1

Throwing all caution into the wind, Kazuki ran towards Yui Kimura.

The idol continued screaming while clawing her face. Each convulsion only furthered Kazuki's panic, and the few seconds it took to get beside her seemed like hours.

"Arata, watch out!"

Kazuki did not know which of his female classmates called out to him, but the very next thing he felt was a strong force that threatened to squeeze him. It was a tremendous pressure that stunned him in place while pushing him away from the fallen idol.

Fighting the force, he stretched his right arm out. It felt like a reverse tug-of-war as the force continued slowly pushing him away from Kimura.

Kazuki clenched his teeth and tried to hold on as the green force field surrounding Kimura came into view.

"Kimura! Hang in there!"

Her eyes opened.

Kazuki's world stopped the moment he looked into a pair of hollow eyes. All the strength left his body. Dumbfounded, he found himself launched backwards to a chorus of female gasps.

He blinked before finding himself being supported up by his two friends. He spent time gazing at the concerned expressions on their faces before turning forward.

"This is what you're talking about, Arata? The Nullity's trying to possess her again?"

"That's terrible."

Kazuki gave a nod in response to the two girls' respective words. "I'm positive. It probably figured out that Kimura had the perfect counter to it, so it's trying to take her out from within."

He heard the sound of the sword being drawn, and he turned to Uehara.

"So you mean that the Render of Bounds is only hanging on by a thread now."

"What are you doing, Uehara?!" asked Kazuki

"I'll finish it off."

"Uehara..." Even Amagi chimed in with doubt in her voice.

"What other choice do we have, Amagi?! She helped us, and this is the least that we can do to repay her. We will be setting her free from the Render of Bounds."

In a vacuum, it was a decision that Kazuki can agree with. By all means, the Render of Bounds could be at its weakest now. He can also understand the fact that the more time they waste, the smaller their window to win can get.

Also, by putting itself inside the body of a human girl, it could be finally leaving itself to physical destruction. If the human host dies, so will it... Or will it?

Still, looking at Uehara's Armament gave him an unpleasant feeling on the stomach, and he slightly winced.

Recklessly going in and cutting Kimura down just did not sit well with him.

Getting rid of the Nullity was a priority, but that was not a sure thing even now. He also cannot help but feel remorse at the sight of the screaming and writhing girl in front. After all, things had changed. She was no longer just Yuki-tan to him.

She was a victim of circumstance, and despite everything that she did to annoy him, she was an honest girl who only had dreams. She wanted friends: people she can trust and be honest with. She never wanted that power. She never wanted to get involved with the whole Mu and Nullity business.

More importantly, she trusted him.

What to do? What to do?

His heart and his mind were in a heated battle that seemed to tear him apart from the inside. He knew that whatever decision he made now would affect him for the rest of his life.

However, before he knew it, the black-haired girl had run ahead. With her sword Armament drawn, a few minutes was all it would take for the deed to be done.

"Uehara!" he called out, running after her. Amagi also followed suit, but they would never make it in time.

Having stood up, Yui Kimura in her possessed form glared at the approaching trio. Even from afar, those eyes without pupils showed nothingness. No anguish, no pain, no anger. None of the things that Kazuki had become used to seeing from that whimsical and emotional girl.

"It's over!"

Uehara's yell echoed into Kazuki's ears, and he fought his eyes from closing as he saw his classmate leap forward and swing her sword over her head.

Kimura stood there, unflinching.

Instead of the sound of the sword cutting down human body, it was the sound of sparks that Kazuki heard followed by a female figure headed straight at him.

It was a good thing that he did not shut his eyes. Otherwise, he might not have been able to brace for impact.

He caught Uehara and was forcefully knocked down and dragged backwards by the sheer force. As they landed on top of each other, Kazuki saw the look of frustration on his friend's face.

Amagi, carrying an expression that he did not like, hurriedly ran towards them. It had been so long since he saw those teary eyes from his childhood friend, and they were something that he wished he could never see again.

From behind Kimura, wings resembling those of the Render of Bounds' appeared in a shadowy and translucent form. The staff then formed on her hand, and she took a deep breath.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhh...."

Kimura's voice resounded like an ominous chant, and from the tip of her staff, Kazuki saw a purple wave shoot out and diffuse into the air. The color of the environment turned into a muddled mess of purple and black miasma.

A tainted version of Prismatic Reverb.

