The Shogun then allowed Thundering Pulse to dissolve from her hand. Her entire body transformed into lightning and shot into the sky, crossing the sea at extreme speed.
As she passed over the embattled offshore passage, she casually electrocuted a large number of GHQ soldiers and mechs before finally ascending to the platform where Da'ath had stood. There, she slowly resumed her physical form and landed.
She glanced down at Funeral Parlor, who were still holding back the GHQ soldiers. When Gai saw her, he nodded, indicating that they could handle matters there. Ward 24's interior should now be largely empty, making it easier for her to act.
She looked away, ignored the attendants beside her who seemed to have been hypnotized by Da'ath, and strode through the doorway, heading directly toward the level closest to the chamber containing the Origin Stone.
However... Da'ath, whom she had pinned to the wall with an arrow through the head, was nowhere to be seen. She knew he was not dead. After all, he had survived the slash she dealt him last time.
[O wildflowers blooming in the field,]
[Ah... please, you must tell me...]
[Why do people always wound one another and fight?]
At that moment, Inori's song drifted down from the sky. Yet the Shogun knew it was not truly Inori singing, but Mana... The feeling was different, and so was its nature. Sung by that woman, this song so full of vitality instead overflowed with despair and death.
There was not much time left... She could not delay any longer. The proof was in the radiance above, which was growing more intense by the moment. At its center, something resembling a tree beginning to blossom had appeared.
"Central Operations Command..."
She softly read the words written on a nearby sign. Beyond it lay an extremely vast and futuristic space dominated by shades of azure. At the center stood a massive elevator leading to the highest level, where the Origin Stone was located.
Bang!
The doors behind her closed automatically, sealing her inside.
"Welcome... Raiden Mio."
At last, Da'ath appeared before her. Crystal particles slowly gathered into his form as he descended to the floor.
Rumble!
The platform beneath her feet began to rise. The elevator had evidently been activated, though it moved rather slowly.
"Where is Inori?"
She asked directly.
"Eve is above us."
He answered.
"She is Inori Yuzuriha, not Eve."
She corrected him and took several steps forward.
"Call her whatever you like... But there are some matters I wish to discuss with you alone."
Da'ath shrugged.
"Give her back to me."
The Shogun ignored his nonsense and demanded Inori's return.
"Do not be so impatient... I already said I wanted to talk—"
Crackle!
Crash!
With a flick of her hand, she hurled a bolt of lightning into him and shattered him instantly.
"What a temper... Do you perhaps think yourself magnificent? Have you begun to regard yourself as some so-called savior?"
Da'ath reconstructed himself and asked in a frivolous tone.
"A foolish question. I have never presumed to claim such an arrogant identity."
She answered coldly.
"Is that so? Then your actions now are rather arrogant, are they not?"
He replied.
"I merely wish to protect those beside me. You people... are the culprits responsible for their suffering."
Her voice was icy, like a piercing bolt of lightning.
"Mm—protecting those beside you? How sentimental—"
"An obscure nobody dares pass judgment upon me? Who are you? State your name."
She cut off his nonsense, a trace of contempt entering her eyes.
"Heh... Very well. I am Da'ath, the organization that determines the will of humanity... and the representative of the collective will of all its members."
"I have never heard of you."
She poured cold water over him without mercy.
"It does not matter... Raiden Mio, you possess overwhelming strength that transcends this world. It is precisely because someone like you exists... that you have been able to lead those around you this far. But have you ever considered ruling this world together with Eve instead?"
He conjured an apple in his hand.
"Eve loves you... and you could likewise—"
"You misunderstand. The person I intend to save is Inori Yuzuriha, not Eve, and certainly not Mana Ouma. That woman is occupying the child's body and causing her pain. There is only one thing I will do. I will tear your Eve out of her... or destroy her."
"..."
Da'ath fell silent. With a crunch, the apple in his hand was crushed.
"As for something as tedious as ruling the world, I have never entertained such a thought, nor do I desire it. And you... shall take this opportunity to become another soul beneath my blade."
Hum!
She instantly drew Musou Isshin from her chest, flashed past Da'ath, and severed his body.
Crash!
However, Da'ath once again transformed into fragments and reconstructed himself. She swept him with a cold glance, then slowly turned toward the reformed young man.
