1

“No life to live for, you say?”

The dance of the Absolute Order’s stringlike wings slowed down. Kiyone’s hollow eyes looked on with intrigue at the fired up Izaya.

“Three years. Three years of waiting. I finally can bring Kiyone home. And I’ll die trying.”

“We won’t allow you to face this battle all on your own, Lord Izaya. Absolutely!”

With her levitating knives at the ready, Utara stepped beside Izaya. That was followed by a recognizable screech and an arrogant voice.

“If we crush her, we would reach the pinnacle of strength, huh?” Satoru finally spoke up after a while.

And he made it sound so easy.

“Bring her home? Save her?” the Absolute Order responded. “That doesn’t sound right. Years in this body, I have gotten more and more accustomed to understanding the human heart, to reading the vibrations of the soul.”

As if to emphasize the point, it placed its hand on Kiyone’s chest, where the heart should be. It gently tapped that part of its host’s body before staring at Izaya.

“Not once did this host ask for salvation.”

“Y-you… Stop deceiving me.”

Izaya gritted his teeth and prepared to make his move, but without warning, Setsura shot out from Satoru’s back and made a beeline for the Absolute Order.

“Shhaaa!”

The wraith-like Nullity flew straight towards the enemy. The sight of a powerful enemy had aggravated the Nullity bonded to Satoru, and she raised her blade arms, ready to strike.

Setsura had the advantage of a surprise attack, but it was all for naught. Izaya watched as the Absolute Order’s wings struck out like sharp whips, slicing right through Setsura’s body as the Nullity let out a feeble whimper.

Without it even looking at its attacker, the Absolute Order finished the job. Its wings danced with grace, slicing up what remained of Setsura into particles.

“Ahh, looks like a stimulating battle indeed!”

Satoru’s tentacle arms flayed before he shot them out towards the Absolute Order.

Just as the Absolute Order’s wings looked to do the same thing to Satoru’s arms, numerous blades flew towards the wings, forcing some of them into a defensive action of swatting the projectiles.

Reiya Utara leaped before sending more of her Armament blades toward the foe.

“Let’s go, Lord Izaya!”

Izaya nodded before making his move. While the wings were distracted by the two pronged attack by his allies, the Absolute Order had left itself wide open. If he could drive this rapier straight into it and use the powered-up version of Yasakani’s power transfer ability, he would be able to sap this Nullity’s power and free Kiyone from it.

That had always been the plan. While he had not anticipated his allies acting rashly and initiating the battle this early, he had made some preparations for it.

“I’m sensing a powerful reading from the left, then the right with two second delays.”

Hearing Dr. Kagami’s calls, Izaya deftly dodged left before spinning away from the right, dodging both wings at the exact right time.

The whole sequence took place in a little over five seconds, but Izaya found himself mere feet away from the Absolute Order.

Still carrying the momentum of his run, he jumped forward with his rapier pointed forward.

In that moment, he locked eyes with the Absolute Order before the world shone in a ray of white. Loud noise stopped all his momentum, and the next moment, he found himself being thrown back.

He landed awkwardly on his back when his temporarily blinded eyesight returned, and he could see that the same fate had befallen his allies.

Of course, this wouldn’t come easy. An energy wave attack was something to be expected, but who knew what other tricks it had under its sleeve? He had never seen it battle in full force three years ago, and there was just no way to completely analyze it.

He knew he had to rely on his resourcefulness as well as his allies’ skill in drawing out the Absolute Order’s other attacks in order to claim victory.

He got back up before anyone else did, only to see swathes of the Nullity’s near-ephemeral wings shooting towards him.

“Don’t you dare count me out!”

Satoru’s tentacle arms stretched out, swatting the Absolute Order’s wings temporarily. The two sets of string-like appendages battled it out before the wings won out, slicing off part of Satoru’s tentacle arms.

The masked youth only had a grunt of mild frustration before part of his amputated tentacles began showing signs of regeneration.

Before the Absolute Order can strike, a new set of knives swirled in midair, shooting towards the main body – Kiyone’s body. In a defensive motion, the wings all retreated, embracing the main body and curling into a ball. The knives continued in their trajectory, however, and planted themselves onto the wings.

The now-recovered Utara smiled as she got into her pose and closed her eyes.

“Ethereal Brink!”

