Chapter 25 - Faceoff.

Origami POV:

Hm… so it works after all.

The pain is tolerable, even minor compared to the training.

But the surprise factor I got from this… it's almost laughable. Because it works.

, the Spirit of Flame—Kotori Itsuka—was entirely caught off guard with a simple headbutt.

… Just like it says.

"She'd be surprised with any unorthodox factor in the fight."

One of many things tipped me… during that time.

I thought it's just mere speculation yet, that it wouldn't even work…

… And yet I'm here, with my sworn nemesis acting stupidly against the most idiotic attack.

To think I got decimated a few days ago against her…

With all the thought formed in less than a second, I pull the thruster to its maximum output once more and launch myself right at a confused arch nemesis.

The Spirit, instead of immediately reacting back, expressed a shocked face before being pushed to the ground.

Our impact exploded on the paveway, creating thick dust that clouded the whole area.

With the thermal visor function on the , I can clearly see through the dust, especially when she's a literal walking sun.

And from her movement just now, my very act seems to work just fine.

Using the opportunity, I take out the and make a perfect clash right at her…

… Only to miss a few inches, as she somehow nudged slightly away.

But that was only the beginning, as I unleashed more strikes at her.

She continued to dodge the attack, albeit barely, as she slowly moved away from the dust cloud.

But this was also what I… it… expected.

"Focus on her movement, aim for any openings she accidentally reveals, and do not give her any chance of counterattack."

The Spirit of Flame, despite dodging the barrage of attack, expresses a clearly amateur moveset in spite of her vastly superior physical trait.

This, as I should've seen sooner, proves yet another fact about the Spirits as a whole.

They lack combat experiences. They rely on their absurd power to overwhelm us all.

Without their gift, they are nothing more than irrelevant.

And that is something I can use.

I swiftly drew the , threw the instead of returning it to the package, and let loose at her vicinity.

A grunting sound coming from her at the bullets, as her figure slowly being pushed back by the bullets.

The bullet, as I and it expected, merely flinched her, as not even a scratch appeared on her defending hand, and especially her .

And yet, this… this is the most advantage I ever had against any spirit.

… Seems like I need to put my money on someone, or something, else.

"Tch…!"

let out what seemed like an annoyed grunt, also signaling me to act at the same time.

I quickly pull back by the side with the fastest speed the thruster could provide, while pulling up most of the available before me as a shield, with the whole of as extra.

And then, a crimson flame overtook my whole vision. The mere fire quickly depleted the defending , with some of it burning the suit and my skin.

But in the end, I managed to fall back safely… with the cost of most of the and , now turned charred hunk.

Now, standing before me with a giant halberd, is a flaming staring straight at me.

But her face though… her tired, unfocused face… is what truly captures my moment.

… So it was right after all. To think that such a ridiculous thirty was proven right…

"Origami…"

She mutters my name with a solemn voice, one that earned her a piercing gaze from me.

Solemn… don't make me laugh!

I swiftly take out another and launch myself at her again, giving no chance for her to move.

"Normally, physical weak points such as the heart or neck are irrelevant for most Spirits, as most of them possessed none of the physical body… but she's an exception."

, seeing my action, points her halberd at me, as the tip slowly lights up—she's gonna shoot.

I immediately roll around, using the momentum from my launch just now to the side, and barely dodge a column of crimson flame.

That was close. Too close.

I let out a long breath, calming the pain searing through my arm as I changed my move.

Instead of heading at her, I began to circle around her using all the remaining energy left in my .

"Captain, permission aerial support."

I quickly inform her of my request through the com, not even letting her express her concern over my reckless acts.

Not that I have any time to care anyway.

I continue to circle her, waiting for a moment to strike while watching out for a shred of her counterattack.

And, much to my surprise, she didn't seem to catch up with my speed judging from her looks.

"In case she's not able to follow your movement, high chance she's gonna—"

Then, as it expected, she swung the halberd around, igniting the surroundings in pure crimson flame.

Although that move was useless, since I've already moved out of the range right before she moved. While it didn't exactly help me avoid the flame entirely, the very act reduced the injuries to a manageable level.

