Chapter 29 — Sacrifice

No one spoke another word.

Ryuen moved first. With a simple swing of his right hand, a gigantic violet blade of energy tore through the air.

SHHHHRAAAK!!

The slash split the shopping mall in two. Greed lightly jumped to the left, while Wrath leaped to the right. The battlefield instantly divided.

Ryuen pointed forward.

"Separate them!"

Without hesitation, the formation split. Ryuen, alongside the Red, Yellow, and White Next Generation Bravers, charged toward Greed. Meanwhile, Blue, Green, Purple, and Pink rushed toward Wrath.

As they ran, compartments on their forearms unfolded. Blades of pure Stellar Energy extended from their wrists, each weapon glowing with the color matching its armor: red, yellow, and white.

They attacked Greed simultaneously from three directions.

Greed laughed.

"Hehe!"

She danced between the strikes with graceful, exaggerated feminine movements—a spin, a backflip, a playful sidestep. Every attack missed by mere centimeters.

Then Ryuen attacked from her blind spot. Another enormous violet slash raced toward her. At the very last instant, Greed twisted only her upper body, and the slash barely grazed her cheek. A thin line of blood appeared.

Greed touched it with one finger.

"...So close."

She giggled.

Almost instantly, two enormous black tendrils burst from beneath her sailor uniform and shot toward Ryuen. The Yellow and White Next Generation Bravers intercepted them.

SHHK!

SHHK!

Their Stellar Energy blades severed both tendrils before they could reach Ryuen.

Across the battlefield, Pink and Purple unleashed continuous energy blasts toward Wrath.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Wrath answered by extending dozens of black tendrils from beneath her hoodie. The beams exploded harmlessly against the living shield.

Blue and Green rushed in with their energy blades. Wrath effortlessly slipped between their attacks. Green swung again, but Wrath suddenly stepped inside his guard.

CRACK!!

Her elbow smashed directly into Green's faceplate. Blood splattered inside the cracked visor as Green stumbled backward.

Wrath's crimson eye locked onto him, and she drove a devastating punch into his chest.

BOOOM!!

"Urghh!"

His armor cracked. Green screamed as he was launched across the shopping mall, his body crashing violently into a concrete pillar.

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Before Wrath could finish him, Purple and Pink jumped in front of Green. Their forearms transformed, and two massive Stellar Energy shields materialized.

Wrath hammered both shields repeatedly.

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

The shields trembled but held.

"Tch."

Wrath clicked her tongue in annoyance as the force pushed her backward.

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Several kilometers away, inside the military command vehicle, large monitors displayed live footage transmitted by hidden reconnaissance drones. Dr. Gero calmly observed the battle as a proud smile appeared on his face.

"We were never able to replicate the unique abilities possessed by the original Bravers."

He folded his arms.

"But Stellar Energy itself...can be weaponized."

The monitors displayed diagnostic data from the Next Generation armor.

“My engineers developed an entire arsenal. Every suit contains multiple combat systems, each adaptable to changing battlefield conditions.”

Behind him, Endou and Yuki silently watched. Neither spoke.

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Back inside the shopping mall, Ryuen's attacks became increasingly aggressive. Another slash followed another, and then another, each one capable of cleaving through entire floors.

Yet Greed continued avoiding every strike. Whenever Red, Yellow, or White created an opening, Ryuen attacked immediately, but every time, Greed dodged, almost as if she already knew exactly where his attacks would come from.

Ryuen frowned.

"...Just die already!"

Greed laughed brightly.

"Hehehe. But you said you wanted this battle to be memorable."

Meters away, Wrath continued fighting the other four Next Generation Bravers. As they all attacked together, Pink finally found an opening.

"Now!"

A brilliant pink beam struck Wrath squarely in the back.

BOOOM!!

Wrath dropped to one knee.

Blue immediately raised his sword.

"This is our chance!"

Purple's eyes widened as he noticed something.

Wrath was smiling.

"Blue, don't! It's a trap!"

Purple shouted.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Wrath immediately stood back up. She slipped past Blue's blade, grabbed both of his arms, and then—

BANG!!

She slammed him into the floor.

Again.

BANG!!

Again.

BANG!!

Again.

BANG!!

The entire shopping mall shook with every impact.

Purple, Green, and Pink rushed forward, but before they could reach her, dozens of black tendrils exploded outward from Wrath's clothing.

"ARGGHH!"

The three Bravers were violently thrown backward.

Wrath continued mercilessly beating Blue. Only when he stopped resisting did she finally stop. His helmet had shattered completely, and blood ran down his face.

Wrath grabbed him by the hair and lifted him effortlessly. She looked directly into his terrified eyes with a vicious, furious smile.

"...Is that all?... I thought you were supposed to be humanity's next heroes."

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Inside the command vehicle, Yuki stepped forward.

"We have to help them!"

She stared at the monitor.

"Blue's going to die!"

Gero watched the screen silently. One of his soldiers was completely defeated, and his face twisted in anger. Then, slowly, he smiled—a cold, satisfied smile.

He pressed a single button on the device attached to his wrist.

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Back inside the shopping mall, Wrath suddenly frowned.

"...?"

Still holding Blue by the hair, she noticed something strange. The circular Stellar Core embedded in the center of Blue's chest began glowing brighter and brighter.

Meters away, Greed instinctively turned.

"...Wrath!"

She shouted Wrath's name in panic. For the first time ever, the impossible smile vanished from her face, and her eyes widened with worry.

"ARGHHHHHHHH!"

Blue screamed in agony as the blue light intensified until it became impossible to look at.

Wrath immediately released him and jumped backward.

But she reacted too late. The Stellar Core reached critical output.

WHHHHHHHHHHHH—

Blue's armor detonated.

A blinding explosion of pure Stellar Energy erupted in every direction. Wrath threw both arms in front of her face as black tendrils surged outward in a desperate attempt to shield herself.

Then a crimson blur flashed across the battlefield, rushing straight toward Wrath.

Greed.

Without hesitation, she placed herself directly between Wrath and the explosion. Countless black tendrils erupted from beneath her uniform, forming a massive shield.

The wall of darkness met the expanding sea of blue light.

"...!"

Wrath's eyes widened. Her expression broke as she saw Greed shielding her with her own body.

"GREEEED!!"

Her scream echoed through the shopping mall as both Witches disappeared inside the blinding blue explosion.