Boom!!
A deafening explosion, accompanied by violent tremors through the ground, spread across the abandoned district of Roppongi. A cloud of fire rose into the pitch-black night sky, illuminating the sleeping heavens above.
For a moment, the blast startled the residents who had already gone to bed. Windows were flung open, and people rushed outside to see what had happened.
Boom!
Rat-tat-tat! ×N
Then came successive artillery fire and the sweeping roar of machine guns!!
"Ughhhh!" ×N
Pshhk! ×N
The "Endlave"—GHQ's mass-produced combat mechs—had burst in without the slightest regard for anything, firing wildly. Nearby houses were blown apart, and the heavy machine guns mounted on their shoulders mercilessly strafed the fleeing civilians. Crushing lives was as effortless as stepping on ants.
The running crowd was instantly riddled with shrapnel. Blood sprayed everywhere. Some were blasted into pieces by shells, their bodies torn apart. Bright crimson splattered across the streets. The once-quiet road was now consumed by flames, like a vision of hell on earth.
These Gautiers were like grim reapers harvesting lives without emotion. A single sweep of fire took several lives. There was no mercy in them.
Boom!
The commotion reached the area where the Shogun was. She subconsciously lifted her gaze toward the distance. The sky flickered with bursts of artillery fire, and her brows furrowed.
"Gai! Those bastards from GHQ have suddenly stormed onto the streets!"
A member of Funeral Parlor who had been keeping watch on the rooftop hurried down and shouted toward Gai in the plaza below.
"...!"
Gai frowned instantly and turned, signaling to the members who were already prepared.
"Understood!" ×N
The group responded in unison and began moving at once. The scene became chaotic in an instant.
Civilians fleeing along the streets were executed by GHQ soldiers and mechs alike. Their shrill screams echoed through the night sky.
"Damn it! Those animals... they're using live rounds already?!"
Argo cursed through gritted teeth as he peeked out from behind a distant wall.
"...Inori."
Hearing the distant screams, the Shogun unconsciously murmured the girl's name and prepared to leave.
"Woman, you're coming with us."
Seeing her movement, Gai called out to her.
"What are you planning to do?"
She paused and asked.
"The situation's bad. It's best to retreat. Tsugumi, where are Ayase and the others?"
Gai turned to the girl operating the computer.
"Ayase and the others are on their way—"
A danger warning suddenly flashed across the screen.
"Warning! A unit is charging this way!"
Tsugumi shouted and snapped her laptop shut before rolling aside!
Boom!!!
In the next second, a section of wall on the opposite side was smashed apart by a massive mech, revealing its hulking frame. The moment it emerged, the missile pods at its shoulders shifted and fired several shots in all directions!!
Boom! ×N
Flames swallowed the area instantly. Fortunately, everyone had already scattered, so the casualties were not too severe.
"Your opponent is me!!"
The next moment, the mech piloted by Ayase rammed in from the other side, seizing the enemy unit by the head and driving a punch straight into it.
Bang!
A thunderous crash rang out along with the shattering of metal. The enemy mech's head burst apart, parts scattering everywhere!
Boom!
The unit slammed to the ground, shaking the surrounding earth and cracking the pavement.
"...I have no intention of retreating."
The Shogun watched coldly and murmured in a low voice before turning to search for Inori.
"Woman..."
Gai, separated from her by rubble, stuck his head out again to call after her.
What does he want now?!
She inwardly complained in irritation. He had stopped her several times already.
She shot him an impatient glance.
"If you have something to say, say it quickly."
"Protect the serum. Find Inori and bring her back safely!"
After saying that, he flipped away and disappeared into the sea of flames alongside Ayase's mech.
"...Haa."
She watched his departing figure and let out a sigh. She truly was speechless. As if she needed him to tell her that...
Thud!
In the next instant, she leapt onto the rooftop and moved toward the center of the artillery fire.
A few minutes later, she arrived at the central street of Roppongi. Seeing the mechs filling the ground below, her eyes turned cold. In a flash of lightning, she vanished and reappeared directly before one of them. The sudden movement left the pilot stunned, completely unable to react.
