Sae racks the bar and stands from the bench not far from a small ring for martial arts sparring. She spots the pack of cigarettes hanging half out of her suit's breast pocket and scowls as if she didn't buy it herself. It's not a vice that's overtaken her, but the calming allure of smoking is too strong to give up. Never more than 2-3 times a week does she allow herself a smoke, but it's addictively becoming a habit after stressful 14 hour days. A shift in gears from how constantly attentive she is at work.
The television idly plays a report for the third time today. It's embedded in her memory now like an incessant advertisement, and Sae feels like cursing at how repetitive news outlets are. They find one story and repeat it for all to hear until every last drop of emotion has been wrung out, and then it is forgotten. A second's tragedy.
Today, the report tells of a supposed gas leak. A devastating, small area explosion out in the sticks. An off the radar orphanage exploded, and supposedly an excess of 30 children under the age of 18 died. A wild accident, wiping out the entire population of orphans and staff in one fell swoop.
Not to her concern. A tragedy, sure. But not nearly of importance in the public eye, or for her job. A bunch of nameless children died. The story might draw pity for a few months and then a fresher tragedy will buy people's attention through news headlines. A pointlessly repetitive charade.
Sae's muscles burn comfortably with the strain of a good workout, and it does a passable job of taking her mind off things. It's a particularly strong belief of hers that the mind must follow the body. Since they're so deeply intertwined in the structure of the human body, a strong body helps nurture a stronger mind and vice versa. There are, of course, cases of people with sole strong suits of either or, but Sae strives to keep them both at a pinnacle and allow them to propagate each other. Neglecting her body would surely allow her mind to falter, and so she trains especially hard in the hours she has available.
Today is Thursday, April 8th, 2016. Specifically, it's 1:30 PM. Just about two hours or so until the end of the school day and Sae's newly acquired delinquent should return home. Should. These first few weeks should be a good indication of character. If he has the audacity to skip school, or worse, she's prepared to be harsh. And if he obeys his probation orders, she'll be slightly and pleasantly surprised. That's why Sae used one of her frugally saved vacation days for this Thursday; to monitor the potential criminal she's taken into her home. Sure, the risk is minimal, but minimal risk is still risk. And Sae doesn't like throwing the dice.
With the absence of physical exertion to distract her, or maybe because of the clarity-of-mind it awarded her to work out vigorously, Sae wipes sweat from her brow and lets her mind wander before her next set. Just this morning, she and Makoto had a conversation, and she finds her attention coming back to her younger sister's words.
"Convictions are in the interest of the law." Sae had said, her knife digging into the fish on her plate without remorse. "In that sense, my job isn't hard. The odds are stacked in my favor. I'm advantaged statistically."
"Then why do you stay so late?" Makoto asked, her own knife clinking roughly against her own plate. "Can't you take a day off every now and then?"
"There are still cases to be won, Makoto. I don't intend to neglect my duties. And besides, I'm taking today off. What else am I doing if not relaxing right now?" She said, sitting with a posture so rigid and straight it may as well have been absurd. Compared to Makoto's bowed shoulders, Sae dwarfed Makoto across the table. Wearing her charcoal-grey suit, even this early in the morning, made Makoto think Sae could bust out the door any second to catch the train, even on an off day.
"And what is winning? Throwing someone in jail?" Makoto protested.
"You know that's not what I meant," Sae had scoffed instinctively. "Don't pretend to be stupid."
"Not everyone is as smart as you are!" Makoto exclaimed, practically jumping out of her seat. Then, her expression had changed, as if realizing something. "No, I'm sorry. That's-"
"If you're going to say something, then say it." Sae says, standing to meet her gaze and crossing her arms. "What, you're going to back out now?"
"I-" Makoto shuts her mouth and stares down at the ground in defeat, letting the silence seep in the distance between them. As if hoping that barrier will make her disappear.
