What am I even doing? I hardly even know Keijin personally, so why? There was a 100% chance of us finishing off Takeshi. And yet… And yet… I threw the gun.

In the midst of the rushing winds, Keijin watched the steam gun spiral downwards until it suddenly stopped its momentum right below him. He was more glad to see a levitating gun than ever before in his entire career. It appeared he’ll live to see another day after all.

Hmph. Well done, Kaori.

Without a second thought, he let go of Takeshi’s arm in order to grab onto the long barrel. He extended his own arm out and slammed his palm onto the chamber, clutching it for dear life. But as soon as he caught himself, Keijin felt the sudden overwhelming weight on his leg. He looked down to see Takeshi holding onto his ankle at the mercy of gravity. Takeshi had no intention of dying today either.

“...Looks like your helper doesn’t want the show to end just yet!”

“Perhaps it did seem a bit early to cut it abruptly like that.”

Watching the two dangle from the gun was far from entertaining. They only had five more seconds of airtime before her ability ceased. What could Kaori do to make it so Keijin could get back onto the observatory? She was all the way up there without so much of a tool to influence the momentum of the gun. Was there anything that she could do? Anything… Anything at all?!

“...!”

“Cavall, continue to apply upward momentum to the metal part of the gun!”

-Woof!

That’s right, make good use of your units: a fundamental concept in war. Kaori watched as the Akita strained its whole body, using its Aoi to alter the gun’s direction. I’m so glad Charlotte made such a furball like Cavall. She might as well still be participating in the mission. But… Is it going to be enough, though? The weight of two adult men against the strength of an ordinary dog?

As the final second reached its end, Keijin and Takeshi felt the overwhelming g-force from the immediate acceleration. Every part of their bodies, once again, experienced the cold air rushing forth. Keijin saw the breach of the observatory grew larger and larger; soon enough thought that he could actually make it. He reached his arm out again, but as soon as he did, he realized it. Kaori as she watched his arm realized it as well.

It… wasn’t enough.

Was her efforts in vain? Was she actually going to live through life with the guilt of failing to save someone’s life? That was until...

“Wait… what is that?”

A glint of light hit her eye for a second. From where she leaned over, Kaori spotted a reflection in the snowy distance: another air bubble that was ascending at a speed of a hot air balloon.

“Kaori.”

Oluka’s voice? So Keijin’s Aoi is still activated. That means they were working together this whole time?

“Oluka?!”

-Woof, Woof!

“Nice save right there. I watched the whole thing unfold.”

“You say that, but you already sent out an air bubble to us. Could’ve told me you and Keijin had all of this planned out from the start...”

“...Hm? Well, unfortunately I didn’t know he was going to basically throw his life away either. I’m in the same boat as you.”

“What? Then…”

“Well, even though I didn’t 100% know, I did expect him to. I’m gonna lend you in on a secret. Keijin always takes big gambles like this in every single job. It honestly gets annoying saving his ass every time and it seems like you already experienced that firsthand. But hey, there’s a first for everything.”

“Troublesome…”

Kaori collapsed onto the floor and leaned back on her hands to stare at the sky, falling silent. Cavall proceeded to sit right next to her and licked her cheek. She would’ve pushed the Akita away, but this time, she took it as Cavall calming her down.

Communication… huh? It really is deadly.

The bubble rose further until both Keijin and Takeshi plummeted onto its surface. With a boing, the two landed safely on their backs without a broken bone. As Keijin sat up, he took a second to appreciate the fact that he was still breathing.

I’m glad, though. Kaori and Cavall bought me a few more seconds in order for Oluka to send the air bubble in the nick of time.

“Thanks for the gun, Kaori. Water tank and all. And thank you, Takeshi, for not completely wiping my memories.”

“Haha. Oh that’s right. I could’ve done that at any point, couldn’t I?” he replied as he got up to his feet, “I’m forgetful sometimes.”

Takeshi whistled after taking in the scenic view of the region. “So what now? Keep me on this bubble while your helper dives further in to fight Mary? Pretty demanding if you say.”

“Well, for your information, it isn’t just the two of us on this mission. There are others that most likely are dealing with your buddy right this moment. Even before we came face to face, they had already climbed up the stairs. So if anything, I'm the one buying time as much as you were.”

Crafty. Taking his words into consideration, everything made sense so far. The reason they hanged by the bottom floor was to separate him from the top as much as possible. Everything else was preordained from the conditions of the battle setting.

“Kehaha! So it seems. I see. It really is a textbook strategy you came up with.”

“What can you do? The fundamentals are important.”

