This is what I had truly thought.
Alastor’s Flame haze…
I wanted to be with him forever. I never wanted to lose him.
Yes, those were my true thoughts, even if they were small and fragile…
Regardless, those were my thoughts.
And within me those thoughts and doubts created fear.
Suddenly those fears had overwhelmed me, my sword feeling so heavy and my heart so scared that I had stopped using using my weapon.
But still, I am Alastor’s Flame Haze.
I wanted it to be that way, and so it is.
That is who I am, my being. Alastor’s Flame Haze is my all.
I had wanted that though, and through my own free will, that is what I chose.
I will fight.
But what will that mystes say?
Will he ask for help?
What will I do if he asks me to help?
What… Will I do?
That is fine. The answer is obvious. I am a Flame Haze, so I must fight.
“Shana, Alastor, if either of you have a use for me, make sure you use me. I want to help.”
What a thing to say. But how did I answer?
Ah yes,
“Okay.”
That is how I answered.
Yes, that is right. That was my reply.
I had wished for that, and so I had made my choice.
So I must fight.
That is how it must be.
But still… I am scared.
I am scared. So, so scared.
That doesn’t matter, though. If I have time to be scared, I have time to prepare.
I must be ready to fight.
I am Alastor’s Flame Haze.
I am what I am only becasue I wished for it. That is who I am.
……
So I will fight, okay?
I wonder, what would you say if you could see and hear me now?
If you could hear me say that I will fight?
But still, my chest hurts so so much.
… Yuji.
At the foot of the railway bridge that connects the core of the city and the residential city, there stands a department store that stands out from the surrounding area and reaches high into the sky.
To be more precise, this was a department store, and the only thing still open is the food section that makes up a part of the underground shopping mall. The above-ground portion of this building has since been abandoned after its parent company withdrew from this style of business. Due to the recession no new business moved in to fill the void, and this unnecessarily tall building is now just a vacant husk.
However, that only holds true for the human realm.
The middle to upper floors are filled with countless toys and miscellaneous tool brought in by Friagne and his minions. Normally there would be rinne wandering in or around this area, but right now the building is seemingly empty, and shrouded in darkness.
… It is empty, for all have assembled at the deserted playground on the roof.
Amidst the ruin of torn carnival tents, rusted toy train rails, rotting food carts, and iceboxes filled with only rainwater… Amidst this carnival of decayed joy, a ruins of fun, there stands a stage with the backdrop removed.
Standing atop the stage, positioned at the edge of the roof and is both sunken and decayed, once can see everything: the vibrant and lively city, the residential area where people sleep and live, the Misaki Ohashi Bridge where passing the passing cars headlights blink in and out of sight as they drive by lamp posts, and the Manan river slowly flowing along underneath it.
Standing atop that decrepit stage at night, at the top of the building said to be the pinnacle of Misaki City…
Stands a crowd of mannequins.
These are, naturally, Friagne’s rinne. All of them, with their unique faces and figures are decked out in wedding dressed in a variety of styles and colours.
It is as if one is having a fashion show in their nightmares, with mannequins wearing dresses more glamorous than what one might find from any high-end designer, silently lined up amidst the night breeze, not moving at all.
As time passes and the wind continues to blow, the dimly lit night view slowly becomes more and more clear.
The night is slowly passing by, quietly.
Yuji, too, is on the stage, sitting in a corner. For hours now he has sat there, staring blankly at the lights that filters through the crowd of mannequins in front of him.
He is not even restrained to his chair. As a mere mystes, such a thing is, well… Pointless. Friagne is, naturally, treating the powerless Yuji lightly. The very fact that Yuji is even still alive is proof of that.
Once he had regained consciousness, Yuji could only anxiously await the moment where Friagne decided to rip the treasure out of him and cause him to finally disappear, but for some reason… Friagne just looked down on Yuji, faintly smiling.
(“I might decide to kill that girl in front of you, or maybe vice versa… Regardless, either way merely killing both of you isn’t enough. I won’t be satisfied until I see either of you suffer as repayment for daring to get in my way…”)
Behind his faint smile, anger is flicking like a raging fire.
Ever since Yuji was told that, he has been seated on the decrepit stage, creaking with every gust of wind.
In his head, all he can see is the last expression of that girl as he was taken away from the alleyway.
Shana could have just sliced through him, cutting down Friagne behind him and avoiding the treasure within him and healed him afterwards.
Just like the day that they first met.
Why shouldn’t she, he was after all just a torch.
Not just a torch, a mystes, one with a treasure hidden within his body.
Yes, that is it.
He is supposed to be nothing more than that.
But yet her sword stopped short.
She stopped her attack.
Yuji had… Changed her.
(I am the one who made her make that face.)
Yuji could feel his body become heavy at this realization. He was the one who changed her. When he had done that, he had only been thinking of himself… Not her position or ideals. He was the one who made her face look like that.
And yet… Even if it was only for a moment, Yuji was glad that she had stopped her attack. The joy he felt in that moment and the tenderness in her eyes was enough to push him to want to hug her and tell her it is all okay.
(But, that is something else.)
The look on her face.
That wasn’t directed at Yuji but herself. That was her surprise at having her true nature shaken at its core, her anger at herself for allowing herself to change, her fear at what had caused her to change so, and her regret and disappointment at her failure to fulfill her duty… It was a face full of disappointment in herself.
(What have I done.)
Yuji could only sit and regret his actions. Enduring these emotions is worse than anything he had ever done or had done to him so far.
(I was the one who had changed her and now there is nothing I can do for her… What could I possibly do now to help her?)
Yes.
Let her be her.
The girl who had chosen to become a Flame Haze must continue to exist as a Flame Haze.
Let her continue to be her so that she might live a long and fulfilling life true to her true self.
At the very least, Yuji must be ready to accept this side of her as her true self. Accept the Flame Haze for who she is, not who Yuji believes she should be.
(I need to tell her that she is okay the way she is.)
(… Well well.)
Using all of his strength Yuji barely manages to suppress the bitter smile that almost appears on his face.