He had just gotten back to his feet, but the moment he saw the air turn foggy, he found his entire body to be shaky. He found his hands crossing and his fingers creeping up his arms, but he felt nothing. It was as if he had been numbed and had lost full control of his body.

Fear finally gripped him when he saw Amagi on all fours, eyes wide and coughing. Even Uehara had found herself fighting the debilitating ability with not much success.

Her sword shifted between materializing and dissipating with each pained heave. Her eyes were likewise wide-open in a bewildered expression.

With each passing second, Kazuki felt the weight of the shield on his arm doubling, dragging him down in conjugation with the heavy pressure exerted by Kimura's powers. He gave a pained glare at the idol who continued her chant-like cries.

Were they too late? Should he have cut Kimura down without hesitation when he had that chance? It hurt him to think that his hesitation could be everyone's undoing.

However, Kazuki saw something else as he observed the idol, and he shook his head.

Her hollow eyes had transformed. It was just for a second, but he saw the glimpse of a regular pupil in one eye. Kimura shook her head uncontrollably, and he could see some tears on her otherwise emotionless eyes.

No. There was still hope. No matter how slim of an opening they may have, it was still an opportunity to be grasped.

The teary eyes and the trembling hands that held the staff that was paralyzing them were proof of that.

Kazuki hated not having a say on the outcome of things, but there was only one real option left for everyone.

"Kimuraaaaaa!" yelled Kazuki at the top of his lungs.

The turn of events felt extremely trite to him, but his shout seemed to have snapped her out of the Nullity's control. At least, that's what it seemed to be when Kimura temporarily paused her chanting and stared at him.

Signs of the internal conflict resurfaced, and both of Kimura's eyes now reverted into regular human eyes, sorrowful and apologetic ones.

He can see the pain within the idol's heart by just looking at those eyes.

Taking this window of opportunity, Kazuki gathered his remaining strength. The distance that separated them became mere meters, and with a last push of strength, he lunged forward and threw his shield arm at Kimura.

He met the barrier again, but with a yell, he tried to power his way through. Meeting the green force field head-on, he finally struck his shield hand inside.

His arm burned, and he yelled at the top of his lungs at the sensation of his arm being burnt off by the force field. Still, he continued, his determination pushing him on.

All in an attempt to grab hold on Kimura with his hand.

Then, his world went black.

2

When Yui Kimura opened her eyes, they reflected only darkness that appeared to engulf and surround her.

She did not know how long she had sat in that position, her arms embracing her knees as she had curled herself into a ball. Seated in the midst of the darkness that stretched out, loneliness weighed her down.

Emptiness.

That was the feeling that she could use to describe her feelings.

The last thing that she remembered was holding onto Kazuki's arm. Then, it all happened in an instant and struck her like lightning. It was as if something had imploded from within her, and she had lost consciousness.

"Just when I was about to get to the good part," she said regretfully. Looking at her almost translucent body floating in the darkness, she sighed. "Did I just die?"

In response, a voice called out from the void.

"Back to square one, it seems. Your entire journey, all for naught. In the end, it's just down to the two of us again."

"W-who are you?!"

Kimura's eyes darted from one end of the darkness to another, looking for the source of the voice. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flame, and from that flame came the form of a petite woman. Wings, including a pair that took the place of her hands, stretched out from her body.

It was a being that she had seen before.

Of course. How could she forget the Render of Bounds? It had been a while since she last saw the Nullity in this form. Three years, to be precise.

"How poetic, isn't it?"

"Why are you here? Where is everyone?"

The Nullity just laughed in response. "My, that staff of yours is really scary. We cannot have that getting in my way."

"Answer me! Where are Arata and the others?"

"You seem to have a difficulty comprehending. Maybe I can help you."

The Render of Bounds stepped back, and from the tips of one of its wings came the first strong source of light in this world of darkness.

She held her breath at what she saw.

Lying down were the three people she was with moments ago, and Kimura couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of sadness and guilt press down on her.

"All courtesy of you. You lost control of your power, brought yourself to the brink of death, and it was your power that brought them to their knees. You've become even stronger now."

"No! You're the one who did that!" the idol vehemently denied.

"Can't you see how they looked? So scary... to whittle things down and deliver a slow and painful death. Only you and that staff of yours have the ability to do that. It negated my phasing abilities and shredded my barrier. Imagine how humans would have felt being subject to that power."

