Crash!
"How... is that possible?!"
After watching the live broadcast from the Seventh Loop, Shuichiro Keido rose in terror and staggered several steps backward, his face deathly pale.
"How could such power... possibly exist?!"
There was nothing on the screen except the crimson glow of flames. Corpses and the wreckage of mechs and military vehicles lay everywhere... along with the remains of a city that resembled purgatory itself.
"So a monster like that was hiding inside the wall... Is she the one protecting those students?!"
He roared.
"I see... So it is still her. Despite possessing power that does not belong to this world, she has chosen to stand with those weak students instead. How fascinating."
Da'ath sighed with an amused smile.
"What are you admiring her for?! Did she not nearly kill you last time as well?!"
Keido shouted at him in displeasure.
"Oh... that is true. However... she cannot kill me. I am the embodiment of the virus itself. As long as the virus exists, I will never die."
Da'ath smiled confidently and raised a hand, causing viral crystals to gather in his palm...
"—!"
Keido looked away and continued watching the broadcast before him... The woman walking through the flames resembled a malevolent spirit, making every hair on his body stand on end. Even so, he would not give up! He had already come this far. How many things had he sacrificed?! Everything had been for this very moment!
"Can you deal with her?"
Keido asked.
"Mm... probably, as long as you give me enough time to prepare."
Da'ath shrugged.
"Hmph... You had better be able to."
Keido turned and walked past him, staring at the container holding the Origin Stone... A trace of cold light flashed through his eyes.
"What is the situation with those students?"
he asked gravely.
"Regrettably, they were completely wiped out. Faced with that level of heavy firepower, they still dared to resist head-on. It seems we kept them bottled up for too long, and they finally lost their minds."
Although Da'ath sounded regretful, his flippant grin made it clear that he did not care whether those "students" lived or died.
"..."
Keido fell silent.
"What is wrong? Having second thoughts? Feeling guilty?"
Those children are already dead, and only now he begins to hesitate?
Da'ath asked.
"No... Besides, there is no longer any time for guilt. I already told you that I have sacrificed far too much for this moment. This is merely one of those sacrifices. With the situation as it is, combined with pressure from the United Nations, we cannot delay any longer!"
Once Eve is born, everything will finally be over!
An involuntary smile of relief appeared on his face.
"Precisely what I wanted to hear, Shuichiro. The 'vessel' is already on her way as well."
Da'ath had been waiting for those words. He stepped beside Keido and stood before the floating stone, spreading both arms wide.
"The origin of all things, our Eve! We have awaited your arrival for so long!"
Bzzz!
Silver light began radiating from his entire body, resonating with the stone before him.
Rumble! Rumble!
Just like the previous outbreak of the Apocalypse Virus, shock waves spread outward from the stone one after another. The sky above Ward 24 was instantly covered in profound violet light, which continued expanding into the distance. This outbreak was even larger than the previous one, enveloping the entirety of Japan. Each expanding wave churned the sky like the surface of a raging sea.
La... la... la!
That eerie music, unheard for so long, began playing once more—and this time, all of Japan could hear it!
"Hehehe... Yes, just like that... Come forth, Eve!"
Da'ath laughed with fanatical delight.
"Next comes—"
Keido's expression also darkened.
Beep—!
He connected to Segai's terminal...
"This is Segai. What are your orders, Prime Minister Keido?"
Segai's face appeared on the screen.
"Director Segai, take a vehicle to the Roppongi district and receive Eve. Bring her here without fail."
"Eve? So it is finally beginning? Understood."
Segai asked no questions. After giving a simple reply, he immediately set out.
...
Meanwhile, thanks to the Shogun's plan to lure the enemy away, the main group had successfully reached the docks and was boarding the Kuhouin family's passenger ship, which had been waiting there in advance. The students were allowed aboard first, followed by the members of the student council.
Just as the Shogun had predicted, the GHQ soldiers stationed nearby had already been transferred elsewhere, making the area relatively safe.
"There is enough room aboard the ship! Everyone, do not push!"
Arisa stood beside the gangway and shouted instructions, afraid that someone might accidentally fall into the water amid the crowding.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted in the distant city, its flames illuminating even the sky. Several of them instinctively turned to look, their expressions darkening. The battle was clearly extremely fierce. They could not help worrying about the Shogun. Acting as bait was far too dangerous. Although they trusted her strength, concern still rose instinctively within them.
"Mio... will be all right, will she not?"
Hare clasped both hands before her chest and prayed.
"Mio is very strong... She will be fine. We should leave quickly."
Tsugumi urged them.
"We have to trust her."
Ayase agreed.
"But... leaving her behind like this..."
Arisa lowered her gaze, hesitation appearing on her face.
"That was the plan. If we stay, we will only make things more difficult for Mio, will we not? Besides, the students still need us to look after them."
Yahiro spoke up to persuade her.
"All right. Then let us go."
Everyone nodded and prepared to board the ship. Unexpectedly, however, the GHQ units that had fled back from the battlefield happened to discover them.
"Enemy sighted!"
"What are you doing?! Stop right there!"
These men were too cowardly to challenge the strong, but bullying the weak came naturally to them. Upon seeing that the group consisted only of students, their tempers immediately flared. They intended to vent all their earlier frustration upon them and opened fire without another word!
"Damn it! They found us! Move!"
