The thunder roared once and then fell silent. In the flicker between light and shadow, the two figures vanished from their positions around the coffee table.
The wind howled through the room as pale pink shadows splashed vibrant color across the walls. It was the color of flame—deep crimson at the core, wrapped in a faint, ethereal blue. This "flame" spread through the chamber like ink from a madman's brush.
The explosions were silent. Every object grazed by Killer Queen's fingertips—the mahogany table, the ceramic teapot, the rippling tea in the cups—was instantly converted into a bomb and hurled forward.
Contact Bombs.
Hasegawa dodged, and the projectiles slammed into the walls, erupting into a kaleidoscope of lethal sparks. It looked like fireworks blooming against a night sky, painting the chamber in a romantic, if deadly, atmosphere.
Lethal Romance.
BOOM—
Dodging the explosions, Hasegawa blurred behind Kira Nanami in the blink of an eye. He knew Kira's greatest weakness: due to his Heavenly Restriction, he possessed massive Cursed Energy but no Innate Technique of his own. The man's physical body was his Achilles' heel.
Before the "fireworks" on the wall could fade, Hasegawa closed in. His withered, claw-like hand swiped at Kira's neck, drawing beads of blood.
"Brother!"
Aoi Todo instinctively tried to channel his Cursed Energy to swap places, but he had already squeezed his soul dry. His vision blurred, and he collapsed onto the tatami, his eyelids growing heavy as lead.
Seeing his first strike draw blood but not finish the job, Hasegawa—still inhabiting Gakuganji's elderly frame—flung back the hem of his kimono. In a motion like a gunslinger drawing a pistol from his waist, he slowly pulled out...
A bass guitar?
After ten days of consumption, Hasegawa had adapted to Gakuganji's flesh, allowing him to use a portion of the Principal's original Cursed Technique.
The bass wailed. Sonic waves vibrated through the air, carrying the curse through the oscillations. It shattered the window frames, letting the rain pour in; it sliced through the raindrops, turning them into mist. Even the floorboards splintered into jagged fissures, tearing toward Kira Nanami.
"Killer Queen."
A flash of pink. In the space of a heartbeat, the Stand shifted in front of Kira, crossing its black-gloated arms over its chest.
The sonic wave hit. Mixed with a flurry of splintered wood, it slammed into the Stand.
Within the roar of the sound, Killer Queen remained unscathed.
Since the attack wasn't soul-based, it was merely physical pressure. But Kira didn't let his guard down. Hasegawa was currently using Gakuganji's techniques and martial arts—those were manageable. The real danger was the Innate Technique Hasegawa had yet to reveal.
"Hasegawa Kaede. If I recall correctly, the sorcerers outside should be returning any minute. Fifteen minutes, at most."
"Give up. You'll be surrounded."
"If I kill you within those fifteen minutes, it won't matter, will it?" Hasegawa tilted his head.
"Coincidentally," Kira replied with a flat smile, leaning against his Stand's back, "I was thinking the exact same thing."
"I have to kill you in the next fifteen minutes too."
"You've been dodging bombs for several rounds now. You must be quite warm. Are you sweating?"
BOOM—
"LOOK OVER HERE!"
Another explosion! A small blue tank tore through Hasegawa's arm. With a metallic clack, it detonated in a spray of sparks, sending the arm holding the bass flying into the air.
Instantly, the sonic roar ceased. The sounds of rain, wind, and thunder rushed back into the room.
Killer Queen's bombs could damage the soul.
Before Hasegawa could even process the loss of his limb, Killer Queen was in his face. Kira's calm voice drifted from behind the Stand:
"My Shikigami is called Killer Queen. It turns whatever it touches into a bomb. Its weakness is that it can only create one at a time; I cannot make another until the previous one detonates."
Technique revealed. Cursed Energy output increases.
Kira had laid his cards on the table. He was doubling down.
The pink cat's hands reached up, inches from Hasegawa's face—
"I am currently the 'Life Soul' of the Three Souls," Hasegawa hissed. "My technique is [Balance]. I can briefly pull other soul fragments into a single vessel... just like this!"
Technique revealed. Cursed Energy output increases.
He was doubling down too.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. Yin energy rose as Yang fell. The room felt as though it had dropped into a frozen abyss, or drifted into the dark vacuum of space.
Shadow after shadow surged through the windows like streams flowing into an ocean, all pouring into Hasegawa's palm. One, two, three... six shadows in total—the Poins of Tunzei, Feidu, Chuhui... and the Soul Taiguang.
In an instant, his Cursed Energy spiked infinitely, shattering the ceiling of a Grade 1 and becoming a true Special Grade.
BLACK FLASH!
In that one-in-a-thousand-millisecond window, the Goddess of Fate threw her dice. The black sparks of spatial distortion favored him. They swirled around Hasegawa's palm as he struck at Killer Queen's abdomen.
Furthermore, he infused the strike with the "Jakuin" (Grief) poin, elevating the blow to a soul-shattering level!
Killer Queen only had time to raise an arm in defense. The frenzied Cursed Energy threatened to pierce its form. The Grief poin shattered upon impact, but its soul fragments—limitless sorrow and spiritual poison—surged into the Stand's body!
Except... it didn't happen.
Where Hasegawa's palm struck, something hard and cold blocked the path to the Stand's chest.
A small blue tank.
Sheer Heart Attack.
At the absolute last millisecond, the cat had snatched the tank and held it up like a shield.
The entirety of the Special Grade Cursed Energy, along with the shattered soul fragments, slammed into the tank. It bore the brunt of the horrific damage—
A tiny crack appeared on the tank's shell.
You think seven souls can one-shot me?
Kira had played his indestructible card. And then—
Click.
Killer Queen reached out for Hasegawa's only remaining arm.
"Let my bomb show begin."
[Currently Available Information 2]Binding Vow: Revelation of Technique
By explaining the mechanics of one's Cursed Technique to the opponent, the user increases the effectiveness and output of that technique. It is a gamble of information for raw power.