Back not so far from the chaos, Velza and the mysterious pink-haired girl were duelling, steel and light ringing through the ruined corridors.

To Velza, it felt like hours, each second stretched, each breath laboured, but in reality, only minutes had passed. Still, to her prideful heart, this eternity was unbearable.

Velza was stronger. She knew it. Everyone knew it. Yet that truth meant nothing when her opponent refused to fight fair. The pink-haired girl was crafty beyond measure. She conjured false images of Reiden, mocking illusions that made Velza hesitate for just a fraction of a heartbeat. But in battle, a fraction was enough.

Enough for the girl's slender fists and cutting kicks to sneak past Velza's guard. Enough to land strikes that rattled her ribs and jolted her lungs.

Velza staggered, sweat streaking through strands of dark hair. Her armour flickered, the bright light threatening to dim with every overextended clash. She had been forced to dip into Overdrive, burning her reserves to keep pace. And though it gave her momentary surges, the cost was brutal.

Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. Her knees wavered, one buckling until she had to slam her longsword into the cracked floor to stop from collapsing completely.

"How… How is this possible?!" she hissed between breaths. "The strongest Spire Operator, Reiden's right hand, reduced to this? By some masked stray bitch! It was unthinkable."

Her knuckles whitened on the hilt. Anger boiled, but rage couldn't hide the sharp sting of humiliation swelling inside her chest.

Click. Click.

The sound of footsteps echoed closer. A playful laugh bounced alongside it.

The masked girl tilted her head, her pink hair swaying. Even her voice was lighthearted, like a child teasing a toy.

"My, my… It's true. I'll admit it. If you were at full strength? Oh, I wouldn't last very long at all." She wagged her finger in Velza's face like she was scolding a child. Then her smirk widened. "But, my dear… Stamina is a real thing. And at this moment, it's a blessing for me. For you? A curse."

She broke into a lilting laugh, one that grated against Velza's ears like nails on glass.

"Damn you!!" Velza roared, forcing herself upright. Pain screamed in every muscle. She was beyond her limit, the battle of Rin, the pursuit of Siren, and now this, her body had been wrung dry. Yet she refused to bow.

Not before this girl. Not before anyone.

She steadied herself on her sword… But the girl's eyes glimmered mischievously. And then.

CRACK!

A lightning-fast kick drove into Velza's stomach. The air blasted from her lungs. Her body slammed against the far wall with such force that the metal dented inward.

Her once-gleaming armour flickered, the radiant light sputtering out like a dying flame. The angelic shine she was famed for… Gone.

The girl brushed dust from her sleeve, humming as though she'd done nothing of note. Her steps were casual as she walked forward, each heel clicking against the floor, echoing in Velza's fading consciousness.

Velza's eyes fluttered. The tears she would never allow anyone to see began to pool, sliding down her cheek.

Reiden… Forgive me… I failed you.

Her vision blurred. The last thing she saw was the pink-haired girl's shadow looming above her.

Then.

Darkness.

The girl crouched for a moment, staring at Velza's unconscious form. She tilted her head again. Logic said kill her. Yet…

She sighed. "I'll let you live. In return, you'd better provide me with more fun next time, hmm?"

She leaned closer, her mask hiding her eyes but her smile curling beneath it. "Don't disappoint me, Velza. You're prettier when you're furious."

Straightening, she turned away. The corridor stretched ahead, quiet save for the hum of broken lights. She could feel the pressure of Reiden's fight not too far off.

"Maybe I should… Check it out?" She muttered, tapping her lip. For a moment, she entertained it, but then her smile shifted.

She had burned through more energy than she cared to admit, helping Rin, helping Serica, and now pushing an elite Operator like Velza to her breaking point. A retreat was smarter.

Her voice softened as she glanced in the direction Kentaro was fighting.

"Ah… I know you'll do it, Kentaro. After all… My eyes only see you."

With that, she turned, graceful as ever, disappearing back into the shadows.

The corridor fell silent. Silent, until Kentaro's scream roared through the halls like a thunderclap, shaking the silence apart.

*

Tenka and the crew watched, eyes wide. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

All but Tenka. Her expression remained neutral, calm, calculating.

But for the rest, it was like déjà vu. That day on the island when Serica, lost in her corruption, had frozen Kentaro into stillness, only this time it wasn't Serica. It wasn't just a fleeting glimpse. No guesswork, no theories.

This was real.

Even Haruka's cool, unshakable face faltered, lips parting as her eyes widened.

"Is that… Kentaro?" Shogo's voice cut in through the comms, ragged from still fighting the Null 2.0. His breath hitched as he spared a glance, disbelief in his eyes.

Serica turned, her own breath catching. Yura's jaw went slack. Yumi's hands trembled.

"What. The. Hell…" Yumi whispered, her voice thin, barely audible.

Then silence.

Kentaro's scream had swallowed the room whole, reverberating through steel and flesh alike. And when the light dimmed, it wasn't gone; it condensed. Wrapped around him like something alive. His eyes glowed lighter, his hair lifted, the weightless wind circling him.

And then… The sword appeared.

The hilt shone before him, and instinct, raw, desperate instinct, made him grab it. His fingers closed tight. The aura around him dimmed, only to pour itself into the blade.

