Kouhei tensed the moment Yui spoke, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.
His instincts flared.
Immediately, his eyes darted around, sweeping across the dim, dust-laden Kendo club.
He focused on every subtle shift, every corner cloaked in shadows, waiting… bracing for the moment their enemy would reveal themselves.
A tremor in the air so faint it could've been a hallucination.
It was real—he could feel it.
The atmosphere had changed, subtly yet undeniably.
The air shivered, like it was being sliced apart.
Just a slight shift—enough to dodge whatever unseen danger was aimed at him.
The side of the Kendo club's wall exploded outward, crumbling in a thunderous blast.
Chunks of concrete rained down, and dust swirled violently through the room like a sandstorm.
The impact shook the entire structure, the walls groaning in protest.
Right by his foot—just a few inches away—was a fresh, scorched crater, still smoking.
The floor around it had been violently scorched, cracked and blackened as if something molten-hot had torn straight through it.
But this wasn't some weak laser.
No—this was a weaponized beam of energy, concentrated and brutal, powerful enough to rip straight through solid concrete and pulverize the wall into debris.
If Kouhei had been even a second slower...
"Fufufu..." Yui giggled from behind him, her tone light. "That almost got you, senpai. So close… it almost did."
Kouhei's jaw clenched, but he kept calm. "Hey, Himeno-san... If I died here, what would actually happen?"
Yui tilted her head, her wings twitching slightly as she spoke in a casual tone, almost too casual given the intensity of the moment.
"Well, usually... in a world , you'd just wake up in your real body. So if we defeat those angels, they'll return to their original forms back in the real world. Same goes for me."
She paused, her voice growing quieter and more serious.
"But… if your real body is too damaged to return to… then there's no going back. If you die here and your body can't support your soul anymore, you're dead. Not just in this world but in the real one too."
So it was that simple.
If he fell here, it was permanent.
No respawns. Like in game.
No matter what—he had to survive.
He clenched his fists tightly, knuckles turning white.
He had to go back. Back to Hina… and to Yuuna, Nagisa, Aria, and Misuzu.
They were waiting for him.
And then, he remembered Hina's crying voice.
It came from nowhere earlier, but now that he knew what was going on, he finally understood something.
There was no mistaking it—that sorrow, that scream of grief. She was grieving over his death.
That alone made his blood run cold.
No one else was allowed to have her.
She was his, and his alone.
Letting his woman cry like that? No way in hell.
No matter what it took—there was no way in hell he'd let that happen.
"Himeno-san," Kouhei said, his voice low but unwavering, "we're getting out of this alive."
Yui turned her head, her sharp eyes meeting his. For a moment, she studied him… then smiled softly.
"Of course, senpai," she replied, her voice calm and confident. "Now then—stay behind me and get ready. It looks like she's done playing around."
Their eyes turned upward.
Floating above them was the same angel as before.
"You surprised me, fallen angel," the angel said, voice cold and commanding. "I didn't know who you were—for heavens, I still don't—but considering you managed to outmatch me in speed, you must be someone important."
Yui smiled faintly, her tone laced with sarcasm.
"You really are clueless if you don't know who I am. But that's fine. I guess heaven doesn't bother telling stories about the angels it throws away."
The angel narrowed her eyes.
"Fallen angels are nothing more than failures as they were tainted beings cast out by our creator, Yesh, for allowing the sins of humans to corrupt them. And we, the true children of Yesh, have the sacred right to destroy you. Your existence ends today."
Yui laughed, a deep, sultry giggle that echoed through the sky.
"Is that so? Fufufu~! I'm actually looking forward to it."
With a flash of pale light, Yui unfurled her wings. They were long, elegant, and ash-gray.
At the same moment, a brilliant sword of light materialized in her hand, glowing like a captured star.
"Now then…" she whispered, licking her lips as if savoring the moment, her glossy red lips glistening in the light. "Shall we dance?"
The angel didn't wait.
Her wings spread wide—then slammed downward, launching her forward like a bullet.
She just stood there, smiling, until the last possible moment.