Bang!
Midair, she drove her knee into the mech's faceplate. With a deafening crash and the sound of splintering metal, the massive machine was launched like a bullet, slamming straight into a parked transport vehicle ahead.
"Wh-what?! How could—"
Ayase, who was fighting another mech in the distance, happened to witness the scene and froze in shock. Unfortunately, she was struck by her opponent at that exact moment.
"Ah~!"
The neural feedback from her mech made her cry out instinctively, though the tone carried an oddly suggestive note.
Bang!
The immense impact of the flying mech knocked out all the soldiers guarding the transport and slammed Inori violently against the interior wall.
"Mm~!"
A muffled groan escaped her. Losing balance, she was thrown from her seat and hit the floor.
The impact dislodged the cloth covering her eyes, allowing her to glimpse the blurry scene outside. She steadied herself against the dizziness, and then—
Boom!
An explosion erupted around the vehicle, snapping her back to clarity. She knew this was the best chance to escape. But her hands and feet were still bound, leaving her unable to move freely.
She wriggled her supple body until her back pressed against the wall. Using her flexibility, she maneuvered her arms from behind her hips down beneath her body, bringing them forward past her legs until her bound wrists rested near her ankles. Then she bent her stockinged legs and forced her tied hands over her feet.
"Haa..."
She exhaled softly, bracing herself against the wall as she struggled to stand despite the shackles on her ankles. The heel of her high boot wedged against the corner. Slowly, she shuffled toward an unconscious soldier and gripped the pistol at his thigh with both hands, pressing the muzzle against the shackles at her ankle before pulling the trigger.
Bang!
Crack!
The shackles shattered. Her legs were free. She dealt with her wrists next, though this time she used a dagger to carefully slice through the bindings. Faint marks of friction were visible on her wrists, but that no longer mattered.
Squatting down, she took out the transmitter from her small waist pouch and pressed the switch.
Beep—!
The signal began flashing.
Holding it in her hand, she stepped out of the vehicle, her legs slightly unsteady as she made her way toward a pile of rubble ahead. Eventually, she climbed to the top and stood there, overlooking the ruined city that now resembled a living hell.
On the other side...
"It's Inori's signal!!"
Tsugumi exclaimed excitedly as she saw the marker appear on her laptop.
"Are you sure?!"
Gai demanded immediately.
"Yes! It's near Ayase's position!"
Her fingers flew across the keyboard at astonishing speed.
"Ayase, did you hear that?"
"Yeah! I heard! But I can't disengage here!! Ahh~!!!"
She was struck again mid-sentence.
"Damn it!"
Gai cursed and prepared to go himself.
Near Ayase's area, the Shogun blasted apart another mech with a bolt of lightning. She felt Fyu-Neru stirring restlessly within her arms. The screen on its body displayed the signal point ahead. It wriggled free from her grasp, landed on the ground, and dashed forward at astonishing speed, weaving through the mechs toward the target.
Fyu-Neru soon arrived at the girl's feet atop the rubble.
"Fyu-Neru..."
Inori crouched down and gently patted its head. She opened its compartment and took out the Void Genome, holding it in her hand.
"Good job."
She praised it softly.
"Squeak squeak~!"
It puffed up proudly. But the next second, Fyu-Neru tugged urgently at her skirt and pointed toward the Shogun in the distance.
"...?"
She looked over in confusion, and her pupils shrank instantly.
Why?
...Mio?
Why are you here?
Don't... it's dangerous here!
Her gaze, however, drew the attention of the purple-haired woman in the distance. Across the battlefield, their eyes met.
"!"
The Shogun's lips curved into a relieved smile upon seeing Inori. But the girl's expression was pale—filled with unmistakable worry.
Clank, clank! ×N
"...?"
She turned in confusion, only to find herself surrounded by numerous steel beasts. Every single one had already aimed its cannons at her delicate figure, ready to unleash a barrage in the next instant!!
