Raiden staggered forward, one arm cradling his ribs, the other dragging limply at his side. His eyes were glassy but locked onto Nishihara with burning defiance, framed by lines of blood running from his nose, lip, and brow. Every breath he took rattled with the sound of splintered bone and overstressed organs. The parasite inside him pulsed beneath the skin, angry and unstable.
Still, he didn't stop.
Nishihara exhaled, fists clenched tight as he took a step forward. His body ached - shoulders stiff, knuckles numb, skin raw - but he kept his stance steady. He had to. Raiden was his friend. His rival. And if he didn't end this soon, it wouldn't be a fight - it'd be a mercy killing.
'You can barely stand,' Nishihara muttered, not unkindly.
Raiden's head twitched. 'Neither… can you.'
He charged.
The sudden burst of speed caught Nishihara off guard, but only for a moment. He pivoted, sliding just enough to avoid Raiden's first strike, then retaliated with a brutal elbow to Raiden's back. The impact drove Raiden down, but he twisted mid-fall, catching Nishihara's leg and yanking hard. Nishihara crashed down with a grunt, the wind exploding from his lungs.
They wrestled in the scorched gravel and ash, fists slamming into muscle, bone, and their suits. A knee drove into Nishihara's stomach - he returned with a sharp elbow to the throat. They rolled, kicking up debris, until Raiden ended up on top, fist raised high. His body pulsed harder now, veins glowing faint red across his arms and neck, his body flooding internally with his own blood.
'You should've walked away…' Raiden growled.
'I could say the same,' Nishihara spat, then shot his arm upward, fingers jabbing into a pressure point beneath Raiden's arm. Raiden's limb spasmed involuntarily - just enough for Nishihara to buck him off and spring to his feet.
As Raiden staggered up, Nishihara watched him closely. The parasite was flaring now, attacking whatever parts of Raiden it could. His pupils had narrowed, and a line of blood dripped from his ear, eyes and mouth. Whatever strength he was using, it was killing him.
'I don't want to kill you,' Nishihara said. 'But I will stop you.'
Raiden didn't respond. He lunged again, a desperate, guttural shout ripping from his throat. But Nishihara was ready. He ducked under the punch, slammed his palm into Raiden's chin, then turned and unleashed a blistering spinning heel kick to the jaw.
Raiden's body lifted slightly from the force, crashing back to the ground.
He rolled onto his side, coughing up thick, dark red blood.
Nishihara didn't move right away. He stared, waiting for Raiden to rise. But this time, he didn't. He simply lay there, his chest rising and falling in slow, rattling breaths.
'You're done, Raiden,' Nishihara said quietly. 'You did everything you could. But it's over.'
Raiden's fingers twitched. Then he laughed - hoarse, broken, painful.
'Still the same damn voice,' he murmured. 'Still telling me when to quit.'
Raiden's broken chuckle twisted into a cough, spraying red onto the blackened dirt beside him. He groaned and turned his head, blood-matted hair clinging to his forehead. Through cracked, bleeding lips, he rasped, 'Tell me something, Nishihara…'
Nishihara's eyes narrowed slightly. '…Yeah?'
'If you knew this was how it'd end - me, like this - would you still have trained with me back then?' A flicker of something vulnerable passed through Raiden's eyes.
Nishihara knelt beside him, shoulders hunched, body protesting every movement. He didn't answer right away. Then, softly, '…Yeah. I would. Every time.'
Raiden closed his eyes, just for a second. '…Tch. You're a bastard.' He gave a faint smile. 'Do me one last thing, Nishihara.'
Nishihara straightened, jaw tight. 'Name it.'
'Don't let it take me. Not the parasite. I want to die as a soldier. If you can't kill me now…' His voice cracked, barely audible. 'Then you better damn well die trying, because I know once of us is dying here... Guaranteed.'
