Collision of Consciences

Left Wing.

Blood flowed across the hot, silent stone floor.

Max lay motionless, his gaze lost in nothingness.

— M–Max…? — Shana knelt beside him, touching his face.

Cold.

Breathing... it wouldn't come anymore.

Are you serious, Yumi ? Three little mice gave you so much trouble... I solved one in seconds," Alisiya said, with unbearable calm.

— ALISIYAAA!!! — Shana let out a scream that split the air.

"Everyone decided to shout my name today. Get out of here now." He sighed. Alisiya , bored. She looked at Yumi , serious.

Yumi hesitated, her eyes welling up with tears, but obeyed.

Alisiya broke part of the ceiling and climbed up, flying into the air.

Shana stood up, her wings spread, her face covered in tears.

"You... will pay for this!" he shouted , and took flight after her.

"Let's play tag? I'm unbeatable at that game," Alisiya 's voice echoed mockingly.

Shana gathered energy in her hands and unleashed a devastating lightning bolt.

The flash swallowed the sky of the labyrinth… and all that remained was a black coat spinning slowly.

She fired another shot. The beam ricocheted off an invisible barrier.

Alisiya emerged from behind the coat, untouched, her smile cold.

"This equipment is great. I become invisible for a while, but unfortunately not indefinitely," he said . Alisiya .

"Damn it..." Shana growled, her eyes blazing.

"Do you dare to hold that position for seven minutes?" he challenged . Alisiya .

"If it's to kill you, I have the means," he replied . Shana is filled with hatred.

"So... all I need is to survive seven," he said . Alisiya .

Shana roared and charged forward.

The duel began in mid-air, each impact shaking the ceiling of the labyrinth.

Below, Kairo held Max's body, trying to revive him.

Nothing. No pulse. No sign.

He gently set his friend's head down.

" Rest , man. We'll keep going for you," he whispered , his voice choked with emotion.

Yumi , on her knees, closed her companion's eyes and bit her lip until it bled.

"Let this serve as a lesson so I never hesitate again..." said Yumi .

Alisiya 's cruel laughter .

Right wing.

Shouta appeared before us, his gaze unreadable.

Cassandra raised her hands, ready.

"Another slave?" Cassandra asked.

"Of course not. That idiot is too confident to enslave me," he replied dryly.

He smiled with relief for a moment… until he sensed something was wrong.

"There's something around him... a mark, perhaps?"

— (Hidden Observatory: check for negative effects on Shouta) Fubuki .)*

Shouta​ Fubuki is under Alisiya 's control label Fedorova .

"Then she arrested Shouta too... and probably the Mayumi sisters ."

" Shouta , did Alisiya seal you? And the Mayumi too?" I asked.

He blinked, surprised.

"It was the Observatory, right?" Shouta said.

"Yes," I confirmed .

"So... she's here," Cassandra murmured.

Filna and Hiroshi entered the hallway right after.

His voice sent chills down the air.

"Hello, Koharu . Did you miss me?" Hiroshi said sarcastically.

"You worm... I'm going to kill you!" she gritted her teeth.

"No, you can't. Or would you rather see Fujimoto die?" he laughed.

Koharu froze. I saw the struggle in her eyes.

"Good girl. Now kneel down," he mocked.

She looked at me. And, trembling, she knelt down.

— Hahahaha ! I've waited so long to see you and Fujimoto suffering together. — He raised his hand.

The blue ray appeared.

— To enslave!

Upper Wing.

Time was running out.

"Six minutes," said Alisiya , floating among the wreckage.

"Shut up!" he shouted . Shana , advancing with wings ablaze.

The blow ripped open the roof, and the flash illuminated Max's dead body below.

For a second, Shana lost her breath.

The pain turned into pure fury.

"Seven minutes is enough for me to kill you!" he yelled .

"Let's see. Try to survive your own limit." Alisiya smiled, raising her hands.

The labyrinth's false sky shattered, and the desert light entered.

Inside Koharu 's mind

Koharu 's body falls to the ground, unconscious.

From the outside, nobody understands what's happening.

Inside her mind, however, time seems to stand still.

— (What's happening?) — he thought. kOHARU .

A white fog covers everything, and memories begin to surface around me like projections floating in the air.

— (These... are these memories of me? Me smiling at Hiroshi, telling him I loved him, laughing beside him.) — Koharu reaches out and sees flashes.

— ( What... crap is this?!) — he shouted Koharu .

The images change: Koharu and Hiroshi mocking Fujimoto in front of the whole class, laughing in his face.

Suddenly, I see a bed.

Koharu and Hiroshi lying down, smiling.

— (NO! THAT'S A LIE!) — the light distorts, and Koharu begins to fall.

Her chest is burning.

— (It's the power of slavery trying to dominate me... trying to make me love it.) — she said . Koharu .

The memories shift again; Koharu sees the day the entire class was teleported to World Two.

There's Kaiou , dividing the students into groups.

