1

The sound of a slash put an end to the last of the shadow arms.

"That's the last of them. You can relax now."

After looking at the handiwork of her partner, Miki Amagi crouched to comfort her other companions: Hikari and Sana. Setting her bow aside, she gently held the back of the blonde's head, caressing it with care and taking care not to startle the tense girl.

"Just a bit more, okay?" she said with a reassuring smile and a gentle pat.

Following the hesitant nods from the timid girl, Amagi turned around and set her sights on the path ahead.

It had been a bizarre turn of events. To be sucked into a Fragment in the middle of the closing ceremonies was unexpected, but to be in one as big as this was a first for her.

Luckily, when she came to, she found herself with probably the most trustworthy ally she can have.

"They're dwindling in number," soberly stated Uehara before biting her lips. "Those hands are getting to them."

Those were news that Amagi did not like hearing. She knew what her black-haired classmate was referring to, and she could feel it as well. Her heart ached as scenes of what could have happened played in her mind. What were those people feeling before the hands got to them?

They must have been consumed by fear or hopelessness as they were consumed by those dark powers, crying out in this desolate world before turning into one of the husks that she had long grown tired of seeing on the way.

"All the more reason for us to hurry, Amagi."

Amagi nodded at Uehara before turning back to Hikari and Sana.

Ever since they woke up inside this Fragment, they had sensed those fluctuations, readings that Awakeners became sensitive to inside a Fragment. Each twinkle represented a human life, and the fact that possibly the entire population inside the school festival got transported here was an easy conclusion to reach.

"Big Bro is here, right?" asked Sana.

Hikari was the one who answered. Despite her strained voice, she showed signs of vigor at the mention of her brother.

"Of course he is! He's a handful, but I know that he won't lose to these creepy hands this easily. Right, Amagi?"

"I believe so, too. He would never go down that easily."

Amagi then walked to Uehara, who spoke almost immediately. "The strongest readings are all flaring up and reacting to each other. None of them have been extinguished ever since."

"What does that mean?"

"They're all alive, and now, they're all probably in battle. But what concerns me right now is the number of strong readings. It's not just Arata, Kimura, and Ms. Sadohara."

"There's a lot more of them. Do you think..."

A silent nod of affirmation got Amagi thinking.

"Yes. It's either more people have awakened to their powers inside, just like I did, or..."

She sensed Uehara tighten the grip on her sword before speaking up. "Guren Izaya and the rest of Euphoria."

Flashbacks to the terrible encounter with the members of that organization, especially Touya Satoru, did little to ease Amagi's emotions. Deep inside, she dreaded meeting that scary man and his pale specter again.

"That's terrible!"

Uehara shrugged. "Only one way to tell, although I'm very suspicious now. For now, we must hurry," she said as she glanced at the two younger girls with a worried expression.

Amagi herself felt that same worry about the condition of the two or how much longer can they keep it up. Both looked exhausted, and Hikari's eyes started twitching. With each breath she took, she did with some effort.

Fortunately, the same traits cannot be said of her friend. Sana, while looking just as tense and anxious as Hikari, showed less signs of fatigue. Her withdrawn expression remained, but Amagi can feel that the Fragment was putting less strain onto the blonde girl.

Whatever the case, she was more relieved that she and Uehara found the two girls. After clearing a wave of those strange, shadowy hands, they had found the two girls hidden inside a crevice. The look of relief that Hikari had was something that the brunette would not forget anytime soon.

The party of four resumed their foray into the gigantic structure that felt like a cross between a gigantic ruin, a temple, and a dungeon. Every now and then, those shadowy hands would emerge from the ground and strike, but they would easily be dispatched of, whether through Uehara's sword or Amagi's arrows of light.

"Yaaagghhh!"

Hearing the distressed yell, both girls hurried past a juncture of two paths just to see an adult being swallowed by the shadow arms. It had melded onto him and snugly engulfed him, much like a blob.

Amagi fought the urge to flinch at the sight of the man gasping for air for seconds before his eyes rolled back. As the man collapsed into a heap beside his other fallen companions, the hand that engulfed him reformed, and more hands spawned around it.

