Chapter III: Their Own Endings
A few minutes before Suzu and Eri started rushing toward them, Shizuku and Ryutarou were struggling to survive Kouki’s onslaught. Of the seventy Corpse Apostles that had remained behind to help him, only ten had been slain.
Suzu had left behind her familiars to help Shizuku and Ryutarou, but they were still being pushed back. The reason for that was simple: Kouki’s control over his Divine Wrath of a Thousand Forms was growing by the minute and his huge dragon was now able to throw out precise attacks while bathing everyone with its breath, and the fifty mini-dragons were also firing off precise breath attacks.
“Divine Wrath - Imperial Vortex!”
Imperial Vortex was normally a wind spell that created a tornado that shot out horizontally, but Kouki was creating a light spell version of it with Divine Wrath. However, he wasn’t using it as an attack. Instead, he was creating a tunnel of light to keep people from interrupting him. And once he’d created the light tunnel, he dashed behind Ryutarou and shouted, “Divine Wrath - Shining Blade!”
“Whoa!”
Ryutarou immediately turned around and crossed his ogreified arms to block. He also double-activated Diamond Skin, but even then, the blade of light that hit him blasted through his defensive magic and scored a deep groove in his gauntlets.
“Don’t underestimate me!” he exclaimed as he used the ogre’s special magic, Impact Manipulator, to disperse the force of the blow, allowing him to take the attack without being pushed back. Ryutarou then countered with a front kick, but Kouki immediately leaped back to avoid it.
“Divine Wrath - Tenfold!”
A shotgun blast of Divine Wraths shot out of Kouki’s sword, targeting Ryutarou.
“Demonic Fists - Thousand Blows!”
Ryutarou planted his feet firmly on the ground and launched a flurry of punches at the Divine Wraths, his gauntlets glowing emerald-green with his mana. Thanks to his ogre strength, each punch had the force of a cannonball. Deafening booms rang out each time Ryutarou’s fists collided with one of Kouki’s Divine Wraths. In terms of power, they were about equal, but Kouki had far more trump cards up his sleeve than Ryutarou.
“Shit!” Ryutarou roared as he realized the light dragon was bearing down on him from behind. Its jaws closed around Ryutarou’s torso, and he could hear his armor crack. Normally, Ryutarou would have been vaporized just from coming in contact with the dragon’s fangs, which were made of highly compressed Divine Wraths. It was only thanks to his ogre form’s toughness that he was able to survive, but in this state, he couldn’t even use his Diamond Skin.
“Group Five, Shock Impact!”
Four of Shizuku’s blades came out of nowhere and skewered the dragon’s head, forcing it to release Ryutarou.
“Thanks for the save, Shizuku!”
Shizuku didn’t reply, mostly because she didn’t have the time to spare. She was blitzing across the battlefield, appearing in one place one second and another the next.
Now that she’d used Limiter Removal, she could sustain insane speeds for a long period of time, something Instant Transcendence didn’t allow for, even if it was far more efficient. Though she was burning through her mana at an incredible rate, Shizuku needed this much power to handle all the Corpse Apostles and mini-dragons she was fighting at once. And even then, she couldn’t get any decisive blows in, while her own arsenal of Onyx Blades had been whittled down to half their original number.
One of Kouki’s mini-dragons swallowed yet another blade, though it was sturdy enough to survive for a few seconds, so it managed to extricate itself with a spatial-severing slice. Unfortunately, cutting through one mini-dragon wasn’t enough, since another quickly came to take its place and finally melted through the katana’s protections.
Suzu’s familiars were similarly hard-pressed. Half of them had already fallen. The praying mantises had all been annihilated, and since Kouki’s dragon had taken out the nearby buildings, the spiders had nowhere left to hide, leaving only one of those left alive as well.
Are you still not ready, Shizuku? I’m not gonna be able to hold on much longer! Ryutarou thought.
A second later, Kouki shouted, “Celestial Flash Burst!”
A series of crescent-moon-shaped slashes sped toward Ryutarou.
“Nuorryaaaaaaaaah!”
Relying on brute strength over skill, Ryutarou grabbed a ten-meter-tall chunk of rubble and threw it at the attacks. Even with his considerable strength, such a feat wouldn’t have been possible outside his ogre form. The Celestial Flashes pierced through the rubble like Swiss cheese, but they did slow down and weaken a little, which was all Ryutarou needed.
“Doryaaaaaah!”
Ryutarou barreled through the weakened Celestial Flashes and charged at Kouki.
“Metamorph Fist - Armor Penetrator!”
The gauntlet on his right hand changed shape, transforming into a lance. It burned red-hot, melting anything it came into contact with.
“I can read you like a book, Ryutarou,” Kouki said, easily sidestepping the attack. He was simply too fast for Ryutarou. After that, he ordered his dragon, which had circled to Ryutarou’s left flank, to fire another wave of breath at him.
Ryutarou wanted to jump out of the way, but then he sensed Shizuku behind him and instead crossed his arms in front of him again to guard.
“Shizuku, dodge!” he shouted a second before the dragon’s breath hit him. His body screamed in pain as the breath tore through his innate Diamond Skin.
As soon as he saw that Shizuku had leaped to safety, he jumped to the side himself. The beam of white light shot past him, incinerating an unlucky Corpse Apostle and familiar that happened to be in the line of fire.
“Koukiii! You lined us up on purpose, didn’t you, you bastard?!”
“You guys are my childhood friends. It’s not hard to lure you into moving the way I want you to.”
“Hah, that’s what you think!” Ryutarou retorted as Shizuku appeared beside him.
“Ryutarou, you okay?!”
“Yeah, this is nothing!”
Despite what he said, there was smoke coming off him and most of his body was badly burned. And so, Shizuku grabbed two recovery potions from her Treasure Trove and handed one to Ryutarou while she drank the second to recover her own mana.
“Since you’re here, we’ve got some good news, right?” Ryutarou asked as he drank his potion.
“Yep. Good job keeping Kouki distracted. Thanks to you, I managed to see what I needed to.”
“Hah, glad to hear it,” Ryutarou replied cheerfully. “Looks like it’s time for our comeback! It would be pretty pathetic if we lost two-on-one, seeing as Suzu’s handling her fight solo and all.”
