"Mmm, so you've come, Tohka Yatogami!!!" Glancing unexpectedly at Tohka appearing before her, Kurumi Tokisaki showed a faint smile.
"Ugh." At that moment, aboard the airship, Shido Itsuka suddenly gagged. In the original story it was just a puddle of blood, but here there was not only blood but also some torn internal organs. So, seeing this for the first time, Shido almost threw up. And it wasn't just him—the entire crew showed uncomfortable expressions.
"Tch. You—if you're going to kill them, just drag them into your shadows. Why go out of your way to make it so revolting?" Tohka's stomach churned too, but her Marvel years had hardened her somewhat. She had seen grand, catastrophic battles where bodies didn't remain intact. This... this was grotesque.
"Ara ara, if little Tohka feels that way, then I'll just make them disappear." Perhaps noticing Tohka's expression, Kurumi's feet quickly sprouted several shadows that swallowed all the remains. Only the bloodstains remained, proof of what had just occurred.
"Honestly, I didn't expect this. Tohka, you're like me—you've killed quite a lot of people, haven't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't stay so calm in front of corpses. It seems we're both 'evil' Spirits, aren't we?" Looking at the composed Tohka, Kurumi's interest grew stronger and stronger.
"Hey—what's with that look on your face?" Seeing her expression, Tohka instinctively took a step back. Just a moment ago, a shadow had brushed right past her. Though this time, it hadn't enveloped her.
"You're right. I've done that too—but it was during war. You think war doesn't involve death?" She wasn't lying. The big fights she'd been part of in Marvel were basically wars. If she'd lost, the disasters would have been even worse. Back then, she'd had no choice.
"Ara ara, little Tohka, you must be joking. Even in recent years, this world has seen wars—but you absolutely didn't participate in them." Clearly, Kurumi didn't believe her explanation. She spoke up directly.
"Tch, you're always 'little Tohka' this, 'little Tohka' that. Am I really that little to you?" Though she knew this woman was actually pushing thirty, she certainly looked younger.
"Mmm, so there's more than one Spirit here today? 'Princess,' 'Nightmare'—in that case, I'll just eliminate you both at once. After all, quite a few of those AST troops have suffered under you." Just then, a girl clad in the same kind of combat gear as Shido stepped into the alleyway. She looked at them with mildly surprised eyes.
"And you are? Quite the arrogance." Though she knew exactly who this was, Tohka still felt annoyed. What an arrogant way of speaking. This girl's strength wasn't necessarily higher than her own right now. Against Kurumi, she was almost overwhelming—but this was only a clone. Her power was much weaker, and she couldn't even summon her Angel. That was precisely why Tohka hadn't started a fight: she knew that no matter whether she won or lost, it would be pointless. She was sure that tomorrow Kurumi would appear before her alive and well anyway, so why waste the effort?
"Ara ara, here to kill me again, are you? It's been how many times now? You really never give up." Seeing the girl who had killed her countless times, Kurumi didn't look afraid at all. She even flashed a brazen smile, as if being killed were just an everyday event.
"Hmph." But Mana Takamiya didn't say anything back. She simply raised her weapon and charged forward. This time, though, she didn't attack Kurumi—instead, she struck at Tohka. Because Tohka happened to be standing much too close to her.
"Clang." Watching Mana rush at her, Tohka simply drew her tachi and blocked the strike. Then she spoke with some irritation: "Wasn't your target that Nightmare behind me? Why the hell are you coming at me?"
"Hmph, you Spirits are all the same. It doesn't matter which of you I destroy." Mana's attitude toward Spirits was no different from the AST's or DEM's—existences that must be annihilated. And today was the first time she'd ever seen a Spirit other than Kurumi. So, she couldn't help lunging at Tohka. After all, she'd grown numb fighting Kurumi again and again. Seeing a different Spirit for once made her want to test herself.
"Ah—so I'm not your target this time? In that case, farewell, little Tohka. I'll leave this girl who's always on my tail to you." Just then, Kurumi didn't attack. She knew this person very well, having been pursued by her constantly. She was well aware that Mana's strength was enough to destroy her clones but probably not enough to defeat Tohka. So, she vanished, leaving Mana behind.
"Hey—!" Caught in a power struggle with Mana, Tohka saw Kurumi's figure disappear into the shadows. Since Mana was clinging to her, she had no way to stop it.
"Wasn't that the target you've been chasing? She just escaped—you're not going after her?" But Tohka also didn't feel like fighting here. This girl had clearly been enhanced somehow and was nothing like the AST troopers she'd toyed with before. In her current state, defeating Mana wouldn't be easy.
"Hmph, you're all Spirits. It doesn't matter which of you I eliminate." Hearing Tohka's question, Mana snorted coldly and had no intention of pursuing Kurumi. Instead, she raised her leg and kicked at Tohka.
"Tch." Shooting a glare at the girl who was so much shorter than she was, Tohka flipped back to dodge the blow. Then she charged in with no hesitation, swinging her tachi down toward Mana's head.