Chapter VI

Another's Throat

Mitsuru began on the cold, fluffy, and black floor. He sat up and let out an exhausted breath. Since interacting with the dog the previous night, he had finally started to relax, and it was a mystery why that oppressive paranoia stalked him before leaving swiftly.

At this point, his presence in this abyss was more than coincidental, with or without the presence of the Voice. Anticipating something, Mitsuru did nothing but wait tensely.

Sometimes, he thought about something fantastical. Then he would ponder it, and his mind would become a ship pushed by the wind to the land of the unknown. Adrift…downward… downward. He stared into the black unknown so deeply that perhaps his eyes were closed and it was just his eyelids.

When he looked forward, Mitsuru spotted the figure in the distance again and felt the urge to approach. The person was so far away that the colors of their clothes blended together, and they looked like one vertical shape.

He approached slowly this time, more hesitant after remembering himself blindly running toward them. It was a strange identity. Mitsuru could only see one way to use his life beyond death—to uncover this person's nature.

But as he appeared to be drawing nearer, Mitsuru was caught well off guard by a whirlwind that began to form at his feet. It was a purple one that grew larger and climbed higher until it passed over his head and engulfed him.

Yet he did not think to resist what this was. In its calm and cold, the purple vortex cushioned Mitsuru past his flesh and sent his mind downward in wonder. Mitsuru reached out for it—and it to him, climbing up his arms before consuming him entirely.

Mitsuru blinked, finding himself at a crosswalk he wasn't at before, too bustling to notice that a boy had appeared out of thin air.


Moments like these were rare. From memory, Kaguya couldn't recall many times when they were out of each other's sight. How could the twins be apart if they were always feuding? She tried on her black polka-dot bikini.

These look a lot sexier on Yuzuru, huh, she thought. That wasn't a bad thing.

"Why are you not fighting?" Kaguya was startled by a deep, foreboding voice that sounded out, yet no one was around. The voice echoed out again, "Fight." Kaguya then turned to the mirror.

Within the mirror was a man in a large, brown trench coat. Kaguya jumped back. He simply stood, staring into her eyes as an otherworldly entity.

"Your wish will be granted, but only if you win. Fight. Survive. That is the only way." All around her, reflective surfaces—the windows, TV screen, and bathroom mirror—pulsed with strange patterns, and an overwhelming ringing consumed the room.

This corrupting noise drilled through her ears and overloaded all that was around her. The voice, now sounding like a dozen, demanded the same thing over and over.

Before she could be consumed by the mirrors, Kaguya screamed, "Shut up!"

Instantly, the man in the mirror and his snake tongue vanished.

Fight. Survive. Fight. Survive. Her will to sacrifice herself, but her fear of inexistence. The brazen girl was shaken by the harshness of the stranger, who could so easily discern her secret intentions. Yuzuru barged with distress into the room as Kaguya released her hands from her ears.

"Concern: Why were you screaming?" Kaguya was hesitant to look up at her sister. She could not let those voices influence her. She stood up, kept her head forward, and walked past Yuzuru. After making sure to put in the earbud Reine had given her, Kaguya resolutely uttered,

"I'm totally gonna win, Yuzuru." There was hesitancy in her words. From the reflection of the TV screen, Kaguya saw the outside beach and the strange creatures with the focal point of their gazes on her, intently observing. Yuzuru paused and then replied,

"Objection: I do not believe so."

(-)

This was turning into something beyond their final duel. Tension with no release. Kaguya kept track of all the "people" and monsters, standing just on the edge of her peripheral vision.

"Concern: Is everything alright, Kaguya?" She did not immediately respond. Her mind was cloudy, as indicated by the way she looked down at her feet.

"I need to check if my swimsuit is on correctly. No matter what attire, it must be pristine to channel my full Darkness." She gave an obligatory sneer and then suddenly walked into the restroom nearby, leaving Yuzuru confused.

In the bathroom, Kaguya headed straight for one of the mirrors. There, the man in the mirror stood, and alongside him was the ominous ringing noise.

