And so the final part begins…


She was losing control. Her body, her mind, her being was getting more and more corrupted. With every kill, a little more of her humanity vanished. It didn't matter to her.

She walked around the street, head hanging low. Her body twitched every so often. People gave her weird looks, but she found it harder to care. It would all be ending soon anyway. So she walked and walked. Walked until the streets were empty.

"There ya are."

Ayano barely recognised the voice, but she could sense the strength. She turned around. Metal Bat or Badd was standing there, a scowl on his face. In his hand was his iconic bat.

"Ya really killed Osoro just to do me dirty," he growled, swinging his bat. "And ya made my lil' sis worry about me. How 'bout some payback?"

And then before Ayano could blink, his bat swung into her face. She crashed into a window of an abandoned building, glass flying everywhere.

"Damn monster," Badd huffed, placing the top of his bat in his palm.

Ayano sat up, red strings flowing around her. Her body immediately repaired itself. She walked out, body twitching.

"Need another hit?" Badd growled. "Come and get it."

Ayano pulled out her knife. The two teens clashed, their weapons sending vibrations across the ground. Ayano slashed her knife, Badd narrowly dodging.

"Yer fast," he admitted. "But not as fast as Osoro. How'd you manage to kill her?"

Ayano dug her knife into his arm. He pulled it out, swinging his bat again. His brows knitted further; her expression did not change. Ayano dodged, summoning her army of strings. She ordered them to wrap around his arm. He fell to his knees, closing his eyes.

"You bastard…" he growled, hands shaking. "Ya really think you can knock me down that easily?"

Badd bashed himself in the forehead with his bat. Blood gushed down his forehead. Then, effortlessly, he ripped off the strings. Ayano stumbled back.

"That's better," he growled. "Just needed to get pumped up."

Suddenly, his swings were much faster. Ayano had to stay on her toes to avoid the constant swinging. She parried some away with her knife, but they continued to get faster.

What is this power…? she thought.

"Fightin' spirit will let me do anything," Badd growled. "That's why I'm gonna end you, right here and now!"

He gave a massive swing. The force sent Ayano flying. She crashed into an abandoned building, and continued to fly through the walls. The walls collapsed around her, covering her in debris. Her body was pricked with pieces of glass.

Her breathing became weak. She held out a weak, bloody hand.

God, please help…

HEARTBROKEN

Badd grinned at the hole he'd made, and the walls that had collapsed. The psycho had to be dead now. He gazed at his bat.

Osoro… he pictured his old friend's face in his mind. Are ya proud of me…?

Then he felt a presence behind him. A dark, inhuman presence. Red strings floated in the air. She was back, and somehow stronger than before. It seemed she had fighting spirit too.

Badd scowled, holding up his bat. How did she-

SLASH

Badd blinked slowly, letting out a breath. He was… still alive?

Standing in front of him was none other than Megami Saikou, holding out her staff. She had blocked Ayano's attack.

Megami gave Ayano her cold, icy stare. Ayano returned the same look. The two girls, despite their differences, for a brief moment… Badd couldn't tell which one was which.

"Fighting other heroes," Megami chastised. "Childish and embarrassing. Not something I want to see from one of the members of my own group, Miss Aishi."

Ayano bowed, her body twitching. Her voice cracked. "Of course. My apologies."

"Off you go," Megami said, still giving her a cold stare.

Ayano walked away, head bowed.

Badd stood up, holding up his bat. "Hey, you can't-"

"Enough, Metal Bat," Megami held out her arm, stopping him. "You know you cannot attack her unprecedentedly."

"She murdered my best friend," Badd growled. "She scared my sister. She put me in jail!"

"I'm aware of that," Megami said, staring down at him. "But we must wait. She cannot know what we're planning. You'll get to have your revenge if you stay patient."

Badd gritted his teeth.

"She would have killed you, if I didn't intervene," Megami told him. "She's too strong for you to fight by yourself. Do you understand?"

Badd glared at her. Megami kept her cold, iron gaze.

"Fine," he spat. "But I'm gonna be the one to kick her ass."

Megami sighed. "Of course."