The both of them knew, however, that this would be a fated battle that would end with the loss of one’s life. Whether or not they would survive this encounter is not the matter of luck, but of skill. As the frigid air blew on their skin and the snow covered their vision, they both took their stances.

“For your information, I’ve been taught some fighting techniques. Enough to easily dodge any bullet. I wouldn’t even need my ability to get back up there.”

“Good thing then I have more than just bullets in my repertoire. I could say the same for myself.”

“Then let it be our final test.”

「In the snowy sky

Thy two men shall due battle

At the crux of life」

“Let’s do this. Keijin!”

Takeshi charged directly toward Keijin. To dodge the bullet without his Aoi is easily possible knowing when exactly he will shoot. A method of approach which was exactly what Keijin had wanted. The success of him incapacitating the enemy required him to look ahead, knowing what they would think.

Keijin fired. Seeing the intent to put a hole between his eyes, Takeshi instantly ducked his head while maintaining his approach. At the last moment, his right foot wept towards the side of Keijin’s head. As such, he couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

Shoot or throw a feint? He had thought that mind games would have worked, but it appeared to him Takeshi was not playing at the same level. Keijin leaned backward at the last moment, eyeing his other leg planted on the air bubble. With a sweep of his own leg, he knocked Takeshi off his balance. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Keijin reloaded the steam gun with a bullet… but not before realizing Takeshi had already recovered his footing in such a short amount of time.

It was a slight miscalculation on his part. In his mind, he would laugh to himself at the absurdity of the man’s speed. The space between them was just a few feet, and Takeshi took a slight step forward to close the gap. Keijin shuddered as he could only watch his fist drilled into his abdomen like a battering ram in a siege. His body, which took the full force, flew through the air and slammed into the side of the mountain, never having a chance to guard against the attack.

In such a dazed state, the only thing he could do was to cough up blood. He was sure his lower rib cage and possibly inner organs were all crushed by now. Meanwhile, Takeshi stared at his trembling fist, having put all of his power in that one blow. He was definitely going to feel that one the next morning, if he would live to see the next day that is.

And that brief moment of thinking was a distraction just long enough for another bullet. He realized the pang shot of the steam gun too late. Takeshi instinctively raised his hand to shield his head as he failed to dodge in time. A piercing pain suddenly reverberated throughout his arm, as the bullet spiraled into his hypothenar muscles. His arm jerked backwards, flailed blood onto the surface of the bubble.

“—Urrgh…!”

It was Keijin’s last ditch effort. He couldn’t even get up from the mountain’s dent where he laid let alone tying the man up. There will be no more firing from him. But because of his efforts, the damage Takeshi accumulated was enough to render him out of the fight. Even with his ability to forget the pain, moving his broken body was a whole separate, insurmountable hurdle.

Dropping down on his knees, he said. “Seems like we both can’t go on…”

“...What a shame. *Cough* Those brief seconds were very thrilling.”

“Indeed.”

There was a moment of silence as the breeze picked up, sending bits of snowflakes onto their clothing. Out of everything that had just occurred to injure them, the two men wished they brought more cold protection the most.

“Want to talk it out now?” Takeshi asked, unable to rub his hands together.

“Huh? What are you babbling about, now? Did you forget that I’m still trying to stall you?”

“Hah. When you're just lazing on that mountain of yours? Please.”

Keijin couldn’t help but wonder why he would offer to talk now. Is he that confident in Mary’s abilities to stop a potential threat to her? Either way, there’s no reason to refuse his offer.

“Out with it, what do you have to discuss?”

Takeshi moved into a criss-cross position and arched his back, keeping pressure on his wounds. “I’m curious. Tell me what Azure is like: the organization you are affiliated with.”

“Come again?” Azure? He was curious about Azure?

“Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask.”

“...No, I’d be willing to offer a few words about the organization.”

Keijin could definitely see why Takeshi would ask for information about them. Information is crucial in winning a war against the enemy side. He could potentially use anything Keijin could say for a future attack on them without so much of a sliver of remorse. Capitalizing on the information would be a given. Yet, Keijin couldn’t help but to see his position of asking as well-earned. The both of them had just fought tooth and nail, after all. With all due respect, the least he could do was to kill two birds with one stone by giving Katou’s team some time and tell a little story to Takeshi.

“Oh, where to start…”

・・・・・

Feeling a sudden, mild wave of light-headedness, Riki brought a hand to his neck to support himself. He hadn’t had these flashes in quite some time; thus he questioned the reason as to why one would occur now. He cursed himself as this moment could be one of the worst times to lose consciousness.

