1

Sayaka Uehara cannot believe what she had just heard. Dr. Kagami was not the first of his kind. In her three-year investigation of the Fragments, she had encountered a couple of people with a similar way of thinking, grasping at powers beyond their reach.

However, trying to do so is pure folly. Mu's power, as experience has told her, is not something to be harnessed and used on a whim.

As her thoughts floated to people she saw harnessing the power of Nullities, the ever-familiar silhouette of that familiar person resurfaced, just as it had when she first laid eyes on the classmate she saved from the jaws of death.

She promptly forgot about the fatigue wearing down on her. She had just gone through the horde of Nullities that Dr. Kagami was planning to send outside.

Dealing with some of them is easy, but with the sheer amount of low-level Nullities she had to go through, even she felt it taking toll on her.

Now, her pinpoint focus was on the mad doctor. Much of her peripheral vision blotted out due to her pinpoint focus, and she started hearing her own panting breaths.

How could someone who calls himself a doctor treat human life like tools? Only means to an end, even if such an end could be what some would ask for.

"You're not gonna take the first move?" mocked Dr. Kagami. "Fine."

He snapped his fingers, the spider began advancing in a flurry of steps. Unlike the scorpion, the black widow's steps were deft and nimble.

The sight of a venomous spider with legs twice as tall as a person would make anyone flinch, but Uehara held her ground.

Seeing the charge, she moved to the side in order to get a flank. As she gracefully moved, she caught a better glimpse of the visor on Dr. Kagami's face.

Her gaze caught the runic lights that blinked on and off repeatedly on the equipment.

That thing must be what he is using to control the Nullities. Is that an Armament? A non-combat type, too?

Sayaka Uehara had no time to confirm her answer to that. There are more pressing matters at hand.

She ran in a circular path down the slope towards the center of the amphitheater. Seeing the black widow a few meters to her side, she set her sights to the human opponent.

However, her feet screeched to a stop at the moment when she saw the gigantic shadow go after her. Spinning back, she delivered a horizontal slash to one of the legs of the spider that had begun rushing to the defense of its master.

The sound of her katana cleaving Nullity flesh registered in her ear, but she looked on with shock to see the slender right leg of the spider intact, having sustained nothing less than a typical flesh wound.

I can sense that it's still a Class B, but it's a lot tougher than I thought.

It did not look like it at first, but the spider's legs were surprisingly hardy. Uehara figured that it had to do with the plates, giving it defense on par with the much bulkier-looking scorpion.

She stared at it and saw a lean tank of plates. Her opponent had legs and a head that were completely protected by those plates.

I need more firepower for this.

She grabbed the hilt of her katana and focused. Her blood boiled at the opponent and the Nullity in front of her, and she intended to finish the fight in an instant.

She felt the sensation of her mana flowing into the weapon, and she prepared to activate her Armament's ability.

Crimson Lust.

An ability that feeds on the user's own life force. It puts a tremendous strain on the wielder's body in exchange for granting enhanced parameters in everything: power, speed, perception, among others.

All of a sudden, she felt her body wobble, and she lost her balance. The moment she realized her focus was broken was the moment she found her body flying through the air.

Her back pushed against the ground as she was tossed aside by one of the spider's mighty legs.

A mild sense of panic gripped her momentarily as she recomposed herself and got back up.

Crimson Lust had failed to activate.

Of course, it would. Such is the cost of passing on one's mana to another person. With the amount of power that needed to be given in order to bring someone back from the state of death, even the most powerful Awakeners would not be able to use the full abilities of their Armament for a few weeks at least.

In her anger at the opponent and hurry to end it all, she had forgotten that she had already lost the ability to use her Armament's trump card.

Uehara licked the small drops of blood on her lips and surveyed the situation. With no Crimson Lust, she does not have the speed to get to the doctor without first taking care of the black widow. It would just come to his defense with its blinding speed.

There's little one can do to outmaneuver or overpower those front legs. Or is it?

That's it!

As if a light has been turned on, she just figured out a way to deal with this dilemma.

"What's the matter? Got so shaken after one hit?"

She ignored the doctor's taunting and entered another stance, eyeing the fast-approaching spider intently.

