"Shido—!!!"
Tohka's heart-rending scream seemed to tear the entire night sky apart.
She watched helplessly as a blinding spray of blood blossomed on Shido's chest, watched the tenderness on his face freeze, watched him fall backward like a broken doll, crashing heavily onto the cold ground, utterly silent.
"Shido...? Shido...!"
Tohka knelt beside Shido, her voice trembling as she called his name again and again.
However, the young man who always responded to her and offered her a gentle smile was now simply lying quietly on the cold ground, completely unresponsive.
She stretched out a finger and cautiously poked Shido's cheek.
All she felt on her fingertip was the lifeless coldness and stiffness of his skin.
No... response.
She looked at the hand that had only moments ago reached out firmly towards her, offering affirmation and hope, but which now hung limply, completely soaked in blinding fresh blood, the redness searing her eyes.
A wave of dizzying disorientation washed over her; Tohka felt her world shattering piece by piece.
With an almost reverent tenderness, she gently covered Shido's eyes, which were still staring blankly at the sky, slowly closing his eyelids for him.
Then, she silently took off the Raizen High School uniform jacket she was wearing—a symbol of the hope for a "normal life"—and, with movements as gentle as covering a priceless treasure, she placed it over Shido's "remains," as if trying to preserve his last shred of dignity and warmth.
Having done all this, Tohka slowly stood up, moving like a puppet on strings.
She raised her head, gazing up at the sky that had just shared its beauty with her but now seemed utterly cold and cruel.
In her eyes, the world—which moments ago had been a beautiful, vibrant tapestry affirmed by Shido—instantly faded and collapsed, turning into a desperate gray, leaving only the suffocating crimson that had devoured all her hope and warmth.
Immense grief submerged her like a tsunami, but closely following it was something far more violent and pure—Rage!
Why?
Why did this world have to take the light I had just found?
Why did these humans have to kill the only person who affirmed my existence?!
For one moment—just now, when Shido reached out to her, affirming the value of her existence with those incredibly sincere eyes—
—Tohka truly believed that perhaps she could survive in this world.
If Shido were by her side, perhaps a solution would naturally be found.
Despite the overwhelming difficulties, maybe everything could be resolved.
Perhaps this world truly had a place for her.
"Ahhhhhh—!!!"
"Unforgivable... Unforgivable! Unforgivable—!!!"
"—Slaughter, destruction, annihilation.
Die, be destroyed, vanish completely!"
The indescribable sorrow receded like a tidal wave, replaced by an absolute rage capable of incinerating everything!
Pitch-black despair surged from the depths of her heart like ink, rapidly staining her entire body!
Accompanied by another roar filled with endless pain and fury, an unprecedented terrifying spiritual pressure erupted around Tohka!
A pillar of purple spiritual energy shot toward the heavens, completely dispelling the remaining twilight, staining the night sky with an ominous purple glow.
Her Raizen High School uniform instantly disintegrated and reformed under the surge of spiritual power, transforming into the magnificent and majestic amethyst Astral Dress—〈Adonai Melek, Tenth Vassal〉!
The massive throne sword, sandalphon, also appeared in her hand, its blade humming in response to its master's towering fury.
Yet, even in the throes of extreme rage, she retained a final shred of clarity.
She cautiously controlled the surging spiritual power around her, preventing the destructive force from affecting Shido, who lay on the ground.
She slowly rose from her kneeling position, the skirt of her Astral Dress fluttering without wind, her purple eyes dyed a chaotic dark color, containing nothing but pure murderous intent.
Slowly, filled with endless sorrow and resolve, she stood up from her kneeling position.
The last trace of confusion and softness completely vanished from her purple eyes, replaced by frozen murderous intent and the madness to destroy everything.
Her gaze, like the sharpest arrow, instantly locked onto the direction the bullet had come from—the vantage point!
"Unforgivable... Absolutely unforgivable!!!"
Tohka's figure transformed into a purple meteor, carrying world-shattering momentum as she shot into the sky, charging fiercely directly toward the location of the AST Unit!
Her target was clear and singular—that white figure who fired the shot!
She no longer held back; her immense spiritual power was completely unleashed, turning into a purple meteor carrying the rage to destroy everything as she soared into the sky!
The air twisted where she passed, and the ground of the plateau was ripped open by the scattered energy, forming deep trenches...
At the vantage point.
The moment Tobiichi Origami pulled the trigger, she felt as if all strength and soul had been drained from her.
The CCC sniper rifle in her hand slipped weakly to the ground, making a dull sound.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the ground, her face beneath the helmet deathly pale, her eyes terrifyingly hollow.
Through the scope, she clearly saw the spray of blood that erupted from Shido's chest after the bullet hit, and his unfocused eyes as he fell.
(I... killed... Shido...?)
This realization, like the most malicious curse, instantly shattered all her psychological defenses.
Her mind went blank; she could not hear Captain Ryoko's startled cries, the noisy commands over the communication channel, or even Tohka's soaring, violent spiritual pressure and murderous roar in the distance... She heard none of it.
The world lost all color and sound in her eyes, leaving only the image of Shido lying in a pool of blood, looping and magnifying endlessly in her mind.
"I... killed Shido... I... killed..."
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