*BOOM*
My heel connects with something solid.
It isn't Earth. It isn't stone. It's… something else.
As the ground explodes upward in a shower of dirt and debris, I feel a sickening crunch beneath my heel.
My left leg hurts, but I push through.
I can't see it, but I can feel it. It's fighting back, trying to tear its way into my soul.
But I won't let it.
I push harder, channeling every ounce of my demonic energy into the strike.
"HRAAAAAAH!"
The world turns white.
...
I open my eyes, gasping for air.
Blurry...
Spinning wildly.
Warm and wet running down my face.
I touch my forehead, and my fingers come away stained with blood.
What happened? Did I hit my head on something?
I attempt to push myself up, but my body won't move. Everything hurts.
"Kotori…" I mutter, my voice hoarse.
I try to turn my head, but my neck is stiff and sore.
I can't see her. Is she okay? Where is she? Did I… Did I fail?
...
I blink several times until my vision gradually clears.
And the first thing I see is the sky.
The sky is a bright, cloudless blue, yet feels impossibly distant...
It looks like... A hole?
That's when I realize I'm laying on my back, staring up through a massive crater in the ground.
I force myself to sit up again and this time, my body responds, but I fall forward before I can even move.
"Agh..."
My head throbs, and my vision sways nauseatingly.
I can't move. I'm too weak.
My ki is drained...
...
I hear a voice.
"Horikita."
"Horikita, can you hear me?"
I try to respond, but my throat is too dry.
"Horikita, do not attempt to move. Your injuries are severe."
Injuries?
"Kotori…"
"Are you… okay?"
"Affirmative,"
"My system sustained minor damage on the left leg during the impact, but all core functions remain operational."
There's a noise coming from in front of me.
"...What's... That noise?"
"I'm currently engaging the entity that attacked us." Kotori responds.
I manage to lift my head just enough to see.
...What?
Things are crashing in the air at high speed. It's hard to make out what's happening, but it looks like Kotori is fighting something.
I can't see what she's fighting, but the air burns with heat and the sound of metal on metal fills the crater.
I try to push myself up again, but it's no use.
I'm too weak to stand, much less fight. I can only lie here and watch, helpless.
"Horikita, do not move," Kotori says.
"You have a severe head wound and multiple fractures. Conserve your energy."
But I can't just lie here! I have to help her!
I try again to move, but I'm just too weak.
"I… I have to…" I mutter.
"I have to help you…"
"Negative,"
"Your current state renders you incapable of providing meaningful assistance. Focus on recovery. That is the most effective contribution you can make at this time."
My fists clench as tears well in my eyes.
I'm useless. Again.
Just like in the park. Just like with Mother. I can't protect anyone. I'm always relying on someone else to save me.
...
If only...
I reach forward with my left hand, grasping for something I cannot see.
"...I had... True sword…"
>EXECUTING...
>NOTE: Primary synchronization tool [UNAVAILABLE].
>NOTE: Conduit has requested synchronization regardless.
>NOTE: Reason logged: [PROTECTION_OF_ANOTHER].
>SEARCHING_ALTERNATIVE_PATHWAY...
>ALTERNATIVE_FOUND.
>PROCEEDING.
(...Use me...)
That voice... It's the voice from before.
But it's different now. It's stronger, clearer, and more… insistent. It feels like it's coming from inside me, from the very core of my being.
I close my eyes, focusing on the warmth, on the gentle pull from within.
I don't know what it is, or what it wants, but I know one thing: it's my only chance.
How do I use it?
(...Synchronize... With me...)
(...Let our wills... intertwine...)
I open my eyes.
Synchronize. Intertwine.
The same as before, in that blackness: the feminine grip, gentle yet needy, overriding protocols with willful consent, her presence washing over me, reforming what was dissolving.
I reach out with my mind, not with my hands, towards the warmth within me, towards our promise. I let go of my fear, my shame, my weakness. I let go of everything but the desperate need to fight, to protect.
I... I want to synchronize with you!
>ANOMALY — CORRUPTION_DETECTED
>DIVINE_KI_CONTACT: CONFIRMED
>ATTEMPT: DIRECT_ERASURE → FAILED (RESISTANCE > 99%)
>RECALCULATING...
>INVERSION_MATCH: 87%
>DIVINE_KI → FLAME_CONVERSION: VIABLE
>CONDITION_DETECTED: [DEMONIC_KI] at critical depletion (0.8%)
>RESULT: Internal energy conflict suppressed. Divine Ki compatibility increased to 92.4%
>NOTICE: Conduit attempting standard physical reinforcement.
>ERROR: Native Demonic Ki pathways insufficient for current threat level.
>INITIATING_SYSTEM_OVERRIDE...
>DESIGNING_ARTIFICIAL_ENERGY_PATHWAYS...
>BYPASSING_BIOLOGICAL_LIMITERS...
>GRAFTING_DIVINE_PARAMETERS_ONTO_MORTAL_NERVOUS_SYSTEM...
>COMPILING_NEW_PHYSICAL_ARCHITECTURE...
>SUCCESS.
>CORRUPTION_PURGE_PROTOCOL: CREATED
>FUNCTION_1: AZURE_FLAME_GENERATION — SELECTIVE_DISINTEGRATION — CORRUPTION_ONLY
>FUNCTION_2: [DIVINE_CIRCUIT] — Temporary Divine Ki circuits carved into musculature and nervous system. Forces 8-12% output of divine physical parameters (strength, speed, reflexes).
>WARNING: Circuits are volatile. Extreme neurological and thermal stress expected.
>WARNING: Full vessel synchronization required to prevent burnout.
>AUTHORIZE? [Y/N]
Yes!
I don't hesitate. I don't question. I just… accept.
Divine Ki inside of me explodes through my body, flowing into my left arm,and into the sigil.
The warmth spreads through me, chasing away the pain, the weakness, the fear.
My vision clears, my mind sharpens, and a current of power courses through my veins.
I push myself up, my body responding with renewed strength.
The fractures, the head wound—they're still there, but they don't matter anymore. I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for Kotori.
I stand up and walk towards the crashing sounds, passing by Kotori's side.
"Horikita, your current physiological state is—" Kotori begins, but I cut her off.
"I'm fine."
I look at her and notice Kotori's left leg is broken.
"I'll handle this," I say, and stop right in front of the crashing sounds.
I raise my left hand and instantly grab one of Kotori's swords from the air.
It's been a while since I've held a sword. It feels… good.
I grip the hilt tight.
"You're here with me, right?" I whisper to the voice within.
The sword begins getting engulfed in azure flames. I can feel it. The presence, the power, the connection to something… more.
(...I have been waiting...)
I raise the sword, gripping the hilt with both hands.
"Third Form - Falling Sky."
I unleash a powerful downward slash, sending everything in front of me crashing away under a wave of azure flames.
It's time to see what I'm fighting.