A rumbling sound of wails surrounded them, causing the brunette to perk up. She had heard this sound numerous times before, but it was only now that she heard it so clearly. Now, it shook her to the core due to how close it felt.

"S-stand back!" she instinctively called to Hikari and Sana, who had just caught up.

She had prepared to draw her bow, but Uehara had already long finished the job.

With the immediate threat gone, Amagi made a beeline for the fallen adult, silently praying with each step.

She was too late.

Mere moments after she arrived to the side of the fallen person, the hand that reached out of her froze in place.

Amagi fought back tears as she felt the outstretched hand grow cold and stiff. Everything, the man's outstretched hand, his expression of despair, and the necklace that he held, looked as if it was frozen in time.

She had already seen these frozen bodies numerous times, but never had she seen the handiwork of the shadow hands in such a close and personal way. She could only imagine what other victims felt while she held onto the hand.

"T-this is too cruel!" she muttered.

She turned to hear Uehara likewise looking down on the other petrified figures in the area. With a thud, she planted her sword to the ground and took a deep breath.

She had her expression of frustration that Amagi had come to know about. She knew how much pressure Uehara took upon herself to protect people from Nullities, and seeing these scenes unfold seemed to have taken a toll on her.

Amagi could imagine what her friend felt at this moment when her hand shivered. It was the very same hand that held onto the petrified person.

Wait a minute...

Her grip tightened, and she looked at the person very carefully.

It was very faint, but she was positive of it. She did not know if it was just because she's an Awakener, but the hand emitted a faint magical force while she held onto it. What was that?

Her eyes widened when she felt it again. Like a pulse of warm water, it flowed from the petrified hand onto hers before fizzling away like steam.

Again and again, the energy resonated.

It was faint and intermittent, but it could not have been coincidence. The sensation was a welcome feeling, a beacon of hope for the brunette who excitedly relayed the news to her partner.

"Uehara, these people are still alive!"

Her partner's eyes likewise lit up, and upon holding onto the body of another petrified person, the black-haired girl gasped.

"You're right! They're not dead!" Uehara exclaimed excitedly, her eyes and expression now filled with renewed vigor.

"The question now is how are we turning them back?"

Uehara got up, and turning her eyes to the ceiling, she replied. "I'm not sure, but you remember that growling sound earlier?"

Amagi nodded.

"It seemed to be coming from the walls, don't you think?"

As those words left Uehara's mouth, she looked at the ceiling and brushed her hand on a wall.

"What do you mean by that, Uehara?"

"I cannot explain it, but the nature of the sounds and how they come when someone gets frozen makes me uncomfortable. Could it be that there is a link between the victims and the reaction coming from the Fragment?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"I cannot quite put it to words, but the longer we're here, the more uneasy I get. Could it be that the reason why we're not making too much progress is due to the landscape changing with each person consumed by the hands?"

"So you're saying that the hands are a part of the Fragment?"

Uehara tapped the tip of her sword on the ground multiple times. "Two possibilities. Yours is the first one, but the one I am more worried about is that the Nullity that rules over this realm is out there hiding and sending its hands out to attack people. That means that somehow, it's got eyes everywhere without us being able to sense it."

The thought, something that previously had not crossed her mind, stunned Amagi. Her gaze started swinging from one end of the passage they're in to another, with her wishing to not see anything that moved.

The Nullity couldn't be here, right?

Part of her wished that Uehara never brought that scenario up, but it was information that could prove useful.

"For now, I don't think it's a concern. Still, the answers on how we can bring back those people may lie further ahead. Maybe we can free the people if we defeat the one responsible. Remember the time at the Chronodome?" Uehara finished as she finally unsummoned her sword. "Hikari, Sana, how are you two?"

"Stay close to us, okay?" asked Amagi, who walked back towards the two girls.

"Sure. I'll even protect Sana, while you're at it!" proudly declared Hikari. Her energy levels might be low, but it was clear that her determination and will were nowhere close to being broken.

"You're so cool, Big Sis. Both of you," followed Sana.