“Tell me about it. It’s about time that idiot got the punch to the face that he deserves!”
Upon hearing that, Kouki shook his head in exasperation. With how the fight had been going thus far, he was confident that he wouldn’t lose. He’d only let them have their conversation because he’d hoped they would realize the futility of fighting back and surrender. Sadly, they hadn’t.
“You guys surprised me a few times, but my stats are way too high compared to yours. Give it up already. I’m worried about Eri, so I want to get this over with as fast as possible.”
Kouki held his sword aloft, and his dragon and all of his mini-dragons began charging their breath again. Ignoring the familiars entirely, he had the Corpse Apostles retreat to a safe distance. He clearly planned to obliterate everything on the battlefield in one fell swoop.
In response, Shizuku and Ryutarou prepared their own trump cards.
“Grant me the power to surpass heaven itself—Supreme Ascendance!”
“Fusion Transformation - Wereogre!”
Supreme Ascendance was an evolution magic spell that surpassed even Limiter Removal, while Fusion Transformation was a metamorphosis magic spell that combined the best traits of Ryutarou’s two strongest transformations without either of their drawbacks. Bright blue mana swirled around Shizuku, while Ryutarou transformed into a werewolf with an ogre’s physique and horns.
“You still had something left up your sleeve?!” Kouki exclaimed. Shizuku and Ryutarou didn’t bother to respond, and they ignored the meteor shower of white light that headed straight for them as well.
“Let’s kick things off by getting rid of those annoying Corpse Apostles!” Shizuku said to Ryutarou.
“Gotcha!” he replied, and the two of them vanished.
The Corpse Apostles had been charging their own disintegration attacks off at the edge of the battlefield, but now Shizuku and Ryutarou suddenly appeared at their flanks, beheading two of them before they even had time to register the threat.
“Group One - Dive! Group Two - Carve! Group Four - Strike!”
“Familiars, slow the Corpse Apostles down!”
Due to how fast Shizuku and Ryutarou were moving, it sounded like their orders were coming from all over at the same time.
“Holy shit, that’s fast!” Kouki exclaimed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get a good lock on either of them. His sweeping barrages only managed to hit Corpse Apostles and familiars.
Meanwhile, the first group of Shizuku’s katanas dived underground, shooting up from the Corpse Apostles’ blind spots to skewer them from below. And at the same time, the second group sliced open spatial portals near the Corpse Apostles. Those portals weren’t as precise as those made by Suzu, but they were good enough for the fourth group of blades to use to slice up the Corpse Apostles from unexpected angles.
The Corpse Apostles couldn’t deal with attacks from so many directions at once, so they fell one after another in quick succession.
Of course, Shizuku herself wasn’t idle during this time either.
“Blitz!”
The portals she opened herself were, of course, far more precise, and she could get powerful pinpoint attacks off. And all of these new techniques were only possible thanks to her Supreme Ascendance. Her newfound speed was so great that the Corpse Apostles couldn’t even put up a fight as they were eviscerated.
Ryutarou had a similarly easy time destroying Corpse Apostles with his werewolf speed and ogre strength.
The few remaining Corpse Apostles tried to flee to the skies and mount a coordinated defense, but the familiars kept getting in their way, allowing Ryutarou to rip through them. However, while it looked like they were demolishing everything with ease, Shizuku and Ryutarou were struggling quite a bit.
Ngh, this is rough. I feel like I’m gonna pass out any second now.
Using metamorphosis magic to transform yourself into two creatures at once was no easy feat, and Ryutarou hadn’t had nearly enough practice with the skill. He was working mostly off of intuition, and with the burden it placed on his body, he couldn’t keep the form active for longer than forty seconds. If he tried to push past that limit, he would lose his humanity and transform into a monster for real. Shizuku was under a similar time limit as well; when her Supreme Ascendance wore off, she’d be hit with fatigue comparable to the side effects of using Limit Break.
Thus, Shizuku and Ryutarou needed to go as fast as possible to kill all the Corpse Apostles and take Kouki down before they ran out of time.
“I’m getting tired of your games!” Kouki shouted in irritation. With the way he was firing off breath attacks and Celestial Flashes in all directions, he was basically a mobile fortress.
Shizuku and Ryutarou had to keep their movements as random as possible to avoid being tagged by an errant attack from Kouki, which slowed down the rate at which they took out the Corpse Apostles.
Please let there be enough time! Shizuku and Ryutarou thought simultaneously, and just then, a flock of black butterflies appeared on the battlefield.
The remaining Corpse Apostles stiffened, then turned to each other in confusion.
“What?! What’s going on?!” Kouki shouted in confusion, while Shizuku and Ryutarou grinned.
“All groups, bury the remaining Corpse Apostles!”
“Familiars, you go too!”
There were still ten seconds left before Shizuku and Ryutarou hit their time limit. With the Corpse Apostles more or less taken care of, they both turned around and charged at their main target.
“Koukiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” Ryutarou screamed.
By the time Kouki realized he was under attack, it was already too late. He barely turned in time to see Ryutarou, and he couldn’t do a single thing to defend himself before Ryutarou’s fist slammed into his solar plexus.
Ryutarou was using his ogre strength, his werewolf speed, Impact Manipulator, and the skill Giant Slayer to maximize the force of his punch. Of course, all of that was complemented by the considerable karate skills he had cultivated since childhood.
Kouki doubled over, coughing up blood. He then stumbled backward, barely managing to stay on his feet.
“Hope that helped you wake up, friend,” Ryutarou said in a cheerful voice.
“Ngh, Ryuta—”
“If it didn’t, have another. It’s about time you came back to your senses!”
“Gah!”
Ryutarou followed up with a palm thrust to Kouki’s chest, sending him flying.
The force of the blow drove the air from Kouki’s lungs, causing his vision to flicker.
As he sailed through the air, he reflexively tried to get into a defensive stance and ordered his dragon to protect him. Even when there wasn’t time for conscious thought, he instinctively knew Shizuku would be waiting for him where he landed, which made him deathly afraid.
Goosebumps rose on his skin as he turned around and indeed saw Shizuku waiting to cut him down. There was an absolutely insane amount of blue mana concentrated around her sheathed blade. Her sheath was straining under the pressure of containing that much mana, and some of it was leaking out from the gap between the hilt and the sheath.
