Nogi Sonoko dreamed of the past.

Because she could no longer leave her bed, much less walk around on her own two feet, she had stopped going to school and was sheltered in a dull life that repeated itself over and over again. That was why she often recalled the past and relived the brighter days she could no longer participate in.

"Sonoko, are you still awake?" A man in a suit asked, in his right hand a white mask was slowly placed down on a low table close to her bed.

The girl smiled at the presence of her guests. "Un. I don't want to sleep so early tonight, otou-san. Okaa-san."

"Because you are waiting for your friend?"

"Yes. Tonight, we're supposed to meet again so I'm waiting for him."

"…I see. Then let's pray to Shinju-sama that he will be back soon. I've been wondering what kind of person this Hyoudou-boy is."

Well… did I just I throw a hurdle at Han-kun?

Sonoko loved her family, so she did not mind them visiting her. What she had done was a noble thing as befitting one of the Nogi bloodline, her father always said with a brittle smile. Her mother, however, always broke down when she squeezed her hand.

She would always spill tears as she apologized to Sonoko for some reasons.

Sonoko could only smile and thought how much she was loved by her parents. She told them that it was fine, that it was worth the suffering she had to go through, and that she was glad she could still see them again even in her current state.

Even so…

Even so, the girl thought how lonesome her life had become now that she could no longer meet her dearest friends.

"…The Final Battle…" Sonoko looked up to the dark sky above, reflected upon her uncovered eye were fireworks from the past that erased the darkness with beautiful colorful lights and loud sounds. "…Han-kun, you shouldn't have hung up on a maiden when she hasn't finished talking to you…"

She wanted to tell him many things. Words like 'Be careful', 'Good luck', 'I will be waiting', even 'Come back safely'…

Sonoko was sure their bonds could grow deeper if she could convey those words to him. She didn't become a best-selling young novelist for nothing. She knew which words could encourage spirits and help developing relationships, but…

"…Maybe, this is the right thing." The bedridden girl laughed. "I wouldn't want Han-kun to trip a Death Flag or even be suspicious…"

Because she could foresee what the future entailed. Because she knew what the 'Final Battle' meant for her, to the girls who had yet to know the truth, and to the boy who would have no choice but to endure no matter what happened. Because her chance would surely appear once the battle was over.

Aah, this is bad, Sonoko thought as she closed her one eye. I want to see you…

Sonoko had prepared herself. Soon, Taisha would definitely grow restless. She could tell that they were running out of options if Hyoudou Ichiro's outburst reached the ears of the higher-ranked members.

Sonoko's parents had decided to support her decisions, so they were fine. However, she wasn't sure to what length would the rest of Taisha go to. She was… worried, yes, but she knew that was useless with the leash on her neck. She had to be careful, otherwise…

"Okaa-san," the sole daughter of the Nogi family called out. "…Can I rest a little? Please tell me if Han-kun is here…"

She hoped they would comply with her decision.

"That's fine." Her mother breathed out and smiled as her father patted Sonoko's head. "We will always be by your side, sweetheart."

The girl's smile softened, and she sighed as tension slowly left her shoulders.

"Un… Good night," Sonoko said. "I love you, Otou-san. Okaa-san…"

"We love you too, Sonoko…"

With that, the girl drifted into a slumber blanketed with warmth. She was happy for that. She was glad that she could enjoy this warmth even though her heart had long stopped beating.

However, Sonoko reflected on her thoughts.

All that I want right now, she traced her memories that were as clear as the cloudless sky. What I want is to be with my friends, that wish still hasn't changed; it has never changed.

She missed her friends. She missed her carefree but kind best friend who went ahead by herself. She wanted to talk with her best friend who swore the same promise as she did. She wanted Gin and Sumi to be by her side again.

But, a thought and an image of a boy flashed in her mind. Ever since he appeared…

Even though they still barely knew each other.

Even though they had already talked to each other about their favorite foods two days ago.

Even though it was impossible for her to return to her previous lifestyle…

A tear slipped from her lone left eye and lined down her cheek. "…I want to meet you…"

For once, the girl stopped looking back to her past and begged for the hopelessly hopeful future to arrive.

A loud roar akin to a hundred bombs detonating all at once filled the sky.

Heat, light and shockwaves spread across the Jukai as a vacuum followed after the collapse of a miniature star that suddenly appeared in less than a minute.

The topmost layer of vines right beneath it crumbled apart with pieces of them sucked in by the hole in the sky. At the same time, violent winds blew across the place where the sphere of molten lava once formed, crushing and tearing apart the debris until nothing remained.