"You're disappointing, Makoto. If you can't even attempt to speak for yourself in front of family, how will you ever win an argument when someone really tries to put pressure on you?" She sighs. "Did dad not tell you? Being so soft and naive will ruin you in this line of work. So either you get some sense about you and start to grow up, or stay at home and dream."
"I think I messed up." Sae admits, pushing backwards in the gentle office chair. "No, I definitely did."
Here she is, in this weird, oh so comfortable space of the law firm where she and Kaoru used to work.
"What's up this time?" Kaoru asks.
"Family stuff. It's much of the same. I'm a bit too snappy, but I don't get why Makoto doesn't understand. She's not mature enough."
"You're being harsh on her again."
"I know, that's why I'm here. The world of law is an unforgiving one. That's easy to say. Even if we don't really have the right to complain, it isn't easy. Even if we're the ones doing the damage, we aren't impervious. Law is not an impartial, ambivalent profession. So long as it involves humans, it never will be."
"What reason did you have for joining the law, for serving justice? What did it mean for you to be a defense lawyer?" Kaoru asks.
"Why do you ask?" Sae says in confusion.
"It's important that you know who you are, so that you know what you have to change. Knowing yourself isn't much, but it's a great first step. If you can answer what law means to you, I think you'll be moving in the right direction again."
"Is there a meaning to our laws? To the system?" Sae asks. "Can justice even exist in such a flawed system? - No, it can't. Even if not all lawyers are evil, the system corrodes even the purity of virtuous lawyers in the system, and can make them evil as well. Being in the system is evil in itself."
"Then if the system is evil, the very structure of legal institutions has to be changed, right?" Kaoru asks. "The world has to be shaken."
"You can't destroy the system." Sae says, shaking her head. Even while disagreeing with Kaoru, there's a gentle familiarity to it. Her more reserved and cold logic to his warmth and breadth of emotion was what made them balanced. It was a large part of why these conversations brought her such pleasure, and why he was so easy to converse with.
Kaoru was a great translator for her.
"And if you could?" He asks.
"I understand what you mean, Kaoru, but we aren't superheroes." Sae argues. "It's just too widespread, you might as well ask if we can bring the earth down by jumping. The poison in the legal system isn't just a few roots, it's the entire bed of soil. We were the outliers, Kaoru. The blades of grass in a field of weeds. And now that you're gone, I'm just like everyone else. You can't avoid blood in the fields of battle. It was only a matter of time before I was coated in it too."
Kaoru huffs, clenching his fists. "Since when did you get to be a defeatist? The Sae I knew was an indomitable force. If evil is the system, then destroy the system! You can't worry about whether it's possible or not. Did you stop working towards your dreams because you weren't sure if you'd ever make it before you even started? If everyone acted like that, we'd never accomplish anything!" He pauses to take a breath and reorganize his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it when I was still around. How corrupt and shoddy the whole industry was — I didn't do nearly enough to help you out. But, there has to be something you can do. If the practices which the legal system pushes forward are no longer just, you can't be right or good anymore either, Sae. You can't justify working for a corrupt organization no matter who you are. Whether out of fear, denial, or self-preservation, it doesn't matter! You said it yourself!"
Sae clutches his shoulders, gritting her teeth and glaring into the empty flooring. She faces him, but doesn't look him in the eye. "I understand what you're saying, Kaoru. All of it! But what can I do? I don't want my sister to die, and I'd rather not go off dying either. Listen to yourself! You're asking me to do the impossible—It's just not possible!"
"If it's you, there isn't anything that isn't possible." Kaoru insists with a smile, looking up to meet her eyes.
"Shut up!" Sae snaps, her eyes tight, making his smile fall. "God, just shut up. Why does it have to be me? Why do I have to be talented? Why does everything have to rest on my shoulders? Even if it's possible for me, that doesn't mean I have to do it, right!? Don't force those expectations on me like everyone else does. This burden can't be mine to bear!"
Kaoru reaches out for her, but rethinks it. "I'm sorry." He says softly. "I didn't think of it like that. I just think you're an amazing person, so, with your work ethic, your drive, I thought everything was in your reach."
