Kira yanked her embedded scythe free from the ground and pivoted left as the first Yamirei lunged, placing herself between Toma and the largest cluster forming near the collapsed wall. The room they'd crash into barely held on.
"Left side!" she called out.
Toma hit the ground from his failed strike in a rough roll before he caught himself near the base of the stairs. He snapped his head up just as two Yamirei emerged and closed the gap. One came low, and the other came high, but Toma didn't back down. Instead, he stepped into it and swung his blade wide to catch the lower Yamirei across its torso. The sharp edge bit into it with a strange resistance, like cutting through layered cloth and bone at once.
Its body peeled along the strike, unraveling into strands of dark matter that hissed and dissolved into the air. The second one was already on him, a clawed arm whipping toward his face. Toma raised his blade horizontally just in time, the impact rattling his arms. The Yamirei's limb bent unnaturally around the flat of his Reikon-killer, stretching further to try and reach him anyway.
"Back off!" he exclaimed before shoving forward and then kicking the thing square in the chest. It staggered just enough for him to follow through with a brutal downward chop, carving straight through its mask. The white surface cracked, then shattered. Its body collapsed in on itself, dissolving like the last.
"Tch!" Kira clicked her tongue as three more poured in from the right side, slipping through the broken wall. She advanced, her scythe whipping outward with the segmented edge catching the first Yamirei across its midsection. Instead of a clean cut, the notched blade hooked into it. The chain at her wrist snapped taut as she yanked the creature off balance, dragging it directly into her follow-up strike with the second scythe. She managed a clean, horizontal slice that separated its upper half and dissolved it instantly.
The first one tore apart a second later as the strain split it down the middle. But the third didn't stop as it flickered forward, skipping a space forward and appearing just behind Kira.
"Sneaky bastard…" She whispered before twisting and dropping low, the Yamirei's claw passing over her head as she slipped forward on one knee. Then, she drove the butt of her scythe backward into its torso. The impact staggered it just enough for her to follow up with a rising slash that tore straight through its mask from jaw to crown.
Looking up, she saw two more were converging on Toma from opposite sides near the staircase ruins.
"TOMA!" She called out.
Toma gasped softly, backing up a step until his heel hit the broken remains of a table.
"Perfect…" he whispered with a grin. As one of the Yamirei lunged, Toma grabbed the table with his free hand and kicked it upward, flipping it into the creature's path. The thing crashed into it, its limbs tangling in the debris for a split second. That was all he needed.
He stepped right in and drove his Reikon-killer straight through it. The second Yamirei came from his blind side without hesitation.
"TOMA, YOUR RIGHT!" Kira yelled.
Toma dropped as soon as he heard her, followed by a blur passing over his head. Kira's Reikon-killer. It carved clean through the Yamirei mid-lunge, splitting it apart before it could reach him. The two halves dissolved before they hit the ground.
"You're slow," Kira muttered as she landed beside him.
"Working on it," Toma shot back, breathing heavier now before looking up to see Annalise landing on one of the remaining ceiling beams, crouched like some grotesque bird. Her wings spread outward, casting a wide shadow over the room. She then tilted her head with that same wide grin.
"You're handling my babies pretty well," she hummed, seeming to be rather impressed. "Perhaps I should've invited more."
"Shut up!" Toma snapped through heavy pants.
"Focus," Kira warned in a whisper, her eyes scanning their surroundings.
Toma's eyes narrowed, locking onto the Bat Witch's silhouette perched along the fractured beams. His grip tightened around the handle of his Reikon-killer, his breath steadying as he tried to heed his partner's advice.
This is the target. Not the damn swarm… Her.
He adjusted his footing, stepping off the broken plank near the staircase and onto a more stable section of floor. Meanwhile, thoughts flooded his mind.
A Witch Contract… my Chakras… She is the gate…
He exhaled slowly through his nose before looking at his partner and shouting, "Kira!"
"I know!" she shot back, already carving through another Yamirei at the center.
That was all he needed before breaking into a sprint, vaulting over a collapsed beam, planting a foot on the edge of a broken support post, and launching himself upward towards the second-floor remains. His blade came up mid-air.
"This time–!" he shouted.
Annalise's eyes flicked up at him and widened slightly. "Oh?" she asked before the world shook violently, followed by a deep and rough CRACK that tore through the structure as something massive collided through the exterior of the farmhouse. The roof was ripped away, woods, nails, and beams exploding into the night as something colossal forced its way into existence above them.