(I’m a lot to deal with, aren’t I?)
Another guest of wind blows, making the old stage creak some more.
Perhaps with this as the signal, Friagne, standing on the railing surrounding the rooftop in front of where the mannequins are facing tilts his head in confusion.
“… Are you not coming…?”
The mannequin standing closest to him, dressed in a pure white traditional western wedding dress speaks to him with the same voice as his doll Marianne.
“Master. Maybe she died in the explosion…?”
Friagne answers her with face sweet enough to melt anyone who sees it.
“Do not underestimate her, Marianne. Alastor’s flame haze is most certainly still alive. It is more likely that she simply got scared and ran away… Abandoning him in the process.”
However, Yuji does not react to his taunt.
Friagne in response merely shrugs his shoulders, bored now.
“… Hmph, you are so boring. It is a shame though, I have made sure to be a good host for her and gathered all sorts of treasures and entertainment as as how of hospitality.”
His long robe fluttering in the wind, Friagne gently floats over to Yuji, his face one of someone planning a prank in bad taste. Before Yuji could even realize it, a treasure had appeared in Friagne’s hands.
In his right hand he is holding a gun, on his left hand is a ring.
“Do you happen to already know anything about these two treasures?”
Friagne holds up his left hand, showing the silver ring that was placed over his glove.
It seems that Friagne enjoyed showing off his treasures and talking about them to others, a personality typical of collectors. Thinking on this, Yuji began to wonder if he largely hadn’t simply been killed yet because of this.
“This is ring of fire protection called Azur. The very same ring that protected me earlier from my own explosions. It can also conveniently protect me from the attacks of a flame haze’s flames… Although realistically I have no need to use it against her.”
Then, Friagne lifts the gun in his right hand and puts the barrel between Yuji’s eyebrows. It is an old fashioned revolver that one would expect to find from an old western movie.
“And this here is called Trigger Happy, an amazing treasure of mine. It was created about a hundred years ago… And is my favourite gun.”
Judging from the words coming from Friagne, the situation currently is quite dire, but still Friagne continues to explain his treasures.
“Look inside… As you can see, there are no bullets.”
Friagne releases the cylinder lock letting it slide out to the side. Where there should be bullets… Yuji instead could clearly see through to the other side, Friagne’s face.
“The shape of the gun is merely just to make it easier to use like one. It has no need for bullets. If someone wants to shoot it, they can do so as much as they want. Now tell me… What do you think is the special little trick of this treasure?”
While making a creepy and thing smile, Friagne flicks his wrist causing the cylinder to re-lock back into the gun.
“Actually, why don’t I tell you?”
Without even waiting a second for Yuji to respond, Friagne reveals his secrets, showing off his collectors spirit once more.
“This little toy here is a treasure created purely to kill flame hazes… Ahaha!”
Yuji could barely hide his inner shock from that revelation.
Friagne suddenly has a serious look on his face, and begins his one sided explanation for his own self satisfaction.
“A flame haze is created when a contractor offers a Lord all of their existence from the past, present, and future. In return, the Lord kills the contractors empty vessel with their own power.”
For Yuji, this is all entirely new information. Shana had never told him how a flame haze comes to be after all.
“By doing this, the contractor can obtain the powers of their Lord and use it in this world using both their own will, talent, and skill. For this to occur, however, the lord must also partially enter the contractors vessel and fill it with their own existence… But this handy little toy can disrupt this relation and cause the Lords existence within the vessel to run rampant. Now tell me, what do you think will happen to a flame haze when the Lords existence within them runs wild?”
“…”
Friagne suddenly opens his left fist in front of Yuji.
“With a bang the contractors vessel explodes, dying in a fiery explosion… Doesn’t that sound fun to see?”
Smiling, Friagne pulls the barrel away from Yuji and raises it to the sky.
Continuing, Friagne raises the gun and points it to the sky.
“This does force the Lord to appear in this world, but that is only temporary. They do not have any power of existence to continue existing here after all… And so, fearing an imbalance between this world and the Crimson World they return immediately back to the Crimson World… In other words, it is my complete victory.”
Suddenly, his proud smile turns to a bitter one.
“Still, doing such a thing in the middle of the city would be a bad idea. After all, inside that chibi girl is Alastor, the eternal “Flame of Heaven”. If I carelessly break that vessel and release him in the middle of the city the explosion would be devastating and destroy many of the torches I worked to tirelessly to make. That is why I decided to draw her out to here. Even if an explosion were to occur here, the damage would be minimal…”
Friagne using his free hands tilts Yuji’s face up to look him in the eyes.
“And you… You are my bait to attract her to here.”
The midnight moon shines down, revealing the figure of a man clad in white, holding a gun, and staring into Yuji’s eyes.
“Once she comes here to save you, I can kill her with a single shot, and using this ring survive the ensuing explosion… My win will be absolute.”
However, suddenly his attitude shifts, and his voice lowers as if he is pouting.
“But based on that chibis personality, I thought she would come after me right away, and to be honest, I am a little disappointed right now. She isn’t going after my torches, nor is she making any moves. What could she be doing or thinking right now? Doesn’t she know the situation she is in…?”
Friagne is unsure of what Shana’s next move will be, and naturally Yuji cannot give him an answer either.
Friagne seeming to brush off his doubt walks away from Yuji, as if he doesn’t have any high expectations for him.
(But he has a point… What is Shana thinking right now? I don’t know either…)
However, Yuji’s thoughts are focused on something different right now.
Actually, his thoughts have been focused on something else for a while now.
Doku, dokun.
A heartbeat so intense that it felt as if it was threatening to burst out of his chest.
Nonstop. And close.
He knew who that familiar heartbeat belonged to, and could see it as clearly as if they were standing in front of him.
Her.
What in the world she is doing remains unknown… But right now it is as if she is simply biding, waiting to pounce.
(She seems nervous though.)
This time she intends to end it. That much is obvious and clear.
(That must be why.)
If she was merely planning on ruthlessly throwing away Yuji for her victory, she wouldn’t have to be so cautious and nervous.