Fuu stared with wide at the unbelievable scene. She soon realized where the explosion happened and her complexion turned pale. It can't be…!?

"Fuu-senpai!" Before she could utter any word, she heard her junior's voice and noticed a charging monster that vaguely resembled a ram.

In an instance the blonde leaped over the Aries Vertex to avoid it, but as she remembered what had distracted her, she couldn't help but to roar and activated Inugami's Blessing.

The great sword in her hands suddenly multiplied in size and the blade lengthened to the point where it could easily cut apart a building in a single stroke.

"Get out of the way!" Fuu shouted as her sword descended upon the Aries Vertex like a gigantic guillotine.

The blade struck the head first. Sparks scattered and the solid resistance she felt through her arms made her wince. This thing's head isn't the weak point!

But she wouldn't let that stop her. If the initial swing didn't work, then she simply hadn't put enough effort in it!

Fuu exerted all of her strength as she roared, and the sword slowly sank into the head of the Aries.

"Not… yet!"

The girl rotated her entire body in midair. With the added momentum, her great sword carved deeper into the Vertex's body and ripped it apart in halves.

There was a sound akin to a ringing bell coming from below her and she looked at the flower crest on the ground.

"Alright!" Fuu flipped over once again before she landed on an arching vine. "Commence Sealing Ritual!"

At her command, a white diagram expanded beneath the Aries. As yellow flower petals stormed out from the outer rim of the hex, Fuu felt her strength dwindling down but she ignored the dizziness and observed the enemy's movement.

Despite having been sliced apart, the Aries's lower body twitched and raised its tube-like body part. An orb attached to the back end split into several pieces, revealing a reversed pyramid decorated with intricate black lines.

There it is! "Tougou! Do it!"

In a split second, a ray of blue light traveled through the sky and pierced the exposed Mitama. As the sound of gunfire followed after it, the core of the monster burst into flames from the inside, smoke and embers spewing out before the thing shattered into pieces.

Wisps of light were released from within the core. They ascended to the dark heavens until they faded away, and Fuu wondered what those things were.

Regardless. Without them, the body of the Vertex crumbled into pure white sand, the diagram vanished and Fuu looked ahead, her smartphone emerging from thin air as she raised and opened her left hand.

"How many are left?" Fuu asked once it was connected with her friend.

"Two more to go," said the cool-headed sniper of the team. "Currently, Itsuki-chan and Karin are finishing up the Sealing Ritual for Gemini. Yuuna-chan is chasing after Pisces, but considering its erratic movement and ability…"

Fuu nodded. "Go assist her, Tougou."

"…I'm sorry, Fuu-senpai," Tougou inhaled. "Please… help that boy."

There was no need for more words. Everyone understood what their roles entailed, and the plan they had cooked up before they confronted the four Vertexes. Fuu disconnected the call with that. She let her Fairy put back her terminal, and she turned her head to the west.

The blonde immediately leapt up.

She crossed through the windless sky and hopped from vine to vine, taking the shortest path to reach her destination. But she sensed danger and dived into the layers of vines.

Something passed over her head. It was like a giant needle of light that reminded her of the Sagittarius Vertex's arrow, but it was so much slower and thinner in terms of density. When Fuu looked forward, she saw more approaching but she swatted them aside with her great sword.

"The hell…?" The girl spotted shadowy creatures that didn't look terribly inorganic but still weird-looking. "What are those things—"

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw a shadow flitted from the corner of her vision and she turned her gaze only to see a three-headed, four-legged beast leaping at her with razor sharp claws aiming straight to her face.

It was too close! She couldn't dodge in midair and her weapon wouldn't make it in time!

"Shi—"

"Don't you fucking touch her, you bastard!"

A red blur smashed into the creature's side like a diving eagle. Fuu heard cracking bones and a loud boom right as the monster was blasted through a vine. But the surprise didn't stop yet.

"That voice," Fuu gasped. "Isse—"

The red blur landed behind her before it flew past her. Not even Fuu, with her enhanced senses, could catch it in her sight as the figure rocketed straight toward a group of roaring monsters.

What happened next could only be classified as a brutal beating.

Something that could only be seen as a mass of black tentacles had the majority of its body blown off as the red speck impacted it. Following after that, several creatures that reminded Fuu of humans but with wings attached to their backs were erased by a ray of green light.

One after another, the death throes of the unidentifiable foes faded as quickly as they appeared.

There was truly nothing left for Fuu to do. She landed on the battlefield, seeing at least a dozen dead bodies and dark stains of dried blood. There was a smell of rust and burnt plastic but something was wrong with them.

