The auditorium throbbed with the grotesque pulse of the fleshy mass. Countless eyes glared at Akira and Kana, tendrils writhing in a sickening dance. The smaller creatures stirred again, encircling Akira.
His left arm, warped from the earlier impact, moved sluggishly. Yet his eyes gleamed with cold resolve as he raised the blade in his right hand.
"Kana, move to the wall. I'll buy you time," he said.
Kana nodded, crawling toward the auditorium's edge. Her heart pounded, torn between terror and trust in Akira.
He glanced at her briefly, then locked his gaze back on the monstrosity.
Tendrils lashed out. Akira sliced through them, advancing step by relentless step. The smaller creatures swarmed his feet, but he crushed them underfoot and swept his blade in wide arcs, clearing a path.
But the flesh began to swell.
Its surface of eyes blinked in unison, and the auditorium quaked. Cracks split the floor, and chunks of the ceiling rained down.
Akira's sensors screamed warnings. "Energy spike detected. Explosion imminent. Neutralizing now."
He charged the mass, blade raised high. Tendrils surged toward him, but he dodged and slashed, carving his way to its core.
There, at its center, pulsed a red, beating nucleus—its heart, he intuited.
With a powerful leap, he drove his blade into it.
A sickening squish echoed. The mass shuddered.
The tendrils froze, and the smaller creatures stumbled, disoriented.
But then the mass swelled faster, red light spilling from its wounds.
"Danger. Explosion imminent. Kana, get to the exit!" Akira shouted.
Kana scrambled to her feet and sprinted for the door.
Akira, blade still buried in the nucleus, pushed his systems to their limits. "Energy suppression mode activated. Delaying detonation."
His body grew hot, sparks spitting from his damaged left arm.
The mass's swelling slowed, just enough. Kana reached the exit.
She turned back, catching sight of Akira still locked in his struggle.
"Akira! Come on!" she cried.
"My mission is your safety. Run to the gate. I'll follow," he said.
Kana fought back tears and bolted through the door.
She tore down the corridor, legs burning, as a deafening roar erupted behind her. The school lurched violently.
The mass had exploded.
She wanted to look back but couldn't stop, her eyes fixed ahead as she ran.
The gate came into view.
The cold midnight air enveloped her as she burst through, stumbling to her knees just outside. Gasping, she turned back.
The school stood eerily silent, smoke curling from the auditorium's direction.
"Akira…" Her voice trembled.
Then, from the shadows of the gate, came footsteps.
Clack, clack.
Steady, rhythmic.
Akira emerged.
His left arm hung useless, his uniform torn, silver hair disheveled. Yet he stood before Kana, his face as impassive as ever.
"Mission complete. Your safety is secured," he said.
Kana rose and ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "You're alive… Thank you, thank you."
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she pressed her face into his tattered uniform.
Akira froze for a moment, then spoke softly. "Minor error detected in emotional data processing. Cause unknown. But your safety confirms operational success."
Kana pulled back, laughing through her tears as she looked up at him. "That's just you being kind."
He didn't respond, his gaze drifting to the silent school.