Chapter 29: Up Against The Stream...

"H-hold on! We don't need to fight!" Shidou stammered, raising his arms in the air. Despite his words, Tohka tensed up in preparation for battle, while Yoshino started shivering as a light blue glow began to envelop her.

Kyo paid him no heed as he addressed Yoshino with a cold voice. "Don't run. If you leave now, you abandon Yoshinon forever." Upon hearing his declaration, the glow suddenly disappeared, but her body continued to shiver.

"HEY! Don't bully Yoshino!" Tohka grabbed Shidou and roughly threw him behind her, placing herself at the forefront of their group. Kyo frowned.

"I'm not here for you today. Get out of my way," he said, waving her off dismissively. Tohka's eyebrow twitched as she took a deep breath before raising an arm to the sky.

"[SANDALPHON]!" She grasped the air intently, screaming the name of her Angel with vengeful fury.

…

But nothing happened.

"Uh, alright then…" Kyo muttered.

"Huh? What's happening? [Sandalphon]? [SANDALPHON]!" Tohka began stomping the ground and waving her hands around erratically, panic now written all over her face.

"Having trouble getting it up? Don't worry. After all, you're a girl." Kyo's figure suddenly blurred, slamming into Tohka at a speed Shidou could hardly see.

BOOM!

A plume of dust accompanied the shockwave of their collision, almost knocking Shidou off his feet and obscuring the scene from his eyes. 

"TOHKA!" He screamed desperately. The dust quickly blew away, revealing Kyo's scabbard embedded inside an ornate golden throne. Tohka stood a few meters away, a portion of her Astral Dress manifesting over her uniform as she held the brilliant blade [Sandalphon]. 

"I suppose late is better than never," Kyo mocked with an expressionless face.

"Shidou, I'm fine! Just focus on Yoshino for now!" Tohka maintained an intense gaze toward Kyo, who was slowly pulling his sheathed blade out of [Sandalphon]'s throne.

"Right!" Shidou turned his head back to Yoshino, who was sprawled over on the ground from the previous shockwave. "Yoshino, are you alright?"

"Y… Yoshinon… don't…" Yoshino's anguished voice trailed off, her eyes fixed on something distant.

"Easy now, take a deep breath. Don't worry about Tohka, she'll win and we'll get Yoshinon back. I promise." Though Shidou spoke boldly, sweat still streamed down his back. What the hell is up with Kyo? Nothing he's doing makes any sense!

"Shidou, we've got a little good news." Kotori's voice sounded again, filling him with relief. "[I- Kyo isn't moving nearly as fast as he did yesterday. Moreover, it seems his Angel isn't functioning at full power." 

"Then do we stand a chance?"

Kotori didn't answer for a moment, then finally squeezed out one word. "Yes."

At that, Shidou nodded with determination and addressed the shivering Yoshino. "Just stay put here for now. It'll all be ok."

Yoshino offered him a small, weak nod as he took off towards the battlefield.

——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————

"Why did you lie?" Reine raised a tired eyebrow at an anxious Kotori. The two stood on the bridge of the Fraxinus airship, hovering just over 15 000 feet in the air in preparation for an emergency evacuation.

"...there's no point in telling him that Kyo is probably just holding back." Kotori groaned, roughly ruffling her hair. Her eyes glued onto the surveillance monitor, restlessly tapping her thigh as though she were about to jump in and fight Kyo herself. "Ugh, just what is going on inside that crazy Spirit's head?"

"I don't know, but you can relax. I'm confident Shin will be fine."

"How can you say that?!"

"A woman's intuition." Reine's eyes flashed, and for a second, a small light seemed to appear in the center of her pupils.

——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————

"AUGH!" Tohka screamed as she flew backwards, leaving a small crater in a now-decimated flowerfield. Kyo floated above her, disappointment apparent on his face. 

"TOHKAAA!" Shidou ran over and cradled her in his arms. "Are yo-"

"Get away…" She interrupted, her eyes still fixed on Kyo, who rolled his eyes.

"Tch. I'm done with you. You were never supposed to be here anyway." Kyo flashed across the field, reappearing a distance away. That's where I left Yoshino! But before he could say anything, he felt Tohka go limp in his hands. [Sandalphon], which had fallen to the side earlier, faded away into a glittering dust alongside her partial Astral Dress.

"Tohka? TOHKA?!" He shook her back and forth, eliciting a weak moan. She's still alive. Good.

"Shidou, we have to pull out. I'm preparing the transport now." Kotori's voice sounded again. "We can't afford to continue like this. I'm sorry."

Shidou grit his teeth in frustration. Is this really it?

——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————

A terrifying fear, like what a rabbit feels the moment it is spotted by an eagle. A primal paralysis that enshrouds, entraps, and kills. 

That is what Yoshino felt as she reunited with Kyo for the third time. The imposing figure gazed at her with solemnity, as though he expected her to tell him some sort of bad news. But she had no idea what to say. Even if she did, her trembling lips probably couldn't pronounce it anyway.

His eyes narrowed. "Are you still going to run? After all this, is your solution still to run away?" 

Huh? Unconsciously, Yoshino's body had begun emitting blue particles again. She quickly shook her head in refusal, but the light didn't stop this time.

Kyo shook his head slowly, causing Yoshino a strange sense of shame. "Do you still remember? I told you once, on the first day we met, that cowards will one day face a decision that will shape their path forwards. This is your moment." He slammed his sheathed sword down in front of her, eliciting a whimper from her. "Make your choice."

Yoshino's mind went blank. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to hide, to become invisible. But something inside her held on tightly, holding her back, telling her to stay. No, not something. Somethings. Three small shining colors: a brilliant blue, a gentle violet, and the dearest to her heart, the pristine white of a rabbit. I…

"YOSHINO!" A fast-approaching voice called. Yoshino looked up to see the boy she met twice before, in the park and in the apartment store. On his back was the girl she met at the latter location, waving tiredly. She was the one who called just now.

"Oh, great," Kyo complained. "They just can't leave well enough alone, can they? Idiots…"

"I…"

"Hm?"

"I won't…" She recalled the blue-haired boy's bright smile, his gentle voice, and his promise.

"I won't run…" She recalled the purple-haired girl's anger, her sadness, and her promise.

"I won't run, and I won't let you call them mean things!" The boy- Shidou's words filled her mind. "After all… they all are my heroes!"

WHOOSH-

A towering rabbit puppet, chilling waves of frost pouring off its body, appeared beside Yoshino. She hopped onto its back and inserted her hands into two holes in its neck. The next moment, [Zadkiel] let out a guttural roar of rage.

"Yoshino!" Tohka leapt off of Shidou's back, causing the boy to face-plant into the dirt. "Oops, sorry Shidou!"

"It's… fine…" He called from the floor, throwing them a weak thumbs up. Tohka nodded seriously before resummoning her sword and pointing it at Kyo.

"Two-on-one, huh… more importantly, what you said just now, Yoshino, it was quite interesting." Kyo smiled sharply, raising his sheathed sword. "But words are cheap. Actions are what matters most. So-

Come at me."