—Crimson confetti spilled from the sleeves of the robe, swirling upward in the skyscraper winds.
Brighter than the orange-stained white fortress—red, scarlet, vermilion—the vortex spread outward.
—Like a flower blooming on the distant shore.
At its center, I looked up at Rui.
She scrutinized the crimson paper, her expression puzzled.
Just a flashy spectacle, right?
A hunter of cold-blooded precision wouldn’t understand the purpose of such extravagance.
A faint smile escaped me.
Apologies for gifting you this [Killing Intent] myself, but—
“I’ll give you an excuse.”
“A reason not to kill me.”
You can’t beat me anymore.
“I’m stronger than you now.”
She didn’t respond.
Instead, four silver blades shot toward me.
But as they closed in—they brushed against a single crimson paper.
[Separation] Target: Longswords & Scarlet Talismans.
The four blades lost all momentum.
“Wha—!?”
Rui’ eyes widened.
Freed from her [Telekinesis], the swords began to fall—only for her to frantically reclaim control.
But it was too late.
Once caught in the vortex, escaping without touching the talismans was nearly impossible.
Though Rui halted their descent, another paper made contact—
[Separation].
The blades fell again.
A tug-of-war between [Telekinesis] and [Separation] played out, slowly dragging the silver swords downward.
—That’s right.
A battle for physical dominance.
That was the essence of my fight with Rui.
“Ngh…! Ku…!!”
Slowly, relentlessly—
Like a butterfly trapped in a spider’s web, she was being pulled down.
By now, Rui must’ve realized.
—She was the one in the spider’s hunting ground.
The roles of hunter and prey had already reversed.
◇◇◇◇◇
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—I walked right into it…!
Utsurugi Rui gritted her teeth hard enough to creak.
This was the [Sky Corridor].
The space between the two towers—[Moon] and [Star].
Meaning the winds here spiraled upward violently.
With [Separation] at the center of the web, the crimson confetti continued to expand.
—If this keeps up, I’ll be caught too.
Once she reached that conclusion, Rui acted fast.
—Abandon the four swords.
Rui had grasped nearly the full extent of ‘s Talent Lux—enough to make this possible.
From their two previous clashes, she’d already discerned its nature: [the ability to nullify the momentum of touched objects].
This time, with his hood’s perception-blocking gone, his face was fully visible to her.
Meaning—she could see him [tracking the longswords with his eyes].
This implied one crucial detail: [visual recognition] was a requirement for his ability’s activation.
Thus, within the cathedral, she’d deliberately scattered his focus—then delivered that full-force heel drop.
She’d tried to crush him while he was distracted—
—Only to be lured into his hunting grounds instead.
Precisely because she understood ‘s ability, Rui had no choice but to abandon hopes of an unscathed victory.
The crimson papers swirled unpredictably in the wind.
Retrieving a sword from that vortex without touching a single scrap was near impossible.
Current Rui lacked the precision to control four longswords with that level of finesse.
—But that was only true for four.
“Don’t… look down on me…!”
Rui chose to release half her weapons—
focusing solely on reclaiming the remaining two.
Two she could wrest back from that scarlet storm.
The training that allowed this had been carved into her with blood and vomit.
With needle-thread precision, she pierced the crimson blizzard—seizing back physical control.
And then—
“────”
She noticed.
The spider at the vortex’s heart had vanished.
“You always look down, don’t you?”
“───Ah.”
“Try looking up sometimes.”
Above.
hovered barely ten meters away.
—How?
The answer demonstrated itself before her eyes.
spun midair—
—And scattered another flurry of crimson papers from his sleeve.
A single slip couldn’t possibly serve as footing.
Yet kicked off it anyway.
—Bad…!
Rui’s instincts screamed before logic caught up.
She dove downward at full speed.
“Impressive. Sharp reflexes.”
‘s hand sliced empty air where she’d been a blink earlier.
But before relief could form—
“Still unfortunate.”
One stray crimson slip—
—Brushed against Rui’s hair.
Huff—my body sinks.
No—I’m falling.
“Gh—!?”
——Did my telekinesis just lose thrust!?
Rui immediately regain control.
But the fleeting sensation of weightlessness is more than enough to make Rui realize the danger.
——The sky is no longer her domain.
“……Tch!”
In an instant, Rui tries to put as much distance as possible between herself and Kairi the Separation.
Yet her opponent closes the gap at nearly the same speed.
Unable to shake him off, Rui grits her teeth.
——But…!
She reaches her destination first.
The helipad atop the Star Tower.
A single helicopter waits where Rui flees.
This battle is a struggle for physical dominance—
And simultaneously, a contest to claim the most advantageous battlefield.
Rui slips behind the aircraft like a shadow,
turning to lie in wait for Kairi the Separation.
——Come on… come at me!
‘The moment he appears from behind this iron wall, I’ll skewer him.’
As long as Kairi’s Lux requires [visual confirmation], there’s no way he can evade two swords striking at perfectly the same time.
Executing it flawlessly, down to the millisecond, is near-impossible—but Rui, wielding only two blades, can do it.
Left? Right? Or maybe from above?
——Her prediction is betrayed.
By the helicopter itself being hurled at her.
“——!?”
She leaps on reflex, barely dodging the metal hulk.
And in that instant—a shadow falls over her vision.
——Above.
But.
——That’s the same move as before…!
She won’t fall for it twice.
Faster than thought, her arms move in flawless sync.
Twin silver flashes pierce the shadow.
With absolute certainty, she raises her gaze—
“——”
Beyond her crossed arms—
The empty husk of Nega-Messiah’s coat is impaled on her longsword.
“Ah……”
The moment she realizes it—
Only apology fills Rui’s chest.
——I’m sorry, Hina.
Every weapon she could’ve used to defend herself has been stripped away.
——I… lost.
She looks down at the shadow leaping from below, resigned—
“………………Huh?”
Only to be softly pulled into an embrace.
Before she can process it—
The beautiful angel falls to the ground.
◇◇◇◇◇
In this day and age, few women are accustomed to men.
Maybe those from rare, loving families—or girls with brothers.
Hinata, who grew up with affectionate parents and an older male figure nearby, is unusually comfortable around men by normal standards.
But as for me?
No loving marriage in my past. Hell, my relationship with my own mother is a disaster. Forget close male friends—I’ve barely even spoken to men.
Physical contact? Never happened in my life.
Well—hadn’t happened.
Until that infuriating confessional booth.
That shame is going with me to the grave.
So really—
“………………Huh?”
After being grabbed by Kairi the Separation—
A brief mental blank is understandable.
“——”
Rui reboots only when she feels herself falling.
Her telekinesis is a Lux that [moves objects lighter than her own weight].
With a full-grown man’s weight added, the only outcome is—falling.
“Y-you—! Let go…!”
She writhes, trying to break free of his arms.
——Tch, he’s… stronger than expected…!
Frustrated at her inability to shake off this grinning trash-man, she shuts her eyes against the terror of the approaching helipad.
But then—
“…………Huh?”
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