Kirihai's eyes fluttered open.
She was laying in a place unlike anything she had ever seen—soft pink petals rained endlessly from a sky the color of dawn, drifting across a meadow glowing with light. Her vision was hazy, but a silhouette leaned over her.
"Kirihai. Hey, wake up."
Her focus sharpened, and her breath caught.
"…Mirio?"
Mirio grinned at Kirihai. "Long time no see!"
Tears filled her eyes as she threw her arms around him.
"Mirio! I've missed you so much! You don't know how lonely I've been without you…"
He patted her back gently. "Yeah, I know. But hey—it's fine now. I'm glad you're here."
Kirihai looked around in awe. "Where are we? Is this… heaven? Because i was certain that if i had died, id be in hell. It's beautiful tho."
"Nah," Mirio chuckled. "I doubt it's heaven. But when I woke up here, I found the others—Bara, Garou, Rika, Jugo, Shinki. Even Sorata showed up a few hours ago."
Her heart sank. "…So we all died in the end huh?." She forced a smile. "Well… at least it's not hell. That's something."
Mirio reached out his hand. "Come on. Let's go. The rest are waiting."
She took his hand, walking beside him as petals swirled around their steps. She glanced up at the sky, whispering to herself:
"And you too, Ukina… thank you. For everything."
Meanwhile, in the real world—
The city if steel was rumbling, the sky burning with fire, lightning and huge beams of red energy.
Kenji stood untop a shattered skyscraper, his mind drifted
"…Sorata. Kirihai. Looks like you didn't make it. I was hoping we'd all celebrate after this war… guess I was asking for too much. I guess it's just me and Zora now."
A red beam ripped through the air toward him. Without looking, Kenji slapped it aside, the blast vaporizing a distant forest.
Floating above, Kinto descended—surrounded by over a thousand glowing cross-shaped explosives, each humming with volatile power.
"Spacing out now?" Kinto called. "Listen, if you just give up and turn yourself in, I'll let you go. It's the least I can do for someone who's kept me on my toes and treated me like an actual opponent."
Kenji smirked. "So that's how it is… You're used to being looked down on, aren't you? That's sad. Still, I appreciate the offer. But me? I'm not giving up."
Kinto's eyes hardened. "Then it's your funeral."
The air erupted as his explosives unleashed a barrage of beams, a thousand streaks of death beams raining down.
Kenji's form blurred into lightning. His yell Dragon lightning Armor crackled to life, scales of electricity covering his body as he darted between explosions at blinding speed.
Even while weaving through destruction, his mind remained sharp.
"Even in my lightning dragon form, dodging is tight. Each of these bombs can level half a city at least, and he's firing thousands of them. On top of that, his speed and power spike with every move…"
His lips curved into a grin. "Not bad, kid."
Arrows of lightning materialized in his hands, fired in rapid succession. Each arrow collided with beams midair, detonating in a chain of explosions that lit the entire cityscape.
The battlefield became a storm of fire and lightning.
But above—another hundred explosives floated into formation, charging.
Kenji twisted through the sky, carving through them with sweeping bolts of lightning, even as more closed in.
Then Kinto himself appeared, fist blazing with crimson energy.
"DIE!", he exclaimed with a deranged smirk.
He fired a colossal beam, the shockwave shattering mountains in the distance. Kenji barely dodged, the blast grazing past as he countered with a spear of lightning.
The two hovered opposite one another in the air, sparks crackling between them.
Kenji chuckled. "Sixteen years old… and already this strong. That's impressive."
Kinto blinked in surprise. "…I don't get complimented much. Thanks. Never thought I'd find common ground with a 'villain.'"
Kenji laughed. "Villain, hero… those labels don't matter. Everyone's just fighting for what they want at this point. My goal clashes with yours, yours clashes with mine. That's all this is."
Kinto paused—then smirked. "Heh. You're right. Honestly, I only fight because I feel like it. Most of the time I'm too lazy to care. But yeah, this whole good guy vs. bad guy thing? Its way too overplayed. Can't believe some idiot actually wrote a story this complicated."
Kenji burst into genuine laughter. "I'm glad we see eye to eye. But now…" His aura surged, massive spheres and spears of lightning forming around him. His deranged smirk made him look like an unhinged dragon that was already about to go crazy "…it's time to finish this. What do you say?!"
Kinto's smile didn't waver "AAAAH!", he exclaimed with a soft but yet deranged madness building up in him. His cross explosives multiplied, glowing brighter than ever as they charged their final attack.
"Yeah. I'm glad I got to understand a villain's heart. You're a lot more human than I thought, Kenji. Almost relatable. Still, whatever turned you into this—I hope it was worth it. But that's besides the point."
The battlefield crackled with killing intent. Both warriors braced themselves as they both charged up insane amounts of lightning and wild crimson energy. Both Kinto and Kenji had deranged smirks on their faces—the world around them was holding its breath.
It would all come down to who struck first.
From afar, Rin clasped her hands, praying desperately.
"Kinto… please, don't die. I'm counting on you."
But her heart twisted, torn between her hope for the boy she cared for—and her wish for her beloved teacher, Kenji, to survive.
END OF CHAPTER 31.