In a matter of seconds, the spider reached her, and it reared up with a screech, intending to impale her with its large legs. She lightly avoided it with a back hop, and she responded with a spinning slash on the left leg.

The attack connected, and while it did not do much damage, the spider noticeably shook.

Once again, it reared up, and this time, it exposed its abdomen and placed it forward. From the back of the abdomen, the spider shot a jet of web, but its opponent was too quick for it.

She rolled to the right as she heard the jet of web sputter on her side. She used the momentum, aided by the smooth flooring of the room, to spin back to her feet.

Now finding herself on the spider's side once again, she charged at it. Holding her sword in a form resembling a sheathed position, she swiftly closed the gap and swung upwards, targeting the midsection of the enemy.

Given the spider's agility, it reacted in time to spin around and protect its underside with those gigantic front legs.

Even so, Uehara was able to get a bit of it, and as she confirmed the hit, she jumped back into a defensive position.

It seemed to work, as the spider, even for a few seconds, slowed down and seemed to lose its balance. In addition, it splattered and dropped some web from its back for some reason. It looked as if she got a critical hit that sent a ripple effect through the rest of the enemy.

As I thought. The underside is not as protected. Now, with that in mind...

She regrouped and recomposed herself. Finally, fatigue had begun taking toll on her, and she knew she had to finish the battle soon.

Coming in, the girl knew that she would be in for a fight against a Class B Nullity, but in her frustration and anger, she forgot to take into account ways the battle could go and how long it could last.

However, there was one way to make sure that the spider comes to her, right where she wants it.

Turning away from the black widow, she quickly made a beeline for the doctor.

As expected, Dr. Kagami made no move to avoid the incoming attack. After all, he's got insurance.

If what I thought was correct, then the spider should come in...

The corner of her eye once saw the looming shadow fly above her.

Instead of running, the spider had just decided to leap in order to cover more ground in a hurry.

She maintained her speed and headed straight for the doctor watching the fight.

"You better stop coming after me and focus on your real opponent!" shouted Dr. Kagami.

However, his confident voice trailed off, giving way to a voice with a hint of concern.

"Wait, these readings... You're not planning to..."

Right around here!

Seeing the form of the spider about the crash did not deter her. Instead, she picked up her speed, and in a short burst, found herself positioned right where the spider was on pace to land. As she looked up, she saw the form of the spider about to land on her.

Anticipating the drop, she slashed upwards in a circular motion.

This time, her attack drew actual blood, and she put her force into finishing the rest of the stroke just as she rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the huge body.

It was a gamble that only the most precise fighters would dare take. One mistake and she would have been crushed and rendered helpless. However, a successful go at it would mean...

The fluids that spilled onto her were but a mild distraction as she looked at the spider, now twitching in place as its body continued spilling fluids all over the place. Its balance has been completely thrown out of whack as it swung its legs in random directions while throwing out high-pitched screeches here and there.

"Such a foolish gamble, and you actually took it?" Dr. Kagami was beside himself.

Uehara smugly replied, "It's not like you to leave your prized creations with a weakness like this. Is there a reason why you couldn't give it protection there?"

Dr. Kagami clenched his fist.

"Grrrr..."

"The time of reckoning has come for your loathsome creation, Dr. Kagami!"

She prepared to charge. Even without Crimson Lust, her attack should be fast and strong enough to hit the exposed midsection or the abdomen, ending the fight. With its actions in disarray, there was now a hope of getting a straight and clean hit on the weak spots.

Her run carried her to several feet away from the spider when she heard the doctor speak in an abrasive tone.

"Don't get cocky, girl!"

What?

She stole a glance at the doctor when she felt something trip her up. It was a force that cut all the momentum from one of her feet, and she found herself tumbling forward awkwardly.

She stumbled face first into the puddle of the spider's body fluids. Still holding onto her sword, she looked back, but she saw nothing that tripped her up.

Her foot just straight up gave out.

"Pandora's Box, my Armament's ability. It gives me spectral sight to see through everyone. All the vibrations and fluctuations in a living organism... I can see them all."