Boom!
At that moment, the platform reached the top. What entered her vision were countless puppet-like people surrounding them. As Da'ath raised his hand, he extracted the Voids of several among them. The first resembled a throwing blade. It floated in the air before shooting toward her.
Clang!
She swung her sword and cut the throwing blade apart.
"Aaaagh!"
Crash!
Because his Void had been destroyed, its owner instantly crystallized.
"..."
She glanced at the crystallized man and frowned. Then she saw Da'ath extract the Voids of several more people. This time, they were twin whips. He closed the distance, spun his body, and swept the whips around himself in a full circle.
She flashed into the air and prepared to unleash a draw slash. Da'ath smiled upon seeing this and transformed into crystal fragments the instant she struck, causing her blade to cut through empty space.
"..."
She showed little surprise. Closing her eyes, she listened to the faint movements of the fragments. Ripples like those upon water appeared within the darkness of her perception. Predicting his trajectory, she turned and slashed through the neck of the figure who had just appeared behind her.
Crash!
The decapitated Da'ath once again dissolved into fragments and retreated from her as though fleeing for his life.
"—!"
The young man reformed while hovering in midair, a trace of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
What kind of absurd reaction speed was that?
He had not even seen that strike clearly!
The Shogun straightened and held Musou Isshin horizontally before her, assuming Ei's favored stance.
"...I see. What a magnificent swordswoman... What a pity—!"
Da'ath frowned and extracted the Voids of two more people. This time, they were a pair of swords. He landed and rushed toward her, intending to cross blades. After all, he could not die. That was what the young man believed.
"..."
The Shogun said nothing as she watched Da'ath charge toward her.
Click!
The next second, time slowed. Her violet eyes instantly locked onto the side of his ribs. She transformed into lightning and passed through his body in the blink of an eye.
Time resumed... Da'ath's pupils contracted. He staggered to a halt and stared as the wound along his ribs gradually widened. After a brief moment of astonishment at her ridiculous speed, he prepared to turn into crystal and heal himself as usual. Yet this time, he had already lost his chance.
Shnk!
"Wha—?!"
The next second, a blade pierced through his chest. A long-forgotten, heart-rending pain swept through his entire body, finally filling him with terror.
"Never leave your back exposed to an enemy. You grew careless."
Behind him, the Shogun spoke coldly as Musou Isshin pierced through Da'ath's body.
"Why can I not—cough!"
Da'ath spat out blood. He stared at the blade protruding from his chest as it twisted clockwise. Dreamlike violet light radiated from the steel and rapidly spread across his body. The pain of corrosion and burning made his eyes roll back instinctively.
"Aaaaaagh!"
He screamed and instinctively reached for Musou Isshin's blade with both hands, but the moment he grasped it, his hands were severed. The person behind him lifted his entire body with the sword.
His crystalline body was gradually dissolving... or perhaps turning to ash.
Crack!
The Shogun twisted the hilt once more and killed him completely. Without the protection of crystal, his body directly turned to ash and dispersed into the air.
Hum!
She drew out the tachi, flicked the blood from its blade, and returned it to her chest in one seamless motion.
[O flower blooming proudly,]
[What can you see from there?]
[Why are people always unable to forgive one another?]
The song continued. By now, the elevator had carried her to the highest level. Following the flow of energy, she reached the chamber where the Origin Stone was kept. However, a middle-aged man stood in her way. It was Shuichiro Keido.
"Step aside... unless you wish to lose your life."
She warned him.
"...This sanctuary does not permit the likes of you to enter."
Keido answered.
Bang!
"—!"
Her eyes turned cold. In an instant, she flashed behind him and knocked him unconscious with a chop of her hand. Funeral Parlor could deal with him later.
"..."
She paused and looked at the unconscious man lying on the floor, then glanced toward the edge of the platform and the abyss more than a hundred meters deep beyond it. Her thoughts turned, and a slightly wicked idea entered her mind. She truly did not want him to remain alive, but killing him with her own hands felt somewhat...
In that case—
Hum...
She summoned her demonic arm, lifted him in one hand, and threw him directly into the abyss. The height was so absurd that he fell for four full seconds before striking the ground with a dull thud.
No one had seen anything... He had accidentally fallen. That was all. Mm.