*BOOM*
My heel connects with something solid.
It isn't earth. It isn't stone. It's… something else.
As the ground explodes upward in a shower of dirt and debris, I feel a sickening crunch beneath my heel.
My left leg hurts, but I push through the pain.
I can't see it, but I can feel it. It's fighting back, trying to tear its way into my soul.
But I won't let it.
I push harder, channeling every ounce of my demonic energy into the strike.
"HRAAAAAAH!"
The world turns white.
...
I open my eyes, gasping for air.
Blurry...
Spinning wildly.
Warm and wet running down my face.
I touch my forehead and my fingers come away stained with blood.
What happened? Did I hit my head on something?
I attempt to push myself up, but my body won't move. Everything hurts.
"Kotori…" I mutter, my voice hoarse.
I try to turn my head, but my neck is stiff and sore.
I can't see her. Is she okay? Where is she? Did I… did I fail?
...
I blink several times until my vision gradually clears.
And the first thing I see is the sky.
The sky is a bright, cloudless blue, yet feels impossibly distant...
It looks like... A hole?
That's when I realize I'm laying on my back, staring up through a massive crater in the ground.
I force myself to sit up again and this time, my body responds, but I fall forward before I can even move.
"Agh..."
My head throbs, and my vision sways nauseatingly.
I can't move. I'm too weak.
My ki is drained...
...
I hear a voice.
"Horikita."
"Horikita, can you hear me?"
I try to respond, but my throat is too dry.
"Horikita, do not attempt to move. Your injuries are severe."
Injuries?
"Kotori…"
"Are you… okay?"
"Affirmative,"
"My system sustained minor damage on the left leg during the impact, but all core functions remain operational."
There's a noise coming from in front of me.
"...What's... that noise?"
"I'm currently engaging the entity that attacked us." Kotori responds.
I manage to lift my head just enough to see.
...What?
Things are crashing in the air at high speed. It's hard to make out what's happening, but it looks like Kotori is fighting something.
I can't see what she's fighting, but the air burns with heat and the sound of metal on metal fills the crater.
I try to push myself up again, but it's no use.
I'm too weak to stand, much less fight. I can only lie here and watch, helpless.
"Horikita, do not move," Kotori says.
"You have a severe head wound and multiple fractures. Conserve your energy."
But I can't just lie here! I have to help her!
I try again to move, but I'm just too weak.
"I… I have to…" I mutter.
"I have to help you…"
"Negative,"
"Your current state renders you incapable of providing meaningful assistance. Focus on recovery. That is the most effective contribution you can make at this time."
My fists clench as tears well in my eyes.
I'm useless. Again.
Just like in the park. Just like with Mother. I can't protect anyone. I'm always relying on someone else to save me.
...
If only...
I reach forward with my left hand, grasping for something I cannot see.
"...I had... True sword…"
Not of steel that shatters,
but of will that endures.
Forged from the black fire in my veins,
sharpened by the Azure fire of my soul.
A sword that cuts no flesh,
but severs the cold itself—
one strike to shred the lie of corruption.
Not to kill what is wrong,
but to unmake it.
(...Use me...)
That voice... It's the voice from before.
But it's different now. It's stronger, clearer, and more… insistent. It feels like it's coming from inside me, from the very core of my being.
(My... Power...)
It's a strange sensation, like a part of me is speaking to another part of me.
I close my eyes, focusing on the warmth, on the gentle pull from within.
I don't know what it is, or what it wants, but I know one thing: it's my only chance.
How do I use it?
(...Synchronize... With me...)
(...Let our wills... intertwine...)
I open my eyes.
Synchronize. Intertwine.
The same as before, in that blackness: the feminine grip, gentle yet needy, overriding protocols with willful consent, her presence washing over me, reforming what was dissolving.
I reach out with my mind, not with my hands, towards the warmth within me, towards our promise. I let go of my fear, my shame, my weakness. I let go of everything but the desperate need to fight, to protect.
I... I want to Synchronize with you!
>Synchronization Protocol: Initiated.
>Analyzing User Intent: [DESIRE_FOR_A_TRUE_SWORD_TO_PROTECT].
>Processing...
>Primary Synchronization Tool [Kusanagi no Tsurugi]: UNAVAILABLE.
>Status: SEALED.
>Location: Yoshida Shrine.
>Reason: Symbiotic link is incomplete. Direct physical contact with the vessel is required to achieve full synchronization.
>Analyzing alternative pathways...
>Condition Detected: [DEMONIC_KI] at critical depletion (0.8%).
>Result: Reduced internal energy conflict. Compatibility with latent [DIVINE_KI] has increased to 92.4%.
>Alternative Protocol Suggested: [PROXY_TAIL_FLAME_PROTOCOL].
>Description: Temporary manifestation of the First Tail's divine essence. By channeling raw Divine Ki through the [AZURE_SIGIL], the conduit can project conceptual azure flames.
>Limitation: The manifestation is unstable. Maximum sustained duration is approximately 60 seconds before systemic feedback failure.
>Primary Function: Purge Corruption. Erase hostile entities at a fundamental level.
>Secondary Function: [LIMITED_DIVINE_AUGMENTATION]. Enhances the user's strength and speed. The partial link to the vessel only grants access to a fraction of the entity's full divine potential. Advanced augmentative applications are currently inaccessible.
> Proceed with [PROXY_TAIL_FLAME_PROTOCOL]?
> Y/N
Yes!
I don't hesitate. I don't question. I just… accept.
Divine Ki inside of me explodes through my body, flowing into my left arm, and into the azure sigil.
The warmth spreads through me, chasing away the pain, the weakness, the fear.
My vision clears, my mind sharpens, and a current of power courses through my veins.
I push myself up, my body responding with renewed strength.
The fractures, the head wound—they're still there, but they don't matter anymore. I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for Kotori.
I stand up and walk towards the crashing sounds, passing by Kotori's side.
"Horikita, your current physiological state is—" Kotori begins, but I cut her off.
"I'm fine."
I look at her, and notice Kotori's left leg is broken.
"I'll handle this," I say, and stop right in front of the crashing sounds.
I raise my left hand, and Instantly grab one of Kotori's swords from the air.
It's been a while since I've held a sword. It feels… good.
I grip the hilt tight.
"You're here with me, right?" I whisper to the voice within.
The sword begins getting engulfed in azure flames. I can feel it. The presence, the power, the connection to something… more.
(.....Always...)
I raise the sword, gripping the hilt with both hands.
"Third form - Falling Sky."
I unleash a powerful downward slash, sending everything in front of me crashing away under a wave of azure flames.
It's time to see what I'm fighting.