Miyuki's back shuddered and the room felt like it had turned a few degrees colder. The room was already considerably chilly, but now that cold was enough to give Miyuki goosebumps. "M-mimic Madness?" She would repeat to herself.

The distorted voices would reveal themselves at each corner of the room. They were shadow figures that were intimidatingly large. They had no visible features aside from a basic humanoid shape and a void black color that made them appear like they were 2D. The figures then rocketed towards Miyuki, each one rapidly closing in on her. The sheer wind caused by these figures' movements knocked the paintings off of the wall and uplifted the fractured tiles from the floor.

"Oh no... I guess I really am done for." Miyuki sighed, hanging her head low and closing her eyes. "Except..." Miyuki would have no choice but to do it again: use her ability. The shadows continued to close in on her, each one coming within mere meters from her to attack. "Now!" Miyuki then swiftly jumped up, avoiding their attacks entirely. While she was in the air, she threw her legs out to kick two of the attacking figures, only to find out that they had vanished before her attacks even landed. She was still too slow! Her ability allowed her to plan and evade their attacks, but she could never catch them herself!

With a despairing huff, Miyuki landed back on the ground and tried to stay alert. She was beginning to be convinced that she was fighting someone impossible to kill. They weren't illusions, that much she knew. She had to try and catch them herself, but any moment now she would be left with no energy to fight.

Miyuki leerily looked around the room, her scanning eyes then landing on the throne. There on the throne sat that girl from earlier, who was comfortably reclined. In her hand was a soft drink, which she would rest on one of the throne's arms when Miyuki made eye contact with her.

"There... there you are!" Miyuki would say in between slow pants. She pushed herself along, running after the throne. Once she got near, Sekken leapt off of the ground to clear the steps and send a single furious punch to this strange girl. The girl wouldn't be phased by this attack however, casually ducking to the side and allowing Miyuki to punch the chair. Her strength had decreased so much that she couldn't manage to do damage to the chair, let alone the mysterious entity she was trying to fight.

Before she had time to fight against her, the strange girl would grab Miyuki by the shirt and pulling her towards her face. The girl that Miyuki would only know as 'Mimic Madness' wore a soft smirk, which would then turn to a disapproving frown. "Get away from my chair." she'd demand before tossing Miyuki down the stairs and into the solid tile floor. The girl would then scoff, and then went back to reclining.

Miyuki laid there on the ground and held her head. This was it. She was convinced that this was it. There was no good ending. There was no victory to be won. Just as her nightmares had predicted, there was no fighting her. The Goddess of Shadows would reign unchallenged, just like Stronzo had boasted... and the fact that someone of the likes of him would turn out correct only infuriated her.

She couldn't win. There was no energy left in her, and all she could do was flail angrily while the very person at the core of her misery triumphed. With no one to fight, her heart felt its heaviest than it ever had before. All of her energy took her so far, but not far enough to save... or even avenge those who had made her feel valued...

Sora...

"Come on, don't be so apprehensive. You are stronger than one of the greatest martial artists in the country, right?"

Manaka...

"...everyone has their own unique tastes! I find it weird too, but I'm not going to judge people for what they like."

Megami...

"...I care! I cared about her!... I wanted to help her! I would have been so happy to be her friend! If wanting to be seen is a crime, then I guess I am a wanted criminal who'd be more than happy to have an accomplice!"

Her own mother...

"Miyuki. You need to enjoy High School. You only go through it once in your life and it's the most freedom you'll get in your schooling years! Let's just give this one a chance. If you ever have any problems, please let me know... okay? I can only help you as much as you'll let me."

Even when she foolishly ran from her significance, she's always reminded of its impossibility. When she shunned people for taking interest in her, they kept pressing harder. People like them are why she was able to stand. People like them are why she didn't run away. People like them are why she fights. Even when they were gone forever, her heart still beats for them every second... because if she didn't, then who would? Who would stop the insanity that runs Maguro High? Sora gave her his power because she was the only one to fight.

She was the only one who could fight.

