Kotori POV:
This is all my fault.
I was so reckless, thinking kidnapping her would be the best option.
And now... the city will pay for my mistake.
... Yet why, even with the whole city at risk, was she still against me?
Her movement was, frankly, sharper than those at AST. She still has no chance against a Spirit like me, unfortunately, but it's still quite remarkable.
Was this her talent? Or just mere hard-work...?
Doesn't matter, I'll figure it all out after this.
The utmost important thing right now is to stop it from firing the weapon, and she's the only one standing in my way.
I avoid her slash, and quickly drop my halberd on her with my exceptional reflex...
"Wha—"
I let out a surprise sound, as my leg suddenly feels weird, as if being dragged by something.
Somehow I slipped right before the crucial moment, leading to a successful hit from her. Luckily, I blocked the strike just in time with the handle.
Although... I doubt that the strike would actually be lethal anyway.
Once again, before I can regain my stance, the white hairs strike at me again... and this time, I have accidentally peeked at her eyes.
And it frightens me.
Her eyes reflect no light, no life whatsoever. Only a black squirming void resides in her eyes.
And at that moment, I have truly understood... her words, her statement, it's all real.
"Kuh...!!"
I tried to swing my halberd at her, shaking away the realization—for now.
The whole thing is then kept repeating for the next few minutes, with the girl Origami on the offense with the
Yet, despite my overwhelming strength, somehow I can't just... shake this girl off. All because of—convenient slip, I presume.
Seriously, how can I trip this much on solid ground, and in a "battle" nonetheless?
And worst of all, after all this frustration battle to no avail, I started to lose impatience.
With a newfound anger inside, I hastily swept away Origami who began to charge at me once more, destroying her
Now, only me and the cripple body of the
Normally, the
... Could it be—
As I was still pondering a simple theory, the sky which was returned to a stale state suddenly lit up again, and my view suddenly enveloped in a bright light...
And my body feels like it's on fire.
Ultron POV:
Hm... weird.
She seems quite lackluster compared to the likes of
I mean, why did she take the attack head on? Didn't the Spirit have inhuman reaction speed?
... Was this just a fake-out, waiting for me to loosen my guard to attack? Unlikely, but can still be.
I then looked at the white haired, who was now conscious, and thinking more about earlier.
The way she's willing to work with me, an unknown being, to fight this brat with a vengeful manner—-Reminds me a lot of Wanda.
She, rather than escape the city, decided to stay behind and finish me off for good... all for the sake of revenge for Pietro.
Seems like out of all the motivation, revenge is the most effective in driving people astray...
"Fu-kun ~ !"
A cheerful yet hindering voice came from behind me, as a certain nun girl walked into my view with a carefree manner.
"I guess this is all over huh?"
"You sure?"
"Yep,
"I see..."
... The whole thing feels a little bit underwhelming though. Oh well.
"That reminds me.Your actions just now, was it—-"
"Yeah. Just figured it out today."
So I was right... she did have some scar left from that forsaken place. Hm...
This is concerning to be honest, but not really farfetched. Seems like I have to adjust with this a little bit—
The ground suddenly shook as I was still deep in my thoughts, as the brat slowly ascended from the crater.
And her eyes glinted only madness.
Immediately after I see the inhuman gaze of her, then brat swinger her fiery halberd straight at us. And as the attack almost connects, I make the only logical decision...
Nia POV:
Eh?
What the... what just happened?
Why did it vanish right before my eyes? Why did I lie on the ground?
"So it saved you huh...?"
The brat voice, now colder yet intrigued, echoes in my ears, as I take a glance at her. The fire, now more unstable and active than ever before, danced around her as the brat finally landed right in front of me.
And as I take a look at her eyes... I see no gentle reside in them. As if—she has completely changed to a whole new person.
"No matter, at least now—"
The brat sneered with an interested voice, pointing her fiery halberd at my face with a crazy yet bloodlusting smile.
"—No one will stop me, not anymore."
The brat then holds the halberd slowly over her head with a sadistic grin, seemingly to swing it down and end it all with one strike, while I just lie there looking at her actions in fear...
... How can this happen? Didn't
Why did it come to this? Why can't I move in front of impending doom? Why... did I try to trust the world again?
Why does everything just keep falling apart, even if I have nothing against it?
I don't want anything going on with this whole Spirit stitch. I never wanted to be special, I never asked to be tortured.
I... never asked to see the truth.
As the halberd begins to fall right on my head, I just keep questioning everything, awaiting for my eternal rest...
... This is fine, this—is for the best.
With this—I never have to worry about anything anymore. No more pain, no more hiding... no more being lonely.
[BANG–]
A loud gunshot echoing through the air, and the brat suddenly flinched as if being hit by something. She, and me, then look at the side with different expressions.
Standing there with all the bruises, holding a still smoking revolver, the white girl interrupted us earlier.
"Hm..."
