On the third floor of the hotel, a battle between Hiyami and Nakami was unfolding.

"You are slow. I cannot be caught with your sluggish movements."

Nakami seemed to have specialized considerably in agility; while dodging Hiyami's attacks, she slipped through the openings to increase the wounds with the claws on both hands.

However, Hiyami didn't seem particularly flustered, waiting for a chance to land a sure hit.

Next, Nakami circles behind her—reading the opponent's movements like that, she anticipates it and swings Gyges up and slams it down.

"!?"

Nakami crosses her claws to catch the attack.

However, what she lacks in speed, she makes up for in power.

Even with the difference between one arm and two arms, she cannot completely absorb the impact.

Nakami's bones fracture, piercing her skin and bleeding.

"Kuh!"

"Who's sluggish?"

"There is no mistake there. But what a pity...!"

She tilted her claws, deflecting Gyges' weight to the side, and jumped back to take distance.

She immediately healed the fracture with Healing.

She readied her weapon and took a combat stance.

"If you had used that keen insight for Kaisei kyou, a happier end would have awaited you!"

Kicking the floor hard, Nakami rapidly approached Hiyami.

Even though she dodged the thrust-out claws with Gyges, the red blades penetrated—no, passed through them, aiming for between Hiyami's eyebrows.

She dodged by tilting her head at the very last moment.

Then she thrust her fist forward, pushing Nakami back.

"Won't Giraiguu take me along?"

"There is no way God would save those without faith!"

The reach of her claws is short.

Therefore, when Nakami attacks, she must absolutely get close to the opponent.

She approached Hiyami from directly in front again.

(The same move twice in a row...?)

Hiyami tried to block it with Gyges again, but feeling a chill right before, she backstepped and dodged.

Then, the blood adhering to the claws splattered and changed into a shape like a human head in mid-air.

That evil spirit-like red mass opened its mouth wide and attacked Hiyami.

At that ugly attack, she sighed lightly, "Not very beautiful," and vibrated Gyges at high speed, propagating that vibration into the air.

The vibrated air instantly took on heat, and the entire space in front of her suddenly burst into flames.

Heat Break of Love's Purgatory—Nakami, who had underestimated it thinking she would be fine as long as she kept her distance, was slightly delayed in escaping and burned both her arms.

"I've always wondered. Who started saying things like 'True World'. It's not like Giraiguu spoke to you, right?"

"Hmph, you doubt from that point?"

Nakami, with cold sweat beading on her forehead, healed both her arms.

"Of course. Giraiguu is an evil god; if so, he might undertake the destruction of the world. But who investigated and found out that there's a True World where everyone can be happy beyond that? Even though the world is still right here."

"You will fall to hell because you do not believe in Giraiguu sama like that."

"Haha, so now it's hell. Don't tell me Kaisei kyou is associated with Buddhism? I heard the founder was from Europe, though."

"What a noisy woman. As a human who abandoned faith and succumbed to lust, I suppose even your intellect deteriorates."

"Hmph, your choice of words is vulgar. I guess when the parent is base, the child takes after them."

"—I won't forgive you."

Nakami's expression changed.

She seemed to have snapped because her "Mother", Ooki, was insulted.

Directing a murderous intent at a completely different level from before at Hiyami, she charges.

Hiyami smiled wryly, "Good grief," and struck the floor with Gyges.

The shattered rubble attacked Nakami like grapeshot.

"Sluggish."

However, she slipped through them and lunged at Hiyami.

"With that speed, you can't even keep up with the flow of the world."

"Naturally. The only one I match my pace with is Marin."

Gyges transformed, aiming the newly appeared gun barrel at Nakami.

Flash of Lava Blaze—faced with the released energy mass, Nakami's figure suddenly disappeared.

Hiyami immediately turned around, swinging her fist as she did so.

However, the thrust of Nakami, who had "teleported" behind her, was slightly faster.

Because she wasn't trying to inflict a deep wound on Hiyami.

Nakami's claws slightly grazed Hiyami's flank, and she immediately retreated.

"...That just now."

"Oh, did you feel it?"

Before she knew it, Nakami's claws had turned red.

"What a light-fingered woman. Is that inherited from your mother too?"

"Did you think I would lose my composure if you insulted Mother?"

"Even now your face is bright red. Love, huh; I think it's a good thing. As long as you don't take other people's lives to prove that love."

"There is no problem. Because to Mother and me, the lives of heathens are worthless. Yes, your life too—"

The atmosphere Nakami emitted changed.

A composure as if saying the match was already decided.

Hiyami prepared a stance to defend from any direction.

(The skills Nakami uses are all curse-like things using 'the opponent's blood'. That's why she was attacking little by little without aiming for a fatal wound. In other words, the fact that she has accumulated a massive amount of blood means—a 'big move' is coming.)