"Issei…?" When she called out, the boy in red armor tilted backward and fell. "Issei!? Hey! Are you alright—"

She caught him in time, but…

"Ah…" From the cracked visor and damaged headgear, she saw one reptilian eye reflecting her shocked face. "…Is… Is that you… Senpai…?"

The boy's voice was faint and fatigued. A lump was stuck in Fuu's throat as she wondered what in the bloody hell had happened which caused such a drastic change in her junior.

When Fuu looked down, it turned out the red armor covering his body was barely hanging on, with many damaged parts exposing various wounds. From lacerations to second-degree burns, the boy's body was battered to an extent that Fuu almost reeled back in horror.

How, the girl asked only to realize she couldn't utter the question out of her tied tongue. How is he still fighting in this state?

"Issei, you…" Fuu's grips tightened, stilled, and then trembled. "…You fool…"

Even though she didn't question him, she had a strong hunch about why her junior was in such a mess.

The miniaturized star. The sudden appearances of three Vertexes that didn't go to the Shinju despite not participating in the battle against the Heroes, and in addition those weird creatures that radiated a sense of wrongness no matter what kind of reasoning Fuu tried to use.

So the target has been Issei all along…!?

She couldn't believe it. The Heroes were the protectors of the Shinju. The ultimate goal of the Vertexes were supposed to be the death of the world. Despite that, the enemies prioritized themselves in killing an outsider that had no relation with the War that was currently waged.

They had chosen to ignore their natural enemies and hunt down a boy who should have never been there in the first place.

"What the hell…?" Fuu muttered through clenched teeth. "What the hell is wrong with them…!?"

It was ridiculous. It was unfair. It was not right.

Then suddenly – a strong pressure washed over her.

Fuu looked up, seeing three figures of monstrous abominations that were born from the Virus that ended the Old Era. The hateful enemies descended as if they desiring to impose the final judgment.

Looking down on humans like that. Having no face and probably not even a heart to understand humanity…

"Why…?" Fuu brought out her great sword and stood up, Issei still held tight against her chest. "Why can't you all just leave us alone already…?!"

The Vertexes didn't respond with words.

Fuu retreated as hundreds of blue spheres barraged the flat vine. At the same time, she felt her speed falling and wind pulling her long twin braids forward.

Despite that, she continued to retreat as the enemies screeched as if mocking her and her resolve.

"Stay away!" Fuu raised her great sword and threw it at the thing with a spiked ring behind its back. "Ghh…!"

As she burned the appearance of her enemies in her memories, Fuu turned her back against them and carried her friend in her arms.

Fuu' shuddered and suddenly something exploded above her.

It hit her right away. The Vertex threw something, probably an explosive at her. Whatever it was, no way was it just a normal attack, and her guess was proven true as the vine next to her burst in a fiery explosion.

Everywhere she went to, the Vertex's barrage of explosives followed right behind her.

"Damn… it…!" Fuu cursed as Inugami flew from one spot to another to protect her.

Even so, the shockwaves, heat and sound still hurt her. She knew that her Fairy's blessings had limits, since she could still feel the attacks. It hurts, it burns, but…

There was no way she could give in. Issei had done his very best despite fighting all alone. There was no way she would fail here.

As if she would fail repaying what the Vertexes had done to her junior…!

"Hang in there, Issei…!" Fuu breathed out and sped up. "It'll all be over soon, so hang in there!"

As long as I'm still breathing, no one is allowed to die here!

…Where am I…?

He found it hard to describe what he was feeling. Was he standing? Was he lying on his back? Which way was up and which was down? He… couldn't tell.

Issei didn't like that, so he tried to open his eye – only to be overwhelmed by violent colors and burning pain all over his body.

"Agh…" He groaned, feeling restless and wondering what had happened to him.

[Don't try to do anything,] a voice told him, familiar but gruff. [You're in no condition to move after overexerting yourself like that, partner. Unless you still have a death wish, that is.]

…Partner…? As soon as Issei processed that word, memories resurfaced like pieces of a puzzle falling into places.

I remember, the boy thought as he felt his mouth souring from the fact. I… I lost, didn't I…?

[If you can call defeating a horde of monsters at the level of average middle-class Devils on top of living through a meticulous trap laid out by the leader of those thrice-damned Harvesting Tools?] Ddraig sneered. [Your value isn't only decided by yourself, but also by others, partner. I say you've done a very good job as the weakest bearer of Boosted Gear.]

