At the end of the endless abyss path—
a massive black door stood before them.
Ancient.
Silent.
Like the final boundary between darkness and the world above.
Rin stared at it with widened eyes.
"We made it..."
His voice trembled with relief.
After everything—
the monsters,
the blood,
the endless maze,
the training,
the pain—
they had finally reached the surface exit.
Beside him, Tara stood unusually quiet.
Rin turned toward her.
For some reason—
she wasn't smiling in her usual annoying carefree way.
She was just looking at him.
Softly.
Almost sadly.
"Tara?"
Tara blinked and forced a smile.
"Before we go inside..."
"I want to give you something."
She reached into her armor and pulled out two objects.
A silver necklace.
And a glowing crystal sphere.
Rin frowned.
"What is this?"
Tara stepped closer.
She gently placed the necklace around his neck.
Her fingers lingered there longer than necessary.
"This necklace..."
Her voice softened.
"...is my legacy."
"The proof that the God Style now belongs to you."
Rin laughed awkwardly.
"Why are you saying it like you're some dying grandma?"
Tara chuckled.
But her laugh was weak.
Then she placed the glowing sphere into his palm.
"This one is one-time use."
"It will protect you."
Rin raised an eyebrow.
"Protect me from what?"
Tara didn't answer.
Instead—
she patted his head.
The same way an older sister would.
And Rin felt something twist painfully inside his chest.
This was wrong.
Something about her today was wrong.
Before he could ask—
Tara pushed open the door.
ROOOOOOOOOAR.
The sound alone exploded through the chamber beyond.
Rin screamed.
Blood poured from his eyes, nose, and mouth as his body nearly collapsed.
It was not a roar.
It was pressure.
The pressure of a god.
At the center of the colossal chamber stood an endless, shapeless monstrosity.
A Grade Z existence.
Something that should not exist.
Something that made the air itself beg for mercy.
Tara shouted—
"NOW!"
Instinctively Rin crushed the glowing sphere.
FLASH.
A transparent barrier wrapped around him.
Rin stumbled.
He pushed against it.
He couldn't move out.
His eyes widened in horror.
"Tara...?"
Tara smiled at him.
A sad smile.
A final smile.
"I'm sorry."
Rin's heart dropped.
"No."
Tara turned away from him and drew her sword.
"No no no no—"
Rin slammed both fists against the barrier.
"TARA WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
But Tara had already lunged.
The battle that followed was beyond Rin's comprehension.
Space cracked.
Mountains of flesh-like arms burst from the monster.
Tara tore through them.
Her sword changed.
Her armor changed.
Her body transformed.
She became a giant winged warrior.
Then a spirit of pure light.
She was beautiful.
Terrifying.
Unreachable.
Every clash between them shook the world.
The barrier around Rin cracked again and again.
And all Rin could do—
was scream.
"TARAAA!"
His fists bled from punching the barrier.
Tears blinded him.
"COME BACK!"
But Tara kept fighting.
Even as blood poured from her mouth.
Even as poison filled the air.
Even as her breathing turned ragged.
She never stepped back.
Not once.
Because Rin slowly understood.
This was never a battle she intended to survive.
This was goodbye.
"No..."
Rin slid to his knees.
"No..."
Finally—
Tara stood there trembling.
The monster crawled toward her.
She looked broken.
Bleeding.
Exhausted.
But she smiled.
"Enough playing."
A terrifying amount of energy exploded from her body.
Her armor vanished.
Her weapons vanished.
Time slowed.
Space shattered.
Even the barrier around Rin began to splinter.
Tara turned.
Looked at Rin one last time.
And smiled with tears in her own eyes.
"Thank you, Rin..."
"For making me feel alive again."
Rin screamed.
"STOP!"
But Tara had already become light.
She merged into a single divine weapon and shot forward.
The monster released its own apocalyptic blast.
The two collided.
WHITE.
Everything vanished in endless light.
When Rin opened his eyes—
the barrier was gone.
His whole body was bleeding from the released energy.
He stumbled forward desperately.
"Tara!"
Smoke.
Broken space.
Ruined stone.
Then—
he saw her.
Lying there.
Fading.
Like scattered particles of light.
Rin fell beside her and lifted her into his arms.
His hands were shaking violently.
"No..."
"No no no..."
"Tara, get up."
His voice broke.
"Please get up."
Tara weakly lifted one hand and touched his wet cheek.
"Don't cry..."
She smiled faintly.
"Did you see me?"
"I was amazing, right?"
Rin laughed through choking sobs.
"You idiot..."
"You were the coolest..."
"The best sister..."
Tara's eyes softened.
That word—
sister—
made her happier than victory.
Rin cried harder.
"You knew..."
"You knew from the start you were going to die..."
"Why?"
"Why for me?"
"For someone you only knew for weeks?"
Tara's tears finally slipped too.
"Weeks?"
She smiled sadly.
"Rin..."
"I was alone in this abyss for years."
"Years."
"Every day wishing to die."
"Every day talking to no one."
"Every day forgetting what it felt like to laugh."
Her fingers weakly brushed his hair.
"Then you fell into my darkness."
"You annoying little brat."
Rin sobbed.
Tara whispered,
"You are not someone I just met."
"You became my family."
"My little brother."
"My reason."
Rin broke completely.
"Tara..."
Tara leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
"Now go."
"Fulfill your promise."
"A man who breaks his promise..."
"...is no man at all."
Her body began disappearing faster.
Rin screamed.
"NO!"
He tried to hold her tighter.
But light slipped through his fingers.
Tara smiled one last time.
"Goodbye, Rin."
And then—
she was gone.
Rin's hands closed on empty air.
Silence.
Rin stared.
Then his scream tore through the abyss.
Because once again—
someone he loved had disappeared from his arms.
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