Utara’s Armament’s ability specialized in breaking down the spiritual energy within the object those knives stuck themselves in. It was a formidable power, especially against Awakeners and Nullities, beings that make use of such latent magical power.

The knives glowed before releasing an explosion from within, creating a powerful feedback that sent shockwaves back at everyone in the throne room, temporarily stunning everyone with a powerful flash of light.

Once the knives found their way into their target, it’s over.

Izaya’s eyes widened. From the impact site, the wings triumphantly scattered. Charred yet quickly regenerating the spots where the knives were embedded, the wings were back in perfect condition in no time.

With that, the Absolute Order took flight. Interlocked translucent panels now surrounded its body, showing off the form of the energy barrier it used to repel the initial attacks.

“Struggle all you want, humans. Only a grim end awaits all of you.”

At that taunt, Izaya only felt his heart pounding. Both frustration and excitement pushed him forward, and he prepared for the next phase of battle.

 

2

The sound of clashing steel reverberated all over the empty lot. With the portal to Babel staring down the ground below, it was the final step before anyone can give chase to Izaya and the rest of Euphoria.

Unfortunately for Kazuki, a final obstacle stood in his way.

Reijy Ishida, an unbridled force of rage and resentment, continued hacking away at Kazuki’s shield. Relentlessly, recklessly. Even if his dual swords weren’t going through, he continued hacking away with reckless abandon, as if he wanted to prove a point by being able to force his way through.

“Hah!”

With another powerful slash from Ishida, Kazuki felt his body buckle. He tightened his body just as the Armament’s magical expansion began showing signs of damage.

He wouldn’t last too long. Not his previously tired body and not his shield. With how furious Ishida’s assault was, there was no opening to use Assimilator’s Core and go on the offensive.

“Die!”

Ishida brought down the dual swords with all of his might, the blades of fury colliding with the shield.

Piercing pain radiated from Kazuki’s arm to the rest of his body. His body shook along with the shield, but he held still, if barely.

Seeing this brief pause in the action, he pulled back his free hand and delivered a punch with all his might, striking Ishida at the gut. His knuckles screamed as he threw everything he had in the punch.

Ishida’s surprised grunt was music to his ears, confirming his idea that he had caught his opponent off-guard. His shield arm, relieved of the pressure, then followed with a forward thrust, striking Ishida with the shield.

“Assimilator’s –“

“Raaaaaagh!”

Perhaps he had underestimated Ishida’s recovery, but before he can even transform his Armament into the mode of choice, Ishida was upon him again. This time, he swung the two swords horizontally, catching Kazuki at his shield and just barely missing his other hand.

That would have been utter disaster for Kazuki, but it’s not like this hit was much better.

This one knocked the wind out of him, and he was powerless against the momentum that launched him backwards.

Dammit, I can’t find an opening.

Ishida’s approaching figure blurred with each of his breaths. His chest heaved, trying to pump adrenaline into the rest of his barely responsive body.

“Tired so soon? And Reijy was looking forward to meeting you so much.”

As if to mock him further, the fairy laughed before putting her hand on Ishida’s shoulder, an act that stopped him in his tracks.

“Ahh, this is so disappointing, you know. The plan was for Reijy to kill time before moving on and going after Guren Izaya. But if he can’t get even a stimulating battle out of his sworn rival, we would have just wasted our time. At least his rage is delicious,” she said, licking her lips.

“W-what are you?” Kazuki first asked the fairy before turning to Ishida. “Ishida, why are you letting this thing take control of you?!”

“Didn’t I tell you?” answered the fairy. “All I’m doing is giving in to Reijy’s innermost desires. The form I take, the personality I have, and how I give him strength are all thanks to his subconscious desires after falling to his lowest point. You can say that I am his ideal savior, given form by the powers of Mu and everything that’s been injected into him.”

“Arata…!” growled Ishida. “Y-you really don’t get it… do you?!”

He had a raspy voice as he brandished the dual swords.

“Imagine losing everything you had even when you least deserved it. All those years of hard work, all my desires, all thrown to the wayside. Imagine losing the one person you devoted your life to, all because of another individual’s failures. Of course you haven’t. You have never sunk as low as I did.”

“Yeah, true.”

The fairy Fujiwara egged him on, nodding furiously with a devious smile.