The weapon looked like Serica's, yet it was not. A half-born reflection, less detailed, smaller, incomplete. Still, white-blue lightning traced along its body like veins alive with fury.

Serica's breath hitched. "Kentaro…"

"That's Serica's sublimation," Yumi, Shogo, and Yura whispered at once, voices overlapping.

All but Tenka, who remained stone-faced.

"Haruka. His vitals and emotions. Now."

Haruka jolted, fumbling with her tablet. Her fingers flew across the screen, scanning the numbers as her pupils shrank.

"They're… Fluctuating. His emotions spiked at fracture bloom levels. If he were an Alberline, the entire facility would already be gone."

Tenka's lips pressed thin, then curved. "Good. Our ace has been played. I hope you're ready, Kentaro."

Kentaro himself stood frozen, staring at the blade. His chest heaved, but his body felt lighter, like his very bones had been unshackled. The glowing sword hummed in his grip, familiar yet alien. Almost like that dream with Serica. Almost like destiny itself had been waiting for this moment.

He raised his head. His gaze locked on Reiden.

The smile on Reiden's face faltered for the first time, just slightly.

"Marvellous, Takamiya!" Reiden's laugh echoed, clapping his hands with delight. "Truly marvellous! You've proven me right for keeping you alive. Now, show me. Show me what this power of yours can do."

"Damn you," Kentaro muttered, grinding his teeth as his grip tightened. The sword pulsed with his words.

In the next instant, Kentaro vanished.

No, he moved. Faster than even he could understand, faster than his mind could process. In less than a heartbeat, he was at Reiden's side, blade screaming upward.

Reiden twisted away, but not fast enough; strands of his hair fell to the ground, cut clean. His smirk sharpened.

"Such speed…! This is beautiful."

Aria's heart hammered in her chest, her body still bound to the chair. Her throat closed, her eyes wide, locked on the impossible scene.

Kentaro… The same boy who smiled at me like a normal human, who stumbled his way through this nightmare… is like me?

Her hands trembled against the restraints. Every slash he threw was wild, desperate, but each one closer, sharper. Reiden's guard had to work. For the first time.

He's fighting for me. For us. For everyone. And I can't even move.

The blade hummed brighter, Kentaro's strikes growing faster, closer, angrier. Reiden dodged, slid back, his laughter dimming into sharp exhales.

"Commander…" Haruka's voice was hushed as her glasses slipped down her nose. "He's… Really getting close. Closer than Serica ever did. How is that even possible?"

"I know you have the right idea, Haruka. But you're not seeing the whole thing either. Kentaro isn't just borrowing her sublimation, he's carrying it. When he seals an Alberline, their power doesn't vanish. It anchors inside him. Think of him as… A vessel. The form you're seeing now is unstable, incomplete, but it's still real."

The team gasped, wide-eyed.

"This… Shouldn't even be possible," Riku muttered.

"Yet here it is." Emi's voice trembled.

But Tenka's smirk only widened. "Not fracture bloom. Something new. Something only he can do."

Aria clenched her fists, staring at Kentaro's back.

He's tearing himself apart just to reach him. Just to protect me. Don't stop… Please…

The clash continued, steel ringing, air cracking from every swing. But Reiden, ever the predator, began to tire of his game. A low kick slammed into Kentaro's chest, knocking him back.

Breathless, Kentaro staggered, sweat pouring, his sword flickering.

Reiden's smirk returned. He walked slowly, deliberately, to the centre of the room, arms spread wide.

"You wonderful creatures have given me enough entertainment. Now…" His eyes slid toward Aria, gleaming. "My final trump card."

"No…" Kentaro's eyes widened, his chest heaving as blood dripped from his lip.

In an instant, Reiden blurred. When he appeared again, the blade of a knife pressed against Aria's throat.

Her entire body froze. She couldn't see his face, but she felt the twisted grin behind her.

Kentaro's world collapsed. Rage swallowed him whole. "DAMN YOU, REIDEN!" His scream shook the walls.

"Ken!" Tenka's voice snapped through comms. "Calm yourself. He won't kill her. Not yet."

"What?!"

"Think, Ken! He wants Alberline's power. Killing her now would be pointless. Watch. See what he does."

Reiden's hand slid against Aria's cheek, cold and revolting. She grimaced, trying to turn her head away, bile rising in her throat.

"Ahh, you understand, don't you?" His voice dripped with mock affection. "I don't want to kill her. Not yet. But don't mistake me, will if it amuses me. Nothing is off-limits when I play."

Kentaro spat blood on the floor, eyes burning holes through him. Serica, Yura, and Yumi shivered at the sight of their friend being touched so disgustingly, rage and shame coiling in their chests.

"But alas," Reiden sighed, glancing at the scowls aimed at him, "I admit you've won. Velza is not coming. The game ends here. For now." His eyes locked with Kentaro's, sharp and unblinking. "Farewell, Kentaro Takamiya."

Kentaro snarled, forcing a grin despite his trembling. "Always the formal type, huh? Using my full name like that."

"Yes. Of course. I must show my property proper respect."

"You smug bastard," Tenka muttered under her breath.

But before anyone could move.

CRASH!

The ceiling exploded. Steel, dust, and flame cascaded down, drowning the room in chaos.

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