"Fight," he distinctly repeated. Kaguya brought her bombastic nature, wishing not to lose control

"Wretched being, what makes you think I am weak to silver tongues?" Kaguya mocked. There was no reason to keel over. What could petty words do to her?

"I'm not here to lie to you, so will you lie to yourself and succumb to nothingness?" Kaguya bit her lip. His words alone were just fancy, but the man's eyes exposed her deepest fears.

Immediately, she threw her fist at the mirror and shattered it. The man disappeared and did not appear in the other mirrors. No matter, she smashed every reflective surface on which he could appear. Kaguya would not let herself be swayed. There could only be one Yamai, and nothing could dissuade that.

Fight, but only to die…or to survive.

"Confusion: What was the sound? Has Kaguya smashed one of the mirrors?"

"Haha! That mirror. When my gaze met it, the essence of my Evil Eye was imprinted onto it! To protect the life of any mortal after me, I had to destroy it lest their soul be whisked away upon contact." Kaguya only said that before she continued to walk. Strangely, Yuzuru noticed that Kaguya had not adjusted anything about her swimsuit.


Shido sat on the beach by his lonesome. Reine had spoken to him over his earpiece, discussing how today's date would play out. He had to seal both of them, or else one would disappear. Shido looked out at the flowing waves as he contemplated.

How could it be that the Yamai twins–sisters–were willing to fight to the death? How could someone bring themselves to turn against the ones they should love so dearly?

"Is the water nice, Shido?" Turning around, he saw Mitsuru walking down the stairs, his hands fidgeting. "Lucky to meet you here. I need some company right now."

"It's only a little cold. Why are you out here?" Mitsuru looked at the sky for an instant.

"Well, I had a little "moment", you know, so I just went out for a walk." He took off his shoes and socks. His toenails were cut and filed. The same gray hoodie with large sleeves and black, knee-length shorts had been his attire since they first met.

His slightly hunched posture and lax gestures made Shido believe him to be a carefree person, to which he was astonished after admitting that. "Is it alright for you to be out here? Can't you just disappear for no reason at any time?"

Mitsuru held his shoes in his hand before slowly walking into the water.

"Of course, it's cold! I could do this an infinite number of times, and it would never not be cold! I asked to come down here, just in case there's something here that could give me a clue about myself. Besides, everyone needs some fun, especially me, unless I want to go insane."

Hearing that reminded Shido that the person in front of him wasn't alive. Though he laughed at things and put his opinion on matters, Mitsuru neither ate nor slept. He was exactly the same as the day they met. It was one of those realizations that made Shido aware of existence itself. Spacequakes were real. Spirits were real, and there were two he needed to rescue.

"Mitsuru, if you had to kill someone you loved, would you do it?" Like Mitsuru frequently did, he paused to formulate an answer in his head.

"...I'd ask myself how I got into such a situation…well, I find it hard to answer crazy hypotheticals." Mitsuru had a point. Such scenarios were merely imagery for most people. That was how it was meant to be, but that wasn't the case for Yuzuru and Kaguya.

"Is this about those two, the twins?" Mitsuru asked while digging his feet into the sand.

"What? Kaguya and Yamai…"

"I passed by them yesterday. In hindsight, being next to Spirit just gives me a weird feeling. It's part of your job, no? Dating Spirits?" He continued to look down with a grin on his face. "I had a chance to talk with Tohka and Yoshino. I'm no conversationalist, but they like you a lot."

For a moment, Shido saw something about Mitsuru. Sure, he looked younger than Shido, but behind those eyes that stared past what was in front of him was someone with a whole lifetime in them.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." He chuckled, scratching his cheek. "I can't believe they said it, but they're in a duel to become the true Yamai. One is going to win, and the other one is going to disappear." Mitsuru stopped playing with the sand, and his grin dropped.

"Figured that's why you asked." Mitsuru crossed his arms and nervously let out a tiny chuckle. "Number one priority would be to stop them from fighting before coming up with something else…like I know how. What am I saying? I can't… I can't help you. I'm sorry." He averted his gaze anxiously to the tide as it went.