“Someone as nonchalant as you will never understand my pain. And it still makes me sick to think that your undeserving ass was getting all those wins in life.”

Ishida prepared to charge, and Kazuki barely got up to a straight form. One final charge, and this was it. He braced himself to the best of his ability in an attempt to survive this charge.

Things weren’t looking good, and the aura around Ishida and Fujiwara intensified.

But he had to give it a shot.

Before the decisive clash could happen, a flash of energy separated the two. The beamlike projectile burnt its way between the two combatants, forcing an awkward pause before a figure stood between them.

With his adrenaline sputtering out, Kazuki recoiled and fell on his back.

“I do understand emotional pain. But I also made the conscious effort to move onward, never being tied to the past again,” said the authoritative voice.

“Ohoho, look who it is,” said the fairy in an amused tone.

Standing between the two men was Sayaka Uehara, her sword firmly pointed straight at Ishida.

 

3

Izaya looked over his shoulders at the two allies actively engaged in combat. Both Satoru and Utara had no quit in their faces, but the bruises and heavy breathing told another story. It was a rare break in the action across a field that has been littered by crystal shards.

“Sensing something from the left. Nothing from the right.”

Dr. Kagami, with the help of his visor Armament, made the calm call, but that was the extent of his contributions.

The group collectively dodged as a large crystalline spike shot out from the left. In unison, the three combatants turned right in an attempt to flank the levitating Absolute Order.

Dr. Kagami’s Armament’s ability, Pandora’s Box, was very handy in tracking the flow of and manipulating magical waves in a vicinity. The visor allowed him a sort of sixth sense and even the capacity to manipulate Nullities’ actions.

It proved to be very helpful on the lead-up while the group ascended Babel.

Against the Absolute Order, such tricks matter little.

“Fall down already!”

“Die!”

Utara threw her knives, and Satoru shot out his tentacle arms. Before either of them can find their way to the enemy, the barrier repelled them.

In response, the Absolute Order raised a hand before creating energy orbs on the tips of its flowing wings. One by one, the orbs were chucked downwards, forcing more dodges.

Even Dr. Kagami was thrown off for a bit, having to avoid some incoming energy orbs that rocked the room.

There’s not much we can do at this rate.

Izaya accepted the grim realization. In this battle of attrition, they would eventually fall to their human limits and be fatigued to continue. All plans he may have prepared for his team to take down the Absolute Order seemed moot now.

“Please buy me some time,” he requested Satoru and Utara. “When I give the signal, go all out like everything depended on it. Split its attention and force it to continue going on the defensive.”

The two heeded their leader’s quick instructions, quickly separating and going in two different directions. The crystal spikes continued to emerge from the ground, but the Absolute Order turned its attention to Utara first.

It created those energy orbs once more and hurled it at her. When they were deftly dodged, it proceeded to summon more of them before a force knocked it off balance for a second.

Satoru’s tentacle arms had found its way to the barrier. Instead of trying to pierce through it like he had been futilely trying to do for a while, he had the arms embrace the barrier in a motion that resembled constricting it.

Some energy lines flowed from the barrier to the arms. It was his Armament’s ability, Usurper.

Normally, it was used to temporarily assimilate Nullities into him. But what if it can absorb – and internally break – this barrier?

It was a tactic worth trying, and the barrier started wearing down at the constant pressure. However, it was then that the Absolute Order summoned a long spear. An ornately designed weapon that represented Kiyone’s heart.

One swift motion was all it took for the Nullity to quickly eliminate the tentacle arms, causing Satoru to stagger as he was de-armed. He let out another shout, shaking the room and knocking Utara off-balance.

But Izaya had started feeling it. His focus was already paying off, with his body now falling under an extreme amount of heat. He grunted in place before letting the power course all over his body.

First came the arm. With his own eyes, he saw his right arm become encased in draconic scales before sprouting sharp claws. Then, a sharp pain from the back preceded a new sensation as wings erupted from his back.

The burning sensation was something he had never felt before.

At this moment, he remembered that youth. Was this really how Reijy Ishida felt back when he imbued the boy with some of the Render of Bounds’ power?

His transformation didn’t go unnoticed, as the Absolute Order looked at him curiously.

“What is that blasphemy?”

Izaya responded with fire in his heart.

“This is the power I had obtained, all for the sake of defeating you!”