A/N: At long last, after a hard and strenuous fight, I am finally finished with my finals, everyone! And that means I can devote the entirety of my focus on my fics and have tons of fun writing! HOORAY!

As for what to expect from this chapter, well...I think you can expect a bunch of stuff, both exhilarating and shocking!

ENJOY!

P.S.: I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and I wish you all an early Happy New Year! Say goodbye to 2019 and brace yourselves for 2020!

P.P.S.: If you've been following the updates I've been making on my profile, hopefully you'll know that as of this writing, I'm simultaneously battling a seasonal allergy and an ear infection. Whether or not these two are related, I have no clue, but it's a hell of a way to end 2019, am I right? XP Anyway, wish me well! I do hope this doesn't interfere with my ability to write in the near-future. The last thing I need is to spend my entire winter break and perhaps all of the next semester feeling like crap.

CHAPTER 31: THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL

Afterlife Name - Post-Afterlife Name

Yuri Nakamura - Kimiko Nishimura

Takamatsu - Takayoshi Asahara

Yusa - Rikana Egami

Eri Shiina - C

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Yunokawa Household
Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club
Nishitōkyō, Japan

"Look, Hamada," Yuuji said with growing exasperation, "I don't know what your angle is, but please! For the love of God, stop fooling around and g-get the Tokyo Metropolitan Police off our damn trail!"

"I'm afraid I cannot," Takeyama replied. "This laptop and its software are inferior to the ones I am accustomed to."

"If it's inferior, Hamada, then that means it should be that much easier for you to use, right?! A-And wh-wha-whaddaya mean inferior?! You've been using the same laptop for frigging AGES!"

"I have?" Takeyama looked down at Hamada's laptop. "Strange. The very touch of it is foreign to me..."

"What're you doing, Hamada?! Are you seriously trolling around right now?! Stop it and get serious, man, please! For the love of God, we're gonna get arrested!"

"Calm down." Takeyama coolly adjusted his eyeglasses. "Now, three things for me to point out. First thing: this laptop is an easy task for me. A painfully easy one, might I add. But when I say it and its software are inferior, I mean that there's nothing I could do. The moment the Tokyo Police caught on to our signal, they've latched onto it and they're never gonna let go. They already know where we live, and I can't do anything to divert their attention."

Yuuji felt his heart drop. "So you're saying it's useless?"

"Correct. Either we escape or we accept the inevitable."

"We can't escape. My mom and dad are gonna see us on the way out, a-and I don't even have an explanation for them!" The boy buried his face in his palms. "Not when the cops are already on their way! Ohhhhh, my mom and dad are soooo gonna kill me and Onii-chan a-and dance on our graves-"

"Second thing," interrupted Takeyama. "I'm not trolling you right now. I seriously don't know who this Hamada person is that you're referring to."

"Are you-?!" began Yuuji.

"Yuuji-kun, honey!" called the singsong voice of Yuuji's mother. "Is everything alright up there?"

"Y-Yeah!" Yuuji replied while sweating bullets. "W-We're alright, Mom! J-Just a lil' hitch in the operation, th-that's all!"

"Okay! Just let me know if you or Hamada-kun need anything!"

"Okay, Mom!" Yuuji wiped his forehead, glared back at Takeyama, and angrily whispered, "Are you frigging serious right now?"

"Yes, I'm serious," deadpanned Takeyama.

"Dead serious?"

"Dead serious. I just told you that I'm not trolling you. My name is Takeyama. Mitsuhiro Takeyama."

Yuuji stared blankly. "Who the hell is Mitsuhiro Takeyama?!"

"Only the greatest hacker the Afterlife has ever seen. Which leads me to my third point." Takeyama calmly refocused on Hamada's laptop. "Would you please call me Christ?"

"I'm not calling you shit until you explain what the hell's really going on, Hamada!" Then, Yuuji clutched his head. "Ohhh, my God! We're gonna get arrested and thrown in jail, a-and all you have to say for it is nothing but requesting me to call you Jesus H. Flipping Christ!"

"Only 'Christ' will suffice," Takeyama remarked flatly.

"God!" Yuuji rubbed his temples in distress. "I can't believe this is happening right now! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, we're so screwed!"

Takeyama calmly looked up at the boy. "Calm down, man. Do not lose hope. As long as you're with me, Christ, then you have nothing to worry about."

A split-second later, the two teens heard the front door to the Yunokawa home burst open, followed by a loud voice.

"POLICE! GET DOWN!"

"But yeah," Takeyama remarked, his voice still calm. "We're kinda screwed right now."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" squeaked Yuuji.

"Do you...even know where...you girls are...are going...?"

"Of course we do!"

Elsewhere, Rikana Egami, Sachiyo Sugisata, and Officer Sekine were stealthily walking down the sidewalks of Nishitōkyō, being on the lookout for anything even remotely suspicious. Rikana and Sachiyo were no longer wearing their handcuffs, and the former was now wielding the New Nambu 60 revolver Sekine handed to her. The trio had been walking for hours, which showed from Sekine's mounting exhaustion.

"Look..." panted Sekine. "Why...are we...in this neighborhood?"

"Look," Rikana replied, "our instructions were to distract the police long enough for our friends to do their thing and then regroup back here. That is, if we weren't arrested."

"Jeez... Didn't know...it'd be...that far...from...the hospital..."

Sachiyo rolled her eyes with disbelief. "How could you be exhausted already? Doesn't the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, you know...give you regular exercise training?"

Sekine stopped for a moment to clutch his knees. "The department has a training exercise every other month."

"Every other month...?" Rikana repeated disbelievingly.

"I heard it used to be monthly, but...you know, budget cuts-"

"Budget cuts," Sachiyo interrupted. "Of course."

Sekine snapped his head upward. "Hey! We try our best, alright?! Take your concerns up with the government, not how the department chooses to organize itself!"

"You can't even accept even some responsibility for your shortcomings," Rikana spat. "And you still call yourself a police officer..."

"Goddamn, what will it take for me to convince you kids that I'm not representing my entire department?!"

Before Rikana could respond, Sachiyo suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her behind some nearby bushes in a front yard. Sekine stood there for a couple of seconds, stunned by the sudden move, before slowly, awkwardly following them behind their makeshift shelter.

"Sugisata!" Rikana snapped. "What was th-?!"

Sachiyo pressed her index finger upon Rikana's lips, silencing the blonde girl. Then, she slowly, quietly peered above the bushes, her eyes narrowed in their scrutiny. Intrigued, Rikana and Sekine did the same. As soon as they did, they saw the Yunokawa household, just a couple of homes away. The front yard was crowded with police officers, all of whom had their revolvers drawn.

"Huh," Sekine remarked. "I assume that was supposed to be your rendezvous point."

"Oh, no..." Rikana whispered with worry. "They must've traced Hamada's signal."

"Hamada? Who's Hamada?"

"A friend of ours. He-" She hesitated briefly, pondering her next words. "He's the one who hacked into your department's system."

"Oh yeah, I think I remember hearing about that. So your friend is the hacker, huh? He must be quite skilled."

"Not really," Sachiyo deadpanned. "Your system's defenses were just pretty easy for him to get through. I assume it was another one of your budget cuts?"

"I'm not really knowledgeable about computers and all of that...but I would assume so."

"Typical."

Just then, Rikana, Sachiyo, and Sekine watched as the front door to the Yunokawa house burst open. Just a second later, two police officers left of the house, each of them escorting a handcuffed teenage boy. One of the boys was younger and had blue hair; he looked like he was about to cry. The other boy was much calmer in comparison; he wore a pair of shiny glasses and looked a little pompous. Following the quartet was another police officer carrying a familiar laptop.

"Oh, no," whispered Rikana. "Hamada...and Yuuji-kun too..."

"Naotatsu's gonna flip when he hears about this," Sachiyo commented.

"Don't say anything, Yuuji!" a male voice called loudly, and the discreet trio watched as an adult couple left the house as well. The man was wearing an outraged expression, while his wife was silently weeping. "Don't say anything until we get you and Hamada-kun a lawyer!"

"Well, that's just great," Sachiyo whispered. "Now what are we gonna do?"

All of a sudden, Sekine stood up, revealing himself from the bushes and stunning the two girls.

"Don't worry," he said. "Leave it all to me, girls."

"Wh-What?!" Rikana cried. "What're you-?!"

The girls tried to stop him, but Sekine had already walked away from them and approached the group of officers as they were still taking in Yuuji and Touya. Without anything else to do, Rikana and Sachiyo simply kept themselves concealed behind the bushes.

"What do ya think he's gonna do?" Sachiyo whispered to Rikana. "Rat us out? Tell them where we are?"

"Well, he's been cooperative with us so far..." the blonde girl replied. "He wouldn't have risked his job by letting us go. I say we should watch and see what happens next. And if he does rat us out, then we can just make a run for it." A poker-face suddenly entered her expression. "I mean, he did just admit the department only gives its officers physical training every other month."

"True, true... Plus, we still have his gun."

"Yeah, that's right..."

