The two halves of Fumi's broken scythe clattered on the paved ground as the pink-haired handmaid gasped in pain. She briefly looked into the crazed brown eyes of her opponent as she groaned from the grotesque bladed tonfa impaling her abdomen. She then spent her final breaths peering over her attacker's shoulder to see the victor's Child, an enormous tiger with obsidian armor and demonic red eyes, held what looked like a limp, silver-haired mannequin in its foaming mouth. Tears began to swell in Fumi's eyes and the white apron of her maid uniform became increasingly stained with red as she weakly spoke.
"I'm sorry, my lady..."
The single blood-soaked tonfa was removed from Fumi's stomach, allowing her to fall to the ground at the same time the tiger dropped its lifeless prey. The two bodies then dissolved into sparkling green dust and floated into the air. These remains didn't have far to travel, as the HiME Star now sat as a gigantic crimson sphere atop the rubble that had been Fuuka Academy a few days earlier.
As the battlefield cleared, Akane gradually caught her breath and willed Hari and her weapons to return to stasis. She was clad in a short dress made of a material resembling black satin, which Kazuya had recently gifted her. It closely resembled the design of her Fuuka Academy summer uniform and sported a silver trim. Her familiar ponytail was tied back with a small but elegant black ribbon, and about her neck was a choker studded by a single silver jewel.
Akane's angered, desperate expression quickly transitioned to one of cheerful innocence when her eyes met her handsome lover. He was standing several meters away with his arms crossed and a satisfied grin on his face, and Akane ran to him and hugged him before she began to question him.
"Kazu! Are you okay? You weren't hurt by Fumi or Mashiro, were you?"
A tender smile crossed the young man's lips as he returned his HiME's embrace and brought her closer to him.
"I'm fine, Akane. You stopped them."
Akane's eyes peered toward the HiME Star before turning back to Kazuya. The victorious HiME rested her head on her beloved's shoulder as she spoke in a soft, happy voice. Finally, the other girls were gone and she would never again have to worry about losing the person she cherished the most.
"It's over, Kazu."
Kazuya reached to the back of Akane's head with one hand and slowly ran his fingers through her hair as he replied.
"Almost, Akane. You've won the Festival, but you have one more task to complete."
The devoted HiME lifted her head and replied with an air of curiosity.
"Hmm? What are you talking about, Kazu?"
Kazuya continued to give her the same warm smile as his free hand slowly reached and held one of her hands. He spoke in an even gentler voice than before.
"Let's end this world's suffering."
Akane was taken by uncertainty at Kazuya's statement. She tilted her head slightly when she questioned him again.
"What do you mean?"
He glanced toward the stationary HiME Star before presenting his plan.
"There is still far too much cruelty in this world. As long as hatred and conflict exist, people will continue to experience the loss of their loved ones, just as you almost lost me. Although the HiME have been dealt with, war still exists and murder still occurs. Even now, there's no guarantee that humanity won't bring a disaster that could split us apart, Akane."
Akane grew visibly concerned by his words, and she replied with a slight worry in her voice.
"What can we do to change it?"
When Kazuya's gaze returned to Akane, he could see she was reacting to his words just as he expected. He couldn't be more pleased with her responses.
"Now that you're the only HiME, nothing can stop you from using the star's full power. Your emotions of love will allow it to purify the world of its corruption. You can make it so no one will have to suffer again and nothing can separate us."
The worry in Akane's face faded and was replaced by a caring smile as Kazuya spoke. She gave an energetic nod before replying.
"Okay, Kazu. I'll do whatever I need to."
Kazuya now lowered his head and brought his lips to Akane's. As the two remained in a deep, peaceful kiss, the HiME birthmark located behind Akane's left shoulder began to glow with a bright red light that shown through the back of her sleeveless dress. This glow gradually engulfed her entire curved frame, and the HiME Star soon began pulsating in the same brilliant light as it loomed over her. The ribbon in Akane's ponytail unraveled and fell to the ground, and her short brown hair and silky black miniskirt billowed outward as her body began unleashing its accumulated energy.