Let out what seems to be a thoughtful hum, the brat pointed her halberd toward the girl—
—In the next moment, her arm was cleanly detached from her body.
"Kuh... ARGHH—-!!!!!"
The girl, after a moment of realization, let out an anguished scream as she fell down once again, all the while the brat just snorted with a dissatisfied expression.
"So this is all it took to break you... How boring."
The brat then once again transforms the halberd to its cannon-looking form, charging up a ridiculous amount of
... She intended to kill her.
"Any last word?"
"... Go to hell."
"Pretty lame for a final gesture ~ Oh well."
The brat let out a whistle with the girl Origami sneer, and then fired off her attack—only to be suddenly interrupted by me.
The fiercing flame, now concentrating in a column of fire, fires off from her cannon towards Origami with a scorching heat consuming everything on its path. But with my timely interruption, the blast slightly missed the target, and it instead hit the crater side instead of a single human.
"You...!!"
Let out a ferocious growl, the brat slap me away with the enhanced force, and switch the cannon to me instead. And by the time I stand up again, she has already finished charging her blast, which seems less powerful than the earlier one.
"Die!!!"
And then, the scorching flame consumed my whole view, along with my consciousness...
"Kotori" POV:
Hmph, good riddance.
What a shame of our kin, being utterly useless in front of absolute power.
Oh well, not that she'd be an eyesore anymore... After all, what can the dead do?
"You..."
Hm... Oh right, that one. Almost forgot her—What's her name again?
Origatami? Oshimi?
Nah, forget it. Why would I remember the name of an insect?
I pointed my trusty
Normally I would prefer a full power blast, but I honestly can't bear to prolong this whole thing anymore. Besides, who can survive my mere 30% blast in the first place?
But as I was prepared to fire off my attack, something—someone—suddenly appeared right in front of my cannon.
"Stop it, Kotori!!!!!!"
The familiar voice directed towards me, with a passionate gaze seemingly piercing through my face...
Onii...chan...
"This isn't you Kotori... Please, return to me..."
Suddenly, other thoughts appeared in my mind, trying to stop my attack by any means, as I struggled to regain my control.
No... not again... I won't let you take the wheel anymore...!!!
But despite my best attempt to stop the voices, they just keep overwhelming my mind over and over. And eventually, I slowly succumbed to the me I tried not to be—to no avail.
"Shi—do..."
Blurting out my beloved names, I quickly lose my consciousness, with the last thing I see is Shido's face filled with sadness, and also confiction...
"How are you, captain?"
"It was... okay."
Once I regained consciousness, I realized I had returned to Fraxinus Sick Bay, with Reine standing right by my side checking various screens.
"How long... have I been knocked out?"
"3 hours. "
3 hours... I see.
"What happened after I... left? And what's going on with
"The AST arrived at the crater, but we managed to retrieve both you, Shido and
"The
Listening intensely at her words, I let out a small sigh. Seems like we manage to avoid them in a nick of time—but now, a different wariness surges up inside of me, one involving with the me back then.
"What... just happened? Why am I losing myself...?"
"... The reasons was quite complicated to explain—"
Reine finally glanced at me, her eyes still showing no sign of wavering nor hesitation whatsoever.
"—The Spirit power has poisoned your mind, and in turns seemingly created another persona to fulfill your power truthful desire."
"To burn."
Hearing Reine's explanation, I let out a sigh and looked back at the cellar.
So many things happen in less than a month, and so little time to resolve each of them... How bothersome.
"What happened to
"She's in a coma right now."
I immediately shot up to look at her face with the answer, feeling bewilderment.
"What happened?! Why did she go into a coma?!"
"Your last attack has inflicted a grave injury on her, but she held on albeit barely. In fact, she's over there right now."
"..."
Following Reine's direction, I take a glance at the opposite side of my bed to see a figure lying on the bed at the corner of the room with bandages covering her entire body.
Seeing her seemingly lifeless body over there, a wave of guilt swept through me.
I... did that. I make her like that. I hurted her...
In a fit of rage, I let myself loose and almost cost another life with my own hand... And if it was not for Shido intervention, the casualty won't just end with that...
... Speaking of which, I need to clarify something.
"Reine, can you look at Origami history?"
"I can... but why?"
"I... just curious."
I slightly tilt my head away, feeling a bit concerned with such an odd request. But if I can get this worry out of my chest, I don't think I can keep the other in check.
"... Understood."
After a while of just pure silence, Reine finally agrees with my request and turns to the computer again as I let out a small exhale in relief...
Suddenly, the door led straight to the hall slide open, revealing a familiar blue haired bearing a worry expression.
"Shido..."
I look at the boy with a confused expression for a moment, but I then pick up my "commanding" tone right after in reflex, even without my black ribbon on.
"What the heck are you doing here Shio?! Who give you the aut—"
"Why did you hide this from me?"
Eh?
His gaze... It's so much different from usual. Too focused, too committed.
