The sound still echoed.
THWACK!
For a split second—
everything froze.
Mahito's hand—
shifted—
his target changed mid-motion.
Not Yuji.
Nobara.
Too fast.
Too close.
His palm reached her face—
Nobara's eyes widened—
but she didn't panic.
She looked at Yuji.
Then Takeru.
And smiled.
"…Tell everyone…"
A breath.
"…that life wasn't so bad."
Silence.
Yuji's eyes shook.
"…Nobara—?"
Takeru stepped forward—
too late—
Mahito whispered:
"…Idle Transfiguration."
Contact.
Time shattered.
Nobara's body jerked—
her soul warped—
The left side of her face—
—ruptured.
A violent, instant expansion—
Her eye—
gone—
Blood—
shock—
impact—
She collapsed.
No scream.
Just—
down.
Still.
Mahito stepped back.
Watching.
"…Beautiful."
Yuji didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
"…No…"
Takeru froze.
For the first time—
completely still.
Nobara lay on the ground.
Unmoving.
Her last expression—
A smile.
Mahito turned away.
"…You humans break so easily."
He began to walk.
Like it didn't matter.
Like she didn't matter.
Yuji's fists trembled.
"…You…"
His voice cracked.
"…You…!"
Takeru's hand clenched slowly.
No cursed energy.
No techniques.
Just—
rage.
Nobara didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe—
or maybe she did.
Too faint to tell.
But one thing was certain—
She was out.
And something inside Yuji—
snapped.