“Shizukuuu!” Kouki yelled, not even sure why he was yelling anymore. He then desperately stuck his blade into the ground in an emergency attempt to halt his momentum.
“Accept your punishment—True Strike!”
After letting out that short incantation, Shizuku vanished.
She then reappeared behind him, and a thin flash of light bisected Kouki.
“Ah...!”
A second later, Kouki felt the force of Shizuku’s cut course through him. He slumped to the ground, but to his utter surprise, he realized he felt no pain. Panicking, he patted himself down and realized that there was no cut anywhere on his body.
“Shizuku, did you finally...? Wait, what happened to my mana?!”
For a moment, Kouki thought Shizuku hadn’t been able to bring herself to cut him down after all, but then he realized what it was that Shizuku’s cut had done.
His massive dragon began to sag, as did all of his mini-dragons. They then all split in half before dispersing into nothingness. However, Kouki barely even noticed. He was far more worried about the fact that all of his mana was leaving him. He should have had a limitless supply, provided to him directly by Ehit, but any mana that filled him seemed to drain right out like water in a bucket with a hole in it.
“E-Even my Limit Break is...”
Drained of his mana, Kouki was unable to maintain his Limit Break. He dropped to all fours, struggling not to collapse entirely.
Shizuku and Ryutarou stood a short distance away from him. Shizuku’s Supreme Ascendance and Ryutarou’s Fusion Transformation had both worn off, and they were breathing heavily, but they still kept their guard up just in case.
“Shi...zuku... What did you do to me?” Kouki asked in a trembling voice.
Shizuku slipped her katana a few inches out of its scabbard and said, “Did you know, spirit magic lets you directly affect the intangible energy every person possesses? This katana of mine can cut through that energy.”
After Shizuku had acquired evolution magic, Hajime had upgraded her katana and given it the power to cut through souls. Shizuku had then further improved that ability with her own evolution magic, which had led to the birth of the skill True Strike. True Strike could cut through not just a person’s soul, but also their mana, their stamina, their mental state, and even the various positive and negative spells that were affecting them without harming their body at all.
“It took some time to figure out where exactly I needed to cut to sever your link to your mana supply and slice through the Spirit Binding, but...”
All great martial art techniques required impeccable precision. And in order to achieve that precision, Shizuku had needed perfectly accurate information. Fortunately, the true nature of evolution magic was the ability to interfere with information on an abstract level, so she’d had the tools necessary to gather that information. With the help of her artifacts, Shizuku had been carefully studying Kouki...and it had taken until just a second ago to gather the information needed to even use her True Strike.
“A true swordsman’s strokes cut through only that which they desire. I cheated a little to get to that point, but ultimately, I made it there.”
“I don’t...believe it...”
Even after hearing Shizuku’s explanation, Kouki couldn’t understand. Of course, he obviously understood that Shizuku had reached master swordswoman status. One look at her eyes was enough to tell him she hadn’t gotten this far solely thanks to her artifacts. Her ironclad will and her determination to cut only that which she wished to without destroying anything else had brought her this far. His childhood friend had reached the fabled level of mastery where she was simultaneously as calm as still water and as fierce as a raging fire. And despite being the legendary hero, Kouki hadn’t even come close to reaching that point.
“It looks like I messed up, though. I thought I’d cut through your Spirit Binding, but from the looks of it, you’re still daydreaming, aren’t you?”
Twenty of Shizuku’s golem blades and four of Suzu’s familiars—a centipede, a hornet, and two ants—came over after eliminating the last of the Corpse Apostles and lined up behind Shizuku.
In a pleading voice, Kouki said, “Shizuku... You didn’t kill me because...you still care about me, right? I knew you were still in there...when I didn’t sense any bloodlust from you...”
“Kouki...” Shizuku muttered.
“It’s okay... Ryutarou didn’t try to kill me either. I’ll definitely save both of you and—”
Shizuku drew her blade in one fluid motion and sliced through Kouki again, cutting him off.
“Did you get it this time?” Ryutarou asked, patting Shizuku’s shoulder.
“I did,” she replied simply, resheathing her blade and looking down at Kouki, who was looking down at the ground, making it impossible to read his expression. However, Shizuku was absolutely certain she’d cut through the Spirit Binding this time. All of the brainwashing Eri had inflicted on him was gone.
“Kouki. You should be free of the brainwashing now. You understand what it was you did, and what’s actually going on here...right?” Shizuku said sternly.
“......”
In a slightly gentler voice, Ryutarou added, “Well, it’s over now, but you better reflect on what you did. Also, we’ve gotta catch back up to Nagumo and beat the shit out of that stupid god before his army kills everyone back on Tortus, so come back to us, Kouki.”
“......”
For a while, Kouki said nothing. But then he started trembling, and in the faintest of whispers, he said, “No, this can’t be. This has to be some kind of mistake. I’m the one who’s in the right. Yeah, that’s it, I was just brainwashed. There’s no way I’d...try to hurt...Ryutarou...or Shizuku... It wasn’t supposed to be like this... I was just trying to do the right thing... I just wanted to be a hero...like my grandpa...that’s all... How did things end up like this...? I’ve lost everything... Nagumo took Kaori and Shizuku away from me...and now even Ryutarou’s on his side...”
“Kouki!”
“H-Hey, Kouki!”
Shizuku and Ryutarou shouted, worried that Kouki was about to spiral out of control again. Their expressions stiffened when they saw him claw at the ground hard enough to break his own nails, and they readied their weapons once more.
“Yeah...I’m not the bad guy here. This is all Nagumo’s fault. If it wasn’t for him, everything would have worked out perfectly. But because of him, Kaori, Shizuku, Ryutarou, Eri, and everyone else...betrayed me. You all betrayed me!”
Kouki looked up, his eyes—half-covered by his bangs—glowing with hate and indignation. But beneath that veneer of anger was a deep-rooted sorrow. Sorrow that stemmed from the guilt of knowing what he’d done, and that he could never turn back. His conscience weighed on him so heavily that he needed to find someone else to blame, or he’d crumble under the despair. In a way, he looked like a child having a panic attack.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Though his mana should have been depleted, it flared up again as Kouki screamed, sending a spiral of pure-white energy rising toward the heavens. However—
“Kouki, stop! If you keep going, you’ll kill yourself!” Shizuku screamed.