Miyuki clenched her teeth and closed her hand into a fist, thrusting it angrily into the ground. "NO! DAMNIT! I HAVE COME TOO FAR TO FALL NOW!" She would then throw another punch into the ground. "I WON'T LET STRONZO BE RIGHT!" Miyuki then threw another punch, the tile cracking. "IF YOU GO UNCHALLENGED, THEN WHO WILL STAND FOR MY MOTHER?! WHO WILL STAND FOR SORA?! FOR MANAKA? FOR MEGAMI? OR FOR EVERYONE ELSE YOU HAVE MURDERED IN THIS DISTRICT?! DAMNIT!" Miyuki sent another punch into the ground, the floor starting to shake under the pressure.

"I JUST WANTED TO GO TO A NORMAL HIGH SCHOOL" Miyuki continued to pound her fist into the floor, that fist becoming bloodied and unbearably sore. Once her fit of rage was over, Miyuki then stood on her feet. No matter how angry she was, she could not restore the missing 90% of her Ki reserves quicker. "...but I guess 'normal' or 'average' is subjective when you're ruled by a psychopath."

She then slowly brought herself into another fighting stance, this one a complete mimic of the first battle stance Sora showed her. She ceased to say any more words to the strange girl, now just waiting for her enemy to make her move. The girl plastered a smirk, standing up slowly from her chair.

Miyuki and this girl would meet at the bottom of the steps and begin their true one on one fight. Blow after blow the two would trade, their battle shaking the entire room with each attack they traded. Miyuki was giving every ounce of strength left in her body to keep up, meanwhile the girl was keeping up perfectly fine. There was no effort in the girl's movements, who only focused on blocking and parrying with single attacks that would throw Miyuki around like a punching bag.

("I.. I can't... I need help, but I have no one... please... someone help me!") Miyuki would plead before being tossed into the side of a wall by the girl grabbing her leg. The room was beginning to feel hazy to Miyuki, who was beginning to slowly phase in and out of consciousness. It was like the world was spinning and she was the center.

Unknown to Miyuki, Manaka had awoken from the shaking in the room. She was barely able to open her eyes, let alone stand. ("Miyuki...") was all she could say to herself while she watched her friend being effortlessly backed into a corner by this girl. ("Please... forgive me for all of the pain I have caused you, Miyuki. This is the least I can do for you... stop I-35. You're the only one left that can...")

It was then that Miyuki would suddenly feel a jump in her energy levels. She looked at her hands and then the rest of her body. She was... glowing! She had her power back! Wait... this surge in power, could it be? It only happened once before... her dreading heart pounded at the possibility for what that meant. Miyuki looked over her shoulder slowly. There she laid... motionless. "No... You didn't just..." Miyuki's eyebrows furrowed, then facing back towards the girl she was fighting. "You idiot..."

Miyuki, now at full strength at her friend's sacrifice, she got back into her fighting stance. The girl would do the same, getting into a perfect mockery of Miyuki's own. Without delay, the two continued their clash of powers. Miyuki now stood on better ground, her strikes beginning to put the two on even ground. The room continued to slowly chip away as their clashing powers sent shockwaves. The walls cracked, the windows bursted, and the pillars began to fracture. Miyuki was finally able to fight back. Her body was in loads of pain, but she was only running on adrenaline and Manaka's energy now.

The girl would clash a punch with Miyuki's own, her face clearly showing she was impressed with Miyuki's strength. Sekken then pushed harder in their clash, the girl's face then turning from one of amusement into one of concern. Instead of pushing harder in their clash, the girl would vanish from sight entirely. Miyuki would be prepared this time, throwing her body backwards in multiple backflips. When her own shadow came to throw punches at her, she clashed fists with them and deflected their attacks. When the shadowy figures showed up to attack her again, she was fast enough to catch their attacks and knock them away from her.

"I guess I should be glad I also came to this school, because I was able to achieve something even the mighty Boss of I-35 doesn't have... and they are why I have the power to stand up to you" Miyuki would say in a mocking tone while continuing to fight off more of the shadowy summons created by her opponent.

The shadowy summons then began to change up their tactics, holding their hands towards each other and merging. Now there were only two of these figures, which were twice as big and twice as powerful as the ones she was fighting before.