And Nakami, without moving from that spot, smiled and said:

"Crimson Burial Return (Kousou Kaiki)."

Hiyami felt a boiling "heat" inside her body.

Immediately after, deep wounds suddenly appeared all over her body, and a massive amount of blood spewed out.

"Kh... cough, cough, th-this is...!"

Falling to her knees, Hiyami spat blood from her mouth as well.

Then Nakami looked down at her, looking slightly bored.

"It seems it was not enough to kill you yet. You are stubborn despite not receiving God's favor."

And she attacked the still-immobile Hiyami to deliver the finishing blow.

Hiyami retreated from the spot while gritting her teeth, simultaneously healing her wounds.

However, with such severe injuries, the MP consumed is also quite high.

(I couldn't see that attack just now at all. Did she move at a speed unperceivable by humans? No, think, Ruka. Was there nothing familiar about the locations of the wounds I just received? Even if my head doesn't remember, didn't my body remember?)

Nakami pressed her claws against the blood fallen on the floor, gathering blood to activate her skill.

During that time, Hiyami racked her brain and thought.

The skill Nakami used just now—

"So you unconditionally destroy the places you attacked."

"To understand it in one go, what a hateful woman you are. But it is useless even if you figure it out."

Blood spewed from Hiyami's body again.

Although not as severe as before, her movements dulled—in other words, a level of injury that "must be healed."

"Tch, and the depth of the wound changes depending on the amount of blood consumed, I see."

"It saves me the trouble of explaining."

As expected, compared to the amount of blood lost, the amount of blood consumed is greater, so it doesn't seem like a one-sided attack is possible eternally.

However, that is also only because the number of wounds Nakami inflicted is not that high yet.

Hiyami naturally began fighting while keeping her distance from the opponent.

In the first place, the skills Gyges possesses have many means to attack distant opponents.

However, the opponent is the agile Nakami.

It was difficult to land an attack without catching the opponent off guard, and the battle situation was approaching a stalemate.

"Ahaha, you are running away quite a lot! Am I that terrifying!"

Nakami laughed mockingly.

Then her figure suddenly disappeared.

She had teleported behind Hiyami once again.

However, having read her move, she quickly turned around, crushing the opponent's surprise attack with a turnaround attack.

On the other hand, Nakami, perhaps having factored in being read, easily dodged it and took distance again.

It was then.

This time, conversely, Hiyami's figure disappeared.

"She disappeared—!?"

Nakami instantly realized what Hiyami "was likely to do given her personality."

It was payback.

When she turned around, as expected, there was Hiyami raising her fist.

Nakami tried to fly backward and escape out of reach.

However, something like a stake was fired from Gyges, aiming for her face.

By twisting her body while retreating, she avoided a direct hit, but a large chunk from her right shoulder to her arm was gouged out.

"A pile bunker after disappearing... a cheap trick typical of you!"

"Taking the back isn't your exclusive monopoly."

"What a poor imitation!"

And Hiyami took distance from Nakami again.

Nakami gradually began to feel irritated.

(This will not settle the match. Since the opponent has the advantage in numbers, the longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will become for me.)

Once the battles elsewhere are over, there will likely be those who come to help.

With no hostages now, it's difficult to break this stalemate unless she decides the match all at once.

Nakami walked over to Otsuki, who had been trembling in the corner of the room ever since the full-scale battle began.

"Otsuki san."

"Eh, eh? W-Wait, don't drag me into this..."

"Then at least, will you be of use to me."

"Ah—"

Without hesitation, Nakami severed her neck.

Otsuki died without even having the time to understand the situation.

"You brute..."

"Your language is becoming foul, Hiyami san."

"Are you saying it's fine to kill your companions because they're heathens?"

"Do you not know it well yourself."

And she sucked up the massive amount of blood spewing from the cross-section with her claws.

The dull-colored claws were dyed the color of fresh blood in the blink of an eye.

(Can the skill be activated even if it's not my blood? Is that the reason she kept the hostages gathered here? Moreover, what's troublesome is—)

An anomaly occurred in Otsuki's fallen corpse.

Piercing through that body, a zombie's arm appeared.

Nakami, unaware of that phenomenon, widened her eyes slightly in surprise.

"Oh, my my."

"It seems a wonderful helper has been born. You'll become like that too, Nakami kun."

"...I see, so that is the mechanism."

"Do even you dislike it somewhat? But a variant of Rafflesia, huh—it looks creepy and troublesome."

The monster that appeared was a monster resembling a flower blooming petals of rotting meat.

In the center were the upper half of a zombie and wriggling tentacles.

The Rafflesia we encountered before was a monster that normally hid its figure and attacked the opponent when someone stepped on its petals.

But since its figure is visible this time, it seems to have different characteristics.