“Wait, he’ll do what?! Shizuku, what’s going on?! I thought you cut off his mana?!”
“I did! I sliced clean through his mana repository! He’s not absorbing the nearby ether to produce more mana!”
“Then how’s he getting more?!”
“By converting something else! I don’t know if he’s using up his life force or his soul or what, but he’s transforming it all into mana! It’s probably something he can do because he can use Limit Break! Either way, this isn’t good!”
“Goddammit, Kouki, come back to your senses already!”
Indeed, Kouki was creating this mana by burning away his own life. Abilities that overturned the natural laws of the universe always came with a steep cost...and they were practically never worth the price.
Shizuku and Ryutarou covered their faces with their hands as the shockwaves created by Kouki’s mana washed over them, but they continued to desperately call out to him. Unfortunately, he was too far gone to hear anything. Their voices physically reached him, but his brain refused to process anything they said. Shizuku couldn’t even tell if he was trying to destroy the reality that didn’t conform to what he wanted or just destroy himself.
“I’m going to put an end to it all. Why did things end up like this? Shouldn’t we have overcome all the hardships in this world together? Kaori, Shizuku, Ryutarou, Eri, and Suzu should have all remained by my side,” Kouki muttered to himself. However, his empty, resigned voice echoed clearly through the battlefield.
“This isn’t what I wanted. If I’ve lost everything...and I can’t even get it back...then I’ll at least destroy it all with my own two hands!”
The nearby rubble was pulverized as Kouki’s mana multiplied in intensity. He was transforming it all into Divine Wrath. And as he did so, his mana went from an uncontrolled spiral to a concrete form. He wasn’t making a dragon this time, but a much larger, human-shaped giant. And once his giant petered out, so too would Kouki’s life.
“Like hell I’ll let you die here!” Ryutarou shouted, forcing himself forward through the gale-force winds created by Kouki’s Divine Wrath.
“Why do you think we came all this way?” Shizuku said, gritting her teeth and following after Ryutarou.
They hadn’t come here for revenge, or to punish Kouki for his sins. Whatever penance he needed to do, it could come later. That wasn’t why they’d overcome crushing despair and kicked logic to the curb. They were here for one thing, and one thing only: to give him a good punch to the face and bring him back with them.
“Shizuku, I’ll take care of the Divine Wrath. You get Kouki!” Ryutarou shouted.
“That Divine Wrath is a whole lot more dangerous than the dragon we faced before. Not even your strongest transformation will be enough. You’ll die trying to fight it.”
Ryutarou gave Shizuku a fearless grin and replied, “Heh, don’t worry about me. There’s no way I’m dying here. I can’t let Kouki kill me, so there’s no way I’m dying!”
“You idiot. What kind of logic is that? Well...I guess it’s fine. Logic won’t really help us here. That blockhead’s throwing one last tantrum, so I guess I’ll have to beat him up until he finally apologizes!” Shizuku said, flashing him a fearless grin.
“I’m counting on you!” Ryutarou shouted as he leaped forward, determined to bring his friend back to his senses no matter the cost. His body was exhausted from the repeated transformations, but he bounded forward with unbelievable speed.
“S-Stay away! Don’t come near me!” Kouki shouted, pointing his sword at Ryutarou and shooting a blast of Divine Wrath at him.
A wall of destructive light filled Ryutarou’s vision, blotting out everything else. Kouki’s magic was indeed far more deadly than before. Even Ryutarou’s wereogre form wouldn’t be able to survive an attack of this magnitude. However—
“Come forth, my light-devouring tree of the abyss—Transformation - Treant!”
Ryutarou had one last trump card up his sleeve. His skin turned gnarled, rough, and brown, while his eyes began to glow a dark crimson. Right after his transformation into a half-tree was completed, the Divine Wrath hit him. It halted his advance, but it didn’t vaporize him. He crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself, withstanding the onslaught of obliterating light.
“I-Impossible...” Kouki muttered, his jaw dropping open. In the back of his head, he’d expected Shizuku and Ryutarou to dodge out of the way, so seeing Ryutarou take his attack head-on was quite a shock. All the more so because it didn’t seem to be killing him.
“Uoooooooooooooooh!”
In fact, Ryutarou was managing to slowly advance forward. Tough as a tree, he held fast against the torrent of white light. The treant transformation didn’t have much in the way of physical defense, and it was cripplingly weak to fire. Plus, it didn’t boast much offensive power either. And worst of all, it was slow. In this form, Ryutarou couldn’t go any faster than a regular human’s fast walk.
Treant form was wholly unsuited to close combat. However, it did possess one extremely valuable property...the special magic Photoabsorption, which allowed the user to absorb any and all light magic and convert it into mana. Ryutarou had acquired this transformation solely to prove to Kouki that he would never turn his back on him, no matter what Kouki did. It was normally a useless form, but in this instance, it was the strongest trump card. Ryutarou kept his gaze fixed firmly on Kouki, even with the torrent of light whirling all around him.
I’m coming for you. Don’t you dare run away.
The sheer force of Ryutarou’s will caused Kouki to inadvertently stagger backward. Fear crept into his eyes. Ryutarou’s determination was so dazzling that it made him starkly aware of how pathetic he was being.
“I... I told you to stay away! If you get any closer, I’ll kill you for real, you hear me?! You might be my best friend, but I won’t hold back!”
Ryutarou just laughed. The fact that Kouki had said “kill you for real” just proved to Ryutarou that he didn’t really want to kill him at all. Indeed, despite how bright Kouki’s Divine Wrath was, the glow of his sword was dim. It was like a physical manifestation of its owner’s hesitation.
On the other hand, Ryutarou was covered in wounds. As Shizuku had stated, even this form of his couldn’t fully withstand Kouki’s assault. The light that made it through his special magic tore at Ryutarou’s skin, opening new cuts and instantly vaporizing any blood that came out. But even so, he grinned fearlessly and kept pushing onward.
“A-Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Kouki let out a strangled scream, not even sure of what he was doing anymore...or why he was doing it.
