Crack! Kimi's body shattered, releasing a surge of pure white energy that blasted Kobatz backward.
Then everyone saw it—Kimi's fragmented body transformed into countless white Takamine flower shields that floated into the air. The white light rippled outward, and wherever the shields passed, every beautiful flower began to shed its petals.
One petal, two petals—countless petals. A cascade of vibrant colors fell, as if the flowers themselves were accompanying their queen into death.
Petals fluttered through the sky like a rain of blossoms—a funeral of flowers. The dazzling petals drifted down, covering the ground like the tears of ten thousand blooms.
Within the flowerbed, all the petals had fallen. Only the bare stems remained, silently voicing sorrow without words.
Gently, the white Takamine flower shield descended, landing among the thick carpet of multicolored petals like a monarch returning home—welcomed by her loyal subjects.
Every flower stem in the bed began to wither. The leaves turned yellow, falling one by one into the soil until nothing but bare branches remained.
Even the branches themselves grew dry and brittle, utterly devoid of life. In an instant, the entire garden's flowers had perished.
"In this life, I am the Takamine flower. When one flower falls, all others wither." Aoi Kimi had always likened herself to a blossom—and to be buried in a sea of flowers was, in its own way, a beautiful ending.
"Waaah... Kimi-nee!" Suddenly, many in the crowd began to sob loudly. When their hearts had been consumed by fear, they had thought only of killing Kimi to escape the game.
But now that Kimi was truly dead, they were overwhelmed with emptiness. Pain and regret flooded their hearts, and they wept bitterly.
Aoi Kimi's state had vanished—she had returned to the Hall of Heroic Spirits. Kurumi's form reverted to her true self.
Her wine-red eyes turned upward toward Kayaba Akihiko in the sky. Her lips moved, forming two words: "Red Name."
"This time, I'm the one taking the blame," Kayaba murmured, pushing up his glasses before vanishing from the air—reappearing in the underground prison.
"Why... why does it hurt so much? It was only the death of her shrine maiden form... so why does my heart ache?" Kobatz's hand trembled as he gripped his sword tightly.
"It's admiration, isn't it? Kimi's charm is something no ordinary person can resist," Kurumi said softly, her eyes narrowing. Because Kimi's form had died, Kobatz's sword was still embedded in Kurumi's chest—now that she had reverted to her true self.
"Kimi-nee—no, Kurumi Tokisaki. You're Madoka, aren't you?" Silica shouted, struggling against the Army members restraining her.
Kurumi tilted her head slightly, looking at Silica. Her wine-red eyes carried a faint glimmer of apology. She hadn't expected her lie to be exposed at the very end.
"Sorry for keeping it from you. I had... my reasons," Kurumi said helplessly.
Her reasons, of course, could be summed up in one phrase—"a moment of selfishness."
Tears streamed down Silica's face, stirring Kurumi's guilt. Kurumi-chan, look what you've done... playing with such a pure-hearted girl's emotions.
As the tears fell, Silica remembered what Madoka had once said. The innocent smile on Madoka's face came vividly to mind as she had pointed to her own chest.
With a pure, childlike expression, she had said: "But Madoka doesn't like to think about it. Every time I start thinking about how I'm... special, I start wondering if I even really exist. And when that happens, it hurts here... it hurts so much, and it scares me."
Recalling Madoka's frightened yet gentle smile as she leaned close to smell the flowers, Silica's tears wouldn't stop.
"So Madoka doesn't think about why it was three days last year, or two the year before, or eight this year. Madoka just wants to live every day happily. That way, even if next year she only has one day left, she'll still be satisfied."
"Madoka!" Silica cried out, collapsing to her knees in anguish. "Why... why are you just a split personality?"
"A split... personality? Dissociative identity disorder?" Kurumi was taken aback. How had Silica come to that conclusion?
Kurumi-chan, look at the mess you've made... this adorable girl is suffering because of you. She sighed inwardly. She had to tell Silica the truth.
Though revealing the truth would hurt Silica even more, continuing to hide it—continuing to toy with her emotions—was something no human should do.
Kurumi-chan, you absolutely can't keep this up! You have to confess! Tell Silica everything!
Kurumi's wine-red eyes quickly welled with tears. The light of astonishment in them shifted into one of panic and fear. Then, suddenly, the mysterious girl began to cry.
"Uuu... it hurts! Why are you hurting Madoka? It hurts so much!" She gripped the sword lodged in her chest with trembling hands, her delicate face twisted in panic. Madoka sobbed uncontrollably.
Kobatz froze. Why had Kimi-nee suddenly changed—become a completely different person?
"Madoka!" Hearing the cries, Silica's head snapped up, her pupils contracting sharply.
Why—why did Madoka's personality have to surface now? Madoka was so pure and kind... why did she have to bear this pain?
"Ahhh..." Silica screamed in agony, tears streaming down her face, dripping from her chin.
"Uuu... don't hurt Madoka! Madoka's scared! Silica, where are you? Madoka's so scared..." Madoka's tear-streaked face was filled with helpless fear and trembling.
"Madoka! Let go of me! Let me go!" Silica shouted desperately, struggling like a furious little lion cub. But the Army members held her tightly—there was no breaking free.
"Silica!" Hearing her name, Madoka turned her head toward her. Her delicate face lit up with joy.
Then, from afar, Madoka reached out a trembling hand toward Silica, her voice filled with terror. "Silica... Madoka's scared! Madoka's so scared..."
"Don't hurt Madoka! Don't hurt her! Madoka is the kindest person in the world! Don't hurt her!" Silica screamed hysterically, tears streaming down her face.
The sorrow in the air was suffocating. Even Kobatz couldn't bear to look. Gritting his teeth, he pressed his sword down hard.
Madoka's HP bar plummeted instantly, falling straight into the red.
"Uuu... it hurts! Madoka hurts so much! Silica! Madoka's so scared..." Madoka pulled back her hands, wiping her eyes as she cried helplessly. Her blood-red HP continued to drop.
"Ahhh!" Silica's scream tore through the air, her voice filled with heartbreak. "Why?! Why are you hurting Madoka?! Do you even know how many days a year Madoka gets to be awake? She just wants to spend those few days happily! That's all she ever wanted—such a simple wish! Why would you even take that from her?!"
"Please... please don't hurt Madoka anymore! She only has a few days of life each year! Stop hurting her!" Silica cried out as Madoka's HP dropped to zero. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed, her spirit shattered.
At some point, blood had filled Silica's mouth—her lips bitten through without her even realizing it.
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