in an jet black dress.

 

And then, the black-haired woman who changed her appearance and sat upon the throne crossed her legs and spoke,

 

『This is the first time I’ve met you in my true form, isn’t it? I am Binah, the third Sefirot who bears the name of 'Understanding.'』

 

Her face hidden by the jet-black veil that hung from the tiara on her head, she introduced herself as Binah.

 

The Zaphkiel-san by her side (true) looked at her intently, as if he wanted to say something, but she just shrugged with feigned ignorance.

 

Realizing that the young man who had guided us was actually her in disguise, everyone held their breath.

 

I’m inwardly surprised, but I don’t want anyone to hold a superior position than me, so I let out a wry smile with a know-it-all look on my face.

 

As I did so, I felt that my gaze briefly crossed with hers, behind the veil.

 

...I see, so that's the type of character she's going with.

 

I kept my eyes fixed on her figure, carefully observing the semi-original character "Binah," who hadn’t appeared in the original work.

 

She wore a jet-black, wedding dress-like outfit──a gothic lolita-style, and her beautiful slender legs in stockings peeking from beneath the skirt were quite bewitching.

 

As for her chest──I'd say they're somewhere between Malkuth-sama and Akari-chan. No, that range is a bit too broad, but at least it's clear she's not flat-chested.

 

Her height is approximately in the upper 160 cm range. She’s quite petite for an angel, but tall when compared to the average Japanese woman. Though her eyes are hidden by the veil, she has semi-long black hair and fair skin.

 

She looks a bit too young to be called an adult older sister, but in human terms, she appears to be about 20 years old. Her face is hidden, but that’s the impression I got. Incidentally, my "Search," which is active right now, is being nullified by her mysterious power. She’s better than I thought... She seems just as cautious as me.

 

She also has one characteristic that decisively sets her apart from the other Ten Archangels of Sefirot.

 

“Her wings are…”

 

Mea-chan suddenly noticed and blurted out.

 

Yes, her wings.

 

On her back, there were eight wings signifying her status as an archangel. However, the left four were entirely missing from the midsection to the tips.

 

She’s undoubtedly a one-winged angel. Her white wings, combined with the gothic lolita-style black outfit, exuded a dark, fallen angel vibe. (tl note: one-winged angel is what it says in the raw. It’s also the nickname of Sephirot in FF7)

 

Honesly, she looks so cool. What’s with that? Amazing!

 

She's a strike to my liking. An onee-san with chuunibyou is the strongest!

 

Man, maybe I should have made my wings look like that too. But in my case, it’s not like I can freely change the shape of my wings that easily. In terms of chuunibyou, with my left and right color split, I’m not losing.

 

However, I’m humbled by the goddess-like person’s comprehension for a one-winged archangel. Yeah, this feels like exactly the kind of character Fairy Savers would introduce. Honestly, if someone told me, “This is the official Binah,” I’d believe it. I really thought it was a shame that he didn't appear in the original work.

 

“Kyuu!”

 

“Ah.”

 

What’s wrong, Kabalah-chan? Suddenly running off like that.

 

Kabalah-chan, who had been perched on my shoulder, leaped into the air and made a beeline for the throne. Considering her usual wariness toward anyone other than me and her well-behaved nature, this was rare blunder. I was so stunned I couldn’t even react.

 

Yet, Binah-sama simply smiled as she observed the small creature, and even Zaphkiel, her aide, made no move to intervene. What the heck. You guys are so tolerant. Or maybe they were charmed by Kabbalah-chan’s cuteness?

 

As I was thinking that and watching the situation intently, Kabbalah-chan seated herself before Binah-sama, bowing her head as though waiting for something.

 

Then, Binah-sama extended her right hand toward her—

 

“...?”

 

A ball of light was emitted from the gem on Kabbalah-chan’s forehead, gently drifting through the air.

 

We were all left dumbfounded, not understanding what was going on.

 

Then, after nodding to herself a couple of times, Binah-sama suddenly gasped as if startled, her gaze fixed intently on my face.

 

W-What is it?

 

『I see… as I initially felt, your true identity is…』

 

Binah-sama seemed to be deeply interested in me, murmuring something with hidden meanings.

 

『...No, I still don't understand.』

 

Hey, what’s with you? Cut it out… You’re overlapping with my character!

 

Binah-sama, you are as formidable an opponent as rumored.

 

Her relentless style of encroaching on the original protagonist's traits gave me chills. If the face beneath that veil turns out to be identical to mine, that would be even more dangerous.

 

…No, wait, that might actually be unexpectedly appealing. In the fanfiction community, there are cases where an original protagonist’s resemblance to a character from the original work is used to develop stories. Conversely… if you think about it conversely, character overlaps can, depending on their use, create some nice relationships.

 

Personally, I would think of that as a last resort.

 

『Thanks for the information, Observer──no, it’s Kabbalah-chan now, isn’t it?』

 

“Kyuu.”

 

Binah-sama smiled faintly as she rose from her throne, and, while holding Kabbalah-chan in her arms, she began to speak.

 

Her words left us, who had always thought of Kabbalah-chan as a clever and adorable little creature, utterly shocked.

 

『Surprised? The truth is, this child is a special being entrusted with an important mission from Ein Sof.』

 

“!”

 

“Eh…?”

 

What did you say?

 

I had a bad feeling about this. Could her true form be a holy beast than can transform into a human? I’ve been vigilant about it, but if it turned out to be true, I was confident I’d be bedridden for a whole day.

 

…Oh well, it’s fine. She’s cute.

 

I let my shoulders relax as I smiled at Kabbalah-chan, who looked somewhat smug on Binah-sama’s chest.

 

Since it was already clear that Kabbalah-chan was female, I didn’t have to worry about her turning out to be some dirty old man. That was good enough for Eight-chan.

 

Facing us, Binah-sama began to reveal Kabbalah-chan’s true identitly—and her own purpose as well.

 

(author: I think I said this, but Kabbalah-chan doesn't tranform into a human (didn’t say that).)

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