A slow, devilish grin takes over my face.
"My play?"
I cross my arms, the muscles tensing hard against my chest.
Burn through them all.
Impact breathing.
I exhale, and the world slows down.
But before I can act, two voices cut through the air.
"That won't be necessary."
Both east and west face a brutal response.
I turn my head to the west.
It's Kaito.
He kills every single Skeleton-class in a flash.
"Looks like you two were having all the fun," Kaito says, sheathing his blade.
I turn my head to the east.
It's Kotori.
She doesn't move with Kaito's impossible speed, but something else is happening.
A sword flashes into existence beside her in the air and instantly shoots forward, piercing the head of the first Arachne-class unit.
Then another appears. And another.
The number goes up until twenty-four blades surround her, and I realize—they are all Kaito's sword.
...What is going on?
Wait... I remember her doing something like this before.
During my... 'recalibration.'
She used something to wipe away the juices from my pussy after my orgasm.
It was a small, white... thing. A cloth? No, it felt different. Softer. It appeared in her hand out of nowhere, just like these swords.
It's over in seconds. Every single Arachne-class unit drops to the ground, pierced through the head by the blades.
Kotori doesn't retrieve the weapons. They simply vanish.
The two of them walk up to me.
My eyes jump between Kaito and Kotori, trying to make sense of the impossible.
"K-Kaito… Kotori… what… how did you…?"
Kaito just chuckles.
"Looks like we arrived just in time, huh, Horikita?
"You were really tearing through them, though. Impressive."
Kotori, as always, is more direct.
"Detection of demonic ki output spike from Horikita registered. Kaito and I proceeded to coordinates."
I stare at her, dumbfounded.
"How did you—"
Before I can form the words, the world just... stops.
All momentum, all sound, all life—ceases.
The city, Kaito, Kotori—everything freezes.
This sensation...
The knowing is a layer of ice inside my bones.
My senses scream danger, but they find nothing. No trace of ki. No sound. No movement.
But my blood... my blood sees.
It sees the fracture in the world. Absolute void that unmakes the light.
It isn't coming.
It is simply... here.
I see it.
Two void holes.
One is fixed on Kotori... The other on... Me.
There's no time. Not even enough for a single breath.
I move before any thought—before breath itself.
Before even realization, I've already shot a thread of Azure Ki from my wrist. Not at the void, not at the enemy, but at Kotori's chest.
As the thread connects, I pull her toward me while pushing Kaito backwards with my right hand.
Kotori's body slams into mine.
I wrap my arms around her, and jump into the sky with a powerful burst of demonic energy from my legs.
The world unfreezes.
?!
I'm in the air!
I can't believe I just did that. I didn't even think. I just… moved.
Hmm?
I notice Kotori is looking at me.
She stares at me in a way I've never seen since we met in that small room.
Her blue eyes are wide and unblinking, fixed on my face with an intensity that is pure… awe?
"...Kotori?"
My arms tighten around her, and a strange awareness pushes through the adrenaline.
Huh? So soft...
Kotori's body is so extremely soft that my hands seem to sink into her.
It's only then, with the upward rush, that I make the mistake of looking past her and down.
The ground is so far away.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
(Why am I screaming?!)
"It's… s-s-so high," I stutter, my body shaking uncontrollably.
How much ki did I just use?!
I squeeze my eyes shut, clutching Kotori tightly.
I've never been this high in the air before!
"Horikita,"
"Your grip is compromising my internal systems. Recommend reducing pressure by twelve percent for optimal functionality."
"I-I can't!"
"We're going to die!"
Die?
That's right... We were attacked by something. That's why I'm up here! I did it. I saved her, didn't I?
I can't die—I just saved her.
I have to do something!
I force open my eyes, willing myself to focus through the fear.
We already started falling. There's still time to act... There has to be something I can do.
Kotori saved me.
Now it's my turn to save her.
