Chapter 22: Last resort
With his last remaining strength, Yuto threw himself out of the loop. He didn't calculate the force he would use to do so. He simply flew for many, many kilometers. The comet hit the ground and caused an explosion comparable to that of an atomic bomb. The heat was so intense that it seemed like there was a sun in the middle of that snowstorm.
As he suffered a fatal injury, Yuto used his power to staunch his own bleeding for as long as he could. Distortion and Unizard soon teleported to his location. Unizard was spitting out blood. Distortion, on the other hand, fell to the ground shortly after appearing there.
— Brother, what happened?
I used too much magic... but why is he down?
— Sister... I didn't pay attention to the surroundings…
— What do you mean? Can you get up?
Unizard began to cast a healing spell on her brother, but she couldn't finish it. She began to vomit much more blood than before. She could still stand, but her vision was deteriorating.
— Sorry, brother, I can't use magic anymore.
Unizard looked around, feeling as if she was being watched. She didn't know where or by whom, but she felt in danger. It had been a long time since she had been in such an unfavorable situation. Suddenly, a gunshot pierced her heart. She knelt down, no longer having the strength to stand.
Ria aimed her carbine at the portal. She put her finger on the trigger, commenting:
— Distortion's portal-barrier is almost instantaneous. If my bullet is faster, I can hit him.
Genesis interrupted her:
— Wait, let me try something first.
Genesis created a tiny snowflake and released it. It was an electronic mosquito equipped with an ultra-potent tranquilizing venom.
— If I can get this flake to touch him, I can immobilize him.
— He'll realize it after the sting.
— The venom will be inside his body by then.
— He can teleport his blood out of his body.
— I don't think he has that level of precision.
— How will it penetrate his skin? And how can it take down someone as strong as him?
— It transports itself with a method similar to osmosis, so his body will accept it without his knowing. Mifuyu tested poisons in her lab, and I know how to create each one. He is tough, that's why I'm creating several flakes with various doses.
— We only have one chance.
— I know. I'm not kidding around.
Genesis created dozens of flakes and threw them at Distortion in a natural motion, so they looked real. He didn't realize it until the poison started to take effect. He didn't want to distract his sister, so he kept fighting with everything he had to finish Yuto off. But he didn't last long and fell into the snow.
Simultaneously, Unizard was out of mana and beyond the limit of magic residue, but she didn't want to distract her brother. When she tried to heal him, she strained her body even more. With no way to defend herself, a bullet pierced her heart. Impatiently, Tatsuya said:
— The portals aren't opening, we can't reach them.
Genesis replied:
— I can heal Yuto from here.
— He's losing too much blood.
Ria was confused:
Yuto? Are they delusional?
Tatsuya pulled back his left sleeve and pressed his watch, projecting an energy sword. Ria was now certain that he was the killer. Tatsuya used the sword to cut off her index finger. He threw it through the portal. It fell to a certain point and stopped in mid-air. It surprised everyone around, who were left speechless. He said:
— I'll bring Kiseki here.
He disappeared. Less than three seconds later, he was back with Kiseki. Shocked, Genesis said:
— Already?! Tokihito-san, are you human?
Trying to dodge the subject, Tatsuya asked:
— Kiseki, can your power reach that finger?
— N-No, sir… but I can enter the portal…
Kiseki bit her right index finger and made blood flow through the hole. Ria interrupted her:
— Wait, I have a better idea. Put your blood on my bullet.
Ria showed her a carbine bullet and Kiseki put her finger on it. Ria aimed her carbine again through the thrusters and fired.
Kiseki reconstituted himself in the snowy biome, and his former body fell unconscious to the ground. Tatsuya soon understood and did the same. Ria aimed at Kiseki's stomach, so that the blood would stick to some surface. She shot and pierced his stomach, which soon healed. Tatsuya resurfaced soon after. Then each of the members did the same.
Yuto was barely conscious, but he could see his group coming to save him. Unizard was still alive and awake, and glared at Yuto with a look of disbelief.
Kiseki healed him just in time. When Genesis passed in front of Unizard, their eyes met. Genesis stopped running for a moment and stopped to stare at her. She was angry with Unizard and wanted to teach her a lesson, but it wasn't the right time.
When Unizard recognized her, she understood that Genesis had immobilized her brother. She stared at her with absolute contempt and endless hatred, but she couldn't do anything.
Genesis started running towards Yuto, who was already healed. Everyone turned their attention to him and didn't notice that Kiseki was no longer there. She went to heal the other two, starting with Unizard.
Seizing the chance, Unizard strengthened her fist to a level much stronger than the comet before. If she landed that punch, the entire place would cease to exist. She jumped towards Genesis, but was somehow redirected towards her brother. She tried to stop the attack, but it was too late.
Unizard watched everything slowly pass by, as if she were about to die. In fact, the one who was going to die was her brother. Contrary to convention, Unizard saw her brother's entire life flash before her eyes.
They were more than just brothers. Besides being family, they were friends and even a couple. Each trusted the other with their backs. Each would rather lose their own life than sacrifice the other's. They loved each other more than anything. If one were to lose the other, the purpose of life would also cease to exist.
She had no control over her body. She used so much force in her jump and fist that she couldn't stop the attack.
I let my feelings affect the outcome again... I really am a bad sister.
And then the inevitable happened. An explosion even bigger than all the others combined erupted. The entire place disappeared. What had been a snowstorm turned into a giant mushroom cloud of fire. Before the explosion, everyone was at a safe distance.
After that, the dimension they were in gradually disappeared, until they returned to the normal world, on the same street as before.
Yuto was awake, but he didn't show any reaction. He probably didn't want to be reprimanded for getting into this mess. Unizard was kneeling on the ground and motionless. Ria announced:
— I'm taking her with me. Later, you'll have to explain everything.
She glared at Yuto.
— Tetsushi, let's go.
It was now daytime. On an overpass, a woman was leaning against the railing, facing the street, smoking a cigarette. She had short dark blue hair and was wearing a white suit. What caught the most attention were her sunglasses that cast a light blue light over her eyes. She was noticeably bored.
Man, this world is pathetic. Once you get to the top, there's nothing left to do.
Suddenly, a luxury car stopped next to her. A fat, seemingly wealthy man got out, also wearing a white suit. With a happy expression, he said:
— Matsukaze-san, what a coincidence to see you after so long!
The woman, also known as Zenith, was the fourth level 7. She was the older sister of Matsukaze Koharu, wife of Tokihito Tatsuya. Noticing the unexpected visitor, she looked at the man, as if she didn't recognize him. He approached, trying to show his face more closely.
Uncomfortable with the short distance, Zenith punched the man in the face, who, with a bloody nose, fell to his knees on the ground. Then she stepped on his head, pressing it against the pavement.
— Do I know you, shitty pig?
— It's me, Oshimaru Kanamaru! We went to college together, and we even graduated together!
— I've never breathed the same air as you.
— After we graduated, I ended up rich and fat, that's why I'm so different now!
— You are worth nothing more than an insect to me. Your life is literally as valuable as a summer ant.
— Matsukaze-san, what happened to you? You were much kinder when we studied together...
Zenith clicked her tongue. No one had been so arrogant to her in a long time. She pressed her shoe harder against the man's head.
— It's "Zenith-sama" to you. You serve no purpose in life. Your purpose in life is to be beneath me, worshipping me.