"Oh come on," Miyuki anxiously watched the merged summons preparing their next strikes. Not wanting to face them head-on, Miyuki closes her eyes and begins to concentrate again. The attacks would be swiftly avoided, Miyuki throwing her body over one of the summon's fists and running up said summon's arm to deliver a punch to their face. The summon roared in pain before tumbling down onto the ground.

The second one would charge in after the second one fell, roaring while it stomped over to Sekken. Miyuki once again closed her eyes and started to concentrate once more, then swiftly avoiding the second summon's kick. "You can't catch me! Haha!" Miyuki taunted at the second summon.

In the corner of Miyuki's eye, the first summon could be seen splitting apart and then vanishing in air. She, on alert, spun around to try and see where it went. Behind her she would be surprised by the sudden sight of Manaka throwing a punch at her, Miyuki catching the attack as it was thrown. "M-Manaka?! W-wait, no..." Miyuki remembered the state Manaka was in previously. She then slung the fake Manaka across the ground and retook her stance.

"You can't fool me!"

In response to that statement, all of the summons would dreadfully laugh in sync.

"Just try it!"

In response to her demanding taunt, the summons then began to get a brighter glow. This meant they were using more power, which only told Miyuki that through all of this... none of these copies were taking her seriously. This was bad news, making her even more anxious. "C-Come on!"

All of the summons then grew a shade darker before losing their shapes. What were once figures turned into an almost nasty slime-like black blob which would flood the area around Miyuki.

This horrific blob mixed and stirred, Miyuki being left stepping in it, though wasn't exactly harmed by it. After a few moments of mixing, the blob then split into four consecutive pieces that all rushed away from Miyuki Sekken. These blobs then took shape, one turning into the tall School Headmaster Sato, another turning into the former I-35 boss Demone Stronzo, another turning into the Martial Arts Club Leader Erin Seijo, and the last one being the strange girl from before. Miyuki knew they were fake, but they were so unmistakably realistic that it still struck fear in Miyuki's heart. Not only did they look like them, but they all moved and acted like them near perfectly too.

She clenched her teeth and got her power back on the ready. As she jumped to her full power, the four would charge their own Ki to reach their full power. It wasn't a good sign that they weren't going serious before, but now they were.

"Okay I know these are fake, but I also know I am going to be in some real trouble soon."

Sekken then closed her eyes and began to concentrate one more time, getting her ability going once more. Meanwhile, all four were charging in at once. The first person would have their attack dodged, Miyuki retaliating with a right jab. To her surprise though, she missed! No, it wasn't like she was dodged, she just missed them entirely! The second person came in to attack her, their attack landing straight into her diaphragm.

Miyuki staggered back and tried getting a glimpse of the four summons. Was she seeing double? She couldn't believe her eyes! The world was starting to look dizzy again. The people she was fighting before had started to become blurry smudges in her mind. ("What in the world? This can't be a cause of their ability, is it? Or... is it an effect from mine?")

Blurriness or not, Miyuki had no choice but to keep going. The summons then began their next charge, each one of them taking an angle to attack from. Miyuki tried keeping up with all four of them, but the tactics these four came up with were far beyond anything Miyuki was prepared for. By their strategy of two trying to attack from the front and two from the sides, Miyuki could only stop so many attacks before being overwhelmed.

The clash of all five was causing the room to shake even more. The columns were starting to fracture, even one of the column supports collapsing entirely nearby. The walls rattled, and the floor had sections already cratered in countless spots.

Miyuki was beginning to barely hang onto their onslaught, now having sustained a few small injuries from the summons' rain of attacks. They all caged her in and she had no way to escape. Move backwards? They followed. Jump? They jumped. Take one out? It'll come back up like they weren't hurt in the first place. It was a nightmare, there was no stopping these summons, and the worst part is that she was already starting to tire out again!

What could she do to push them away? ("Wait... push them away, that's it!") Miyuki thought, though becoming distracted long enough for the two summons in front of her to push her back. Sekken, however, used this distance to her advantage. It was time for another sonic clap! She brought her hands out and slammed them together, the powerful soundwave catching the four off guard and stalling them for more time.

At last, she had more space. Sekken repeated her process of enhancing her senses.

