Chapter 12 - The Divergence of Rails

A jagged hole tore open in the roof of the Silver Trail, and Akari lunged through it. The wind hit her like a ton of bricks, 500 mph of intense winds almost peeling her skin right off her body. She slammed her feet down, digging her boots into the reinforced metal as the world blurred into a streak of gray and green beside her.

“Hey! Can you even come up here?!” Akari shouted over the roar, her hair whipping behind her like a flaming banner. “Are you sure you won't, like, fly away and die?!”

“Do not worry,” a calm, melodic voice drifted through the gale, unaffected by the chaos. “My power will protect me from any harm.”

Akari tilted her head, squinting through the wind. What is her power, anyway? She extended a hand toward the opening. Seraphine took it, leaping onto the roof with a grace that seemed to defy physics. She stood perfectly straight, casually dusting off her pristine uniform as if she were stepping into a ballroom.

“You’ll see,” Seraphine said, her eyes fixed forward. “When the enemies in front of us are swiftly eliminated.”

Fifty feet ahead, two figures stood unmoved by the velocity. A man in a dark, tattered coat stared them down, his eyes burning with a primal hunger. Beside him was a woman with a high-collared coat and her hair pulled into a black bun.

“It’s… you two?!” Akari gripped Kibi tight, “From the other day! I thought you’d have given up by now. What was it… Ranmaru?”

The man laughed, the sound lost to the wind but his expression clearer than ever. He stared at Akari with a reignited fire. “I thought you’d have crawled somewhere and died! Glad to see that fighting spirit is still intact! I’d like to be the one to break it myself.”

The woman glanced at Akari and then turned to Ranmaru with a flicker of hesitation. “She’s much more powerful than before, maybe we should—”

Ranmaru glared at his partner, his eyes sharp and cold. “You will not ruin my fight again, Kanzaki! I will find that Flame, and no more will I have to accept the leftovers of others!”

Kanzaki silenced herself instantly, stepping back into a defensive stance.

“Let me formally introduce myself!” Ranmaru shouted, “My name is Seki Ranmaru, and you won’t stop me and my children’s ascension!”

Akari slammed the base of her staff into the roof, the impact vibrating through her arms. “I’d introduce myself, but you already know me! The girl who’s gonna beat you down!”

Beside her, Seraphine’s grimoire flew open, the pages fluttering in the gale. Her voice took on a chilling, resonant quality. “You may not know my name, but you shall know God's wrath. Submit to our power.”

Below the brewing battle, the air was thick with anxiety. Ami stood between Yuto and Rika, her hands clasped over her heart as she funneled her Aether into her teammates.

“I’ll be providing the extra resonance!” Ami cried out. “Don’t hold back! Do everything you can!”

A swarm of masked soldiers burst through the far door. They moved like desperate animals launching balls of fire that erupted from their palms, ravaging the car.

Yuto didn't move, a torrent of flowing water erupted from his stance, swallowing the flames and pushing the heat back. Through the steam, he leaped forward, slamming a fist into a masked face. As he landed, a spike of high-pressure water lanced through the air, pinning multiple foes to the floor by their legs.

Rika spun like a whirlwind, unravelling her threads, her fingers dancing like she was playing a lethal harp. With a wide, slashing arc, her strings tore through the interior of the car like it was made of paper. In seconds, a dozen soldiers were wrapped tight against the walls, their weapons severed into pieces.

But more flooded in, piling and pushing over each other like an endless crowd, like a sea of people.

“Yuto!” Rika shouted, her muscles straining against the sheer volume of enemies.

“I know already!” Yuto barked, shielding Ami as a barrage of fireballs hit his water-barrier. “I won’t let that girl… SURPASS ME!”

He slammed his palms together. A thick, suffocating mist erupted, filling the car until they couldn't see their own hands.

Ami closed her eyes, her Aether fueling the duo. See everything, together. You can do it, you two! Through the mist, Rika and Yuto felt their senses come together, both of them could see the truth.

Above, the roof groaned as Akari’s staff clanged against Ranmaru’s bare fist. The impact sent a shockwave through the metal, and both slid back.

“What strength!” Ranmaru grinned, his skin glowing with a dull, bruised light. “It seems you haven’t lost your luster!”

Akari didn't answer. She twirled Kibi in a blinding circle and rushed him. He's tough, but I'm faster. Her staff slammed against his arm, but he didn't buckle. He pushed her aside with brute force and delivered a clean, heavy blow to her stomach.

Akari gasped, the air leaving her lungs, but her instinct took over. She pulled her head back and slammed her forehead into his with a sickening crack. Ranmaru flinched, blood drawing at his hairline. Akari backed off, her own forehead dripping crimson into her eyes.

This power… it feels like it’s growing.

“Strength Augmentation,” Seraphine’s voice cut through Akari’s thoughts. “It seems he gets stronger the more you attack him.”

“You think a petty distraction will break me?!” Ranmaru roared.

Akari tossed her staff into the air and sprinted toward him. Before he could track her, she vanished. She reappeared behind him, a strike to his spine connecting before she flipped over his head, caught her staff mid-fall, and slammed it into his temple.

Akari landed, panting, sweat and blood stinging her eyes. Ranmaru just cracked his neck, sighing, a minor inconvenience.

“I thought you had potential,” he droned. “Are you holding back?”

