A searing red filled Tobiichi Origami's vision, as if it could incinerate everything in its path.
"...!?"
The sudden rush of color stole her gaze. No room for sentimentality, only beauty in its raw intensity. Hatred surged within her, consuming her entirely.
"Found... you...!"
She reached out. There it was—the target she'd sought relentlessly, the reason for her existence, the purpose of her life, the vengeance she'd sworn to take with her very being. Origami had entrusted her smile to that person and lived solely for this resentment-fueled vendetta.
Kill. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill—! A torrent of cursed rage filled her heart—
"...Ugh, ah..."
Yet, as someone's arms enveloped her, her vision plunged back into darkness.
"Kotori... is that you...?"
Under normal circumstances, Shidou Itsuka would laugh at himself for even asking. Standing before him was unmistakably Kotori—Itsuka Kotori, his irreplaceable, beloved little sister. Shidou could never mistake her face.
So why the doubt? It was the white kimono wreathed in flames, reminiscent of a celestial maiden's sash. Two inorganic horns. A crimson-black battle-axe forged in fire. Everything about her screamed Spirit.
At Shidou's stunned question, Kotori softened her expression with a tender smile, only to quickly steel herself and face forward.
"Obviously. The only adorable little sister you have in the whole world is me."
"You... why...? And that outfit..."
"You've done well so far. I'll handle that stubborn one, so step back, Shidou. Right now, you'd die too easily."
"Huh...? —Gah, hot!"
Before Shidou could process her words, Kotori stepped forward, and a blazing inferno roared upward. An invisible wall forced him back, as if declaring this was the domain of Spirits. He swallowed hard.
"Let's get started. If you surrender now, it'd make things easier for me."
"No way. I can't back down now. Still, I'm surprised, Kotori Itsuka... you're a Spirit."
Kotori's brow twitched at Kurumi's words. With a hum, she hefted her axe, her expression intrigued.
"So you knew about me, huh?"
"Not exactly. She knew, so I know. That's all."
"Hmm, I see. Then this is simple. Lower your gun, Kurumi. There's still time."
"—Is further talk not pointless?"
With a tap of her toe, Kurumi summoned a shadow. From it, countless Kurumis emerged, filling the area. All were Tokisaki Kurumi, yet Kotori never lost sight of the real one.
Kotori grimaced. Kurumi's smile was so painfully raw it was unbearable.
"I didn't take Shidou-san's hand. That's all there is to it. Discussing a second chance is beyond pointless."
Gone was the transcendent Tokisaki Kurumi. What stood there was a Spirit stripped of her mask, her emotions laid bare, yet still dragging her broken body forward. Fueled by hatred and rage, her heart was dead to all else—a pitiable Spirit.
"I will kill you. And I'll devour Shidou-san—ending my long-cherished wish."
"Then don't make that face!!"
Flames surged. A celestial maiden danced. The raised axe was a blade of apocalyptic fire.
"—Blazing Annihilation Demon: Camael!!"
"Us!!"
Countless black figures shot toward Kotori like bullets, an overwhelming onslaught no axe could hope to repel.
"Gya—!"
With a single swing, a hundred Kurumis were reduced to ash, their screams swallowed by the inferno. A brilliance befitting the Spirit of Flame.
"Bullet One: Aleph!!"
In an instant, Kurumi vanished. The next moment, she reappeared before Kotori, swinging her gun like a bludgeon, her speed accelerated by the time-altering bullet.
Yet Kotori effortlessly parried the attack. Kurumi's relentless assault—strike after strike—met only the fiery blade, each blow blocked with precision. Even as they clashed from air to ground, Kurumi's attacks didn't cease, but it was she who bled, her pale skin scorched with every strike.
"—Hah!"
"Too weak!"
Kotori caught a sudden kick with one hand, swinging her massive axe with the other. As Kurumi's spiritual garb burned, she leaped back, loading a new shadow into her rifle.
"—Bullet Seven: Zayin!!"
The black bullet was unavoidable at such range and speed. Yet Kotori swung her axe, knocking it aside.
"Kotori!!"
No—dodging, not blocking, was the answer. That bullet, like the one that struck Mana Takamiya, stopped time itself. Shidou's cry was in vain as Kotori's time froze—her garb, her blade, even her flames motionless.