"The plan right now is to seal them both simultaneously. It has to work, or else one of them dies." As Shido said that, they heard someone call out,

"My Grand Sight has led me right to you, Shido!"

Both young men looked up and saw the twins in a polka-dot bikini. Mitsuru noticed the cursory compliment Shido gave soon after. Both of the young men looked at each other, giving only hopeful, optimistic glances.

"Huh, coincidence," Mitsuru said as he waded out of the water. He was well aware of Ratatoskr's ethos. "I guess I should get going," he murmured.

"Noting: It's you again," Yuzuru said when she and Mitsuru met gazes. Under his breath, he secretly hoped she hadn't stopped him. Awkwardly, he greeted himself.

"Ah, hello again. About that moment in front of the bathhouse, I wasn't in the clearest state of mind. Sorry for the bad first impression." Mitsuru bowed slightly as an apology. Kaguya taunted him with her unapologetically embarrassing manner. She teased his mortal weakness and spinelessness.

Yet as fast as a blink, Mitsuru looked through her act and stopped his polite gestures. He quickly pointed his finger and began mocking Kaguya in return, making exaggerated gestures and speaking gibberish wildly.

Such a complete inverse from his meek introduction elicited a snicker from Yuzuru and Shido. Both of them bickered with lifeless, belittling deflections and deep, magical hexes until Mitsuru unexpectedly turned rigid and abruptly stopped his argument.

A wide-eyed gaze grew on his face, but none of them knew why. Looking at where he was staring, they saw nothing.

Mitsuru shook himself out of a trance.

"Sorry, I just blanked out there. I should get going. I don't want to hold anybody up." He bowed quickly and left as if he'd seen a ghost. At the top of the stairs, Mitsuru disappeared.

Oh, I saw that. It was that dog limping around with a mangled, fatal leg. In a clouded and tired state, he had not fully processed what was in front of him, but, now in a lucid state, he could confirm that the dog was not alive. Something like that dog on this island had to be a sign.

He remembered how that dog was initially hostile and bit him. Calling out, Mitsuru heard barks and rustling ahead, leading him further into the woods. Quickly, the instincts Mitsuru's ancestors honed and bestowed kicked in.

I could get lost. Further pursuit would have led to something grim. How frustrating. Mitsuru decided not to press on anymore, fearing that he would regret it. Perhaps he could meet it again under better circumstances. Turning back around–

A blade split as it came downward. A slash and ripped flesh rang for a moment. The boy, completely incapacitated, fell down limply, and his head smashed into a tree. A person had come behind the trees and bushes. Under the red sleeve of her coat was a concealed, retractable knife.

In her right hand was the corpse of a dog before it faded into nothingness. She took him over her shoulder and retreated behind the trees. Within the large nose of the pig's head for a mask, the psychopath let out a slow, deliberate breath.


The hotel's front lobby was empty and quiet. "Anna, I'm going on break. You can cover the front for half an hour, right?"

"Mm. Don't worry, Miss Serizawa."

"Again with the 'Miss' thing. We're basically the same age. You don't have to be so polite. Anyway, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." The more experienced clerk, Serizawa, waved before heading toward the canteen.

While Anna idly scanned her surroundings, she prioritized keeping the counters clean and tidy.

On the edge of her senses, she heard the Ding! of the elevator's arrival in the lobby but failed to see who it was.

(-)

When the elevator reached the lobby, it opened to nobody, and above it in the shaft was a large, eyeless alien. It quickly sliced through all of the elevator cables with its large tail, completely disabling the elevator.

(-)

The only other person with Anna was a tiny child, too small to be by himself. He cutely attempted to read the books and magazines. It almost made her anticipate the day she could have a family. Until his parents returned, Anna kept a close eye on him.


Again, Ellen was prowling about. [Princess] and the potential wizard, Origami Tobiichi, were walking down to the shoreline.

Ellen was wary of her surroundings. The evening two days before, she had relayed the occurrence she had with the mysterious knightly entity and confirmed that the three [Bandersnatch] units deployed were destroyed, but the crew on the [Arbatel] couldn't find any recording of what she saw. To the cameras that displayed their perspective, the [Bandersnatches] were invisibly ripped and sliced into shreds.

