End of Eternity

"There will come a day when we all have to say our farewells. But before that day comes, love one another, make memories both sweet and bitter, enjoy each other's company and wish each other well. After all, who can guess when and where life will part us from one another?"

- Imamura Kirin

Her last diary entry, shortly before her final battle.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When his student betrayed him in the Battle of Old Osaka, my dear husband left me and our still unborn child... For days, I mourned his death and wished that instead of him, I was the one who came there and fought as I would likely have a better chance of killing that knave...

All of that sorrow and longing ended up making my pregnancy difficult and it likely contributed to the condition that my son ended up with after he was born.

"Apologies, Lady Kirin... the young master will not last long."

At that point it was far too much for my heart to accept... I lost my husband and now, I would be losing my child as well. For the next few days, I visited the Inner Sanctum, prostrating myself in front of Oyabun-sama, begging her to find a way to save my son.

A week later, she brokered a deal with me that I wouldn't have accepted before... after all, it was the one thing that I hated enough to nearly disown myself from the Imamura clan.

"In exchange for letting your son survive until he can live with his condition, I want you to join the Amano Hogosha and act as my personal warrior."

For the next decade and more, I became the strongest warrior of the Sumeragi group... as well as its underground executor. At missions that are kept from the knowledge of even my fellow Hogosha guardians, I hunted down traitors and potential liabilities to the group and without leaving a trace, disposed of them.

How many was it at this point? Hundreds? Thousands?

In the end, it doesn't matter... I killed people as it was ordered from me, and it was all for the sake of my child who is the only remaining connection that I have to the sweet and poignant memories of the yesteryear.

However, after I met the only student that I was assigned to after all of these years, things changed for both me and the Replicant that was made for me to look after in lieu of my still sleeping child.

That brought me to today where the very fate of this world is now dependent on whether we can manage to defeat these people or not.

"Imamura-sensei... this guy is—" the young woman beside me spoke, visibly shaken with the appearance of our enemy.

"Pay his appearance no heed... I know that he looks like "him", but it's no longer him."

"...Keep your feelings out of this, Mana. Right now, he's an enemy and if you will not kill him—" Renjiro spoke and with a nearly instantaneous draw of his gun, fired at our enemy. "He will kill you."

"...Understood."

In front, the dust from the prior attack settled and Keiji appeared, having caught the bullet from Renjiro with his mouth. Alongside some knocked-out teeth and a puddle of blood, he spat it out before regenerating his injuries.

"I'll say this straight, you two... Even with my and Renjiro's powers as Vessels, we won't get to kill this guy."

"What?"

"...Look at him. Look at the Astra energy that is blanketing his entire body."

With my instruction, Renjiro and Mana focused their powers to their eyes and nearly recoiled in shock moments later.

"T-T-That... That is impossible—!"

"...Kh! What a beast—!"

All around Miyazono Keiji, Astra energy swirled like a whirlpool that continuously flowed and swallowed everything around it... something that he shouldn't be able to do in a place like that one that we are in right now.

"Will the Subspace Subjugation hold?" Renjiro asked me.

"No. Not for long. I suppose you can take over if the Subjugation breaks?"

"No... I can't do that since I didn't get to steal that Authority from Knowledge."

"Fine... There's no need for it anyway. We can get this done ourselves."

"...What do you mean?"

As I took a step forward, a blinding light covered me for a second and after it disappeared, I was dressed in the Divine Raiment of Justice, a pure white robe with armor plates, and holding the Divine Weapon as well.

"If you're willing to give it all, we will win against this monster. So I'll ask you two..." I drew my sword and pointed it towards Keiji, signaling the beginning of our fight. "Are you willing to die for what you believe in?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The fight against Miyazono Keiji was something that I believe no mortal should belong in...

"<Pyrokinesis!><ROARING HELLFIRE!>"

"<Electrokinesis!><Sustained Lightning Fall!>"

From our own attacks that used not only the raw, destructive power of our Psychic powers...