" W I T H E R A W A Y U N D E R Y O U R O W N M A D N E S S!!"

Sekken continued to try and keep herself calm from these menaces. "Madness, huh? Thanks for the tip. They say madness, or insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." Miyuki then opened her eyes. "So, I guess you have driven me mad!"

The battle would continue once more. As the battle continued, the floors began to crack and the final supporting columns were on their last legs. Miyuki would continue to be held back and cornered by all of these four summons. Mid struggle, one of the summons would disappear, Miyuki suddenly having her leg grabbed by her shadow. Meanwhile, the three others would start their own attacks on her.

And then... it stopped.

The summons disappeared.

Miyuki, gasping for air, was quickly exhausting. The room was suddenly empty, which would be the first thing she could notice. It would then shift. The setting then turning away from the room they were staying in. Before she knew it, Miyuki found herself kneeling in a grassy lawn in the middle of the night. When did she get here? It all looked so real... she could almost feel the brush of the grass against her hands and knees.

Her head then turned upwards, suddenly gasping in shock at what was in front of her. "M-my house...!" she muttered. Right in front of her was her home. Her home was burning, much like she had remembered on that day. Only this time, no one was there on the scene. Miyuki was left with the sight and torment of the house she was helpless to save... but then, much to her horror, her house would end up not being the only one burning. Her neighbor's house would light up in flames too!

"N-No... M-miyuki, get a grip! This isn't real! This isn't real!"

What followed her neighbor's house was the rest of the houses in the neighborhood. One after another, every single one of them would burst in a bright ember, and Miyuki could only watch in horror as she was left with this engraved vision.

"I-IT'S NOT REAL!"

" H O T T A M A L E H O T T A M A L E!!"

This voice surrounded Miyuki at no angle and every angle. It was like her tormentor was omnipresent. They spoke in all angles and all places. The slow chanting would only continue when at last the emergency services would arrive... but not to put out the fire. Every single one of the emergency workers slowly left their vehicles. They all were horrifyingly skinny. Bones could be seen protruding from some of their grey skin. Some of their mouths hung low. They were all nothing but... zombies!

In their zombie like tone, they all continued the chant that her tormentor had started.

" C O O K I T O N C E!! C O O K I T T W I C E!!"

Miyuki backed up in fear, sweat dripping down her face. As she let out a horrified scream. So many zombies... so many undead... these weren't just any ordinary people that were coming after her. These were everyone in the neighborhood... everyone at school... every man, woman, child, teacher, principal, Barricade, and friend that she had ever met in her life. Every single person she knew was dead had came back to haunt her as the entire neighborhood burned to the ground.

"AAAAAH, N-NO! I– PLEASE! STOP! I CAN'T TAKE IT! THIS ISN'T REAL! THIS ISN'T REAL!"

Emerging from the growing crowd of zombies, she could spot four people at the front that were making their way towards her. Manaka, David, her adoptive mother, and Megami were all zombified and walked hungrily towards her. The four would say in sync something deviating from the chant everyone else was saying:

" A L L H A I L I-35 A N D T H E U N K N O W N G O D D E S S, T H E N E W R U L E R O F J A P A N!!"

"MEGAMI?! DAVID?! MANAKA?! MOM?!" Miyuki shouted, her body curling up into a ball and grabbing her ears. "MAKE IT STOP!"

"D E A T H T O M I Y U K I S E K K E N"

Miyuki continued to stay curled in a ball, trying to tone out the horrific chanting, the guilt, and the misery this sight caused her heart. Everyone... dead and haunting her. She couldn't handle that guilt, that guilt would be the truth if she had failed to defeat this monster. The chanting grew louder... and louder... and louder. Her toning out began to fail until all she heard was the corrupted sound of every zombie huddled around her and chanting. ("Nothing is what it seems... Nothing is what it seems... Nothing is what it seems... Nothing is what it seems.") Miyuki repeated to herself in between exasperated breaths. "Nothing is what it seems." the repeating of that line continued to ease her muscles and calm her body. Once her body was beginning to ease, she closed her eyes. "Nothing is what it seems... So why see in the first place?"