Westcott seemed only amused by this report. Clearly, the shrewd director was in on something, yet he would not even divulge the specifics to his most trusted, Ellen.

"You will know the moment to see him. If not, then I am sure that he will make it clear."

This island was off, but that would not stop her from completing the mission. By tonight, they would strike with a flurry and overwhelm [Princess]. If Paddington did his part, they could take [Berserker] as a bonus.

Yet that kid, Mitsuru Kano... No, Ike's plan—the Inversion—required [Princess]. It was the key to his reign and the survival of them and their progeny.

Ellen was unexpectedly yanked by her suit and flung from her bush into the trees. Immediately, she deployed [Pendragon] as another person jumped out from the foliage, nearly succeeding at whatever they had planned.

[Pendragon] materialized, and with her blade, she could exact a brutal vengeance against her adversaries.

In front of Ellen were two assassins—a hideous pig head with a concealed blade and hooded death, surely destined. The pighead threw a devilish device across the floor. It ticked before exploding open to become a bear trap. The hooded killer hid herself among the foliage.

"With me by his side, Ike's will shall come to fruition, and whatever hell you crawled out of, prepare for it to crumble into nothing." They stood poised, ready to strike.


On one side of the court were the Yamai sisters and Shido, and on the other side were Tohka, Origami, and Reine.

Things went well for Shido and the Yamai twins' date, though the details of the date would have been embarrassing if witnessed by other outsiders. When Origami and Tohka suddenly appeared, Shido sighed in apparent relief, though they did not know why. Shido would have explained it as such: Kaguya and Yuzuru began roughhousing to an uncomfortable degree.

Reine had then arrived with a volleyball out of nowhere and sneakily suggested to the twins that working together might have given them an advantage in wooing Shido; though, that advice served twofold for Reine and Shido. When picking their teams, the sleepy woman shuffled around the sticks suspiciously before letting them choose. Even if the Yamai twins being paired together was statistically probable, the way Reine shuffled the sticks made it seem like this outcome was certain.

Somehow, Yuzuru felt uneasy working with her sister. How could she make Kaguya look spectacular? It was especially difficult with the rivalry they built up, but if Kaguya could smile and continue to see the celestial bodies rise and fall, then Yuzuru had to think of something…

The first few rounds were a complete bust. Trying to play a team game with a lifelong rival naturally resulted in that. Easy opportunities to hit the ball were thwarted as Yuzuru and Kaguya smacked into each other and gave contradicting signals. Unbeknownst to the rest of them, the twins slowly distanced themselves from each other after each match. It became progressively more tedious to get Kaguya's attention as she regularly lost focus and reacted improperly.

Shido could only stand idly under the constraints of, mostly, human limitations against a bullet-speed volleyball.

Each round, Yuzuru adjusted her techniques, believing that allowing Kaguya to win single-handedly was all that was needed. But her sister's concentration seemed inconsistent, wavering from perfect reaction to late realization. Yuzuru had already figured an active position caused tension and conflict.

Partway through, Reine urgently left, citing sudden matters. Still, a numerical advantage meant little without coordination.

"Well, this will be too easy if you keep running into each other!" Tohka, the student Kaguya called her 'kinswoman', mocked her to incite a greater challenge.

"Your skill is not good enough to test mine. This is going to waste my time," declared Master Origami coldly. Something had to be done quickly.

Assessing: If Kaguya were to get the high ground, a spike would ensure a point for us. She began to speak, phrasing her plan to convey complete amiability. When Yuzuru looked at her sister, she stopped talking. Kaguya did not turn her head or pay any attention to her. She was dead set on the ball being passed to her, and she snatched it with a fiery grip. It was their turn to serve the ball, but Kaguya decided not to do that.

"Shut the hell up!" Without reason, Kaguya took the ball and hurled it toward the cliff edge, far away, so hard that it ripped through a tree trunk where nothing was. She gritted her teeth and then stormed off, kicking sand with each stomp.