"No, I'm fine. It's not really you. I've just been a bit stressed… I'm sorry. I'm here to help with that, actually." Sae admits sheepishly. "I don't think I've been quite myself lately, but I can't find it in me to change. Everythings been so tiring... Listen, I know logically what I'm doing isn't right, but what can I do? Anyone in my position would make the same choices as I have. When weighing your livelihood against another's, it's only natural to put yourself first."
"Is that how you feel, Sae?"
"That's the truth of it." Sae replies. "I'm not willing to give up my and my sister's life for some collective good or moral victory. Nobody can be expected to make that kind of sacrifice."
Karou purses his lips and almost closes his eyes, bringing a hand to his hair and twirling it between his fingers incessantly and repetitively. "I don't even know if you're wrong." He admits, sounding confused. "Even if we don't like to admit it, even if it's unconscious, we judge lives on a hidden hierarchy in our hearts. Just like soldiers in war, you'd hope they wouldn't be killing others for fun, but to protect themselves, their family, and their nation. So, you're completely right that it's only natural to prioritize the lives of the people closest to you. But don't we owe them more than that? Don't we as lawyers owe it to serve the world? To take that proverbial bullet, if need be?"
"This isn't something I'm willing to compromise with you on, Kaoru." Sae says. "I won't lose the rest of my only family."
"I'm just concerned." Kaoru says. "If a soldier shoots a civilian in wartime, does the fault lie directly with the man who pulls the trigger, or is it a deeper issue? What about the government? If the government hadn't declared war against their supposed enemy, this man likely would never had to have drawn blood. And even further, what about the politician? The prime minister who issued this order to take up the nation's sword? Is he making the choice to send his soldiers to a life better fitting the one we give to pigs? Or is he acting out of the party's collective will, which would have the burden originally lie with them? Regardless of who's decisions lead to that point, I'd like to hope we as humans can be better. Can take a stance against rigid rationality, and make a choice for us. At some point, we have to choose to surpass ourselves.
"That's just an answer wishing to have your cake and eat it too. I'm not going to take a risk that'll hurt me. Even if it's the righteous, altruistic thing to do, I'm not able to help others right now. It's a travesty - no doubt a compromise of who I wished to be. But that dream had to die to continue living this life. Adulthood is all about crushing those delusions, and the past along with them if you have to. Naivety isn't congruent with success."
"I won't ever demand you change. I really don't have any right to tell you how to live your life. But, I'd like you to consider what you're living for. You joined law for ideals different from the ones you're being told to uphold as of now. I know you of all people can't stand having to condemn the innocent. You're probably pissed off on a daily basis with how blatantly corrupt the entire system is, but you're shoving it down because you have to. Because that's the only way you think you can survive. But, what happens when their 'generosity' comes to its end? You know full well these kinds of people will only keep you around so long as you're useful to them."
"Then I'll continue being useful." Sae says. "That's easy enough for me."
"You'll always be under the threat of death at a whim, is that okay?" Kaoru asks. "That doesn't sound like you, Sae."
"Hostages don't have the luxury to chase their ideals."
"Then break free."
Sae's face darkens at that. It's almost scary how easy she lifts him up by his collar. He might've been afraid if he didn't trust her so much, or if he was actually still alive. But, given that he wasn't, and his tangible sense of existence and time as he used to know it only occurs in this weird space with her, he isn't necessarily shocked or afraid. Sure, it's been years by now since he abandoned her to the world of the living against his will. Forcibly separated across different strands, only to be brought together by a man she calls a therapist. But, in his eyes, she's still the virtuous person he knows.
"I don't even know who they are! I have one name, that's it. And if it's the entire industry, what am I supposed to do? Kill them all? I mean, come on. It doesn't matter who you are, they've built the perfect cage."
"I would never want you to kill someone, Sae." Kaoru says, looking distraught and hurt by the suggestion.
"Are you afraid of me too?" Sae asks. "Am I someone to be afraid of? Are you saying my sister is right?!"