The doctor's arrogant voice continued. "You were at your limit, weren't you? Barely hanging on by sheer force of will, you tried to get the battle over with quickly. I see it all."

He can do that?

Sayaka Uehara was not given enough time to let those panicked thoughts sink in before she felt her upper body being smacked by a powerful force. It was like a backhand slap that sent her crashing several meters away.

She felt her world shake violently as her back got introduced to the floor once again, and her sword dematerialized on impact. She tumbled some more before finally landing several meters away from the doctor.

She struggled to get back to her feet, but all she managed to do now is to get halfway into a seating position. Trying to grasp the rest of her fleeting strength, she forced her sword to rematerialize on her hand.

It took all she had, and she stunned herself trying to rematerialize the sword.

Given the condition she now found herself in, her body felt the backlash from the summoning as shockwaves rocked her entire body. She held the sword firmly, yet the rest of her body was paralyzed and shaking as she struggled to focus.

"It's over for you!" triumphantly declared Dr. Kagami.

Swirling emotions took hold of Uehara when she saw the spider recover.

She felt her eyes widen when she saw the spider rear back. From that distance, it can only mean one thing.

She knew very well that she was in no condition to dodge the incoming stream of silk.

2

"Not looking so high and mighty now, are you?" mocked Dr. Kagami, who had begun ascending the steps towards his fallen opponent. The spider stood in watch as it lay recovering from the battle.

Uehara maintained eye contact with the approaching doctor as she struggled. Her sword remained summoned and on her hand, but it had been reduced to nothing more than a prop.

The girl now lay wrapped by the web that pinned her to the sloped ground. It was not the neatest restraint that one would expect, but it got the job done regardless.

With her arms firmly pinned to her side and her legs stuck together, there was little way out. Seeing as her body was firmly glued to the ground behind her, it began sinking in that she now looked certain death in the eye.

She winced as the sight of the approaching doctor awakened a sense of urgency, but the more she struggled, the more it taxed her, and she found her energy being drained from the futile action.

"Having fun out there?" sarcastically remarked the doctor, who now had a smug smile on his face. "Just so you know, I designed my spider to shoot webs a bit differently. Instead of simply restraining its owner's prey, the silk was designed to weaken its foes by draining their energy slowly, like a poison."

He laughed, and Uehara only clenched her teeth.

She absolutely hated this feeling of powerlessness, and she could feel her entire body tremble. This hatred of being held back and restrained has been with her as early as she can remember.

Her fire to kill all the Nullities continued to keep her going in her current fight to get free, and so did the ominous form of the approaching doctor.

Alas, her body slowly began failing her with each passing second.

"Oh, and the web is not the only thing imbued with poison. The fluids you drew by hacking at it recklessly? Meant to paralyze the muscles and weaken the breathing of those who dare hurt it. If you're an ordinary person, you'd be grasping for your last breaths now. Oh, but you need not worry. An Awakener should easily recover from those toxins... eventually."

None of that blabbering mattered to Uehara now. However, her ears picked up the next set of words that sent her heart beating in a frenzy.

"After all, we can't have you die just like that, can we? I could have sent my spider to finish the job otherwise," he shrugged. "However, I can't let my Armament's abilities go to waste on such a prime target."

"You what?" asked Uehara weakly.

In response, Dr. Kagami's visor began glowing with the numerous runic characters.

"In case you didn't know yet, those trapped humans have been put to good use. My plans wouldn't have come this far had I not been able to analyze the structures of those who had died inside Mu."

Sayaka Uehara couldn't believe it.

Now, the whole picture is becoming clearer.

Now, she understood how Dr. Kagami got so far into his rogue research and plans, and she now learned why he had been trapping people inside to their deaths.

The doctor tapped the visor that was placed over his eyes.

"How else do you think I could learn so much about the human body and how it reacts to being injected particles of Mu's power? You think the government will let me do those experiments in the real world? Even with my position, I am not that delusional to try."

To the girl's horror, Dr. Kagami now took out a syringe from his coat's inner pocket. The sinister item had yellow fluid inside, and she was sure that the doctor meant no good with it.

