Rui chased after Aoi’s figure, forgetting the pain coursing through her body.
His face was twisted in agony, he looked like he could collapse at any second.
The enemy was far too strong.
Worse yet, there was a limit to how long Aoi could continue fighting while still cloaked in the malice divine arms.
Only a thin sheet of light separated Aoi from Rui and the others.
But beyond that barrier swirled an environment so extreme that no human could survive within it.
「What the hell is going on here…!?」
The FND squad had finally caught up, only to be brought to a halt.
Even Meika-sensei, slung between two shoulders with grave injuries, wore a frustrated scowl.
—Think. Think, damn it…!!
If he died here, then what had been the point of giving him wings?
There had to be a way to support Aoi…
Even if only to buy him one more second of life.
「Are you alright!?」
FND’s medics rushed over to Rui.
Her wounds were likely horrendous to look at, but her urgency made her want to push them away.
There was no time for treatment—
「……」
Treatment.
Treatment, huh?
Rui remembered something.
☆
The day of Kuklesias’ terrorist attack.
The same day Aoi had first taken down Kokujou.
Back then, Aoi’s condition had been critical.
He had lost a tremendous amount of blood and required an emergency transfusion.
The hospital was a scene of chaos, medical staff running everywhere.
She had no memory of how long she spent staring at the lit surgery sign, hands clasped to her chest, apart from the families praying around her.
And then the news came.
There wasn’t enough blood.
With Kuklesias’ attack and the earlier Toukatsu incident, blood supplies were critically low, and nothing could be spared for the hospital Aoi had been taken to.
They said they needed a compatible donor from those present, immediately.
Akari, Aoi’s fraternal twin, didn’t share his blood type.
But before Rui even had time to process any of that…
She had already stepped forward.
「W-Wait, but…」
It was not a doctor, but Aoi’s father who showed reluctant hesitation, though clearly troubled by it.
He cautiously tried to dissuade Rui.
His overly deferential attitude made sense, after all, Rui was a direct descendant of the main Saotome family, the household that still sat atop FND Japan.
To him, it was probably like speaking to the daughter of the company president.
Even as he remained cautious, he continued firmly, if gently, trying to talk Rui down.
Blood transfusions sometimes caused a rare phenomenon called aptitude transference.
Among the noble lineages of Heaven, many owed their overwhelming power to unique compatibility with the “Radiant Divine Arms”.
As such, bloodlines were guarded zealously, and any potential “leak” of their aptitudes through blood donation was strictly managed.
Just recently, there had even been incidents of so-called “blood hunts” to obtain such rare traits.
The Saotome family, in particular, enforced the most rigid controls, and Aoi’s father, knowing all this, simply could not bring himself to give permission.
But Rui, who had lived her life under the constant weight of disappointment and persecution from the Saotome family, had no reason to abide by such rules.
More than anything, she could not stand idly by after seeing how terribly Aoi had been hurt, because of her.
☆
Rui touched her left shoulder.
The faint mark from the transfusion was still there not long ago.
Aptitude transference wasn’t guaranteed, but compared to letting Aoi, pale and on the verge of collapse, continue fighting in that state, it felt like a bet worth taking.
More than that, there was a near-certainty in Rui’s heart.
She had never once been wrong when it came to this kind of instinct.
「Konami!!」
Rui pulled out the key of Unbending Resolve and threw it toward where she predicted Aoi would roll after dodging Kokujou’s strike.
「What is this…!?」
Aoi caught it with both hands, wide-eyed.
Instantly, the blue key ignited with light.
「Use it!!」
No time to argue.
He didn’t know why the key was responding to him, but there was no time to hesitate.
《Unbending Resolve— 》
《Connection established》
Aoi immediately discarded the Malice Divine Arms and inserted the key into the empty slot.
His body became engulfed in blue flames.
Kokujou, as if warming up before a match, rolled her neck while observing the fire now flooding the dome.
The flames licked at her body, yet she stood there coolly, as if merely caught in a passing breeze.
Then the fire burst forth.
Aoi’s combat attire, stripped of its former black, was now dyed entirely in blue.
At this point, whether or not it was proper didn’t matter, aptitude transference, in this dire moment, could only be called a stroke of luck.
But it was no more than a stopgap. Even with that key, it wasn’t as if Aoi’s injuries had healed.
There had to be something, anything, that could save him…
☆
Hollow.