…Huh, so he did something worthwhile at last…

Issei would have smiled if he could, but his body was so sore, even smiling took effort and his throat felt like a raging desert in the middle of dry season. Maybe Ddraig was right. I'm beat…

[Don't rest just yet,] Ddraig suddenly chided him. [While it's fine to stay calm, you're still not out of danger. Not you or even those young priestesses.]

…Excuse me?

[The battle is still not over yet,] his partner said. [There are three… no, four Vertexes left, and sixteen more Strays roaming around the barrier. What's more, the latter are stronger than the things you just exterminated.]

That's… bad.

[Yeah, but you're with your comrades. It could have been worse like you getting killed by them.]

…Why would that be a problem? Issei could understand the logic of reduction of firepower and morale support, but he was the weakest among his friends. Even if he fell in battle, the girls still had the most values in the team.

[…Yes, that might be correct, but…] Ddraig sighed, [Should those things extract your Sacred Gear and me, there'd be nothing left to stop them from ending the world completely.]

"…What?!" Issei snapped open his eyes and raised his upper body despite the damage he had taken. "Gah!? Aaargh…!"

And naturally, that earned him the pain and agony he deserved.

"Issei-san!? What are you doing!?" A familiar voice reached his ears. Turning his head, he caught sight of Tougou's frantic expression. "Please stop moving or your wounds will reopen again!"

Reopen? Again…? Issei couldn't help but ask what she meant and his classmate nodded.

"Your wounds… When Fuu-senpai brought you in, they had begun to heal," Tougou explained as her hand reached to his back and shoulder, most likely to support him. "…Even so, some parts were slow to heal while the others suddenly reopened as if something inside of you were rejecting the regeneration."

Her voice went low and quiet at the end of it. Issei, however, couldn't think of why so he searched the answer by looking both at himself and the surroundings… and he found it.

While his uniform was mostly intact, Boosted Gear was deactivated which exposed parts of his body that were burned and wounded. Scars crisscrossed his midsection and sides, his right arm was peppered with pink skins and dark bruises, and once again Issei felt disparity of quality in the world he saw.

"…Ah…" Issei raised his still human-looking arm to cover the right side of his face. "…So the magic stopped working. Looks like that attack was too much, huh?"

He wanted to laugh. Why was he always this slow when it came to understanding others? It might not matter to him, but what about the others? He should have understood that he was no longer a human.

"…Damn it…" Issei growled and tried to stand up – only to be placed back in place. "Agh! T-Tougou-san…? Why are you – oww!?"

"Stop. Moving." Tougou glared at him from the side as her lips formed a thin line. "I may not know what you are thinking right now, but fighting any more than this is tantamount to suicide."

"B-But…! I have to help the others—"

"And what can you contribute in that state?"

…That was… That was a good point.

Issei had to admit that he felt extraordinarily tired and his body was not in a condition that could allow him to move strenuously. He was… incapacitated, to say the least.

"Please don't make everyone more worried than this," Tougou reprimanded. "I know that this is the Final Battle, but do you think you are allowed to throw your life away because the situation demands it?"

The girl shook her head in disagreement. In fact, there were signs of distaste in her voice as if she loathed the thought of sacrificing something for the greater good.

That was why Issei stilled, and that was why he chose to listen to her.

"…I… Sorry, Tougou-san…" He rubbed his head and bobbed his head a little. "I was just… Sorry."

"…So you can tell that making up excuses won't help your cause." Tougou breathed out as she closed her eyes. "I as well. I'm sorry for my harsh words. I have to tell that to you, and…"

…And…? Issei frowned at the sudden silence.

What came next was a pillar of flame from miles ahead.

The boy raised his chin, his eyes widening as four gigantic creatures gathered in formation while four smaller figures danced around a storm of floating fireballs that obstructed them from reaching their enemies.

"…Everyone is still fighting," Tougou said from beside him. "It has been like this for the last ten minutes. The Vertexes aren't letting up and probably, their aim still hasn't changed at all."

"Their… aim…?" Issei asked and the girl nodded.

"You, Issei-san." Tougou stared ahead even as Issei nearly choked at that implication. "But there's no need to worry. We will protect you. We won't allow anyone die in this battle, not even…"

Tougou craned down her chin as her gaze narrowed like a sharpened blade.

In the next moment Issei felt a shiver climbing up his spine. He turned his head to the left but before he could see what was there, the barrel of an odd-looking blue pistol whipped by his side.

A gunfire was heard alongside the pained grunt of a black-winged woman. Blood sprayed, the foul scent of burned plastic permeated for a moment. And then, the Fallen Angel crumpled in place as it died and vanished into particles of light.

