Chapter 84; The last chance

...10/09/2009 Thursday; Dark Hour...

The battle in the industrial zone was turning desperate. 

Every exchanged blow drained what little energy remained in the exhausted bodies of SEES. 

Mitsuru's breathing was heavy, her lungs burning with every new strike. Her fingers gripped the rapier tightly, her muscles protesting against the effort. The hot vapor of her breath dissipated in the still air of the Dark Hour. 

The others were in the same state. 

Akihiko panted, his fists covered in cuts and bruises. Minato clutched the Evoker, his arm trembling slightly. Junpei leaned on his sword, struggling to stay upright. 

And the Shadow… 

It was regenerating. 

The wounds they had inflicted were disappearing, its distorted body twisting and returning to form as if nothing had happened. 

Mitsuru clenched her teeth. 

"This Shadow... it won't stop regenerating." 

Then, she felt something approaching. 

A strange energy was coming from the sky. 

A sudden chill ran down her spine. Her gaze lifted instinctively, red eyes widening. 

There, streaking across the green-tinged sky, a blue sphere descended like a comet. 

"What...?" she murmured, surprised by what she saw. 

The others saw it too. 

Even exhausted, Junpei raised an arm to shield his face from the glow. 

"What the hell is that?" 

The sphere unraveled before touching the ground. 

And then, the rain began. 

The first droplets fell silently, creating tiny ripples in the pools of blood and grime on the asphalt. Then, the downpour followed. 

Water drenched their bodies in seconds, streaming through their hair, clothes, and weapons. 

But this wasn't normal rain. 

The exhaustion weighing on their muscles started to fade, as if an invisible energy flowed through their veins. Minor wounds began to close, the pain dissipating. 

Mitsuru gasped at the sudden lightness, her body responding faster. 

Hiro opened his hand, letting the droplets run between his fingers. 

Something about this water… felt familiar. 

"Fuuka…" 

The name escaped his lips like a whisper. 

Until a guttural scream tore through the silence. 

Everyone's eyes snapped back to the Shadow. 

It was trembling. 

Where the rain touched its black skin, blisters began to form. The grotesque flesh bubbled and melted, dripping from its body like hot wax. 

The monster roared in agony, thrashing violently. Its claws scraped against the ground, leaving deep marks in the asphalt. Parts of its body fell in chunks, dissolving upon contact with the ground. 

The water was healing them. 

But for the Shadow, it was poison. 

However, instead of retreating… 

Its eyes burned a fierce crimson. 

Its rage transformed into something pure and primal—killing instinct. 

Its claws dug deep into the cracked ground. Its muscles tensed. 

And then, it charged. 

The earth trembled with each step. The impact of its claws shattered the concrete. 

Akihiko clenched his fists. His gaze swept over the area—he needed an idea. 

That's when he saw the building. 

The same one Hiro had been thrown into earlier. 

His eyes lit up with determination. 

"Mitsuru!" He pointed at the creature. "Can you freeze that thing?!" 

Mitsuru turned to him, still breathless. 

"Yes, but it needs to be wet!" 

They locked eyes for a second. 

And Mitsuru finally understood Akihiko's plan—to use the building as a trap to freeze the Shadow. 

Mitsuru spun on her heels, her voice ringing with authority. 

"Run to the building, now! There's no time to explain!" 

No one questioned it. 

Minato grabbed Junpei's arm. Yukari sprinted beside Aigis, while Hiro pulled Shinjiro's hand to help him up before they started running. Akihiko and Mitsuru took the lead, guiding the group.

Dashing through the hole in the wall, the group ran desperately. But the Shadow didn't hesitate—it pursued them with unrelenting fury. 

With a single leap, its massive body tore through the structure as if it were made of paper, destroying everything in its path. 

Debris exploded in all directions. Chunks of concrete and metal spun through the air, shattering windows and ricocheting off the walls. The shockwave from the impact made the ground tremble beneath their feet. 

The deafening sound of destruction echoed through the narrow corridors as the group raced toward the stairs. 

Hiro turned his head, his sharp eyes catching a crucial detail—his kukri was still embedded in the Shadow's eye. 

He realized the risk—if the Shadow kept advancing, it could easily crush the staircase, cutting off any chance of escape. 

The thought lasted less than a second. 

With a swift motion, he yanked the battle axe from Shinjiro's hands and lunged back toward the monster. 

Mitsuru turned the moment she realized what he was doing. 

"HIRO!" Her scream tore through the air, laced with desperation. 

