The Decisive Battle...?
A ferocious gale howled across the rooftop — whoooooosh—!!! — whipping shards of shattered concrete and dust up into the air, where they drifted aimlessly. Thud... patter-patter... The rooftop bore the scars of battle everywhere: the floor cracked in a dozen places, the railing half-torn away and dangling by a thread.
And in the very middle of it all, Shalla and Chain stood facing each other.
Vmmm. The mark etched into Chain's right eye writhed like something alive. It rotated slowly, and the instant Shalla shifted her body by even a hair, it reshaped itself to match her movement.
Tat—!!! Shalla drove her left foot forward — but Chain's body was already moving.
"Haah—!!!" Shalla's fist came flying, and Chain tipped her head just enough to let it slip past.
Whoosh—!!! Shalla reversed on the spot and swung her elbow. Whuk—!!! Chain arched back, evading even that.
"......!!!" Shalla's eyes narrowed. She hurled a relentless stream of follow-up strikes, but Chain slipped every one as though it were the most natural thing in the world — before Shalla could even change an attack's direction, Chain was already clear of its path. It was as if she weren't watching the attacks at all, but reading the intent behind them a heartbeat before they were thrown.
Tat—!!! Shalla backed off a step.
"You really are a pain..."
Chain wore a leisurely smile. "Like that's anything new."
Shalla leapt backward in an instant. Whump—!! She judged it was time to put distance between them.
Vmmm. Chain's right eye stirred again. And the next moment, both of her arms moved at once.
Shwack—!! Wire shot from both her sleeves. Shaaaaaaak—!!! Two lines of wire tore through the air. Shalla twisted her body to dodge—
"........!!!!"
—and the wires bent. Shrr-kshk—!!! One coiled around her left arm. Shzzzz—!!! The other around her right. Clack! In a heartbeat, both of Shalla's arms were bound.
"Got you."
Chain spread her arms wide — and yanked with everything she had. Twaaaang—!!! Shalla's body hauled forward. She raked her feet against the floor trying to brace herself, but it was nowhere near enough to kill her momentum. Chain's figure drew closer and closer.
And then, the corner of Shalla's mouth curled up.
"Then... how about this?"
Even as she was dragged along, Shalla dropped her body low. Both arms were bound — but her legs were free. She spun, driving a fist straight for Chain's face.
BAM—!!!!!
The fist hurtled toward Chain's face. But she didn't dodge. She smiled instead.
"....!"
Vroooooom—!!!! The chainsaw in Chain's hand roared to life with an ear-splitting shriek.
As the spinning blade gleamed with an ominous light, Shalla's eyes flew wide.
"No way...!!!"
The reason Chain had pulled those wires wasn't only to drag her in. She had known Shalla would close the distance — known she would commit her whole body to the attack — and she had been waiting for that exact moment. Chain swung the chainsaw at the perfect opening.
"Got you."
Krrrzzzhh—!!!! A vicious slash carved a diagonal line across Shalla's body. Her frame lurched violently.
Spurt-spurt-spurt...!!! Blood burst from the path the chainsaw had torn. Thud... drip-drip. Red spattered through the open air — and soaked into the rooftop floor.
Shalla staggered backward, step by step.
"Ggh... hhk...!" She clutched at her chest, and blood welled up between her fingers.
Then, from a rooftop far away, an urgent cry rang out.
"Shalla—!!!"
Shalla's eyes flicked over. Chain turned her head toward his voice, too. Far in the distance stood Rai.
"...My dear junior."
A smile bloomed at the corner of Chain's mouth again. She looked Shalla over — bleeding, but not yet down — and said, "I know you can still move."
She hoisted the chainsaw up once more. Vmmm.
"But..." Her gaze slid to Rai. "...do you have the strength left to stop a strike aimed at my dear junior?"
Shalla's face went rigid. The instant Chain moved to swing the chainsaw toward Rai—
Flash—!!
Violet light flared in both of Rai's eyes.
"What—?!"
Chain's movement froze at the sight. "That...?!"
The mark carved into her right eye shuddered erratically. For the first time, the ease drained out of Chain's expression.
"What is this..." She stared at Rai. "Why... why is that thing still—"
Violet light in his eyes. The moment she saw it, Chain stopped moving altogether.
"!!!!!!!!"
It lasted only an instant. But for Shalla, it was enough. Chain caught on to their plan immediately and whipped her head around—
Whoosh—!!
"You fell for it."
Shalla was already low to the ground, right under her nose. And then—
BAM—!!!! The fist slammed home into Chain's face. It wasn't merely physical force. The moment it connected, the space around Chain's face itself warped. Krrrk—!! Fissures spidered out in every direction from the point of impact, and with a shriek of splintering, space shattered like glass.
