Keisuke's finger twitched on the trigger—then he staggered.
The bullet shot past Kyouma's head, grazing his cheek.
Silence.
Keisuke blinked hard.
His hand trembled."
He lightened his grip dropping the gun and staggered forward, extending a hand.
"Sorry, Kyouma. My head… wasn't all there."
Kyouma, breathing heavily, still bleeding from earlier wounds, stared for a moment before taking the offered hand.
Keisuke pulled him up.
"It's fine," Kyouma muttered.
Then a faint smile crossed his lips."…I'm just glad you're back."
"What happens now?"
Keisuke adjusted his cracked glasses."I don't really know either, but now…" He clenched his fist. "I don't feel like disappearing."
Kyouma looked down, his voice quiet.
Is this right? For someone who's already gone to live again… brought back by a curse? He got killed years ago by a devil-bearer. Is it really okay for him to live another life?
His fists tightened.
Some curses are terrifying.
The two stood together, the tension easing—but neither could ignore the unease that they felt during their encounter..
Far away the smell of blood covered the air.
Ketsu stood in front of Sora's dead body, the sword he had formed moments ago, disappearing into blood and pouring onto her.
Her eyes, still open, reflected only sorrow and asked for forgiveness.
Ketsu's chest heaved.
His body shook—not from battle, but from the realization crashing down on him.
"…I killed her." His voice cracked."I thought… I thought I was finally free. And when I finally get to see her again—when I get this chance—I…" His knees buckled.
Hatred—Shirei's curse—had twisted his mind, but now that he gained his senses back, with Sora's lifeless body before him, the realization cut deeper than any blade.
For a long time, he only knelt there, breath ragged, staring at her.
"Why does she look sorry, did she blame herself for this?"
Then something inside him broke.
"I'll bring you back."
His blood moved unnaturally in his veins.
He forced it—reshaped it—not into weapons or shields.
"I don't deserve to live," he whispered, eyes empty."So please… bring her back."
He changed his very lifeblood, reshaping it cell by cell until it mirrored hers.
If I convert my blood to her bloodtype, maybe I can regenerate her. It's not too late.
The process burned him from the inside, tearing at organs, dissolving veins.
He coughed some blood, his vision tunneling—but he kept going, the only thing keeping his body intact being his deep love.
When it was done, he moved his hand to his throat and formed a knife out of blood.
It spilled and turned into liquid again.
He reformed it.
He placed it at his throat and when he was about to cut, he moved it to his chest instead.
I don't want her to see my slid throat, she has seen enough.
He took a final breath—
—and cut.
He let his body fall forward, onto hers.
His blood, now hers, spilled into her wound, seeping into her veins and soaking her aura.
And for a moment…
Something sparked.
Their aura connected—like red and blue mixing in the void.
His regenerative power, his cursed bloodline, his final act of love—all flooding into her.
Her chest twitched.
Her torn torso began to close, her skin knitting, organs stitching together.
It works
Ketsu's lips formed a small smile, through his broken mind.
Live. Live a long life. And become happy. Please.
In Sora's pure white hair, single strands turned black.
"Sora."
Ketsu's body went still, the last of his strength gone.
Sora's fingers twitched. Her eyes fluttered open.
She sat up weakly, and when she saw his corpse lying across her, she froze.
Tears welled, spilling fast as she pulled him into her arms, pressing his head to her chest.
Her sobs filled the empty battlefield.
"You idiot," she whispered between tears."Why did you… why would you do this?"
She hugged him tighter, shaking, her aura trembling as if it could bring him back again.
But his body was still.
All she could do was cry over him, alive again only because he wasn't.