The Render of Bounds slid to Kimura's side, an action that the latter made no effort to resist.

"If you do make it back alive, I wonder what fate awaits you. I know you better than anyone else, and I am just excited to know what torturous feelings will torment you afterwards."

"Just shut up!"

Kimura's reply was snappy and abrupt, yet she heard a shaky tone to it. In the moment of reflection, a wing caressed her on her chin. It was an act that calmed her, and she made no effort to resist. It felt genuinely inviting and soothing, and for a while, her wildly fluctuating emotions seemed to have been put to rest.

"It's not the end. We could start anew, my host."

No reply.

"You committed an unforgiveable act and betrayed the one who trusted you. After giving yourself hope, you find it snatched away by your own doing. Now, it's back to just the two of us. Only I am eternal, and you cannot deny that."

Yui Kimura finally had enough and sniveled. With one hand, she grabbed onto the wing on her chin. She could feel her own cold breaths on her hand as she firmly held onto the object.

"We can reform the pact, with slight modifications this time. Yui Kimura, you need me, and I need you. This time, together, we will make the world tremble at our feet."

The wing slipped past Kimura's hand, and with it, the sole source of warmth in this cold and barren world. Appearing in front of the girl once more, the Render of Bounds stretched a wing out, and on top of its tip was a sphere of light.

"Tell me. Have I ever lied? Have you ever had a reason to not trust me?"

Kimura shook her head. At the end of the day, everything that came about was her own desire.

She wanted to live. She wanted to shine like her childhood heroes. It did not matter to her back then whether she would have to pay the consequences years down the line.

Likewise, she also wanted to escape from the sadness in her heart.

The Nullity's power merely made all of her wishes come true. It had a rough way of doing things, but everything happened just as she wanted, and it was mostly the Render of Bounds who made them happen.

Will this be the right choice? She struggled with that thought, yet her hand involuntarily reached out to the sphere on top of the shadowy wing.

"Kimura! Don't do it!"

Kimura snapped back to reality as those words entered her ears. It was an annoying voice that came out of nowhere.

The nerve of this punk, interrupting me!

It continued calling out to her, and she finally recognized it.

"That voice..." she said, quickly pulling her hand back before it could connect with the shadowy wing.

"Yui Kimura! You need me! I need you!"

Paying no heed to the frantic shouts of the Render of Bounds, the idol looked up. She felt her eyes widen as she saw it.

A crack in the middle of the darkness.

"Kimura!" the voice continued to cry out.

With each call, the crack grew, dropping small shards of glass as it did.

"Arata!" called out the girl in response.

The crack on the dark sphere that enveloped her world grew, and light seeped through the polygonal hole. Large shards of black glass fell down, and Kimura stretched her hand to the light.

"Arata! I'm here!"

As those words left her mouth, she saw the form of Kazuki, floating towards her. With arms outstretched, he reached out for her. Kimura kicked off the space she was stepping on and levitated towards him with her own hand outstretched.

They're getting closer, and she was ready to grab his hand.

"Ack!"

She shrieked as she felt powerful forces fasten themselves into her leg. More serpentine objects wrapped around her stomach, holding and dragging her down.

"You fool! Kazuki Arata is gone! He had abandoned you in favor of those two girls. Those were his two real friends, and you were nothing more than an ally to help him this battle."

"Liar!"

Repulsed, Kimura snapped at the Render of Bounds. Grabbing onto the Nullity's wings that held her down, she tried her hardest to pull them off, but the objects seemed to keep digging deeper and getting tighter with each passing second.

"It's always been like this. We only ever had each other to rely on. Now, hurry up and finish the pact and we'll run wild and destroy the cursed existence known as the human world!"

"Don't talk about Arata like that!"

"Humans are fickle. They are fueled by their selfish desires, and they would turn their backs on anyone at a moment's notice. It was those thoughts that gave birth to me and gave me my strength. You dare question the truth of my existence?"

More wings extended and now held onto Kimura's shoulders, further dragging her down and away from Kazuki's form. Darkness began closing up the crack on the sphere, and Kazuki's form started fading away.

"That's not true! Arata is not like that! Otherwise, he would not have fought his way into this world. Otherwise, he would not be up there trying to reach out."

Her struggling stopped.