Yahiro urged them.
"—!" ×N
Everyone hurried up the gangway. Tsugumi directly lifted Ayase into her arms while Hare pushed the wheelchair, plunging the entire group into chaos.
Bang! ×N
The next instant, a merciless hail of bullets swept toward them. Fortunately, the gangway had metal guard panels that shielded them from most of the gunfire, though Yahiro was still grazed across the arm.
"—!"
He clutched his arm and grimaced in pain, but there was no time to worry about it. Lowering his head, he rushed directly onto the ship.
"...Obnoxious."
Seeing this, Inori bit her lip and decisively leaped from the gangway back onto the ground. Using the Power of the King, she drew her massive Void sword, flashed into the midst of the GHQ formation, and swung it down!
Bzzz!
A streak of silver light flashed past. A mech was instantly severed at the waist, traces of Apocalypse Virus crystals appearing across the cut surface. Silver threads wound around Inori's entire body as she swept out her hand.
"Aaargh!" ×N
The surrounding soldiers were hurled away by that surge of power!
"Inori!"
Only then did Hare, already standing on the passenger ship's deck, realize that Inori had jumped down. Her face turned pale.
"Leave this place to me."
After cutting down the mech before her, Inori gave Hare that instruction. Otherwise, those mechs would undoubtedly launch missiles at the passenger ship.
"But—!"
Hare trembled. As more and more GHQ soldiers arrived and gradually surrounded Inori, she bit her lip, and her eyes slowly reddened.
"Leave the docks!"
Inori lost her temper, a rare occurrence. She then unleashed every bit of power she possessed. Silver threads wrapped around her entire body, virus-like markings appeared across her face, and the massive sword danced with extraordinary ferocity in her hands.
Every swing she made amid the crowd sliced apart entire groups of soldiers, and even mechs.
Hooooonk!
The passenger ship began moving, pulling away from the docks and leaving the girl behind to fight alone amid an army of thousands.
"That is how it should be..."
Watching the departing ship, Inori revealed a relieved smile. Her eyes then turned cold once more as she faced the missile flying toward her. She raised her blade, and a shield appeared before her, blocking the force of the explosion.
Just as she was about to charge forward again, the same profound colors that had once haunted her nightmares appeared in the sky—
La... la... la!
The eerie music sounded once more. Endless shock waves spread outward from the summit of Ward 24 as Lost Christmas began anew.
"Aaahhh!"
The girl's face instantly turned deathly pale. Agonizing pain threatened to split her head apart, and all strength left her body as she collapsed to her knees, clutching her forehead and screaming.
"Please... do not do this..."
She pleaded instinctively. A faint crimson glow had already appeared in her eyes, while profound light radiated from her entire body. Her pink hair slipped free from the ribbon binding it and cascaded down her back. The viral markings across her face spread once more. Her consciousness was gradually being replaced as another personality seized control.
"Do not... Hehe. Hehehe... Honestly... Is it only beginning now?"
The girl's pleading gradually twisted, ultimately transforming into a coquettish laugh filled with sinister delight. She stopped trembling, replacing her helpless appearance with one of complete composure. A dangerous smile curved across her lips as she raised her crimson eyes toward the soldiers ahead, who were also being affected by the Origin Stone.
"How obstructive... Please disappear."
Bzzz!
She slowly rose and lightly swept out an arm.
Drawing upon the Origin Stone's power, she transformed everyone present into crystal before they shattered in midair.
"Hehe... This child's body truly is perfect."
Mana, who had taken control of Inori's body, giggled before slowly standing upright. Inori's already graceful figure appeared even fuller beneath the deliberately provocative way she carried herself. She stood with her long legs angled across each other and gently stretched her body.
"That feels wonderful..."
Mana sighed in satisfaction before looking down at her hands.
"As expected of my vessel."
Using Inori's face, she smiled wickedly and ran a hand through the long hair cascading behind her head.
Whoosh...
Her light body performed a movement resembling a ballet step. She then looked toward the profound light in the sky, her gaze resonating with it and causing her power to increase once more.
"Urgh—!"
The next instant, her right eye abruptly changed color, returning to its original cherry-pink hue.
"No! Get out of my body!"
Like someone suffering from a split personality, she suddenly screamed at herself.
"...What a disobedient child. Please be quiet."
Mana merely smiled before forcibly suppressing Inori's consciousness. With the Origin Stone's power, she completely crushed that resistance, and her thoughts immediately became much clearer.
She looked back at the passenger ship fading into the distance and revealed a coquettish smile.
"Wait for me, Shu... My Adam. Your big sister will return to welcome you very soon."
She then turned and walked toward Roppongi.
Segai, who had long been waiting in Roppongi, immediately stepped forward and bowed when he saw Mana approaching in Inori's body.
"Welcome back, Eve... We have awaited you for a very long time."
His tone was exceedingly respectful.
"...Is everything prepared?"
Mana looked down upon him like a queen.
"Yes. Everything is ready. We lacked only your arrival."
Segai smiled.
"Excellent. Lead me there."
"As you command."
With that, she entered the vehicle ahead. As she did, she glanced toward the violet light in the distance.
Raiden Mio...
A trace of murderous intent flashed through her eyes. Inori's beautiful face twisted into an unmistakable expression of disgust under her control.
Anyone who interferes with my reunion with Shu must die!