Chapter 24:

[Final] Violet Sky - Part 2

Violet: No. 02189


Hideki and Ren.

01663 and 02189.

Hideki Junpei and Haku Renichi.

Both of them wearing damaged violet-colored armor.

Both bleeding out for their ideals.

Two man face to face to each other.

One that came from Blue and the other, from Violet.

But at that moment that didn’t matter at all. Actually, it’s hard even to say it ever mattered.

After all, there weren’t in the whole world two other people so different and so equal at the same time.

The place they are now is a place outside Seraph. They’re right above the Ultio Caelum.

The wind is sweeping around them, and both of them measure their steps as the terrain is irregular as it’s right above the weapon's cannon.

Hideki takes the first step as he aggressively swings his sword in Ren’s direction.

Ren slowly steps back carefully trying not to stumble on any irregularity and defending against Hideki’s attacks.

He’s angry… maybe I can use this to-

Ren had no time to think about the fight, the moment he distracted himself just a little, was the moment Hideki attacked recklessly and at full strength. The fact that Ren’s left arm was still not healed was decisive for Hideki's strike to be so effective.

Blood gushes down washing the weapon that took so many lives.

Hideki’s strike sliced Ren’s stomach with armor and everything.

“See, this is what you gain for trying to play hero”

Hideki takes the vibro-sword from Ren’s hand as he walks away.

The professor is now just below the hole as it’s the place where he can control the weapon.

“I hope you’ll have fun melting from the cannon’s heat”

“A-activate… Protocol E!!”

Smoke comes out from Ren’s N.R.I.C.A. and Hideki gets on stand by waiting attentively for any movement Ren could do.

“This is the best you can-”

Hideki quickly notices something coming in his direction and swings his sword in its direction with a transversal slash.

SCHEEEEEEECH-

However, that was not Ren, it was the N.R.I.C.A.'s battery he had just unplugged and thrown at Hideki.

As the battery is sliced by the vibro-sword a small explosion hits Hideki right in his face.

Arrrrrrghhh!!!

The man squeals in pain as half of his face is now burned and chunks of the battery are now engraved on his body and arms.

However, Hideki had no time to recover from the pain as Ren used that distraction to once again grab his sword which the professor ended up dropping to the ground.

Ahhhh!!

Ren's sword cuts the air horizontally as it touches Hideki's sword at the end of the movement. 

The collision of the two swords made a dazzling and loud noise.

“Arg… arg...I still don’t see why you think you have a duty to protect these people! T-they are all complete strangers to you!” - Hideki says while smoke was still steaming from his face.

“Yeah, you’re right, I don’t have a duty! But-”

Ren’s abdominal muscles were forcibly constraining themselves, and that was the only thing preventing his internal organs from coming out of his body.

However, at that moment, Ren was not thinking about that. The only thing he had in mind was the obstacle in front of him. The obstacle he had to overcome at any cost.

“But that’s exactly why I’m fighting you!”

Ren steps forward one more time as he forces Hideki’s sword back.

“Ughhh”

How!? He’s overpowering me even without an N.R.I.C.A. Is the pain making me weaker? - Hideki wonders as Ren continues into a series of consecutive strikes.

“For the first time, there’s no one pulling my strings!”

CRASH!!

“For the first time, I’m fighting of my own volition!”

VWOOON!! VWOOON!

“I finally know my purpose…”

CRASSHHHHHH!!!

“I survived all that anguish. I endured it all just for this moment!”

As Ren gives one more step ahead and strikes Hideki’s sword, it almost flies from his hand. Seeing himself at a huge disadvantage Hideki once again hops back in an attempt to distance himself from Ren.

“Because when I get out of this place want to live a normal life!”

Ren steps ahead with his all.

“I don’t need a perfect life. I don’t need a utopia!”

Hideki sees clearly where Ren is going to attack, however-

“I just need a chance to live a life free of people telling me I have to kill in order to survive!!”

As Hideki was stepping back he slipped on a loose metal part of the railgun. With the nano-bot technology, the railgun can shoot multiple times consecutively as it will just fix itself with time, however, it doesn’t mean sometimes some external parts don’t get loose, and that was exactly what happened. Because of Hideki’s constant shoots, the railgun didn’t have enough time to completely fix itself.

“I want the chance you threw away Hideki!!!”

Ren’s sword descends with full force. The sound it makes is like a thunderous roar of a vicious beast.

“I see…”

Ren’s sword slice Hideki’s right sword at the same time it makes a huge cut on his neck and blood begins to violently gush from it.

Ren looks surprised at the professor’s face as he gives a last smile before jumping from the railgun.

As he fell to his death memories and thoughts flooded his mind.

I wonder if that was also some kind of miracle Mr. Amano?

To die from an irony like that...

Maybe I should’ve listened to you after all…

The falling man closes his eyes as demise comes for him.

***

The afternoon sky gains a reddish tinge as the sun begins to set.

With his back leaning on the railgun's main part Ren slowly begins to slide down from it.

Completely exhausted and losing blood very fast, Ren is not unfamiliar with this sensation.

This warmth is leaving my body…

The sky… why is it so violet right now? I’ve come to hate this color…

Ugh…

I can feel my body falling gently but I don’t have the strength to pull myself up.

..

.

“Ren!!”

Uh!? I recognize this voice. Why do I always hear it in a moment like this?

Does this mean this is the last voice I wanna hear?

Uhh…

My mind is goin’ blank…

This is funny I thought I’d get a lot of memories now that I actually have meaningful ones, but-

The only thing in my mind now is that voice.

That voice…

I need to know whose voice is this.

Yeah… if I open my eyes just a little…

Kaede’s face was right there just next to his.

Oh! It’s you

“Don’t give up guys! Pull me back!”

Kaede’s arm was bending at a completely unnatural angle, however, she did not express any pain, because right below her there was a life she wanted to protect.

At the eleventh hour, Kaede found Ren and saw him falling from the railgun, she didn’t think twice and immediately grabbed his hand, even with her broken arm. Even feeling an insufferable amount of pain.

“Don’t you dare to die!”

***

Somehow, I open my eyes again.

I hear a whirring sound and see another ceiling I don’t recognize.

After all that, I’m still-

I can’t even complete my thoughts as I look ahead and see that my dream can still be realized.

End