"<True Ferrokinesis!><Atomic Pile!>"

"<Pyrokinesis!><Fusion Flame Furnace!>"

"<Electrokinesis!><Primordial Energy Surge!>"

To attacks backed by scientific principles and natural laws that are enough to destroy the world ten-times over...

"Did the synthesized tert-butyllithium explosion work?!"

Right at the moment when Furuta-sensei asked that question, wood logs the size of ships shot out towards us and would've caught us if not for Kirin-sensei manipulating the Subspace to dissolve the projectiles.

"He's on a damn rampage... He's trying to exhaust my Astra energy reserves and focus just to get out of here!"

"Are you saying that he's not even considering us as enemies worth his time?"

"...No. There's another reason for it."

While I am using my Psychic power to regenerate some wounds that I got from both the enemy attacks and getting caught in our own attacks, I heard Kirin and Furuta-sensei discuss their findings from our previous attacks' effectiveness and lack thereof.

"He's cut off from his usual consciousness... It's likely that his Spirit is taking over his moves and decisions right now."

"He's auto-piloting our fight?"

"...Not by his own volition though, it seems."

After recovering my wounds and stamina enough to get back to the fight, I stood up and told them something else that I noticed.

"I don't know if you noticed it, but all this time, it seems like he's never used his own psychic power."

"What do you mean, Mana?" asked Furuta-sensei.

"I heard from Ephraim that his battle against Keiji is one of the most problematic fights that he ever had... not because of the nature of his Psychic power but because he constantly tries to prod on your soul in an attempt to kick it out and possess you." I looked at Keiji sternly in order to prove my point. "The fact that I, who isn't a Vessel, is still here, sane and alive, means that he's not trying to possess me and get an edge in the fight."

"...I see you point. That clears up things."

"Indeed... Nice assessment, Mana."

After our short exchange, we moved into formation where Furuta and Kirin-sensei charged towards Keiji while leaving me to provide cover fire for them. I let loose several fireballs and fireblasts that he seem to instinctively block away which also blocked his vision... or at least that was the plan.

"Tch! That brat's senses are still as sharp as ever."

"Dodge it, Renjiro! It's not just a physical attack, it's filled with Astra energy!"

"I know!"

A barrage of all kinds of plant matter rained around us. It was either an acid attack, an explosion or some kind of monstrous carnivorous plant. Furuta and Kirin-sensei skillfully dodged all of it but it did blunt the momentum of their charge, enough for Keiji to repel them back away again.

"Damn it... we're not getting anywhere with this."

"And the Subspace is not getting any better. If this takes any longer, we're bound to get slaughtered here."

"...Can't you use your Subjugation and give us a bit of advantage then?"

"You know that's impossible, Renjiro. Even if I subjugated the Subspace, this guy can still resist and break through it. It's already a miracle that I can still keep the subjugation in place despite fighting with my all."

"I see... but if it's like this, it might get too—"

While Furuta-sensei was talking about the subspace and how our enemy doesn't seem to be giving its all to break from our grip, I came to a realization that quickly sent a shiver down my spine.

"Imamura-sensei... Is he actually resisting the subjugation?"

"Huh? Yes. I can feel a bit of resistance whenever I am trying to prod his defenses to weaken him, but it's not so much that he can break my grip."

"..."

Hearing that, I began to think of another explanation for it but it seems like that I am dreading is exactly what's happening. When our eyes crossed, Furuta-sensei realized that I am beginning to think of something serious.

"What's on your mind, Mana? Why did you ask something like that all of a sudden?"

"...I wish it isn't the case, but I think Keiji isn't being controlled by his Spirit. It's the entire opposite."

"What do you mean?"

Going by logic, it should never be the case... but somehow, I feel like this situation we are in right now is the perfect situation where it can happen.

"Remember when we fought against he Miyazonos in the academy and we ended up having to fight Ephraim when his power overloaded and he lost almost control of it?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Please, let me be wrong...

"...I think he's doing the exact same thing by taking over the power and authority of his Spirit."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After Mana said those words, I realized what it was that I was missing all this time.

"Imamura-san... what Mana just said right now..."