The only thought that remained in his head was, It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Brandishing the full extent of his power, he once again tried to deny the reality in front of him. With a roar, the giant rose to its feet. It curled its fingers into a fist and wound its arm back for a powerful punch. Then, spurred on by Kouki’s pained screams, the giant of light brought its fist down on Ryutarou like a meteorite. And as the fist hit the ground, the earth shook, cracks spreading out from the point of impact.
“A-Ah...” Kouki groaned softly. Somewhere in the corner of his mind, he knew that he’d just killed his best friend. His eyes grew glassy and unfocused, while his thoughts became scattered and incoherent. Just as Kouki was about to lose it completely, he heard Ryutarou’s voice.
“C’mon, bro. You look really pathetic right now, you know that?”
“Huh?” Kouki mumbled in confusion. He had thought he’d never hear that voice again. Looking down, he saw there was a small gap between the giant’s fist and the ground.
On second thought, Kouki realized it made no sense for the ground to have survived with just a few cracks. His super-dense Divine Wrath should have obliterated everything in its vicinity and made a huge hole. The fact that it hadn’t meant—
“R-Ryutarou? H-How in the world did you manage to stop that?”
Ryutarou was standing there, holding his fist back with just his arms. He grinned fearlessly as he looked over at Kouki. There was white smoke coming off of him, his bloody wounds were being cauterized by the heat, and his body was riddled with cracks, but he was still standing...and the determination in his gaze remained unwavering.
“You idiot... There’s no way an attack without any feeling behind it...could scratch me... Hey, Kouki. You can’t kill me, no matter how hard you try. Wanna...know why?”
“H-Huh?”
“Because right now...I’m invincible. Ever since I decided I was gonna bring my idiot friend back home, I’ve been invincible! That’s why you can’t kill me! Until I drag you back to where you belong, I won’t die!”
“Wh-Why are you...willing to...?” Kouki trailed off, overwhelmed by Ryutarou’s sheer presence.
Smiling, Ryutarou replied, “Isn’t that...obvious? I’m your best friend...and it’s a best friend’s job to beat their friend back to their senses when they’ve gone down the wrong path.”
“Best...friend?”
“That’s right. But, well...I guess this time around, I’ll let her take care of the most important job. It hurts to admit it, but...it doesn’t look like my fists will be able to reach you...so...”
“Huh?”
Kouki watched on, dumbfounded, as a black shadow streaked past Ryutarou. With her trademark ponytail fluttering in the wind, Shizuku dashed toward Kouki, her cold gaze fixed ever forward.
“True Strike!”
“Ah!”
An invisible slash once again robbed Kouki of his mana. The great giant made of Divine Wrath then slumped to one side and dispersed into mist.
Kouki watched as Ryutarou slumped to the ground, finally freed from his burden, then turned to Shizuku, who was still looking at him with her clear, obsidian eyes. He could tell from her expression that she wasn’t done with her attack yet, but he no longer had the strength left to move.
I suppose this is no worse than I deserve...
Surprisingly calm, Kouki closed his eyes and prepared to take Shizuku’s blade, but then he heard her drop it and his eyes blinked open in surprise.
“Grit your teeth, you absolute moron!” Shizuku screamed in a voice loud enough to blow away Kouki’s despair.
“Huh?! Gaaah!”
Something hit Kouki in the cheek hard enough to rattle his brain. His vision flickered and the last dregs of strength left his limbs. As he looked up at the sky, he realized he must have fallen to the ground.
A second later, a similarly powerful blow hit his other cheek. His head jerked to the other side with such force that he thought his neck might tear. Then, he felt another blow on his other cheek. His head pinballed back and forth as Shizuku pummeled him with slaps.
“This is for all the pain you caused me! And this is for pushing all your problems onto me! And this is for ruining all the opportunities I salvaged for you! And this is for all the times you ignored my lectures! There’s a bunch more, but here’s another just for good measure! Oh, and have one more!”
“Gah! Geh! Bwah! Ungh! Gak! Ack! Blagh! Bwuh! Gwaah!”
Shizuku showed absolutely no mercy as she slapped the ever-loving shit out of Kouki. She slapped him so hard that some of his teeth were knocked loose.
“Sh-Shizu, wai—”
“No way! I won’t stop until you get on your knees and apologize! I’ve had it with you! Stop pouting and sulking like a spoiled brat every single time things don’t go your way! Everyone else has had to put up with your crap for far too long, you little shit! I’m tired of your excuses! If words won’t get through to you, then maybe violence will! Prepare yourself!”
Shizuku’s voice echoed clearly through the ruined streets of the abandoned city. She straddled Kouki and continued slapping him as she channeled Ryutarou’s feelings for the next part of her lecture.
“This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be? No duh, you idiot! No one gets everything they want in life! We all have to grit our teeth and endure things we don’t like from time to time! But you just turned your eyes away from reality and didn’t even try to fight for the future you wanted! No wonder nothing went your way!”
“Sh-Shizu—Gah!”
“I said it before, and I’ll say it again: you’re just a spoiled brat. You keep pretending the things you don’t want to happen aren’t real and make excuses over and over in your head. And then, when you mess up, you pin the blame on others!”
Shizuku finally stopped slapping Kouki, but she wasn’t done with him yet. She grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up.
“It’s all over? Think again! There’s no way we’ll let you kill yourself! You don’t deserve the easy way out! We’re taking you back with us, even if we have to drag you home! And we won’t ever give up! If even this isn’t enough to get through that thick skull of yours, then we’ll beat you up some more!”
“Shizuku...”
Kouki could tell from the look in Shizuku’s eyes that if he tried to give her any more excuses, she really would pummel him to within an inch of his life. His face was swollen and bloody, but he summoned the last reserves of his strength and asked in a groan, “Didn’t you pick Nagumo...over me?”
“Yeah. The man I love is Hajime, not you. So what?”
“Then why haven’t you abandoned me? I did so many horrible things to you, so why...?”
Kouki couldn’t fathom why Shizuku still cared about him if Hajime was the one she loved. After all, he’d done horrible things to her and the rest of his friends, and even though he was the hero, he’d betrayed humanity when they needed him most. He didn’t think he was at all worthy of being redeemed.
Upon seeing his expression, Shizuku’s eyes softened just a little and she replied, “Isn’t that obvious? You’re my friend. We’ve been together since we were kids, and we even trained in the same dojo. You’re practically family to me...and family never abandon each other. Though honestly, I really wish you weren’t such an annoying younger brother.”