She is planning on fighting, refusing to let anything stop her in her search for victory even if it means he is caught in the crossfire. Nothing would affect her in this battle, including himself. While afraid of losing him the very fact that she is here and not making her move means that she knows what must be done but is nervous to do it.
For someone like her, there is no other possible reason as to why she would be so nervous to make her move.
Despite his situation, Yuji couldn’t help but smile.
In fact, he had to stifle back a laugh.
(… ha ha, when I think about it, I guess she isn’t the only weird one, huh…)
No matter what Shana will fight with all of her might, regardless of what it might cost her.
That means… Odds are Yuji will get caught up in this battle and ultimately cut down.
She is determined to fight, to win, even if she must cute him down herself.
But even still, Yuji is happy.
Shana… Cares about him. Her hesitation is a sign of that, Yuji is certain of that… And that makes him happy.
Yuji naturally had no complaints for her decision, even if they were quite brutal and from someone who “cares” about him. In fact, her decision is the most natural as well as the most obvious. He even agreed with it.
(That’s right, I am the one who changed that chibi girl, this is my responsibilit-…?)
Something “touched” him.
Something important.
As Yuji began to focus on that sensation, he could feel that heartbeat beat even harder and louder.
(!)
His previous thoughts suddenly were swept away by the strength of the heartbeat, disappearing deep within his chest. It is time to focus on the coming battle.
Friagne seemed to have sensed a presence, his eyebrows twitching.
“Fufu, I was wondering why you were dragging your feet and wasting my time… You have finally arrived, haven’t you?”
The white robe wrapped around his body began to shimmer and flutter more intensely in the wind.
“Come now, you too.”
As Friagne dramatically sweeps his left arm, with the sparkling ring on it, dozens of swords of various types fly out of his shadow and impale themselves deep into the stage floor.
The nearby mannequins wearing wedding dresses begin to creepily become animated, each taking up a sword to prepare for battle.
Out of all the mannequins only Marianne remains motionless.
It is as if such a thing isn’t necessary for her.
Friagne approaches and stands beside her, a euphoric look on his face as he speaks to her.
“My dear Marianne, soon I will make you into a perfect being… You and I will live forever together in this world.”
Marianne’s response is a single word.
“Master.”
Friagne pulls his snow-white dress bride into a tight hug with his hand holding trigger happy and holds out his other hand towards the cityscapes night view.
Held within his pointer finger and thumb is a crystal hand bell… A bell that when chimed causes his rinne to explode.
Friagne is completely equipped for battle.
In the centre of the stage is a graceful figure with his mannequin bride in his arms, surrounding him an army of mannequins armed with swords.
“Now then… Let us hunt down the flame-haired lion cub.”
Even to someone as distant to combat as Yuji, it is obvious that the battle is about to begin.
A battle that will involve even his powerless self.
(Here we go…!)
But even still, there is a smile on his face.
A smile of anticipation and desire for the coming fight.
A smile of expectation and desire for the girl coming for him.
(Do it!)
That desire is the only thing filling his heart.
Yuji’s face is etched with the same smile as the girl’s, a fact that he himself couldn’t possibly know.
(Come on, go all out, just do it!)
He could feel her.
As the girl draws near, answering his plea, he could feel her heart beat painfully loud and fast.
And then,
(Here she comes!!)
Appearing before Friagne and his mannequin army on the stage.
Jumping into the night sky with the sparkling stars as her backdrop, her eyes a furious blazing inferno.
The flame haze glares at the hunter and his mannequin army, as if to greet them before their fight to the death.
Her flaming hair trails behind with dancing sparks, like the tail of a shooting star.
Her black robe flutters behind her, her great sword flashing.
Alastor’s Flame Haze.
“Shana!!”
Despite his smile Yuji could only say one thing.
“Don’t let that gun hit you!”
However, his yell is cut off by a kick from one of Friagne’s mannequins.
“…”
When she heard his voice, however, Shana began to laugh.
It was a yell strong enough to make one cry, a yell strong enough to ignite a fire within her.
“… Haha!!”
“Hmm, is that treasure the so called flame haze killer?”
Alastor, speaking through the cocytus from around Shana’s neck, immediately understands the situation.
Shana, who had now landed on the roof, nods in response to Alastor but does not make any move to save Yuji.
(I wished to be a flame haze, and so I must do what I must be. All of this was my own decision.)
Shana could tell how Yuji is feeling, all of his intentions and emotions.
She could feel his determination, readiness, happiness… And where all of these feelings are coming from.
(It’s time to fight!)
Shana no longer doubts what she must do.
It is her duty to chase after and kill Friagne the Hunter, hiding behind his army of mannequins.
That is it.
As soon as Shana spots that Friagne’s gun is pointed in her direction she dashes sideways. A bullet flies through the space she was just in, splitting apart the sparks and embers she left behind. Her great sword, the Shakugan no Shana, flies towards the hunter for a deadly stab.
However, before her sword can impale Friagne, a mannequin blocks her path.
“Get out of my way dammit!!”
Her attacks don’t stop, her legs keep moving. She bashes away the mannequin with her long sword, then tears through another from the side, sending it flying and dodging a second shot from Friagne that he had shot at her from the shadows. From a horizontal slashing position she takes a half turn and slashes at a mannequin standing behind her.
During that time Friagne distances herself from Shana, then rings the hand bell.
“Burst!”
The mannequin that was rapidly approaching Shana from the front suddenly began to compress in on itself before exploding.
Shana dodges the attack by dashing through it. The blast hits her back, sending her flying forward.
“!?”
Surprised by this reckless maneuver, Friagne distances himself by dashing into the shadow of another mannequin.
A mannequin approaches Shana, waving around a sword designed to look like the handle is a bouquet.
“Tch!!”
With a click of a tongue Shana cuts the mannequin in two at the torso, immediately dashing low and to the side.
A bullet flies through where Shana’s body had been half a second before.
Both combatants ignore Yuji”s very existence amidst their duel.