There was no doubt in Yuzuru now. Something was troubling her sister deeply—something that she was keeping hidden. She had not forfeited once in ninety-nine battles. Yuzuru instinctively moved. Horrifyingly, her legs locked up, and she couldn't take another step. Would Yuzuru just make it worse by running up to Kaguya and asking her a multitude of questions? Was this a sign of Kaguya's futile love game?

Shido walked past her. "Kaguya, are you okay?" He reached for her shoulder, but faster than he could react, Kaguya grabbed his hand and took a deathly grip.

"Kaguya, what are you doing?!" Tohka ran up to separate them before Shido's bones broke, but Kaguya shoved Shido away and sprinted off. Tohka caught Shido mid-fall. "Are you alright, Shido? Does your hand hurt?" He winced in pain and struggled to open his hand.

Yuzuru stood motionless, shamefully and fearfully silent.

(-)

Crap. I thought Reine said this would get them closer together. Why isn't she responding? Shido stood by the changing rooms, running cold water over his aching hand. Kaguya still had not returned.

In previous interactions, Shido tried piecing together clues. Maybe this was bound to happen. No, Shido's recollections all hinted otherwise. Their exaggerated banter and farcical recounts of competitions were indicative of ironic endearment. Kaguya's seething anger was not that. If Shido wanted to save both of them, he needed to find out what caused Kaguya to snap, and he knew there was little time left.

A ring came through Shido's earpiece. Picking it up, Reine's voice came through.

{Shin? Are you still at the beach?} Reine asked. Her voice had a grave tone to it.

"Yeah, we just played volleyball, but Kaguya started to act–"

{We can deal with that later. For now, get back to the hotel. Bring everyone back with you.} Reine cut him off before hanging up. Her sudden order perturbed him.

When he returned to the volleyball court, Tohka worriedly ran up to Shido, while Origami was nowhere to be found.

"Yuzuru was acting strange. She ran off, trying to find Kaguya…" Tohka's attention was caught, and she sniffed the air. "There's a bad thing close by. I can sense it." Her eyes narrowed as she cautiously watched her surroundings. Silence fell upon them, making the waves boom.


Mitsuru's head hurt. Sure, he was immortal. Any wound could heal, and nothing could put him down forever, but he certainly couldn't take blows without care. Mitsuru was about to stand up when he glanced upward.

Somebody was watching him, but he could only see feet swinging from a tree branch. He didn't need to see this person's face to know that he was being stared down by the gaze of a hawk. Mitsuru could only believe that the person was there, just watching him as if to cut his head in a millisecond of movement.

This dread made Mitsuru hold his breath, something that, he found, he could do indefinitely. While lying like a corpse, Mitsuru picked up faint clashing noises. The sounds of branches falling and leaves rustling were approaching.

The unidentifiable person dropped down before suddenly disappearing.

Mitsuru finally got up, making sure that no one was around. Stuck to the mop of his hair was a black, chalky stain. Even with his cranium fully intact, the remnants of the blow lingered eternally. He began running in the other direction.

Something rustled in the bushes beside Mitsuru. If not for the loud sound, Mitsuru's head would have surely come clean off. A wave of red energy flew over his head, missing by centimeters after Mitsuru stumbled forward.

"Fuck you!" The energy sliced through a tree branch like nothing, and it nearly fell on his head. I need a gun! Wait, can I even aim one?! What about a—just think of something, dumbass!

Mitsuru spun around. A shadow assassin was his pursuer, pulling out her dagger to gut his stomach. Mitsuru flipped his hand back, gave his prayers to whatever lay beyond this surreal existence, and thrust forward.

The assassin stopped suddenly. A large, aged glaive was lodged through her belly. Mitsuru breathed out as he saw the assailant going limp, but trickery was a necessity for lurkers. She suddenly came alive, slashing at Mitsuru's face with the flame-imbued dagger. The blade grazed his cheek, and Mitsuru let out a shrill. The wound burned like it was spreading and consuming his flesh.

The assassin groaned, letting out a hoarse and ghostly cry of anguish while wrenching out the glaive. Tossing it aside, she began to trudge toward Mitsuru.

