On the other side, Gai and Ayase were still entangled by those troublesome crystals, which had only grown denser since moments ago.
[Truht! Don't get in my way!!]
Mana's voice continued echoing in his mind, leaving him dazed.
"Gai—Aah!!"
Schlik!
Unfortunately, Ayase was already struggling to deal with the spikes. They pierced straight through her entire body in an instant, and another was about to impale her head.
"Tsugumi! Disconnect me!!"
Hum...
Ayase's consciousness was instantly severed from the mecha. The abandoned machine was destroyed immediately afterward, becoming food for the crystalline tentacles.
"Damn it!"
After landing, Gai decided to risk everything. He pulled a still-functional machine gun from the wreckage of the mecha, hugged it against himself, and charged toward the platform where Mana's embryo rested. The outcome, however, was obvious—
Schlik! ×N
Within moments, spikes had pierced his entire body, several of them impaling vital areas.
"Urgh—!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood and dropped to his knees, weakly releasing the large gun in his hands. The light in his eyes gradually began to fade.
"Wha—! Da'ath was—!"
When Keido saw Da'ath cut in half, his face turned deathly pale with fear, and he instinctively staggered several steps backward. He had intended to rely on Da'ath as his shield, yet that shield had been shattered by the woman in an instant. The sheer disparity in strength overturned everything he thought he knew.
"—!"
Gai!! Ayase!!!
When Inori, still restrained by crystals, saw the tragedy unfolding on the other side, her pupils contracted. She immediately exerted all her strength, causing the power of her Void to erupt from within her body. That Void power clashed against the crystals restraining her. As her eyes shone red, the Apocalypse emblem on the back of her hand lit up once more.
Crack!
The crystals binding her body gradually shattered, allowing her to escape.
"Haa... Haa..."
She panted weakly, forcing her trembling legs to support her. Her cold gaze settled on Keido, whose back was turned toward her.
Whoosh!
"Inori!"
"...Mio!"
She looked up and saw the distant Shogun hurling the Void sword toward her through the air. Inori immediately straightened and caught her own Void sword perfectly!
The greatsword resonated with her body the moment it returned to her hands. Glimmering silver threads of light once again appeared around her, slightly easing the weakness in her body. She smoothly flourished the blade, stepped forward, and slashed at Keido, who had only just reacted!
"Wait—!! Aaaaaah!!!"
Schlik!
A streak of silver light swept across the man's chest, leaving behind a glaring wound that stretched across half his torso. Crimson blood sprayed from his chest, twisting his face in agony.
Crackle!
Crystals began spreading from the wound. Keido soon transformed into a crystalline statue, then toppled from the edge of the platform into the blood pool below and vanished from sight.
Inori then swung her sword again, severing the tentacles that had impaled Gai!
[You're in the way, my vessel—Aah!]
Mana's consciousness instantly turned toward her, but Inori ignored it. She continued swinging the greatsword and cut through the remaining tentacles, then lowered Gai to the ground. Looking at the blood-soaked man riddled with holes, the girl felt her eyes redden. He had once been like a father to her, and now he had been reduced to this state.
"Mana... destroy... her."
Gai spat blood as he forced the words from his mouth.
"Gai...!"
At a loss, she shook him helplessly.
"Inori..."
The Shogun called out to her.
"Mio... What should I—"
Inori cried to her in a fragile voice...
"Take him away. Leave the rest to me."
The Shogun walked to her side and comforted her gently.
"But you—!"
"I'll be fine... Trust me."
She wiped away the girl's tears.
"All right... Please don't let anything happen to you. You have to come back..."
Smack...
The next instant, the girl kissed the corner of her lips.
"...Mm."
The kiss caught her off guard. After a brief pause, she smiled and nodded.
Hum...
She used Musou Isshin to tear open a rift in space. Once the two of them had been sent away, she turned again to face the distant embryo.
[Do you... know what you've done, you monster?]
Mana's consciousness mocked her.
"If we're talking about monsters, heh... then we're no different from each other."
She answered coldly.
[—! Stop interfering with my resurrection! I want to see Shu!!!!]
The woman let out a hideous shriek!!
A vast swarm of crystalline tentacles instantly surged toward her!
She transformed into a streak of lightning, slipping through the dense obstacles from an impossibly difficult angle. In the end, she flashed directly before the embryo at the center and prepared to sever it with a single draw. However—
[No! Don't do this!! Please!! I only want to see my little brother...]
Mana's consciousness abruptly changed. Her voice softened into a pleading tone.
"—!"
The Shogun's hand paused.
[Don't kill me. I only want to see Shu. I'm his older sister. I love him, I love him so much, more than anything, so—please, sob...]
Mana began choking back tears.
"His older sister?"
She responded.
[Sob... That's right. I'm his beloved older sister... I love him, so—]
[So that he and I can meet again... die!!!!!]
The instant Mana saw her lower her guard, spikes erupted from the ground beneath her feet and stabbed toward her from every direction.
Hum...
At that very moment, a violet barrier unfolded around her, snapping every incoming spike apart.
[How?! Huh?]
Mana's voice was clearly flustered.
"If he saw what you've become now, I'm afraid he would no longer love you."
Schlik!!
The moment she finished speaking, she brought her blade down without hesitation!!
[Aaaaaah—!!!! No—!]
As Mana screamed, the embryo before her dissolved into motes of light and dispersed into the air. With the mastermind gone, the illusory realm began to collapse as well, fragments of debris breaking away from time to time.
She did not leave. She remained where she stood and raised her gaze, watching the disintegrating space reveal the outside world.
"Haa... It's over."
She could not help sighing.
Once everything had vanished, the interior returned to Tokyo Tower's original appearance. Its fantastical atmosphere disappeared, and the sky brightened once more. It was now the beginning of a new day. Sunlight rose from the east, bathing the ruined city of Tokyo in a rare sense of warmth.
Tap, tap...
She walked to the edge of the tower and looked down at the people and ruined buildings below.
"—!"
Someone on the ground was waving at her. Looking closer, she saw that it was Inori.
Whoosh!
She leaped directly from above. Her high heels, supporting feet clad in black stockings, stepped lightly across stairs of violet light as she slowly descended to the ground. The moment she landed, the girl threw herself into her arms. The Shogun instinctively took half a step back as she caught the force of the embrace.
Whoosh!
"Welcome back, Mio."
Inori held her tightly and spoke through her tears.
"Mm... I'm back."
She smiled and raised a hand to stroke the girl, who was slightly shorter than her. Inori seemed to feel her touch and rubbed against the Shogun's neck like a kitten. She could even feel tears dampening her skin.
"How is Gai?"
She asked.
"His... condition is very bad. He's severely wounded. Most of his injuries pierced straight through him, and some struck vital areas. I plan to take him back and let Hare try."
Inori lifted her head from the crook of the Shogun's neck and looked at her from only inches away, speaking softly. Clear tear tracks remained at the corners of the girl's eyes, making it obvious that she had only just stopped crying.
"There's no time to lose. Let's hurry back to Tennoz."
Hare should still be at the school, right?
"Mm... Let's go."
Inori took the initiative to hold her hand and lead her away. They boarded one of Funeral Parlor's vehicles and hurried toward Tennoz. Gai's critical condition left everyone in Funeral Parlor sick with worry, especially Ayase. Since she loved him, her heart felt as though it were burning. All she could do was place her hopes in Hare.