Friagne couldn’t care less about a powerless mystes.
Shana is already in the middle of battle, determined to see it to its end.
“What!?”
Of course, Yuji himself knows this well. The explosion from earlier knocked him off the stage, out of the view of everyone else. He couldn’t help but let out a wry smile at how clumsy and powerless he is, crawling around on the concrete away from the battle zone. And yet, for some reason, he doesn’t feel any fear at all.
(Haha, I am so uncool right now.)
Then,
Kin, Friagne’s hand bell rings again.
“!”
Yuji could feel the chime of the bell within his chest.
This is something that only he, a mystes with some kind of special treasure within him, could feel.
(… Huh?)
For some reason, the bell sounds strange and different from before.
Again, kin, Friagne’s hand bell rings out.
Again, another rinne explodes.
Shana keeps her head low to escape from the blast.
(No, something is different this time. Why?)
The two chimes were slightly different.
Yuji began to desperately think, to find the meaning between the two chimes, priming the senses he has honed up until now to focus on the next one.
(Ring it again!)
The bell rings again. Another rinne explodes, and the flames and shock pass overhead. He could feel a burning sensation blow over his shoulders.
(Dammit, I don’t care anymore! Just keep ringing it!!)
It rang again. However, this time there was no explosion.
Instead, this time though,, the tone is deep and wide, as if it were flowing across the night sky.
Again Friagne rings the bell… And there is no explosion.
Dokun,
Yuji could feel something inside him. Something beating. Whatever it is, it made his hair stand on end.
(This is…!)
Yuji instinctively knew what this was.
The torches of the city all began to have their lights swell and dance.
Friagne continues to ring the bell, in addition to the normal chimes that cause mannequins to explode.
Each time the bell chimes, a clear tone reverberates throughout Misaki city, reaching out to the countless torches throughout it.
The heartbeat within each torch that hears the chime responds.
Yuji could feel that his own heartbeat is not affected by it, but that wasn’t important right now. For Yuji, what is happening in Misaki City is the most important thing right now.
(What is happening right now…?)
Again, the bell chimes.
(!!)
This time, Yuji finally understands.
The heartbeat of the torches begins to accelerate, and beat faster.
(… I-, I see.)
The revelation causes Yuji to shiver.
The heartbeat of the torches all across the city are essentially the same as the heartbeat of the exploding torches behind him.
The heartbeats of the torches in the city accelerate, and they will accelerate until they hit a point where the torch explodes much like the mannequins fighting Shana.
(– That chime is a signal to make all torches explode at the same time!!)
Alastor’s voice comes back to mind.
(“Coffin Weaver had woven a device called a “Keythread” into the torches that he had eaten. With a mere command from him, the torch would lose it physical form, decompose, and revert back to its original power of existence.”)
(He is not simply causing them to decompose… They are compressing to explode.)
(“Upon devouring 10% of the city, he activated this mechanism. The torches all at once lost their function as replacements and returned to their original form of existence, suddenly removing a large amount of support and the torches connections to the world, resulting in the large formation of a distortion in the world impacting everything and everyone in that city.”)
(I can feel the scope of the torches right now… Even if it isn’t 10% right now, it is still a tremendous amount of existence.)
(“A massive distortion was caused by the sudden decomposition of the torches, and much like an avalanche the whole city changed into a huge and dense source of existence. That was the Coffin Weavers goal. Through his machinations he had devised a method of converting everything into a source of food, what we refer to as existence.”)
(But even still, this is enough to trigger a City Devouring…!)
That hand bell in Friagne’s hand.
That hand bell is Friagne’s trump card to force a victory.
(Damnit, Friagne’s is one damn cunning bastard!)
At first glance, Friagne’s hand bell is nothing more than a means to utilize a self destructive weapon, even if it seems like a foolish weapon that lowers his military strength. Thus to Shana, Friagne’s hand bell is merely a weapon to make mannequins explode. However, that was merely a rouse, to disguise the true intention of ringing the bell. Friagne is hiding its true purpose behind its suicide bomber tactic, and that is causing the torches across the city to prepare for a collaborative explosion… And fulfilling his City Devouring mission.
For such a cunning hunter, even their previous battle was one more step for preparing for their final battle, misleading Shana and Yuji from the truth.
Friagne was never simply just waiting to fight Shana.
If Friagne had been foolish enough to simply rush forward and activate the City Devouring process with the bell, Shana would have aimed straight for the bell to destroy it. At the very least, she would have targeted more and more of his torches, just like Yuji had suggested earlier.
That is why Friagne wanted this fight, to trick Shana into thinking that he was still preparing for the City Devouring, causing her to focus on the battle and not what is happening in the background.
It is a plan that couldn’t go wrong… Friagne had anticipated that a flame haze, Shana, whose sole purpose is to hunt the denizens would prioritize the battle at hand and not what is going on around them.
(If it wasn’t for me, who could feel the torches heart beat and figure out Friagne’s true plan…!)
Shana is too focused on the battle at hand to notice something as intricate as this. This is only natural, with a specially made weapon meant to kill flame hazes pointed at her… Thinking on that, perhaps Friagne had even planned for that, hence why he showed off his treasures to Yuji.
(But still… There is a chance to reverse this.)
Yuji turns to look at the night view in front of him.
Neither of the two parties fighting had realized it yet, but he was in a position to do something that neither side had anticipated. The first thing has to be addressed is that hand bell. It has to stop chiming.
And to stop it, there is only one thing to do.
(I need to let her know!)
However, just as Yuji is about to shout out, an explosion occurs nearby.
His shout is drowned out by the blast, his body slammed into the hard concrete floor.
“…. Uh… Urgh…..!!”
His vision goes dark for a few seconds. Stumbling, Yuji gets back to his feet, trying to gather some strength through his hazy consciousness.
(Enough strength… For one… Word…!)
Not a cry for help, but a voice to encourage. To help.
(… Sha, na….)
Because he saw her face.
Because he was the one who changed her…
(…)
Was he the one who changed her…?
