The Crustacean-Beam loomed over them, its mechanical legs stabbing into the sand like giant needles. The ruby lenses in its eyes were blinding now, humming with the sound of a thousand hornets. The air was so hot it felt like breathing liquid fire.
"Yui..." Konone’s voice was a rasp, but she grabbed Yui’s wrist with surprising strength. "Stop looking at the past. Look at the now."
"But I let you get hurt!" Yui sobbed, her transformation flickering. "If I’m this dangerous when I hesitate, and a monster when I don't, then I shouldn't be a hero at all!"
"Incorrect," Konone said, forcing herself to sit up despite the searing pain in her shoulder. She gripped Yui’s shoulders, her violet eyes locking onto Yui’s tear-streaked face. "Listen to me, Hanamachi Yui. The Void didn't choose to protect me. The Void didn't choose to buy me strawberry milk or teach me how to smile. You did."
The crab’s eyes reached full charge. A high-pitched whine signaled the imminent firing of the laser.
"That power you’re afraid of? It isn't the Void’s. It’s yours," Konone continued, her voice rising above the roar of the monster. "You aren't a liability. You are the only person who can stand beside me. Now, get up! Believe in the girl I believe in!"
Yui looked into Konone’s eyes. She saw no fear, no resentment—only absolute, unwavering trust. The cold knot of doubt in Yui’s chest didn't just melt; it shattered.
"You're right," Yui whispered, her grip tightening on her rapier. "I'm not the shadow. I'm the light that shatters it!"
Yui stood up. As she did, the flickering cyan of her suit exploded into a brilliant, crystalline blue. Her eyes regained their spark, brighter than the summer sun.
"MAXIMUM OUTPUT FIRING," the crab droned.
The twin lasers lashed out. But Yui didn't dodge. She stepped forward.
"Mirror-Ice Aegis!"
She swung her rapier in a wide arc, creating a massive, diamond-hard wall of ice. But she didn't make it thick to block the beam—she made it perfectly smooth and slanted. The lasers hit the ice and, instead of melting it, they reflected off the mirrored surface, curving back with double the intensity.
ZAP!
The reflected beams slammed directly into the crab’s own lenses. A shower of sparks and black oil erupted from its head as the lenses shattered. The monster shrieked, blinded and stumbling back toward the water.
"Konone, now! While its armor is brittle!" Yui shouted, her ice spreading across the crab’s legs, freezing the hydraulic fluid in its joints.
Konone didn't need a second command. She ignited her remaining gauntlet, her flames turning a pure, brilliant white. She launched herself off Yui’s ice ramp, a human meteor.
"Blazing Impact: Supernova!"
Konone’s fist connected with the crab’s cracked shell. With the metal frozen by Yui and heated by Konone, the physics were absolute. The shell shattered like glass. The Crustacean-Beam exploded into a flurry of rusted gears and sea foam.
As the smoke cleared, the golden glow of a new card descended from the sky. Yui caught it gently. On its face was a calm, clear pool of water: The 6th Heart Card — The Card of Clarity.
The beach returned to silence, save for the gentle lapping of the waves. Eza was gone, leaving only his empty tea glass on the rock.
Yui immediately dropped her transformation and ran to Konone, who had also reverted to her normal clothes. "Konone! Your shoulder! Let me see!"
Konone looked at her arm. The burn was there, but it was already fading, the magic of the Heart Card beginning to knit her skin back together. She looked at Yui and gave her a small, lopsided smile.
"The tactical assessment was correct," Konone said softly. "You are the best partner a 'biological anomaly' could ask for."
Yui laughed through her remaining tears, hugging Konone tightly. The fear of her own power was still there, a tiny shadow in the corner of her mind, but as the sun set over the ocean, she knew she didn't have to carry it alone. The tide had turned, and for the first time, the "Happy-Go-Lucky" hero felt like she finally knew who she was.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCG0o3qYpT
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