It was because Kouki was like family to Shizuku that she could never abandon him. And it was precisely because she stuck by him no matter what stupid things he did that they were family.
Upon hearing that, Kouki felt as though everything had finally fallen into place. All of the things he’d cared so much about, saving the world, doing the right thing, helping those in need, being a hero...all of that suddenly felt insignificant. These two had gained such immense power and chased him all the way to the Sanctuary not for grand reasons like those, but simply because he was Shizuku’s family and Ryutarou’s best friend. Even though he’d betrayed them, even though they could have died on the way here, they’d come to stop his rampage. They’d done it for such a simple reason, but it felt far greater than it should have. At the very least, he knew he’d never gone to such lengths for his own ideals.
Tears spilled from Kouki’s eyes. He finally realized just how pathetic he’d been...and exactly how much these two meant to him. After everything he’d done, they’d still risked their lives to come save him.
“I’m...sorry. I mean it...I... Oh, what have I done...?”
“There you go. That’s the apology I was looking for, you moron.”
After a few seconds, the happiness of knowing his two best friends still cared about him faded, replaced by pure guilt. He realized now how despicable his past actions had been, especially since he was someone who cared about doing the right thing. His sins were so great that they could only be atoned for with death.
But dying meant invalidating everything his friends had done to rescue him. Besides—
“Don’t try to run away, Kouki. Live on...and fight. We won’t forgive you for seeking redemption in any other way.”
Death would be just another escape. No matter how painful it was, even if he lost his home, even if his former friends all cursed his name, Kouki needed to keep living. Only by moving forward while seeing reality for what it really was would he be able to truly atone for what he’d done.
Still crying, Kouki looked into Shizuku’s unwavering eyes and bit his lip. He chose to engrave Shizuku’s and Ryutarou’s words into his heart and say farewell to the weak person he’d been until now.
“I...know I can’t die. I have to live...and finish the fight I couldn’t finish the first time. I have to win the fight against myself.”
“That’s right. Cry your heart out, but make sure to get back up after that. And if you mess up again, we can just beat you to a pulp a second time.”
Kouki still felt ashamed of himself, but he was also a little happy that his friends cared that much about him.
Shizuku let go of his collar and he fell back to the ground. While he didn’t have the strength to stand, he was at least able to force his body back into a sitting position. He then looked at Shizuku with swollen, red eyes and spoke in a firm voice, saying, “You won’t have to beat me up again. I can change. I’ll show you I can. At the very least, I’ll become responsible enough that you stop treating me like a younger brother.”
“Oh? Even if you graduate from being my little brother, I’m afraid you’ll never get to be a love interest.”
“Aw, did you have to say that? Do you really love Nagumo that much?”
“I do. I’m head over heels for him. It’s a shame I can’t keep him all to myself, but I can live with sharing him. At least I know a guy like him will be able to handle all of us at once.”
“Are you really going to brag about how cool he is to me right now?” Kouki said with a bitter smile. While he didn’t feel any less jealous than before, he wasn’t letting his jealousy cloud his judgment anymore. He could accept Shizuku’s decision for what it was. For whatever reason, she really did love Hajime. That was reality...and he had just sworn to face it properly.
No matter how many times reality beats me down, I’ll keep getting back up.
As Kouki gathered his thoughts, he realized that was probably the difference between him and Hajime, Shizuku, and Ryutarou. It was also the reason why he’d been defeated.
Just then, Ryutarou crawled over to them and said, “Hey, you guys better not have forgotten about me.”
He sounded rather annoyed. He’d dispelled his treant form, so he was back to normal old Ryutarou.
“Wow, I’m impressed you can still move after all those injuries, Ryutarou,” Shizuku said.
“I had to eat the last of the CheatMates, but I’m good.”
After replying to Shizuku, Ryutarou turned to Kouki. Kouki turned to him as well. It was because of him that Ryutarou was covered from head to toe in wounds, but Ryutarou had still kept on shouting that Kouki was his best friend. That determination was something Kouki swore to never forget.
After a few seconds of silence, he finally said, “Uh...sorry, Ryutarou.”
He didn’t bow his head, though. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed firmly on Ryutarou. Breaking eye contact would have been the same as averting his gaze from Ryutarou’s honest reaction.
Ryutarou gazed quietly back at him for a few seconds. But eventually, he grinned and said, “S’all good.”
There was no need for a long speech. Everything he needed to convey could be said with that simple sentence.
Kouki smiled a little, glad that their relationship could stay the same as before.
Unfortunately, just as everyone was starting to relax, they felt a chill run down their spines.
“What in the world...” Shizuku muttered, gripping the hilt of her katana. Ryutarou tried to get into a fighting stance as well, but he’d pushed himself too hard and couldn’t even stand.
Looking up, Kouki muttered, “Eri...”
Not only had Eri’s limbs been crushed, but her entire body was twisted and warped in unnatural ways. Her gray wings flickered in and out of existence, and it looked like she might fall at any second. She was coated in her own blood from head to toe, and even her eyes were bloodshot. She stared blankly down at Kouki and the others, and Suzu showed up behind her a few seconds later.
Shizuku and Ryutarou glanced over at Suzu, and after confirming that she was safe, they turned their attention back to Eri.
Seemingly unaware that Suzu was right behind her, Eri said in a hoarse voice, “Why? Why do you all look so happy? Hey, Kouki-kun? Those guys are your enemies, remember? They’re traitors who stole the things that mattered most to you. Why are you talking to them like they’re your friends? Why?”
Though she was interrogating Kouki, Eri’s unfocused eyes didn’t seem to be looking at him at all. If anything, it felt like she was directing those questions at herself. With how her crushed limbs were swaying in the wind, she resembled a creepy marionette.
“Eri...I’m sorry, but I can’t fight Shizuku, Ryutarou, or Suzu any longer. I won’t. I know now that I’ve been fighting the wrong foe this whole time.”
Eri went eerily still upon hearing that.
“What was that?”
She cocked her head at such a steep angle that it looked like she’d snapped her neck. Her gaze flitted about wildly, her eyes gleaming madly.
“What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that? What was that?” she repeated in the exact same tone over and over, like a broken record.