(… Ah, that’s right…)
Amidst his hazy consciousness,
(I changed Shana.)
Yuji finally raises his eyes and looks up.
And grasps that fact within his hands.
(I am still here, for now.)
Yes, he might be destined to disappear forever, and that is a fact.
But if he doesn’t move, Shana too might die.
If he has the strength to move, he can still help her.
That is all there is for him to do now.
It doesn’t matter whether Yuji is really alive or not right now.
As long as he can move, he can change something for the better.
That is all there is.
It doesn’t matter if he is dead or what happens once he dies again… As long as he can move, there is something he can do.
(To let him live or die, huh? Well, I guess you came to your answer…)
Another blast hits him, causing him to fall an mercilessly begin rolling on the hard concrete again.
(It is time to move… Yeah, at least that much I can still do.)
Coughing from the smoke and dust filling his mouth, Yuji Sakai throws away everything else, gathering all of his remaining strength to shout a single word.
To save both himself and her.
The remaining mannequins were already reduced to just four remaining.
The wall of soldiers protecting Friagne have been reduced to a paper thin defence.
In reality, Friagne’s mannequins were not nearly as dangerous as Friagne had made them out to be. On the contrary, their moves were sluggish and predictable, and having a difficult time offering any level of resistance to Shana. On top of that their teamwork was lacking.
To begin with, Friagne and his remaining mannequins were already hoping to use the chaos of the City Devouring to escape. Their overall objective is merely to activate the reincarnation formula within Marianne, and the battle with the flame haze is merely an incidental thing. However, with that being said… Friagne cannot escape until that has been achieved, reducing his options to protect himself and escape harm.
Simply put, while Friagne might be cunning, this move was part of a miscalculation.
Friagne had the optimistic premise that as long as he could land a single hit with his flame haze killer Trigger Happy, then this fight could be ended with a single hit. In fact, when it came to fighting other flame hazes, even those who could form their own flames, this fight would have been won already.
However, the girl confidently attacking him right now is different from the others.
Despite the fact that their compatibility should be in his favour… This is the worst possible development for him.
Other flame hazes would use their flames as their primary weapon. Thus, by using his Azur ring, Friagne could always create an opening to end the fight with a single shot.
However, this chibi flame haze cannot create nor control her flames well enough to be used as a weapon, so she can only rely on her sword. Thus the Azur ring is pointless, from the beginning Friagne was having problems creating any kind of gap to take an advantage of. On top of that, her skills with her sword are overwhelmingly strong.
Friagne’s perception that Shana was not a major threat had caused him and his mannequins to overestimate their strengths and overlook where their strengths are rooted, in familiarity of their enemies and abundant experience with their treasures.
Friagne had realized this fact partway through this battle, but by then it was too late to retreat and the damage had been done. Now both the activation of City Devouring and Friagne’s life are in a tug-of-war game of life and death. Before he could even realize it, his schemes had entwined itself around his neck, and it became an all or nothing situation.
Shana’s logic however is not nearly as cunning or complex. She is simply determined that, no matter what Friagne is planning, everything will be over for him once she crushes him. All she has to do to win is crush the foe in front of him… And such simplicity managed to turn the tides of war for her into an advantage.
(… Master.)
The pure white bride turns to speak to her master, with a look of impatience on her face.
(No, Marianne.)
Another mannequin in a wedding dress stands in front of Shana, stopping her from advancing.
“Get out of my way!!”
A strong smile is on her face. All of the mannequins are utterly incompetent. Their swordsmanship and strength were all so pathetic that at best they could be used to provide cover for Friagne’s shooting… They are no threat or competition for Shana.
(But if things continue like this, my masters life will be at risk… Escaping now will be a difficult task.)
Friagne shakes his head, as if he were on the edge of throwing a tantrum.
(Don’t do it, Marianne!)
When one of the few remaining mannequins brings her sword down on Shana, Shana lightly brings her sword to bear, running her sword along side it and deflecting the blade. Stepping into the gap, Shana delivers a blow to both the mannequins shoulder and body.
“Ha!”
Then she slashes the mannequin into two with her sword, sending both halves flying away.
(If my master is killed, I won’t be able to live either… But the opposite is not true.)
Friagne turns towards her pure white wedding dress bride, to the doll beside him.
(No, Marianne!!)
While the many swords of the mannequins might have their own special attributes, Shana’s sword, the unparalleled “Shakugan no Shana”, was in a sense so powerful that the swords of the mannequins might as well be toys in comparison. For Shana there is nothing to be afraid of, other than trigger happy, the so called flame haze killer.
“Only three more!!”
Not like such a thing matters, in terms of pure swordsmanship there is no way that Shana would lag behind a mere doll with its robotic and stiff movements.
(Marianne, everything I am exists only for you…!!)
Marianne’s bridal gown, a representation of her hopes and dreams. Her left hand, wrapped in her white silk glove, gently touches Friagne’s crying face, and her right hand rests on the hand bell in Friagne’s own hand. Gently, she chimes the bell.
(Yes, master… For me it is the same… And nothing makes me happier than giving my all for you.)
Two of the remaining three mannequins line up before Shana, their bodies beginning to condense. But such a tactic wouldn’t work anymore.
“Hmph!”
Shana wraps the hem of her black robe around herself in preparation for the coming explosion. Then she steps to the side to avoid becoming Friagne’s gunshot. Suddenly she is struck by the impact of the tremendous explosion, and rolls along the ground like a black cylinder, but she was not seriously injured from that blast. Quickly, she regains her standing and continues her assault.
(It will be possible for you to remake me as long as you have the original formula. Even repairing me will be within your reach, as long as master survives.)
Even though she has no guarantee that such a thing is possible, Marianne leaves those words with Friagne before she begins to run.
(Marianne!!)
Right in front of Shana, who had uncovered herself from her black robe, a mannequin wearing a pure white wedding dress suddenly dashes forward from the middle of the explosion before her.
But,
(Die!)
Shana immediately decides her next course of action. There are no more mannequins. This is the last one. Moreover, like all other mannequins this one will pose no threat. Even if this mannequin were to explode, she fully intends to cute it down before it even has a chance to do so.
