While Mochi and Miyu fought against the flaming puppets, Zeke was facing the main anomaly directly. That creature roared in fury, releasing a new fireball—much larger and more scorching than the previous ones.
—Let's see how you survive this, hunter! —the anomaly shouted, a deranged smile twisting its charred face.
Zeke looked up at the incandescent projectile rushing toward him. However, instead of panicking, he let out a brief chuckle and adjusted the collar of his scorched shirt.
—Guess it's time I get serious too.
With a calm motion, he grasped the rope in his left hand. As he began to recite a low chant, his palm slowly slid along the cord. As he did, the rope's original red hue transformed into a bright blue, and glowing runes began to appear across its surface, emitting a faint vibration.
The air around him grew humid and heavy. Zeke had cast a spell upon his weapon.
—Flow Enchantment.
The rope cracked through the air like a whip once again, but this time it left behind a liquid trail that faded with a sound reminiscent of crashing waves. The entire rope was wrapped in a thin layer of water spinning with centrifugal force.
The effect was immediate. When the rope struck the fireball, a deafening explosion of steam covered the entire rooftop. The clash between fire and water generated a dense mist that completely enveloped the battlefield.
Taking advantage of the precious seconds of concealment provided by the steam curtain, he began spinning his rope at high speed, gathering energy to launch his counterattack. However, his plan was interrupted by a roar that shook the air.
—Don't think you can hide from me!
The anomaly emerged from the vapor like a demon from hell, wreathed in white flames that devoured even the oxygen around it.
—Even if I have to burn all the energy I've gathered over the years… I'll make sure to destroy you!
The flames on its fists had intensified to the point of becoming white and blinding. The creature threw a direct punch at Zeke's torso; it didn't need to aim for the head—mere contact would be enough to end him.
Zeke leaped to the side at the very last instant, dodging the strike by a fraction of a second. The ground where he had stood melted instantly, turning into a pool of molten stone.
—Agh, burns! —Zeke grunted, shaking his arm. Though he had avoided the blow, the searing heat had burned part of his shirt, leaving his skin red and steaming.
The anomaly gave him no respite.
—What's wrong, hunter? Out of tricks already? —it taunted, advancing with heavy steps, the floor beneath its feet sizzling and burning.
Zeke backed away several meters, trying to maintain his distance. He knew that if the fight dragged on, he would be the one to tire first. The anomaly, driven by pure rage, seemed limitless.
—Let's see how long you can last staying on the defensive —the creature sneered, charging at him again.
Zeke took a deep breath, focusing. His gaze turned cold.
As the anomaly leaped toward him, Zeke snapped his rope with force, swinging it downward in a strike aimed directly at his opponent's head. The creature, confident in its durability, raised its arm to block, believing it could endure the impact and end the fight then and there. Even losing an arm was a small price to pay for victory.
The white flames roared violently as the rope descended…
But the strike never came.
Zeke's lips curved into a faint smile. The anomaly had fallen right into his trap.
Instead of striking the creature's arm, the rope changed trajectory at the last instant, moving like a serpent. It slipped skillfully through the flames, dodged the raised fist, and coiled tightly around the creature's neck.
—I got you! —Zeke growled.
Taking advantage of the moment of confusion, he pulled with all his strength. The rope went taut instantly, and the anomaly lost its balance, crashing heavily to the ground with a thud that made the rooftop tremble.
Zeke didn't waste a second. He leaped onto the creature's back and pulled the rope again with both hands, digging his heels into the scorching surface. The runes on the weapon glowed intensely, and at the same time, steam began to rise around the enemy's neck, accompanied by a sound like boiling water.
The anomaly let out a howl of pain and thrashed desperately, trying to tear the rope off with its hands.
—It's useless! —Zeke shouted furiously—. It's time you paid for the atrocities you've committed!
The steam thickened, partially obscuring the scene. For a moment, only the creature's roars and the hiss of evaporating water could be heard.
Suddenly, the creature stopped struggling. Instead, its body began to swell. The flames surrounding it grew brighter, and the heat became unbearable.
—I may have lost… —the anomaly said with a twisted smile—, but I'll make sure to drag you all to hell with me.
Zeke frowned. He knew exactly what was about to happen.
—Damn it! —The floor beneath his feet began to melt; the air reeked of molten metal.
Even so, he didn't release the rope. His entire body trembled from the heat, and his shoes began to stick to the burning body of the anomaly. With a strained shout, he pulled with all the strength he had left.
The anomaly's body cracked, blinding light seeping through the fissures. The creature screamed:
—Burn with my flames!