But in the fake flashback, Koharu appears to be kidnapped by Fujimoto .

Suddenly, everything stops.

The screen of memories disappears and the world fades away.

A mirror appears in the void, and from the mirror emerges another Koharu .

"Who are you?" he asked . Koharu .

"I am Koharu Slave. I have come to take your place," she replies with an empty smile.

"I won't allow it!" Koharu replied.

"Since when are you strong enough to stop someone? Our adoptive mother always controlled us. She told us what we could be, what we should wear, what we should feel. You never had freedom... and now you want to pretend you do?" she approaches.

Koharu was speechless.

"That has nothing to do with it... " Koharu couldn't say.

"Yes, it does. The anger we felt towards her shaped you. The same anger that made us date that delinquent girl from school just to provoke her. And in the end… helping Fujimoto was the second reason we got close to Hiroshi," she continues.

I lowered my head, unable to deny it.

"Besides, you judged Shana by her actions... and made the same mistake she did," said the fake Koharu .

"I regret this. If I leave here, I'll apologize to everyone," Koharu said .

"There's no way out." She laughs bitterly.

"I won't let Hiroshi control me!" she shouted . Koharu .

"Who said it was going to be Hiroshi? You fought so hard that you created another you within your own consciousness. Now we both have the power of choice." She smiles.

"What do you want?" Koharu asked.

"I love Hiroshi and hate Fujimoto . You love Fujimoto and hate Hiroshi. Why don't we kill them both?" asked the fake Koharu .

"I refuse! You are just an illusion created by slavery!" he replied . Koharu .

Her laughter echoes through the emptiness.

"I may have been born from his power, but I have my own will. And I want to propose a deal," said the fake Koharu .

I remain silent, listening.

"This is a unique opportunity to kill Hiroshi. But the price... is that we will be completely consumed," she says, extending her hand.

Koharu looks at her hand.

Koharu feels anger, fear… and a cold flame deep in her chest.

— I accept. — he replies . Koharu .

Their two hands touch.

A bright flash covers everything.

In the Labyrinth, Right Wing

A loud bang shakes the walls.

Part of the maze's ceiling breaks; Through the opening, I see Shana and Alisiya dueling among the wreckage.

"What's going on?" Hiroshi yells.

Yumi appears, bringing the wounded Kairo .

— Kairo ! — Cassandra screams.

"Calm down. I'm not going to kill him," Yumi says.

Hiroshi ignores everyone.

Koharu 's body on the ground.

"Time to wake up, my precious slave. Get up." He laughs.

Koharu remains motionless, crouching.

"Come on, slave, get up!" he growls.

Nothing.

"Get up!" his cry echoes.

Yumi frowns. Filna's eyes widen.

— Hiroshi!!! — They both shout together.

"What is it now?!" Hiroshi shouted.

"Deactivate slavery! NOW!" he shouts . Yumi .

"Her power and yours are colliding! This could cause a disaster!" she added . Filna .

"I'll control her!" he insists.

Koharu 's body begins to glow white.

An intense light emanates from her chest, piercing the ceiling of the labyrinth.

Everyone covers their eyes.

The flash rises to the sky and explodes, and then, silence.

The light fades.

Koharu gets up slowly.

Hiroshi smiles triumphantly.

Hahahahaha ! I did it! Now I will be the ruler of this world !

He doesn't finish the sentence.

A translucent blade cuts through the air.

Hiroshi's body splits in two, blood splattering the floor.

—Hiroshi!!! — Filna screams.

— Hiroshi! — Yumi exclaimed, shocked.

Koharu raises her face.

Her eyes are now a blend of gray and gold, a fusion of her two personalities.

"Kill Hiroshi... and Fujimoto ," he said . Koharu .

I feel a shiver run down my spine.

— Koharu ... Wake up, please!!! — my voice falters.

"What's going on?!" Cassandra shouts.

"Hey, Yumi ! We'll have to stop her, right?" Kairo tries to stand up.

"Yes... But if Alisiya and Shana don't arrive soon, we're all going to die," she replies seriously.

Sky of the Labyrinth.

The two stop fighting when the white flash explodes beneath them.

"It seems a terrible monster has been awakened," Alisiya murmurs.

"So that was your plan from the beginning?" he asks . Shana , panting.

— Unfortunately not. This hurts me too. — Alisiya sighs.

— What do you mean? — he asked . Shana .

"One of Hiroshi's slaves placed an artifact inside me. This artifact prevents me from attacking him and forces me to tell the truth," he replied . Alisiya .

"So you want to keep him alive so he can remove it?" Shana asks.

"Wrong. Hiroshi believes that if he dies, the artifact will disappear. But I think that's a lie… a lie told by the one who created the artifact." Alisiya closes her eyes and says.

"Do you have any idea who it might be?" Shana asks.

— Elfherinsei Elfsei . — Alisiya responds.

The name echoes in the air.

Shana feels her blood run cold.

"So... the real enemy is far above us all," she murmurs.