As long as she cuts it apart it will merely scatter into sparks… No explosion will occur.
(I am certain that you will fix me, master. Promise me that, master… Me and y ou will be together forever…)
Marianne had taken an oath, she will do anything she can for her master… And is certain that Friagne will forgive her for her selfishness.
If she fulfills the oath to protect her master is not what is important right now.
What is important is the action of doing everything and anything she can for her master.
(Marianne!!)
Shana’s great sword mercilessly cute the pure white wedding dress bride standing before her into two.
By doing this, she can ensure that the doll won’t explode.
“All that’s left…!”
Now, standing alone, is Friagne.
Shana steps forward, the half’s of the mannequin before her on either side.
Just for that one step… Shana had let down her guard.
(If its for my master… I will do whatever I can!)
Suddenly, something grows from within the mannequins split body.
A golden chain.
“Ugh!?”
It entwines itself around the blade that Shana had cut it with.
From among the thin white sparks that had scattered, a crude doll, Marianne, suddenly appears. Extending from her hands is the deadly weapon bubble root.
Shana panics, finally remembering that Marianne originally was a miniature doll, not a mannequin.
“Kuh, damnit!?”
“Friagne-sama!!”
A cry from the soul to the one you love the most.
“Marianne!!”
The hand bell within his hand chimes.
(This is bad!!)
Shana immediately lets go of the sword that is being pulled towards Marianne.
Marianne’s body condenses, and blasts away Shana from a point blank explosion.
In the night air, where the afterglow of the explosion still remains,
“… Uh, ugh…”
Shana collapses to her knees on the edge of the roof, where the wire mesh has been blown away… And all she can hear is sobbing.
“….Ughhhhh, uhh… Marianne… My Marianne…!!”
The sobbing is coming from behind a gun.
Friagne, standing as white as a ghost, holds a gun pointed between her eyebrows… And is crying.
“It does not matter if I can or cannot Marianne, I simply will bring you back no matter what! I will use all the power I have to bring you back to life… and…”
Held within his clenched hands he holds the weapon meant purely to kill flame hazes… Trigger happy.
“I will make you into a definite and unique being in this world!!”
Held in his left hand is the hand bell Dance Party, the key treasure to causing a city devouring.
“… And then we can live together forever… Just the two of us…”
Friagne’s face is a mixture of both tears streaming down his face and yet rapturous happiness.
Kneeling before him, tattered and worn, is the hated flame haze, his guns muzzle pointed between in the centre of her chest.
The formula for the city devouring has reached a point where only one or two more chimes are needed to perform it.
One in his left hand and one in his right.
One hand is for the killing of the flame haze, the other is to create the city devouring event.
Friagne’s only thoughts right now are to eliminate those who had gotten in his way and to bring back the one person he loves.
“… Therefore, first, I need you to die.”
Now, overpowering the sadness and joy filling his face is pure anger.
Friagne gathers strength into his finger resting on the trigger.
“Flame haze… Die to this treasure of mine!!”
“….!!”
Shana grits her teeth, as the pain from the blast earlier afflicts her whole body.
Her body is in tatters due to the blast from Marianne just a few moments ago. She cannot even stand up anymore, never mind run or try to dodge the bullet. Her arm only has enough strength left for a single strike at most. Moreover, she doesn’t even have her sword anymore and Friagne has his gun aimed square in the middle of her chest at point blank.
(… Is there anything I can even do…!?”
Frustration and anger are rising inside her, but right now, Shana has no clue what she can even do at this point.
Suddenly,
“The Seal!!”
Yuji screams as he crawls out from the rubble from the blast.
“What!?”
Friagne was caught off guard by the sudden voice that had seen through his plan. His gaze drifts slightly towards Yuji.
In that brief opening, Shana quickly carries out Yuji’s instructions.
“….!!”
Shana’s eyes come alive with raging fire, summoning all of her strength.
A raging crimsons fire files their field of view, isolating everyone within from impacting the cause and effect of the outside world.
Now, the sound of the hand bell dance party that had caused Misaki city to shake could no longer reach outside of the sealed zone.
(What is his plan? A seal, why does he still have the bell if he has no rinne, why are the torches acting strange, why did that rinne explode earlier… What is his aim!!)
With thoughts and clues flowing into her head, Shana quickly begins to understand Friagne’s intentions and what she has to do.
“Stop…!!”
Friagne calls out to Yuji to stop, putting more pressure on the trigger.
For just a moment,
“Haaaaa!!”
Gathering the last of the strength within her, Shana grabs a shard of glass off of the ground and slashes at Friagne with a single slash.
There are two targets before her to choose from.
In his right hand is a gun that would surely take her life with a single shot.
And the meaning behind Yuju’s shout, the hand bell in his left hand.
“Yes. I am a flame haze.”
Shana, proud of who she chose to be, slashes.
At his left hand.
The hand bell.
The hand bell is broken into two, along with his fingers sent flying off of his hand high into the air.
“Ah.”
Friagne could only watch in calm shock as his fingers and destroyed dance party fly into the sky.
“…”
Slowly, his brain makes sense of this scene.
Even if the seal is lifted now, it doesn’t matter.
There is no way now for him to activate the city devouring.
No matter what, Marianne cannot come back anymore.
And that is true as well for his dream of living in eternity with her.
In the span of a few seconds, everything from his plans and dreams were mercilessly cut in half.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
With everything around him being taken away, Friagne lets out a blood curdling scream and pulls the trigger.
Yuji looks at Shana and smiles.
Shana, too, looks at Yuji with a smile on her face.
The two of them knew the meaning of his scream, and the impending outcome of their decisions up until now,
And so they smiled.
And then, Shana’s body takes a bullet to her chest, the impact sending her flying over the edge of the towering skyscraper.
The seal that Shana had constructed shatters in response.
In the world where time has begun to flow again,
In a city that has stopped its torches heartbeats beating as one,
Into the Mana river flowing beneath the department store,
Sparks scatter and dissipate from her flaming hair as she falls to the frigid waters below.
