Amidst the flickering red light, Kiana struggled to bring her hand closer to her chest.
A gust of wind rushed in. A pale hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, trying with all its might to stop her movement.
"Kian—!"
Thud—!
Shu couldn't even finish shouting Kiana's name before a fierce knee, reacting almost instinctively, slammed heavily into his abdomen.
The same spot was hit hard again, and once again, he took it without any defense. Shu felt his legs completely give out, and he knelt powerlessly before Kiana.
This time, it wasn't undigested food that he vomited. Shu's daily food intake was meager, and he had already thrown it all up earlier.
A startling mouthful of crimson splattered onto the ground. Shu coughed several more times, his entire body trembling.
He didn't know if it was his stomach or his diaphragm, but the intense pain made him clutch himself so hard he felt like he was digging his nails into his own flesh.
The first thing Kiana did after retracting her leg was to raise her hand again, about to continue her attack on the kneeling Shu. But in that instant, a moment of clarity returned to Kiana's eyes.
"No..." she grabbed her own hand and stumbled back several steps.
What is she doing...
What am I doing!!
Just before, I was attacking Mei... and now Shu...
Shu gasped for breath, supporting himself with a trembling hand. He then looked up, panting, peering at Kiana through his messy hair.
"Don't..."
Don't activate the Key of Genesis... even if you use your own power, you'll shatter the barrier on your body... You'll kill yourself!
Perhaps... she wants to kill herself...
"Shu! I..." Kiana looked at Shu, who was struggling to stand up, and urgently wanted to say something. But the time she had fought for was up. The light in Kiana's eyes faded once more.
No! Let me finish what I have to say!!
Kiana's consciousness returned to that cage. The people around her were still criticizing and lecturing her, but she paid them no mind, desperately trying to find a way out.
Get out of my way!!
A powerful kick slammed into the chin of Shu, who was halfway up. The strong impact sent Shu flying off the broken bridge and into the churning sea.
At that exact moment, Kiana regained control of her body, only to see Shu disappear into the sea, and the lingering sensation on her foot.
That feeling... Did Shu not use any defensive abilities?
Why not? Why not use his powers to protect himself?! The move I just used was a killing blow!!
His neck, his chin, his brain... Shu could barely feel where he was hurting anymore, where he had been hit. He lost consciousness for an instant, only to be jolted back into his body a moment later.
Good... good thing I have some resistance to pain...
Shu thanked his past self for being able to endure desperate situations. He struggled to mobilize the [Hope] within his body, rapidly repairing himself and restoring his stamina.
Once he felt he could move again, Shu didn't perform any further repairs. Instead, he decisively charged back onto the bridge. Sure enough, he immediately saw Kiana with her hands pressed against her chest.
"Kiana—!" With no time for anything else, Shu let out a roar. Kiana instantly looked up and saw Shu reappear before her.
In that moment of shock, Shu grabbed Kiana's wrists and brutally pulled her hands away from the core of Evolution on her chest.
"Don't do anything stupid!" Shu roared at Kiana, but the response he got was a sudden headbutt.
Shu's forward-leaning body was thrown backward. The world spun in his eyes, a busy signal droned in his ears. The world shattered, distorted, and then quickly reassembled.
This time, he didn't let go.
With a burst of strength, Shu used Kiana's hands to pull himself back, then, without any buffer, smashed his own forehead against Kiana's.
"Ngh—!" This blow allowed Kiana to regain control of her body again. Her head hurt a little, but only a little.
This insignificant pain only made Kiana let out a muffled grunt. But when she opened her eyes, she saw a stream of blood flowing down Shu's forehead.
They looked at each other for a brief moment. The grimace on Shu's face faltered slightly, and he immediately shouted, "Kiana! Listen to me! Right now, you..."
Is there really time to talk on the battlefield?
At that moment, both Shu and Kiana knew the answer to that question—no.
Once again, halfway through his sentence, Kiana was dragged back into that abyss. The last scene she saw was herself forcefully throwing Shu away.
No!
Kiana struggled, reaching out, only to hit an invisible wall.
On the other side of the transparent wall was the perspective of her own body. She watched Shu land wretchedly on the ground, watched him struggle twice without being able to get up, watched herself clench her fist and walk toward the seemingly defenseless Shu.
"Don't..." Kiana shook her head in panic, but the only feedback she got was the stinging in her eyes.
In reality, Shu lay on the ground, struggling to focus his gaze on Kiana.
Her eyes were still vacant. Her clenched fist foretold that the next attack would be a fierce killing blow. Her approaching footsteps didn't stop, not for a single moment, without a shred of hesitation.
But a single tear slipped down Kiana's cheek. A thin film of water reflected the light, becoming the only trace of sorrow in those empty, lifeless eyes.
In her consciousness, Kiana slammed her fist heavily against the wall in front of her. She had a feeling that if she could break this wall, she could regain control of her body.
Even for just a moment... Stop it... Stop it!!
I don't want to hurt anyone... not Mei, not Shu...
I really don't want to hurt any of them... I really don't want to see any of them get hurt...
If it weren't for me, Shu definitely wouldn't be like this... Mei wouldn't have to take such risks to deal with me...
Stop it... and then activate the Key of Genesis...
Damn it... give me back my body...
GIVE ME BACK—MY BODY!!
It was a punch that surpassed her limits. The invisible wall shattered before Kiana. The flying fragments cut her all over, but she grabbed her own hand and returned to her body.
But... it was too late...
SHU—!!