They were both weak, but you're slow now. I'm not. Grab my weapon and kill. Easy. Mitsuru relaxed and did something he had been perfecting—believe in himself.

As soon as his attacker made a final lunge, Mitsuru dove forward, fumbling slightly to grab his glaive. The assassin began to send waves of fire through her dagger. Mitsuru hid behind tree after tree as they fell around him. Grabbing a leafy branch, Mitsuru threw it at her face.

This was just enough time, and Mitsuru charged out with both hands on his spear. Jumping off the ground, the blade pierced her heart with Mitsuru's full weight. The killer collapsed back upon a tree stump, weakly letting out groans of whistling wind. Mitsuru got up and walked up to the assassin. As he went to pull out the blade, the sharp metallic glove of his attacker surprised him, gripping his hand tightly.

Mitsuru yelled and pulled, but the assassin faded into a puff of black gas, running up his arm.

Not again.

He was tired, but danger was still close by. Someone had been launched right past him. The only recognizable features were a strange, white suit with wing-like appendages and bright, yellow objects being held. The woman quickly got up, completely ignoring Mitsuru, and blasted forward again with a battle cry. "You'll pay for this!"

Mitsuru continued to run out of the forest.

(-)

A kid dressed as regal as a Khan stood by the cliff edge, looking over volleyball courts. Behind him was a demonic succubus with skeletal wings, reminiscent of a bat's, that held onto a black stone. Without any recollection of how he had arrived in this strange otherworld and no other purpose, the boy watched over a group of people below, specifically one brash orange-haired girl.

This boy had a peculiar tongue, one existing for lies and deceit, which was why he was specifically summoned and given only the vaguest order: cause conflict.

For the entire ball game, the boy spat mockery and insults at that orange-haired girl. No one could hear her torment as the demon behind him used spells, concealing his presence from everyone else except that girl. It was most amusing when the girl launched at him a ball, which he glided right past. A mirror man intently watched with his hands in his pocket. From the seas, armies of unseeable voices beckoned from the deep. And in the sky, the breeze blew corrupting words.

"My my. Who is disturbing the plan?"

The child stopped. To his left was a strange entity that looked like a glitch in reality itself.

With indignant eyes, he snickered, "And who are you?" The witch behind him flared her wings as her hand prepared demonic seals.

"Ah, I do not need to answer that. What is imperative is that–" The phantom did not finish its sentence, rushing at the boy. He only gave hysterical laughter before bursting forth with a flock of crows. The witch rained down meteors of blood as all three entered the woods.

[Phantom] darted through the woods, evading the witch's attacks. What was once a child now became a hellish overlord. Teleporting right in front of the phantom, he cast out volleys of maggots. In response, the specter flew high into the trees.

"Ha! Let me show you the futility of retreat!" The monster sent a massive green sphere, exploding into a vortex that engulfed the phantom.

In this vortex, perception was distorted. Echoes bounced about from incoherent directions, and after-images of the demon appeared and disappeared. To a normal person, this would have sealed their fate, but the witch demon burst through the vortex only to both miss her charge and give [Phantom] a view of the outside. Instantly, a plan formed.

The witch lunged at [Phantom] with her wings, but the mosaic dodged the attack. A green pestilent orb entered and struck the witch in the back after being lured around. The illusions and vortex disappeared, and she fell to the earth lifelessly, dropping the black stone.

"No! That whore! You will not imprison me!" The phantom went to retrieve the stone. This caused a visible, visceral reaction in the demon. In his rage, he sent out wild meteors of pests that fell branches and knocked clouds of dirt into the air.

[Phantom] flew past, and bringing the stone up, it struck the demon through the heart. As expected, the visceral reaction of the demon was not just anger.

His body recoiled as his soul seeped, screaming, into the stone. The hollow remains crumbled into bugs that withered away.

"Did it bring you into this world?"

Right after, blue comets streaked right past [Phantom] as a brooding sorcerer, also not from this world, stepped out. In front of her, a Wizard flew through the trees. She knew the Wizard to be Ellen Mira Mathers.