Then, rains of bullets fell on her flaming figure as my command finally went through.

The bullet didn't harm her, not even scratching in fact…. but it did leave, or rather create, something else.

Dust.

"Again…"

The annoyed voice of her coming through the slowly formed dust cloud by the bullets, as my visor shows that she retracted her halberd back in a defending stance.

Haa… be patient…

This is the chance. Let my heart be as calm as the water…

I focus all of the remaining energy and on the , overcharging it 'til the breaking point.

The blade slowly shines brighter, emitting an unimaginable energy through every part of the edge.

If my calculations… its calculations… are correct, this should be able to pierce through her armor…

But I have to do it fast.

The never was designed with such an amount of energy stored, and so it's merely a matter of time, or seconds, before the naked turned scrap.

And with all my energy stored in the blade, the will be completely depleted as I land my next strike, knocking me unconscious in the process.

Quite literally here, I'm on borrowed time. One I'm willing to pay any day.

If this means I could kill her… avenging my parents… and finally ready against her…

… Then I have no regrets.

I shoot myself with a few energy left in the thruster, straight into the bullet rains, with the overcharged blade at my side.

The rain immediately stops just as I approach the dust cloud, which means she should understand what I'm trying to do now, and swiftly adjust my stance right before reaching the dust cloud.

The moment my view on became clear, I could see her face clearly…

"… Ah?"

And all I can see on her face…is pure surprise.

For a moment, even less so in my view, her face… reminded me of Shido, during the day we reunited.

But the moment immediately went by, and my blade swiftly aimed straight to her shoulder—the only place not covered by her dress.

Even with a surprise bit of resistance on the impact, likely from the Reiryoku emit from her dress, the slash went down successfully.

A perfect line seat through her body, from the shoulder all the way to her stomach, fizzled out her in the process.

Within the split moment right after her dress disappeared, I delivered my strongest kick at her chest, knocking her away to the wall nearby.

And then, darkness…

Ryouko POV:

This is… unexpected, to say the least.

I've never seen such recklessness all these years working in the AST… even with her.

I know she harbors much hate for the Spirit, like many in the team…

… But to think she would confront alone… and, somehow, manage to push her back…

That's nothing short of a miracle, if I have to say.

And yet, I can help but let out a frown. For even though she did push her back… she practically ruined her "career", if I could even call this that, at this point.

"Kaede! Hanako! Keep her at bay!! Mikie! Retrieve Origami back!!"

Holding back a sigh, I command my underling to work accordingly with the situation.

The 2 girls, Kaede with brown long hair and Hanako with orange twintails, quickly fire their to the wall collapsed at, while Mikie frantically went down to get her back.

Upon closer inspection at her unconscious figure on Mikie's back, my frown deepened.

Half of her body is, to say the least, turned charcoal.

Scratches also linger on her face, with blood still dripping.

Her is also turned scraped, and every single component of it is practically oozing black smoke.

Her condition is horrendous, if not outright dying.

Suddenly, a column of fire erupted from the wall, pushing both my underlings back.

"Fufufu…"

Then, as her energy suddenly spiking to a ridiculous level, her figure slowly appeared among the tempest flame.

"Finally… I have enough strength…"

When the fire finally calmed down and her eyes clearly revealed to us… my body froze.

Anger. Relieved. Exhilarate. Bloodlust.

All of them glinting through her crimson eyes… and are now aiming at us directly.

… Crap! This is bad! This is horrible!! What can I do?! What can I—

—And then, all I can see is red.

Shido POV:

"Muahahahaha!!! Shido-san, look over there!!!!"

"… Coming."

Well, so far so good.

… At least I think it is… probably.

Yoshinon was, in my opinion, a weirdly outgoing girl.

She's energetic, evidently by her excitedly asking me, and showing off which isn't that much, of everything in the mall.

And when I say mention, I MEAN everything!

The way she's looking at everything with a work up manner, through the puppet, makes her look like a lost girl returning to society, or a tribal girl first contact with civilization as a whole.

… Or like a lonely, shun out girl recontacting everything again—Eh?

Huh? Why did I think of… that? Weird…

Anyway, the whole trip around the empty mall, which sounded kinda weird when I thought about it, turned out okay.

