Chapter 10 The Single World-altering Pink Fireball

Mirai’s eyes, clouded with pain and lack of air, found Shota’s. And what she saw there was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed.

He was shattered. The static in his vision was a blizzard, the ringing in his ears a deafening siren. He was no longer in the Otama Gorge; he was six years old, watching the light fade from the Witch Queen’s eyes. The same paralyzing horror. The same helplessness. The same world ending.

To Mirai, this was the ultimate euphoria. The sight of her Sho-kun, so perfectly, beautifully broken—for her. She didn't care about the claw around her neck, the pain, the approaching death. A blissful, ecstatic smile stretched her lips, so wide it threatened to tear them. It was too much. Her eyes rolled back, a wave of overwhelming pleasure mixing with the physical agony of being choked. Her magic, responsive to her intense emotions, flared erratically around her, a faint, pinkish aura of raw, twisted adoration.

The shadow creature paused, intrigued.

  "You are one strange human child. Even now, on the brink of oblivion, your power rises. Well, it's a shame... we won't see you use it."

It lifted its other clawed hand, fingers sharpened into a single, piercing point. It hovered for a split second, aimed directly at the center of Mirai's ample chest.

Shota watched.

Time froze. The plunging claw was a dark scar across his vision. His dull eyes watered. A silent scream tore through his mind.

"No! Not again! Not her! Not her too! Don't take her from me! The only face I can still see! She is the only light left in my life! The only light to illuminate this darkness! Not Mirai-chan! Don't take her from me!"

Suddenly, a whisper echoed in his mind.

 "Cancel the barrier, take a step forward."

Without thinking, Shota dropped his barrier. His body moved on instinct, his arm reaching forward on its own.

 "NOOOOO! DON'T TAKE HER FROM ME!"

As he screamed, the black rose on his outstretched arm flickered with a brilliant pink flame. A small, dense sphere of pink fire materialized and launched with the force of a sonic boom.

The creature plunged its claw at Mirai's chest.

 Just before it could pierce her heart, Mirai, through her choking euphoria, let out a choked whisper, "Battle Dress... activate."

A plate of magical metal formed over her chest. The claw screeched against it, sparking violently, and was deflected.

"What the hell? A battle dress? You can use that? Girl, you're full of surprises!"

His burning eyes flicked to the side, drawn by the pink flicker. He saw Shota, arm outstretched, face contorted in a pain.

"Hold on... what is that—"

The pink fireball arrived. It moved too fast to track, too fast to dodge.

"WAIT, THAT'S... OH SHIT!"

It punched a clean, massive hole straight through the center of his shadowy form, erupting from his back in a shower of dissipating darkness. The creature stumbled back, dropping Mirai. Its hands scrambled at the gaping cavity in its chest, its form flickering and fading.

"Seriously! What the hell happened?! How?! How could me, the great Ancient Shadow, lose to some brats?!"

Its withered remains collapsed to the ground, gasping for dark energy.

  "God damn it! I need to retreat... I need to recover. This is not over... my core is intact... I will come back, and when I do, there will be no mercy."

A shadow fell over him. A manic, breathy giggle rang out.

Mirai stood over him, swaying, barely conscious. Blood dripped from her split lip and nose, the blood streaks making her euphoric smile terrifying. Her eyes were wide; pupils dilated with pure ecstasy.

"Hey, hey, Shadow-saaan~!" she slurred, her voice a singsong of madness.

 "Ahhhhh... don't tell me you're leaving already... mmmmm... this was fun... let's play a little more, shadow-san~! I have a special gift... and it's all for you."

The Ancient Shadow felt a primal fear it hadn't known in centuries, looking up at her manic face.

  "What the hell kind of monster are you?!"

Mirai slowly lifted a trembling fist into the air. A giant, brutal steel drill formed above her, spinning with a low, terrifying whine.

"LOVER'S EMBRACE DRILL!" she shrieked, swinging her hand downward.

The shadow could only scream as the drill descended, shredding its remains into absolute nothingness.

"THIS CAN'T BE! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO M— NOOOOOO!"

Silence returned to the gorge, broken only by Mirai's euphoric panting and the faint, fading pink embers dancing around Shota's hand.

The last energy of shadowy essence dissipated into the air. 

Mirai stood for a moment, a statue of exhaustion and ecstasy. The manic energy that had fueled her final attack was gone, leaving behind a hollowed-out shell. She was a walking zombie, her body running on a single thread: the need to reach her Sho-kun.

She took one wobbling step, then another, her movements slow and dreamlike. Her vision swam, the world tilting on its axis, but her eyes remained locked on him.

Shota was on his knees, gasping for breaths. The single, world-altering pink fireball had siphoned every ounce of his meager mana reserves, leaving him drained and trembling. The world was once again fading to a numb, grey static.

Mirai reached him. Her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees beside him. She enveloped him. Her arms wrapped around his trembling shoulders with gentleness, pulling him into a soft, protective embrace. One hand came up to cradle his head, her fingers gently stroking his hair.

She leaned in, her lips almost touching his ear, her voice a whisper woven from the last of her strength and all of her obsession.

"There, there, my lovely Sho-kun... everything is alright now... The big bad is gone... No one is here to hurt you... Your Mirai-chan is here... I will always... be here for you..."

It was the last anchor holding him to consciousness. Hearing her voice, feeling the comfort of her embrace, Shota's last defenses crumbled. His body went limp, a complete shutdown, and he passed out in her arms.

The moment his weight fell fully against her, the thread holding Mirai together snapped. A soft, peaceful sigh escaped her bloodied lips. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she slumped forward, collapsing over him like a shield.

In the devastated silence of the Otama Gorge, the two of them lay unconscious.

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 In the center of the crater, the air itself tore open. A dark, silent void swirled into existence.

From it stepped a figure dressed in a long, dark raincoat and a wide hat, his face obscured in shadow. He stood over the last, dissipating traces of the Ancient Shadow, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"So, dark energy trace fades here. This idiot. A nuisance to the very end. Why appear today? It was not according to the plan. A few weeks early... were you so foolish as to disobey and move on your own accord?"

He nudged a charred piece of dirt with his shoe.

"That useless pawn. Not only did he compromise the schedule, but he got himself killed. By students, no less. Still... the Ancient Shadow was a B-tier evil force. Some children couldn't have accomplished this. The instructor must have finished him. A pity."

He let out a soft, dismissive sigh.

 "Oh well. He can be replaced. A minor setback."

His gaze then swept over the unconscious students littering the ground—he raised his hand. A dark, corrosive energy began to glow around his clenched fist.

"...Just need to tidy up the witnesses."

 But then he paused. His head snapped up, looking toward the horizon. Dozens of flickering lights—the distinct, high-speed approach of pro wizards on emergency response—were streaking toward them through the sky.

"Tck! Pro Wizards. I can't vaporize this place without them noticing the source. It would create... complications. More corpses to bury. And if I kill this many Pro Wizard, The Association would be on high alert. I don't need them seeing me just yet."

The energy around his fist vanished. He gave one last, lingering look at the scene.

"Oh well. Can't be helped. I've confirmed the fool's death. At least he wasn't captured. He won't be telling anyone anything."

With that, he turned and stepped back into the waiting void, which sealed shut behind him without a trace, leaving the unconscious students as the first pro wizards finally began to descend from the sky.