What was once a ceiling was now an open sky with a towering silhouette that blocked out what little light there was.
"What the hell?!" Toma exclaimed, his momentum faltering mid-step.
A black, distorted, and impossibly large hand slammed into the remains of the structure, its fingers digging into the earth like it was soft clay. It was definitely Yamirei, but unlike the others before it. Its body was hulking and disproportionate, with one arm grotesquely oversized, dragging against the ground while the other was shorter. Its surface was the same pitch-black void as the Lesser Yamirei but was much thicker. Its head was small compared to its body, and in the center of its torso was a massive, crater-like void that yawned open.
"You can't be serious…" Toma muttered as he landed hard on a tilted beam, barely keeping his balance as debris fell around him.
Kira skidded back a step down below, her eyes narrowed as she took in the monster before them. "A higher grade…"
Above, Annalise clapped her hands together with a delighted smack, her face lit up. "YAAAY!" she cheered while practically bouncing in place. "MR. BUBBLES IS HERE!"
The Greater Yamirei reached upward with its smaller arm and gently plucked Annalise from her perch like she was weightless. Her wings folded in as she sat comfortably into its palm.
"Perfect timing!" she sang while swinging her legs slightly. "I was getting so, so bored!~"
The thing's massive arm lifted and then came down, smashing into what was left of the structure, destroying walls and support beams alike. The impact sent out a shockwave that splintered wood and kicked up a cloud of dust and debris. Toma staggered and barely kept his footing while Kira dug one of her scythes into the ground to anchor herself.
"I was so scared, you know? All I wanted was a nice and peaceful bath…" she complained with a dramatic pout, placing a hand to her chest as if recounting something traumatic. "And then… these imbeciles just barged in to try and sneak a peek!"
"I DIDN'T!" Toma started before another strike cut him off, the giant Yamirei's fist cratering the ground nearby, forcing him to leap back to avoid being crushed.
Kira clicked her tongue, eyes darting between the massive threat and the remaining lesser Yamirei still circling.
"Plan just changed," she muttered as Toma landed beside her, his breathing heavier as he looked at the towering figure and the Witch sitting in its hand.
"Yeah, I noticed," he said, his grip tightening around his blade.
"Don't rush it, alright? We'll take it–"
But it was too late as Toma bolted forward through the collapsing remains of the farmhouse, his boots kicking up dust as he weaved between falling debris. Another lesser Yamirei flickered into his path, but he didn't slow down. Instead, he swung his blade in a one-handed attack, cleaving through it mid-step.
"That thing's the anchor!" he shouted. "If we take it down, the others will disperse!"
"We don't know that!" Kira snapped with a scoff, sprinting after him as she carved a path through two more Yamirei trying to flank them. "And even if it is, you're running straight into its reach!"
"That's the point!" Toma exclaimed, who then vaulted over a beam before continuing forward. "This is it, Kira! A Witch and a higher-grade in one go? That's a Contract if I've ever seen one!"
Another Yamirei lunged from the side, but Kira intercepted her by hooking into its torso mid-air and yanking it off trajectory and slamming it into the ground. She followed through with a second strike, erasing it instantly.
"You rushing in and dying isn't helping that!" she shot back.
Toma didn't respond, as he was already in range with the looming Greater Yamirei. Annalise sat comfortably in its palm, chin resting on her hand as she watched them with amusement.
"Oh? They're coming closer?" she asked with a giggle. "How brave."
The being's smaller arm tightened slightly around her, and the massive one lifted.
"Split!" he called, to which Kira gave a nod before breaking apart in the other direction just as the arm came crashing down between them. The impact of the strike tore a crater into the ground, sending dirt and debris erupting outward. Without hesitation, Toma ran directly into the dust cloud.
"That idiot!" Kira hissed to herself, but she adjusted instantly, circling wide to the opposite flank.
Inside the haze, visibility dropped to almost nothing. Perfect, Toma thought, lowering his stance and pushing forward. Then, a shadow shifted, followed by a massive arm sweeping through the dust, grazing over him with enough force to send him skidding across the ground anyway.
"Tch!" was heard, followed by a flash of silver from above. Kira. She used the creature's own arm as a platform, sprinting along it with inhuman balance while spinning her scythes in her hands, closing the distance toward its torso.