Adrift in a swirling haze of consciousness, Akane no longer knew which thoughts were her own.
Where am I? The noise was overwhelming, leaving no room for coherent thought.
Let me fight. Let me fight more.
She wanted battle. A deadly dance where flesh and blood surged and life itself was on the line.
Which leg to move next? How to twist her sword to strike a vital point?
Ahh… How fun this was.
Fight, fight, fight,
「Kiyosato!!」
『!!』
—Kiyosato… That’s my name…
A boy’s voice, ragged and crushed, desperately called her name.
Her own sword, moved by her tainted body, had just cut through his cerulean flame.
『…Nakahara!!』
She saw the boy collapse, yet still struggling to rise again.
From the dark abyss, Akane’s true self stirred.
That constant static sound, like a grinding rasp, tried to smother her budding awareness.
Facing the will and corruption of Kokujou, which ravaged her defenseless body, she forced herself to think, to hold onto herself.
The boy kept summoning his sword into his hand and driving himself forward.
Desperately defying Kokujou, it looked as if he were reaching out to Akane herself.
『Ugh… ahh…!!』
No, he shouldn’t be fighting in that state.
『I…』
What am I doing? she asked herself.
He’s not the only one suffering.
How could she let only him bear it all?
Enduring wasn’t enough.
If someone reaches out to you, you have to take their hand.
She had to fight too.
To change.
To live again.
Clinging to consciousness by replaying memories over and over, Akane screamed.
☆
See, look, watch. Think. Find the path to victory.
Thanks to Rui’s power, the burden on Aoi’s body had lessened, and his firepower had increased dramatically.
But the stamina he had burned through wouldn’t come back.
All this had done was slow his collapse, it hadn’t given him a stronger hand against Kokujou.
His flaming spear exploded, and Kokujou’s black scythe slashed through it.
Focusing all his nerves into his vision, Aoi stared down the oncoming assault of seven remaining limbs.
Even with his full attention, he couldn’t see them perfectly.
He’d only cut down one earlier because he had fully read its trajectory and timing.
Now, faced with this serpentine, writhing, overlapping barrage, he could hardly even dodge.
Focusing his consciousness into his vision dulled his reflexes and slowed his movements, but it was still better than being battered blindly. He could at least reduce the number of hits he took.
One of the deflected limbs scraped back and gashed his cheek deeply. Aoi was straining his eyes to the point they felt ready to burst.
He stomped the ground, and in the fragments of shattered glass leaping into the air, he could see the reflection of his own face. Even so, he still couldn’t fully keep up with Kokujou’s attacks.
And with his head growing starved of oxygen, Aoi had to keep thinking.
As he was now, defeating Kokujou completely was impossible. But he wasn’t some protagonist gifted with fate’s favor, he wouldn’t awaken to some new power out of nowhere.
He had to bring down Kokujou using what he had: power, experience, knowledge.
No matter how underhanded or roundabout, he needed something, anything, to gain the upper hand.
Kokujou wasn’t in perfect condition either. This “dual-sword” mode wasn’t her optimal form, it was a desperate measure.
If it were her best, she would’ve started with it.
There had to be an opening, some flaw to exploit.
「Ugh!」
He heard his own cry of pain and only then realized he’d been struck.
His vision reeled. He couldn’t breathe.
His muscles convulsed, straining to the brink.
How long until the end of the city?
How many minutes left?
He didn’t know, but he had to stay alive and keep thinking.
Keep searching for a way out,
「Damn…!!」
But before he could act, his legs gave out.
Aoi fell to the ground.
From behind Kokujou, the sword on her back twisted unnaturally.
No good.
He couldn’t dodge it.
That unexpected fall froze his thoughts.
The sword sliced through the air, aimed for Aoi.
「――――Huh?」
And then, it stopped.
The clear killing intent vanished.
Oblivious to Aoi’s confusion, the limb silently retreated.
Kokujou tilted her head, puzzled, then slowly, as if realizing something, curled her lips into a grin.
「Fufufu…」
Aoi’s eyes widened.
Tears, huge ones, were falling from both of Kokujou’s eyes, even as she smiled with sadistic delight.
The grotesque sight of innocent tears spilling from such a twisted grin held Aoi captive.
「…You insolent little girl…」
Kokujou spat the words out.
「No way…」
Staring at her, Aoi murmured.
「Kiyosato… you’re still in there, aren’t you…!?」
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