"I know... It's the worst possibility but it's not something that we should panic about. We're both Vessels. No one else here except the two of us knows what would happen if he becomes successful in that."

While it might be a different case since Law willingly gave up his Truth Formula to Ephraim during that fight, it was still a legitimate instance where "that thing" happened and we barely managed to contain it.

If what Mana said really is the case for Keiji, then instead of being contained and disadvantaged inside this Subspace, what we're doing is buying him enough time to complete his take-over of his Spirit's power and authority.

"...How much power do you two still have in you?" I asked the two, wanting to weigh our options.

"Still hot and ready, Sensei. I've trained to conserve my power, no need to worry."

"Same case. I noticed some fluctuation ever since the physical body of Knowledge seem to have disappeared, but I'm more than ready to fight him even when it's by attrition."

"...Good. Then I'll leave giving me some cover to the two of you."

I sheathed my Divine Weapon and took a stance that Mana immediately recognized to be one that I've been preparing for situations like this.

"Imamura-sensei! That blade form is—"

"Mana! You heard her! We're giving cover until she's ready!"

"U-Understood!"

This exchange between Renjiro and Mana was the last thing that I heard before every single sense that I have disappeared and my consciousness was wrapped by a dark, cold void.

Within this void, there is not a single ray of light or sound to disturb the vacuum. It was pure nothingness... a void that takes away all semblance of reality.

That was until a voice beckoned me after realizing my presence there.

["Why have you come here, Vessel of Justice."]

"I seek power."

["...Your kind has and will always seek power, and in the end will be snuffed out by it when it can no longer fit the grasp of your mortal hands and minds."]

"..."

["What makes you think that you deserve it more than anyone else? Why do you think that you can approach ME, the Divine Principle that birthed your Spirit, and demand to be given power."]

Faced with that question, I kept my silence as I pondered for all kinds of reasons to explain myself.

I could give a reply filled with sophistry, lies to make it seem like I am better than anyone else who demanded power before...

I could give a reply appealing to emotions, cries of desperation or wrath that can justify my desire to have enough power to resist against our current situation...

I could also shoot down the answer, refusing to give any justification and simply saying that I will take it if it is not given....

But in the end, it seems like the reason why Justice chose me as her Vessel is the same thing that made me deserving of what I am seeking right now.

"Because I must do what is Right and Just."

["...Elaborate."]

"You are right by saying that mankind has always sought power that they do not deserve and cannot control... but that doesn't mean that the principle that led them to it is not worthy of praise or recognition."

In the end, this is what I have always stood for. Though I stumbled numerous times while trying to justify my human emotions and desires, my suffering and losses, my wishes to have more power to end our war with the Miyazonos once and for all, whenever I look back on it, there really is just one thing that continued to be the same for me whenever I took up my blade and fought.

"This is an unfair world with unfair people and running on an unfair reality... and whether it's just my human heart that is saying this or I have really reached the peak of what Justice saw in me back then, my answer is simple..."

I knew it the moment I took that stance and separated my consciousness from my body...

My time has come.

Which is why, just like how it was for my husband and my child who I lost but has always filled my heart with love and hope, I too, wish to leave this world with no regrets and a hopeful way to a better future for those that I will leave behind.

"I desire power to make things Just. For the sake of our hope and our future."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Above the sea surface of the Pacific ocean just north of the equator, a gigantic vehicle resembling a space-faring ship in science fiction shows skimmed steadily alongside its two passengers.

"...How did you know?" the tall man asked the young girl who is sitting at the captain's seat. "How did you know about Cecilia's ship, where it was kept and for what purpose it was left here?"

"...Since you left this world after resetting its timeline back to how it should've been without the overt presence of Spirits, I guess you didn't know about this but... Cecilia didn't die here on this world. While her body was kept here for a time to act as a warding seal in the Labyrinth of the Void, her last direct first-born descendant, Seliah Chronia, decided to have their ancestor's remains to be brought back to where it should be after the end of the Dark Ages."