"Eyes up!" she called, to which Toma followed the cue to see the gaping, hollow crater in the Greater Yamirei's chest.
That's it!
He surged forward again, watching as Kira struck first. Her scythe carved across the creature's shoulder, the segmented blade biting in just enough for her to plant a foot against its arm and launch herself upward.
"NOW, TOMA!" she shouted.
Toma nodded, using the broken terrain to his advantage. He kicked off a chunk of collapsed wall and then a jutting beam to gain height. His body twisted midair as he brought his Reikon-killer back for a full-force swing.
This is it… don't screw this up, Toma!
His blade came down but stopped mid-swing. The creature's smaller arm moved faster than he could track and closed its fingers around his weapon.
"What the…" was all he could come up with. For a split second, nothing happened. Then a sharp CRACK broke it. Toma's eyes widened as he looked down to see that his Reikon-killer was… shattered. The blade split down the middle, pieces breaking apart in the Yamirei's grip.
"No!" he yelled with a gasp. But then, realization hit. A white hot pain was felt immediately. The Greater Yamirei's hand didn't stop at the weapon but went straight through him. Toma's body jerked violently as it pierced his stomach, the force lifting him clean off his feet. His breath vanished into a choked gasp, dying in his throat as his vision blurred.
"Ngh…"
He couldn't even process it for a second but then looked down to see the massive, black limb that was embedded through his abdomen, its surface phasing where it overlapped with his body. Blood, darker against dark, dripped down.
"TOMA!!!" Kira screamed, sharp and uncharacteristically loud. She landed hard on the creature's arms, her eyes widened just for a fraction before snapping back into focus. Her scythe whipped forward to carve into the limb that held him, though it didn't sever completely. The creature didn't even flinch as the blade bit into its skin.
Toma's head dipped forward slightly, breath hitching as pain caught up in full. He winced, his fingers twitching at his sides. Above him, he could hear Annalise humming softly.
"Oh… poor Maestro…"
The Greater Yamirei then slowly lifted its arm, bringing Toma up with it as if he weighed nothing.
"Shit!" he coughed out, his voice wet and uneven as his body trembled against the arm impaling him. His hands instinctively gripped at the limb, his fingers slipping against its unnatural surface. The edges of his vision darkening as the world beneath him tilted.
Move, Toma… move!
But his body didn't listen. His arm twitched but ultimately failed to move beyond that.
"Damn it…" he rasped.
"You broke already?" Annalise murmured, her tone almost disappointed. "That was fast… a shame, really."
Toma's teeth clenched, his vision blurring again. But something in him refused to let it go dark.
No… not here… not like this!
His fingers tightened weakly around the creature's arm, nails digging in as if he could anchor himself through sheer will.
"I'm… not… done!"
He said, his voice shaking, but the Greater Yamirei didn't react. It kept him there, looking at him like a specimen.
"Shut up," Kira snapped, tearing her scythe free from where it had lodged into the creature's arm, fragments of black matter peeling as she forced it loose. She didn't waste time trying to sever the limb again. Instead, she looked to the hollow crater in its chest. "Right there…"
She planted her foot hard against the creature's arm and ran up, using its own body as a path. The Greater Yamirei reacted too late, moving its massive arm to intercept, but Kira jumped, chains snapping around her wrists as she pulled them back and drove them forward with everything she had.
"LET GO OF HIM, YOU DEVIL!"
The blades struck the void, and for a split second, there was resistance like hitting something deeper than flesh. But then, the hollow in its chest fractured, and the Yamirei froze completely. Its grip on Toma loosened just slightly, and eventually it unraveled, though not like the other Yamirei.
Its massive form collapsed in on itself as layers of darkness peeled away in thick strands while the void in its chest imploded. The arm holding Toma dissolved mid-form and dropped him. The world spun as his body plummeted from the disintegrating creature. His thoughts drifted as the gloomy sky above blurred until it wasn't early in the morning anymore. Instead, red-and-black tiles stretched endlessly, his breath hitching weakly.
"Again…" he winced, hearing the faint echo of a mocking applause. His body felt heavy, as if pinned even without the Sealing Tendons. "A failure…"
The word felt heavier than the pain because he knew. He understood it now, what waited for him. Something worse than death. His vision dimmed further as he continued to plummet through that endless, checkered nightmare.
"I can't… go back there…"
And just like that, everything went dark.