“Destroy everything! Damn it all! Everything! Burn it all to the ground!”
Friagne lets out a crazed scream, yelling as loud as he can.
The Mana river is at the very epicentre of Misaki city.
From such a location, down within the river, away from the peaks of the department store roof, the damage would be catastrophic. But right now, Friagne couldn’t care less about the damage to the city, people or torches… Nothing matters anymore.
Amidst his frenzy,
“…….?”
Friagne saw an unexpected sight.
Something strange is occurring far below on the surface of the Mana river, where Shana had splashed into.
There, ripples made of red sparks begin to appear.
And then the red sparks began to spread.
It spreads far, crossing the riverbed and climbing along the embankment.
The sparks wrap around the iron bridge, extending far into the city.
Then, it covers the residential areas, engulfing roads.
The red ripples spread far and wide.
And the moment it reaches the horizon…
–Suddenly, the red ripples flare up into the sky.
The red sparks… No, flames… Engulf and cover the entirety of Misaki city.
The colour of the flames are a deep and vivid crimson.
Yuji by now instinctively knew the feeling within his chest.
“… A seal…?”
Far off into the night sky, a tremendous haze is rising, distorting the starry sky above.
A strange emblem suddenly draws itself on the ground with lines of fire, covering miles of ground with its crimson flames.
A gigantic, all encompassing seal has formed itself over all of Misaki city.
And at its centre, from the wide surface of the Mana river, which now was truly just a river of fire,
Slowly, but surely… It began to rise.
It was such a gigantic being that it could peer down onto the roof of the department store, towering well above it.
“… “Hunter” Friagne…”
Friagne, who had been called by name, could only stand still, as if bound in place by the distant thunder-like roar of a being unimaginable in this world.
Yuji, still stuck below rubble, could recognize the voice that had made that roar.
“A-, Alast-… or?”
The being is wearing a scorching coat of flames with a huge, jet-black mass within it taking the form of something. It is such a gigantic being that Yuji couldn’t even make out its overall shape. The being, as far as Yuji could tell, is bending over to look down onto the rooftop of the department store. In front of Yuji is what he could only describe as wings of fire, blocking the entire front of his vision.
This is without a doubt the being known as the “King of the Crimson World”… The very manifestation of “The Heavenly Flame”, Alastor.
“… You foolish Lord, you have dug your very own grave using your very own treasure…”
Once again, a deep, deep voice that made the depths of Yuji’s stomach tremble roars out from the being standing before him.
“… That treasure… Is a weapon meant to destroy my contractors vessel by awakening me within it… Should I look back at my fear of it and dodging it by laughing … No…”
With a faint rumble at the end of his sentence, Alastor aims a mass of flame from what one could only assume is an arm towards Friagne, who is still standing on top of the rooftop. Along with that mere movement, a tremendous heat wave hits everything around it with a strength that one would assume would be enough to ignite the very air on fire.
“… Do you understand what the manifestation of my body means…? Do you understand why I am still able to continue to manifest here even after my body has been awakened within my contracted vessel…? The little trick that your treasure possesses… Even if it might work against other flame hazes, that does not hold true for this child…”
Alastor speaks with a deep pride for the girl acting as his vessel.
“This child’s destiny could have been… An artist who would have left her mark on history, a politician to inspire the masses, a warrior whose courage will written as legend, a sinner who has committed countless evil deeds to the hearts of others… Or even their mother… This child… This child is a “Great One”, who has expanded their containers space and time sufficiently to accommodate me, the Heavenly Flame, an existence befitting the title of Lord.”
Friagne no longer has the wherewithal to even begin to understand such an explanation and revelation. Amidst the heat waves that slowly scorch and eat at his body, he could only look up with an expressionless face.
“… Did you think that the Heavenly Flame would not pick and choose their contractors…?”
The real form of the Heavenly Flame had taken form in this world to flare down at the foolish Lord beneath him. His very existence had caused enough intimidation to not allow Friagne to show any emotion or move.
“This is your reward… The fires of retribution.”
A single breath.
With just that, the entire roof of the department building was blown away in a hell storm of fire.
For merely an instant, Yuji could make out Friagne’s thin outline amidst this breath before his outline crumbles, not even leaving ash behind.
For a mere second however Yuji could make out a pale white flame take on the shape of a bird attempting to escape before being crushed by crimson flames and swept away.
On his deathbed one could swear that he had spoken a single name in a whisper,
But there was no one who could hear what name he had said.
On the roof of the department store, which had been restored to its original dilapidated look, Yuji could swear that he is about to himself burn to nothing, not even ash.
His frail body, the outline of which had already started to fade in some places, is lying down on his back, his right hand laying in front of his chest.
(… Alastor is amazing… Even Friagne’s ring couldn’t completely block out his flames.)
“I’m not doing so good, huh…”
Yuji spoke outloud, to no one in particular.
It is as if he is still merely confirming that he exists.
In his right hand, Yuji is holding Friagne’s finger that had been cut off… Or, to be more precise, he is holding onto the fire protection ring azur that was left behind after the finger had turned into sparks and scattered.
Was it mere coincidence that it fell in front of him, or was it a result of Shana’s planning? Well… Either way its fine.
Someone took a hold of his hand that was shaking, looking like it was about to disappear completely.
Yuji turns his exhausted head to look at the person holding him.
“… Hey.”
Shana, wearing her black robe with the collar tied tightly around her neck and whose wounds appear to still be healing is sitting beside him. Behind her stands her large sword, that she had retrieved at some point.
Her expression on her face as she leans forward slightly to look at him is both calm and peaceful. For some reason… She did not seem concerned that some of her slightly frayed black hair is gently touching his cheeks.
(… Beautiful…)
Those are Yuji’s honest thoughts. With those wholesome thoughts and feeling at peace,
“… So what do you think? Can I be fixed?”
Shana slowly shakes her head from side to side.
Alastor, who it seems has returned to being inside of Shana, speaks through the cocytus hanging around her neck.