"You know, I kinda feel sorry for you. I actually wanted the boy to stumble in instead. He got powers from you, right? He would have sufficed."

Now, he stood over the helpless girl with that item on hand. One of his feet stomped hard on the sword, keeping it in place, not that it could have been utilized effectively anyway.

"I rather have him die instead of having to take the life of a pretty face like you for my further research."

He leaned down and gently caressed the side of his victim's neck with his free hand.

The girl cringed as she felt the cold hands of her soon-to-be killer touch her neck in such a manner. Shutting her eyes at the act, she took deep breaths. She felt tears dripping from her tightly shut eyes.

"Fallen into despair so soon? That's completely understandable," Dr. Kagami commented, apparently having seen her emotional condition through that visor of his. "My standard operation procedure for euthanasia does involve a lot of contact. Those people often end up breaking down."

Uehara had her eyes shut, but she can feel that the doctor was slowly leaning over with the syringe. In a few moments, it would pierce through her exposed neck, and...

"Do not worry. I would try to make it as painless as possible, and you would be a worthy sacrifice for humanity's bright future."

Help! Somebody!

Uehara's vocal chords failed her as she trembled in fear. She wanted to scream, but she knew that it would be useless. 

She would just die here, forgotten and alone.

Images began surfacing on her mind.

They say that when people are near death, their life plays back.

She recalled her first tussle with the Nullities, with this world, and that person that helped her manifest the sword that had just been neutered. That person...

In the midst of the tempest, she felt calm. 

When the image of that person with his back turned surfaced, she felt the storm in her heart stop, even if momentarily. She calmed down as she knew that she would be joining him soon, wherever he is right now.

She took another deep breath, probably her last one before her untimely passing.

The piercing needle never made contact.

Instead, a loud noise shook her to her very core.

"Oh no you don't!"

An impact, like a car crashing into an object, was what she felt. She noticed the creeping presence of the doctor violently tossed aside in the impact, and a new person took its place in front of her.

She slowly opened her eyes, and the form of her brave protector that she just saw in her recollections stood in front of her.

It cannot be real.

That person has already died. That person already gave his life for her in a battle against the Nullities.

"Sorry I'm late."

Indeed, it was not him. The voice all but confirmed it.

Sayaka Uehara fully opened her eyes and gave a good look at the figure that stood in front of her. Seeing her savior's form and the shield on his left hand, her eyes widened.

"A-a-a-arata?"

True enough, the teen with bangs covering a side of his face looked back at her. He was not the type to smile confidently like that other protector, but something about his current expression reassured the trapped girl.

Using the shield on his hand, he wasted no time in cutting the girl loose. With her body free, she slowly got up into a half-seating position while looking at Kazuki Arata in wonder.

"Why? What are you doing here, Arata? I told you to stay out of this!"

"Stop playing it cool, Uehara. Besides, do you need to question yourself when helping a friend in need?"

"F-friend?" asked Sayaka, who was just beginning to let everything sink in. "Who gave you that idea?"

The male Awakener scratched his hair at that remark.

"Man, and I thought I was doing such a good job playing the cool anime hero with those hackneyed lines. You just had to break the mood. And you were on the right track at first, too, when you stuttered out my name like an anime damsel in distress."

"Who are you calling a damsel in distress, huh?"

"Just look at yourself! You have been trying so hard to project that strong and capable façade, but just look at you right now."

Uehara did not answer back.

"I, of all people, know what that feels like. Retreating and finding strength in solitude. Pushing away people for the sake of your goals. I know how that feels like, Uehara."

From the distance, a wrecked rock formation began moving, and the form of Dr. Kagami emerged from the rubble.

"You done talking?" said the doctor with a hint of frustration in his voice. He lightly tapped on the visor.

In response to the order, the giant black widow sprang to life. Having recovered some of its strength, it bounded upwards, landing in front of the doctor. With a new opponent standing in front of it, the spider now came to its master's defense.

In response, Kazuki just placed his arm with the shield in front of him. He looked at his ally and spoke in a reassuring tone.

"For so long, I have done just that, and I have lost many bonds as a result of my selfishness. But... This new bond I want to make with you is the one that I won't ever let go of!"