"No, Sae I-" He's cut off all of a sudden like the air was just taken from his lungs, but he doesn't gasp. He just clutches at his neck, his eyes looking down in confusion at he claws at nothing.
"Kaoru?" Sae asks.
"Sorry, I was supporting you, right?" Kaoru says. "Whatever we were talking about, I definitely agree with you."
Sae raises an eyebrow. "That's not exactly what was happening. We were debating."
"Oh right, sorry." Kaoru says, biting his lip hard enough to draw a small bead of blood. It trickles ever slowly, but never falls, as if in limbo. "I… Whatever you were saying, you were right. I love you Sae, and agree completely, with your…"
Sae awakes with a start, nothing like the first time she spoke to him. She awakens almost roughly, and if not for the crease in Maruki's brow, everything's the same as before. Clinical and clean in that lab coat of his, he fixes her with a tired, professional smile. Just courtesy, with a hint of earnest hope.
"Was everything alright?" Maruki asks her. "Things felt a little different on my end today. I hope you weren't inconvenienced."
"It was good, as per usual." Sae replies, still confused, but brushing it off. "I'll pay you the same way as the last time. And don't go parading my attendance. I don't need the media spinning some sort of ridiculous narrative as if I'm mentally unfit for the job. Send the invoice to my account."
She walks out the door with a fair bit of pace, and hears the bell chime behind her as another patient enters.
"Huh, I wonder how those kids are doing." Sae mutters, walking alone back to the train station.
"Where the hell are we?" Ryuji says, gaping at the utter scale of the cobblestone walls, fitting atop each other with authenticity befitting nothing other than a fantasy. Chandeliers hang with thick candles burning flames that seem to lap at the wax to no avail. Just in front of him, Ren pushes off from Kamoshida, sending what should be his gym teacher a step back. But instead, he's in a ridiculous red cape that practically oozes his arrogance. So much so, Ryuji could picture Kamoshida wearing it to school for one of their volleyball games. A crown tipping off the crown of his head, made of solid gold, just adds to the image of avarice. And most of all, the expression on his face. Kamoshida's smirk is something Ryuji's never seen before on a human. A face that should never be seen. One of unrestrained malice and sadism.
Kamoshida's eyes fix on Ryuji's, and he barely swallows down the fear and disgust. Those eerie, yellowish eyes burn like the heat of a frozen sun.
"Guards," Kamoshida begins. "Rid this place of these jesters. There aren't any men in this world worthy of my great favor."
Swirls of darkness infused with blood pour from the points of Kamoshida's crown and begin to morph. In mere seconds, that wild wind becomes a solid form. Hulking knights in battle-weary armor brandish thick blades of sharp steel. Their footprints are enough to make tiny spiderweb cracks upon the fluid ground and never seem to sullen the red-gold carpet beneath. Inside of the armor eyes bore quietly into them, and the knights approach to cut off their escape.
Ren's head snaps over his shoulder, looking desperately for somewhere to escape the encirclement, but there's nothing. A huge drawbridge he can't hope to scale. And even then, for all their hulking size and armor their speed is absurd. A footrace against these monsters wouldn't be a fun thing to attempt.
"Ren, you've gotta run!" Ryuji says, his voice strained.
"I'm not leaving, Sakamoto." Ren replies firmly, eyes daring between the knights that begin to close that tight circle. The one closest to Ryuji raises his sword from its scabbard.
"Don't play the hero dude. If this shit isn't a dream, we're both dead. Just listen to me — alright?! I can't get out of here! You can! I'll do something to stop 'em. Anything! Just run."
"And do you know why he says that, criminal?" Kamoshida asks, stepping between his knights. "He can't run. His leg is useless now, and without it, so is he. No more pretty little track team. No more Sakamoto. I can't believe how easy it is to be a god when people are so simple."
"You're not a god. Nothing like one." Ryuji spits.