Shizuku and the others felt goosebumps rise on their arms. Neither Shizuku nor Ryutarou, nor even Suzu, could bring themselves to say anything. Eri’s madness was just too much for them to handle.
“E-Eri, listen to me,” Kouki said, breaking the silence. It was precisely because he’d been beaten back to his senses that he was the one who had to talk sense into her. “I realize now that I’ve been an ignorant idiot this whole time, but there is one thing even I understand. I must have done something to hurt you horribly in the past. I know it might be too late to make amends, but please hear me out.”
There was a note of desperation in his voice, but he was speaking from the heart. Perhaps that was why Eri actually focused her gaze on him. She stared at him with cold, emotionless eyes. It was as if all the darkness in the world was concentrated in her pupils. However, Kouki didn’t avert his gaze.
What should I say to her?
He didn’t know what the right words were, but he knew that even if he couldn’t find them, it would be wrong to look away. Even if it had been a twisted form of love, Eri had truly cared for him. And besides, he was the only one who knew that she’d been wracked with terrible nightmares night after night. He needed to know the true reasons behind Eri’s actions. As the one who’d been the catalyst for her change, it was his responsibility to face that truth head-on. Thus, he looked up at her, trying to see the real Eri Nakamura for the very first time. And that forced Eri to realize that her dream had died.
All strength suddenly left Eri’s body, and she gave Kouki the most authentic smile Suzu had ever seen her make. It was a resigned, sad smile, but a genuine one all the same.
“Liar,” she said, that one word echoing through the ruined city.
A second later, a bright light burst forth from Eri’s chest.
“W-Wait, Eri, that’s—!” Shizuku shouted in a panic, realizing exactly what Eri was about to do.
That light was exactly the same as the one that had come from the self-destructing magic item Meld Loggins had used inside the Great Orcus Labyrinth—Loyalty’s Promise. Though of course, the glow coming from Eri was far greater than what had come from Loyalty’s Promise. And so, the resulting explosion would be magnitudes more powerful. Shizuku’s voice was swallowed by the light, as was whatever Ryutarou and Kouki tried to shout.
Silence fell over the battlefield as the light consumed all sound. Realizing there was nothing they could do, Shizuku, Ryutarou, and Kouki covered their faces with their arms. However, after a few seconds, they realized that there was still one thing moving within the light...and it was heading straight for them.
It was, of course, their trustworthy guardian. The barrier master who’d saved their lives more times than they could count, Suzu.
Brandishing her twin fans, Suzu faced the torrent of light head-on, Inaba perched reassuringly on her shoulder.
Shizuku’s, Ryutarou’s, and Kouki’s voices couldn’t reach Suzu, but they still prayed with all their might for her success. If nothing else, they wanted their feelings to reach her...and though Suzu wasn’t looking at them, it felt like she nodded in response.
Then, the light swallowed her whole.
Looking around, Suzu realized she was in an unfamiliar white room. The light that had swallowed her up was nowhere to be found, and she couldn’t tell how wide or how tall the room was.
Within this empty white expanse, there was only one other person.
“Eri...”
“Suzu...”
The two former friends blinked in surprise as they stared at each other. They were a short distance apart, and both appeared completely unhurt. On top of that, they were both in their school uniforms. It was as if they’d been transported back to the time before they’d been summoned. The only thing different was that Eri wasn’t wearing her glasses.
It was obvious they were in no ordinary place, but for some reason, both of them felt quite calm.
After they stared at each other in silence for a while, Eri said, “What a weird place. This...isn’t my life flashing before my eyes, I don’t think. It’s not a near-death experience either, since that explosion should have killed me.”
Eri’s voice wasn’t filled with insanity or devoid of emotion. It was, in fact, quite normal. Her demeanor was a lot more casual than when they’d been fighting.
Encouraged by Eri’s natural tone, Suzu said lightly, “I guess that means we’re about to die too, then? Though I’m pretty sure I managed to protect everyone.”
“Really? I was hoping to take you all with me.”
“Too bad. I want to live. I want Shizuku, Kouki-kun, Ryutarou-kun...and you, Eri, to live.”
Eri scoffed dismissively, saying, “Hmph! That’s rich, coming from the girl who crushed me with her barrier.”
“Ha ha ha... I guess I did do that,” Suzu replied, grinning at Eri, who frowned in annoyance.
“It doesn’t look like this place is going to last long, so I’ll say this while I still can. Your personality really pisses me off, Suzu.”
“Oh? Do you have any specific examples?”
“Sure do. I hate how you always laugh everything off. Even when people bad-mouth you behind your back, you just blow it off with a smile. Oh, and I hate how perverted you act sometimes. Plus, I hate how you spout cringe lines about wanting to be friends when I’m trying to kill you. There’s a whole bunch of other stuff too, but the thing that pisses me off the most is how childish you act all the time.”
Fuming internally, Suzu took a deep breath, then grinned menacingly at Eri and responded by saying, “I see. Well, at least I’m not as pathetic as you, Eri.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re always trying to act aloof and cool. Plus, you also brush off anyone bad-mouthing you with a smile, except you’re just gloomy and emo inside. Could you be any more obvious about the persona you’re trying to build? You wear glasses, act shy, and you volunteered to be a library assistant? I mean, come on. Maybe I am childish, but at least I don’t try to act all mature and deep. You’re way more cringe than I’ll ever be, especially with how you keep pretending like you’re the heroine in some tragic romance. You should grow up for real instead of pretending to act like an adult.”
Eri returned Suzu’s menacing grin and said, “Really? I’m more cringe than you, even though you go around calling people ‘Onee-sama’ and lusting after them? Are you sure you aren’t into girls? For a while now, I thought you might make a move on me, you weirdo.”
“Ha ha ha, that’s just a bit. Besides, I’m not the one who was so obsessed with her first love that she literally mind-controlled the dude to get him. It doesn’t get any creepier than that.”
“......”
“......”
“You wanna go?!” they both said in unison, then started hurling insults at each other. Their vocabulary was a lot more colorful than one would have guessed from their personalities. Had anyone else been present, they would have been shocked that the two of them knew so many curse words.
Eventually, the two of them ran out of insults. They then glared at each other, panting, as cracks suddenly began to appear in the white room.
“Hmph, looks like this world is finally ending,” Eri said in a surprisingly calm voice.
