Heavenly Judgment, descends!
The moment the spatial gate was spotted, the expressions on the faces of Kotori, Reine, and Kannazuki instantly solidified. Their previous forced composure shattered like fragile glass, replaced by unprecedented seriousness, and even... an undeniable trace of pressure! Cold sweat instantly beaded on their temples.
Heavenly Judgment! She showed up after all!
"Why now, of all times..." Reine's voice was dry.
Kannazuki also dropped his playful expression, his eyes sharp: "The worst timing, meeting the 'audience' we least wanted to see."
(Why is she here?!) (Why now?!)
Kotori and Reine quickly exchanged glances, seeing the same shock and worry in each other's eyes.
Both of them recalled the ambiguous entanglements between Chinatsu and Shido: the alleged "double suicide" farewell in the industrial district, yesterday's precise critique aimed at Shido's "sleazy" performance, their intimate interaction on the way home from school, and her awkward, yet seemingly concerned, tsundere attitude... (It wasn't hard to deduce... this tsundere Spirit very likely harbored special affection for Shido! At the very least, she cared about him significantly!)
(Furthermore, her nominal "Older Brother," Koushi, was also Shido's friend!)
Both publicly and privately, how would Chinatsu react to witnessing Shido's "death" at this moment?
Would she see this as yet another vile betrayal by humanity?
Would she vent her rage upon the AST Unit or even the entirety of Amamiya City?
Would she... fall into complete despair, thus transforming into an avenger more terrifying and uncontrollable than the currently berserk Tohka?
All previous analyses and all contingency plans seemed pale and powerless when factoring in the superposition of "Shido's death" and "Chinatsu witnessing it"!
A Spirit who was already hostile toward human organizations, possessed dual terrifying Authorities, and might go completely insane due to the fall of a "close friend/person she cared about"... what she did next might no longer be as simple as "recruitment," but could escalate into hysterical revenge and disaster targeting society as a whole!
All possibilities pointed to one outcome—Disaster! A societal catastrophe far exceeding the level of Tohka's rampage, capable of overthrowing the existing order!
The three stared intently at the screen, watching Chinatsu begin her Anti-Entropy recruitment speech to Tohka as expected, their hearts lodged in their throats.
Then, they saw Chinatsu's words cut off abruptly.
They watched her gaze, as if pulled by invisible chains, slowly and rigidly shift toward the platform below... moving toward the covered school uniform, the glaring bloodstains beside it, and that familiar hand... finally settling on Shido's pale, bloodless face.
They clearly saw the expression of seduction and "pity" that had been on her face instantly freeze and peel away.
They watched the light in her brilliant golden eyes rapidly extinguish like a candle in the wind, little by little, fading, dimming, and finally, irreversibly... losing all brilliance.
It was the void of absolute silence after the heart had died.
The Fraxinus bridge fell into a silence deeper and more suffocating than when Shido was shot moments ago.
"Gulp..." Someone, in the utterly silent bridge, swallowed hard.
Kotori felt as if her throat was being gripped by a cold hand, making even breathing difficult. Reine instinctively gripped the adjacent control panel, her knuckles white from the force. The muscles on Kannazuki's face were taut, showing none of his usual frivolity.
(It's over...) (The worst possible scenario... has occurred...) (She... is serious...)
Cold sweat trickled uncontrollably down their temples.
Pressure, like a physical entity, enveloped the entire bridge, threatening to solidify the very air.
They knew that the most terrifying script... was truly about to unfold.
And they, at this moment, were powerless, able only to watch as the Herrscher who had lost her "light" was about to bring what kind of "end" to this world.
Fraxinus had entered what was perhaps the most critical, closest to utter failure... the darkest hour since its establishment.
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