"Switch."
Mikado's presence felt different in an
instant.
The moment the phrase escaped his
lips—he became a different person.
Like a god taking control of a man.
Whoever thought that was indeed correct.
Mikado was no longer Mikado.
The doppelgänger grinned in excitement, its
fingers twitching at a wave of exhilaration overcame the body it inhabited.
"Yes, yes, YES! Excite me further,
show me what you—"
The doppelgänger couldn't finish its
sentence as it flew back into the carved walls—bricks crashing onto it as it
slammed down hard with a thud.
Before anyone could process what just
happened, Mikado had already appeared in front of the doppelgänger, beating
down on the creature with an eerily calm and dead-focused expression. The aura
around him was visually violent… yet the presence was uncomfortably calming.
"Mikado…" Yoriko gasped, her eyes
tracking his movements.
To her, she was looking at Mikado, but
at the same time—something felt off. But the lack of evidence forced her to
push the thought aside. Mikami was dying, and Kokuine was out cold. She must
take them away from the fight and leave Mikado on his own.
She can't help but worry for him, but
the way Mikado is right now—her worry wouldn't be necessary.
The doppelgänger shrieked as a heavy
fist slammed into its makeshift jaw, followed by a quick-snap 1-2 combo that
landed faster than its eyes could blink—a sharp crack rattling through the air.
"What the hell is going on?! I have to
get out of here, this guy is a monster!" The words never escaped the
doppelgängers lips, left as only a thought.
Mikado continued to attack with no sign
of stopping.
A straight-right, a leg kick, a slip
& counter, an overhand left, a right uppercut and a heavy spinning back
kick.
The form was flawless, the positioning
was immaculate, and most of all—the timing was perfect.
The doppelgänger who was once
overpowering the group began getting destroyed in a one-sided beatdown. It
couldn't even land an attack on Mikado, let alone think of attacking. The gap
was far too large for that now—escape clouded the creature's mind. Mikado had
struck fear deep into the very essence of the doppelgänger—like a tiny spark
igniting a raging wildfire.
The creature tried to break away and
create distance, but Mikado shut it down instantly, forcing the creature into a
corner of the ruins—continuing his violent assault, tainting the walls with
darkened blood.
Mikado drew the hidden dagger from his
waist-strap, thrusting the knife into the doppelgängers throat, twisting the
blade and forcefully tearing out its windpipe as blood pooled in its mouth,
pouring steadily from the gaping hole in its neck.
It tried to scream, but no sound escaped
its mouth.
The creature dropped to its knees, its
hands attempting to cover the wound on its neck—blood seeping through its
hands.
Mikado knelt in front of the creature, clutching
the dagger in his hand tightly.
"Rest." Mikado pressed the blade against
the doppelgängers heart—gently pushing the knife into its chest and striking
the core.
The creatures body loosened, losing its
strength as it stopped resisting.
It began to crumble into ash, filling
the air with the sparks and the scent of ignited paper.
The
battlefield had gone quiet.
Not
peaceful.
Just quiet.
The kind of
silence that followed something too overwhelming for anyone to immediately
understand.
Mikado
stood in the centre of the ruined corridor; his dagger still held loosely in
his hand.
Then—
The blue
flames around him flickered.
Once.
Twice.
And
disappeared.
The
terrifying presence that had filled the entire area vanished in an instant.
His hair
fell back into place. His glowing eyes faded, returning to their usual warmth.
The
pressure that had suffocated the room was gone.
Mikado
blinked.
He looked
down at his own hands.
"…What?"
His
breathing became heavier as his mind caught up with what had happened.
The
destroyed walls.
The blood.
The ash of
the doppelgänger scattered across the ground.
His fingers
tightened around the dagger.
"I…"
His voice
trembled.
"I did
this?"
Footsteps
echoed.
"Mikado!"
He turned.
Yoriko
rushed through the ruins, Monboro following closely behind her.
The moment
she saw him standing there, her expression changed.
Relief.
Then
confusion.
Then
concern.
"Mikado…"
She stopped
a few metres away.
Her eyes
scanned the battlefield.
The damage.
The
defeated creature.
The way it
had been completely overwhelmed.
She had
seen Mikado fight before.
But this…
This wasn't
him.
Monboro
looked around silently, his expression unusually serious.
"When we
saw you three run back into the ruins, we thought you were done for," he said.
"Then Tohil showed up and the entire fleet started moving."
He glanced
at Mikado.
"Tohil?"
Mikado questioned.
"Yeah, it
was a terrifying category five behemoth that appeared while you were still in
here, I'll spare you the details."
"Everyone
thought we all made it out."
Mikado
looked away.
"I don't
remember…"
His voice
became quieter.
"I remember
saying something."
A pause.
"Then
everything went blank."
Yoriko's
expression softened.
Because she
knew.
She didn't
know how.
She didn't
know why.
But
something about that sentence bothered her.
"Mikado…"
Before she
could continue, movement caught their attention.
A group of
soldiers appeared through the rubble, carrying someone between them.
"Kokuine!"
The
unconscious soldier slowly stirred, his eyes barely opening.
"Ugh…"
He looked
around weakly.
"…Did we
win?"
One of the
soldiers sighed.
"You're
finally awake."