"I see... so Death was there in the northern continent when all of it happened because of the Dark Ages. He saw my Vessel's direct ancestor breaking the overburdened seal that started letting Malignances to slip back into reality, is it?"

"Wasn't the destruction of the seal in the Labyrinth also the reason why you were able to come back here?"

"It is... Although my escape was harder and more complicated than the Malignances and Babel. Which is why he managed to get a head start ahead of me."

For a moment, there was silence between the two until Mirai asked Law something that he never really explained before.

"What were you doing all that time, anyway? It seems to me that somehow, you disappeared back then and nothing really happened until halfway of contemporary history."

"I was collecting every Malignance that manifested in this world and bringing them into the Labyrinth. Every once in a while, a lucky or hardworking one managed to escape and chip away at the seal's strength, but until that time when the situation of the seal is really hopeless and Seliah took away Cecilia's remains from the mouth of the Labyrinth, I managed to contain and fight against them all that time."

"Hold on. You were seriously fighting them all this time? For tens of thousands of years?"

"Most of the time, yes. I was guarding the door and making sure that anyone that materializes gets quickly kept in it. But for the other moments, the Labyrinth gave them a hard time to even reach the seal, and once some of them do, they usually end up fighting over who would get out first and who will be left to fight or distract me. Malignances, especially the smart ones, always use the dumber ones to try and get out, only to be vaporized by Cecilia's remains that is outside of the Labyrinth."

Mirai, finally realizing what Law was doing throughout history, felt some sense of appreciation towards him... still, a thought lingered at the back of her head about what she discovered before about Law's final act in this world.

"...Will nothing really convince you to not end this world?"

"It has to be done. With how this world and its people who accepted Babel's temptation wanted to turn this world into, there is no other way for this to end than how it must end in my hands."

Realizing that appealing to his logic will do nothing, Mirai asked him an emotionally-loaded question. Something that even she considers unfair, but has to be tried if she wants to have a chance of changing Law's mind.

"...Would Love think that this is the right course of action?"

"Trust me, Seer of Death. If it was Love who is in my situation right now, she would've chosen to do it the moment Babel escaped and managed to tempt Miyazono Ryuuichi."

"What? Then why did you already—"

"That decision of hers actually makes sense when you consider her Principles. She loves humans very much, and she knows just as much as I do what kind of pain and damnation Babel can inflict on them if they're given free rein." Law spoke with a voice that has a tinge of pain in it. "In a way, Love considers death as a better option than suffering the experience of losing the sanctity of one's flesh and the damnation of one's soul."

Mirai was shocked with Law's words about how much Love feared Babel's corrupting power.

"So what you're saying is... she considers being tempted and Tainted by Babel as an incurable poison?"

"No. There's no consideration to be made. This is not an optional opinion that you can contest against. She doesn't consider temptation and taintedness by Babel as an incurable poison. She knows that it is an incurable poison."

As if it was eavesdropping on their conversation and it knows how to back up Law's words, the ship's AI shot out a hologram feed of the debaucherous things that are happening in the world where sexual acts of varying degrees of revolting heinousness, murder performed like a passionate art and other actions are being performed to the fulfillment of human hedonism.

"...Faced with the prospect of a life where one is given all the right and power to pursue the fulfillment of their basest desires with no consequences, the human heart is as fragile as thin ice and as dark as the deepest abyss. Anyone would willingly give up everything they have to get such a life and continue living in it."

"So that's the reason why you're making that decision... to end all of this once and for all?"

"Right... but that's only if I'm the only one who will make that decision."

Hearing his reply, Mirai turned to Law with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem to be forgetting that I'm not the only one who has a choice in this thing."

With that reply, Mirai realized that there might still be a hope for an ending that doesn't mean the end of the world and mankind.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

This is my choice...

This is how I wish to end all of this...

"Mana!"

"I can still keep up, sensei! Focus on yourself!"

My part in this play called Life is about the end...

I have done what I must do, I have performed diligently what is expected of me...

"AAAAAARGH!!!"

"Sensei!!!"

