The final wave of enemies arrived all at once.
The aliens that had been held back by Fushiku.
The Sabretooths that Setsuna had been fighting.
All of them gathered before the Alien King's throne.
Xthalax raised both arms and laughed, his voice echoing throughout the chamber.
"Hahahaha!"
"Witness this catastrophe!"
Arou instinctively took half a step back.
"Arou."
Airi's voice was calm yet firm.
"Stay behind me."
"Right," Arou replied immediately.
Crimson threads appeared in the air.
Not to bind.
Not to restrain.
But to mark.
Thin glowing lines traced every enemy one by one—as if death had already chosen them.
In an instant—
Airi vanished.
Her movement was nearly impossible to see. Each crimson thread flared brightly before fading away, and every time it did—
another body fell.
Fast.
Clean.
Without hesitation.
Xthalax stumbled backward.
"What—?!"
He didn't wait to see the outcome.
The Alien King turned and fled, abandoning his throne.
Within seconds—
every enemy had fallen.
None remained standing.
Silence blanketed the vast chamber.
Not long afterward, two figures entered.
Fushiku and Setsuna.
They stopped simultaneously.
Looking around.
The enemies that had been so difficult for them to fight were now lying motionless across the floor.
"...What?" Fushiku muttered.
"How is this possible?"
Setsuna said nothing.
His gaze remained fixed on a single person—
Airi.
Arou gave a small wave.
"Hey, Big Brother Fushiku. Setsuna."
Fushiku turned toward him.
"You guys..."
"What happened here?"
Airi casually answered.
"Fushiku?"
"Oh, him?"
"The one who fought Mop?"
Arou nodded.
"Yeah, that's him."
Fushiku looked at Airi more seriously now.
"For now," he said, returning to the matter at hand.
"Where are they being held?"
Arou glanced toward the Alien King's throne.
"No idea. I was about to ask Xthalax—"
He stopped.
The throne was empty.
"What?"
"Where did he go?"
Setsuna immediately moved.
"Let's hurry."
"We'll search together."
They ran through the corridors of the base.
The lights flickered.
The living structure pulsed softly.
While running—
Arou glanced at Airi.
Her pace had slowed.
Blood was dripping from her right eye.
The eye that had once been light blue...
had turned a pale gray.
"Airi..."
Arou's voice trembled.
"What happened?"
Fushiku stopped.
"Your right eye..."
"It's bleeding," Setsuna added quietly.
Airi frowned, enduring the pain.
"Ah..."
"I used the Crimson Threads too much."
She took a deep breath.
"And now..."
"My right eye is completely blind."
Fushiku let out a short sigh.
"So that technique comes with a price."
"You could say that," Airi replied flatly.
Arou took a step closer.
"...Does it hurt?"
"Just stings a little," Airi answered with a faint smile—one that was clearly forced.
She started walking again.
"Let's hurry. We need to find the Alien King and free them."
Fushiku and Setsuna immediately ran ahead once more.
But Airi—
slowed down.
Her steps were careful.
Arou noticed.
Then he stopped.
"Airi."
"Hm?"
"I'll walk with you."
Airi fell silent for a moment.
Arou looked ahead.
"Big Brother Fushiku. Setsuna."
"You two go on ahead."
"If you find any clues," he continued,
"please let me know."
Fushiku looked at Arou briefly before nodding.
"Alright."
Setsuna gave a short nod as well.
"Don't push yourself."
The two of them ran off into the distance.
Leaving only Arou and Airi in the quieter corridor.
Their pace was slow.
Unhurried.
And amidst the vibrations of the alien base,
Arou walked beside Airi—
not as a warrior,
not as a pawn in the game—
but as someone
who didn't want to lose anyone anymore.
The corridor was silent.
Only the sound of their footsteps and the faint pulse of the alien base echoed around them.
"Arou..."
"Yeah?" Arou replied softly.
"I'm sorry," Airi said quietly.
"For causing you trouble."
Arou stopped walking.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm slow," Airi continued.
"And because of me... you've fallen behind the others."
Arou looked at her for a moment, then gently raised his hand and stroked her hair.
"I'm the one causing trouble."
He smiled faintly.
"I'm sorry."
Airi fell silent.
Several seconds passed.
Then Arou spoke again, his voice lower than before.
"If I were stronger..."
"You wouldn't have lost your right eye."
He lowered his head slightly.
"And really..."
"I should have been the one protecting you."
Arou took a deep breath.
"Because you're my wife."
Airi froze.
"...You," she whispered.
"You still remember."
"Of course I do," Arou answered without hesitation.
Suddenly—
Airi grabbed her head.
"Ngh—!"
Her body trembled violently.
"Airi?!" Arou cried out in panic.
An unbearable pain struck Airi's right eye.
In an instant, her left arm stopped responding.
