“Ganapati!” Dyaus screamed. Her cry fell on deaf ears, and the two sets of cars took a firm grip on each side of Ganapati’s body, and began moving in opposite directions, trying to rip her apart. Ganapati smacked the cable-like feelers, trying to dislodge the claws. But her feelers were designed to pick things up and weren’t capable of slicing through the hardened cables. Ganapati’s skin was slowly peeling off. Beneath the thick, dry-resistant skin was nothing but quivering white flesh. Imagine how it would feel to have that flesh exposed to the air. It would hurt. A lot. It hurt! Ganapati howled with pain, toppling over. The cars rolled onto her like she was a mountain, scythes at the ready. Their blades mercilessly slicing her legs. Over and over and over, trying to cut Ganapati’s rubbery limbs off. They swung with full power, not caring if the blades chipped. Veins were severed, blue blood gushing forth. Legs came off. The severed limbs writhed around like new life forms.
The cars moved forward, between the legs. A cable shot into Ganapati’s mouth, sank its hooks in her guts, and dragged it all out. Everything in Ganapati’s belly passed through her mouth, turning her inside-out. Her eyeballs were dragged into her head and then popped out her mouth. Yet her eyes were still moving. Her organs and brain were all encased in the same translucent membrane, and the nerves ran from them to her eyeballs. The scythes sliced open her innards. Her intestines were severed, and the brown refuse inside leaked out. It mingled with the blue blood, becoming an indescribable shade, like mashing all the colors together on a painter’s palette.
With the table set, it was time for dinner. A car moved to the front with two massive needles that had small sacs at the rear. When the needles stabbed Ganapati’s guts, the sacs began swelling up. At the same time, the pile of innards — all that remained of Ganapati — began shriveling. The sacs were absorbent, like leeches, able to inhale vast quantities of blood. As her blood was absorbed, Ganapati’s voice faded.
“Ah! Ah! Ah! Ahhh! Ahhh... aahhh...” And then her soul voice cut out, yet her body was still moving. It was pulsing faintly while secreting a glistening mucus and slithering along.
“Stop!” Dyaus, having finally caught up, swooped down, tackling the train. A feeler swatted her away like a pesky fly. She flapped her wings frantically, but she and Youko went crashing to the ground.
Scythes came after them. Then a grey, slimy, long, mucus-covered creature came scrabbling out of Ganapati’s empty eye sockets. It was Vayu. She couldn’t see at all, but the cries of their souls had given her all she needed to know about the situation outside. The needle-like organs found a new target and pierced her body. Instantly, convulsions ran across the car. Not just the one car, either. Like dominos, the convulsions went from one car to the next. A charred stench filled the air — the smell of flesh burning. The convulsing cars went still, never to move again. The electric current had induced necrosis.
Dyaus staggered forward, desperate to reach Ganapati.
Ganapati was in a frightful state. Everything that should be inside her had come out her mouth. Her blood had been drained away, and her organs sliced open.
“Ganapati! Ganapati, it’s me. It’s me...” Dyaus spoke to her. Of course, there was no reply.
“It’s no use...” Vayu whispered. She was exhausted after generating that much electricity. “But if you pull from the Girls gacha... Maybe we can bring her back. Maybe.”
The proposal enraged Dyaus. “Ganapati’s dead!” she roared. “And it’s all your fault! You’re the one who said we should come here! Why didn’t you come out and fight sooner? You should have died instead of her!”
“In that case... I guess the party’s splitting up.”
Dyaus wasn’t about to end things that easily. Once she hit her boiling point she was hard-wired to go the distance.
“Yeah, it is! This party’s over! But I’m gonna make you pay for this! You have to die for Ganapati!”
Dyaus bit Vayu. Vayu was too exhausted to use her one means of defense, her electricity. She could not resist. Her flesh was torn, and dark red blood welled out.
“Dyaus, stop!”
Youko’s head shot forward, her mandibles closing around Dyaus’ head. But Dyaus wouldn’t stop.
“I’m gonna kill her! She has to die! And I’m gonna do it!”
“No, you’re not!”
Youko increased the pressure in her mandibles. Cracks ran across the chitin shell covering Dyaus’ head. They grew larger, splitting open. The flesh inside exposed itself. The exoskeleton pushed into her innards, forcing them outwards. Her body shook. Her entire body was begging to stay alive. At last the convulsions no longer felt like she was suffering. The head fell off. Dyaus had been split in two. What else could that mean? She was dead. Dyaus was dead. Murdered. Youko had killed her. She had killed her partner on all these adventures. Both her best friend and her greatest rival — and she’d killed her.
Youko looked over at Vayu’s long, slimy body. Vayu seemed to have passed out. But she still had a pulse. She wasn’t dead yet.
It shocked even Youko, but the relief at seeing Vayu safe trumped the horror she felt over killing Dyaus. That was just how important Vayu was to Youko. So important she’d killed Dyaus reflexively, just to protect her.
If she was willing to go that far for her, she would grant her wish. They would find the Girls gacha, and she would reunite her with this Sensei. Youko swore an oath.