"KEEP GOING, MANA! I CAN HANDLE MYSELF!"

"U-UNDERSTOOD!"

I am at peace...

I have no regrets...

I have nothing more to say...

"You damn pest! Just how tough are you to still be standing right now?!"

I shall let my blade to do my final act!

*KI-KYAK!*

"Oh-ho? ...So you're finally ready to die, you worthless interloper?"

As the thunderclap that marked my return to consciousness spread across the Subspace, my slow footsteps echoed inside the chamber as Keiji who finally returned to actively fighting us, realized that I am now using my full strength. With a sly smile on his lips, he amusingly spoke as if not even intimidated by me.

"...I should say the same to you, Keiji."

"Wha—"

After I took my last step forward, everything around me turned monotone gray until it fully turned black. In that void of darkness, where I moved faster than light can reach my eyes, I drew out my sword and after letting loose a single slash directed to Keiji, I returned to the flow of time to see his countless of plants and wooden appendages cut off into bits and pieces.

"GKHH—!!! What the—"

"Again..."

"I WON'T LET—"

I once again moved faster than light, making the world around me slowly turn from grays and whites until it became pure darkness. Within this momentary void, I drew out my blade again and let loose several slashes that tore through the stone around us and hit Keiji at his remaining appendages.

*KIK—!*

The moment I sheathed my blade a mere three seconds after I drew and slashed with it, I returned back to the flow of time to see my attacks hit Keiji with extreme power and speed. By the time he noticed that I struck him again, he can do nothing but shout in pain and hold the stumps of his limbs that I cut off.

"GWAAAAA—!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!"

However, it's not only him who is sustaining damage in our exchange...

"HAK! GAH!" I coughed, clutching my chest and mouth where I saw blood coming from both my mouth and nostrils.

"Imamura-sensei!"

"Kirin-san!"

Mana and Renjiro approached me after what seemed to them to be mere seconds after they were repelled by our enemy. When I turned to them, they saw me bleeding out from my orifices and had a look of shock on their faces.

"What? ...What's with those looks? I'm just fine, you two—" I tried to reassure them by standing up, but it seems like my two successive attacks took a toll on me as I momentarily lost my balance, only to be caught by Mana.

"Sensei! You're overexerting yourself! Sit down and rest—"

"I can't do that... We're in the middle of a fight..."

"Listen to us, Kirin! You're going to die if you continue using your powers like that! We can finish this together—"

Right before he can finish his words, a massive tree trunk hit Renjiro like a speeding truck and threw him back several tens of meters until he hit and was embedded into the wall of the Subspace.

"Furuta-sensei! What happened to—"

"Look out!"

Mana instinctively turned towards Renjiro, unable to notice another speeding tree trunk that was about to hit her. I lunged towards her to save her and the tree passed by a hairbreadth away from us. After we rolled on the floor a few times, I placed my feet on Mana's crossed arms, using it to jump away from her in order to get back to my standing form and get her to safety.

"Sensei!"

"Your part will come later! Get Renjiro back to his feet and stay away while I'm weakening him."

"U-Understood!"

I parted from Mana and used the momentum of my kick to lessen the distance between me and Keiji who is beginning to recover from his injuries.

"WHY YOU—!!!" He shouted and from the ground, made an enormous bundle of wood trunks to sprout in order to block my charge.

*KYIK!*

Moments before it can hit me, I stopped time once again, setting instructions for my body to follow as the world slowly turned colorless and my consciousness faded as I stretched the extent of the cessation of time into five seconds, the longest that I have managed so far.

I began to feel it once I crossed the three second limit...

My lungs began to be strained as oxygen exchange that should've happened milliseconds before is delayed seconds later. It didn't help that I am also fighting and constantly moving, making my breath to speed up as well.

My heart which has to constantly pump my blood suddenly stops and once I return to the flow of time, makes up for the lost few seconds by rapidly and violently beating several times.

Worse of all is my neural activity... As I expected, no mortal really has any business being this fast. The vision that I am seeing where everything turns colorless until it all becomes darkness is not just because I am breaking the laws of physics...

