Darkness.
Not the peaceful kind.
Not the comforting kind either.
Just... darkness.
For a brief moment, He couldn't tell whether his eyes were open or closed.
His thoughts felt distant.
Muffled.
Like trying to hear someone speak after an explosion had gone off right beside his head.
Everything felt strangely weightless.
A floating sensation.
Neither pleasant nor unpleasant.
Just there.
Then.
A voice.
Faint.
Distorted.
"...single evil..."
Static.
"...cannot defeat..."
The words faded.
Then returned.
"...human race..."
"...perished..."
He frowned.
The voice sounded familiar.
Very familiar.
"...long ago..."
The sentence finally became clear.
"There isn't a single evil he cannot defeat."
A pause.
"If such a thing existed, then the human race would've perished long ago."
The voice echoed once more.
Then again.
And again.
Like a broken recording.
Like something refusing to leave him alone.
"..."
A bitter smile slowly appeared on his face.
Of course.
Genos.
The darkness shattered.
Noise returned.
A distant explosion. The sound of collapsing concrete. Screaming. The smell of smoke. The smell of blood.
Reality crashed into him all at once.
His eyes slowly opened.
And immediately met the sight of a ruined sky.
The city was burning.
No.
Calling it a city was generous.
Most of it no longer existed.
Entire districts had collapsed. Massive craters scarred the landscape. Fires stretched across the horizon.
The final city.
Humanity's last refuge. Humanity's last stand.
And it had finally fallen.
"..."
Yuki remained seated amongst the rubble.
For several moments, he simply observed.
Not because he wanted to.
Because his mind was still catching up.
Then.
His gaze shifted.
And stopped.
A familiar figure rested nearby.
Motionless.
A cracked face.
A shattered body.
Mechanical parts were scattered around the rubble.
Genos.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Yuki let out a quiet laugh.
Small.
Humorless.
The kind people laughed when reality stopped being funny a long time ago.
"...Yeah."
His voice sounded rough as he remembered the words that were lingering around his head moments ago.
"I guess you were right."
Silence... answered him.
Genos remained exactly where he was.
Unmoving.
Forever.
Yuki stared a little longer.
Then looked away.
The dead deserved respect.
But mourning could wait.
It always had.
His attention shifted toward the enormous corpse lying beside him.
A mountain of flesh.
Countless eyes.
Twisted limbs.
A mouth stretching across most of its torso.
The Disaster Level Dragon... well, those terms lost their meaning long ago, but he was known as:
Grief Eater.
One of the remaining Monster Cadres.
Or rather.
Former Monster Cadre.
Because the sword currently embedded through its skull made its employment status rather questionable.
Yuki grabbed the hilt.
Then pulled.
The blade slid free.
A torrent of black blood followed.
The corpse twitched once.
Then, it finally stopped moving.
A distant roar echoed somewhere across the city.
Another explosion followed shortly afterward.
Several buildings collapsed in the distance.
The battle continued.
Because of course it did.
The world wasn't considerate enough to stop ending just because he finished his fight.
"...Yuki-san!"
A familiar voice called out.
Yuki turned.
Then spotted a figure sprinting across the rubble.
White helmet.
Damaged armor.
Countless injuries.
Yet somehow still moving.
Mumen Rider.
His friend and trusted ally.
"...Satoru."
The hero finally reached him.
Breathing heavily.
Covered in dust.
Looking considerably worse for wear.
Yet still standing.
Somehow.
"Sorry."
The words came immediately.
"The moment I heard you were fighting Grief Eater, I came as fast as I could."
A bitter smile appeared.
"There were some 'problems' along the way..."
Then his gaze shifted.
And landed on Genos.
The rest of his sentence died instantly.
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere became noticeably quieter.
Not because the battle had stopped.
Far from it.
A shockwave rattled the nearby ruins moments later. The city continued shaking. The fights continued raging.
Yet for several seconds.
Neither spoke.
Eventually.
Mumen lowered his head.
"...I see."
No denial. No anger. No desperate hope.
There wasn't much point anymore. They had all seen too much.
Lost too much.
Mumen looked back toward Yuki.
"Earlier, with Master Bomb and Sonic's help, we managed to defeat Ruin in the south."
Yuki blinked.
"You guys did?"
Mumen nodded.
"About thirty minutes ago."
The hero forced a smile.
"They headed toward the Northern Wall afterward."
A pause.