Without hesitation, a clone fired, bullets tearing into Kotori. As Kurumi stood before her, pressing the gun to her forehead—
"Stop, Kurumi!!"
"...!"
By chance, the gun wavered, missing her vitals.
"Ah... ahh..."
Still, the wounds were fatal. Countless bullets pierced Kotori's soft skin, blood pooling as she collapsed into a crimson sea. Shidou fell to his knees, staring at his sister's broken form, cursing his own weakness.
"It's over."
Kurumi gazed down at the dying Spirit, suppressing trembling hands. Killing her now would be meaningless. No—she'd strip her spiritual power and then kill her. That was the plan. Devour him, and it would all end—
"—Pretty kind of you, Kurumi."
"What!?"
The voices rang out simultaneously. Naturally—because the girl who should've fallen spoke.
No ghost. Flames erupted from Kotori's body, spreading across her. Kurumi had seen this in footage; Shidou had experienced it.
"You went out of your way to avoid my vitals. That's soft. Not that it'd matter if you'd shot my head."
"That power... regeneration... no—"
Taking distance, Kurumi's analytical mind pieced it together. That regenerative ability was his. Flames sealing wounds—an unmistakable power. If a Spirit like Kotori wielded it, the answer was clear.
Kurumi had assumed Kotori hid her power, like how she borrowed that girl's strength. But no—Kotori's power was sealed.
"So that's it. Kotori-san, you were Shidou-san's first."
"...Yeah, something like that. So, you still want to keep going? Your power's impressive, but it's not enough, is it?"
"..."
Exactly. Kurumi's miracles came at a cost. The stronger her power, the more spiritual energy it consumed. Against Kotori's absurd attack and regeneration—Blazing Annihilation Demon: Camael—Kurumi's Emperor of Time: Zafkiel was a fatally poor match.
Given time, Kurumi might find a way, but she had neither time nor composure now. Retreat flickered in her mind. She could regroup, with that girl still in reserve.
"—Heh."
Kotori frowned, puzzled. Shidou looked confused too. But Kurumi's eyes saw only one person.
She knew if she didn't end it here, her heart wouldn't endure. Her overflowing emotions, her acknowledged softness, tore logic from sanity, binding her. This was pride—the last shred of a girl who'd discarded reason. Fleeing would disgrace Tokisaki Kurumi's name.
She couldn't show him a more pathetic sight.
"—Us!!"
"Goddamn it, you stubborn idiot!!"
Countless black figures surged from the shadows, human-sized bullets charging the Flame Spirit.
"No matter how many times—it's the same!!"
Kotori's single swing engulfed a hundred clones in flames. But in that instant, her blood ran cold.
"—Aaaahhh!!"
"What!?"
Only a miracle let Kotori react. By instinct, she swung her axe backward with desperate force.
A piercing clash rang out, shockwaves rippling. Kotori was pushed back, the ground shattering beneath her. Not because she was overpowered—but because she was stunned by Kurumi, wreathed in flames, charging through the fire that incinerated her clones.
"You're insane!? You'll die doing this!!"
"If it means killing you!! Yes, I'll gladly take these wounds!!"
"This—!!"
Locked in a struggle, Kotori suppressed her flames to avoid hurting Kurumi further. Kurumi was beyond reason, her purpose and means hopelessly tangled.
Kotori's goal wasn't to kill. It was to protect Spirits—to stop this stubborn child who refused Shidou's words, even if by force—
"—Then die here."
In that moment, she wasn't Itsuka Kotori. She was a berserker, a slaughterer.
"!?"
The balance broke. Kurumi was flung back, tumbling across the ground. As she struggled to rise—
"Blazing Annihilation Demon: Camael—Cannon: Megiddo."
Kurumi's expression froze at the impending future. The axe transformed into a cannon, flames converging at its tip. No time. Kurumi staggered to her feet—
"—Kurumi!!"
She heard his voice. Her eyes widened, seeing him so close—too close. If he tried to protect her, he'd expose himself.
"I'm borrowing him for a bit, Shidou."
Kotori's words echoed in her mind. Borrowing him. Kurumi's mind raced—Shidou was just a normal human now.