Once again, the heroes had gathered in the Saikou Corp meeting room. Badd had returned, seated grouchily on his seat. His sister was next to him, trying to get him to sit up straight. Umeji glared at Badd from behind his hands. After all, Osoro had bad-mouthed him quite a bit.

The other heroes kept to themselves, some on edge.

Taro stared at his hands, slumped in his seat. He was in a room full of powerful people, but he couldn't help but feel fear squeeze his heart.

Yan-chan's powerful too… he thought. Oh, God… what will she do next?

Megami was at the front of the room as usual, arms crossed. She always wore the same, cold expression. Taro wondered if she ever got scared.

"We're making progress," she spoke up. "Thanks to the jail-break, we have more heroes on our side. Although Sweet Mask has, unfortunately, been turned into a monster, he is not our greatest concern."

"I heard Ayano's father was working with him," Zombieman spoke up.

Everyone began chatting.

"Muko Aishi, working alongside a monster," Megami tapped her gloved fingers together. "How unusual. I think we'll need to-"

"Miss Saikou!"

Everyone turned and faced a well-dressed worker at the entrance of the room. She was panting heavily, holding a clipboard.

"We're in the middle of a meeting," Megami said, arms folded. "What is it?"

"Your brother…" the worker panted. "Tornado of Terror…" Sweat pooled down her forehead.

"Take a few breaths," Megami encouraged, walking over to her. "What about my brother and Tornado of Terror?"

"Tornado of Terror is destroying City Z!" the worker blurted out. "And your brother is in mortal danger!"

A siren went off. Megami gazed at a screen behind her; it showed green energy tearing up various buildings from City Z. The ground was shaking, judging by the screams of civilians.

Megami put her staff down. "Everyone, let's move out!"


Fubuki had her arms crossed across her chest, Kencho standing nearby her. They were, of course, walking through City Z, the Blizzard Group following behind.

"Many people are grouping together to rise against a great threat," Fubuki addressed her group. "We are one of those groups."

"Damn right," Kencho agreed. "And we're the group that's gonna be on top."

Fubuki nodded at her co-leader. "Indeed. Now, come along, we have a large plan to conduct!"

The group cheered behind her. Fubuki and Kencho smiled at each other, before continuing to walk.

Kencho smirked to himself. Finally, I'm gonna show you who's boss, Meg-

"AUGH!"

Fubuki and Kencho whipped around. Then they both stopped, hearts beating. Their entire group had been wiped out, right behind them. The once lively and jovial members, reduced to a pile of corpses. It had been so quick, so effortless… so sudden.

Fubuki gasped, choking up. "What… my… my group!"

Kencho scowled. "How did this…" Then he grabbed Fubuki's arm, eyes going wide. "Fubuki!"

A knife went through Fubuki's abdomen, quick as a flash. She collapsed onto the ground, blood pooling out of her body. Her eyes were wide.

"FUBUKI!" Kencho yelled, supporting her body.

He laid her down on the ground. Her breaths were shaky, and her body twitched. Blood trickled out of her mouth.

"Fubuki, don't you dare die on me," Kencho growled.

A shadow appeared above him. It was… some creature, eyes bleeding red. Strings surrounded her form, and her head was bent at an unnatural angle. Kencho pulled out his taser, aiming it at her.

"Stay away," he growled. "Monster!"

Then the ground began shaking. Kencho clung onto Fubuki's weak body. Buildings around them began to crack. Glass fell from destroyed windows. Green power flowed into the sky. The road was broken into chunks.

"Fubuki's sister," Kencho gasped.

Tatsumaki floated in the air, eyes wide and bloodshot. Her hair floated around her face. Yet, the expression on her face did not do her rage justice. The power thrumming in the air was the real terror.

Ayano gazed up at the esper. I knew that would drag her out of the shadows…

"You…" Tatsumaki raised a hand as she peered down at Ayano. "You dare attack my sister, monster?!"

Psychic energy was building in front of her, aimed at Ayano.

"I'll tear you apart," Tatsumaki hissed. "Worthless nobody."

Ayano stood up, wielding her knife. Like a shadow, she slipped between flying pieces of debris. Huge boulders came flying towards her. She dodged them, her body twitching.

"YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME!" Tatsumaki roared, her eyes bleeding neon green.

Her energy grabbed Ayano. A tornado itself formed in front of Ayano, full of debris and shattered glass. The energy began snapping her bones, one at a time. The swirling pool of energy was growing closer. Blood spilled from Ayano's eyes.

"Pathetic," Tatsumaki hissed.

Ayano head's snapped back. Her spine split into two.

HEARTBROKEN

God shook its head. "Ah… getting restless. But don't worry. You'll be able to take down that psychic fool."

Ayano was alive once again, eyes glowing blood red. Strings made her way up her arms. She teleported out of Tatsumaki's grip, red energy surrounding her body.

"What… what is this?!" Tatsumaki shrieked. "You have psychic powers now?!"

Ayano hovered herself up to Tatsumaki. The red and green power mixed together.

Tatsumaki growled, sending a barrage of attacks towards Ayano. Ayano summoned a psychic shield, defending herself. Then, even faster than before, she zoomed towards Tatsumaki. She slashed her knife. Tatsumaki roared, a cut making its way down her chest.

"YOU…!" she boomed. The Earthquakes grew stronger. Rocks came up from the surface of the ground. Entire buildings were cracked, and turned to dust. What was left of City Z was slowly being torn apart.

"S… sister…" Fubuki coughed. "No… please…"

"Fubuki..." Kencho held onto his only friend.

"TORNADO OF TERROR."

And then everything stopped, like time itself had slowed down. Standing right in the middle of the mess was Megami Saikou herself, staff in hand. A cold, serious expression was on her face. A group of bodyguards stood behind her.

Kencho muttered a curse, placing his vest over Fubuki's wound. "Great. Because this can't get any worse."

Tatsumaki glared down at Megami, eyes twitching. "Goddess. I don't care what you have to say. Get lost."

"I am trying to be reasonable with you, Miss Tornado," Megami replied, eyes narrowed. "This has to stop. You are destroying City Z."

"I don't care," Tatsumaki growled. "That… worthless, insufferable monster…" She glared at Ayano, who looked human again. "Nearly killed my sister."

"I didn't," Ayano argued, body twitching. "A monster attacked her. I was trying to defend her."

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME, GARBAGE!" Tatsumaki screamed, power flowing around her.

"Miss Tornado, calm down," Megami ordered. She stomped her staff. "You're suggesting that one of the members of the Guardians - my group - attacked your sister. That is a rather hefty thing to accuse her of. Do you have any proof?"

"OF COURSE I HAVE PROOF!" Tatsumaki roared. "I sensed it. I sensed that creature plowing her knife through my sister and her stupid group! You're the one who brought all of this up in the first place! Don't act like you don't know!" She clenched her fists. "Your worthless brother will agree! Ask him!"

Megami turned to face her brother, who was still clinging onto Fubuki's arm. He gave her a seething stare. A moment of silence passed between the siblings.

"Well, Kencho?" Megami asked, tone formal. "Is it true? Did Ayano Aishi truly attack Blizzard of Hell?"

Kencho gritted his teeth. A red string was wrapped around his wrist. His silver eyes went blank.

Why can't I remember…? He paled, staring at his friend. Fubuki… what happened to you…?

"Kencho?" Megami asked.

"Look, it doesn't matter," Kencho growled. "We need to get Fubuki to hospital, pronto!"

"'Doesn't matter'?!" Tatsumaki roared, glowing green. "Listen here, you little brat. The only reason I've tolerated you for so long is because my sister insisted that I leave you alone. But now I see that I should've gotten rid of you a long time ago. I don't care if you're Goddess' little brother or my sister's friend, I'll-"

"That's enough, Tornado," Megami placed down her staff. "We will take your sister to hospital, and we'll get to the bottom of this."

Tatsumaki went red. "Don't you dare-"

Megami gave her a cold glare. "Come here for a moment, Miss Tornado. I must tell you something important."

Tatsumaki's blood-shot eyes went wider, but she lowered herself to the ground nonetheless. Power ebbed around her dangerously.