“What you have left cannot even be called an ember at this point. It is merely the residual heat, fading away… The fact that you can even communicate with us at this point is merely the leftovers of you due to your long contact with us.”
“I, see.”
Surprisingly, Yuji is still calm. Well, when he had gone into this fight he had already accepted the fact that odds are he would not survive it…
Rather than focus on that, though,
“Shana.”
“What is it?”
“I finally got the answer to that I have been thinking about for a long time now… I don’t care that I am disappearing… All that mattered is what I would be doing once I got here.”
“…”
Shana waits quietly and patiently, as Yuji’s broken voice continues again.
“… It doesn’t matter who I am or what I am… All that matters is what I did…”
As soon as Yuji finished those words,
“What a stupid thing to worry about.”
Shana says, speaking in her usual tone.
“I guess… It wasn’t like what I did was very cool anyways.”
Yuji laughs at himself, but not a laugh of self-mockery.
“Yeah, you were pretty uncool out there.”
Shana giggles back at him… Not to mock him, however.
And then adds,
“But still… I guess at the end, you did make me smile and laugh a little.”
With a calm face,
“Thank you.”
“… Yeah, I could feel your heartbeat…”
Shana, a little surprised at this blushes before nodding.
She was laughing, happy… Just like that time.
Thinking that it’s okay to get a little carried away,
“Shana.”
“Yes?”
“I want to ask… A favour of you.”
“What is it?”
“Your name is Shana.”
“…?”
“Can you… Use that name forever? Make it your own?”
Shana doesn’t reply.
She just smiles and nods her affirmation.
Yuji doesn’t have the strength to say his thanks.
He no longer has the strength anymore to speak.
Shana’s smile slowly fades away.
Yuji could feel himself smiling, and with that comfort, he closes his eyes for the last time.
… Is this… Death?”
… Well… It isn’t so bad… I think…
…
…
… Where am I now?
I wonder, did I die already?
Well whatever, I am not Yuji Sakai anymore anyway.
I’m not a human anymore anyway.
So if I am not a human anymore, when I die where will I go?
When I die.
I guess I will just disappear?
But clearly there is something after I disappear.
And it feels strange.
But for some reason, I can still hear?
What is going on?
There, I can hear it.
It’s moving.
A heartbeat?
Ah, it is that sound I could always hear.
Somewhere within I could always hear it.
No, not somewhere… Deep inside me.
Always moving.
And yet regular, and unchanging.
I wonder… What is this?
Moving.
…
…
“… Kuku.”
An uncontrollable laugh… Immediately began.
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”
An innocent and bright laugh abruptly occurs, spreading across the night sky and echoing into the moonlit night.
Yuji could hear it.
“………..?”
Yuji opens his eyes.
“……….. Eh?”
Suddenly, he could see.
“HAHA, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”
“Fu fu fu.”
Even Alastor it seems couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Yuji, half dazed, slowly wakes up and then looks at his hands.
And in front of his eyes are two hands… Not faded at all. Looking at his chest, his flame has somehow been restored to its original strength.
“Are you surprised? Why do you think we waited for so long before attacking?”
“Fu fu, well that was only done as a precautionary measure in case something were to go wrong, but when faced with a scene like this due to the timing… Fu fu fu fu.”
“Look, you are completely back to normal!”
Shana, who it would seem had regained all of her original strength, pats Yuji on the back as hard as she could.
“Buha!? Wha-, wha-, what the hell is going on…?”
“Hey, did you forget something? Something important?”
“?”
“It is about your true self… Your true being as a mystes.”
Alastor speaks, with lingering laughter in his voice.
“… Ah, now that I think about it… Is that why…?”
Yuji looks down at his body with suspicion.
The flame in his chest is still alight.
However, Yuji can feel something deep inside him.
Suddenly, Yuji recalls the second heartbeat that he could feel somewhere within him earlier.
“What just happened is the power of the Midnight Lost Child. It is only natural that you can feel its heartbeat as well as move within seals if that is the treasure within you… It is the rarest of rare treasures among those in the Crimson World, with the ability to interfere with the passage of time.”
(Midnight Lost Child.)
It is a perpetual motion machine that is said to have been created by a Lord in order to make the human she had fallen in love with become her eternal lover.
When it is transferred or placed within a torch, the power of existence of that torch is bound to the length of one day. Thus, no matter how much existence is consumed within one day, at midnight the existence will simply be replenished
“The Lord who had created that treasure has been missing for quite some time now. Since it has been transferred to you, something must have happened to her and her eternal lover, but, well… That doesn’t really matter right now. It can even be considered a good thing.”
“Well, it means you still have a future for us to see, Yuji.”
Something that could only be considered a miracle had just happened.
“… Ah… Then…”
Fufufu, Shana began to laugh like a mischievous child, (TL Note: Brat laugh uooooooh…!)
“That thing inside you is a dangerous treasure that, if possessed by a Crimson Denizen, would allow them to wield the power of existence with virtually no limit.”
“Hmmm, it is as Shana has just said. Midnight Lost Child is undoubtedly the most valuable treasure for those who hunt humans for the power of existence. As for us flame hazes it is a useless treasure… But it is not something that we can simply let leave our grasp.”
Yuji finally began to understand what the two of them were trying to tell him.
“… Ah, then…”
“Hmmm, we are going to have to keep an eye on you, a dangerous being, in this city for the next while.”
“And that’s that. What, are you going to complain or something?”
Yuji spoke with confidence.
“Nope.”
“Good.”
Satisfied with his agreement, Shana stands back up and holds out her hand to Yuji.
Yuji firmly takes her hand and stands beside her.
Suddenly, Yuji looks down at her chest and… Notices something he didn’t before.
Yuji had found it strange how tight her black robe was put on, but looking at her closer… For some reason, her legs are bare as well.
“… Do you have a change of panties or a bra?”
Shana, her face bright red at this, suddenly launches an uppercut from below, causing Yuji to fall over and over again.
Silvered Tongue Reborn 