"…So you managed to stop both of my blades, huh? I'm impressed. At that speed, you blocked them with pure physical strength," Kira said casually to Forta, who was waiting about twenty meters outside the Neopjevan School storage building. Around Kira, the remaining zombies were closing in.
"Don't get cocky, brat! You won't escape this time!" Forta shouted, furious.
Black embers wrapped around Forta's body. Kira could feel the pressure of his power—yet he refused to be outdone. Crimson embers flared around Kira in response, and both Valiant Blades appeared in his hands.
"KILL THAT BRAT!" Forta ordered his zombie force.
The zombies surged toward Kira. There were still around three hundred of them. Kira's strategy was simple: never let himself be pinned to a single spot. He couldn't use his blade-surfing technique again—it was extremely hard to stabilize, and he was also guarding Nieza inside the storage building.
His main target was Forta.
Kira hurled a Valiant Blade with brutal force. The thrown blade accelerated as crimson fire ignited along its hilt. Dozens of zombies shielding Forta were pierced and shoved back by the spinning projectile. The blade slowed only after driving through dozens of bodies, finally coming to a stop, buried among them.
Forta seized the opening and sprinted straight for the storage building.
Realizing his throw had failed—and with five zombies already within striking distance—Kira swung his remaining blade in a horizontal arc.
Five zombies lunging at him were cleaved cleanly in half, dissolving into black sand.
In the same breath, Kira jumped ten meters into the air to avoid the next wave. Just before landing, he summoned his second Valiant Blade back into his hand and slammed it downward into the zombie beneath him.
Even after impaling one, the surrounding zombies were still feral, closing to within a meter, arms scraping forward to tear him apart.
A split second later, Kira triggered the Valkyrie Boots' power, flooding his legs with explosive force. He spun his entire body, both arms extended, blades held horizontally—
A full rotation.
Kira whirled like a crimson grinder, hacking through the pack that tried to swarm him. Black sand erupted in thick bursts, scattering in every direction as bodies split and vanished. Most of the zombies near him were reduced to nothing.
Several meters from where the spin began, Kira stopped and scanned the field.
Still too many.
Worse—some zombies were trying to break into the storage building.
Kira reacted on instinct, whipping a Valiant Blade toward the ones forcing their way in. The blade's sweep cut them down before they could cross the threshold.
But Kira's focus snapped back to his true target.
Forta.
He hadn't seen him since the slaughter began.
Where the hell did he go?
Then—
Forta appeared on the roof.
He leapt from roughly twenty meters away, landed on top of the storage building, and smashed through the roof, dropping inside.
"Sir Kira! Forta has entered the storage building!" Aigis's voice rang inside Kira's head.
Kira panicked, summoning both blades fully and sprinting for the building—only for more zombies to surge in and obstruct him.
Inside, Nieza was still unconscious.
Forta strode toward her.
"KIRA RAINHARD! IF YOU DON'T WANT HER TO END UP WITH APATHY SYNDROME, STOP MOVING!" Forta threatened, gripping Nieza's head roughly.
No matter what Kira chose, he was cornered. If he obeyed Forta, Nieza would still die from the curse—and she would still end up an apathy victim.
"Nieza! Wake up!" Kira roared.
*
Eight minutes earlier—before Kira left Nieza in the storage building.
What… is happening?
Nieza wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Her entire body felt limp, powerless. She could only watch and listen—watch Kira fighting to protect her, believing she would rise and help him.
Liar…
Nieza realized, bitterly, that she was the biggest liar of all.
She'd acted like she was strong enough. Strong enough to save Vesely. Strong enough to rely on herself.
She'd dismissed every hand Kira reached out with.
But in the end…
She was saved again.
By Kira.
By Istabene.
By her parents.
By her classmates.
All this time, she'd played the role of the "weak, sick girl" in front of everyone—because it made things easier. It meant no one expected her to help. It meant no one could blame her when she failed.
Yet for some reason—
She wanted to look strong in front of Kira.
Why?
Did she want to feel what responsibility truly weighed like—when Kira was watching?
Or did she simply believe he was the right partner to finish her mission?
Her mission to save Vesely.
"Lady Nieza…"
A voice.
A man's voice.
She knew it.
It was Aliniere.
"Aliniere…?" she whispered.
A tall man appeared—blond hair, a white coat draped over his shoulders. He looked young, around twenty-five. His blue eyes were calm, almost gentle.
"Ah. You can answer me now. Are you alright, Lady Nieza? You look exhausted."
"…Yes. Forgive me, Aliniere. I don't think I can keep going… I…"
"Why are you stopping, Lady Nieza?"
"Because I'm a liar. A liar who let my friends' trust and my family's faith—" her throat tightened. "I'm just weak, pretending to be strong…"
"Doesn't that prove you've been striving toward a noble goal? Why retreat now?"
"I'm scared, Aliniere! I'm terrified!" her voice broke. "Terrified of failing after I've fought so hard. Terrified because nothing is as simple as I thought. Because everything is abstract and uncertain! I-I'd rather quit… or die before I have to face my own failure…"
"Lady Nieza…"
"Vesely, forgive me… forgive me… Kira… forgive me…" Nieza whispered, trembling.
"Do you know why Miss Vesely chose you as my new representative?"
"…No."
"When Miss Vesely was still my representative, you were Forta and Zia's primary target. Though she lost in Konets Sveta because of their trap, she ordered me to appoint you as my next representative. Miss Vesely believed you would save her, Lady Nieza."
"…What?"
"Do you understand now? Miss Vesely did not want to give up. She entrusted this to you—so Forta and Zia would not wreak havoc again. So Konets Sveta would not destroy innocent lives."
"Vesely… why…?"
"At this very moment, Miss Vesely and Sir Kira share the same goal as you. They trust you because they believe their goal can be achieved if you stand with them."
Nieza's chest tightened.
"This responsibility… it's heavy. It hurts. I don't know if I can carry it… I don't know if I can do this right…"
"Sir Kira and Miss Vesely believe in you. So do I." Aliniere extended his hand. "Come, Lady Nieza. Rise and fight. Sir Kira is waiting for you."
With pain slicing through her body, Nieza lifted her arm, reaching for Aliniere's palm.
It hurt.
She imagined every grief that might come—every failure, every hatred, every hardship.
But—
She wanted to stand.
She wanted to succeed.
She wanted to become stronger.
She wanted to help her friend.
She wanted to crush every hatred, every hardship, every failure, every sorrow—
Even if her life was the price.
Because that was what it meant to be human.
Nieza's trembling right hand finally clasped Aliniere's hand. Her grip tightened, and Aliniere felt her spirit surge back to life.
"Call my name, Lady Nieza…"
"SUNT UN REPREZENTANT DE ALINIERE!"
Blue fire engulfed Nieza.
The red triangular mark on her abdomen vanished.
Nieza shattered the curse with sheer willpower.