"Do you remember my group?" Megami whispered into her ear. "If you really want to get back at Miss Aishi for killing your sister…"

Tatsumaki made a face. "But wait… that means you are suspicious of her! You totally believe me, don't you? Why didn't you say anything!?"

Megami's face shadowed over. "Come to my group. I will explain everything."

Ayano watched from a distance. She hid her strings.

It's only a matter of time… you fool, Megami.


"Your daughter is becoming more and more of a monster with every second."

Muko went pale, gazing at Sweet Mask. The monster stared back at him with his malformed face. They were in the backstreets of City X, where no heroes could track them down.

"I mean, I always knew she was different," Muko sighed, bowing his head. His messy, greying hair covered his face. "Ayano was born with a condition that Aishi women have had for centuries. Her mother was just the same. I tried to help Ayano. I tried to fix her, but nothing I did worked. Until one day… when she laughed. She started acting like a normal girl." He smiled, briefly. "It was the happiest day of my life."

"You seem relieved that your wife's dead," Sweet Mask said, tilting his head.

"She forced me into a relationship with her," Muko replied, leaning against a wall. "I never loved that woman. But I couldn't get away from her. She was too smart and cunning. She'd hunt me down and do… god knows what." His face went pale.

"Your daughter never really cured her condition," Sweet Mask told the man. "She became a murderer very quickly."

"I know," Muko sighed. "I've always known she was just pretending. All of her emotions were just fake to keep me happy." He sniffled. "Honestly, I wanted to believe they were real. I wanted to believe she was going to be different. But…" He shook his head. "It was all just wistful thinking, in the end. She became worse than her mother."

Sweet Mask went silent for a moment.

"You're a tragic hero, Muko Aishi," he said.

"'Tragic' is right," Muko agreed. "But there's nothing heroic about me."

Sweet Mask breathed out. "Are you aware of what we are going to have to do to your daughter?"

Muko nodded. "I know."

"And are you ready?" Sweet Mask asked.

Muko stared at his clenched fist. A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Yes," he said. "I'm ready."


Ayano stood inside her ruined bedroom. She did not care to fix it. So she simply made her way downstairs, to her empty house. Everything was the same as it had always been. Empty. But that did not matter to Ayano.

And then she got a knock at the door. She turned on her Yan-vision. Whoever was outside was not a threat, so she opened the door.

"Dad." she greeted, gazing at her father standing there, pose calm. She had completely forgotten about her father. He was so insignificant to her life she hadn't thought about him at all. She had certainly not been expecting to see him at her doorstep.

"Hi, sweetie," Muko greeted, voice shaky. "Long time no see."

"Why have you come back now?" Ayano asked, her voice a monotone.

"Well, after your mother's death, I wanted to see how you were going," Muko explained. "You're my daughter, after all. I missed you. And you're a Class S hero, now. That's very impressive, sweetie."

For some reason, Muko's eyes were full of tears.

"You are crying," Ayano observed. "Why are you crying, Dad?"

"Because I have to make a very hard choice, sweetie," Muko said, face creasing up. He placed a kiss on Ayano's forehead. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

And then a monster came flying out of nowhere, piercing Ayano through the stomach. She collapsed to her knees, blood pooling around her. Her eyes went blank.

Sweet Mask stepped back, hands covered in blood. Muko began to sob, falling to his knees.

"I'm sorry, Muko," Sweet Mask said, placing a hand on Muko's shoulder.

"No…" Muko sobbed. "I know. You had to do it."

He peeked through his tears, breaths shaky. Ayano was suddenly… standing up?

"Beaut!" Muko cried.

Sweet Mask placed himself in front of Muko, Ayano coming towards him. Strings were flowing around her body. Sweet Mask slashed at her, but she immediately got back up. Sweet Mask's face creased.

"Run, Muko!" Sweet Mask's face continued to disform. "You have to save the world by yourself now!"

Muko's tears continued to fall. "What?! I… I can't!"

"Yes you can!" Sweet Mask replied. "I'm counting you! We're all counting on you! Don't let us down!"

Muko trembled.

I…

He forced himself to stand up, nodding bravely.

"Beaut, stay alive," he pleaded, wiping his eyes. "For me."

Then he ran away, leaving Sweet Mask to his fate.