Rikana and Sachiyo fell silent again and continued watching as Sekine began conversing with the other officers. After just a few seconds, the two officers holding Yuuji and Touya handed both boys to Sekine, much to the girls' immense surprise and relief. Then, they watched as the officers started to leave while Sekine pulled out a notepad and started scribbling in it. None of the other officers seemed to wait around for Sekine to take Yuuji and Touya into a police cruiser.

Once the last cruiser left, leaving Sekine in the front yard with the boys and Yuuji's parents, Rikana and Sachiyo saw this opportunity to emerge from their hiding place and run to them. As they did, Touya's eyes widened strangely at the sight of Rikana, Yuuji's mother stopped crying, and Yuuji's father looked confused.

"Wait a minute, Officer?" the man asked. "You're...You're not going to bring my son in...?"

"Well, it depends on how long these arrests are gonna remain on my colleagues' minds..." Sekine replied as he put away his notepad. "And I assure you both, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police is very busy with more pressing matters."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Yuuji's mother asked hopefully. "You're not gonna arrest my son?"

"That depends."

"On what?" asked Yuuji's father.

"If your son and his friends will be instrumental in bringing down the cult once and for all."

"The...The cult?" Yuuji's father crossed his arms, and his eyelid twitched in anger. "Is that what you've been doing, Yuuji-kun?!"

Yuuji winced at his father's barking tone, prompting Rikana to step in.

"Not exactly, sir," she said. "We've been mounting a rescue operation."

"A...A rescue operation?!"

Then, Yuuji's mother gasped with realization. "Are...Are you talking about Nishimura's sisters and brother?!" she cried.

Rikana nodded with narrowed eyes. "Yes, that's right."

"Are...Are you kids insane?!" Yuuji's father snapped. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"

"They are," Sekine replied, "which is why I'm watching over them."

"Y-You CAN'T be ser-"

"Oh, I'm afraid I am serious, sir. Now, then..." Sekine stared at the garage. "I am gonna need to borrow your vehicle, sir. It's official police business."

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters
Chiyoda, Tokyo

"Sir."

Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei's heads perked up at the first word they heard after minutes of deafening silence in the dimly-lit security room. They watched as a police officer approached Yamashita, the cultist with the golden cloak and the dead rabbit as a necklace. Yamashita didn't budge even one centimeter, instead keeping his eyes trained on the many security monitors behind him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"W-We have a, uh...a situation down at the outer perimeter," the officer replied hesitantly.

Yamashita still didn't budge. "Well then, take care of the situation."

"Th-That's the thing, though... W-We can't get in touch with our contacts in the outer perimeter."

"You're a police officer, right?" asked Yamashita. He didn't say anything else, causing the officer to realize the lead cultist was expecting a response from him.

"Y-Yes, sir. I-I am, s-s-sir."

"Then contact any other officer that doesn't have any affiliation with us. They'll listen to a colleague like you. Tell them to go look into it."

"Th-That's part of the problem too, sir."

Finally, Yamashita twitched. After a brief period of deadly, unbearable silence, he looked over his shoulder and regarded the officer with his scarlet eyes. They shone even brighter with the light of the security monitors, which caused the poor officer to subtly flinch.

"Are you telling me..." Yamashita replied slowly, "that you're losing contact with your colleagues from left to right?"

"Y-Ye-Yeah... I-I'm trying to contact people to investigate the outer perimeter, but no one's responding. A-And I've begun to hear, uh, c-chatter of people breaking through the inner barricade around this building. I-I think you should review the security footage, see what's up."

Yamashita pursed his lips before refocusing on the security monitors, which were showing live feeds of various angles of the headquarters complex, both its exterior and interior. He pressed some buttons, and some of the live feeds switched over to the lobby area and the area directly outside.

To his utter shock and confusion, he saw a group of adolescents running through the area. One of them, a silver-haired, petite girl, was in the lead, and she was carrying what appeared to be large blades. Every time police officers attempted to stop the group from progressing, the silver-haired girl would raise her blades and cross them, which would somehow trigger the officers to faint within split-seconds.

"What in the world...?" Yamashita asked with a mixture of stunned confusion and seething anger.

"Well, that's not good," the officer remarked with vague awe.

"You think?"

Just then, the golden-cloaked man spotted something on the monitors. With his eyes narrowing, he zoomed the largest monitor in on the adolescents as they rushed past the collapsing bodies of the police officers. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei stared at the monitor and saw who it was that had piqued their captor's interest.

"ONEE-CHAN!" Kaisei cried happily.

"She...She came..." Naomi said with awe.

However, Yamashita smirked. "Well, well, well... Now this just got interesting..."

"Wh-What do you want us to do with the intruders, sir?" the corrupt officer asked.

"I don't want you to do anything to them. They're here for these three, right?" Yamashita stared malevolently at Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei. "Well then, we'll give them a chance to take them."

"A...A chance to take them?"

Yamashita initially didn't respond. Instead, the golden-cloaked man approached the Nishimura siblings and pulled out a Bowie knife. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei shrunk in terror at the sight of its long, silver blade, which gleamed from the dim light of the security monitors.

"Change of plans," Yamashita said. "Get in contact with all of your colleagues who are not involved in our plans and are still conscious. Redirect them down false trails. Then, dispatch the emergency response tactical unit. Once they intercept Nishimura and her little group of friends, our followers are to establish contact between me and her. I have some terms I wish to discuss with Nishimura."

His smirk transformed into a wide, toothy grin.

"Alone."

"Well, this was frigging easier than I expected!"

Noda looked around him gleefully while covering his ears and those of Natsumi's cat Yuri. From left to right, officers were collapsing, and not a single shot was fired in the lobby. Once the last officer collapsed, he lowered his hands, allowed Yuri to hop off his lap, and glanced at Angel, who was lowering her Hand Sonic blades.

"Why didn't we think of this before?" he asked.

"I wasn't sure if I still had this ability in my reserves..." Angel replied stoically while looking up at the lobby ceiling. "But when we were about to be taken into custody, I had no choice but to try it out."

"Alright, everyone!" Otonashi cried after he, Hinata, and Asahara were all finished checking the front desks. "It looks like we're all in the clear! Let's keep moving!"

"I don't think so!" a new voice barked.

Startled, the redhead looked over his shoulder and saw a group of police officers rushing towards them. All of them were wearing full suits of body armor, carrying ballistic shields and black assault rifles, and...wearing large earmuffs. Otonashi instinctively aimed his pistol at them, but the team leader shouted at him and the others, stopping him cold.

"Drop your weapons and put your hands above your heads where we can see them! You budge a centimeter and we will shoot you!"

"You don't understand, Officer!" Kimiko cried in desperation.

"I think I understand just fine, young lady! Drop the goddamn weapons!"

Left with no other choice, the entire group of teenagers acquiesced. Several guns clattered to the floor loudly, the noises echoing in the lobby. As for Matsushita, who still had C slung over his shoulders, he gently laid the unconscious teenager to the floor, making sure his movements were slow and careful.

"Well, this is great," Royama whispered as his trembling hands shot up. "We're gonna get arrested for real this time. Just perfect."

"Now what do we do?" Noda asked.

"They are protecting their ears," added Angel. "They must've caught on to what my Howling Guard Skill is and taken the appropriate countermeasures." She lowered her face while raising her arms. "I'm useless right now, guys. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Angel," Otonashi replied consolingly. "We'll find another way."

Once everyone had their hands raised above their hands, the officers lowered their weapons, allowing the team leader to step forward.

"Now then," he said, "which one of you is Kimiko Nishimura?!"

Kimiko clenched her teeth as she stepped forward. "That would be me, asshole."

"I recommend you watch your mouth, Nishimura. Especially when your siblings' lives are at risk." Then, all of a sudden, the officer grinned malevolently. "Tell me, d'you remember this? Dear Chi, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form."

As the leader continued speaking in a chant, the rest of his team joined in. Their voices echoed throughout the lobby in some sort of eerie chorus.

"Beloved Sui, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty Ka, move through our Earth, feed it your energy."

Upon hearing those words, Kimiko's eyes widened with horror, as did the rest of the teenagers'.

"Great Fū, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life. And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting Kū, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

Once the chanting ceased, the leader spoke again. "Well, whaddaya think? Neat, huh?"

Kimiko's horror was instantly replaced with outrage. She clenched her fists so tightly that she threatened to draw blood from her palms.

"You're..." she snarled in a trembling voice. "You're all part of the cult?"

The officer chuckled. "Cult? Well, if you put that way, I suppose so. But...my colleagues and I imagine ourselves as being part of a more...civilized group."

"Civilized, my ass! Tell me where my sisters and brother are, you bastard!"

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Yuri!" Noda blurted out.

Just then, the officer's grin widened. "Oh, we'll tell you, alright. In fact, we can do better than that. We can take you to them, Nishimura."

"Wh-What?" Kimiko asked with disbelief.

"WHAT?!" shouted Otonashi and Hinata at the same time.

"Yes," the corrupt officer replied. "You see, our new boss is quite generous, and he doesn't want to see all this bloodshed continue. Especially if the blood that is being shed belongs to you and your friends."

"Bloodshed?" Noda barked. "HA! It's gonna be more than bloodshed if your new boss continues to have his way!"