Otsuki approached Hiyami, dragging herself as if crawling on the ground—and with movements faster than expected.

"To think you would become a wall for me, what a devoted person you are. Otsuki san, it is a good thing you died, isn't it."

Nakami, laughing while watching Hiyami take time dealing with Otsuki, proceeded with the preparations to activate her own skill.

"Because it is a curse, the 'efficacy' decreases slightly with someone else's blood, but it should be a sufficient amount to kill one person."

It's the blood of one whole human.

It cannot be compared to what she had until now.

No matter how poor the efficacy, it has the power to blow Hiyami's body to pieces.

"Well then, goodbye."

And just as she was about to activate the skill,

"Uwaaaaaaaah!"

Rea burst into the hall holding her shield and started charging towards Nakami.

"Oogi senpai!?"

"Rea—!"

Changing her tone of voice, Nakami called out to Rea as a "friend."

"Don't call my name, it's creepy and gives me the chills!"

Rea replied as if spitting it out, but Nakami, judging it was "effective," continued the same act.

"Can we not go back to being friends anymore? My beloved Rea."

"Obviously nottttt!"

Rea's heart is wavering.

But on the other hand, her resolve to oppose Nakami didn't seem to shake.

She also didn't know how long Otsuki could stall Hiyami.

Nakami clicked her tongue annoyedly with a "Tch."

"It cannot be helped—then let us finish you off first."

And decided to use that massive amount of blood on Rea, not Hiyami.

Because if she killed her, she would get the same amount of blood again—that was her reasoning.

"She's going to fire something, be careful Oogi senpai!"

"I'm fine!"

"What do you mean by fine. Fufu, Sky Burial Crimson Blade (Chousou Koujin)."

From the claws on both hands, the abundantly stored blood was released.

As they danced in the air, they changed their shape into twin-winged blades resembling birds.

Ultimately, the flock of birds multiplied to several hundred, lining up in front of Nakami.

"It must be lonely with just blood even if you grow fat. Now, go peck the flesh of that woman."

And with her signal, they all lunged at Rea simultaneously.

While dealing with the monster extending its tentacles, Hiyami was preparing to support her to reduce their numbers even a little.

But seeing Rea's confident expression, she stopped her hand.

Yes, Nakami does not know Rea's skills.

(I understand perfectly well, Runa is underestimating me. I'm sure she has no actual experience and her level is low, but—)

Even if such a naive and half-hearted woman gained the same power as Erika and the others, she couldn't possibly be much of a fighting force—such carelessness exactly because she had been continuously deceiving Rea.

That's why she thought she could kill her if she crushed her with overwhelming firepower.

She thought she could have Ooki all to herself.

She didn't even slightly suspect that it would be "reflected".

"Reflection Shield!"

Rea stopped in her tracks and deployed the reflection wall.

The bird blades that collided with it were bounced back, and attacked Nakami while maintaining their original power and speed.

"Are you saying you reflected all of them!?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!"

It was a strike fired by exhausting the resource known as blood.

Preventing it requires the same amount of blood—in other words, Nakami has no means to prevent it.

"It seems you somewhat lose your composure when it involves your mother. You aren't suited for the underworld."

Saying that, Hiyami calmly crushed the ruin of Otsuki crawling at her feet.

"It has not yet been decided that I have lost! I will survive, for Mother's sake! For Mother's sakeeee!"

Nakami desperately defended against and dodged her own attacks.

She caught the approaching bird-shaped blades with her claws, letting them slide to change their trajectory.

Pouring all her concentration into finding the place with the lowest density, she dove in there, twisting her body in mid-air to keep the wounds to an absolute minimum.

(I can do it... I can still survive! I can be loved by Mother, with a human body!)

Seeing Otsuki's phenomenon, Nakami had probably anticipated that she would end up the same way.

Being fascinated by Giraiguu, she didn't particularly mind even if that happened.

Since the world is going to end anyway, she didn't care what her physical appearance became.

However, if possible, she wanted to spend her final moments with Ooki as parent and child.

She wanted to kill Rea and become her one and only daughter, having all her favor poured solely onto herself.

For that, she had to be "human".

If she didn't increase her own value even a little, that person might abandon me—she thought so.

The feelings Nakami harbored for Ooki were somewhat distorted.

It came from her feeling that she 'might be abandoned by Ooki'.

Because she understood that Ooki's affection was directed only at Rea, and she was merely a substitute to fill her loneliness, it had become distorted.

Therefore, Nakami had to remain Ooki's ideal figure even a little.

Abandoning her human body and turning into a monster was something unforgivable.

And—she completely dodged all of her own attacks reflected by Rea.

Her clothes were torn and her whole body was covered in wounds, but something like that could be managed by healing.