Kamoshida barely restrains a chuckle. "Do you really believe that? You, of all people? I thought you'd understand, Sakamoto. Let me show you, then. Posturate yourselves!"
The knights around Ren and Ryuji immediately fall to one knee in unison, in what can only be called regimented precision, bowing their heads to the king. Swords sheathed, they dare not meet his eyes.
"Huh?"
"They follow my command and wouldn't dream of any other. I alone am the king." Kamoshida says, taking extravagant strides towards the center of the circle, and towering before Ryuji. "To even allow you into my kingdom is sacrilege, but I will not punish my guards too harshly."
A subtle clatter of metal rings out at the word punish. The shadowy figures nearest to Kamoshida are actually shaking. Those knights that seem a force of nature in their own rights, all kneel for a man like this.
"What you're doing isn't right." Ryuji says. "And I believe, even if it isn't me, Ren or someone else will take you off that stupid throne of yours."
"Ah. If there's anything children are good for, it's dreaming. Well, that, and servitude. I will let these plebeian guards of mine, witness your resolve. I will allow a slave his fair fighting chance. Now, Sakamoto. Please, go right ahead! Feel what it's like to touch a god for the last time. And don't ever say I wasn't a benevolent one. To give someone so far below my station a chance to touch me? I'm the fairest force the world knows!" Kamoshida smirks, a toothy expression of malice as he spreads his arms wide. "Now, Sakamoto. Hit me."
Ryuji does. And to his credit, it's not a bad punch. But as he withdraws his hand, there's no blood. There's no change in Kamoshida's ecstasy, and he doesn't show any indication of being hurt.
"How did you just-"
"Wow. I honestly didn't think you were that weak." Kamoshida says, brushing his knuckles In preparation. "The best punch you could give, and you may as well have poked me. Well, now let's see if you can take my best punch. Don't be dishonorable now. You're in the presence of a king, a god."
Is it all over? Ren wonders frantically. Is there nothing I can do? I brought us here, wherever this is. But I can't fight him at all?
"A moment." Arsene interjects.
Ren's eyes open in a space full of blue and black, purple and orange, yellow and white. An inexplicable myriad of color splattered across an infinitely stretching skyline in all directions. Like the canvas of space has been splattered in dots of paint by joyous children, who've no doubt been coated in similar hues during the process.
Then, this new plane shifts a bit more into place, and things become more sensical. For one, he steps on solid ground. It echoes throughout the world as if it's the only sound. The sound of his feet on the ground overtake him like the beginning of sound itself. It sounds like an explosion bringing life to formerly dead ears. So touch is the beginning of his return.
As Ren begins to see more than just darkness, he extends a hand out. Reaching toward what, he doesn't know.
Just a foot or so ahead of his eyes floats a mask that looks like one you'd see from some sort of extravagant theater production. It has two wide slots for the eyes, and is black and white. It's at the perfect height for Ren's eyes, and through it, he can see Arsene's graceful form.
"Do you have what it takes to be reborn in a new mold? To be forged by new fires? To rekindle the very process of creation?" Arsene bellows in question. His wings fluttering behind his striking red attire.
"I…" Ren begins, but then the words elude him, as if stolen. All or a sudden he doesn't seem so sure. "I can't answer that."
"It's the only way for you to continue on living." Arsene replies. "You should know it well by now. You don't want to be left behind, do you?"
Ren clenches his fists at his sides. Wanting so badly to move but being unable to. Stricken by indecision and contradiction. It's a common contrast, and a valid one for him to wrestle with. Ren, who isn't absolutely certain of where he should go and what he should do, can't possibly move forwards. Frankly, he is in no state to awaken.
This isn't to say those who awaken to the power of the persona are suddenly fixed and resolved like the snap of fingers or the wave of a magician's hands. No. His dilemma is quite common. Humans who awaken are newly clinging to a power synonymous with their worldview. Since this power and realization go hand in hand, it's fair to call these newly found powers unstable.