Kokuine
blinked.
"Wait… who
said that?"
Everyone
paused.
Even
half-conscious, he was still confused about Saku.
Nearby,
medics rushed through the corridor.
A stretcher
was carried behind them.
"Mikami!"
Yoriko
immediately turned.
Mikami lay
unconscious, his condition serious but stable.
Her
expression dropped.
Mikado
followed her gaze.
His chest
tightened.
This was
supposed to be his responsibility.
And yet he
was standing here.
Unable to
remember what happened.
Far away.
Beyond the
skies of Eurina.
Beyond
oceans and continents.
A figure
dragged himself across an unfamiliar wasteland.
Tohil.
The once
unstoppable Behemoth.
The
World-Moving Mountain.
The
creature who had challenged a being beyond his understanding.
The same
creature that will soon change everything we know about behemoths.
Now limped.
Every step
was slower than the last.
His body
struggled to maintain itself.
Parts of
his stone-like flesh had shattered away completely. One side of his face was
missing, cracks spreading endlessly across his form.
His
regeneration, once near instantaneous, barely functioned.
His limbs
trembled.
Dust slowly
fell from his fingers.
Yet he
continued.
Because he
was alive.
Barely.
His single
crimson eye looked towards the horizon.
"…That
being…"
A quiet
growl escaped him.
"Archangel…"
For the
first time in his existence—
Tohil felt
something unfamiliar.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Recognition.
Back above
Eurina's fleet.
The golden
light began to fade.
Six
enormous wings slowly folded.
The
blinding white hair returned to its original blonde.
The golden
eyes softened.
The halo
above Archangel's head returned to its simple rounded shape.
The sword
of light dissolved into particles.
"Apex
Metamorphosis: Seraphim."
No longer.
Archangel
descended.
The entire
fleet watched in silence.
Nobody
spoke.
Nobody
moved.
They had
just witnessed power beyond anything they believed possible.
But one
person remained still.
Masuyama.
Archangel
stopped.
For a
moment, he looked directly at him.
Through Masuyama's
Angel Wing Visor.
Through the
barrier between them.
Their eyes
met.
Everyone
noticed.
The
soldiers.
The
officers.
The
commanders.
Everyone
except Masuyama looked shocked.
Because
Archangel wasn't looking at him like a superior.
Or an
enemy.
Or even a
commander.
It was
something else.
Something
far more personal.
A moment
passed.
Then
Archangel looked away.
And
continued descending.
Leaving
everyone else wondering the same question.
Why?
Why did he
look at Masuyama like that?
The silence didn't last.
A low rumble echoed beneath their feet.
At first, nobody reacted.
It was faint.
Almost like distant thunder.
Then the ground moved.
Not shook.
Moved.
The entire Ruins Pillar groaned, a deep metallic-like sound
travelling through the stone structure.
Everyone froze.
"What was that…?" Monboro muttered.
Another tremor struck.
Harder.
Dust poured from the ceiling.
Cracks began spreading across the ancient walls like veins.
Then the alarms from the remaining airships screamed.
"WARNING! STRUCTURAL FAILURE DETECTED!"
The soldiers looked up.
Their expressions changed.
"No…"
The Ruins.
The entire pillar.
It was going to fall.
"Everyone move!" an officer shouted. "The pillar is destabilising!"
The ground violently shifted beneath them.
Large chunks of stone broke away, disappearing into the clouds
below.
Mikado stumbled, catching himself against a damaged wall.
"The whole thing is falling?"
Monboro stared upwards, watching massive sections of the structure
fracture.
"Not falling…"
He swallowed.
"Breaking."
A transmission suddenly cut through the chaos.
"Attention all remaining personnel on the Ancient Ruins!"
The voice came from one of the nearby airships.
"We are deploying emergency evacuation craft. Get to the eastern
edge immediately!"
Far above them, one of the larger airships opened its side bay.
A small scout blimp detached from the hull, engines roaring as it
descended through the clouds.
It was tiny compared to the massive fleet vessels, but at that
moment it was the only thing between the stranded soldiers and a
several-kilometre fall.
"Move! Move!"
Soldiers rushed through the collapsing corridors.
Some carried injured comrades.
Others supported those who could barely walk.
Kokuine, still recovering, looked around in confusion as two
soldiers helped him forward.
"Wait…"
He glanced back.
"Did we actually survive that?"
One soldier looked at him.
"You were unconscious for most of it."
Kokuine frowned.
"That doesn't answer my question."
The soldier sighed.
"Yes. Somehow."
Nearby, Mikado remained still for a moment.
His eyes stayed on the ruins around him.
On the destruction he caused.
On the fight he couldn't remember.
Yoriko noticed.
"Mikado."
He looked at her.
She gave him a small, reassuring expression.
"Not now."
A pause.
"We'll figure it out later."
The pillar shook again.
A massive section of the Ruins broke away, collapsing into the
endless clouds below.
Everyone looked up.
There was no time.
The scout blimp reached the platform.
"GET ON!"
One by one, soldiers climbed aboard.
The Ruins continued to die beneath them.
And as the scout blimp lifted away, everyone watched the ancient
landmark that had witnessed their battle begin its final descent.
The Ancient Ruins was falling.