The streets of Kyoto.
As the most historic city in the nation, every eave was steeped in centuries of heritage, and every flagstone bled the culture of old Yamato. But now, it was all crumbling down!
Aoi Todo charged forward, spiderweb cracks erupting beneath his feet. His massive frame kicked up a colossal wind pressure that blew back the relentless drizzle. Rain turned to mist the moment it touched his skin. Like a charging bull, he thundered toward Hanami.
He could feel it—the enemy was unfurling a terrifying Innate Domain. The vitality of the surrounding flora was being drained, funneled into the flower atop the massive tree.
A Domain was forming. He had to break the flow.
Leaves withered. Hanami, standing atop the giant tree, reached out. Thick roots burst through the nearby houses, grinding toward Todo like massive, living pile-drivers!
Green orbs woven from gnarled branches materialized—dense spheres of surging life force and horrific Cursed Energy. They seemed to grow out of thin air, falling in a relentless, suffocating barrage.
Todo pivoted, his immense momentum coming to a jarring halt. His footwork shifted in a half-circle, narrowly grazing the first orb. He spun, gathering surging Cursed Energy in his fists, his arms following the centrifugal force in a wide arc before slamming into the second orb!
Amidst a storm of shredded leaves and splintered wood, Todo shattered the second projectile. He didn't stop. Before the first punch could fully retract, his next arm was already swinging, whipping up a cloud of dust as it slammed into the massive root.
The giant tree shuddered but remained unscathed.
Before Hanami could exhale, Todo's left hand shot up, clapping against his right arm which was still pressed against the root. He exhaled a single word:
"Boogie Woogie."
Todo's silhouette blurred for a microsecond. In the next heartbeat, Kira Nanami's form snapped into focus where Todo had just stood. His right hand was already pressed firmly against the massive wood.
"Killer Queen."
The root first began to shrivel, as if being deflated of air, before violently expanding. The bark cracked in layers as a wave of flame surged through the internal capillaries of the wood.
The explosion was silent at first—an internal detonation that rippled outward. The root disintegrated into a billion splinters, the blast tracing back toward the trunk.
Kira Nanami had turned a massive segment of the root into a bomb!
It consumed a significant amount of his Cursed Energy, but to his frustration, the explosion failed to chain-react all the way up to the flower at the summit.
"Switch."
Todo clapped again, swapping back with Kira. This was their pre-arranged strategy: Todo managed mobility and created openings, while Kira delivered the "tactical nuke."
As Todo landed, the barrage of green orbs closed in. He channeled Cursed Energy into his soles, sliding laterally around the giant tree. Massive craters erupted wherever he had been a second prior, reducing the quaint, antique street to rubble.
Can't get close... Todo spat on the ground.
The petals atop the tree began to unfurl, revealing yellow stamens. A faint, intoxicating fragrance began to tint the air with a drunken hue. Hanami looked at the budding flower, thinking:
Soon. It is almost complete...
Suddenly, the world went dark. A colossal beam of light materialized in the distance.
Intense heat warped the air; the rising thermals scorched the earth as the energy condensed into a single point. In a flash, it was in Hanami's face.
"Cannon Mode: Ultimate Mechamaru!"
Kira and Todo were the feint. The main battery was Mechamaru!
There was no time to dodge. Hanami channeled his entire Cursed Energy pool into his physical form, shielding the delicate flower with his own body as the flood of energy slammed into him.
Inside the golden pillar of light, the heat flayed his skin. It was a golden river of fire washing away blood, flesh, and bark. Hanami gritted his teeth, standing defiant against the torrent.
Finally, the golden stream ran dry.
But a chilling voice whispered in Hanami's ear: "Killer Queen."
A pink, feline hand reached into his embrace, gently stroking the beautiful flower he had protected.
Click.
The flower bloomed into fire inside his chest.
"Phew..."
Hanami exhaled slowly. He was drenched in blood from the internal detonation, yet he seemed unable to feel the pain. He vanished in a blur, reappearing instantly in front of Killer Queen, grabbing the Stand's head and slamming it into the ground.
BOOM! It was as if lightning had struck the street. The giant tree shuddered, and the earth sank two inches. Hanami became a blur of afterimages, green orbs erupting from the vacuum of his movement, raining down in every direction.
Hanami had heard of Kira Nanami.
He knew the "Shikigami" was unique—unless the attack hit the soul, the Stand was virtually indestructible. Therefore, Hanami had no intention of fighting the Stand. Attacking the master was the only logical choice.
Todo's technique swaps positions... Mechamaru is pure offense... He had mapped out their roles.
Kira Nanami watched Hanami diving toward him, his face a mask of calm.
Clap.
Todo swapped in, meeting Hanami's fist head-on. The massive momentum traveled up his arm, shredding his sleeve and sending a shockwave through his spine that cleared the rain behind him.
Hanami was a Special Grade for a reason. His Cursed Energy output far exceeded any Grade 1. Within half a breath, a second wave of power surged through his arm, blowing Todo backward.
Clap.
Mid-air, Todo clapped again.
The prepared Mechamaru took his place, fire jetting from his right arm like a guided missile. He collided with Hanami in mid-air, creating a series of sonic booms.
They crashed through the giant tree, through walls, and through entire houses. Mechamaru's right hand was pinned to Hanami's head, his left hand rising as black Cursed Energy gathered in his palm—
'Sorrow.'
A woman's raspy, gentle sigh echoed in his ear.
Boundless darkness swept over his vision. The world lost its shape, becoming distorted and abstract—strange and terrifying.
The light faded from his eyes.
'If you keep making noise, I'll throw you in to feed Mechamaru.'
'Sorry! I'm so sorry! Mechamaru-kun, please don't eat me! I haven't showered yet!'
"I control a Cursed Corpse... but I don't eat people... I want to be with you all..."
He mumbled in his mind.
"Miwa, don't be afraid of me... I don't eat people. Everyone... please don't be afraid of me."
"Everyone... don't leave me alone."
"Todo... Mai... Kamo... Nishimiya... and Miwa... don't go. I don't eat people. Please don't go."
"I'm afraid of the dark... where are you? I can't find you... I can't find you..."
"Please..."
In a dark, hidden room, deep-red nutrient solution looked like the grease of a corpse. Cold. A dozen IV tubes were pierced into a boy's arms—the skin was a map of tiny, scarred punctures.
He floated in the vat like a body in a stagnant river.
Layers of bandages wrapped his frail frame, leaving only a pair of dead, hollow eyes exposed.
He was weeping.