But before it could finish, a loud snap rang out. Zeke gave one final, desperate pull, and the rope sliced through the anomaly's neck in a single motion. Its head flew off and rolled to a stop just a few meters away.
The flames vanished instantly. What had once been a figure wreathed in fire was now reduced to a charred, motionless corpse.
At that very moment, Mochi and Miyu—still fighting the flaming puppets—watched as the fire within them suddenly went out, their bodies collapsing to the floor like stringless dolls.
Both girls ran toward Zeke.
—Leader, are you okay?! —Miyu asked, panting.
Zeke dropped onto a cracked piece of concrete, breathing heavily.
—Yeah… I'm fine. —He smiled faintly—. What about you two?
—I'm okay —Mochi replied, wiping the sweat from her forehead—. Just a few cuts and minor burns.
—Same here —added Miyu, touching a singed lock of hair—. Though I think I'll have to trim it a bit…
The three shared a brief laugh, but their moment of relief was short-lived. A strange sound made them tense up again.
A faint groan came from the severed head of the anomaly.
All three froze.
The monster's mouth barely moved, and a weak voice escaped its charred teeth:
—I could have kept hunting quietly… for years. But they forced me to hurry… I needed more power… I wasn't going to bow to anyone…
The voice faded.
A second later, the anomaly's body began to disintegrate, turning into fine ashes carried away by the wind.
Zeke watched silently as the dark dust vanished into the night air.
Mochi and Miyu exchanged a quiet glance. The battle was over… at least for now.
—He turned out to be stronger than I expected —Zeke said as he approached the anomaly's remains, which were still crumbling into ash—. You two, come here. I want you to see this.
Both girls walked over to where he stood. Zeke knelt beside the remains; some parts still glowed faintly. He raised his hand, and responding to his will, the rope slithered forward and retrieved something from within the charred fragments: a piece about the size of a golf ball. To anyone else, it would have looked like a lump of glowing coal.
—This is the anomaly's core —Zeke explained—. Come closer.
He searched one of the inner pockets of his jacket and pulled out a small wooden box with runes carved into its lid. Opening it revealed a thick, black liquid inside that seemed to absorb the light around it.
—What's that? —Mochi asked.
—I know! I know! —Miyu interrupted with her usual energy—. That's an inrō! It's what samurai used to carry their things in.
Mochi nodded, vaguely recalling similar images from some games. Zeke carefully dropped the core into the liquid and closed the lid. Then he secured it with a ritual-like gesture, as if sealing away something fragile yet precious.
—This allows us to preserve the anomaly cores so they don't degrade and keeps them stable —Zeke explained—. If you turn it in at headquarters, they'll pay you extra for it. —He gave a tired smile—. With this, the case is closed.
Mochi felt her chest tighten. —In the end, we couldn't save anyone. Sam died… and so did Ami. Can we really say we succeeded? —Her voice carried the weight of disappointment.
Zeke shook his head solemnly. —You shouldn't focus on the lives we lost, but on the ones we managed to save. Think about how many students would have died if we hadn't stopped him today. Remember, we face beings that feed on humans and enjoy making them suffer. In the future, we'll encounter worse situations than this, but this is our job: we must stay strong; we are the thin line that separates this world from the…
A siren, distant at first, interrupted his words as it drew closer at high speed.
—Someone must've called the police because of the noise —Zeke said, glancing around—. We should go before they arrive; explaining all this would be a real problem.
The three of them gathered their things with mechanical movements. The night smelled of smoke and ash, and in the air lingered a heavy feeling that what they had just faced wouldn't be the end of that case.
Both girls nodded in response to Zeke's words and hurried down the stairs. On the way, they saw how the fire in Ami's apartment had spread, consuming almost the entire floor.
—Don't get distracted. We're the only ones left in the building, so there won't be any casualties —Zeke said as he continued descending rapidly.
Soon they reached the street and followed Zeke to the car.
—This car… where did you get it? —Miyu asked, surprised.
—It was lent to us —Zeke replied as he climbed into the vehicle—. Get in, I'll drop you off at your homes.
—Thanks, Zeke, but we'd rather take the bus —Mochi said quickly; the memory of their previous car ride was still painfully fresh in her mind.
—What are you saying, sempai?! The police are almost here, and if we wait for the bus, we'll end up getting home at dawn —Miyu couldn't understand why Mochi refused to let Zeke drive them.
—Fine, we'll take the car, but remember, Miyu, you're the one who chose this.
During the ride home, Miyu fully understood why Mochi hadn't wanted to go by car, and she silently swore she'd do everything possible to avoid ever traveling with Zeke behind the wheel again.