"Thanks," said Amagi as she brushed the blonde's cheeks with her hand before turning her attention to Hikari. "Just a bit more, Hikari. We'll get to your Big Bro in no time."

2

"Urk!"

With each clang, Kazuki felt his footing shake. The swings, relentless as they were, gave him no inch to maneuver. It was nothing short of a miracle that he had held out against Setsura's attacks for this long.

His instinct guided his parries and deflections, and it was barely enough to prevent him from taking the brunt of the pressure from those blade arms.

She's gotten a lot quicker compared to the time at Tenka Peak.

He continued playing defense with little options for a momentum shift.

What a frustrating turn of events.

He and Kimura got the jump on Satoru, but he had underestimated the teamwork between the two members of Euphoria.

Likewise, Kimura continued to struggle in her section of the fight.

It still looked like a touch-and-go between her staff's beams and the encroaching tentacles that were part of Satoru's right arm. At this rate, she would never be able to activate her Armament's ability to provide a much-needed enchantment for him.

Together, the two members of Euphoria worked in tandem. Setsura covered one side with her persisting attacks, while the tentacles took care of Satoru's other side. With how well Satoru and Setsura worked, Satoru became impossible to flank, and they continued exerting offensive pressure on two concurrent sides.

It was all due to the third element in the equation: the doctor who hung around, steadily using his visor Armament to analyze the flow of the battle.

"Gah!" shouted Kazuki as he went airborne. Setsura's blade arm, coming from underneath, had caught the bottom tip of his shield and flipped him over. Soaring through the air, he found his back lightly smacking the ground.

Seeing the form of Setsura looming over him, he put his hand up.

Thud.

The descending scythe-like arm narrowly missed his face thanks to his timely deflection.

Kazuki had no time to think before rolling out of the way of impalement courtesy of the other blade arm.

It was a scary sight to see both blade arms descend from the vantage point, but with Setsura missing two attacks in which she threw her weight on, Kazuki finally found the opening he needed.

"Assimilator's Core!"

The shield on his left arm transformed into its bladed form.

Going toe-to-toe with Setsura in melee was not the wisest decision, but with how she can quickly close the gap, he cannot afford to gamble on the crossbow form at this point in the battle.

Also, with his arm already shaky and slightly unbalanced, he cannot accept the risk of accidentally hitting Kimura.

Sweat broke out as Kazuki with each clanging sound of his blade clashing with one of Setsura's arms.

So quick!

He had little time to digest what had just happened before he found himself once again moving backwards, barely avoiding falling on his back thanks to the soles of his shoes rubbing hard against the terrain. He started hearing his own breathing that coincided with his fluttering top.

Setsura came back with another assault, but a lucky stab forced the Nullity back, leaving behind a ghastly wail directed at him.

If he would not be careful, clothing damage would be the least of his worries.

In fact, he could be seeing a gaping hole on his stomach now.

His fist strained while he glanced past Setsura and Satoru.

It's that Kagami.

There was no telling what Dr. Kagami was chanting in the distance, but it was obvious that it was aiding Satoru land his attacks with more precision than he normally did.

Steel met steel in a loud clang as he deflected the next barrage of blades.

This is bad. We need to take that Kagami out, but...

Another clanging sound alerted him to the situation at hand, and he found his shield in a lock against the force of two blade arms.

"Kyaaahh!"

The shrill scream came from a distance, and Kazuki looked in horror to find Kimura in the air. Half of her body had been wrapped up by Satoru's tentacle arms, and each of her pained gasps did little to help ease Kazuki's outlook on the battle.

Shit! What to do? What to do?!

The battle had quickly gone south, and there seemed to be no way out of it. Even he found his arm rapidly shaking in the struggle against Setsura.

It was a painful realization, but he simply braced himself. Squinting his eyes, he could only hope that Shiki and the others had hidden themselves well enough. Hopefully, Dr. Kagami's Armament cannot affect those without powers like Awakeners.

This sucks. Perhaps Uehara or Amagi could come in and make the save. That's how it always is in stories, right?

