On the other side of the battlefield, Sosei and Nene are struggling to protect Aine and Tomo, who can't fight. Meanwhile, Riki keeps firing venom-laced arrows, covering for the two locked in close combat with demons.
"Please, Tomo… we need you!" Riki pleads, her voice strained.
But her words backfire. Supported by Aine, Tomo Takamatsu only trembles harder, panic clawing at her heart.
The fear of loss fills her chest, choking her voice. She clutches her sapphire earring tightly, lips quivering, but she can't bring herself to call out her weapon's name.
To Tomo, that weapon is too much. It's like a crystal of her wish, a mirror reflecting the grim reality. Facing it means facing the wish that destroyed everything, the truth that she screwed it all up.
It's like facing the vengeful ghost of "Shoko" coming for her life.
From nearby, a soaring voice cuts through the sky, chilling Tomo's heart to ice: "The radiant things we bathe in cannot be captured by the tongues of those fallen to this world—"
Tomo looks up at the winged figure singing high above. Once, she too soared under the night sky, weaving beautiful words into devastating power, crushing any demon that dared invade the city.
But now, Tomo's wings are broken. She's a fallen angel, her lips sealed, unable to sing.
"Tomo—"
She turns to see Aine, her classmate, watching her with worry. Tomo doesn't know why an ordinary high school girl like Aine is in this dangerous place, but she's grateful. Without her, Tomo's trembling legs would've given out, and demons would've torn her apart.
But that's exactly why she needs to keep Aine away.
Shoko is dead—denied even peace in death. It was Tomo's selfish wish to be lifelong friends that turned Shoko's life into a fleeting meteor. If Tomo accepts Aine's kindness and that cursed thought creeps back, Aine will be swallowed by it too.
She can't let this go on.
"Sorry…"
With the last of her strength, Tomo shoves Aine away and collapses to the ground.
Already shaking with fear, Aine has no strength left and tumbles down with her. Rubbing her sore backside, Aine opens her eyes just as a bat-like demon slips silently through the trio's defenses, materializing above Tomo's head.
"Watch out!"
Aine surges forward with strength she didn't know she had, tackling Tomo. Only after does she realize: Oh no, am I about to die?
Regret floods her. Why didn't she make a wish with Ace sooner? If she had her own demon-hunting weapon, she wouldn't be dying here.
And she should've talked to Neroro at school today instead of leaving her alone with her worries. Finally becoming friends with the class's brightest star and not even getting to brag about it before dying? Total rip-off.
Her mind swirls with these tangled thoughts, barely registering the bat demon—though it wouldn't matter if she did. Aine's just an ordinary high school girl. What chance does she have against a demon?
The last two times she was in danger, Samael swooped in to save her. She'd been lucky. But now, with Samael tangled up fighting that demon with a million names, her luck's run dry.
Guess that's it. If I could just get one more stroke of luck…
A black-and-white figure flashes past, trailing ghostly blue flames. The demon lunging for Tomo bursts into blood midair, convulsing as it crashes to the ground. Aine, sprawled on the ground, thinks she's seeing things. "Samael?"
But no—Samael's still up in the sky, clashing with the many-named demon, too busy to notice her. The one who saved Aine is Nene Yo, white-haired, clawed weapons gleaming on her hands and feet.
"That woman's up there," Nene says bluntly, clearly missing that Aine mistook her for someone else. Then she tilts her head, as if remembering something, and pulls an object from her pocket, tossing it to Aine.
"Wha—?!" Aine fumbles to catch it. It's a bracelet studded with pink and blue gems.
"From Ace," Nene says, terse as ever. With that, she leaps into the air, flames trailing, and vaults off them into the demon horde.
Staring at the bracelet, Aine suddenly understands. Then she feels a gentle push at her chest.
It's Tomo—she's pinned beneath Aine. Aine had tackled her to save her, so of course they'd end up like this.
"Oh, sorry, did I crush you?" Aine says awkwardly, scrambling up.
But Tomo's focused elsewhere, biting her lip, tears welling as she whispers, "Please… don't come near me anymore. I don't want to… to kill another friend…"
Hearing this, Aine tightens her grip on the bracelet, her resolve hardening.
"Tomo," she says firmly, "I'm not going to die."
"Huh?" Tomo looks at her, bewildered.
"Not just me—no one's going to die," Aine says, her voice unwavering, shaking the ice in Tomo's heart. But Tomo shakes her head, muttering, "No… no, my wish will—"
"Then make another wish."
Aine's words widen Tomo's eyes. She whispers, incredulous, "Aine?"
Aine smiles gently, taking Tomo's hand and placing the bracelet in her palm, then clasping both tightly.
"This is my wish," Aine says. "I want…"
Her voice is like spring thunder, shattering the ice in Tomo's heart, letting warm sunlight pierce its depths.
"I want to protect myself, protect Tomo, protect all our friends from every accident, every danger!"
In that instant, warm light surges from their clasped hands. And Aine finally learns the name of her demon-hunting weapon.
"Almathea!"