Smoke still drifted upward.
Pieces of the station ceiling cracked and fell.
Mahito stood there.
Damaged.
Smiling.
Still smiling.
"…Seriously?"
Takeru said again.
Mahito laughed weakly.
"You hit me with EVERYTHING!"
His body stitched itself back together.
"And I'm still—"
He stopped.
Because Takeru raised one hand.
"…Nah."
A shadow spread beneath him.
Not one shadow.
Many.
BOOOOOM
Something massive emerged.
Then another.
Then another.
Mahoraga.
Then another figure.
Majo.
But instead of raised fists—
its hands were together.
Two Infinite Void hand signs.
Eyes glowing.
Then—
Suraga.
The wheel behind it turning slowly.
Instead of fists—
Malevolent Shrine markings crawled across its arms.
Then more.
And more.
And more.
Adapted variants.
Different shapes.
Different techniques.
Same turning wheel.
Silence.
Mahito blinked.
"…What."
Outside—
Yuji stared.
"…WHAT."
Megumi looked like reality had personally insulted him.
"…No."
Hakari pointed aggressively.
"…NO, THAT ISN'T A THING!"
The wheels above the variants rotated.
Once.
Twice.
Mahito slowly took a step back.
"…Takeru."
Takeru ignored him.
Then reached into nowhere.
And pulled out...
a trumpet.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Yuji stared.
"…Why does he have a trumpet."
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
Then something changed.
Warmth spread through the station.
Not heat.
Not cursed energy.
Something else.
Light.
Pure light.
Soft golden light.
Holy.
Gentle.
Yet somehow terrifying.
It radiated from Takeru.
Flowing around him.
His haori lifted softly in the air.
His eyes glowed brighter.
Mahito's smile disappeared.
Completely.
Takeru looked at him.
"Gonna make me use something I haven't even copied yet?"
The light around him intensified.
"How foolish..."
Then—
he blew the trumpet.
BWOOOOOOOOOO
The sound wasn't loud.
But it felt like it reached everywhere.
Inside walls.
Inside thoughts.
Inside souls.
Light exploded outward.
Above Takeru—
massive wings of light unfolded.
Symbols formed in the air.
Stairways.
Crosses.
Golden script.
And then—
something clicked.
Like reality had accepted a new rule.
Takeru blinked once.
"…Huh."
He looked at his hand.
"…I actually did it."
Jacob's Ladder.
Then—
he pointed at Mahito.
Silence.
The variants moved.
Mahoraga charged.
Majo's hands shifted.
Infinite information flooded forward.
Suraga's slashes erupted.
The others followed.
Each one using their abilities.
But with something added.
Adaptation.
The wheels spun.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Mahito tried moving—
Nothing.
His cursed technique didn't respond.
No reshaping.
No escaping.
No soul manipulation.
His eyes widened.
"…Wait."
The variants closed in.
Mahito looked up slowly.
"…Wait WAIT WAIT WAIT—"
BOOOOOOOOM