Akari turned her head sharply toward Seraphine. “Are you gonna help or just stand there?!”

“My apologies,” Seraphine said, her eyes glowing with a faint, unsettling gold. “I have been prepared. It is ready.”

“What’s ready?!”

“Visage of the Holy Night,” Seraphine whispered. “Attack him. Go as wild as you wish.”

Akari hit the ground running. But as she swung, the world shifted.

In a flash of white light, she was suddenly behind Ranmaru. She smiled, not exactly questioning what just happened. She landed a savage back-attack once more. as Ranmaru swiped behind him, but Akari was gone again. A blink once more—she was ten feet in the air, falling with a crushing kick to his skull.

I see! I just have to follow the tempo!

She became a whirlwind of after-images, teleporting around the roof in a frantic, strobe-light rhythm. Uppercuts, barrages of fists, staff-strikes—she was hitting him from eight directions at once.

“She’s faster than before… did she evolve?!” Kanzaki gasped. She scanned the roof, her eyes catching a floating orb of light. She reached out to touch it. “Is this… Light? That girl, she’s—”

Ranmaru whipped around to strike at Akari’s phantom, but his hand passed through an orb of light.. Akari was suddenly under his guard, sweeping his legs. He hit the roof hard, groaning.

“Mister Ranmaru, above you!” Kanzaki screamed.

Ranmaru rolled instinctively, his foot catching Akari in the chest. She slid back, vanishing again into the light.

“Six o’clock!” Kanzaki pointed.

Akari reappeared, barely shielding her face as Ranmaru’s fist connected. The impact made her bones creak, tossing her back against the raised rim of the train car. She rose slowly, her expression twisted in pain.

“His partner can read your movements,” Seraphine advised. “I would suggest—”

“Just watch me work!” Akari shouted,  “I can… I can do it!”

She disappeared into a frenzy of speed, after-images surrounding Ranmaru like a cage. Kanzaki’s eyes darted with inhumane speed, trying to keep track.

“Those balls of light are swapping her… while she’s already so fast…!”

Ranmaru chuckled, ignoring Akari and rushing straight for Seraphine. The girl stood stoic as the punch approached her face.

Beneath them, the fog in the car cleared. Yuto and Rika stood back-to-back, the entire interior covered in soaking wet threads. A single droplet of water burst from Yuto’s finger, causing a chain reaction. A massive pulse traveled through the wet strings, pinning every single soldier to the walls in an instant.

“Should’ve told us… you could make mist,” Rika panted, her forearms spasming.

Yuto wiped his brow. “If I knew that, I still wouldn't have said a damn thing.” He managed a small, weary chuckle.

On the roof, Akari and Ranmaru slammed their fists into each other one final time. Blood sprayed from Akari’s mouth, staining the white metal of the train.

Seraphine shut her book, stepping forward.

“Kneel,” she said.

The word felt as if a weight was dropped onto her enemies, In an instant, the gravity around Ranmaru and Kanzaki seemed to quadruple. They were slammed into the metal roof, their knees cracking against the surface.

“Within this radius, my word is law,” Seraphine said, her voice devoid of its usual warmth. “You shall face judgment and be purified. Oh lord of pure glistening gold, discard those who forsake your teachings for sin…”

Kanzaki’s eyes welled with tears as she struggled against the invisible pressure. “Please! He’s all I have! Just… let us go! You’re a hero, right?!” She looked at Akari with a look of pure, raw terror. “Without Mister Ranmaru, I’m trash! I don't want to go back to that hell! Please!”

Akari wiped the blood from her chin, looking at the broken girl on the roof. She looked at Seraphine and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Let them retreat,” Akari said softly. “We can always—”

Seraphine’s focus snapped. The weight vanished and Ranmaru and Kanzaki didn't hesitate; they rolled off the side of the train, disappearing into the high grass of the embankment as the train began to slow.

Suddenly, a boy floated down from the sky. He had bright yellow hair and wore an excessively long tailcoat in the colors of the Lucents.

“Kento Arashi of Team Helix at your service, milady!” He landed with a flourish.

Milady? Akari blinked.

“My partner, Nao, will give chase,” Kento said with a playful wink. “Meanwhile, you’ve been given retreat orders. Something urgent, I’ve heard… Don’t worry about it, we’ll take it from here!”

He flew off with a large gust of wind. “Take care!”

Akari looked at Seraphine, confused but relieved. They dropped down into the train car through the hole, landing amidst the bound soldiers.

“...What happened here?” Akari asked, looking at the cocooned car.

“Long story… but it was pretty awesome!” Ami smiled brightly, though she looked ready to collapse.

The train doors hissed open as the Silver Trail came to a final, shuddering halt at a station. Kagemura was standing there on the platform.

Akari ran over,  “I know we didn’t capture them, but I can explain! Also, we promised Astra that we’d meet them for—”

Kagemura didn't look at her. He covered his mouth with one hand, staring at the ground. He took a deep, shuddering breath, his shoulders trembling. Then, he looked up, and the look in his eyes made Akari’s heart stop. It wasn't anger, she wished it was. It was a hollow void, one he’d rarely let anyone see.

“Over two hours ago…” Kagemura’s voice was a dead rasp. “Team Astra was wiped out. They’re gone.”

Akari’s staff clattered to the floor. The sun keychain jingled once, and then her whole world went silent.

Chapter 12 - The End