Let's rewind to the start of this wild night.
"Sho."
Thanks to little Ace's meddling, the demon "Nanna" snapped awake in the dreamscape before Shoko Toyokawa could. That frenzied howl echoing through the air sent a chill down Mutsu Wakaba's spine. Worried, she dove into her own dream, pulling back the curtain on this twisted stage.
Her dream and Shoko's? Near-identical setups. Both were double-layered dreamscapes, theaters nested within stages. Under the influence of Nanna's blood, their prolonged contact fused the two dreams into something bizarre—a triple-layered structure.
"Two different stages in the same theater." That's the shared dreamscape Shoko and Mutsu now inhabit. Their dreams aren't directly linked, but slip backstage, and you can cross through a passageway into the other's world.
Here's the kicker, though: despite their almost identical frameworks, there's one fundamental difference between their dreams.
When Mutsu steps into the dream, she doesn't land on the "stage." She's in the "theater."
Mutsu leaps onto the stage, breezing through the "fourth wall." From there, she slips backstage, crossing into the other dream, right to where Shoko slumbers.
"Sho."
Mutsu gently shakes Shoko Toyokawa, asleep in a garden, and calls her name again.
Shoko's brow furrows tight, a faint red glow seeping through her closed eyes. Her body trembles nonstop.
Mutsu knows what's up—Shoko's will is being eroded by Nanna's influence, bit by bit. This can't go on. So, she makes her move.
Translucent threads extend from Mutsu's fingertips, inching toward Shoko.
And that's the core difference. In this dream, Shoko's just a puppet performing on the stage. Mutsu? She's outside it, playing multiple roles. She can be the "puppet" or the "puppeteer." Not just an "audience member," but the "director" too.
Unconscious, Shoko's guided by Mutsu's threads. She rises slowly, drifting to a gazebo where she sits, still as a statue.
A true performer knows how to build and control the stage—that's the lesson Mutsu's been drilled with forever. Whether it's a gift or a curse, Mutsu's always fully lucid in her dreams. She's spent her time crafting stages in her mind, directing countless puppets in endless plays.
Mutsu takes a deep breath and says to the sleeping Shoko, "Sho, I'm starting."
Sometimes, Mutsu can't tell if she's in a dream or reality. The real world starts feeling like another stage she's pulling the strings on. She knows this is her family's so-called "gift"—a cursed talent that makes them natural-born performers, forever tormented by it.
But it's exactly this talent that lets her pull off something Shoko could never do.
Following their unspoken, never-written-or-spoken plan, Mutsu removes her mask and swaps it with Shoko's.
Her perspective shifts, detaching from her body, soaring into the sky until she's got a god's-eye view of the entire stage. Invisible stylists appear, swapping their hairstyles, clothes, and makeup.
When it's done, Nanna's corruption abandons "Mutsu Wakaba," slithering along the threads into "Shoko Toyokawa's" body.
With a thought, the puppeteer makes "Mutsu Wakaba," seated in the chair, open her eyes.
Perfect, the puppeteer thinks.
Time to set up the next stage.
"Shoko Toyokawa," now under the puppeteer's control, takes two stiff steps before moving as naturally as the real Shoko. Carrying Nanna's corruption, she crosses backstage into the other dream.
Then, the passageway linking the two slams shut.
Unlike the real Shoko, this girl wearing Shoko's face is a hollow shell—a marionette dancing on the puppeteer's strings. No matter how hard Nanna tries, a puppet can't rebel against its master.
This keeps the "Mutsu Wakaba" in the other dream safe.
When Nanna realizes her corruption isn't fazing "Shoko," she assumes Shoko's awake, stabilized with Hatsuha's help. Desperate to erase her consciousness, Nanna sends a pack of her minions through the connection, aiming to overrun the dream.
Spotting the werewolves, the puppeteer merely waves a hand. A troupe of doll-like puppets appears on the stage, clashing with the wolves in a brutal dance.
Then Hatsuha gets swallowed by Nanna, exposing the dream's location. Nanna charges in without hesitation, facing off against the puppeteer, who's borrowed Shoko's power for the final showdown—
"Of course, it's been the plan from the start."
Shoko Toyokawa smirks at Asmodeus's question. "Knowing your goal all along, you think I wouldn't have a counter?"
That's right—this was the play from the jump. By swapping identities, Shoko and Mutsu tricked Asmodeus into thinking Shoko and Nanna had worn each other out, leaving him free to make his move, seize the dream, and steal Nanna's power.
But at the last second, Shoko, who could always reclaim control of the dream, snatches the victory.
"You two are insane!"
Asmodeus, perfectly played, roars in frustration. "Aren't you afraid of dying?!"
The riskiest part of the plan was Mutsu posing as Shoko, taking on Nanna's corruption and Ace's attacks.
One wrong move—like that Yama Blade piercing her—could've been fatal.
But to Asmodeus's outburst, Mutsu just tilts her head.
"Why would I be afraid?" her eyes silently ask.
"Ha."
A bitter chuckle escapes Asmodeus. "Right. I forgot—you don't feel human emotions."
Nero furrows his brow. This demon's scheme is unraveling, yet it still acts like it's holding all the cards.
He channels demonic energy into his blade, ready to strike.
"I'll admit, this move caught me off guard. But—"
In that instant, Nero's eyes widen. He swings his blade down as a familiar power erupts from both Shoko and Mutsu's bodies.
"—you really think I'd leave a gap like that?" Asmodeus drawls, finishing its thought.