The officer's expression didn't waver, but he asked, "I don't the faintest clue of what you're blabbering about-"

"D'you calling nuking Japan 'bloodshed'?! Yeah, I don't think so!"

A tense silence filled the lobby. Otonashi was quick to notice some of the other tactical officers fidgeting apprehensively, but once again, the leader didn't exhibit any discernible reaction for a few seconds. Then, he sighed with disappointment.

"Excuse me." With that, he produced a walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and spoke into it. "Boss?"

After a couple of seconds, a voice responded, "What's happening, Chisaka? You know I'm observing you through the security cameras. Why are some of your officers looking nervous?"

"Sir, they know about our nuclear devices."

There was another brief silence. Then, the voice said, "Give the walkie-talkie to Nishimura."

The team leader acquiesced, approaching Kimiko and stuffing her hand with the small communication device. With that, she pressed the same button and asked, "H-Hello...?"

"How'd you know about our nuclear weapons?"

The magenta-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "We read your boss's files! So what makes you think we, or I, could trust a single word that comes out of your mouth?!"

"Oh, but do you not want to ensure the safety of your dear siblings?"

Kimiko's blood ran cold. "My...My siblings...?"

All of a sudden, a new voice emerged from the walkie-talkie. Otonashi, Hinata, and Noda gritted their teeth, while many of the others grimaced with grief and sympathy.

"ONEE-CHAN!"

Kimiko's grip on the walkie-talkie tightened. "K-Kaisei-chan?! I-Is that you?!"

"Onee-chan, please listen to what he says! Please!"

"O-Okay, Tamika-chan, I will! I will! Don't be afraid, you guys! I'm coming to get you!"

"Onee-chan, it's a tr-"

Naomi's voice was cut off, causing Kimiko's heart to stop. "Naomi?!" she cried. "Tamika-chan?! Kaisei-chan?! HELLO?!"

Then, the sinister voice spoke again. "Nishimura."

Kimiko gritted her teeth, her fury threatening to boil over. "TELL ME WHERE MY SIBLINGS ARE, YOU SICK BASTARD!"

"Oh, but as I'm sure my colleague just mentioned, I am willing to lead you to them. I'm much more merciful than Hashimoto ever was, and I am willing to come to some sort of arrangement involving the release of all three of your precious siblings...and our plans for the nuclear weapons that you were smart enough to learn all about."

"No way, man!" snapped Noda. "We ain't takin' any deals from bastards like you!"

Noda was then intimidated into silence by a shot to the ceiling by one of the tactical officers. Right afterwards, the group could hear a tutting sound coming from the walkie-talkie.

"I was not talking to you, you rowdy child. Anyway, Nishimura, I wish to negotiate the terms of my humble arrangement with you...but I must negotiate with you alone. None of your friends are allowed to follow or assist you in any way."

"BULLSHIT!"

Noda's cry was followed by shouts of agreement and defiance from most of the others.

"Yuri or not, she's not going anywhere without us!" Hisako exclaimed.

"How the hell can we trust you?!" snapped Matsushita.

"You guys reek of double-dealing from a mile away!" Yui called.

"They're trying to trick you, Nishimura!" cried Hinata. "Don't listen to them!"

"Nishimura, you can't possibly think any of this is true!" shouted Otonashi.

The teenagers' explosive outburst was silenced by a short volley of bullets fired at the ceiling by two of the other officers. The team leader scowled at Otonashi and the others before refocusing on Kimiko.

"You can trust him, Nishimura," the officer said. "Unlike Hashimoto, Yamashita is not consumed by the idealistic ambition for a better Japan. He is more rooted in reality and would rather allow this crisis to come to an amicable end than permit the senseless annihilation of millions of lives."

"Senseless?!" Asahara suddenly cried. "Senseless?! My father... My father and so, so many others have died at the hands of your cult, and now you are calling your actions senseless?! Only when you are at an advantage you call your barbaric, despicable actions SENSELESS?!"

Then, the bespectacled boy tried to charge at the officers, but he was restrained by the combined efforts of Yui, Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori.

"My, my, Nishimura," Yamashita said. "You sure have tenacious friends. It is admirable...and yet so dangerous for the well-being of your siblings. After all, if you brought your friends with you and one of them snaps like that again, the consequences would be, well, disastrous."

"It's a trap, Nishimura!" Otonashi cried. "Don't listen to him!"

However, Kimiko's hands were shaking. "But...it's...it's the only way..." she said, her voice almost inaudible.

"No, Kimiko! You can't be-"

"Well, I AM!" The girl twirled around and stared daggers at Otonashi, who recoiled under her furious gaze. "These are my siblings we're talking about, Otonashi! My siblings! You wouldn't let me save them, no matter what it takes?!"

"I would, Kimiko, but-"

"NO, YOU DON'T!" Kimiko's grip on the walkie-talkie tightened even more. "You're just afraid that if something happens and I get killed, you're gonna lose your friend! You don't give a DAMN about me! Huh?! Isn't that right?!" She glared at the rest of the group. "ISN'T THAT RIGHT?!"

"That's not right at all, Kimiko! It's just-"

"No, Otonashi," Angel suddenly said. Ever since the tactical team had entered the lobby, her calm expression had refused to waver. "Let her go."

"Let her-?!" Otonashi's voice choked for a second. "Let her go?"

Angel didn't respond. Instead, she nodded at Kimiko with understanding. "It's alright, Nishimura," she said. "You go find your siblings and save them. We'll find another way."

"What?!" Otonashi and many of the others chorused.

Kimiko stared incredulously at Angel, her mind trying to process the petite girl's request. Then, her expression hardened, and she nodded respectfully at her. Finally, she spoke into the walkie-talkie again.

"Alright, I'm coming...Yamashita," she said. "If you do anything weird, anything at all-"

"I understand," Yamashita interrupted. "No funny business, I promise."

"Goddamn it," grumbled Noda. "Just listen to that voice! This jackass reeks of shadiness, I tell ya."

Kimiko released the button on the walkie-talkie and handed the device back to the team leader, who took it with a smile of approval. She took one last look over her shoulder at Otonashi and the others.

"Alright," she said. "I'm ready to go."

"Excellent," the officer replied. "Now, to make sure your friends don't follow us, some of my team will escort them out of the building-"

"So you can shoot them?" Kimiko looked back at the tactical team. "They can escort themselves out on their own, thank you very much."

"Well, Nishimura, we can't afford to jeopardize the safety of your siblings, now would we?"

"And I can't afford to know I traded the lives of my friends for my siblings."

"What?!" Hinata cried. "Whatever happened to us not giving a damn about-?!"

"I wasn't talking about you guys specifically, Hinata. God, have you guys already forgotten you've been reincarnated into the bodies of my friends?!"

"Oh..." Hinata looked down at his body. "Oh yeah, that's right..."

Kimiko addressed the team leader again. "My friends leave on their own, with none of your guys following them. If your boss is promising no funny business, then I want you to give me your word on that. Do we have a deal or not, bozo?"

The officer stared into Otonashi's burgundy eyes, and the redhead started back unflinchingly. Then, with pursed lips, the man shrugged his shoulders.

"Very well. I don't have time to negotiate trivial matters such as this, anyway." He snapped his fingers, prompting all of his subordinates to leave the lobby in a single-file line. "If you would kindly follow us, Nishimura, we will lead you to your siblings." He was silent for a moment. "A simple 'thank you' would-"

"I'm not thanking you psychopaths," Kimiko spat. "I just want my siblings back, and for all of this to be over with."

"...If you insist."

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, even the corrupt officers, someone was secretly observing the entire conversation with great interest. With narrowed eyes, the mysterious person slunk further into the shadows that enveloped them.

"It looks like this problem is greater than anticipated," the being said. "Perhaps...more drastic measures are required..."

Kimiko followed the officers to a large doorway, which they opened for her; Otonashi noticed it was leading into a cubicle area. But before he could try and follow discreetly, he felt someone grab his sleeve. It was Angel.

"What're you doing?!" he whispered in distress. "You're really just gonna let her go with them like this?!"

"It's like I said earlier, Otonashi," the petite girl replied. "We'll find another way."

"How?! That Yamashita guy said he was observing us through the security cameras!"

"Pick up your gun."

"What, and shoot out the cameras?! He's still gonna-"

"Just pick it up." Angel looked at the rest of her companions. "All of you, pick up your guns and follow me outside."

She started walking towards the doorway leading outside, stepping over the unconscious forms of officers in the process. Realizing she was serious, the teens all bent down, picked up the guns they dropped (and C's body in Matsushita's case), and fell right on her trail. Once every one of them was back outside, Hisako was the first to speak.

"Okay, what was that all about?! Did we really just give one of our own to the enemy?!"

"Like I said," Angel replied calmly, "we'll find another way. In fact..." She faced all of her companions. "I've already found one."

"You have?!" Matsushita exclaimed with surprise.

"Don't stop, everyone. Keep walking with me."

The other teens obeyed, following Angel further away from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters.

"Would you mind telling us why you didn't tell this to us as soon as Nishimura left the room?" asked Hinata.