“......”
Suzu didn’t reply. Instead, she put her hands on her knees and looked down to hide her expression. She failed to hide the tears that fell to the ground, however.
“What’re you crying for, idiot?” Eri said.
“Sh-Shut up. The one who calls someone an idiot is the real idiot.”
Sobbing, Suzu roughly wiped away her tears, but more kept spilling from her eyes. She knew this was the end, for real.
“I said it before too, but you guys probably won’t die. After all, you protected everyone. I’ll be the only one...to die.”
“E...ri?”
Not even bothering to keep wiping away her tears anymore, Suzu looked up. In response, Eri averted her gaze, frowning slightly.
“You knew that from the start, Suzu. Why’re you crying now?”
“Because...” Suzu trailed off, finding herself at a complete loss for words. It had been a rhetorical question anyway, since Eri knew exactly why Suzu was crying.
“You really are an idiot. What’s there to cry over? I’m a traitor, and a piece of shit to boot,” Eri stated as the edges of the white room began crumbling away. Then, she absently watched the room collapse and added, “You should find someone better to be friends with. Someone actually worth protecting, instead of me.”
“Eri, I—”
“No, seriously, quit being so clingy.”
“Eri...”
The space between them crumbled away as well, leaving just the area directly under Eri’s and Suzu’s feet. Only words could cross that gap now, which was why Eri decided to at least speak whatever thoughts came to her mind in her final moments. Dropping all pretenses, she said, “If I’d met you on that bridge back then, maybe things would have turned out differently. Hah, I guess I’m the idiot now for thinking that.”
“Eri, I... I’m glad we were best friends! Even if it wasn’t a real friendship, I really did enjoy the time we spent together!”
The ground under Eri and Suzu crumbled away, and their bodies started crumbling from the feet up as well. As their legs turned to dust and were whisked away by the wind, Eri finally turned to look at Suzu. Her lips twitched up into a faint smile. Though it was barely visible, it was like the smile of relief a lost child made when they finally found their way home.
After that, Eri Nakamura said her final words to Suzu Taniguchi, the girl who had once been her best friend...and perhaps still was.
“Goodbye, Suzu. The time I spent with you was the only time in my life I ever felt even a little happy.”
“——” Suzu’s final shout was swallowed up by the fading world, but the exasperated smile Eri gave her at the very end was all she needed to know her words had reached her friend.
Tears streamed down Suzu’s cheeks as she looked around. Everything around her except for the area directly behind her had been turned into a wasteland. Her pained sobs echoed through the remains of the ruined city. She sank into a sitting position and gazed up at the sky, her fans slipping from her limp fingers. They both had holes in them, and their ribs were bent out of place.
Shizuku and the others were completely unhurt, but none of them could think of anything to say to Suzu. They, of course, didn’t know what had happened between Suzu and Eri in that strange, timeless white space. Still, they could tell that Suzu was crying because her best friend was dead. That much was obvious just by looking at her. And so, for a while, they simply watched over Suzu as she cried her heart out.
Eventually, she finished sobbing, rubbed away her tears, and got to her feet. Her eyes were still puffy and red, but she was okay. She wouldn’t stop here. She would keep moving forward.
Suzu turned back to Shizuku and the others and said in as cheerful a voice as she could muster, “All right, Shizuku, Kouki-kun, Ryutarou-kun. Let’s get going!”
She flashed them a beaming smile, and while her smile had always cheered up her comrades in the past, there was an added layer of maturity to it now. It was far more captivating than the smiles she’d given people in Japan, or even when she’d tried to cheer everyone up in the Great Orcus Labyrinth. Shizuku and Kouki stared at her in surprise, while Ryutarou blushed, utterly captivated.
Suzu hadn’t managed to get through to Eri. She hadn’t been able to bring her friend back. Shizuku and Ryutarou felt her pain, but after seeing her smile, they couldn’t help but smile back. After all, it had been Suzu who had wanted to bring Eri back the most.
Kouki, on the other hand, bit his lip, his expression filled with regret and worry. He wanted to say something, but when he met Suzu’s gaze, he swallowed his words. He didn’t know how to describe what he saw in Suzu’s eyes, but he knew he shouldn’t speak. Suzu wasn’t looking for words of comfort. That much he was sure of.
What happened with Eri was something Suzu had chosen to lock away in her heart for now. Forcing that lock open wasn’t a good idea. And that didn’t just go for Kouki either. Suzu didn’t want to talk about Eri with anyone just yet.
Kouki clutched his chest and swore never to forget Eri. He made sure to carve the pain he was feeling now deep into his memory. He then turned back to Shizuku and Ryutarou, who both nodded at him.
“All right, let’s go chase after Nagumo!” Ryutarou said in a bright voice.
“You say that, but the two of us can barely move right now...” Kouki replied with a shake of his head.
“Besides, wasn’t the clock tower destroyed? I don’t see any other portals out of this place, so where should we even go?” Shizuku asked.
“Come to think of it, I remember hearing that this wasn’t the only ruin in this place. Apparently, cities from different eras of this same civilization are scattered around the area,” Kouki said.
“Then let’s go find one of those! I’m sure the Skyboards will help us make quick work of it!” Ryutarou said excitedly.
“That’s a good idea, especially since we’ll be able to heal up while we move,” Suzu said, chiming in.
“Heh, not even gonna give us a few minutes to rest, huh? Well, guess I can’t blame you.”
Suzu pulled out her Skyboard and rose into the air, while Ryutarou grimaced and took out his own. He basically sat on it, the same way Kouki did, then wobbled up into the air. Shizuku followed suit, boarding her own Skyboard a lot more gracefully.
After making sure everyone was in the air, Suzu looked down one last time. She sorrowfully bit her lip, then muttered something the others couldn’t catch. But while they didn’t know exactly what she’d said, they were sure that was her final farewell to Eri.
Once she was done, Suzu smiled cheerfully again and shouted, “All right, guys, follow me!”
“You really never change, huh?”
“Ha ha, it’s okay, being cheerful suits you!”
“I can’t hold a candle to you, Suzu.”
One outstretched hand had been taken, while the other hadn’t. The party still hadn’t fully sorted out their feelings on how things had transpired, but they steeled themselves all the same as they flew through the sky, looking ever forward.
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