Chapter 119

My body convulsed, as if the fierce chills and sense of danger would make it fall apart. “Clearing” was now a living personification of despair, its arms hanging lifelessly down as its ferocious eyes crawled all over us. It set its sight on Azami, its lips curling upward into a terrifying grin. Then… …A single step. With his jet-black right leg, he stamped down on the floor with astonishing force, summoning a roaring explosion that almost ruptured my eardrums and making shards of metallic tile smash against the displays on the wall. This kinetic force propelled “clearing” forward like an ebony bullet fired from a gun, immediately closing the distance between itself and Azami. This overwhelming bout of violence took place before anyone could say a word. And faced with this hopelessly overpowered attack, Kisaragi, still embracing Azami, suddenly pushed her to the side. Azami’s crimson eyes, as she floated up into the air, were open wider than ever before. There was no sign of any “ability” within Kisaragi; as she made herself into a shield, she all but sealed her immediate future—but her resolve, the very force of her soul, left me enraptured. Azami’s shout was drowned out by the loud rumble coming for the two of them. Kisaragi faced up to the dark shadow coming for her—and gave it a soft, somewhat distressed-looking smile. “It’s up to you,” she said—and then her body flew back, bouncing off the wall like it was made of rubber, creating a small ocean of blood on the wall and floor behind her. It was so one-sided a tragedy that no one could even scream in horror. Then, as if it were checking items off a mental list, the eyes of “clearing” descended upon the sight of Marie’s body. Another instant, and it was right in front of Marie. It grabbed her by the neck and effortlessly brought her up off her feet. With a look of sheer ecstasy, “clearing” glared at the sight of the intensely terrified little girl. “Stop…please…” Before she could continue, the monster grabbed Marie’s right arm and twisted it off like the cap of a plastic bottle. “Aaahhh!!” He smiled broadly, satisfied at a job well done, as she screamed out in pain. “Did you think I wouldn’t kill you? Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!” My vision grew hazy as that vulgar laugh echoed in my brain. The creature’s right fist rose up to land another devastating blow, digging itself deep into Marie’s side. A virtual waterfall of blood flowed to the floor, making wet, squishy sounds as it did. …Ahh, it’s over. It’s all over. I suppose I’ll never be able to see how that world I dreamed of turns out. Well, that sure sucks. We were almost there, too, it kind of felt like. If I ever get another chance at this, I’m pretty sure we could put up a little more of a fight, but that’s not gonna happen now. This isn’t some game I can reload. But, hell, I had that parting shot to give the dude, at least. As useless as I’ve been my whole life, I can’t let myself take credit for how this ends without having tried to help at least a little bit. The pain had dispelled the illusory Marie I had put up. My lips curled upward in anticipation. Something about the surprised look “clearing” gave me filled me with happiness. There was no more pain from my arm, or my side. It was the second time I had experienced this, and I knew what it meant. In my fading consciousness, I could see the “real” Azami appear, undoing her “hiding” skill, five white snakes poised behind her as she fumed. I guess my ability was hers now, too. It had given me nothing but trouble, but I was gonna miss that thing, I think. I mean, getting to pair up with Kido’s “hiding” one more time, at the very end, wasn’t exactly a bad thing. If anything, it went better than I would have thought. Somewhere along the line, I had been thrown to the floor. It wasn’t at too lucky an angle, either, so I had to look at the detestable, hopeless glare of “clearing” right up to the end. I really wished it wouldn’t look at me with the face of my friend like that. The Kagerou Daze opened its mouth. Quietly, I closed my blinded eyes—and right at the end, in the darkness, I heard a phone vibrate. Oh yeahhh… She was here, too, wasn’t she? Well, there you go, I guess. Talk about thoughtful of her. And then, I came to an end. Before I did, for just a moment, I thought I heard the voice of someone I liked a lot. She sounded angry. I turned around. There was nobody there. Which was so incredibly like her, of course.