Reduced to atoms

"Are you enjoying the show?" a female sipping her morning tea on a mysterious island spoke.

"Uhh, the lad is lettin' the folks throw him off in a bloody coffin, that gets torched," a mature male responds from within the ballpark.

"Oh my~," she laughs, placing her cup aside. "He sure chose to go all out, didn't he?"

"Ya sure, bettin' on him?"

"Don't worry now," with a reassuring voice, "Even this trick has the same property across all his past ones. I'm quite certain he's got it. Now as for you..." she proceeds to explain a detailed plan to him for attaining their goals.

"A'right, if you say so," he ends the call and leaves his seat to head somewhere.

Meanwhile, as the stunt setup goes up, a helicopter stabilizes itself to the right altitude. Within it, Genshi and Grace take a look below.

"The breeze is strong, I like it," she says, taking a look at Genshi's face, who's lost in his world. "Don't you worry, the Lord's Grace is with you!"

Aww~ she's not that bad after all.

"Mind coming in a selfie with me?" she asks, taking her phone out quickly.

"Hm, yeah sure, my pleasure too I guess," Genshi leans in as she raises the phone.

"Smile~" she takes a peek at his face and keeps staring until he notices.

"You know I can't take the mask off, obviously—" Genshi tries to explain.

"Oh c'mon now?" she insists, to which Genshi looks away. "Fine, at least let me have a look for a second. I'm at least allowed to know the face of the man I'm going to kill." She pouts, waiting for a response.

Hey, you forgot to add 'unintentionally kill' and also why does she think I'm surely going to die!?

"No?! Who do you think I am? I don't want the first thing in the morning tomorrow to be my own face's portrait going viral."

"No trust, I see." She smiles alone, clicking the photo and seating herself.

Damn, she dare talk about trust when my life is depending on her.

As the preparations finally get assembled, the broadcast rolls again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Are you readyyyyy?!" The crowd's screams aren’t really heard due to the helicopter, but Genshi assumes anyway.

"Alright then, after all of you abandoned your own choices and wished for Grace's ritual, I hereby step forth, to perform my greatest feat!" The ground trembles with noise. Even outside the ballpark, people witness a strange activity being conducted in the skies. They stand still watching, like viewing an eclipse.

Genshi takes a peek at her. She's quietly exploring the helicopter as if they're on a trip.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel... let down the chain~" Genshi asks Grace for help getting off with the chain.

"Uh huh, drop dead." She gets up and kicks Genshi off the helicopter in a single swoop.

Was my joke that bad?... I would have died if not for the safety belts! Why does this girl attack me in every possible way?!

"So much for God's Grace!? I could have died of a heart attack!" Genshi complains, trying to strengthen his grip on the chain that's dangling due to the strong wind. To which she doesn't replies.

If I fall, I would be left with no bones unbroken—

NO. No intrusive thoughts for the next few minutes. Shut it now.

"Well then, I'll be taking my leave... as you wished," he glances at Grace, who keeps watching quietly from above.

"Can you actually break through and climb back up?" she asks with a carefree look.

"Pftt!" He almost loses his balance after laughing at her words.

"You're saying that now? Haha!" He starts to lower himself down.

"Well, I know you can, since you are holding a grand magician's title. I'm just asking for courtesy, like any human should." Her tone is serious as she holds her safety belt and watches him getting further away.

She could have said these a while ago, when I had my hands free!

"Well, thank you Grace, for your courtesy. Now I get to witness hell any minute now," he screams while lowering himself.

"Talk like that one more time and I'll body slam right into you," she shouts like a cop's warning.

He thinks I'm some heartless woman who doesn't feel anything due to her condition. I'm a bit worried for him as it's still my choices that chose his final destiny, she complains internally.

Oh, she might just jump. Given her safety belt and a painless condition, I should respond right away. Putting forth my emotions...

"Alright, fine!!" He faces up and climbs a bit, saying, "If I make it... can you... be my—!" He was showing a bright face and went on to ask something important as she cut him off,

"Eww, frick you, I don't want to!" Before she even heard the full sentence, Grace gives her response that shoots through Genshi's heart.

I just got my proposal shot down even before I finished it. Wow, my own creation ditched me so bad?

"Oh my god, Grace!?" he shouts angrily. "I was asking you to be my ASSISTANT! Since you were so fond of looking at this face! But you shot me down like I'm some creep asking you out on a date!" He tries to choke the chain while looking up for a response.

"Alright man! Got it, make it back first!" She gives a short and vague reply, then goes back in.

"I swear I'll destroy her codes once I'm out of this world!" He bad mouths her on the way down as he finally gets close enough. Genshi lets go and falls, landing directly onto the coffin. He then takes his stance, fixes his clothes, puts on the straitjacket that restricts his movements, and finally locks the handcuffs and hops into the coffin.

"Behold, people! This moment will be historical, as the greatest magician alive takes on a surefire deathtrap!" The commentary shifts, and along with it, the audience’s excitement, as all eyes fixate on the coffin. Grace gets back up and sits on the edge of the helicopter, looking pale.

The pre-timer finally begins. A few minutes remain as Genshi prepares himself for the worst.

Meanwhile, a man enters a dark tunnel and takes his stance. "In position now. Like you said, there's a lot of cushioning material kept here," he whispers to his boss.

"...Hmm, so good~," the girl responds with pleasure.

"Oie, I'ma come knock those cookies outta your hand if ya won't focus, eh?" he strictly asks her to stay on the mission.

"Don't be such a turn off," she rolls her eyes while munching on snacks. "You're the most fit for this role!"

"A'right, we'll see."

Back in the skies, the timer reaches zero, and probably the final minute of Genshi’s life begins. Everyone bursts forth cheering as they can only see slight movement in the coffin.

As the cheering grows, so does the fear within Grace. She leans lower, trying to see if he'll make it.

He's got that wacky behavior for the show's sake. He's not going to mess this up like he showed himself so far. Don't be fooled. This is what a magician wants from the viewers. Grace tries her best to keep her cool and hopes for a breakthrough.

The timer reaches less than 30 seconds — still no visible attempt to break the coffin.

This is critical. Genshi has to break the coffin and grab the chain tightly to be pulled to safety.

20 seconds left for the release.

The audience drops their recordings and begins begging for him to make it. The commentary goes berserk, crying for the day to not become someone’s execution.

10 seconds. The air turns heavy.

Suddenly, a girl dives off the helicopter. What first seemed like a suicide is revealed to be Laila Grace, accelerating downward with a rod in her hand. Even with a safety belt, she would suffer fatal injuries once the belt runs out and her body chokes from the tension.

She reaches the metal chains and grabs hold with full force. Rushing down, she slams the coffin with her foot, suffering fractures, her hands tearing at the skin.

Without pause, she strikes the coffin with the rod.

"The moment I break through — grab the rod!!" she screams, sending blow after blow with her bleeding fingers.

She creates a crack. With two seconds left, light shines into the coffin. Genshi is motionless. A death stare pierces into Grace’s confused face. He says nothing.

The chains unlink.

In an instant, Grace and the coffin fall.

She is pulled back by the belt as her screams of agony pass alongside the coffin like a meteor crashing to Earth.

A loud thud echoes through the ballpark. The coffin nearly rips apart, only held together by the swords driven through it.

A spark escapes from the coffin.

An explosion follows.

Firefighters rush in to settle the flames — but they're too late.

Only bright plasma remains. That... would be all that's left of the coffin.

As for a human body?

It would be reduced to atoms.