He pushed, yet he felt his strength faltering against the pale woman who let out a chilling scream.

Hikari and Sana, are you hanging on? Sorry for being so useless. I really wanted to find you and save you from this place...

He was ready to succumb to disappointment when something caught the corner of his eye. The floor also began vibrating, and he glanced to see some runic markings lighting up on the floor. All of a sudden, Setsura's pressing attack felt weaker.

"What are you doing, you idiot?!"

Kazuki instinctively shouted as Shiki's form came into view for a moment before the spiky-haired teen launched himself at Dr. Kagami.

Seizing the opportunity of her pressure weakening, Kazuki used Setsura's momentum to deflect her blades and got underneath her. With a powerful cry, he swung his bladed shield in an upward crescent motion.

The haunting cry preceded Setsura's dissolution as her link to her master was broken.

"Shiki! I told you to go into hiding!" he desperately cried as he set aside everything to run towards his friend.

So focused was he on his friend that he failed to see the body heading his way, and he found himself tumbling back from the impact. He next found himself lying beside Kimura, who coughed after they crashed onto the floor.

That would be a temporary reprieve as his attention returned to the doctor. He pushed himself back up before seeing multiple pillars of flame erupt from the ground, blocking his view of the scuffle.

"Shikiiii!"

Getting up to a wobbly base, he pointed his Armament forward. Placing his hand on top of the shield's base, he contemplated having it go into its crossbow form.

Would it do any good?

He cannot get a good grasp on the target, so he would need to cover more ground than arrows. He needed something more akin to a magical blast, but something like that could also get Shiki caught up...

His mind almost fell to the pressure when soft fingers wrapped around his left arm. Turning around, he observed Kimura's pained expression as she brought back her mic-looking staff with much effort.

"D-darling...," she blurted with some effort. Her shaky voice did not give Kazuki the most reassuring outlook, but her touch evoked yet another much hopeful feeling for him. "I want to protect them... Whatever it takes. Please!"

He did not know how to explain the emotions in him now, but he sure sensed Kimura's passion from those words. The way she said those and the look on her twitching eyes said it all.

Even if it would cost her life, she wanted to keep going.

"Kimura, you..."

The Yui Kimura he knew would have never done such a thing. The incident at the Chronodome was one thing, but he was sure that she would not have gone all the way in a bid to protect people who weren't even her fans.

The true power of an idol, huh? That is, to become a force that will raise everyone's spirits, help those people push on and light their way to face tomorrow.

With each passing second, he could sense the urgency and the fire within the girl. Each passing second, her passionate heartbeat pulsed through her fingers. Before long, he had felt his own heart beat along with hers.

He felt the same way.

He wanted to protect Shiki. No, not just Shiki. He wanted the power to protect everyone else.

His mind lit up with an idea. What if there was a way to counter-attack from afar without relying on arrows?

Giving a look at Kimura, he didn't know that the answer was this close.

"Kimura," he turned to her. "Do you trust me?"

She was understandably taken aback by the sudden nature of the question, but that was to be expected. It was the same way with Uehara the first time around.

"W-what does that have to do—"

"Would you find it in your heart to trust me? I want your everything."

"M-m-my everything?! Y-you're making me uncomfortable!" she stammered, a blush forming on her cheeks and somehow revitalizing her. "W-what are you talking about, Kazuki Arata?! I'm not ready yet, you know?!"

Instead, Kazuki maintained his expression and spoke calmly. "Come, Kimura. You want to save them, right? Entrust me your everything, and we'll save Shiki and the others. Together."

Kimura was rendered speechless before Kazuki pointed at the staff she gingerly held.

He did not have to say anything more. Kimura carefully raised her staff and placed it beside his shield.

"Let's do this together!" both declared to each other.

It had been a long time since Kazuki felt this rush of emotions.

Fortified by two hearts beating as one, united under their shared goals and wills... Energy flowed into his shield like never before.

He swore he heard the fizzling of an Armament. Before the girl can fall, he securely cupped his left arm around her back. Eyeing each other with a look of mutual passion, Kazuki smiled as the two of them were consumed by his shield's light.