"That might be part of the problem. If she was more reliant on the Flower than you, removing it may have had a correspondingly greater impact."

"There shouldn't be that big of a jump between us, though."

"I also think she may care less to survive than you did. She indicated a desire to destroy the world during the fight."

" - I'm - I didn't know she was that depressed."

"Mm. I expect she will be in need of a significant amount of support when she wakes."

"...I've never known - how."

"We can try together."

"...I hope that's enough."

"We will do what we can to ensure it is."

"You know... If anyone can help her - if anyone can turn this dark world around - I think it'd be you."

"I'm flattered you think so."

"You've helped me and Zero."

"I have, haven't I?"

"Well, for one, I'm not so arrogant I can't admit she'd have flat out killed me if she fought me for real. She's gotten more powerful over the last year - or more desperate."

"Not unless she found another way to deal with the Flower. Though she does have that dragon now, admittedly."

" - That sword of hers is dragon bone. I spotted that when we fought a year ago; it leaves deeper wounds than it should, and they healed pretty slow. Honestly I think she'd have been mostly fine up until One - or possibly up until she's the last one left, 'cause she'd have had to find someone else with a different dragon-bone sword to kill her. Even then, the Flower'd probably have tried to pull something, but this time with no one powerful enough to stop it. I guess unless One suddenly lost like all of her paranoia and agreed to mutual murder-suicide - she's got a dragon, so that would've worked probably. But One's like. Really paranoid, and there's no way she'd trust Zero that far - and honestly no way Zero'd trust her."

"Fighting demons would've also been a lot harder without you or a dragon, buuut Zero's kinda insane like that, and she'd have been collecting our disciples anyways. I'm not super clear on if that'd give her access to our demons, but it would give her a lot more power and flexibility."

"She didn't want to have to kill you."

"She's never hesitated, sooo don't think that really matters?"

"It may for your relationship going forward."

...Awkward shrug. "Don't think she likes me anyways."

Hum.

"Both of us liking you's pretty good enough, though."

"So I'm to be the pivot?"

"What, you've never dreamed of your own harem?"

"In my youth."