I am literally being ripped apart by my own power.

*KYAK!*

After I returned to the flow of time by sheathing my sword, the wave of plant matter that was thrown against me became pulverized as I stepped forward, adding more force and momentum to my charge towards Keiji.

"YOOOUUU—!!!"

"DIE ALREADY, KEIJIII!!!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the real world outside of he Subspace where Kirin, Mana and Renjiro was fighting Keiji, the battle against the Malignances continued to rage with gunfire and the songs that inspired those who are shooting.

Being preoccupied by the battle they are facing, no one noticed a figure that sneaked into the shadows of the mansion and entered it undeterred.

"Hyehehehehe! They didn't even notice! Those morons didn't even have a clue!" Keiji laughed to himself as he moved through the shadows of the ground floor and up the stairs of the mansion.

"It really was worth it to possess that brat's body! With this much Astra energy, I can even split my soul and infiltrate places while my main body is fighting!"

As it sped through the unsecured hallways, it located the laboratory where Higuchi Sora is mixing the contents of some vials to fire outside and support the defense of their surroundings.

"Oh-ho! So this is where you were hiding, you old creep. Hehe! Since I already located you, I might as well..." Keiji spoke as he changed the form of his right arm into a razor-sharp blade of wood and charged to stab Sora from behind.

"!!!"

"Wha—!?"

However, despite his age and the weakness that it brought to him, the elderly man's instincts told him of immediate danger and he took one of the vials in his arm's reach and tossed it squarely on Keiji's face where it shattered and its contents spread, immediately showing its effects on his face.

"AAAAAAHHHH—!!! F*******K—!!!"

"You absolute idiot! Did you think I'd leave myself defenseless to something stupid like that?!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH—!!! WHAT DID YOU DO!? MY POWER! MY FLESH!!!"

The liquid that hit him began to not only dissolve his flesh but also continuously degraded his Astra energy, affecting his soul-possession of Kai's body.

"Anti-Astra energy reagent. Hard to synthesize and unstable in open air but highly effective towards Psychics... but enough of that, this is where you'll die, monster!" Sora shouted and with what little strength his ailing body has, he unsheathed the sword hidden on his cane and postured to slash it towards Keiji.

"SCREW YOU! I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO BEFORE THIS BODY DIES!"

"Tch! MAYA! HE'S HEADING TOWARDS THERE!"

Desperately holding onto his body that is beginning to fall apart, Keiji ran out of the laboratory's other door that is only a few steps away from the room where he is sensing Ephraim to be at.

"I got him! You're not getting past me, Miyazono!" Maya appeared after hearing Sora's shout and threw several vials containing the same anti-Psychic chemical towards Keiji that he tried to dodge but still hit him and aggravated the effects of his prior exposure.

"YOU B****! GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" Keiji, infuriated with having his fatal injury worsened by Maya, used his power to control the wooden beams above Maya and slammed her to the floor, instantly knocking her out.

"GHH! How dare you, you failure of a Replicant brat! RAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Sora, after seeing what Keiji did to Maya, charged towards him with his sword.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU IMBECILES! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! I'M GONNA KILL ALL OF YOU!!!"

Keiji's wrath finally snapped and not caring for his own safety, used his Psychic power to control every piece of wood near him to destroy his surroundings despite it further worsening the effects of the anti-Psychic reagent.

One of these indiscriminate attacks made Sora to stumble and lose grip of his sword which Keiji took and stabbed into Sora's torso.

"GAK! KU-HAK!"

He lifted the elderly man using the sword for a few moments before swinging him away into the wall where the old man collapsed and lost consciousness.

"Ephraim... I WiLl KiLl yOu! I WiLl KiLl yOu AnD fInAlLy bRiNg tHe wOrLd wE dEsIrE tO bE iN oUr rEaCh!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the Subspace, the fight between Kirin and Keiji is beginning to enter its climax.

*KYIK!*

"NOT AGAIN—"

Both sides are in a bitter struggle, with Keiji unable to fight against Kirin's attacks, and Kirin suffering the drawbacks of her abilities that transcends the capabilities of mere mortals.