My body is still shaking, but a desperate clarity cuts through the panic. Falling is just gravity. Gravity is a force. And forces can be countered.
Forces? Attacked by something?
Perhaps I'm just failing to sense it.
My gaze goes back to Kotori, and realization strikes me.
Haruka said Kotori has Divine Ki.
"Kotori, can you sense anything?" I ask her.
"Can you sense what attacked us?"
"Affirmative."
"The corrupted entity is present below us, approximately three hundred meters. It is in a state of active pursuit."
"Active pursuit?" I repeat.
"It's following us?"
"Correct. It is likely attempting to exploit our descent to maximize the impact of its attack."
I grit my teeth. Of course, it is. It's not just a mindless beast; it's intelligent. Calculating.
It's trying to use our own momentum against us.
"Why is it not attacking?" I ask.
"Analysis indicates the entity is prioritizing efficiency,"
"A direct attack at this altitude would require a significant expenditure of energy, with a low probability of success. It is likely conserving its resources for a final, decisive strike upon impact."
"Do you know why it's targeting you and me?"
"Affirmative."
"The corruption is drawn to sources of Divine Ki,"
"Horikita hasn't been suppressing it."
"Suppressing?" I repeat, confused.
"You can suppress the Divine Ki?"
"Affirmative," Kotori responds.
"It requires conscious effort and precise modulation of my internal systems, but it is possible to minimize its detectable presence. I was doing so to avoid attracting unnecessary attention."
"But you stopped?"
"Correct. Prioritizing your safety," Kotori responds.
"The immediate threat to your well-being outweighed the long-term risk of detection. Releasing the suppression field was the optimal tactical decision."
"So, it's my fault?"
"Your actions have had an impact on the situation, but it's not your fault," Kotori responds.
"I should have been closer to you."
I look at her, confused. Is she… blaming herself?
"...What are you saying?"
"My primary function is to safeguard your welfare," Kotori replies, her voice flat but firm.
"Had I been in closer proximity, I could have detected the approaching threat sooner and initiated countermeasures. The fact that you were targeted is a direct consequence of my failure to adequately fulfill my directive."
"Your fault?"
"Affirmative."
"But it isn't!" I exclaim, frustration rising within me.
"You saved me back there! If you hadn't intervened, I'd be dead!"
"That is irrelevant," Kotori responds.
"My primary directive is to ensure your safety, and I failed to do so. The circumstances are immaterial."
It's like talking to a mirror. She's just reflecting my own self-blame.
"Stop it!" I shout, shaking her slightly.
My grip shifts in an instant, my left arm sliding under her back while my right lifts beneath her knees, pulling her into my body.
The motion frees my legs, turning my entire lower body into a blade.
"Stop saying it's your fault! You already saved me. Now, it's my turn to protect you!"
I gaze down at the rapidly approaching ground.
"Tell me where it is!" I shout.
"I don't understand the question." Kotori responds.
"Tell me where to strike!" I clarify, my voice filled with desperate determination.
"Over there." Kotori points her right hand down to a specific point on the ground.
I follow her finger, and my eyes narrow.
My body is still shaking, but a fierce resolve burns within me.
I will protect her.
Circulatory breathing. Ki flows, reinforcing my hold on Kotori.
"Hold on tight,"
"I'm not letting you fall."
Before Kotori can respond, I angle our descent sharply, aiming directly for the spot she indicated.
The wind screams past my ears, tearing at my hair and clothes.
My stomach rolls, and a wave of nausea washes over me, but I fight it down.
I can't afford to lose focus. Not now. Not when everything is on the line.
My descent accelerates, and the ground rushes up to meet us with terrifying speed.
I can't see it, but I can feel it. The darkness, the cold, the void—it's right below us, waiting.
The moment we are close enough, I switch breathing.
My vision tunnels. The world dissolves. There is only the goal.
"Void Impact Breathing—"
With demonic energy exploding through my left leg, I unleash a devastating axe kick straight downward.
"INVERSE FLASH!"