Suddenly, an enormous storm of sparkling wind formed around Akane and covered the land around Fuuka Academy almost instantly. The swirling wind was so harsh that it eroded all living matter to dust and left every building it passed over in rubble. It continued to spread in all directions and left the same path of destruction across the planet. When it reached the oceans, it created catastrophic tidal waves that swept over whole continents and washed away most signs of modern life. For a few seconds, the red glow that traveled with the wind illuminated the entire world and made it seem as if the Earth itself had become a planet-sized HiME Star. When the light finally faded and the storm subsided, the world was left in an alien silence.
Akane initially continued to act the same as before when she happily parted from the kiss. However, realization quickly began dawning to her. She frantically turned her head from side to side, causing her hair to bob as she studied the ruinous landscape around her and saw the HiME Star still situated on the ground beside her.
"Did I... do this?"
She stepped backwards from Kazuya, raising her hands to the sides of her head as her eyes widened with horror.
"I did it! I killed everyone! I... I..."
Kazuya clenched his eyes shut and turned his head away as he was overtaken by regret at this sight. The strange force of nature that influenced his words and actions had numbed most of his original compassion, but one thing had been left perfectly intact: His ability to care for Akane. And now, as she was about to lose what little remained of her sanity, he couldn't bear to watch her suffer.
"Akane, I'm sorry..."
Not knowing what to do, he was taken by surprise when he heard a deep, familiar voice rumble through his head.
"Comfort your wife, Kazuya. You've always been the only one who can support her."
Acting on this advice, Kazuya stepped forward and firmly brought Akane back into his arms. He held her closely to his chest and spoke into her shivering ear to soothe her.
"It will be okay, Akane. You didn't do it by yourself."
His voice then hushed to a whisper as he gently lowered her arms and guided them around his waist. He spoke in a pleading tone as his concern for the terrified girl grew.
"It's not your fault. You only did it for me."
At the exact moment Akane's mind would have completely shattered from the trauma of what she had just done, she suddenly felt the only thing that could pacify her. It was the one thing she had literally given the world to protect. With her ear pressed against Kazuya's chest, she could feel his heartbeat.
"Ka... zu..."
Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief when Akane quietly spoke and he could feel her trembling subsiding. He continued to assure her.
"Don't worry, Akane. You've ended the world's sadness. You'll never have to use your powers to kill again."
Akane finally lifted her head and looked into Kazuya's eyes. She offered a drowsy smile as she spoke.
"It's... over?"
Kazuya nodded as he returned Akane's cheerful glance.
"It's over, Akane. You did great."
Akane lowered her head again and rested it against Kazuya's shoulder. She quickly found her eyes struggling to stay open, and Kazuya could feel her placing most of her weight against him.
"I'm so tired, Kazu..."
He replied in the same assuring tone as before. The words he spoke were a mix of his own thoughts and those of the entity sharing his body.
"You'll be fine, Akane. Your body just used the HiME Star's power to its fullest capacity. You'll feel better after some rest, and you'll regain your power when you couple with me."
Even in her exhausted state, Akane couldn't help but blush slightly at the thought of finally being able to become intimate with her dearest. She replied as she slowly drifted into the verge of sleep.
"Mmm... what will we do then, Kazu?"
Kazuya's expression became bright with anticipation due to Akane's question.
"When you're ready, we'll use your power to slowly rebuild this world. With control of the HiME Star, you'll be able to repopulate the planet with new life forms in the same way you're able to summon Hari. Our children will be the new human race, and their domain will be the land we create."
He paused in his thoughts and his anticipation faded slightly when he noticed tears were streaming down Akane's cheeks and dripping to the ground. He questioned her in a concerned tone.
"Akane, what's wrong? Do you miss the old world?"
She kept to herself as she quietly replied.
"That's not it at all, Kazu..."
When she raised her head, Kazuya could see a bright smile had grown on her face and she was shedding tears of joy.
"I'm just happy we're finally together."
Kazuya nodded slowly and smiled in return.
"Of course, Akane. And now we'll remain together..."
He spoke softly as he leaned forward.
"...forever."
He sealed his lips to Akane's once more, and the delighted girl was quick to return his kiss. Amidst the Earth's ruined state, the only figures that still stood were Akane and Kazuya in this embrace.