*KYAK!*

After sheathing her sword, the slashes that she made hit her enemy and once again deprived him of the limbs and attacks that he has just recovered and sent out. Moments later, she coughed out copious amounts of blood and barely managed to not lose balance.

"Uuuugh... What on..."

"Sensei! Are you alright?! Can you hear me?!"

At one side of Subspace, Mana was aiding Renjiro who finally regained consciousness.

"I'm alright... I managed to block it a bit, but I guess the impact was too much... Wait, forget about that! Where is Kirin?! Is she still—"

Right at the moment when he called out her name, Renjiro saw Kirin's appearance that looks like someone barely hanging onto life.

Her white Divine Raiment became bloodstained, her face is pale and her limbs are shaking with weakness, showing the damage that her body incurred in battle.

"KIRIN!!! Enough! You will die if you continue to—"

"I told you already, Renjiro..." Kirin interjected and as she held the grip of her sword to once again use her time stopping power, spoke these words. "If we are to win, we have to risk dying for it."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As I held my breath to once again use my ability to move faster than the speed of light, I looked back on the results of all of my prior attacks.

It was sufficient enough to defend myself and nullify the attacks of Keiji, but if I want to land a sufficient killing blow, I have to go further than I have ever done before.

Five seconds will hurt me.

Ten seconds will make me writhe in pain.

Fifteen seconds and I would probably lose consciousness.

Twenty seconds and my brain will blackout due to sufficient damage in my neurons.

And that is the supposed hard limit of my body... but it's not enough.

Twenty-five seconds and beyond means assured death... One that I cannot get back from.

Thankfully, my own sense of self-preservation fears death and it cancels out my power, but if I am to land a killing blow, I have to go far beyond what my body and mind fears for the sake of its own survival.

"This is it, Kirin... After this, there's no getting back... Which is why—"

*KYIK!*

With all of my might, all of my will, all of my soul and all of my heart!

"I WILL END ALL OF THIS HERE! BY MY OWN HANDS!!!"

As the light faded around me, making me dive into the bottomless darkness of the lightless and soundless void, my body began to move according to how I commanded it ahead of time.

My subconscious mind, as if realizing what I intend to do, bombarded me with instinctual fears and doubts about what I am going to do... But I have already made up my mind about this.

My body's reflexes, as if wanting to save itself from assured peril, tried to hijack my prepared commands and order my body to save itself...But I steeled my resolve and moved forward even when I knew the consequences.

Every fiber of my being wanted to save itself... To avoid death that it knew it cannot escape...

But I know what I must do... I made the decision that this is what I want to do.

As I felt my body move according to how I commanded it ahead of time, I also felt my body being torn apart and my mind being shattered into thousands of pieces.

"..."

The pain is unbearable... and yet I cannot feel it.

"..."

The horrifying feeling of death fills me with dread... yet I feel nothing at all.

"..."

Into nothingness, I threw myself into... and into nothingness, I will become.

As I felt figments of my body slowly disappearing and fragments of my mind desperately trying to preserve my sense of self, moments later, I heard my own final breath and as if wanting to comfort me in my final moments, memories that I held dear began to appear in my mind.

"Kirin? Are you there? C'mon... you know I'm scared of the dojo at night, don't call me out here just to"

"WAH!!!"

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

Memories of my youth appeared, the ones when I met Touya and fell in love with him and his loving nature.

"Uwaaaah~! You look so gorgeous, Kirin-nee!"

"S-Stop it, Akari... I told you that I wanted a traditional wedding and you still went ahead and made it a White Wedding."

"Aw, come on! You rarely wear anything other than kimonos and suits! Wear something that makes you gorgeous even for once, will ya!"

Memories of my wedding appeared when I wore a gown for the first time in my life. While my annoyance towards Akari was notable, what I cannot forget it how flushed and captivated Touya was when he first saw me.

"I can see the head! One more push, Imamura-sama! One, two, now!!!"

"AAAAAAAHHHH—!!!"