"Ha... hahaha... How is that, did you see! This is my love for Mother—"

"Good for you."

Because Nakami had poured all her concentration into defense, she didn't notice that Hiyami was already closing in.

"...Ah."

The giant fist swung down pierced Nakami's cheek.

No matter how superhuman her reaction speed was, it was a timing impossible to dodge.

As Hiyami followed through with her punch, Nakami was blown away, danced in the air, and slammed into the wall just like that.

"Oogi senpai, you deliver the finishing blow!"

"G-Got it! Teyaaaaaaah!"

Rea readied her large shield in front of her and charged at Nakami, who was slumped against the wall.

And—

"Sanctuary Wall!"

She deployed the defensive wall and pressed it against Nakami.

Sanctuary Wall is imbued with special effects by the skills Shine Spike and Electrical Field, respectively.

Shine Spike is an effect that performs a counterattack with needles of light against enemies that attack the defensive wall.

And Electrical Field is an effect that sends an electric shock through opponents who touch the Sanctuary Wall.

Nakami, sandwiched between the wall and the defensive wall, was receiving both of them at point-blank range.

"Agah, gaaah, gu, ga, Rea... stop, it. Help, me...!"

"That's why I'm telling you, that part of you is creepy!"

Paled on skewers all over her body and being burned, Nakami appealed to her sympathy.

While cutting down such begging for her life, Rea was shedding tears profusely.

"We, are... friends. Always, friends..."

"We aren't friends! As if you, as if you're my friend! Give it back. Give back my time, give back all my feelings!"

She moved on—might be a little different from the truth.

Witnessing the madness of her mother and her follower, Rea had given up.

But no matter how much she gave up, the memories with her "precious friends" wouldn't disappear.

Moreover, it wasn't just one person.

Many, many of them, it was undoubtedly one of the foundations that formed Rea's life, and an existence that had a great influence on the formation of Rea's personality.

That's why she understands.

That the "Oogi Rea" they desired as their ideal, which Ooki Ranko desired and Nakami Runa controlled, exists within her.

That's not something she can just throw away now.

But she can't help feeling disgusted by it.

She has to deny it.

If she doesn't erase the existence that caused it, she will never be able to love herself again.

That's why she will grind her to death like this.

Even if her entire body's skin burns and emits a foul stench.

Even if she bleeds from her eyes, nose, and ears right in front of her.

Even if the slime that formed her face melts, exposing her true face.

Even if she talks to her like a close friend with a crushed voice—

"Die! I'll kill you! My life isn't coming back anyway, so then! Suffer as much as possible and diiiie!"

With Erika's style, which she had seen more closely than anyone else, Rea carries out her "revenge".

Then, perhaps realizing that begging for her life was futile, the look in Nakami's eyes changed.

"The one who will die is... gu, o... you...!"

The limit of her physical body is near.

Squeezing out her final moments as a human, what she left behind was a voice of resentment.

"Mother is... mine, mine, alone...!"

"Ooki san is going to be killed by Erika anyway. You two can just do whatever you want in the afterlife! Without bothering anyone, just the two of you in your own world as much as you like!"

"I'll kill you... u, a... when I turn into a monster, you, when Mother sees you, I'll, ga, guah, brutally, kill you so wretchedly that even a mother's affection will vanishhhhhh!"

"Shut uppppppp!"

When Rea put strength into both arms, a cracking sound echoed and Nakami's head was crushed.

Instantly she rolled her eyes back, her body twitched, and she stopped moving just like that.

She killed her with her own hands.

That sensation clearly remained in Rea's hands.

Strength drained from her arms.

When she let go of the shield, Aegis turned into particles and disappeared, and the defensive wall disappeared along with it.

Nakami's crushed corpse was released and rolled limply onto the floor.

Rea looked down at the corpse while breathing heavily, and wiped the profusely flowing tears with her arm.

Hiyami approached her and tried to place a hand on her shoulder.

However, Rea turned around and refused to be touched.

"Sniff... I'm fine. I'll get Erika to comfort me a lot later."

Rea said that and smiled.

Hiyami smiled wryly, lowered her hand that had lost its destination, and shrugged.

"I suppose so. I should have also used this hand to embrace Marin."

After finishing such a half-joking but serious exchange, a monster slithered out from Nakami's corpse.

"This is somewhat bothersome. To think they come out again after we finally defeated them."

"It's not like we're going to defeat it with just the two of us here, we won't get bored."

"Is someone coming to help?"

"No—"

For some reason, Hiyami looked up at the ceiling.

Drawn by her, Rea also looked at the same spot, and there was a large crack there.

"Most likely, this building won't hold."

The first floor was flashily destroyed by Nemusia and Inoue, and battles are currently unfolding in three locations.

There's no way a commonly built hotel could withstand such a thing.