Not all awakenings function by the same formula. In Ren's case, his awakening is more like a simmer. Meanwhile, a human who's finally grasping a truth they've always instinctually known, is better likened to a nuclear explosion.
"What is this?" Ren asks.
"In your terms, I suppose humans would call this a soul. This is yours."
"I don't understand. Why is it so empty?"
"Who knows? I don't deal in the intricacies of humans," Arsene scoffs. "Your existence is your own."
"And that other place where we're fighting that teacher, where is that?"
"Fine. I'll throw you a bone because I want you to fulfill our pact. That is a world you can know as the metaverse. It is a plane of existence far from the world you know, just like the one you find yourself in now, conversing with me. You can access this world through your ability of projection. A rare power borne of your strength - not mine. This power of yours exists outside of my influence."
"And what is that power? What exactly am I projecting?"
"You've developed a most convenient ability." Arsene admits. "Your projection requires initial hand contact upon the intended target. Then, your incantation of 'unfurl' forces you and any nearby into this new landscape. Specifically, you project the recesses of the target's mind into a tangible world so that you can lay siege upon it. This is your solution, your individual formula to reforming the world."
"So, I'm not fighting the real Kamoshida?"
"No. It's a part of him, certainly. But his shadow is the enemy you face; Kamoshida's ego itself. You're opening a path to the depths of his mind's eye."
"How can I possibly beat him? He seems impossibly strong."
"Have you forgotten? I am a broker of magic. You gave me a wonderful meal in our pact, and so I will pay you handsomely. You will have the power to reform everything. To fix this broken world you humans have created."
"I don't know if I'm ready to face myself." Ren says, hanging his head.
"Then what did you make that sacrifice for? Why pay such a steep price for a being such as yourself?" Arsene asks. "You could've died if you were tired of this life, but instead, you poured everything you have into an idea called hope."
"I'm nothing special." Ren says. "Anyone could've made that decision. It's just a natural thing to want to live and help people."
"Incorrect. Death is not something humans are so afraid of anymore. I can… feel these things, I suppose. Yet, you stubbornly cling to your breath as If running to catch it. You refuse to allow yourself to be dictated by common rationality, if only in part. You cannot wring this desire out of yourself. From the moment you touched my palm, you decided."
"So you're saying this was inevitable? This is my fate?" Ren asks, holding the mask over his eyes. It looks like it'll fit perfectly - how convenient. Like it was made for him.
"The one you chose, yes."
"Okay. If it'll save Ryuji, then fine. The past doesn't matter. All I need to do is move straight forward." Ren takes that last step ahead, and his eyes are engulfed in flame.
"It burns." Ren groans, his newly gloved hands clawing desperately at his white mask. It hangs hidden over his eyes by his hands. He presses his tough shoes into the ground, school uniform, bag, everything, all gone.
"What's happening with him?" Kamoshida asks, distracted from what he was about to do. "Guards. Seize him. Though, he seems to already be seizing himself."
"Stay away!" Ren stumbles backwards, reaching a blind arm forward as he tears at the mask on his face to no avail. Tears of blood begin to seep out from under the mask as Ren's eye looks wild and frantic as it darts across the room. Only partially seeing the approaching enemy. Everything blurs into itself, the pain in his head is substantial, burning so bad he wants to curl up on the castle grounds here and now. But this is no time for weakness, and so he stands.
Ren screams as he rips the mask from his face, leaving an underlayer of blood where it used to be. He breathes rapidly in recovery. His mask clatters to the stony ground and Ren shrugs his cape over his shoulder.
"What the fuck?!" Ryuji exclaims. "Dude! Did you just rip your skin off? You're bleeding like crazy!"
At the feeling of awakening, of such insane power flowing through his body, coursing through him like a second life of its own, Ren feels absolute ecstasy. Overtaken by rapturous delight, he smirks through the blood in the shape of the theater mask he ripped brutally from his face. As if to compensate for all the hurt in his life, he feels pleasure in the truest sense. Exhilaration, and the need to act. To test out these new powers of his.