"No!!!!!!"
Seeing this, Inori cried out in heart-wrenching anguish.
No!!
Please!!
Don't hurt my... support! My family!!
Don't destroy my 'home'!!
You can't! You can't destroy it!!
Don't... don't!! Hurt her!!!!
Hummmm—!!!
In the next second, silver Void energy erupted from her entire body like threads of silk, gradually wrapping around her and growing denser by the moment.
"Ugh~! Aaah!!"
A sharp pain struck her chest. Unable to bear it, she clutched her heart and fell to her knees.
In that instant, time slowed.
"...!"
Hearing her scream, the Shogun instinctively turned her head.
At that moment, she alone was unaffected by the temporal stagnation. She alone witnessed the girl's transformation. The surrounding artillery shells hung midair, still in the process of being fired, moving at an agonizing crawl. She paid the mechs no mind. Instead, she watched the girl—and the sky above, whose colors were beginning to shift.
"Ugh~!"
Clutching her chest, Inori felt an overwhelming surge of Void power erupt from within her. Silver strands tangled and twisted around her. The genome in her hand resonated, glowing brightly. Then, at its peak—
Crack!
The test tube shattered.
The Void Genome inside flowed out as if alive, transforming into silver threads that resonated with the pink-haired girl. They wrapped tightly around her body, cocooning her.
She stood dazed within a pure white space tinged with technological light. Subconsciously, she reached out and touched a fragment of memory before her.
"Ugh~!"
A stabbing pain pierced her head, forcing her to shut her eyes. She did not notice that a deep violet cross-shaped mark had appeared on the back of her slender hand.
Hummm—
Fragments of complicated memories flooded her vision.
A girl who resembled her.
That girl braided colored string and smiled at a brown-haired boy.
(Shu~? Are you happy?)
Even the voice sounded similar to her own...
What is this?
Her memory?
No... she doesn't have... such memories...
(Shu~ I love you.)
(Shu~ what's your answer?)
Who are you?
Who are you?!
She knelt on the ground, clutching her head, enduring the pain as the question echoed in her heart.
Countless fragments flashed through her mind.
The girl. The boy.
Christmas?
Flames?
Explosion?
Death?
And... a girl crystallizing!
(Take this. This is... power. A 'Guilty Crown' woven by me!)
Power...
Protect... her.
Mio... I have to... protect you!
Hummm—
She opened her beautiful eyes, now glowing cherry red. Rising to her feet, she looked at the mark on her hand—and at her chest, which had transformed into a hollow void.
(Grab it. This is your... power.)
My... power.
Hummm—
The white space shattered, dissolving back into the devastated ruins of reality.
She had returned.
Time was still slowed.
And before her stood the purple-haired beauty, looking at her with concern.
Mio...
It's okay.
I'll protect you.
I'll protect our home!!!
In an instant—
All ambient sound vanished.
She brought her hands together and pressed them against her chest. A hollow wrapped in Void energy split open across her breast!!!
As the hollow widened, dense silver strands coiled around her body, piercing the sky above and tearing open a corresponding void in the heavens.
"Ugh~"
She felt an indescribable force surging up from deep within her body, threatening to burst free. A soft moan escaped her lips before she bit down and spread her arms.
Humm!
Even the Shogun's eyes widened in shock.
Before them, something like a massive blade began to emerge slowly from the hollow in the girl's chest. The surrounding rubble cracked apart as the object extended, lifting her into the air.
In that instant, Inori opened her crimson eyes.
She raised her hand, gripped the hilt protruding from her chest, and pulled.
A blurred half-formed blade came free. She pointed it toward the sky.
Power still poured from the hollow in her chest. Silver threads wrapped around the incomplete sword, completing it.
Under the entanglement of those luminous strands, the outer shell shattered—
Revealing its true form.
A long, magnificent greatsword of unique design.
Its surface patterns flowed like particles in motion. Sharp-edged, futuristic, dazzling.
"Mio... I'll protect you!"
"...Eh?"