Nishihara stood silently, his face unreadable. Then, he turned and limped over to where their weapons had landed - Raiden's spear, its shaft scorched and dented, and his own blade, still humming faintly with kinetic charge. He picked up both.
Raiden was on his feet when he returned, swaying like a drunk. They faced each other in silence, the air around them thick with tension and heat. The fires reflected in their eyes.
Then they charged - one last time.
Raiden swung first, his spear blurring through the air. Nishihara ducked under the wide arc, but not before the blade kissed the side of his scalp, slicing a line across his temple. Blood sprayed. His vision tilted for a split second.
But he didn't stop.
Nishihara surged forward. With a roar, he drove his blade upward, piercing beneath Raiden's ribs. The steel bit deep - angled high, directly into the lung.
Raiden gasped, his entire body jolting. His spear dropped from his grip. His legs buckled. Nishihara held him for a moment, supporting him with one arm as his blade remained embedded in his friend's side.
'I gave you an opening,' Nishihara whispered. '…But you missed.'
Raiden coughed, blood bubbling from his lips. 'Hah… All that lost blood got to me...'
His voice was soft now, and Nishihara leaned in closer.
'You never miss... Even half-dead... Never.'
Raiden's eyes grew colder, the life was being sapped away almost instantaneously. His body began to go slack. His head leaned forward, resting against Nishihara's shoulder. The parasite within him thrashed faintly - then quieted.
And then Raiden saw it.
In the corner of his eye, just beyond the battlefield, a figure stood in the ash and smoke. A small boy. Barefoot. Clean. Smiling gently, innocently.
Himself.
The child raised a hand, waving slowly.
Raiden's gaze flicked from the boy to his own blood-slicked hands - trembling, red, ruined. He exhaled.
Next he knew, he was in a field, flowers of every colour surrounding him, the sun glowing in the light blue sky. He stood, taking a deep breath, head up high, eyes closed.
Peace.
Slowly, his tears of blood were replaced by tears of water, washing away the years of pain and suffering. His eyes closed briefly, allowing the tears to flow, calmly remarking as he opened them again.
'…I missed that kid...'
Then the light in his eyes faded.
Nishihara felt the body slip from his arms, the head smashing on the ground, blood pooling out. The flames crackled around them. A silent wind swept past. Eyes empty, Nishihara had gone elsewhere, his mind travelling back to memories, happy memories. Returning, he exhaled with a sigh.
He looked up, face streaked with sweat, blood, and grief.
'Rest easy, friend', he murmured. 'I'll carry the weight of it all now.'
Standing now, he recovered the spear and his odachi, limping toward the dropship he had seen in the distance, silhouetted in the smoke near the collapsing hangar. Each step left a faint print of blood, but he kept walking.
Just as he rounded the edge of a ruined supply truck, a figure emerged from the haze ahead - armed, alert, and tense. Nishihara instinctively raised his guard before the voice cut through the smoke.
'Nishihara!'
Kanesaki.
He sprinted the last few steps toward him, his black shirt half-burnt and torn, face bloodied and cut up, but still standing. His blade was slick with darkened blood.
The two met between the wreckage, both breathing hard. Neither spoke at first.
Then Kanesaki looked past Nishihara, behind him.
'Where's Raiden?'
Nishihara exhaled, shaking his head slightly.
'He's gone.'
Kanesaki didn't react at first, just stared at him.
'I killed him,' Nishihara added, voice hollow.
Kanesaki's brows tightened. Not in disbelief - just in quiet acceptance.
'You okay?' he asked after a pause.
'No,' Nishihara admitted.
Another beat passed. The distant rumble of the crumbling hangar echoed around them.
Kanesaki looked away, his jaw tense. 'We don't have time.'
'For what?' Nishihara asked.
Kanesaki began running weakly, headed back to where he was when the attack started, shouting back.
'There's still someone I've gotta save!'
Nodding silently, Nishihara continued his limp towards the ship.
Alone.
Forever alone.
Chapter 30 - end