"Face me! Stop cowering behind your minions!" Ellen prepared to cut the heretical mage down. Then [Phantom] witnessed terrific power. The mage blocked the attack with a club in his left hand. Pushing Ellen back, the mage leaped into the air as his staff glowed a starlight blue before bringing it down like a hammer, missing Ellen by mere hairs.

(-)

"Ms. Murasame?!" Mitsuru turned to see her emerging from the trees. She was in her typical [Fraxinus] attire.

"You were in there as well? Were you attacked?" Reine asked in her calm demeanor. She caught a glimpse of the black stain on the back of his hair and on his cheek.

"Yeah, I was attacked. We have to get away from here—these guys might be all over the place!"

Reine nodded. Then she came to a realization. "Perhaps...are they after you in particular?"

Mitsuru's eyes were wide. He was shaking, and his breath was getting less steady the more his eyes moved. "We can't stay here to find out! Let's just get back on [Fraxinus]—"

"Did you not want to come down here to find out why you were called to this place?"

Mitsuru froze. Reine's gaze anchored his wild eyes. There was uncanny power in Reine, who, completely juxtaposed to Mitsuru, kept a straight posture even against the fierce wind and with her back turned towards the hell pits in the woods.

He was close, in the spot of treasure, yet he was keeling over with his tail between his legs.

I…can't. I can't give up now, can I?

"I did, but so far, I'm not finding much. Ms. Murasame, we still can't stay here much longer, but maybe we can think of something back at the hotel." He felt as if Reine was always calculating something, even behind sunken, tired eyes.

"Then we should return to the hotel."

As they were running, Reine called Shido. "Shin? Are you still at the beach?…We can deal with that later. For now, get back to the hotel. Bring everyone back with you," she said before ending the call.

When they got back to the hotel, Mitsuru paused.

"I completely forgot that no one knows me here." Reine had to excuse herself when the class was touring the island to check Mitsuru into his own room.

"Go inside. I'll wait for Shin. Take this with you in case you need to contact me." She gave Mitsuru an earpiece, which he quickly put in.

When Mitsuru got inside, he overheard the worried students gathered in the lobby, many still damp and shivering with towels. Being shielded in his crowd was comforting.

Must have just gotten here. A trio of girls complained that the terrible weather had ruined the trip.

"Miss Okamine, where's this stupid storm?"

"We left our sandcastle, and I worked so hard on the ridge thingies!"

"That's so lame!"

The teacher, Miss Okamine, feebly tried to reassure the trio. "I'm sorry, but the forecast says it could happen anytime."

Mitsuru planned to use the elevator until he saw a decommissioned sign right in front. A young man stood in front, feverishly looking at his screen.

"It's alright, honey. I'll make sure we get some alone time." Mitsuru quickly turned away but was sure the screen depicted an anime girl.

Maybe staying around people will calm my nerves. He bit his tongue for being a coward. There was no doubt that unknown forces were at play here, and they were directly related to Mitsuru. And here he was, hiding. Mitsuru glanced upward, following the black, alien fingers of something that lurked behind the stairwell door. He did not move, just using his dilated eyes to slowly watch the alien fingers. It retreated, taunting Mitsuru to follow…

Mitsuru began overthinking with each step up the stairwell. This whole time, he felt like he was on a wild goose chase, jumping on possible ideas like rapidly sinking ships. What was there to get out of this?

This is hopeless. Mitsuru felt tension welling deep within him. He was deathly afraid. I should just give up.

He caught a glimpse of a monster's tail retreating into a hotel room.

{Mitsuru, I saw something on the upper floors. The elevator is broken, and the stairwells are locked.} Reine's voice came through the earpiece.

Locked?

"I saw the maintenance sign, but I just used the stairs to get up! There are other stairways, right?" he whispered, hesitant to move from his spot and take his eyes off that room. He again felt a great tremor in him.

{They're all locked and under maintenance. Be careful; you might be in a trap.} Mitsuru tried the door behind him, the one he had just exited.

Locked. He really did fall for a trap. Running away had not helped him. Now, he had to confront whatever this creature was alone.

And I'm right back. He was familiarly aware and critical of all his actions, to the point where he could make no moves. If he could just take a step and move forward…Mitsuru tried to empty his mind.