The Shadow reacted to his movement, raising its monstrous claw to crush him. 

But Hiro saw it coming. 

He swung the axe in a devastating arc, the impact colliding against the Shadow's claw with a metallic crash. 

His body trembled from the force. 

"Shit..." he muttered, feeling his feet sink into the ground. 

Then, he felt someone beside him. 

Minato. 

He appeared without hesitation, placing his hands on the axe's handle. 

Together, they pushed, their muscles straining to the limit as they held back the overwhelming strength of the Shadow. 

"GO, WE'LL HOLD IT OFF!" Hiro shouted through clenched teeth. 

"But..." Mitsuru hesitated, her eyes shining with concern. 

"Don't worry about us!" Minato shouted back, sweat dripping down his face. "JUST KEEP CLIMBING!" 

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. 

Mitsuru clenched her fists. 

Then, she nodded, turning and running after the others. 

Hiro and Minato kept pushing, each second stretching into eternity. 

But the Shadow adapted. 

With a deafening roar, it dug its second claw into the ground and used it as leverage, launching its body upward—taking both of them along. 

"OH, SHIT!" Hiro shouted, startled. 

The impact was brutal. 

The Shadow's overwhelming force slammed them against the ceiling, their bodies crashing into the concrete with a sickening thud. 

The air was knocked from their lungs, their bones screaming in protest. 

Above, the others felt the building tremble. 

The stairs wobbled beneath their feet. 

Junpei turned just in time to see the Shadow bursting through the floor below them—emerging onto the second floor. 

Akihiko felt the ground shake violently beneath him. 

He turned his head just in time to see the Shadow erupting through the concrete, like a ravenous beast tearing its way to the surface. 

The ceiling shattered around them, shards of cement and dust flying in all directions. 

"WHAT THE HELL?!" 

His scream was drowned out by the deafening roar of destruction. 

The group had no time to hesitate. 

They kept climbing, their feet pounding against the steps, while Hiro and Minato battled the Shadow below. 

Staring at the beast, Hiro knew he had only a moment. 

He buried the axe deep into the Shadow's grotesque flesh, gripping tightly as he stretched his arm, fingers closing around the hilt of his kukri—the blade still lodged in the creature's eye. 

Without hesitation, he yanked it free with a sharp pull. 

With precise aim, he tossed the kukri to Minato. 

Minato caught it mid-air, tightening his grip as he balanced himself on the moving Shadow. 

Wasting no time, Hiro adjusted his position and raised the axe. 

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" 

He drove the blade deep into the Shadow's other eye. 

The monster let out a horrifying roar, its fury echoing through the building as it thrashed violently. 

Now, completely blind. 

But even without sight, its rage didn't wane. 

It kept climbing, its colossal body tearing through another floor like paper. 

Hiro barely had time to react before his head slammed against the hard surface of the concrete. 

His vision blacked out for a second before he felt his body plummeting. 

He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. 

Pain pulsed through his entire body, but he forced his eyes open. 

Above him, Minato still clung to the ascending Shadow. 

"Hiro!" He called out, seeing Hiro sprawled on the floor. 

Spinning the kukri in his hand, Minato plunged the blade into the Shadow's forehead. 

Using all his strength, he dragged the blade upward, like a climber scaling a living mountain. 

The Shadow continued its frenzied ascent, tearing through floors one by one, ripping through the building like an unstoppable spear. 

On the fourth floor, the rest of the group felt everything tremble around them. 

Dust and debris rained from the ceiling. 

Then, the Shadow emerged once again. 

This time, completely blind. 

But still, hunting its prey. 

The staircase trembled violently beneath everyone's feet. 

With a terrifying crack, part of it gave way. 

Yukari let out a scream as the ground vanished beneath her feet. 

She plummeted along with the debris. 

"YUKARI!" Junpei yelled, horrified as she disappeared from sight. 

The void swallowed her—until something grabbed her at the last second. 

A firm hand latched onto her leg. 

Aigis. 

The android yanked Yukari back with a powerful motion, her mechanical strength pulling the girl back to safety. 

Yukari collapsed onto her knees, her heart pounding. 

"Thanks, Aigis..." 

Shinjiro turned to Mitsuru and Akihiko. 

"Keep going!" 

They nodded, with no time for argument, and dashed toward the top floor. 

Mitsuru already knew what she had to do. 

She rushed toward a lever attached to the wall—the building's fire suppression system control. 

She pulled it hard. 

Nothing happened. 

"Damn it!" She gritted her teeth, fists trembling. "The pipes in this building must be clogged..."