Yoshinon's happy, I'm happy, 's happy. Everyone's happy.

… Okay, time to face the reality here. As in, I'm committing a heinous crime, sooner or later.

I have to, despite all my being in denial—kiss her on the lips.

… Yeah, that's for later. Mostly to maintain my sanity.

Currently we're around a fast-food restaurant around the center, and Yoshinon's watching everything with literal shining eyes, something I finally come to terms with seeing many times already, as she points to a painting about… something on the wall.

"It looks awesome, Shido-san!! Ain't ya think so?!"

"… Yeah."

Awesome… wasn't exactly what I'd describe it.

I mean it leaves a lot to think about… but probably not ugly. I think.

"So… you think it looks that good?"

"Without a doubt, duh!! The best thing I've ever seen!!"

The best huh…

I follow Yoshinon outside yet again, as she again looks for wonders to look at.

Like a child she is, acting all surprised and happy at, well, anything.

Which just makes it more difficult to watch.

So, we just kinda wandered around for more, as the crew worked on how to deliver lips on her as fast as possible…

Then, a loud explosion erupted from somewhere shaking the whole place down.

"Uh oh!! What the?!"

Both of me and Yoshinon exclaim in surprise as we fall down on our backs, with me growingly worried for Kotori…

["Shido!!"]

Kannazuki's voice suddenly pierced through the com, sounding… weirdly concerned?

"What's wrong, Kannazuki-san?"

["Gwt out of there! Now!"]

… What? Why the urge?

He sounds kinda weird there, unlike his usual lacing perverted manner…

"Wh–"

["Kotori losing herself again! She's massacring the whole of AST right outside right now!!"]

… No… it can't be… she's…

"Can you guys help her?!"

["Negative!! Her signature is all jumbled around like crazy, and her position is risking the DEM involvement if any of the AST members see it unfold!!"]

His confirmation sealed the whole deal for me, as dread quickly filled up my mind.

Not even them can help me now…

["We can't risk you being involved with the whole thing, so please depart from for transportation!!"]

"What?! Why?! We should help her!!"

I instinctively yell back at Kannazuki, trying to ask once more for their involvement with her case.

Running away? Leaving Kotori behind? Me?

["… I'm sorry Shido, but she specifically asked us to prioritize you if this happens again."]

Kannazuki's response, carried with a hint of sadness, finally broke my hope on their help.

I… I wanted to accuse them for this… for abandoning her… but how could I go against Kotori's wish?

And I… am no Spirit. I have neither the power or influence to convince her…

"Shido-san!!"

… Ah. Right. Yoshinon.

I… I forgot about her… I must've been a bad guy here, all to leave her behind all of thi—wait.

… No. I can't. I just… I couldn't do this…

But what if… what if I could? What if I can…

"Kannazuki-san, how's Yoshinon's mental state?"

… Years later, I'd grow to regret this decision, deeply at that.

But at that time, all I could think of… was to help Kotori. And so, I did the one thing I wouldn't even think to do.

["Huh? Well, the scan shows her mental at a friendly level, even on par with your suspected sealing requirement… But why the question?"]

… I see. So she truly feels friendly with me.

With his confirmation, I took a look at Yoshinon, all happy and cheerful at a portrait book in a bookstore…

Looking like what a child should be, not the fearful girl being hunted by anyone…

"Give me a minute."

And with that, I turn off the com for the time being as I approach Yoshinon.

"Hey, Yoshinon…"

Yoshinon froze with my call, which…. is another normal occurrence for now, and slowly turned her bunny around.

"What's wrong Shido-san? You've been a lil' bit weird out just now."

"… Yoshinon, can I… ask you something?"

"Hm? Oh!! Oh my ~ to think you're gonna do that right now ~ Of course you can, Shido-san!"

The thing squirming in Yoshinon's hand with a delighted voice…

… Something even hurt my heart even more, for what I'm about to do.

"Please, Yoshinon! Can you… help my… family?"

I sheepishly told her that, expecting a disappointed look, gasp, or anything, all due to me the sole reason her probably best time ever in this world cut short.