Echoes of bygone times resurfaced, and from then on, Mitsuru arrived at one conclusion over and over again. He found the encouragement to move forward.

Right. Just let things happen and let myself go. He drew a long breath. It began with a small step, and he reconciled with himself at each pace. Mitsuru felt his hand call for and grip around that same halberd from before.

Screw worrying. Mitsuru barged into the room, cleaving the air around him and creating a gash in the thin walls. That creature he thought he saw wasn't here, but the window was open. The storm the teacher warned about was here, as it started to block out the setting sun.

Mitsuru prepared his glaive with eyes glued to the window.

"Just in case..." Mitsuru felt only slight guilt as he stabbed into the exterior wall. He quickly ran the blade across until a shriek shook him to the bone. An alien crawled into the room from the window and immediately swung its tail, coiling around Mitsuru's weapon.

"Get off!" Mitsuru tugged equally hard, getting the advantage only to have the alien leap right to his face. It grabbed him by the shoulders, trying to bite his face off. He quickly reeled back his glaive and plunged it into the alien's chest. It screeched and flailed as a second mouth erupted from its throat. Caught by surprise, Mitsuru instinctively ripped the blade out of its stomach before plunging it into the alien's mouth.

Stepping back, Mitsuru waited for the thing to fall over. But then it sent out a final attack, spitting acid at his face. He blocked it futilely with his hand, which began to melt it down to the bone, and residue splashed into his eyes, blinding him. Mitsuru fell over and began rolling around agonizingly, painfully clutching his face while rolling into furniture. Clashes sounded off around him.

Eyes! I need my eyes! His wish came true. Focusing hard enough, Mitsuru noticed his eyes healing rapidly, but he also realized that they had merely taken priority over his melted hand and face.

Now two different monsters stood in front of him, both having just come out of invisibility. One was as equally alien as the last, donning a mask carved from a skull. It looked like a hybrid between a tribal creature and an advanced species with lasers and arrows attached to harpoons. The other one…

"So now you're fighting with me, you piece of..." The shadowy assassin jumped back and sent out a fiery slash that sent the alien through the wall.


Yuzuru couldn't stay at the hotel. While everyone had returned to the lobby, Kaguya had completely disappeared, except Yuzuru, who knew exactly where she was. Their one-hundredth contest is long forgotten now.

She prepared herself as she walked down the road, her robe blowing against her. The winds had blocked out the sun. The brewing storm all led to a singular point—back at the shore of the beach. This would be the last time they saw each other. It was inevitable that they would draw their Angels at each other's throats.

Yuzuru would not go hesitantly. She would give everything she had—fight with everything she had. Then, in the end, would Kaguya defeat her. Yuzuru arrived at the stairs leading down to the beach.

Perhaps Kaguya had the same intentions. No, it wasn't "perhaps." This was their true, final duel—who could sacrifice their existence first.

Where the volleyball court once was, Kaguya sat in a fetal shape with her head down.

"[Raphael: El Na'ash!]" Yuzuru called out past the wind. Her robe dissipated, replaced by her Astral Dress. Now Yuzuru saw what her shackles and chains really were. Yuzuru brought up her Angel against her sister.

Kaguya looked up, her hair flying in front of her sullen eyes.

"[Rapheal: El Re'em]!" Each of their Astral Dresses bore one wing. Matching the red colors of her Astral Dress, red gems dotted Kaguya's steel wing. Yuzuru's wings bore blue gems, forever juxtaposing each other. The old Yamai must have been adorned with both.

Kaguya stood, with [El Re'em] pointed at Yuzuru. Her eyes were red, and her face was puffy. Through her tears, disappointment and sorrow flowed out. In the eye of the storm, it felt like the whole world was watching them. They stepped forward and made their first strike.


Author's Note:

This chapter's referenced characters are:

Shiro Kanzaki - Kamen Rider Ryuki

The Xenomorph - Aliens

Amanda Young/The Pig - Saw

Black Knife Assassin & Battlemage Hugues - Elden Ring

The Feral Predator - Prey (2022 film)