Chapter 19: Journey to Paradise: Nexus of Bonds

The battle between Kamito Ryuga and Gouma Gyuryū raged like a storm tearing through the heart of the dead city.

Kamito’s breaths had turned ragged. His mana was nearly gone.
His vision wavered, colors collapsing into white noise.
Blood seeped from the corner of his eye—an unmistakable sign that his body had surpassed its natural limit.

Amanai watched him fight with widening horror.

“KAMITO, STOP! YOU’LL DIE!”

But Kamito did not stop.
He stepped forward again—stumbling, bleeding, trembling—yet refusing to yield.
His blade shone with flickering silver light.

A shockwave erupted from his strike.
BOOOOOOM.
The ground split. Dust spiraled upward.
Even far away, Masahiro Yuki felt the reverberation.

Her expression darkened.

“…He’s at his limit. If he continues, he’ll… die.”

She made her decision instantly—abandon military formation and rush ahead alone.

When the shockwave faded, Amanai’s eyes widened.

Kamito lay motionless on the ground, collapsed face-first into broken concrete.
His sword, Ark, had been thrown several meters away.

“KAMITO!!”

She sprinted toward him without hesitation.
Gouma Gyuryū—still alive and regenerating—loomed behind her, but Amanai didn’t care.
She fell to her knees, lifting Kamito’s head gently.

His skin was cold.

His breathing—shallow.

There was… almost no mana left in him.

Behind her, Gouma Gyuryū lowered his stance, preparing to charge like an enraged bull.

“This is the end of you insects.”

Amanai braced herself—

But lightning split the air.

CRAAAACK!

A massive bolt of electricity slammed into Gouma Gyuryū’s flank, sending the beast skidding across the ground.

Masahiro Yuki landed beside Amanai, staff still crackling with sparks.

Amanai gasped in relief.

“Masahiro-san…!”

Yuki knelt beside Kamito immediately.

“What is his condition?”

Amanai shook her head, trembling.

“I can’t feel anything from him. We need a medic. If not—he’ll die!”

Yuki’s expression twisted into fury toward Gouma Gyuryū.

Masahiro rose slowly, eyes glowing with killing intent.

“You hurt someone precious to me…”

Electric arcs burst from her hands.

“I’ll make you regret breathing.”

She thrust her staff forward.

“<Lightning Bolt>!”

A spear of lightning tore into Gouma Gyuryū.

“<Lightning Howl Rupture>!”

Dozens of thunderclaps erupted at once, shredding the monster’s hide.

Then, she raised her free hand—

And invoked everything she had.

“Fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth…
Gather as one heartbeat of creation.
Resound, destroy, and erase all in your path.
Flow forth as unavoidable annihilation…
<Origin Convergence Storm>!”

A horizontal vortex of multi-elemental energy spiraled outward like a celestial disk.

FWOOOOOOO—BOOOOOOM!

The world flashed white.

When the light faded, Gouma Gyuryū’s massive form was nowhere to be seen.

Rain—true rain—began falling over Kuronami Island for the first time in ten years.

Masahiro turned back to Amanai and Kamito—

Only to freeze.

A charred, smoking silhouette rose in the distance.

Gouma Gyuryū was still alive.

Barely—but alive.

And roaring in pure hatred.

Before he could move, artillery fire lit up the horizon.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Japan’s naval fleet had arrived.
Battleships unleashed volleys of explosive shells.
Jets screamed overhead, releasing missile barrages.
Helicopters descended, firing rockets in unison.

Amanai stared in stunned disbelief.

“…Reinforcements.”

Darkness.

Silence.

Kamito blinked, unsure if he was alive.

“Is this… the afterlife?”

A voice echoed around him—gentle, powerful, ancient.

“Come forth, Reincarnation of Noa.”

Kamito’s eyes widened.

“Who… who’s there?”

He walked, and the darkness shifted—transforming into the past.
Kuronami, alive and thriving.
A peaceful city.
Children laughing.
Families walking the streets.

People who had no idea monsters existed.

People who would later die in the First Ground Wave.

Kamito clenched his fists.

“What are you trying to show me?”

Then—

Every face turned toward him.

Their mouths moved without sound…

Until suddenly, their voices echoed together.

“Only you can hear us, Kamito-kun.
Only you can free us.”

Kamito staggered.

“Free… you…? I can’t even save myself…”

One soul—a woman—stepped forward.

Her presence felt warm, familiar.

“We hear you, Kamito-kun.”
“We feel every fear you’ve carried alone.”

Kamito shook his head violently.

“I don’t deserve anything from any of you… I’m weak… I can’t save anyone…”

The woman touched his chest gently.

“And yet… we choose you.”

Light spread.

Dozens of souls…
Hundreds…
Becoming stars floating around him.

A constellation of the dead.

A constellation of hope.

Their collective voice echoed like a chorus:

“You are not a curse, Kamito.”
“You are our path.”

His breath trembled.

Tears—spiritual, not physical—fell.

“Why…? Why me?”

A soul answered softly:

“Because of all who touched our world… you were the only one who apologized before trying to save us.”

Kamito froze.

The woman stepped closer.

He recognized her finally—

Amanai Sera’s mother.

His eyes widened.

“Amanai’s mother…?”

She smiled gently.

“Power is not for those seeking victory…”
“…but for those who fear losing someone.”

Her voice strengthened.

“Let us be your strength.”
“Let us be your hope.”
“Let us be your bond…”

The spirits all raised their hands toward him.

“…your Nexus.”

Light burst—warm, infinite.

It filled Kamito’s body like flowing starlight.

A mother’s embrace.
A friend’s encouragement.
A family he never had.
A promise he thought he’d lost.

Kamito gasped as the energy surged through him.

“N… Nexus…?”

The spirits answered:

“A name given by us.
Because from this moment on…
we live within you.”

The astral realm pulsed.

The Nexus wrapped around Kamito like a cloak of stars.

His pain vanished.

His despair dissolved.

All that remained—
was connection.

“Rise, Kamito.”
“With Nexus in your heart… you will never be alone again.”

Back in the real world—

Masahiro staggered, nearly depleted of mana.

A strange light erupted from beneath the ground.

A pillar of radiant energy burst upward, visible across the island.

Airi, Mikoto, the TUADF soldiers—everyone froze in awe.

Masahiro whispered:

“…That power… could it be…?”

The light shot downward—

And entered Kamito’s body.

His wounds closed.

His breathing steadied.

Ark trembled, recognizing the awakening.

Sonobe Kirigaya watched from the shadows, eyes wide with terror.

“…So I was right.
He is the reincarnation of Noa.”

Kamito’s eyes opened—glowing with a soft, silver-blue radiance.

Amanai gasped.

Then cried out in relief.

“KAMITO!”

She pulled him into a tight embrace, trembling.

Masahiro allowed herself a rare, small smile.

Ark spoke softly in Kamito’s mind:

“You’ve gained what Noa never could…
the bond of Nexus.”

Kamito rose slowly.

Alive.

Awakened.

And no longer alone.