"There we go! Just a bit more, Imamura-sama!"

"YAAAAAAAAAHHHH—!!!"

Memories of my childbirth appeared, reminding me of the painful yet joyous day when we welcomed our child to the world. For the first time in my life, I learned what it felt like to give life instead of taking them.

"HAH! HI-YAH! HAH— Oww..!"

"...Again."

"Y-Y-Yes, Kirin-san!"

"...Why are you calling me, Kirin-san?"

"Ah! I... I am not him... I am just a Repli—"

"Replicant or not, you are Imamura Kai. I will not have my child call me with distant words. Call me mother (Mama).

"Y-Yes, Hahaue (Mother)!"

Though I thought of it back then as a bittersweet memory that I kept on denying to be worth anything, in the end, I truly loved the Replicant that took the place of my child during his younger years. Unlike whenever I am thinking of my real child, every interaction I had with his Replicant was joyous or amusing enough to be something lovely.

"Sensei, I brought you something to eat."

"H-Huh? Oh... Can we eat together then?"

"Sure. I'd be happy to."

Then came Ephraim, the only student that I was given to directly teach. Although I was puzzled about our differences at first, I soon learned of his warm and gentle nature who is willing to do everything for the people that he loves as he knows how it feels to lose those that loved him so.

Many more memories such as this appeared like flashes in my mind, lulling me into a gentle, eternal sleep... and just before I succumbed to it, right at the moment when I felt what's left of my body accomplishing all of my assigned commands, I spoke the words that would end all of this according to how I see fit...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

["In time before all time, in places hidden among all eyes."]

Kirin's voice echoed in the void, covering every corner of it like an almighty declaration.

["In mind, pure above all else. In will, unmoving against all that exists."]

Like myriad of waters and unending clashes of thunderclaps, her voice was undeterred.

["In their fear, they appealed to me. In their boldness, they elevated my name."]

Slowly, the sword on her hand glowed with divine brilliance, warm and inviting to the righteous, and deadly beyond all poison to the wicked. In a flash, it lighted up the void despite the fact that its timeless vacuum should not be able to transmit light.

["I am the armor of the innocent, I am the sword of the protector."]

And even though he shouldn't be able to sense his death, the face of Keiji contorted into pure fear and dread for his own life.

["I am the all-encompassing justness. I shall be the one to strike down all wickedness."]

Together with her presently fragmented mind and self barely hanging onto life, they both spoke the following words:

"I am Imamura Kirin. Vessel of Justice and Bearer of this Fate. Upon my order, heed my command! "

At long last, the Truth Formula of the Celestial Spirit of Justice was undone... and with it, all the power that is needed to literally erase someone from existence.

"Aleph-Null."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Before we can even plead for her to not do it, it was finished...

"N-No... NOOO!!!"

"Imamura-sensei!!!"

Imamura Kirin, the Vessel of Justice and the one who wished above all else for our victory, was frozen in place with her sword drawn and our opponent's body turned into a statue of dust, slowly dissipating into the wind.

"Imamura-sama! Imamura-sama!!!"

"Kirin-san! Come on! Not like this, don't leave us like this!!!"

Renjiro-sensei and I held and shook her body, trying to elicit any kind of response from her. But as we looked at her face, what she did during that instant became known to us.

"Her eyes...! T-they're... they're burnt!"

"Khh! Why... WHY—?!!!"

We've seen this happen once to someone who did the very same thing... although in his case, he managed to remain sane and alive through it, and managed to reverse it with the help of his Spirit.

But for Kirin-sensei... she gave it her everything, and because of it, it also took everything from her.

"A-Auntie..."

As tears poured from my eyes and Furuta-sensei wailed in agony of what just happened, Kaede-sensei appeared and saw what happened to her aunt. The look of shock was apparent and as she approached us, tears began to well in her eyes as well.

It was just as how she wished it to be... In exchange for our victory and the safety of the person that we all put our hope towards, she paid the ultimate price.

Farewell, Imamura-sensei... and thank you for all that you have done for us.