"Dude, what's happening?" Ryuji asks silently, as if not to disturb this.
Ren's smirk just widens as he wipes the blood from around his eyes. He flings it off his gloves in a fluid throw, separating the liquid unnaturally perfectly from his clothes, as if the blood was attracted by a magnet.
"Let's fight, Kamoshida!" Ren says, paying Ryuji absolutely no heed. Ren's eyes are blazing a fire, fully focusing on Kamoshida to the point it's like he's lost his peripheral vision with such precision. "Until your blood paints these castle walls in your color! Until you regret ever masquerading as someone worthy of a crown!"
"How insolent. My knights, take them alive. I want them tortured for this petty resistance." Kamoshida says, turning his back to the inevitable fight.
"What kind of king doesn't lead his soldiers to war?" Ren taunts.
"What kind of king would sullen his skin with the blood of beings worth less than slaves? Insurrectionists such as yourselves are a travesty to life." Kamoshida says, not bothering to look back at them.
"I won't let you run away." Ren says, sliding under the crushing arms of heavy knights and breaking free of the encirclement. Flipping acrobatically back onto the metal-clad shoulders of the knights, Ren lifts the grappling hook from his new utility belt and shoots it just past Ryuji's feet. With a come hither motion of his fingers, Ren smiles as Ryuji grabs a hold of the cable. With one hand, Ren pulls the trigger and Ryuji just dodges an errant swing of a blade that sends chunks of the stone flooring up into the air.
As Ryuji slides towards him, his blonde hair fluttering with the rapid movement, Ren stabs his dagger into the slit in the shadow's helmet. It howls, flailing about as it grips at its head. Kicking off that enemy, Ren gracefully slides down the other like he's a firemans pole. Only down to his shoulder though. Once there, Ren wraps around his back and crosses his legs one over the other in a low X shape. More importantly, Ren locks his right hand behind his left elbow, cranking the metal helmet with incredible pressure until it pops and flies up into the air like a cork. A level of torque and strength Ren definitely didn't have before - to wrench a hulking metal helmet from the knight's shoulders is an absurd feat, and Ren's arms aren't any worse for wear either.
Still, six knights remain. Ren runs over to his dagger, pulling it from the helmet of the shadow's carcass. A body with no odor and a meaningless corpse. He flicks a finger through the hole near the base of his knife, spinning the blade without care for the apparent danger. It's an elegant weapon, thin, almost like a dart in its design. It has a silver outline and black at its center, matching the color scheme of his now-discarded mask. He flickers it around like a butterfly knife before throwing it at Kamoshida's back. Kamoshida grunts in pain, and blood prickles through the red of his cape.
Kamoshida twists and turns, fumbling with the fluffy cape until finally he removes the knife from his back. His nostrils flare in anger and now he's stomping back to where Ren and Ryuji stand side by side.
"I don't really know what's going on, but we've gotta fight, right?" Ryuji says.
"Yeah. How's the outfit?" Ren asks, not having the luxury to properly appreciate it himself.
"It's sick, dude."
"Yeah, good to know." Ren replies, adjusting his well-fitted black gloves. "So, Ryuji. You know the best way to kill a god?"
"No, I can't say I do."
"You make the people stop believing in him." Ren says, stepping fearlessly before a snarling Kamoshida. And somehow, their height difference doesn't seem as impressive as before. Much more even.
He might really have a chance! Ryuji laughs. "You got this!"
"I might need your water bottle." Ren says. "Keep it ready for me."
And not far away, the castle walls seem to fall silent in the anticipation of the bout's continuation between worlds. Yet, it is in the nature of silence to be broken. And it is, by distant footfalls that echo against themselves in the void.
Ann Takamaki was far beyond the radius of the activation of Ren's Projection, an extraordinarily rare ability which never breached the crowd of students, and therefore, she should've never been dragged in. Such an event would go against the logic of magic and rationality both. For all intents and purposes, it isn't something that should be possible. Just as humans shouldn't breathe in space.
But wouldn't that be so dull?