The wind stopped.
Not because it was calm—
but because it no longer dared to move.
Airi lowered her head. Her hands trembled violently, her breathing short and uneven. The shadow beneath her feet began stretching unnaturally, crawling as if alive.
Zata stood still, not pressuring her.
Cael waited, his sharp eyes filled with caution.
"Airi," Cael said, his voice quieter than usual.
"Answer me."
Airi closed her eyes.
Faces appeared one after another in her mind—
Arou.
Nova.
Haru.
Tomo.
Chika.
Her father and mother.
And… her own fear.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
"I…"
"T-truthfully… I'm afraid."
The sky trembled faintly.
The watchers who were still conscious immediately tensed up.
"I'm afraid of losing control," Airi continued.
"I'm afraid of hurting the people who matter to me."
The shadow at her feet darkened.
"But…"
Airi clenched her fists.
"I'm even more afraid… of giving up and letting other people decide my life for me."
Golden threads slowly emerged from Airi's eyes—
not wild, not attacking.
Calm.
Straight.
Stable.
They illuminated the air around her.
Cael fell silent.
Zata smirked faintly. "Heh… finally."
Airi raised her head. "My answer is…"
She stepped forward.
"I will not surrender to your system."
"And I will not become a monster either."
The golden threads trembled—
then merged back into Airi's body.
The sky remained bright.
Not dark.
Not collapsing.
Only… silent.
Cael let out a long sigh. "…so this is your choice."
He turned toward the watchers. "Lower your weapons."
"What?!"
"But Lord Cael—!"
"Lower them," he repeated firmly.
The order was obeyed.
Zata clapped once, softly. "Good. You all pass for today."
He looked at Airi. "You're still afraid of me, huh?"
Airi swallowed hard. "…I am."
Zata chuckled softly. "That's normal."
He began to change—
his body fading into a black silhouette before returning to the form of a bat.
Before completely disappearing, his voice echoed one last time.
"Airi."
Airi looked up.
"Your fear is not weakness."
"It's the strongest brake I've ever seen."
The bat vanished into the blue sky.
Silence.
Then—
Haru came running from the distance. "AIRIII!!"
Tomo and Nova followed behind. "WE SAW EVERYTHING!!"
Airi stood still for a moment…
then smiled faintly.
"Sorry," she said softly.
"For making you worry."
And for the first time in so long—
she felt… free.
The bright sky suddenly darkened.
Not like ordinary clouds—
the darkness descended rapidly, heavily, as if crushing the roof of the world itself.
Click… click…
Every light around them went out at once.
"Huh?!"
"The power?!"
"Airi?!"
Tomo instinctively stepped back. Haru swallowed nervously while Nova immediately became alert.
"Airi…" Arou called.
Everyone's eyes turned toward her.
Airi stood there, startled—
but her face was normal.
Not dark.
No white eyes.
No horrifying laughter.
"I-I'm here," Airi said quickly.
"I'm fine."
An unnatural silence enveloped them.
"…then," Nova muttered quietly,
"who's causing this darkness?"
A cold wind blew.
Slowly…
everyone turned toward the outside.
And that was when they saw it.
In the distance—
stood someone with the exact same body as Airi.
The same height.
The same posture.
The same hair.
Everything was identical.
But the face—
pitch black, as though swallowed by shadow.
Its eyes and mouth glowed crimson red.
Not shining—
but resembling open wounds.
"…that," Haru whispered.
"looks like Airi…"
Tomo trembled. "Not looks like… that's another version of Airi…"
Airi herself froze.
Her chest felt heavy.
"That… isn't me," she said softly, yet firmly.
The figure moved.
One step forward—
the ground beneath its feet cracked slightly.
Its red mouth opened,
and the voice that emerged sounded like Airi's—
"…finally, I can come out."
Everyone shivered.
Nova clenched his fist. "So this… isn't loss of control."
Arou stared at Airi. "It's something else."
Airi's shadow raised its hand—
and dark red threads extended from its fingers, pulsing like veins.
The sky grew darker.
But Airi…
stepped forward.
"I don't know who you are," she said firmly despite still trembling.
"But one thing is certain."
Golden threads slowly appeared from Airi's eyes—gentle, stable.
"I do not belong to the darkness."
The figure smiled widely.
"Oh?"
"We'll see about that."
The wind stopped.
The lights remained dead.
And for the first time—
Airi realized:
her next enemy… was herself.
Panic spread instantly.
"T-there are two of them?!"
"Which one is Airi?!"
"Who's the real one?!"
Haru stepped back, while Tomo instinctively hid behind Nova. Even Arou looked tense; this situation was clearly beyond anyone's expectations.
"Airi!" Arou shouted.
"Answer us!"
Before anyone could move, the real Airi raised her head.
In a single breath—
her face darkened.
As if all light had been devoured by shadow.
Her eyes and mouth turned pure white, empty yet crushing the souls of anyone who looked at them.
"—?!"
"Airi transformed too?!" Tomo cried out in panic.
"Did she lose control?!" Haru added.
But Airi's voice remained clear—cold, yet conscious.
"Relax… this isn't loss of control."
The shadow Airi in the distance laughed softly.
"Good… you've finally chosen to come out completely."
In an instant—
BOOOOM!
Both of them shot forward and collided midair.
A shockwave spread, shaking the ground and throwing dust everywhere.
Airi's golden threads clashed against the shadow's dark crimson threads.
Flashes of light and darkness locked against one another.
"So strong…!" Nova muttered in shock.
"Their levels… are equal!"
Airi struck her opponent with her palm—
but the attack was blocked with equal force.
Shadow Airi smirked. "To fight me means fighting yourself."
Airi replied, her voice heavy yet firm. "If I have to defeat myself to move forward—
then I'll do it."
They were blown apart, only to charge again immediately.
Punches met kicks.
Their speed was identical.
Their strength equal.
The sky remained dark.
The lights stayed dead.
But one thing was clear in everyone's eyes—
this was not a battle between hero and villain.
This was Airi fighting her own shadow.
And the result…
would decide which Airi deserved to remain standing.