"I didn't want any of you to exhibit reactions that would tip this Yamashita person off," Angel explained. "He may not be able to hear our conversations, but he's definitely observing our movements through the cameras. That's why we're still walking. He likely also has access to security cameras that are recording outside. We must give him the impression we're following his orders to the last detail."

"S-So if we're walking away from where the action is," Royama said, "what exactly did you have in mind for our new way in?" Then, his eyes widened with realization. "Oh, no. Oh, HELL no! I am NOT walking through the goddamn sewer-"

"It's not the sewer." Angel looked over her shoulder and glared disapprovingly at the jittery redhead. "Do you ever stop complaining?"

"Look, does it look like I still have a choice in this whole debacle?! I'm not sure if you're aware of this, Angel, or Kanade, or whoever the hell you are...but this entire country's about to get NUKED! And there's no place for me to hide!"

"Royama, calm down, man," Matsushita said.

"This IS calm for me!"

"Okay, settle down, everyone!" Otonashi shouted, silencing the other two boys and any other discontent that was being exhibited by the rest of the group. "Angel, what's the other way that you found."

"It's simple." Angel looked up to the sky. "We go up."

"Up?"

"Think about it. They're gonna use their nuclear devices today, and if our estimates are correct, the cult must be moving them to a place where they can easily transport them to every region in Japan. They might be doing it right now."

"Yes, bu-but how?" Yui asked. "How can they take nukes all across the country in a limited amount of time without being spotted?"

Within split-seconds, Otonashi came to the same realization as Angel. "By air!" he cried.

"By air?" Noda asked.

"Yes, using the station's helipad! Goddamn it, it all makes sense!"

"Holy crap," Hinata replied. "That is why they forced the government to enact that shelter-in-place! That way, they'd be able to fly their nukes out of here, ride them out of the city quickly-"

"And drop them on all of the regions they're targeting," completed Matsushita.

"S-So you're s-sa-saying th-they c-co-could be d-do-doing it r-ri-right n-no-now?" Miyuki stuttered with terror.

"Without a doubt," Otonashi replied.

"I don't hear any noise coming from the helipad," Asahara said. "Hopefully that means they're still loading the choppers up with the devices. But...how're we gonna head there if we don't have our own means of aerial transportation?"

"Yes, we do," Angel replied.

Otonashi looked at her. "We do?"

Angel nodded. "You guys can stop walking now."

The rest of the group followed her directions. By that point, they had reached the station's inner security perimeter that they had just breached; unconscious police officers were strewn everywhere. However, while the teens stopped walking, Angel continued walking.

"A-Angel?" Otonashi asked. "Wh-Where are you going?!"

"I apologize, Otonashi. I just need some distance from the rest of you."

"Whaddaya mean 'distance'?!" called Noda.

Finally, Angel stopped. She faced her friends and companions, took a deep breath...and said two simple words.

"Angel Wings."

As if by magic, two massive but magnificent wings, sprouted from the girl's back, each covered in feathers that were as silver as her hair. Otonashi and the others gawked in wonder at this very miraculous occurrence, unconsciously taking a few steps back so as to give Angel even more space for her wings to flap in preparation.

"Whoa..." Royama breathed out, utterly astounded. "Holy frigging crap."

"It's...It's beautiful..." Noda said.

"So pretty!" gushed Yui.

"I've never seen anything like it..." remarked Hisako.

"K-Kanade," Otonashi said with wonder, "I-I mean, Angel... I...I forgot you had those wings..."

"Is there anything else you forgot about me, Otonashi?" Angel asked flatly.

"N-N-No! N-Not at all!"

"Okay," Asahara snarled with disbelief. "How come you didn't tell us about these wings earlier? D'you have any idea how useful those would've been to us when we arrived here?!"

"I know what you're thinking, Nishimura. But unfortunately, you're overestimating this ability of mine. Look at me." She gestured to herself with a comical poker-face. "Do you really think a girl of my stature can carry over a dozen teenagers down an entire city block and up dozens of floors to the station's helipad?"

Otonashi and the others nearly fell over at the thought of Angel having to literally carry the rest of the group on her back while soaring upward to the building and simultaneously trying to avoid police detection.

"Oh, yeah," Asahara replied with a sweat-drop. "That'd certainly be impossible."

"I do appreciate your confidence in me, though," Angel said flatly.

Then, Otonashi said, "Besides, aren't those wings not strong enough to grant you flight anyway?"

"Perhaps," Angel replied, "but..." She looked across her shoulders and examined her wings closely. "They're wings, aren't they? Surely if I push them hard enough, they'll do what they're designed to do."

"Okay," Royama said, confused. "So, if you can't carry all of us up to the helipad, why don't you just try carrying us over to the helipad one at a time?"

"That's the plan."

Royama smiled with surprise. "Hey! For once, I got something right! HOORAY!"

"Wow," Hisako deadpanned sarcastically. "Way to go for you. Whoopee..."

"But we must tread carefully," Angel explained. "We might not have enough time left. Some of you I could probably carry over to the roof in a moment's notice, but others, well-" The poker-faced Angel stared at Matsushita in particular. "Not so much."

"Hey, I'm not fat!" the large boy cried in protest, nearly dropping C's prone form in the process. "I-I'm just big-boned!"

"Well," Otonashi said, quickly jumping to the silver-haired girl's defense, "le-let's not forget she has to go back and forth carrying each of us over to the HQ. I'd certainly be tired by the end of all that."

"Thank you, Otonashi," replied Angel in gratitude.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Hinata asked.

"Well," Otonashi said, "we need to make sure Angel's not tired out from carrying all of us to the helipad. So, we'll have to organize ourselves into groups."

"Into groups?" Yui asked.

"Yes." Otonashi looked at Angel. "Angel, how many people do you think you can carry up to the helipad at a time before you start getting fatigued?"

"It depends on the people I'll be carrying, Otonashi-"

"For the last time," Matsushita interrupted, affronted, "I'm not fat, but big-boned!"

The petite girl ignored him. "But my best estimate is five people."

"Okay. So I guess Angel will be taking five of us up to the helipad before she takes a break of about...say, five minutes."

"Five minutes?!" Hisako cried. "What'll we do in the meantime, lounge around here and wait for more police to show up and arrest our asses?!"

"We have no other choice!"

"I too disagree with this course of action," Asahara said. "If the people who're already up on the helipad come across the cult, you'll have less manpower against them! What if they defeat you and report their findings to this Yamashita person? And let's not forget there might be security cameras up there as well!"

"Look, Asahara, Angel's our best fighter. If she's tired and we come across the cult, she'll be no match for them and then the battle will be lost. As for the cameras, well, we'll try to deal with them, but for now, we don't have any other way of getting back to Nishimura!"

"Yeah, I'm with the redhead on this one," Noda said while twirling his machete.

"Same here," Hinata added. "If Otonashi thinks it's a good idea, then it's a good idea. We have to act quickly."

"I-I agree!" squeaked Yui, while many of the others nodded in agreement.

Asahara pursed his lips with reluctance, but he nodded in understanding. As for Hisako, she looked over her shoulder at Miyuki and Shiori, both of whom nodded at her as a sign of their agreement with Otonashi. The brown-haired girl sighed ambivalently and looked back at Otonashi.

"Okay, Otonashi," she said. "Your call."

"Thank you, Hisako." Otonashi scanned the group. "I want to go first. Does anyone else want to join me?"

"Alrighty, then!" Noda barked. "I volunteer to go with Otonashi."

"As do I," Asahara added.

"Hey, weren't you against this whole thing, like, a few seconds ago?" Royama asked suspiciously.

"Well, if this is how things are going to proceed, then I must see to it that Otonashi's plan is executed perfectly." Asahara proceeded to place a hand over his heart and clutch at the skin tightly. "Plus, this is my moment...my prime opportunity to find the head of this cult and avenge my father's death!"

"Quite the dramatic one, are we...?" Hinata asked from the side.

"Hey, don't doubt my intentions!"

"Okay," Angel said. "So we have three volunteers. Who else wants to go first?"

"I'll go," Matsushita replied.

"You're not going just because you want to prove you're big-boned, do you...?"

"NO!" Then, Matsushita started twiddling his fingers sheepishly. "Well, s-sorta, bu-but that's not the point! As the largest person of this group, you might as well get this over with!"

"Well, I guess he's got a good point," remarked Noda.

"Okay, very well," Angel said. "I'll carry you over there as well, Matsushita, but you're gonna be one of the last up there. I do not wish to tire out after only two or three people."

"Sounds like a reasonable deal," replied Matsushita. Then, he gently set C's body down and propped it against the side of a lamppost. "Hey, your name's Royama, right?"

"H-Huh?" Royama raised an eyebrow. "Y-Yeah, th-that's my name..."

"You watch over her."

"Ew," Hisako spat with disgust. "You're entrusting him with the responsibility of watching over her? He's ogled her body for half the trip here, didja know that?!"

"Hey, I'm not a perv!" Royama cried defensively. Then, he clutched his heart and swooned melodramatically. "It's simply a case of love at first sight!"

"Again, ew."