“Glad I have a blade now. Thanks Katou...” proclaimed Tamaki as she stared down the twelve spirits all floating silently. Even though twelve massive flames were present on the floor, Mary’s presence against the three appeared the brightest. That reminded them, the injury to her hand was still there from Kaori’s bullet yet it didn’t seem to bother her one bit. Wrapping her hand with a cloth was sufficient enough for her to continue playing her pipa.

“Please accept my sincerest apologies~. This unfortunate accident is the result of my ritual being incomplete. However, I am pleased to say that I’ve obtained such an audience this evening. ♪”

“Humph. Don’t give us that nonsense, instrumentalist. Either way, you’re still a noise that should be silenced.”

“My… How violent. Teehee~. Don’t be so hasty, Demon Slayer. How about we enjoy ourselves in this wonderful hall?” she said as she gestured to the space around them.

“I see your taste in décor is as grim as your choice in music.”

Fearing for the worst, it seemed to Tamaki that Katou was only adding fuel to the flames. Their situation was already furthest from ideal as is. “Hey Katou! Don’t provoke her any further…!”

Mary couldn’t help but chuckle. “None taken madam. In fact, we can discuss our tastes all we like if he so wishes~.”

Right. Every line they said is one more moment wasted on the mission. The three knew that her primary goal is to buy time. Understanding this, Katou rested his hand on his blade’s grip.

“...Leave Mary to me. I’ll finish the business that I started with her right now.”

“You sure you can handle it? I saw first hand just how powerful these things are.” Riki said.

“That’s because you’re just ain’t strong enough.”

“...” He already knew that fact from the start, but Katou’s bluntness really hit a nerve. Though, judging by his words, was he planning on tackling her all by himself? Did he truly think they were not capable enough?

At that moment, the atmospheric mood changed. The three of them noticed a shift in the music Mary was playing, giving off a much more ‘eerie’ vibe as the melody felt much more ‘dire’. Every note sent a wave of anguish into their minds.

“Dies Irae, a hymn that describes the day of wrath and was primarily sung in funeral masses. Appropriate, isn’t it?”

“Gee. So much for trying not to be grim, Mary.”

“You certainly don’t mince words, do you? Well, then. This performance shall continue. ♪”

“You’re right. Your funeral.”

With a single push of a leg, Katou dashed the distance of the floor to perform a slash he should’ve finished a long time ago.

“Ara ara, attacking a lady out of the blue—?”

“...It doesn’t matter who the person is or what they are like, I just cut them down all the same—!”

Katou slammed his leg into the ground right in front of her and swung the blade once again. The instant the blade left his side, intense heat blinded him as a blue flame spawned between him and Mary.

I expected that! The same thing won’t work twice.

In reality, his blade was aimed right where Mary had spawned the flames exactly in the same position on that night. And so, in a single stroke, Katou’s blade reacted violently against the sheer destructive force of the spirit. In spite of the read, his blade couldn’t budge any further from two inches into the side of its neck.

“—Tch! Why are your damn flames so hard to cut?!”

But because of his attack, Riki and Tamaki saw it. One of the fire flames had disappeared from the floor the moment Katou brought his blade out. It was just a tiny enough detail that would give the two much needed information.

“So there’s an upper limit to how much flames she can summon?” Riki said.

“So Katou wasn’t just charging in blindly…!” Tamaki said.

That was when, however, five of the twelve set their eyes on the two as they lurched forward for their attack; all five catching them off-guard.

Shoot! I was completely distracted, I gotta use my Aoi to monitor them!

“Engaging the enemy!”

“Got it!” Charging up an energy sphere, Riki resolved himself… and fired.

The burning air made it almost impossible for Katou to inhale. He had to end it fast before he would lose the ability to breathe completely. Switching it to an underhand grip, he supported the grip with his other hand and thrusted it into the wound with all the strength he could muster.

“—Go to hell…!”

In an arc, he beheaded the flame; its head dissolved into nothingness. But due to breathing in such dry, boiling air, his respiratory system suffered heavily. Some of the blood in his mouth and throat went into his lungs as he started to breathe again. Desperate for air, he coughed to spit out the red liquid.

“Hehehe… Hahaha… Urk! *Cough, hack*...!”

“What’s the matter? Tired? We can always take an intermission break~.” Mary said as she watched Katou cover his mouth with his forearm.

“Ugh, curse this body. Just a brief second and my mouth is already a desert. Why must it trouble me with a coughing fit now?”