Then her legs gave out beneath her.
Airi collapsed onto the floor.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I-It hurts..."
"It hurts so much..."
Arou's heart raced.
"What's happening?!"
"Why all of a sudden?!"
Airi gritted her teeth, struggling against the pain.
"Arou..."
"Leave me here."
Arou froze.
"What?!"
"I'll only slow you down," Airi said weakly.
"Go..."
Arou shook his head firmly.
"No."
"I'm not leaving you."
At that moment—
heavy footsteps echoed from behind.
Dozens of Alien Robots emerged from the dark corridor.
Airi turned toward them, her face pale.
"GO!!"
"If I leave," Arou shot back,
"then you're coming with me."
"Hurry!!"
"No!!"
Arou dropped to one knee, preparing to carry her—
but with the last of her strength, Airi gently pushed against his chest, just enough to stop him.
Airi looked at him softly.
She held Arou's hand.
With a trembling movement, she placed her sword into his grasp.
"Use it..."
"Stay alive..."
"And finish everything..."
"Airi—!"
The attack came.
The Alien Robots broke through the final line of defense.
Airi smiled faintly.
A small, gentle smile.
Then—
she became still.
Her body no longer moved.
Arou's heart shattered.
He ran.
Tears poured down his face uncontrollably.
And Arou left behind Airi—
now gone—
within the silent corridors of the alien base.
Goodbye...
The person I love.
The words echoed only inside his heart.
---
Arou ran without direction.
His breathing was ragged.
His chest felt unbearably tight.
Tears kept falling, but his legs refused to stop.
"Why..."
"Why does it always end like this...?"
His grip tightened around Airi's sword until his hands trembled.
He slammed his fist against the corridor wall.
BANG.
"I WAS THERE!"
"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROTECT HER!!"
His voice broke.
The sword trembled in response to Arou's emotions.
Not because of calm determination—
but because grief and rage had become one.
Arou collapsed to his knees.
"Airi..."
He covered his face.
His shoulders shook.
This wasn't frozen anger.
Nor was it false composure.
It was painful anger.
The kind that tore at the heart.
Eventually, he forced himself to stand.
"I'll save them..."
"And I'll find Xthalax."
His voice still trembled.
"And if Zata can hear this..."
"I'm not finished yet."
Airi's sword glowed faintly.
Not with a cold light.
But with a trembling radiance,
as though it too was holding back tears.
The corridor was silent.
Too silent.
Fushiku suddenly stopped.
"Setsuna... do you hear that?"
Setsuna nodded slowly.
It wasn't footsteps.
It wasn't the sound of battle.
It was crying.
They turned into a narrow corridor—
and there,
they found him.
Arou was kneeling on the floor.
His shoulders rose and fell unevenly.
The sword in his hands trembled violently.
His palms were covered in bloody cuts—
not from enemies,
but from gripping the sword too tightly.
"Arou..." Setsuna murmured.
Fushiku remained silent.
This wasn't the Arou he knew.
Not the warrior who always stood tall.
This was someone broken.
Arou slammed his fist into the floor again.
BANG.
"Why am I always too late...?!"
His voice was hoarse.
"I was there—and still...!"
The sword glowed dimly, its light unstable.
Setsuna slowly approached.
"Arou..."
Arou lifted his head.
His eyes were red.
Tears still streamed down his face without stopping.
"Airi..."
His voice cracked.
"She died..."
"Right in front of me..."
Fushiku stiffened.
"...I see."
He asked nothing more.
Setsuna knelt down in front of Arou.
His hand hesitated in the air for a moment—
before gently resting on Arou's shoulder.
"You're not alone," he said quietly.
"At least... not anymore."
Arou let out a small laugh—
but it was hollow.
"Funny, isn't it...?"
"I wanted to become stronger..."
"But all I've done is lose the people I love."
His hands trembled.
Fushiku stepped forward.
"Listen, Arou."
Arou looked up.
"If you fall here," Fushiku continued calmly,
"then her sacrifice will have been for nothing."
Arou bit his lip.
More tears fell.
"I know you're angry."
Fushiku looked at the sword in Arou's hands.
"I know you're broken."
"But as long as you're still breathing—"
"you can still move forward."
Setsuna stood up.
"We'll stay with you."
Arou lowered his head for a long time.
Then slowly...
he stood.
His legs were still unsteady.
His hands were still trembling.
Yet he didn't let go of the sword.
"I..."
"I'm not ready yet..."
Fushiku placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That's alright."
Setsuna nodded.
"We'll keep going together."
Arou took a deep breath.
Airi's sword responded—
its light still trembled,
but it was no longer collapsing.
"Airi..."
he whispered.
"I'll finish this."
And for the first time since he ran—
Arou stepped forward.
Not because of destiny.
But because of loss.