"Hey, perv or not," Matsushita said, "I am indeed putting my friend's life in your hands, man."

Royama blinked with surprise. "W-Wait, really?"

"Yeah, man. Just watch over her and wait till she wakes up. Can't get any simpler than that."

"W-Wa-Wait a minute, wh-why?! Why do you want me to look after her?!"

"Look, you're a newbie here, and you're clearly not up for any of this."

The redhead frowned. "Aw gee, thanks..."

"But...something tells me you do give a shit, deep down inside. You just need some encouragement." Matsushita smiled. "And trust me, man, with what we're going up against, you're gonna need all the encouragement you can get."

Royama blinked slowly before looking down at C's body. "Th...Thanks, man... I-I guess...?"

Matsushita nodded at him before focusing on Angel. "Alright, I'm ready to go, Angel!"

"Wait," she replied. "First thing's first..." She then scanned the rest of the group. "Does anyone else wish to volunteer to go first?"

Hisako heaved out a sigh before stepping forward. "I'll go."

"Wait, what?!" Miyuki squeaked.

"Nooooo, don't go, Hisako-chan!" squealed Shiori. "It's not like five people per go is a requirement!"

"Oh, it definitely is," Hisako replied with a hardened stare. "Girls, it's not just Nishimura and the nukes that are up there. It's Iwasawa."

"Iwasawa..." Miyuki and Shiori whispered at the same time in remembrance.

"Yeah. There's no doubt in my mind that she's somewhere in that building. And I ain't leaving our main vocalist behind." She then whispered to herself, "Not this time..."

"Okay, then," Angel said. "The five of you, follow me. We need to find a place where I can lift off from. I don't know how strong and manageable these wings will be when I push them to their limit. If I'm unable to maneuver myself with them, then I need to fly in a straight line at the very least."

"You got it, Angel," Matsushita replied.

Angel nodded before looking at the others. "I'll be back for all of you soon."

"Hey, don't worry about us!" Hinata replied while giving the petite girl a thumbs-up. "We'll be waiting patiently!"

Angel nodded, then she led Noda, Asahara, and Hisako back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters. But Otonashi remained behind to take one last parting glance at his friends.

"Hey, Hinata!" Otonashi called, piquing the other boy's attention. "You be careful, alright?"

Hinata smiled. "Right back at ya, man!" Then, he got an idea. "Hey, when this is over and we saved Japan, we should all try to take a break and get ourselves some late-night dinner! I haven't eaten once since I came back, and I wanna know what the food of 2026 tastes like!"

Otonashi stared back at him reluctantly for a moment before forcing a halfhearted smile to form on his face.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

Hinata nodded curtly at him, prompting Otonashi to begin following his group. As he did, he pondered over Hinata's last, friendly request.

"If you can hear me, I know things are confusing right now. Believe me, I was confused about all of this too. For once in my life, I didn't know what to do next. But I know what to do now, Takahashi. And I swear to you, together, we'll all get to the bottom of this, and we will find a way to get Otonashi, Kanade, and the rest of the SSS out of our bodies. I swear, not only to you, but to myself and everyone else who's been affected. Because these are our lives, not theirs."

"I wonder if we have the right to even have a break and see what the future has to offer..." he thought glumly.

Just then, as he rejoined Angel, Noda, Matsushita, and Hisako, Otonashi finally noticed something for the first time.

"H-Hey, guys?" he asked, looking around. "Wh-Where's Yuri?"

Kimiko reluctantly walked down the hallway, eyeing the offices, cubicle areas, and even holding cells that she passed by. Strangely, they were mostly empty, save for the occasional sleeping detainee inside the holding cells.

"Where's the rest of your station?" she asked sardonically.

"Oh, they're here," replied the corrupt officer behind her. "Just not on this floor. My colleagues sent them all down false trails in the building. As soon as they realize it was just a false alarm, they'll return to their stations. By that time, you'll be up there, negotiating with our boss."

The group soon approached a bay of elevators, and the team leader pressed the summon button. After a minute, Kimiko watched as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the empty, plain-smelling compartment. Just then, she felt the barrel of a gun nudge her in the back of the shoulder.

"Move," the corrupt officer ordered.

The magenta-haired girl took a deep breath and acquiesced. She stepped inside the elevator first, followed by five of the tactical officers. She faced the elevator doors again and saw that the rest of the tactical team hadn't moved.

"What about the rest of your friends?" she asked bravely.

"They need to patrol the area," the team leader replied. "Just in case your friends get any funny ideas about reentering."

Kimiko eyed him suspiciously. "And how can I trust you to give your word on that?"

"Well, I can't make you, obviously. But your friends should be faaaaaar, far away from the station by now..." The corrupt officer leaned forward to press the button leading to one of the uppermost floors. "And besides, I don't think you're in a position to negotiate with me, anyway."

Kimiko watched reluctantly as the elevator doors closed on her, cutting off any chance she possibly had of escaping. She then worriedly looked up at the screen as it started counting the floors that she passed by.

2...

3...

4...

"Nyaaaaa..."

At the sound of the familiar purr, Kimiko looked down and saw the cat Yuri grazing against her leg. The team leader was quick to notice the extra passenger as well.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"Street cat, probably," replied one of the other officers. "Looks harmless, though."

"Better shoo it away once we get off. Can't have our operation being compromised by any allergies."

"I don't know how this cat followed me here," Kimiko thought while still looking down at the friendly feline, "but...I need all the friends I can get if I make it through this. Even if they're not human..."

She fondly smiled down at Yuri, appreciating the way she persistently stuck close to her. It almost felt like Yuri was trying to protect her, offer her guidance through this trying time...

All of a sudden, Kimiko felt a strong pang of déjà vu in her heart.

"It's just too unfair. We never did anything wrong; we were just kids. ...We were just kids. I was confident I was the cool big sister up until that day. But I lost everything I wanted to protect in 30 minutes. That's too unfair. How could I ever forgive God for that?"

"This is your chance. You have to right this wrong. Go, Kimiko. Go!"

"I need to have faith," Kimiko thought with determination while resisting the urge to lightly slap her own cheeks. "I can't let these weird dreams and occurrences get to my head. No, as long as my faith in God is strong, then I can get through this. No, I have to get through this, for the sake of my sisters and my brother. I must get through this..."

She clenched her fists...

Yamashita watched as Kimiko and his subordinates entered the elevator. With Otonashi and his friends still out of sight of the cameras, he turned his attention away from the monitors and faced the officer standing beside him.

"Give the order," he said. "Make sure Nishimura's friends are all eliminated once they get far enough from HQ."

"Yes, Yamashita sir," the officer replied.

"NO!" three voices shouted in unison.

An evil grin appeared on Yamashita's face as he walked up to Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei. Naomi glowered at the golden-cloaked man, while Tamika and Kaisei shriveled behind their older sister.

"Hey, there's no need to be frightened, kids," he said in a disturbingly calm voice. "Your onee-chan's on her way."

"You liar," spat Naomi. "When Kimiko finds out about what you did, she'll kick you right where it hurts! Your dick!"

"My dick." The man rolled his eyes. "Ohhhhh, I doubt it-"

"We'll see in..." Naomi looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite to her. "One hour!"

"Quite confident of your chances, are we?"

"Kimiko's a smart girl! She'll see through your trap in an instant!"

"Why, you still seem to be blind to the true circumstances of your situation, my dear." Yamashita patted Naomi, much to her disgust. "See, she knows I have the three of you in the palm of my hand...and that makes her weak...vulnerable... I think your onee-chan will cave in to my demands very easily. Soon, she'll be on the ground, crushed by the weight of all her failures." The man then turned his back on the three siblings to refocus on the security monitors. "And once we're all done, she'll now know not to mess with the powers-that-be."

"Powers-that-be, huh?" Naomi smirked. "Big talk for a guy who's making others do the dirty work for him."

"Why're you so obsessed with our Onee-chan anyway?!" cried Kaisei.

"Do you have a thing for schoolgirls like her or something?!" Tamika snapped.

Yamashita looked over his shoulder and at them. "A thing for schoolgirls...like her? Oh, no. No, no, no... I'm just...trying to fulfill the last wish of my good friend, Sadahiro Hashimoto. He's the one who was slighted by her. She disrespected his vision, his ideal for the future of Japan. And everyone knows how Sadahiro Hashimoto never shows mercy to anyone who disrespects him. He died not tasting the success of his revenge against your Onee-chan, and so I will do it for him."

"Oh yeah, for him," drawled Naomi. "Spoken like a real tool."

Yamashita's eyelid suddenly twitched at the last word. With an alarming silence, he got closer to the oldest of the three children...and slapped her on the cheek.

"AGH!" Naomi squealed in agony.

"ONEE-CHAN!" Tamika and Kaisei cried at the same time.

"Don't you dare question my loyalty to Sadahiro Hashimoto!" he snapped. "You may be young and naive, girl, but he has done more for me than your Onee-chan ever will to you!"

Naomi winced, feeling the unbearable prickling sensation on her cheek. Once the sting subsided, she glared at Yamashita with a bold, defiant smirk.

"He did, huh?" she asked. "What're you, his gay lover or some- ACK!"