Katou couldn’t back down now. He knew there were still six more approaching him as he was left ragged. He didn’t want to lose against… someone from his own region.

“I kill without pity. I kill without remorse. That is who I am. That… was who I am.”

The back of the blade tapped onto the destroyed pillar beside him. Slowly, the rubble around him and Mary began to rise into the air.

What?! The pillars?!

Multiple blasts occurred all at once. Each fire spirit released all of their energy once they collided with all of the debris Katou had rewinded; the room filled with blinding flashes of blue and white. He himself was required to plunge his blade into the floor in order to maintain his stance.

“くそ！”

As the dust settled, Mary saw that her flames had been reduced to cinders, leaving only her to stare at Katou’s cocky smile.

Urgh… Did that really just take out my six flames?!

“If that’s how you are going to perform then…”

Dies Irae’s melody grew ever more wild, as the notes trilled up and down in a manner so fast, so complex, that Katou began to fear for the safety of his mind before his body. The music soon peaked, then he felt the heat again. He looked back to see the six flames had formed themselves a new body. Out of the six, five had transformed themselves back into spirits, but one was into the form of a koi fish.

“You certainly don’t fool around.”

“Teehee~. ♪”

To think that she had trained her Aoi this far. The destructive power was already fear-inducing enough, but in addition, there was hardly a cool-down between summoning. That was on the surface, however. One of them is a regular, plain old koi. Seems like she’s at her limit of maintaining these damn spirits. The only thing Katou had to do now, was to outlast the flames.

As such, it was the same for Riki and Tamaki. They weren’t given any opportunities to escape, as they supported each other in order to avoid contact with the spirits: blasting them and calling out their path. With such a large range of sight, Tamaki saw every movement from the five flames; thus easily escaping away. The same couldn’t be said for Riki, however.

I’m the only one that can freely dodge their incoming. Meanwhile Riki is using everything he can to maintain his distance from the fire spirits...

In time, each energy sphere he manifested appeared dimmer and dimmer. Riki staggered and fell to one knee. He clutched his arm, already feeling the strain of creating so many consecutive energy blasts. At this point, he used his arm as an anchor to hold himself up as the dizziness settled in. A flash of motion caught his eye, and he ducked only to have the spirit pivot. Riki formed an energy ball and deflected its course.

Crap... is he being overwhelmed? Riki’s Aoi just isn’t strong enough to deal with these things?!

That was when she saw in the future, a spirit dive straight into him searing his whole body completely: a vision that caused her to almost empty her stomach.

“GET UP, MOVE! One’s gonna attack you from the front—!”

The look on her face compelled him that he would meet his fate if he didn’t comply. Every single cell of his body put every effort to get back on his feet. The moment he slammed his foot down, the side of his vision was flooded with a bright light. He screamed at his body to dive forward before it was too late. Do it! C’mon, just do it!

He kicked off the ground. That was when the flames enveloped his whole body in a split second. His outer suit was instantly charred as it acted as a final shield and protected him from the majority of the flames.

“—Riki!”

“—Khh…! It… Burns!” Hot. Dry. Scorching. Searing. He was glad it happened in an instant, or else he would have experienced the latter two. At best his skin was covered in first-degree burns. The clothes on his back felt lighter which was both a good and bad sign. It would mean he was protected, but for the first and only final time. Seeing the remnants of his charred suit sprawled on the floor, Tamaki felt far from relieved.

...I have to be the one to distract them alone. I don’t think he can handle any more of this.

“Riki! Leave these things to me! Go on up the stairs alone!”

He shot a confused gaze at her, which forced her to create a split second plan within the time she had.

“Oluka will create an air bubble for you to go down the mountain on the other side of the observatory! Just count on us to distract Mary and the flames!”

“What…?! But…” His voice trailed off.

“Hate to break it to you,” Katou shouted, “but this isn’t the time for hesitation! She’s right for thinking that. There’s no shame in letting others take the load off of you.”

Tamaki’s face relaxed, though only for a fleeting instant. “Hmph. After all this time, it seems that I’m more well-suited for this kind of stuff. After all, I guess it was all this time, my goal to join Azure and this was the result of that. But that goal wasn’t initially yours to begin with. In actuality, yours was to rescue the first person you saw suffering, right? To drag them out of the pits of despair, right? To give them a second shot at the world, right? So go do just that!”

Even Riki was deeply surprised by those words. He never considered Tamaki, who always seemed collected, to think about such things for others’ sake. He’d had to return the favor someday. For now though, the best he could do was to give his regards.

“...Got it. Thanks, Tamaki, Katou.”