"Us—!!"
The decision was clear. As long as she lived, she could try again. Logic demanded retreat. So Kurumi—
"—Protect Shidou-san!!"
Her heart screamed, defying reason. Irrational, incomprehensible, devoid of logic. But it didn't matter. Her heart demanded it. She couldn't let him die.
"Kurumi!!"
Her clones formed a wall, pinning Shidou to shield him. They followed her desperate wish, even if they didn't understand. Shidou reached out, screaming her name, desperate. That alone made her smile, feeling happiness—
"—Turn to ash, Blazing Annihilation Demon: Camael."
The flames erupted.
"Gah... cough... cough..."
Pain from impact and the lingering scent of fire made Shidou cough. He survived thanks to Kurumi's clones, all but one incinerated or blown away. The last, battered clone stood guard. But the one at the epicenter?
"...Kurumi..."
Hell awaited. A hellish scene. The unleashed torrent of heat had melted the ground, creating a nightmarish landscape. Kurumi lay there, her body scorched beyond recognition, her dress mostly burned away, her headdress gone, her beautiful black hair splayed out.
Yet she tried to stand. Her angel, Emperor of Time: Zafkiel, was nearly destroyed, barely functional. Still, she never let go of her gun.
"Fine, Kurumi. Stand. Raise your gun. The war's not over. The killing continues. The fight isn't done. Come—I'll kill you as you wish."
"Kotori! Stop!!"
The killer laughed, aiming her cannon at the powerless girl, her face ecstatic.
Her brother's voice didn't reach her. Kotori ignited her flames again.
"Damn it! Let go! I have to go!!"
To his sister, to the girl he loved—Shidou had to stop this worst possible ending. Only he could.
"No... I was ordered... I can't let you go..."
Even battered, Kurumi's clone easily restrained a human like Shidou.
Don't screw with me! She spoke of devouring him, of killing him, yet sacrificed herself to protect him. It was absurd.
He wouldn't let her die. Not after seeing her smile like that. He didn't want to save her just to watch her suffer. Move, move, move! He needed strength to protect her, even for a moment—
"...!?"
"Grahhh!!"
For a fleeting second, the clone's grip loosened. Shidou didn't think—he ran. He didn't notice the faint chill emanating from him, a power only the dying clone sensed.
"Stop, Kotori! Any more and Kurumi will die!! Protecting Spirits, resolving this without killing—that's Ratatoskr, right!?"
Grabbing Kotori's shoulder, he got no response. Looking at her face, he froze. Those ruby eyes reflected nothing—not him, not Kurumi—only her own murderous impulse.
"Gah!?"
A burst of flame threw Shidou back, a scorched fence barely catching him. Kotori's cannon glowed with critical intensity. No time to curse. He couldn't stop it—like when Tohka unleashed her ultimate strike. So he ran—to Kurumi.
"Kurumi!!"
"...Shi...dou-san...?"
Her voice was faint, yet she called his name. Even in this death-bound state, it filled him with joy.
He embraced her. Tightly, fiercely. It was all he could do. He had no strength to flee with her, no power to shield her from the inferno. So he chose the only way he could think of—the way most likely to let her survive. Even if he died, he wanted her to live. That was the desperate wish of a boy in love.
"...No—"
By chance or fate, the girl he held felt the same.
His broad chest enveloped her. His gentle arms held her tight. She clung to him, feeling warmth despite her numbed senses.
She didn't want to lose him. At death's edge, that was her only thought. Not her life, not her mission—just this warmth.
She understood, accepted. Tokisaki Kurumi could no longer take Shidou's life against his will.
To realize this now—what a foolish girl.
Please, let Shidou-san live. A prayer from a girl who'd defied gods.
"—Onii-chan... dodge!!"
The voice wasn't the killer's. It was Kotori's—his gentle sister, incapable of becoming a monster.
A roar. The crimson inferno surged toward them, like the world's end. Yet in that distorted, cherished, mad moment, the boy and girl existed only for each other.
The flames erupted—
"—Sorry, Kurumi. I'm breaking your order."
A godlike speed outran the flames.
Feeling the spreading fire, the boy held his beloved girl tightly, never letting go, as his consciousness faded.