Yamashita had grabbed Naomi by the throat and started squeezing tightly. In response, Tamika started angrily struggling against her bonds, but her efforts were futile. As for Kaisei, he simply started crying.

"I see where you get your impertinence from," snarled the golden-cloaked man. "In spite of your childish and immature assumptions, I can assure you you couldn't be further from the truth. Hashimoto..." He gritted his teeth as he squeezed tighter. "Hashimoto found me when I was toiling amongst lowly degenerates living in the slums, saw the potential in me, and personally took me on as his protege. If it weren't for him, my potential would've been squandered, and I would've been just like those pieces of scum and filth in places like Mitaka! I am who I am because of HIM!"

He finally released his grip on Naomi, allowing her to writhe and wheeze as her lungs desperately struggled for oxygen. After realizing what he had done, Yamashita closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned his back on the siblings.

"Yamashita is a visionary..." he finally said; the loyalty in his voice was steady, unwavering. "If he could redetermine my future, turn my life from ragged filth to one of riches, then he takes Japan's best interests to heart. Call him, me, or any of our followers madmen all you want, children. When the fallout settles and our beloved civilization rises from the ashes like a phoenix...then you will learn to be more respectful."

He walked back towards the security monitors to follow Kimiko's movements. This allowed Naomi to whisper one word as soon as her lungs took in enough oxygen.

"Jackass..."

"That goddamn Yamashita, leaving us to do all the hard work..."

A police sergeant stood beside the powered-down tandem-rotor helicopter, watching as eight of his subordinates carried a staggeringly large crate onto the helipad. Each step they took was slow and calculated, and the officers were extremely mindful not to trip over themselves. Once they got close enough to the helicopter, they carefully lowered the crate down by the sergeant's feet.

As soon as they did, the sergeant placed a large sheet of paper atop its lid and unfurled it to reveal a map of Japan.

"Alright, men," he announced. "Sapporo is the first stop for our operation." The officer pointed towards the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido. "Nuke Red will be taken there immediately. The next chopper will come in right afterward to airlift Nuke Gray over to Kyushu, so you four-" He pointed at half of the group. "Go and get it ready now. The rest of you, make sure it's hooked to this chopper."

"Yes, Sergeant Inami!" one of the officers barked in response.

Four of the officers promptly ran off the helipad and towards the seven similarly-sized crates, which were being guarded by other officers. As for the other four, they took a pair of hooks that were trailing from the underside of the chopper and secured it onto two of the latches on the crate's lid. Before they could do the same thing with the other two hooks, Inami suddenly slammed his fist on the crate, startling his subordinates. Sensing Inami's foul attitude, one of the officers meekly and reluctantly stepped forward.

"S-Se-Serge?" he asked. "Y-You alright?"

"Who the hell does he think he is, anyway?!" the sergeant snapped to himself. "He's not the one in charge of this whole operation! And he has the gall to tell us what to do, like he suddenly knows everything?!"

"He-Hey now, serge," the pilot said. "Cut Yamashita some slack. Hashimoto trusted him to be the face of the cult; surely, he-"

He was silenced by a deadly glare from Inami, who furiously snarled, "I refuse to bend down and take orders from that man. If there's one thing, one thing, that I hate more than righteous, delusional white knights like Igarashi, it's little fucking suck-ups like Yamashita."

"Hey, serge!" another voice called.

Inami looked up and saw the same four officers returning to their position...without the crate they were assigned to retrieve. Their faces were all stricken with absolute shock and disbelief.

"Oh, for the love of GOD!" snapped the sergeant. "Now's not the time to slack off! Get Nuke Gray prepared now!" Then, the man finally registered their confused faces. "What the hell is with those faces?!"

"You're..." one of the other officers said before hesitating.

"You're not gonna believe what we just saw and ran from..." another officer said.

Inami rolled his eyes. "If this is another goddamn false alarm, I swear to God I'll-"

"N-No! We swear! Hamuro saw something incoming in his binoculars-"

"Like I said! False alarm-"

"No, serge! It's...It's... I-I can't even explain it! Please go over to him and see for yourself!"

With a roll of his eyes, Inami marched off the helipad, shouldering aside one of the officers as he did so. The other officers looked at one another before following their superior outside. There, they saw the rest of their squad staring up at the rooftops, all of them wearing the same stunned expression.

"Alright, Hamuro!" barked Inami. "What the hell's the big deal here?! You're wasting our goddamn time!"

Hamuro didn't say anything. Instead, with his lower jaw hanging open, he absentmindedly held out his binoculars to his left, unaware that Inami was standing to his right. With another eye-roll, Inami snaked an arm across the dumbfounded officer's left shoulder, snatched the binoculars away from him, and put them to his eyes.

What he saw next stunned him beyond belief.

"What in the hell...?"

Soaring above the rooftops and gaining even more altitude was what initially appeared to be a bird. However, once this being got high enough to fly over the station rooftop with ease, it became illuminated by the unobstructed full Moon, it became painfully clear that Inami was looking at a small, petite human...with two wings protruding from its back, the wingspan astoundingly large.

"What the hell is that, serge...?" one of the other officers asked.

"Does...Does it look like I know...?" Inami replied, all the while trying desperately to maintain his composure.

"W-Wait a minute," Hamuro said, his eyes squinted, "it looks like that thing's carrying something..."

"Carrying something?"

"Yeah. It...It looks human-"

Hamuro was cut off a split-second later when the winged figure, unimpeded by its mysterious cargo, suddenly swooped down towards the rooftop, like a bird of prey descending upon its latest meal. Some of the officers gasped, while others hitched their breaths in terror at what they were witnessing.

"Holy crap!" Hamuro cried with a mixture of fear and awe. "It's coming towards us!"

"We're gonna DIE!" a second officer shrieked, his voice cracking in the process.

"Now if we can help it!" a third officer shouted. "Shoot the hell out of it!"

The officers pulled out their guns and started firing in unison. However, the winged being maneuvered through the air at impossibly high speeds during its descent, dodging all of the whizzing bullets without sustaining so much as a scratch. At the same time, a storm of bullets was being fired from the winged being's direction. The officers flinched at the sounds of bullets ricocheting around them as they blindly fired back.

Within seconds, the being flew past the officers; one of them could've sworn it was wearing girls' clothing, while another thought he saw tan fur on its torso.

"DON'T LET IT GET AWAY!" Inami cried as he tried to reload his revolver. "KEEP ON FIRING! KEEP FIRING!"

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," a new voice abruptly said. The officers twirled around and saw a certain redheaded boy leaning against one of their crates...

And pointing the barrel of a gun at it, specifically towards the nuclear device stored inside.

"Hello there," Otonashi greeted.

"Why you little-!" Inami began.

"Surrender now...or I'll put a bullet in this crate. And if this crate contains what I think it contains, well...I wouldn't want to be at the ground zero of all these crates."

Upon hearing the boy's taunt, the sergeant grinned malevolently and aimed his revolver. "Ohhhhh, I think I believe you." He clicked the safety off. "No one would want to be at the ground zero of those things."

Otonashi began to sweat nervously, but he kept his gun trained on the crate. "So, is this how it's gonna end for you cult wackos? Causing a nuclear explosion chain reaction that wipes the entire Tokyo area off the map? Whatever happened to nuking all of Japan? I thought that was a part of your group's vision for a new and better Japan?"

"Tokyo, Japan," Inami replied confidently. "It doesn't make a difference, honestly. Our leader just likes to be very ambitious, that's all."

"Oh?" Otonashi scanned Inami's subordinates and noticed how fidgety more than a few of them were. "And what about your fellow cultists? Are any of them just as ambitious?"

"What the hell are you talking about, boy?"

"How many of them are in on your true plan?"

"Wait, what true plan?" Hamuro asked, while some of the other officers gave confused sideways glances at Inami. "Wha-What's he talking about, serge?"

"Oh, you know," the redhead replied, "the part where your bosses made up all of your gods and the whole cult thing was just a ploy to get 'em followers who'll help them nuke Japan for their own insane, selfish goals, all of which have nothing to do with the deities you worship."

"Don't listen to him, men!" barked Inami. "He's a nonbeliever who is trying to corrupt your minds! Just have faith, and you'll see the end result of all your efforts! I promise you, the gods will be grateful, and they will welcome you with open arms!"

At the sound of that last sentence, the officers all aimed their guns at Otonashi.

"Drop the gun, kid!" Hamuro ordered. "We know you know it's futile!"

"Damn," Otonashi thought with clenched teeth. "Their loyalty to the cult is too strong to break. I can't convince them to turn their backs on the higher-ups..."

Holding back a defeated sigh, Otonashi loosened his grip on his gun, causing it to dangle from his index finger. He moved his arm away from the crate and was about to drop the firearm when...

"HEY, YOU FREEEEEAAAAAKS!" a familiar voice called triumphantly.

Noda dropped beside Otonashi and faced the cultists while twirling around his machete.

"Noda!" Otonashi cried.

The delinquent ignored him and asked the cultists, "Who wants to get down and dirty?"

Otonashi tried to stop him, but Noda charged at the armed cultists.

