Chapter 30: Withering Flowers can bloom.

Not much was known about Trihexa. What was known however, was its single instinct: destroy everything. People screamed, cried, and prayed everywhere I went, but no matter how hard I tried to help, there were so many bodies. So many people dead.

I had thought Trihexa was after me. It wasn't. It was only here because it had wiped out everything else in its path, and we were just next.

Serafall Leviathan arrived at one point, her right arm was missing. She reported that Sirzechs and the other gods of the underworld were trying to hold off another part of Trihexa, but they were slowly losing ground. She didn't last much longer herself. Kokabiel showed up with an incomplete Excalibur and ran it through her, ending her life.

Desperately, I began searching for Rias and the others amidst the chaos. Issei appeared out of nowhere with Vali, who had shown up to help hold off Trihexa. Vali reported that Ophis was fighting another part of Trihexa and that Azazel had fallen, this time though he wasn't getting back up.

Running through the ruins of Kuoh while a battle raged on wasn't easy. I spotted Yuuto… but he was dead, killed by Freed, who boasted about it. I killed Freed shortly after.

I looked up at the sky toward the ongoing battle. It would have been a beautiful show of lights and flashes if not for the horrifying creatures that were fighting. In the distance, I saw another Trihexa, its cores rejoining. Once they fused, the battle became even more one-sided. Soon after, Kuoh was completely destroyed, and I was thrown aside rubble collapsing over me.

It took me a while to get free from the debris. Longer than I thought, because by the time I got out, a fully-formed Trihexa was fighting both Great Red and Ophis. The shockwaves and magical energy tearing through the air were destroying everything in their path, even the sky itself was starting to crack.

[Trihexa]

I scanned the area, and in the distance, I saw it, red hair and white. Rias and Koneko.

Because God was dead, and gods were dying, no one was there to answer my prayer, though I desperately hoped they were still alive. Koneko… Koneko had a piece of rubble piercing through her heart. And Rias… Rias was barely breathing, her lower half completely gone.

I knelt beside her, cupping her face as her fading green eyes locked onto mine. "Hey, hey, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay."

She gave me a weak smile, lifting her trembling hands to cup my face. "I… I can see, Ryou-kun… I'm not… I'm not going to make it."

I held her face tighter, my heart shattering. "Y-you know what I re-regret?" Her voice trembled as tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't think I was capable of crying for someone I barely knew, but here I was. "N-not trying ha-harder… If I had… would you… would you have called me by my n-name earlier?"

She's going to die, isn't she?

"Rias," I whispered, trying to hold my voice steady. "I'll call you by your name until you get sick of it."

She laughed weakly, and with the last of her magic, blasted me away from her. As I tumbled, a blast of energy hit, and what was left of her body was obliterated.

I turned to the battlefield. Trihexa was still fighting the two Dragon Gods. The world was falling apart, breaking apart at the seams. The Dimensional Gap was exposed to the world, and nothing was stopping its collapse. 'Shouldn't Great Red and Ophis be able to beat Trihexa?'

"Makes me feel like a mortal, watching all of this."

The voice came from behind me. Turning, I saw Shiva, the God of Destruction. He looked terrible. Both of his arms were gone, and there was a gaping hole in his chest. He smiled at me, blood dripping from his lips.

"Want to know how many of us are left?" he asked, his tone unnervingly calm.

I didn't respond.

"Aside from those three?" He gestured toward the battle with his head. "We're it."

He glanced at me, then back at the battle. "We fell fast. Indra decided to side with Trihexa. Odin, old pervert was stabbed in the back by Loki. Knew that guy was trouble." He sighed. "I've killed a lot of gods myself. Those who betrayed us. Tried to help those I could."

His eyes narrowed at the fight. The two Dragon Gods were faltering. It was becoming clear they couldn't win without taking drastic measures. "This world… it's done for. Aside from us, there'll be nothing left."

He turned back to me. "So, what are you going to do?"

Without waiting for my answer, he ran toward the battle, divine energy gathering around him as he charged back in. I lost sight of him almost immediately.

I looked up at the sky, now warping and distorting. "Not like I can do much… but I might as well go out with a bang."

I grabbed Muramasa, channeling cursed magic through my body. As I took my first step, I felt something rip out of my soul. I looked forward, and I saw Great Red ,dead being consumed by Trihexa. Ophis was trapped beneath its claws, struggling but making no progress.

With everything I had, I launched a "Cursed Slash" at it. It did nothing. Not even a scratch. It didn't even notice.

I watched in horror as Trihexa began devouring Ophis, her wide eyes locking onto mine. She was terrified.

The world began to collapse. There was nothing left to support it. The Dragon of Infinity and Nothing was gone. The Dragon of Dreams was gone too.

Everything became dark, except for Trihexa. And before I knew it, it launched a massive ball of magic at me.

And then… I became no more.