As Kurojin's sword plunged to the hilt into Yagami's stomach, all the stolen power drained from his body in an instant. The monstrous form collapsed, and he reverted to his original human shape. His half-dead body plummeted from the sky.
Yuji threw himself forward with everything he had and caught Yagami just before he hit the ground.
Yagami's eyes had rolled white; blood poured endlessly from the gaping wound in his abdomen.
At that exact moment, the angel's forbidden incantation reached its climax.
The sky was swallowed by pitch-black clouds.
Directly above them, the clouds began to swirl into a massive vortex.
Lightning writhed like enraged dragons across the heavens.
Terror seized Yuji. He turned to flee, but it was already too late.
The angel looked down with a cold smile and unleashed the storm.
Thousands of lightning bolts crashed down at once, an apocalyptic torrent of destruction.
Yuji activated his shield at full power, but the sheer volume of energy was beyond comprehension.
Cracks spider-webbed across the barrier in seconds…
Then it shattered with a deafening explosion.
With the very last of his magic, Yuji teleported himself and Yagami away from that hell,
to a distant, dark, silent place.
Panting and shaking, Yuji frantically cast every healing spell he knew over Yagami.
Nothing worked. The wound didn't close even a little.
Yagami's pulse grew weaker… slower…
Yuji tried divine magic, high-tier spells, even forbidden ones.
Nothing.
Finally… Yagami's heart stopped.
Everything went still.
Yuji, tears streaming down his face, whispered through sobs:
"I won't let you die here. This is not your ending."
He sat on the ground and carefully began drawing two magic circles—one for himself, one for Yagami.
Three glowing lines of light connected the circles like a bridge between souls.
He gently laid the unconscious Yagami inside one circle,
then sat in the other, eyes filled with desperate hope.
Taking a deep breath, he began chanting the Soul Transfer spell.
The words echoed through the air; the atmosphere grew heavy; light spun wildly around the circles.
When the incantation ended, a faint, peaceful smile touched Yuji's lips.
He whispered:
"Good luck… my best friend."
In that instant, Yagami's eyes snapped open.
He gasped, looked at his hands in shock:
"I'm… still alive?! My wounds… they're all gone…"
Confused, he glanced around, then noticed the magic circles on the ground.
His voice trembled:
"This… this is the Soul Transfer ritual… Who…?"
He turned his head.
Sitting right in front of him was his best friend.
Silent. Lifeless.
But with the faintest smile on his face.
Yagami's eyes widened. His heart shattered.
He lunged forward and pulled his friend into his arms.
Tears flooded his eyes.
Voice breaking, he cried:
"Why…? Why did I have to lose the only joy I ever had in my life? Why do I always end up alone?!"
His scream tore into the sky—raw, anguished, the howl of a wounded soul.
Yagami stood, cradling his friend's lifeless body.
His eyes turned blood-red, burning like twin pools of rage.
Fists clenched so tight they bled, he stood there and swore:
"This world… and every single person who caused you pain and took your life…
I will bring them all to their knees.
I swear it, brother.
I will have your revenge. No matter what it takes."