"And I chose to come here."
His gaze drifted toward the massive corpse beside Yuki.
"...Looks like I was late."
Yuki followed his gaze.
Then looked toward the distant horizon.
"Regardless, that's good."
His voice remained calm.
"Ruin was becoming a problem."
The sentence halted midway. Because another portion of the city collapsed in the distance.
A cloud of dust rose into the sky.
More screams followed.
Yuki watched silently.
Then continued.
"...Not that it matters much anymore."
Mumen frowned.
He already knew where this conversation was heading.
Unfortunately.
That didn't stop him from trying.
"You shouldn't blame yourself."
No response came.
Yuki simply continued staring toward the horizon. Watching another battle unfold several kilometers away. Even from this distance. The flashes of energy remained visible.
"You've done everything you could."
Still nothing.
Mumen sighed. Then sat beside him. For a few moments. Neither spoke.
Only the sounds of a dying world filled the silence.
Eventually.
Mumen spoke again.
"Even for someone like you."
His gaze moved toward the ruined city.
"You can only do so much."
The words lingered.
Yuki remained silent.
"You know that."
"..."
"..."
"That's what being human means."
A bitter smile appeared on Mumen's face.
"Being the strongest doesn't change that."
For the first time.
Yuki looked away from the horizon.
Toward his friend.
Then toward Genos.
Then toward the countless ruins surrounding them.
Human.
The word felt strangely ironic nowadays.
Before he could answer.
Both froze.
The atmosphere changed.
An overwhelming presence erupted somewhere in the distance.
Several ruined buildings suddenly twisted.
Bent.
Warped.
As though reality itself had become unstable.
A greenish haze slowly spread into the sky. Like poison leaking into the world.
"..."
"..."
Mumen's expression immediately darkened.
"That..."
His voice became noticeably quieter. The pressure continued growing, even from kilometers away.
It felt wrong.
Unnatural.
Dangerous.
Mumen glanced toward Yuki.
"Yuki-san, that's..."
He didn't need to finish.
Yuki already knew.
Of everyone still alive, nobody recognized that presence more than he did.
For a split second.
The battlefield disappeared.
A familiar figure appeared in its place.
Dark green hair.
Green eyes.
A trembling hand slowly slipping from his grasp.
"...Yuki..."
A weak voice.
Barely above a whisper.
Then.
Nothing.
The image shattered.
Reality returned.
The pressure remained.
Mumen sighed.
Then slowly stood up, walking toward Genos.
He removed the damaged cape hanging from his shoulders, carefully draping it over his fallen friend.
A simple gesture.
A final goodbye.
For several moments.
Neither hero spoke.
Then Mumen returned.
Only to pause.
Because the air around Yuki had changed.
Not dramatically. Not explosively.
But enough.
Enough for someone who knew him.
"...Yuki-san."
Yuki slowly stood.
His gaze remained fixed on the distant haze.
Then he exhaled as the atmosphere around him settled slightly.
Not disappearing.
Only becoming quieter.
Controlled.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Mumen looked unconvinced.
Yuki continued staring toward the source of that presence.
Toward the place where old debts waited.
And this time.
He spoke without hesitation.
"I won't let my anger control me... Not again."
For several moments.
Neither spoke.
The haze continued spreading throughout the distant horizon. The source of it all remained hidden behind countless ruined structures.
Yet both of them knew exactly what waited there.
Eventually.
Mumen exhaled.
Then nodded.
"...Then I'll help."
The answer came immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without doubt.
The same answer he had given every single time this discussion happened.
Unfortunately.
Yuki shook his head.
"No need."
A frown appeared. Thinking Yuki was trying to shoulder everything himself again.
But Yuki continued.
"Satoru."
His gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
"I mean it."
"..."
"..."
"I'll handle her."
The answer came simply.
As though it was the most natural thing in the world.
Silence followed.
Then.
"And once I'm done with her."
Yuki exhaled.
"I'll extract the cube."
At those words.
Mumen's expression immediately became serious, as if realization dawned upon him.
"Don't tell me..."
"Yeah. I'll use it."
A brief pause.
"I will use it to pull that thing, right here. Right now."
The words were spoken calmly.
As though he wasn't discussing one of the most dangerous plans humanity had ever conceived... well, not like it means a thing anymore anyway.
Mumen stared at him for a moment.
Then sighed.
"So we're really doing it."
