"You ain't looking too good," Theo taunted, watching the way Jackie's body wavered. "You're not gonna throw in the towel, are ya? Nothing kills the thrill more than lazy prey."
"Shut it," Jackie snapped, coughing through the blood in her throat. "You bastards hurt Noir. I know it's not your fault you ended up like this... but I'll never forgive that."
She spit at the ground, her mouth slick with sweat.
"Curse you, Lionel Ota," she muttered, almost too quietly to hear. "Even in death, you and Papa Lanmo are still bringing misfortune."
Without warning, Theo pulled the trigger of his shotgun. The blast hit everyone in front of him, Jackie and the remaining Dread Hunters alike. The scatter was wide, unforgiving.
"Ouch, you jerk," one of the Hunters shouted, right before Jackie exorcized him in a single, fluid strike. Another. Then another. The last of the grunts fell, leaving only Theo and Neil standing.
Jackie exhaled through gritted teeth.
She knew what had to come next.
She shifted the soul-armor wrapped around her back to double-layer her front—leaving her rear vulnerable, but it was the only way. The moment she moved, they opened fire. Bullets tore through the outer soul layer and skimmed her skin. Warm blood splattered across her arms. Pain flared up her ribs.
But she didn't stop. She couldn't.
Every step she took was a choice—between life and death, between giving in and charging forward. If her soul shattered in the middle of battle, it would be over. That was the cost of being a Soul Weaver. That was the risk.
And still... she ran.
With a final lunge, Jackie raised her revolver and fired two precise shots—knocking the weapons from Theo and Neil's hands.
Now within striking range, she shaped what remained of her soul into a blade. It flickered like a flame, unstable and barely holding.
But it was all she had left.
Swinging at both brothers, Jackie weaved between them like a shadow. They leapt back, dodging the gleam of her soul-forged blade, but she didn't let up. Each slash came with brutal intention—measured, relentless. She pivoted toward Theo, forcing him to block, just as Neil dove for his discarded firearm.
Jackie didn't miss a beat.
Anticipating his movement, she hurled her knife.
The blade spun once before striking Neil square in the head the moment he hit the ground. His body went slack.
"Neil?!" Theo's voice cracked with panic. He took a step forward, but Jackie was already sprinting to retrieve her soul.
"Neil?! Neil?!" he called again, desperation turning to rage.
Theo's teeth clenched as his emotions boiled over. "You filthy little government mutt—that's my brother! Curse you! Curse this whole damn kingdom! Damn you all to hell!"
Jackie stood over Neil's body, blood still fresh on her blade. She retrieved it without a word, then turned to Theo.
"Go ahead," she said calmly, "get it out. Scream. Mourn. Hate me if it helps. But don't waste your last words on ugliness."
She stepped forward, her eyes steady, her exhaustion hidden beneath sheer will.
"It isn't your fault you're like this. That you can't remember who you were. Someone's done a great injustice to all of you."
Her voice dropped, just slightly.
"And I intend to make it right."
"Stay back, demon. Stay away from me. Go back to hell!" Theo spat, cursing as Jackie closed the distance. His defiance faltered, his breath growing shallow. "S-stop," he gasped, a tear slipping down his cheek. He removed his hat, his gaze fixated on his older brother's body, now beginning to fade into nothingness.
"I always did feel like I was living well past some unknown expiration date…" His voice trailed off, and slowly, he looked up at Jackie, vulnerability creeping through. "Will I be able to rest on the other side? Will I be accepted, despite all the bad I've done?"
Jackie reached out and gently took his hand, her touch steady and comforting. "You're already there. You've been there all this time. Death of the mind is not the destruction of the soul. Your consciousness simply pilots the body. We're so much more than that. So much more complex," she said softly, her voice steady as her soul returned to her palm. "This is my soul. As long as it remains whole, when I die, it'll go somewhere beyond reach, beyond any ill will. Just like yours is now."
Theo adjusted his collar, exposing his throat to her, a gesture of surrender. "Well, okay then… let me be with my big brother again."
Jackie's voice didn't waver, her gaze unblinking as her soul-forged blade reappeared. "You'll see him soon, I'm sure."
She erased all doubt from her mind, and in one swift motion, she drove the blade into his submental, the cold precision of her action severing Theo's last connection to the world. The life in his eyes faded as Jackie whispered, almost to herself, "After all, what's one or two lifetimes compared to eternity?"
Dispersing her ability, she collapsed beside him, exhaustion overtaking her as the weight of the battle finally caught up to her.