"THAT'S IT!" Inami cried before procuring a stun gun. "You're going down, kid!"

Before Otonashi could react, the team of police officers fired their guns at Noda. Fortunately, Angel landed between the charging Noda and Inami, said something, and, in split-seconds, the electric projectile was deflected away from her harmlessly by an invisible shield. Finally, Angel deactivated her Distortion Guard Skill and stared down the awestruck officers with her golden eyes. Her expression was stern and unflinching.

"Lower your weapons," she instructed calmly, "and allow me and my friends to pass through. I promise, we are not here to do you any harm."

She punctuated her sentence with a gentle yet intimidating flap of her silver wings. All of the officers watched her wings for another moment, almost anticipating an attack from them. Then, Inami stepped forward.

"HELL, NO! We still have a job to do! Men, don't listen to this...this..." He scanned Angel from head to toe. "FREAK!"

All of a sudden, Hamuro and many of the other officers threw their guns to the floor, knelt down...and bowed to Angel.

"The almighty Kū!" they cried.

"What?" Angel asked blankly.

"Wait, WHAT?!" cried the sergeant.

"Dear Chi," the officers chanted, "maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form."

Inami's eyes widened with horror. "YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!"

However, the bowing officers ignored him and continued. "Beloved Sui, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty Ka, move through our Earth, feed it your energy."

Angel looked at Otonashi and Noda. Though the latter was wearing a stunned face, the former nodded in understanding.

"Great Fū, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life. And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting Kū, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

"NO, YOU FOOLS!" roared Inami. "THIS THING IS NOT YOUR GOD!"

"Do you wish to bet on those chances?" Angel asked calmly.

Overcome with rage, Inami aimed his revolver and fired a single shot at Angel. However, she silently reactivated her Distortion Guard Skill, and the bullet bounced off her invisible force-field. The bowing officers watched with awe as the bullet, bent into nothing more than a misshapen ball of metal, clattered to the ground like a dropped coin.

"Wh-WHAT?!" the sergeant cried. "How the hell?!"

Then, he fired his gun some more, but was met with the same results. Once his revolver was empty and Angel was still unaffected, he dropped the firearm in disbelief.

"How... How is this possible...?" He looked at the officers who were still standing. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, YOU-YOU GODDAMN FOOLS! KILL THEM!"

But these officers didn't budge. Instead, they too dropped their guns and raised their arms in surrender.

"BAH! COWARDS! IT'S JUST A LITTLE GIRL WITH WINGS!"

"What're you talking about, serge?" Hamuro asked, confused as he lifted his head to look up at his superior. "This...This is not just some little girl!"

"She's the almighty Kū!" another bowing officer cried.

"SHE AIN'T SHIT, YOU IDIOT! GET UP AND HELP ME DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS...THIS THING!"

At that moment, the cultists stood back up on their feet...and rounded up on Inami.

"You would dare disrespect our supreme goddess?" Hamuro asked menacingly.

"Wh-What're you idiots doing?!" the sergeant cried. "G-Get your goddamn guns a-and shoot this freak up!"

"I hear disrespect coming from your voice," another officer replied. "And disrespect..."

"Is one of the traits of a nonbeliever!" cried a third officer.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Inami barked. "Get here, you bastards!"

"And you know what happens to nonbelievers..." Hamuro replied ominously.

Inami's eyes immediately darted towards the officers who hadn't bowed, but to his horror, they were making an effort to distance themselves from the growing mob. Then, Inami looked down at the floor, where he saw his fallen revolver lying next to Hamuro's feet. After taking one last look at the cultists congregating around him, the sergeant dove to the floor and tried to grab the gun, but Hamuro kicked it away.

"You will now die, serge," he said.

With that, the cultists started beating Inami, but after a couple of seconds, a voice called out to them.

"STOP!"

The mob ceased their assault and looked at Angel, who had her palm raised and aimed at them. Once it was cleared she had quelled their violence, she lowered her arm and regarded them with a gentle flap of her wings.

"Do not kill him," she ordered calmly. "I command it."

The cultists bowed their heads. "Yes, almighty Kū!" they chorused.

"Angel," Otonashi whispered, "what're you doing-?"

"It's okay, Otonashi," she whispered back. "Clearly, I have their attention. We could use it to our advantage..." Then, she addressed the officers again. "I am disappointed in all of you tonight."

"Wh-What?!" Hamuro exclaimed in disbelief. "Wh-Why, dearest Kū?"

"You would use violence to assert your beliefs upon others? That is absolutely shameful. It is a sin of the lowest order."

"Oh, crap..." one of the other cultists replied. "Wh-What sh-should we do to rectify our sinful actions, almighty Kū?!"

Angel pointed at the bloodied Inami and his party of loyalists. "First, make sure they're all restrained. Do not harm them any further."

"Yes, great and mighty Kū!" the cultists cried.

"We will do whatever you require from us!" Hamuro added.

With that, the cultists rounded up Inami and the other officers and handcuffed them to the railing lining the roof. As this was being done, Noda leaned his head sideways towards Otonashi's.

"Yo," he whispered. "Your girl's getting the hang of this god stuff."

"You got that right..." Otonashi replied while he stared admiringly at Angel.

As the last of the officers were being cuffed, Hamuro approached Angel and bowed his head loyally.

"What else do you want from us, almighty Kū?" he asked.

Angel pointed at the crates. "Disarm those."

"Disarm the nukes? I...I don't know how to do that-"

"Then find someone who does."

"It doesn't really matter. The countdown for all the nukes was triggered two hours ago. It can't be stopped."

"WHAT?!" Otonashi, Angel, and Noda cried at once.

Hamuro bowed his head apologetically. "I'm so sorry, great Kū! We did it as a safety precaution! We knew not your true views of violence-"

"It's alright," Angel interrupted, trying her best to remain composed. "You're forgiven."

Meanwhile, Noda rushed over to one of the crates, which had cyan tape marking it. He unlocked the crate and opened it up, revealing a missile with a radiation caution sign taped on its side...beside a red, active countdown.

"Shit," the delinquent boy said. "He's not lying. This nuke's about to go off in about...four hours."

"Four hours?" Otonashi asked.

"Yeah," said Hamuro. "Every nuke is supposed to go to a major city in Japan, but since our targets go as far as Hokkaido and Kyushu, each nuke has a different countdown."

"Which nuke is supposed to blow up first?"

"That'll be the one we saved specially for Tokyo. It should be in the crate with green tape."

"Yeah, found it!" Noda cried after a couple of seconds of scouring. He unlocked it and opened it up...before jumping back in alarm. "SHIT!"

"What, Noda?" Otonashi asked.

"This thing's gonna go off in less than an hour!"

"Less than an hour?!" Otonashi glared at Hamuro. "How exactly were you guys gonna get away from that?!"

"We-We weren't gonna," Hamuro replied hesitantly. "W-We were gonna go to Heaven and-"

"Look," interrupted Angel, "whatever you were told, you were lied to."

"WHAT?!"

Angel nodded. "But you still have a chance to make up for all of this. Tell me, is there any way to stop the countdowns?"

"Y-Yes, there is, almighty goddess."

"Oh, thank God!" Otonashi exclaimed. "What is it?"

"There's a security key. You only need that one key for all the nukes. It'll definitely do the trick."

"Okay, where is this security key?"

Hamuro paused for a moment to gulp. "It's with Yamashita..."

Otonashi, Angel, and Noda looked at one another with worry. Then, Angel's expression hardened, and she ran over to the side of the rooftop.

"I'll get the others," she said. "Otonashi, Noda, go find Nishimura."

"You got it, Angel!" Otonashi replied.

With that, he and Noda ran towards the access doorway. Then, before Angel could jump off and use her wings, Hamuro and a couple of other cultists stepped forward.

"What about us, almighty Kū?" Hamuro asked.

Angel looked at them. "Huh?"

"What do you want us to do?" one of the other cultists asked.

At first, Angel didn't know what to say. Then, she looked up at the tandem-rotor chopper and got an idea.

"Was that chopper supposed to deliver one of the nuclear devices?" she asked.

"Y-Yes," Hamuro replied, following the petite girl's gaze. "I-It was supposed to head for Sapporo."

"Tell me, does it have autopilot?"

Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo

"Beta Team. This is Yamashita. Do you have eyes on the targets?"

The armored van quietly slowed down to a stop before it could round a corner of the street. Emerging from the van was another team of police officers wearing tactical gear and armed with assault rifles. They all fell into a single-file line and began stealthily sneaking over to the corner.

"This is Beta Team Leader," the officer at the front of the line said, speaking into an earpiece. "We are moving in on the targets as we speak."

"Beta Team, please be advised," Yamashita replied. "The subjects are armed and may have training. I repeat, they are armed and may have training. Do not underestimate these kids."

"Don't worry, sir. The department doesn't pay us for nothing."

With that, the officers clicked off the safeties of their rifles. Once they reached the corner, the leader peeked his head out and observed Hinata and his group as they awaited patiently for Angel. He sneered with triumph and aimed the barrel of his rifle directly at Hinata's back.

"Targets acquired."

"Officer, could you please drive slower?!"