The Shogun was momentarily stunned by those unexpectedly heroic words. She even took a small step back, faintly embarrassed.
What just happened?
Why did she also draw a blade from her chest?
Is this her version of Musou Isshin?
Does she also have a deceased elder sister?
Confusion filled her mind. There was still much about this world she had yet to understand.
And... being suddenly told she would be protected—it felt... strange.
Meanwhile, Inori had already taken her stance.
The splendid greatsword moved like a nimble blade in her hands. Though she held it with both hands, she executed a clean, handsome flourish with effortless grace.
Lowering her posture, she placed her feet in an elegant T-stance. The massive blade rested behind her as she prepared to dash. Her cherry-red eyes sharpened with fierce resolve.
"Mio! Close your eyes!"
She called out to the somewhat dazed woman in the distance.
"..."
The Shogun obediently closed her eyes and stood still.
Bang!
In the next instant, a violent gust tore through the air. The shockwave flipped nearby vehicles. In less than a second, Inori swept past the Shogun. A faint fragrance drifted by, lifting strands of her purple hair in its wake.
Crash!
Positioning herself directly before the woman, Inori shielded her behind her back.
Under the slowed flow of time and the encirclement of countless mechs, she swung the magnificent blade horizontally with both hands.
Slash!!!
A visible silver arc carved across the battlefield.
In the next second, everything within its path split apart.
A row of mechs was severed cleanly at the waist as though made of paper. Nearby buildings fractured in tandem, as if space itself had been cut open.
The Shogun, still keeping her eyes obediently shut, felt the rushing wind before her.
After several seconds, when all noise faded, she finally spoke.
"May I open my eyes now?"
"Mm... you can."
She opened them.
Before her lay nothing but twisted scrap metal where the mechs once stood.
And ahead, silhouetted against firelight, stood the slender pink-haired girl dragging her Void greatsword.
"...Inori?"
She tried calling her name.
"Mm."
A soft reply.
"Why did you tell me to close my eyes?"
Relieved, she asked teasingly.
Step... step...
Inori dragged the long blade behind her and walked closer until she stood before the Shogun.
Their faces were both as exquisite as ever.
"...I was afraid, Mio... that you might be scared of me."
Inori lowered her gaze and spoke softly.
"Why would I be afraid? I am not... so timid a person. Besides, didn't you just protect me?"
She gently touched the girl's smudged cheek.
"You're really not scared? Of how I look now... like some kind of monster?"
Feeling the warmth of her touch, Inori's eyes reddened slightly. Her lips trembled as if she might cry at any moment.
"If you are a monster, then so am I."
She answered simply.
"Mio... isn't."
Inori covered the back of her hand with her free one, softly protesting.
How was she not? In some sense, she truly was a monster—a primordial one at that. But she did not dwell on it.
"Mio... doesn't need my protection, right? I was just... acting on my own."
A trace of self-mockery surfaced on Inori's pale face.
"When did I ever say that? Didn't you just protect me?"
She countered.
"But you could have—"
"Mm— I was distracted watching you just now, so... I didn't have time to defend myself. If you hadn't acted, I might have been injured."
She smiled lightly, deliberately choosing her words to comfort her. The truth was otherwise, but reassurance mattered more.
"You're lying. You're just trying to comfort me."
Inori puffed her cheeks in a cute complaint.
"Haa... then there's nothing I can do. I already tried my best to make it sound convincing."
She admitted honestly at last.
"Pfft... it's fine. I've already used it anyway."
Inori gave a small smile and gestured at the Void sword in her hand.
She knew Gai would probably scold her later.
After all, this was originally something meant for him—to draw out her Void.
And now she had drawn it out herself.
Fate truly was unpredictable.
But...
Looking at the woman she had just "protected"—and recalling her gentle reassurance—
She felt no regret.
She reached up and cupped the purple-haired beauty's cheek, even giving it a light squeeze.
"...Don't pinch my face..."
The Shogun's cheeks flushed faintly as she murmured shyly.
Totally worth it!!
Inori rejoiced inwardly.