Chapter 448: Shatter, Reality!

Dark Girl-style Gothic clothes, the skirt fluttering as if moved by invisible wind.

The bandage on her left hand was half unwound, drifting like silk beside her.

Even from a distance, the overwhelming aura radiating from that small frame was unmistakable.

The familiar ahoge, the familiar face…

Rikka?

That person was…

Rikka!

“Shatter, reality!”

“Break, spirit!”

“Banish — this world!”

The instant the chant echoed, a dark golden pupil and a deep purple magic circle shone brilliantly, bursting into blinding, dazzling light.

Scenes of bizarre, fantastical, and otherworldly supernatural events unfolded suddenly before Himekoji’s eyes.

“This… what is this?”

Words slipped mindlessly from his lips.

“Ah.”

Then he heard Touka’s low, heavy sigh beside him—bitter and complex.

She didn’t answer Himekoji, but covered her face in sorrow and helplessness.

She’d seen this scene countless times already.

Like a horror movie replaying over and over before her.

…

“Time’s almost up. So, we’ll end today here.”

A gentle male voice—soft and warm, like scattered flecks of sun through forest leaves.

Directed at Rikka.

Only now did Himekoji sharply notice the person standing opposite Rikka.

A guy dressed like a student, in a uniform, around Himekoji’s age.

Standing silently there, facing Rikka across the space.

An enemy?

Yet his face wore a calm, gentle smile…

But that smile… how should Himekoji put it?

It was probably nothing more than a mask—something to signify his role or hide his true feelings.

For no clear reason, Himekoji had that strong impression even though this was their first meeting.

Maybe it was the eyes. They felt familiar. He had to have seen them somewhere before!

That’s why he jumped to such a hasty, rude conclusion immediately.

“Careful now, don’t get hurt.”

The man spoke again, the concern in his words unmistakably genuine. But then… he raised his sword.

Pointing its tip at Rikka across the distance.

Rikka didn’t answer. Instead, seemingly on instinct, she reached out her hand. Between her pale thigh and her dark skirt, she made a “drawing” motion.

To pull out a weapon?

Of course! Facing that sharp sword, she couldn’t go empty-handed!

Girls pulling weapons from the sacred territory beneath their skirts—it was an accepted, even anticipated, trope everyone understood.

Just as Himekoji settled on that thought…

In the next moment, Rikka’s “drawing” motion suddenly hesitated.

Confusion flashed across the girl’s face. No katana, no spear, no edged weapon emerged from beneath the hem, as Himekoji expected.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the opponent’s attack roared forward.

With terrifying force, the brilliant, frightening sword gleam cut through the air, humming like the world being torn.

“W-Wait! Stop! This’ll kill her!”

This was real?!

Not Chuunibyou. Not cosplay. A real fight. Life or death!

What… what on earth was happening?!

Himekoji’s mind went instantly blank.

Sheer terror crawled up his face like a living thing.

A stark contrast formed with Rikka beneath that lethal blade.

She was expressionless. Calm even in this situation. This Rikka felt strange and distant to Himekoji.

The dark golden eye she called the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord was shining brilliantly, blindingly bright. And yet… the very same eye made Himekoji feel suffocated and pressured.

Bright, blindingly so. But… also hollow. Lifeless.

That stunning dark gold didn’t just pierce the eyes; it pierced Himekoji’s heart with pain.

Rikka didn’t draw any weapon. Her hands were empty. Palms raised.

As the sharp sword swing descended towards her, she lifted her face to the sky—still holding a trace of hope, yet resigning herself. Accepting it. Giving up resistance.

What was Rikka hoping for?

What was she accepting as her fate?

What did she see in the sky she was looking at?

…

Whatever it was… she needed to LIVE!

Don’t give up!

Veins bulged on Himekoji’s neck. Eyes bloodshot, driven by a near-madness, he charged towards Rikka—straight into the path of the blade.

“What are you doing?!”

Touka caught on first, gripping Himekoji in alarm.

“What? I’m going to save her, of course!”

Himekoji struggled desperately to break free.

“It’s pointless. You can’t save her.”

Himekoji’s mind, his entire being, was fixed on Rikka right now. Right at this critical, life-threatening juncture. He had no mental space to fully grasp the helplessness, the utter hopelessness in Touka’s words.

What could possibly make an older sister, who loved her imouto deeply, say such things?

You can’t save her…

“Nonsense!”

Himekoji just responded rudely with crude, rough words.

Was he supposed to stand by idly and watch while Rikka was in danger?

“Let go!”

Himekoji’s voice was low and hoarse, like it had been smoked and burned.

All the bad feelings he had about Rikka had finally come true right here.

“No! You’ll die!”

Touka gripped Himekoji tightly; the sleeve of the yukata he had hastily put on was almost torn off by her.

No, not almost—it was already torn!

Himekoji’s yukata burst open instantly, leaving him completely naked, like a cannonball shot out.

Touka, holding a handful of cloth scraps, lost her balance and fell to the ground in shock.

“No!”

That was the only cry she managed to make.

……

Clothing Explosion!

Even with Clothing Explosion, he could not block the sword’s bright light at that level.

Himekoji knew it; he knew it too well.

However much he borrowed the System’s energy, his body power could only rise to the peak of human strength.

But the big fight in front had clearly gone beyond what any human could reach.

Yet, Himekoji pushed on without looking back!

Faster, faster!

Let me make it!

Clothing Explosion! Again! One more time!

His only yukata had already exploded into pieces under Himekoji’s move.

From now on, all that could burst was his skin, bones, and boiling blood!

【Stop! Quit it!】

The System, which had not made a sound since arriving in town, finally could not pretend to be asleep.

The System anxiously shouted sharply at Himekoji.

But Himekoji could not hear it anymore.

His skin cracked like a spiderweb, oozing bright red blood, and all over his body, bones made crunching, breaking sounds.

Himekoji’s speed surged again, beyond what humans could do!

“Made it……”

In a sigh that sounded tired, weak, and self-satisfied, Himekoji spread his arms wide and blocked in front of Rikka.

Just then, the sword’s bright light came howling down, massive and destructive, aiming to smash everything.

Under that huge sword light, Himekoji looked as small as an ant, like an ant trying to stop a cart—biting off more than he could chew.

Was he going to die?

He probably would die……

The world went quiet at that moment.

All the howling sounds seemed to fade far away.

So, he heard it.

—the puzzled voice of the girl coming from behind—

“Who are you?”

“Why save someone like me?”

“I am the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord; my born mission is to be killed by the Brave.”

……