Chapter: 92. Evasion (3k2)
“……Why are you here…”
Kanade stared blankly at the figure of Amaya before him, his voice barely a whisper.
Though her appearance was more mature, beautiful, and captivating than he remembered, Kanade recognized this junior at a glance.
Even without relying on “magical reactions,” he could not be mistaken.
For Kanade, this girl before him was one of the people he had always wanted to apologize to in person.
Past memories surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
This was his first reunion with Amaya since that night when the school league ended and he decided to elope with Nagi.
It was clearly over three years ago, yet for Kanade, it felt just like yesterday.
Perhaps it was because he had never truly moved on from “Nagi’s death.”
Kanade could understand the glint of hatred in Amaya’s eyes at this moment.
That was a responsibility he could not escape and could not deny.
He had promised the girl before him—he would protect Nagi well.
But he had broken that promise and betrayed her trust.
In fact, the one who ultimately killed Nagi… was himself.
So, she had every reason to hate him.
Thinking of this, Kanade’s hand gripping the pitch-black blade involuntarily relaxed slightly, his knuckles trembling.
This subtle change didn’t escape Amaya’s notice.
Her gaze grew even colder than before, her lips curling slightly as she said coolly:
“What’s wrong? Tsukimi-senpai, after recognizing me, are you once again lost in your self-righteous ‘atonement’?”
“Wha—”
Kanade still hadn’t had a chance to react.
The shadows on the ground surged up like a wave.
A warning rang in his mind, and he instinctively stepped back sharply—
At that moment, a sharp spear made of pure shadow erupted from beneath him, piercing the air like rampant weeds, aiming directly at his chest.
Kanade reflexively swung the blade in his hand, which was enveloped in black flames.
The pitch-black edge clashed violently with the shadow spear mid-air, dazzling sparks exploding from the blade’s surface, shockwaves lifting the rainwater on the street, creating a splashing curtain of water that shattered in the darkness.
But the attack was far from over.
From all directions, more shadow spears coiled out like a horde of snakes from the cracks in the street and the shadows of the walls, their sharp tendrils slicing through the air in the rain, crazily charging toward Kanade.
Golden magical light flickered in Kanade’s eyes as well.
The black flames spread out from his entire body.
Those black flames gathered, stretched, and extended in mid-air, mimicking Amaya’s shadow spears, transforming into scorching and sharp flame spears that met the approaching shadows.
Flames and shadow spears collided fiercely in the air.
High temperatures clashed with coldness, firelight with darkness, as flame spears and shadow spears entwined and exploded mid-air, creating puffs of evaporating mist.
Heat waves and pressure rolled through the streets, rainwater on the ground surged violently, and concrete debris was swept into the air.
The street seemed to transform into a hellscape, with black flames and shadows entwining wantonly within, distorting and writhing as if they were living beings.
“Is this all you can do? Tsukimi-senpai? Is this the power of the strongest S-rank esper?”
Amaya’s voice cut through the steaming fog into Kanade’s ears, cold and clear.
Then, suddenly, an attack crossed the steam—
A massive tentacle made of shadow reached Kanade before he could react, striking hard against his abdomen and sending him crashing out of the street against the concrete wall at the edge, the powerful impact penetrating several layers of thick walls and scattering rubble.
“Or are you still holding back against me because of your self-righteous ‘guilt’?” Amaya’s voice sounded again, colder than the rain.
“…So strong.” Kanade murmured under his breath.
Though the exchange just now was brief, it was enough for him to see Amaya’s current strength—
She was not an opponent he could easily defeat.
In fact, his power had not fully recovered.
Although he had regained mastery over the black flame power, his magic and body were back in peak condition, and he could even use “rewrite self” normally, still—
He could not summon the “blade of life.”
For the past three years, Kanade had not made any alterations to his physical strength.
Without the “blade of life” and “Cahora’s box,” both his bodily functions and magic capacity were only on par with an ordinary A-rank esper.
In this state, facing Amaya head-on would yield minuscule chances of victory.
He strained to lift his head, blood trickling from his brow and blurring his vision.
Through the thick smoke filling the room, he gazed at the shadow standing outside the hole.
—”Rewrite,” huh?
Kanade struggled to lift his blood-stained eyelids, seeing the figure beyond the entrance through the thick smoke.
As long as he rewrote, he could undoubtedly take down Amaya, could catch up to the target before anyone else, regardless of how many groups the other party had; as long as he could keep rewriting, no one in this world would be his opponent.
That way, he could win back the support in people’s hearts again—
“—Are you planning to run away again? Tsukimi-senpai, like back then, escaping from everyone.” Amaya’s voice suddenly interrupted Kanade’s thoughts.
That voice pierced through him like a needle, ruthlessly breaking apart the illusion he had spent three years building in his heart.
“Even now… you still refuse to accept that Nagi-sister is dead?”