Anything… to give up, to make me realize I am nothing more… than a liar…

… But her reaction was one I didn't expect. Not in the slightest. Not in the way I dreaded to be.

She didn't gasp, yell, or express anything… at all.

She just stared, her buttoned eyes stare at me with a… surprising gaze?

"Someonw needs my help… and I just—can't leave her behind!"

"… Family, huh?"

Somehow, like the being up there pitying me, I gun down a perfect reason for my sudden leave, and Yoshinon claps its hand with a weirdly acknowledging sound.

"Very well!! I will help you, Shido-san!!"

… Huh?

Did she just… accept my plea? Willingly?

And with that, the air suddenly turns colder.

What the… why it's suddenly—

—Then, as if answering my unfinished question, something suddenly appeared right behind me. Something big, cold… and intimidating.

I slowly turn around, swallow back my saliva, and face a pure white rabbit, donned with 2 crimson eyes.

And, sitting on top of it, is a familiar figure.

Yoshinon.

"What are we waiting for?! Lead the way, Shido-san!!"

The giant rabbit uttered those words in Yoshinon's voice, much to my surprise, with a… weirdly eager expression for some reason?

Just then, another explosion rings out… and the wall in front of us is utterly decimated.

Caught off guard by the sudden event, my whole body flew away from the impact, straight into the mannequin in the clothes shop right behind me.

Kuh… what the…? What was tha—

"Hello there, Shido-nii."

A familiar voice called out for me, one that was disturbingly distorted, forcing me up to see.

Standing at the newly made hole, with her arm on her hips, a vicious grin laid dormant on her face, her burning amber eyes narrow at me with utmost confidence, if not arrogant… is Kotori.

No… not Kotori. Not the one I grew up with. Not the one I love.

"Kotori…"

I instinctively reel back with her burning gaze, and she takes one step forward me still with that smile.

"Nice instinct, Shido-nii ~ Not that it matters anyway ~"

"You!!!"

With a ferocious roar, Yoshinon stepped up right before me.

"Ho? You… wanna fight me?"

The one wearing a Kotori face tilts her head, her attention shifts to one growling Yoshinon, who doesn't respond back.

"Can't speak? How rude of you ~"

And then, right before my eyes, the gigantic bunny enveloped in a column of intense flame, buried her figure completely in a bright crimson light.

The flame died out in the next instant, as fast as it appeared, leaving behind nothing but a molten crater…

Then, in a split of a second, her presence now… is right behind me.

I only have the time to look back, my eyes widened in horror as her flaming halberd fell down.

… I'm going to die. Right here. By her hand.

"Sorry for this, Shido-nii ~ But I wanted to be free."

And then, everything… gone…

"Kotori" POV:

[Plop!]

Hah… finally ~

Ah ~ so this is how it feels to be free ~ How exhilarating ~

To think I'm forbidden from this feeling all this time… How selfish you are, me.

Now then, what should I do ne—

I jump out of the barrack of icicles spike, using to sweep away those that dare to impale me, and graciously land on the ground once more.

"So… you're alive ~"

I let out a cutely huff at the culprit, now standing—trembling, from afar.

A weakling rabbit, per say.

"Y-you…"

And her voice is just as weak as her ~ How cute ~

"What ~? Could you speak louder ~? I can't hear anything from all that trembling you doing right now ~"

I make a listening gesture with my hand, feigning a curious look as I lean toward her.

Fufufu ~ what a cute rabbit, acting all fearful like a cutey she is ~

"Oh well, your choice ~"

I pointed at her with the brightest smile, and let out the strongest fire I could muster at her—

"Oh?"

—Only for them to be blocked by something, resulting in a dusty cloud all over the rabbit.

"I see ~ A new challenger?"

With enhanced eyesight, I looked through the dust, staring straight at the newly arrived… and couldn't help but widen my grin.

"Oh! So you really care for him, don't you? Well then—"

The cloud then suddenly cut away, revealing a thin figure, cladded in armor pieces all over her body, holding a broadsword at her right.

"—Come at me, Tome-chan."

My burning, eager amber gaze met the cold, distant violet gaze of her…