"He's a rude idiot. He's a dense and pervy nerd. He just cannot read the mood at all," she paused. "But there is one thing that I cannot take away from him. He accepted me for who I am. He listened and opened his heart to my problems. He never looked at me as just Yuki-tan."

With that, she pressed hard on the wings that held her on her abdomen. "No matter what twisted thoughts gave birth to you, you likewise cannot deny the truth that I believe in!"

She shook her head furiously, and fighting off the forces that held her body down, stretched her hand upwards.

"What you said about humanity may be true, but my world will not be tainted by those words of yours! Arata was the light that showed me the way, and he's come to pull me out of the darkness once again!"

Kimura saw light radiate from her own body, and it was that light that burned away the wings that held her. Finally free from the burden, she flew up full speed, towards the awaiting arms of Kazuki.

As she met his figure in an embrace, her hands caught nothing but air. However, it was not despair that took hold of her. Not after seeing the magical particles that the smiling Kazuki had become.

The same particles rained down on her and showered her with warmth that overcame the coldness of this world. Taking a deep breath, she smiled, and to her surprise, her Armament formed on her hand.

Taking hold of the staff, she turned to the Nullity and pointed her weapon at it.

She knew what to do.

"Be gone from my world, Render of Bounds!"

Following her passionate yell, the microphone at the end of her staff radiated light.

"How absurd. Yui Kimura, you will regret this!"

Kimura only shook her head. Her mind was set, and she watched as the light from her staff shot out the rainbow colors of Prismatic Reverb, eventually bringing light to the entire world.

It was a colorful world full of energy, and the very same light from her staff engulfed the Render of Bounds. The closest wings began burning out, followed by the rest of its lower body. All the while, Kimura held her staff firmly, her eyes fixed on the Nullity's rage-filled eyes.

Its remaining wings surged towards Kimura, but the idol did not flinch. She never blinked as those wings all evaporated before they can reach her.

With a final wail, the face of the Render of Bounds melted away.

The world shook. In spite of that, Kimura felt ease in her heart.

She gripped her staff and smiled as the world around her came crashing down.

3

"Kimura! Kimura!"

The idol's senses returned to the feeling of being shaken on the shoulders. Her blurry vision revealed figures towering over her.

"Oh, stop it, would you?!" she snapped. "Don't you know I just had the worst nightmare? Geez! How insensitive!"

She forced herself to spring back up, and after shaking the cobwebs off her mind, she screamed as she saw Kazuki's face only inches away from hers.

"Hiyaaaa! W-w-w-what are you doing?!"

"Thank goodness you're back!"

Kazuki's voice came along with a smile.

"I wouldn't have done it without you. When I was about to return back to that place, you appeared and helped me overcome the Render of Bounds. Thank you, Arata!"

She flashed a toothy grin back at Kazuki and poked him on the cheek.

"Ehem!"

They both turned to face Uehara, who looked none too pleased with what she was seeing.

"I'm just so glad that both of you are fine," said Amagi, chuckling nervously. "Are you feeling better now, Kimura?"

Kimura nodded. The heavy and dreary feeling that she had was gone, and it seemed that her body had stabilized.

Meanwhile, Kazuki gave a bow. "So sorry about that, Uehara."

"I guess after all we've been through, it can't be helped," replied the black-haired girl. "Well, the last traces of the Render of Bounds has disappeared, so this pocket dimension should not be able to sustain itself any further."

Right on cue with Uehara's statement, Kimura felt the ground underneath her shake. The tremors grew stronger and stronger, and as soon as she got up, her feet had to fight their hardest to keep her upright.

"W-what do we do now?!"

"Hold on. I'll try to open an exit, and we can – Kya!"

Uehara had lost her balance and stumbled backwards. That was mainly due to the tilting of the floor, and now, even Kimura found herself down on her knees and slipping downwards.

Her flailing would only be stopped by Kazuki grabbing hold of her hand.

"Don't let go, Kimura!"

However, he was barely a safety anchor, and he slipped down just as soon as he caught her by the hand.

Next, she saw Uehara and Amagi hold onto Kazuki. The two girls practically pounced onto him in their attempts to drag him back up, but it was all for nothing as the floating plate that they stood on completed its angular rotation.

The plate they were on then erupted. The rocky surface broke and scattered multiple shards in all directions before crumbling away the last of what they could consider a footing.

A chorus of shouts followed as all four of them went on a freefall. Kimura shut her eyes, but not before seeing the world around her distort into swirling particles.