“No… no, that’s not it… it’s not like that… no, no, no—”
“You haven’t changed at all after all these years?! Are you really that cowardly, Tsukimi Kanade!!!”
“—What do you even know about me!!!”
In Kanade’s roar, his golden pupils suddenly burst forth, shining with a light that seemed to illuminate the darkness.
—Shut up, shut up, shut up!
—I’m not… I’m not!!
The black flames boiled and churned deep within his consciousness, as if ready to break through all shackles.
It locked onto the figure in front.
As long as he rewrote— as long as he made himself Amaya’s nemesis…
—He could…
“This is escaping, isn’t it!!!”
Amaya’s scream tore through Kanade’s inner struggle.
Accompanied by her words, a sharp spear shot from the shadows and pierced straight through Kanade’s abdomen, pinning him hard against the wall, disrupting his imminent activation of powers.
“Your ability isn’t meant for you to use to escape reality!” Amaya’s voice quivered, now tinged with tears: “That’s the protective charm that Nagi-sister devoted her whole life to give you!!! It’s meant to give you the courage to confront all difficulties, not to run away from them!!!”
“How many times can you use rewrite? What will you do once all the uses are exhausted?!”
“Every time you encounter something you are afraid to face, you always rely on your powers! ‘As long as I become the nemesis of the other party, I can solve any problem’… It’s because of your way of thinking—that Nagi-sister died at the hands of the End, wasn’t it!!!”
“!?”
“Clearly, the End had appeared at Ark Academy, clearly, we all witnessed its power! If you… if we had noticed the true threat it posed a bit earlier, maybe we could have prevented or stopped the tragedy from occurring, couldn’t we!!!”
“Nagi-sister… already sacrificed her life to tell you—rewriting is not omnipotent!!!”
“Why… why, even though she sacrificed her life, did you not gain even a little growth? Tsukimi Kanade!!!”
“Clearly, sister already led you out of the endless darkness, why are you running back into that darkness again!!!”
Unknowingly.
The rain over Tokyo grew heavier.
—————–
On the other side.
The car carrying Kazushi sped through the streets and alleys of Tokyo, its wheels splashing through the puddles.
The continuous magical fluctuations behind him echoed in the night rain, jarring him to the point where he almost shrank into the crevice of the back seat.
Only after confirming that the “Black Flame King” was not pursuing did Kazushi cautiously lift his head, his complexion pale as paper.
His heart had yet to calm, but the shock within him far outweighed the fear.
—That woman truly stopped the Black Flame King with her own strength?
How was that possible?
Who on earth was she… and what were they?
“Who are you… really?”
Kazushi finally couldn’t help but speak, looking toward the black-haired young man in the driver’s seat, his tone filled with disbelief and unease.
Renji paid no mind to Kazushi’s question, simply speaking calmly:
“If I were you, I would tell me the specific address of that package now.”
He firmly controlled the steering wheel with both hands, his tone unhurried, his gaze still focused ahead on the road, never turning back.
“That system… is trying everything to erase you.”
“If you really want to survive, you must turn it off with your own hands before you die.”
“…S-system?”
Kazushi was bewildered, showing clear confusion on his face.
Even though he was an Ace-class esper, the Mimic had never revealed the true plan to him.
He only knew he was tasked with transferring a package to somewhere, but he had no idea what was inside it.
Let alone a system—that sounded like a secret only the higher-ups would have access to.
However, he could sense from Renji’s calm yet stern tone that this was not an idle threat but an incredibly clear fact.
He was indeed caught in a massive conspiracy.
As for the investigative team sent to track him, perhaps from the very beginning… it was to ensure he would “forever silence” him.
“Considering the compatibility issues between your abilities and the system, I strongly suggest that if you want to survive from now on, do not use your powers.”
Renji’s words made Kazushi freeze.
At that moment, it dawned on him—
He was sitting in an old-fashioned fuel car with no electronic devices.
There was no navigation, no screen, and even the control panel had been completely stripped down; the only functioning parts in the car were the steering wheel, brakes, and engine.
This realization made him break into a cold sweat.
However, before Kazushi could collect his thoughts—
“Boom!!!”
A violent explosion suddenly erupted from the nearby street, the deafening blast jolting his nerves back to reality.
He quickly looked out the window, and in the next second, his pupils contracted sharply.
In the night sky, woven with rain and firelight, one by one, various mechas descended from the high altitude like they were falling, their heavy metal bodies crashing onto the street, shaking the earth slightly.
“…What the hell…”
Kazushi murmured, his eyes fixed on the appearance of those mechas.
He recognized them.
Those were the “mechas” he had placed at the Special Ring Sema headquarters.
But the problem was—
He hadn’t given any “summon mecha” orders since just now, and the hand ring for summoning mechas was not on his hand at the moment.