"There are still more." Tougou slowly stood up after leaving Issei's side, four cloths tensing to support her body while the girl wielded one more firearm that looked the same as what her left hand held. "Issei-san, may I ask what they are? They appear to be not human since they faded away when I killed one of them."

"Eh!? Ah, err… that is," Issei fumbled for a simple summary. "Those are Strays. Umm, I think they are monsters."

"Of man-eating variant?"

Issei knitted his eyebrows together. He wasn't sure what to say to that question, but considering the myths and folktales about monsters the country possessed…

[They aren't exactly man-eaters,] Ddraig supplied. [But some can certainly eat humans like Youkai would. Just call them deranged monsters that cannot be reasoned with. They have bad reputations and they're known to see the lives of lesser beings as worthless compared to their own.]

…Well, that explained a bunch of things and resolved a lot of issues Issei had with killing living creatures.

"Yeah," the boy said with a nod. "Something like that. They're like Youkai but the ones attacking us aren't civilized enough to talk with."

"I see." Tougou twirled her pistols as they ejected empty bullet casings.

The girl fired her firearms to her left and right side. Not even a second passed by and two death throes echoed, but Tougou already reloaded her guns and aimed them forward.

"No one shall pass this line," she said as she shot a winged nine-feet tall Minotaur at the eyes, throat, shoulders, and knees. "I won't allow you to hurt my friends!"

As another battle started, the battlefield changed and advanced.

"Tch…! Just die already!" Fuu yelled as she cleaved a limb off a Vertex that resembled a chunk of moss-covered landmass.

Her older sister was fighting unlike herself. In fact, Itsuki was certain that she had never seen Fuu raise her voice like that, but she understood why when she saw the specks of red stain on the Hero outfit.

Her frustration resonated to her, and possibly to the others as well.

She saw her upperclassmen jumping around to evade a barrage of spheres of water and fire, with Yuuna using the vines as cover sometimes while Karin nimbly closed in on the Aquarius Vertex.

"Too slow!" The newest member of Hero Club cut apart one of the two water containers the monster possessed.

She threw her swords at the main body. A swift chain of explosions shattered the crystalline body and the Vertex's last water supply suddenly stopped floating. The immense body of water poured down and drenched the vines with darker shades of color.

It was as if it had lost the magic that kept it attached to Vertex.

"Yuuna!" Karin shouted.

"Leave it to me!" Yuuna replied and swung her right arm to the side. "Beginning the Sealing Ritual!"

A white diagram expanded beneath the Aquarius Vertex. The monster stopped moving at once but in exchange, the surface of the vines beneath it blackened and burned despite there being no fire in the vicinity.

No, Itsuki was wrong. The vines' surfaces peeled away into ashes. Little-by-little, the Jukai was being harmed and that was a bad sign. Something might be happening in the reality the barrier was based from, and if left alone—

"Found it!" Karin kicked off the ground and flew straight to the core of the Vertex sparkling within its jar-like body. "Get out of this town alre—"

Her words were cut short as a torrent of wind assailed the area. Itsuki yelped as she was about to be swept off her feet and she looked at the enemy possessing a scale-like body.

It was spinning around as the chains linking it to geometrical objects were swung around. In less than a minute, it had become the eye of a vortex that forced the Heroes to stay on the ground by any means necessary.

"Itsuki!" Fuu grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her in as they used Fuu's great sword that was embedded into a vine as an anchor to hold on. "Hang in there!"

"U-Unn…! Thank you, Onee-chan." Itsuki breathed in. "But the enemies…!"

"I don't think they can use ranged attacks with…" Fuu's eyes turned into dots as realization dawned on Itsuki and her. "It can't be…!"

It was too late.

Suddenly a miniaturized sun formed in front of the two. The largest Vertex was nowhere in sight but the wounded Taurus moved and faded once it entered the newborn star. Oh no…!

The girl raised her right arm yet the green threads she pulled out were shaken off by the rampaging winds. "Kh…!?"

The futile attempt allowed the vortex to strengthen and on the side of the battlefield, Yuuna's focus slipped.

The Sealing Ritual required not an ounce of interruption. It was a delicate process which relied upon the divine energy a Hero possessed, and everyone had already been exhausted after a series of battles before fighting against the remaining Vertexes.

The Aquarius was freed from imprisonment and flew into the colossal sphere of flame that had grown twice in size. Itsuki's blood ran cold but the last Vertex – the Libra retreated as it continued to obstruct everyone from reaching it or even its allies.

"Ah…" Someone said as the winds died down and the Vertex faded into the red sun.

From that point on, the nightmare began.