Mahito ran.
No—
he crawled.
His body twisted, reshaped—bones shifting, limbs elongating, compressing—anything to escape.
"…No… no… no…"
Gone was the grin.
Gone was the confidence.
Only fear remained.
He dragged himself toward the underground tunnels—
desperate—
breathing uneven—
"…I can't die… not here… not like this…"
Behind him—
footsteps.
Slow.
Steady.
Not rushing.
Not panicking.
Walking.
Yuji.
Takeru.
Mahito looked back—
eyes wide—
"…Stay back…!"
They didn't answer.
Didn't speed up.
Didn't slow down.
They just kept walking.
And then—
The world changed.
The station.
The tunnels.
The city.
All faded.
Replaced by—
A quiet forest.
Snow falling.
White.
Endless.
Cold.
Mahito stumbled forward—
hands digging into snow that wasn't there—
"…What… is this…?"
No response.
Yuji and Takeru walked behind him.
Their steps left marks in the snow.
Mahito's breathing grew frantic.
"…Stop… please…!"
Nothing.
No anger.
No shouting.
Just—
approaching.
He tried to move faster—
failed—
collapsed—
"…I'm… I'm you…!"
His voice cracked.
"…You said it yourself—!"
They stopped.
Right behind him.
Mahito trembled.
Slowly—
he turned.
Yuji stood there.
Takeru beside him.
Both calm.
Both empty.
Then—
they spoke.
Together.
Flat.
"You're right, Mahito. I'm you.
I wanted to reject you, convince myself that you were wrong. But that doesn't matter now.
I'm gonna kill you. Even if you come back as another curse, I'll kill you. Change your name. Change your form. I'll kill you again and again.
I don't need meaning or a reason anymore. Maybe there will be some meaning to be found... in a hundred years or so after I'm dead. In the grand scheme of things... I'm probably nothing more than a cog. But I'll keep killing curses... for as long as I can. That's my role in all this."
Silence.
Mahito shook.
"…No…"
He tried to crawl back—
hands slipping—
"…Don't…"
Yuji stepped forward.
Takeru stepped with him.
No hesitation.
No pause.
Mahito screamed—
"WAIT—!"
Too late.
Yuji's fist pulled back—
Takeru's mirrored it—
Perfect timing.
Perfect alignment.
Black Flash.
The air shattered.
Space bent.
Impact—
absolute—
Mahito's body collapsed inward—
Cracking—
breaking—
fading—
His scream cut short.
Silence returned.
Snow fell.
Then—
Nothing.
The forest faded.
Shibuya returned.
Ruined.
Burned.
Broken.
Yuji stood there.
Breathing steady.
Takeru beside him.
No celebration.
No relief.
Just—
finished.
For now.