"No can do, Yunokawa-kun. This is an emergency."

Sekine turned the wheel, causing the Yunokawa family van to swerve violently to the right as he turned another corner. A terrified Yuuji, sitting in one of the backseats, held onto Takeyama for dear life while the bespectacled boy remained calm and continued inspecting Touya's laptop. Meanwhile, Rikana, Sachiyo, and Yuuji's mother, who were in the second row of backseats, held tightly onto their seats while their hearts hammering against their sternums. As for Yuuji's father, he was sitting in the front passenger seat, staring critically at Sekine as he continued his reckless driving.

"Officer Sekine, sir," the man said, "if you keep up this driving, we'll get pulled over by the police!"

"I am the police, Yunokawa-san," Sekine replied.

"Ohhh, yeah," Rikana said, her voice shaky despite her attempt at sarcasm. "Says the low-ranked officer who's driving at top speed with passengers in the car with him. You sure are a shining example of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police."

"Hey, I didn't ask for that kind of tone from you!" Sekine looked into the rearview mirror, which was aimed at Takeyama. "Hey, Hamada-"

"Takeyama," the bespectacled boy corrected.

"...R-Right... Um, d-did you manage to get back into the department's security systems?"

"I'm trying, but I still cannot get a hang of the technology that this Hamada person uses, not to mention the technology your department uses. This is quite a challenge for me. But, fortunately for all of you..." Takeyama's rectangular lenses shone as he deepened his focus on the laptop. "I am Christ."

"...Since when did you start calling yourself that, Hamada?" Rikana asked flatly.

"Since forever." Takeyama looked over his shoulder. "You should know this by now, Yusa."

"For the last time, I'm not Yusa." Rikana crossed her arms. "Who the hell is Yusa?"

"My friend from the Afterlife...which you are."

"Okay, have you finally gone mad, Hamada?" Sachiyo asked flatly.

"I have not gone mad, whoever you are-"

"Sugisata." Sachiyo slapped her forehead. "Jeez, something must've happened to you if your memory is in a jumble."

Takeyama refocused on Touya's laptop. "Oh, trust me, I would not have allowed anything to happen to me. Not only am I Takeyama, I am Christ, and absolutely nothing can hurt me."

Sekine suddenly slammed his foot down on the brakes, causing the Yunokawa SUV to grind to a loud stop. Everyone was wearing seatbelts, so none of them were sent flying inside. However, the abruptness of the stop caused Takeyama to hit his head on the laptop screen, while Rikana accidentally hit her head on Yuuji's headrest.

"OW!" he cried. "Goddamn it!"

"Wow," Sachiyo said after regaining her breath. "So much for not allowing anything to hurt you."

Takeyama gritted his teeth while a blush blossomed on his cheeks. "Sh-Sh-Shut it..."

"Why'd you stop, Officer Sekine?" Yuuji asked while rubbing his shoulder. Just then, he noticed the serious expression on Sekine's face.

"Everyone, be quiet," he ordered quietly.

He pointed his chin towards the windshield window, and the passengers spotted an armored vehicle parked close to the corner that Sekine was about to take. A team of police officers, all of them wearing tactical body armor and armed with assault rifles, was lined up against the wall of a building, seemingly ready to conduct an ambush.

"What're they doing?" Yuuji's father asked while inspecting the officers' movements.

"That's one of the department's tactical response teams," replied Sekine. "They must've found the cult, or at least some of its members. But...near the Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ?"

At that moment, two of the officers standing at the back of the line, who had earlier noticed the SUV, broke off from the rest of their team and approached the vehicle with their rifles drawn.

"Okay, hands up," Sekine instructed. "Hands up, everyone!"

His passengers obeyed, while Sekine slowly rolled the window down, procured his police badge, and stuck it out of the window for the approaching officers to see. In response, one of the officers walked up his window with his weapon still aimed, while the other officer went to the other side of the vehicle to inspect the passengers.

"What's going on, man?" Sekine asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," the first officer replied. He gave Yuuji's father a suspicious look. "Did you forget about the shelter-in-place protocol?"

"It's an emergency." Sekine looked at Yuuji, Takeyama, Rikana, and Sachiyo. "These children have information regarding the cult that I feel will be important to the investigation."

"Information?" the second officer asked.

The first officer's eyebrows shot up. "Do they now...?"

"Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm taking them to HQ for further interrogation."

"Okay..." The tactical officer shot his comrade a certain look before taking a step back. "Let me...contact HQ and verify this..." He procured a walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and spoke into it. "Yamashita? I have a group of civilians who, uh, claim to have good info on the cult we're investigating..."

"Good info?" the voice on the other end asked.

"That's what they're saying. It's just a bunch of kids, though. Different from the ones we're pursuing."

"Wait, pursuing?" Yuuji blurted out.

"...It doesn't matter," Yamashita replied. "Is this group still with you? I don't have eyes on you."

"Yes, they are, sir."

"Then do what needs to be done."

"Yes, sir."

The officer put the walkie-talkie away and took a sideways glance at the rest of his team. Upon seeing they were ready to begin their ambush, he aimed his rifle at the SUV occupants, as did his comrade. Sekine's hands shot up.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" he cried with alarm. "Wh-What the hell are you doing?! S-Same team, remember?!"

The officer sneered. "Ohhh, not exactly..."

Thinking quickly, Sekine yelled, "EVERYONE HIT THE DECK!"

His passengers didn't need to be told twice. They ducked their heads while Sekine simultaneously slammed his foot back down on the gas pedal. The family SUV sped away, but not before the two officers riddled it with bullets.

Upon hearing the sound of screeching tires and gunfire, Hinata's head perked up.

"Didja hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah," Yui replied while the rest of the SSS readied their guns.

As for Royama, he looked around in a panic and was the first to see the tactical team emerging from behind the corner, their assault rifles aimed precisely at their direction. On instinct, he shot up on his feet, aimed his gun, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "AMBUSH!"

The SSS was quick to react to Royama's warning. They ran behind any shelter they could, just before the corrupt officers started firing their weapons at them, spraying the street with bullets. However, Royama didn't budge an inch; instead, he stood protectively in front of C's unconscious body and fired back at them while screaming madly, forcing the officers to find shelter of their own.

Seconds later, the Yunokawa SUV drove onto the street Hinata's group was on. Some of the corrupt officers focused their fire on the vehicle, eventually hitting two of its tires. This caused the SUV to swerve out of control for a second before it crashed into a parked car.

As soon as he laid his eyes on the crashed SUV, Hinata suddenly felt a pang of familiarity hit him. Before he could control himself, he stood up and wandered out of his hiding spot, transfixed with horror and concern.

Not unexpectedly, this put him in the crosshairs of a cultist, who wasted no time firing a shot at the blue-haired boy...

"ONII-CHAN, NOOOOO!"

Hinata flinched at the sound of the gunshot, but to his surprise, he didn't feel any pain whatsoever. He looked back at the cultist who shot at him, but the man was now preoccupied with gunfire coming from Royama and the rest of the SSS.

Then, a horrible, gut-wrenching instinct told him to look down, which he did. The next thing he saw caused his world to fall apart.

Yui was lying before his feet on the asphalt, in a growing pool of blood.

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A/N: Aaaaannnnnddddd I'm finally done! And...OH, NO! Yui has been SHOT! Whatever happened to her?! Find out in the next chapter!

Phew! This chapter was surprisingly hard to write. I didn't like how some of the scenes in the middle were turning out, so I kept rewriting and revising them until I achieved something satisfactory to me. Even then, I feel like this chapter left a lot to be desired. I think it's got something to do with the great amount of characters and subplots that I'm dealing with. Clearly, dealing with a large cast is not one of my stronger suits.

I'm saying this because it's just come to my attention, on another one of my fics, that my writing style for conversations and interactions between many characters feels kind of awkward and stiff. This feedback's been on my mind ever since, and I'm taking a hard, long look at how I'm writing this chapter, because it's clear to me these kinds of scenes are crucial for the last leg of this fic. For now, I don't think there's anything I could do about it since I'm already settled on how the climactic showdown is going to go down, but I'll try my best to keep it under control.

I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:

-FaatalisticCry:

1) Well, that's kinda supposed to be the point. Any shorter than that and we might as well be at this for another year, at the very least. XP

2) Yeah, and it's about time the Angel Player made an appearance too, given what we're dealing with! Maybe we'll finally get a chance to learn more about it here! ;)

3) Wow, the Iwasawa fan in me is crying right now from that comment. :'( Kidding, kidding. Anyway, yeah, her going out so early in the anime was a bummer, which is why she'll be having a bigger role here. She may not have appeared in this chapter, but she's definitely going to get some major screentime in the next one!

4) Actually, I do have something a little special planned for Fujimaki/Ezakiya. As for Otonashi and Takahashi, don't worry about that, because you'll be seeing a couple more interactions between them before the story's over!

5) Thank you for the extra-long review! :D :D :D Yeah, it's a bummer I'm not getting as much reviews as I used to, but I guess that's what happens when your fic has kept going on and on for this long. Maybe I should have restrained myself with the content a little bit. Again, thank you! :D

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!