A translucent barrier flickered into existence around her, catching the angel's blade mid-swing.
The impact flashed brightly, the blade hissing against the shield.
"Fufufu~ Is that all?" Yui taunted, her voice like silk.
"Don't underestimate the holy power of light!" the angel growled.
She twisted mid-air, spinning with precision, and slashed again, faster than before.
Yui flapped her wings sharply, launching herself backward.
"Hehehe! You missed!" she laughed.
The angel lunged again, wings propelling her faster than the eye could follow.
In a flash, she was in Yui's face, her sword raised, prepared to strike without mercy.
She swung, her sword swinging fierce and clean.
But again, Yui escaped.
Her wings flared, and she burst backward with a powerful gust.
The two of them smashed through a window, glass shards flying as their silhouettes rocketed into the sky.
Kouhei watched them ascend into the heavens like dueling comets, fire and light dancing in the air around them.
He didn't hesitate. He turned to follow, ready to jump down and assist Yui in battle.
A voice—small, almost childlike—cut through the silence.
She appeared from nowhere.
A woman, eerily serene, with flowing white hair that matched the angel Yui was fighting.
Her eyes were obscured by long bangs that cast shadows over her face.
"I'm here," she said softly, her voice devoid of emotion. "To lead you... to the heavens."
Just the thought sent a chill crawling up Kouhei's spine.
So there was another one—another celestial executioner, descending to drag his soul into oblivion.
Without wasting a second, Kouhei's body reacted on instinct.
His muscles tightened, adrenaline surged, and he slid into a combat stance, raising his shinai defensively in front of him.
His heart pounded like a drumbeat of war.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to die," he muttered.
He had no idea whether this bamboo sword could actually harm something divine... something forged of light and holy judgment.
But what choice did he have? Hesitation would only get him killed.
So he stood his ground, gripping the handle tighter.
If he was going down, he'd go down swinging.
The angel cocked her head slightly, almost curiously, like a child examining a strange bug.
Her silver-white hair shimmered faintly under the light, and her soft voice flowed out like an echo from another world.
"You're already dead, so saying you're not ready to die… is a confusing statement," she said. "Nonetheless, with my light, I can guide you to the realm where souls rest in peace. So please, stay still."
As she gently extended her hand, the atmosphere shifted.
A spike of cold wind brushed past his cheek.
Without thinking, he dove to the side, his body twisting mid-air.
A streak of searing energy shot through the space where he had just stood.
It was unbelievably fast, nearly silent, but the air crackled and distorted in its wake.
That was the same attack!
The very same beam that had carved through solid concrete earlier, slicing a wall like it was butter.
"That's weird..." the angel murmured, her eyes drifting toward her outstretched palm. "I missed again."
She looked down at him with mild interest, her expression still emotionless and still distant.
"Please stay still, or I won't be able to get you," she said again, as if she were simply asking a stubborn child to stop fidgeting.
Kouhei clenched his jaw.
"Yeah... I don't think I'll be doing that. Thanks, though."
Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the shattered window—the same one the other angel and Yui had crashed through earlier.
Wind whipped against his face as he jumped through it.
The second floor was higher than he'd thought.
Gravity yanked at his body as he dropped through the open air.
For a brief moment, time seemed to slow.
But his body moved with practiced grace.
He landed on his feet, knees bent to absorb the shock, his shinai still clutched tightly in hand.
As soon as his soles kissed the ground, he was running again—boots scraping across dirt and debris.
Above him, the angel peered down through the gaping hole he'd just leapt from, her expression unreadable.
"Why are you running?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper that floated down like falling feathers.
Then she calmly raised her hand again—her palm glowing, light swirling in a tight spiral.
Another beam tore through the sky.
The instant the light flashed, Kouhei veered to the side, ducking low.
The blast slammed into the earth behind him, exploding in a burst of blinding radiance.
Chunks of rock and dust shot into the air, leaving a smoking crater where he had just been.
"Weird soul..." the angel muttered under her breath, almost like she was speaking to herself.
Then, with serene elegance, she unfurled her wings and floated downward through the hole in the wall.