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Metal clashed. Steel screamed. Fire lit up the night, the vastness of the cosmos blinking with the weight of the battle below.
And in the end, when the smoke cleared, the answer was decisive.
Kotone had won.
“Y-y-you did it-it-it.” Aigis fell to her knees, smoke burning out from her joints as her voice stuttered and her wires sparked. Despite the damage done to her, however, she turned her face back to look up at Kotone with a smile. “I’m s-so proud of you-you-you-you…”
“Aigis…” Kotone swallowed, letting her naginata fall by the wayside as she crouched next to the mechanical girl and took her hand. Aigis’ grip was tight as she squeezed, firm and desperate. “I’m sorry, I didn’t- I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“And I-I you.” Aigis nodded, her neck jittering as some crossed circuit triggered the motion. “But it would be wrong to not give it our all-all-all. Y-you have won, fair and sq-square…”
“Still, I-“ Kotone swallowed her protest. She knew the rules as well as everyone else. There could only be one winner, one final path to victory. And yet. “Makoto, Ryoji, and now you… it doesn’t feel right. Why am I still standing, when you all are gone?”
“W-we are not gone, Kotone. Those we leave behind will always be with us.” Aigis reached up, cradling Kotone’s cheek as a tear streaked down her face. “Y-you taught me-me-me that. N-no matter what happens next, we will be with-with-with you. Forever.”
“Forever.” Kotone agreed, hesitating for a moment before reaching down and placing a gentle kiss on Aigis’ lips. The android reciprocated, their tears mixing at the edge of the universe as they held that last moment of love before what would come next. “I’ll win for you, Aigis. For everyone.”
“I know you will.” Aigis smiled, allowing herself to fall away and stare at the unending cosmos with eyes full of stars. “I would like to not have to fight you again next year.”
“Yeah.” Kotone hiccupped, wiping her eyes as she stumbled to her feet. “That’d suck, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh, but I rather like the drama!” Elizabeth hummed as she kicked Kotone’s naginata into her hands like a skateboard and offered it to the Wildcard. “Here my dear guest, you’ll be needing this won’t you?”
“I guess so.” Kotone grinned, taking the blade as a velvet blue door appeared before her. “This is it, huh? Think second time’s the charm?”
“So long as you don’t face another delightful blond, I’m certain of it.” Elizabeth tutted, stepping back and going to lift Aigis in a princess carry. “Now, away with you. You have a job to do.”
“Sure do.” Kotone nodded, stepping through the door with one last look over her shoulder. Aigis’ smile was the last thing she saw, hopeful and determined for what was to come. “I just have to make it count.”
A black sun hung heavy in the sky as Kotone stepped onto the next plane, a dark void ringing an arena of light as she and her competitor stepped into the ring. She couldn’t help but snort at the sight of her opponent, a blond-haired boy with a scar over his eyebrow and a smile on his face.
“Really, again?” Kotone laughed, spinning her naginata at her side. “Guess I’m cursed to fight blonds, huh?”
“Maybe. But I gotta tell you, things are gonna go my way this time.” Kanji cracked his knuckles, tapping his foot as shards of blue glass surrounded him. “I got too many people dependin’ on me pulling this off.”
“Funny, actually.” Kotone grinned, placing her Evoker against the side of her head as the darkness closed around her and she began her march towards the future. “I was going to say the same thing.”
Crack.
Bang!
And it begins all over again.