KWAAAM!! A staggering shockwave scoured everything around it — and Chain's body went flying into the open air. Blood sprayed from her mouth. Whooooosh!! She was flung clean off the rooftop.
Shalla panted hard. "Hah..." But there was no relief on her face. She clutched her chest again. "Hah... hah..." Her eyes fell to the blood coating her palm.
Chain's slash from moments ago had never truly cut deep. To be exact — in the instant before the blade landed, Shalla had twisted the space directly in front of her, warping the strike's trajectory and bleeding away its force. She could have nullified it entirely. She hadn't. She had taken the hit on purpose — to make Chain believe she was mortally wounded, to make her think Shalla could no longer fight. And because she knew exactly where Chain would aim next.
Rai.
Shalla squeezed her blood-slick hand shut. "The moment you're at a disadvantage..." she murmured, "...I knew you'd go for Rai."
Then her eyes went wide. "...What?"
Below the building, Chain was falling. And her eyes were still open. A ruined face. A body drenched in blood. One arm bent at a grotesque angle. Even so, Chain had not lost consciousness.
"...Insane."
Shalla's expression hardened. Chain moved her hand. Shwack—!!! Wire tore through the air at a vicious speed and buried itself in the wall of the building ahead. Clack! The taut line wrenched against her fall, dragging her descent down by force. Chain's body swung violently — but it didn't end there. She flung out her other hand. Shwack! A second wire bit into yet another building. And then—
KWAAM! Chain's body slingshotted across the gap between the buildings. Blindingly fast. Her destination was obvious: the building where Rai stood.
"...!" Shalla's face drained of color. "Rai—!!!!"
She threw herself off the rooftop after her. Whump—!! Empty air. But Shalla didn't fall. She warped the space beneath her feet — krrk! — space ripped apart, and a makeshift foothold congealed under her soles.
She kicked off it and hurled herself forward again.
"Wh-what the—!!" Rai shouted, panicking as Chain bore down on him.
In that instant, Chain hurled herself at Rai. A blood-drenched face. Torn clothes. Blood running from the corner of her mouth. And she was smiling all the same. Shwack. Her wrist flicked — shwaaaaak—!!! — and the wire hooked onto the wall of Rai's building. One final tremendous arc dragged her body in, stopping her a hair's breadth from Rai.
Whooosh—!! Chain came to a halt.
"My dear junior."
Chk. A dagger appeared in her hand. "This time..." The blade drew back. "...it's going to hurt a little."
In that very instant— swish. Rai pulled something from inside his jacket. Whump—!! And hurled it straight at Chain's face.
"This is going to hurt your eyes, I'm afraid!!"
Chain's eyes flew wide. "...What?"
Whoooosh...!!! A small object cut through the air. Watching it, the corners of Shalla's mouth lifted. "...Just as planned. Took the bait, hook, line, and sinker...!!!"
A little while earlier, Shalla and Rai had traded a short, private exchange — a plan, just between the two of them.
The more cornered she got, the more relentless Chain became. And in the end, the moment a direct attack on her grew impossible, she would go for Rai. Shalla decided to turn that exact trait against her.
"Chain is bound to lunge at you."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"That Special Brainwashing of yours. The one that makes your eyes sparkle, right?"
"Uh... there's no way it'll actually work on her, but I can at least pull her gaze."
"Then the second she takes the bait and shakes me off to come at you — you throw that flashbang."
Rai checked inside his jacket. There it was: the flashbang he'd bought in advance from Mechakura-Chacha.
And finally, Shalla said, "The moment you make an opening — I end it."
Now. The flashbang dropped right before Chain's eyes.
FLAAAARE—!!!! Chain's expression froze. "That's—!!!!"
A blinding white detonation. "Ngh...!" Chain wrenched her body away — and Shalla's taunt chased her down. "For something we got ripped off on, it works like a charm—!!!" Chain threw an arm up to shield her eyes. And in that instant, Shalla ripped through the air and appeared. Krrrk—!!!! Space split open, and out of the tear Shalla emerged — right in front of Chain, whose vision still hadn't recovered.
"...Damn it." Chain tried instinctively to fall back. It was already too late. Whooosh...!!! Shalla drew her fist back. A blood-soaked body. Ragged breathing. But her eyes alone were cold and utterly still.
"Chain."
Chain's eyes turned slowly toward her.
"If you can read my next move..." The fist drew back deeper. "...then that means I can read yours too."
Chain's expression went rigid. ".........!"
Shalla's eyes flashed. "This time—" Her fist detonated forward. "—I'M the one doing the predicting—!!!!"
KWAAAM!!! The fist struck home against Chain's body. Krrrk-shatter—!!!! Space burst apart for a second time — and a colossal shockwave swallowed the entire rooftop.