As if the guy in front of me is an entirely different person, no longer my beloved yet goofy brother of mine...
"Why did you hide the fact that you are a Spirit from me?"
"I..."
He asked with a rather serious, yet still contained compassion, which startled me quite a bit.
I then slowly remember the reasons, as my face slowly frowns down with each passing thought.
Because I was afraid, afraid of him rejecting me, afraid of him being hurt by me.
There's so many reasons for me to hide this from him, but the most important one... is being unable to see his gentleness anymore.
And yet—I can't. Not now, at least.
"... I won't."
I bit my lips while whispering my final decision to Shido, and he slowly lowered his head with a thoughtful face.
"I see... Rest well, Kotori."
Let out a quiet murmur, he quickly makes his way out of the room as I startle in surprise with his weird reaction.
Somehow I can feel that he was... sad for some reasons, but it's probably just concerns over my well being... yeah.
And yet, despite that, I still feel unbearably guilty toward my dear adoptive brother, the one's always by my side...
Wescott POV:
"Ellen, you're here."
"Of course, why wouldn't I?"
In an empty yet open office, the young man greeted the blond lady with a rather warmful tone. Yet, despite such warm welcome, his eyes didn't even glint any light of interest.
"How's the situation? Have you found anything useful?"
"Yes, our AST branch in Japan has reported back their encounter with a Spirit which seems to be
The blond slowly explains her new found clue to her superior, as the guy just sitting there smiling while listening to every word she says.
To be frank, he already knew the information beforehand, but he preferred his assistance explaining the whole thing back again.
"I see..."
The man takes a small sip from his teacup, poured earlier from the blond lady, and looks quite interested in something.
"What about other things? Have you prepared them all?"
"All of them are all authorized, only awaiting your confirmation... Ike."
"Is that so... Then you have my permission, Ellen-chan."
Letting out a rather intrigued voice, the guy let out a small chuckle while the blond just sitting there looking all conflicting.
After a few moments of thinking, she decided.
"... May I ask you a favor, Ike?"
"Hm? What that might be, Ellen-chan?"
She then asked him for personal permission, one that clearly surprised him as his eyes dilated slightly. Then, with a brighter smile than earlier, he nodded in agreement with her.
"Of course you can, Elle. In fact, I wanted you to do that too."
"Thank you, Ike... I won't let you down again."
"I know you won't, my dear ~"
And with that, she made her way to the room, as the man silently shot a rather ominous gaze following her back...
"Well then
Origami POV:
"..."
Lying on the bed at the hospital, with bandages all over her body, I just blatantly stare at the ceiling.
My beloved sister, who I finally met again after that day, turns out to be
The one who was laughing manically while trying to kill me with her fiery halberd.
The one who incinerated my parents in cold blood, yet still has a loving family.
I pinch my palm while remembering her crazy expression, as my anger keeps swelling up.
... And yet, I hesitate, unsure of what to do next.
The thought of killing was still there, but also his painful gaze at that time, similar to mine that day...
Can I actually dare to take away his family from him, like how
3rd POV:
"Kuhihihihi—-"
Standing at the rooftop over the whole city, her crimson gothic dress swaying in the wind, the girl let out a crazy chuckle.
It's been a few days after the confrontation, with every side prepared for the worst... And now, everything will unfold today.
"What a beautiful changes ~ I wonder, how will you make it the more exciting, Fu-kun ~"
Looking down at the busy crowd below, the girl let out a statement with a rather seductive manner. Although this is not really her intention, this has become part of her "charm" throughout the years.
"Well then ~ Time to show 'em our 'hospitality' girls ~"
"Kuhihihihi—Of course ~"
Many voices giggling echoes with the child-like statement of the girl, as she shoots her gaze toward a certain ruined school...
"Captain, locate Squacequake signal! It's at Raizen High!"
The blond guy announced the Spacequake location, as the whole school then immediately flattened by an enormous sphere. Luckily, since the students had already run to the bunker, no casualty was spotted due to the phenomenon.
"Send Shido down there!"
Sitting on the commanding chair with one leg on top of the other, the twin tails brat commands with her favourite lollipop in her mouth.
"Sending Shido down..."
After a brief moment, the screen on board shows the destroyed hallway, with a certain blue hair carefully making his way through the debris.
"She is in your classroom, Shido. Be careful."
"... Roger."
The brat warned the boy with a rather harsh tone, and he just quietly complied with it, which seemed to have intrigued the crew a bit. Nonetheless, they ignore his weird sign and focus on the task at hand right now.
And finally, the familiar silhouette slowly shows up on the screen, with Shido hiding behind the doorframe while peeking out.
"Come out already, I know you there."
Saying stern with a hint of anger from the classroom, shook Shido and the
"Hi..."
"So it's you..."
The girl pointed the broadsword to the boy's face, her voice seemed a bit tired. On the contrary, the boy was just standing there scratching his head looking vastly uncomfortable...