"Yeah, it makes sense. It's not like we can still recover from this."
Yuki said as he gestured at his surroundings.
"Everyone's safety is out of debate now."
"Besides, there's no better opportunity."
"If that thing ever figures out what we're trying to do."
"We'll probably die before getting another chance."
Mumen rubbed his face.
That sounded about right.
"And then?"
Yuki finally looked toward him.
"Then I'll use that technique."
No explanation followed. None was needed. Mumen already knew exactly which technique he meant.
The one they spent years developing.
The one nobody had ever successfully tested.
The one absurd enough to actually have a chance.
A brief silence followed.
Then.
"...But extracting the cube from her isn't going to be easy. Even for you."
"Yeah."
"That's... usually the part where people tell me they have a backup plan."
"I do."
Mumen raised an eyebrow.
Yuki pointed at him with a knowing smile.
"His name is Satoru."
"..."
"..."
A defeated sigh escaped Mumen Rider's mouth as he lightly shook his head.
"I walked into that one."
"You did."
They shared one heartfelt laugh during this. A rare moment to have, especially nowadays.
Eventually, after that.
As they looked at each other one last time, as if that was the last time they would see each other, Yuki nodded as he took the first step forward.
"It's time."
His gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon.
Extreme determination appeared on his face.
"It's time to end this once and for all."
As both of them moved forward, the ruined city suddenly stretched endlessly before Yuki's eyes.
Smoke.
Fire.
Collapsed buildings.
Countless battles still raging throughout the horizon.
For a brief moment.
Yuki simply watched.
Burning fragments drifted through the air.
Like dying embers.
Slowly.
The scenery began blurring.
The fires faded first.
Then the ruins.
Then the sky.
As though someone had poured ink over the entire world.
The voices became distant.
The battlefield became distant.
Everything became distant.
Until only darkness remained.
...
...
...
A soft rustling sound broke the silence.
Not explosions.
Not screaming.
Not collapsing buildings.
Something quieter.
Gentler.
The sound of fabric being woven.
Yuki frowned.
Then slowly opened his eyes.
A familiar ceiling greeted him.
The scent of smoke was gone.
The screams were gone.
The battlefield was gone.
Only the peaceful atmosphere of the Gojo Estate remained.
"..."
For several moments.
Hiroyuki... simply stared upward.
Allowing himself to separate memory from reality.
"..."
The rustling sound continued nearby.
Hiroyuki turned his head.
There.
Seated beside the bed.
Senjumaru quietly worked on a piece of cloth.
Needle moving.
Thread weaving.
As calm as ever.
Without looking up.
She spoke.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Hiroyuki blinked.
Then looked back toward the ceiling.
"...Did I?"
"Well. You look troubled."
A brief pause followed.
"No."
Not exactly.
Nightmares implied something unreal.
Something imagined. Something false.
The things he remembered had happened.
"Just dreamt of the past."
The needle paused briefly.
Only briefly.
Then resumed.
"I see."
No further questions came.
She already understood. Some memories didn't require explanations.
Especially those ones.
Silence settled between them.
Comfortable. Familiar.
It had been nearly two weeks since their return to the Gojo Estate.
Two surprisingly peaceful weeks.
At least by their standards.
During that time, several meetings had been held.
Messages exchanged. Preparations arranged. The proposal refined.
Adjusted.
Approved.
A considerable amount of work had happened behind the scenes.
Most of it is unseen. Exactly as intended.
The Gojo Clan had officially committed. The groundwork had been established.
The first piece had moved.
Now.
Only the remaining pieces remained.
Eventually.
Senjumaru set the cloth aside.
"It's finalized."
That immediately caught his attention.
"The final approval arrived this morning."
Hiroyuki sat upright as the remnants of sleep disappeared almost instantly.
"So it's official."
"Yes."
A simple answer.
Yet one that represented weeks of preparation.
A faint breath escaped him.
"Good."
That was one thing off the list.
Unfortunately.
The next item wasn't going to be nearly as cooperative.
A faint sigh escaped him.
Senjumaru seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.
"The Zenin Clan?"
"The Zenin."
"..."
"..."
For some reason.
Neither looked particularly optimistic.
Eventually.
Hiroyuki stood up.
Stretching slightly.
"Well."
A small smile appeared.
"Let's go convince some people."
Senjumaru quietly rose from her seat.
"Yes."
And together.
The two began preparing for their next trip.