Chapter Forty-Eight: Mokamachi

A blood-red figure streaked through the night, moving like a flash of light away from the abandoned factory. Her speed was so great that she defied gravity, drawing a crimson scar across the sky—a trail as vivid as the cloud tracks at dusk, a streak of blood suspended in the air. At the end of this scar was the figure of a girl wrapped in blood. The velocity was so immense that it unleashed rolling shockwaves, accompanied by a piercing, expanding screech.

Boom—

What on earth...

...What is that?

In Mokushita Town, Arakawa Ward, the streets of Tokyo, as the screech from above echoed through the air, every passerby and resting traveler on the benches widened their eyes in awe, staring at the source—a figure, drawing closer, carving a crimson path through the sky.

...Are they filming a movie?

...Is it some new kind of special effect?

The residents, accustomed to peaceful days, were slow to sense danger. Even as the red figure descended from the heavens, falling like a meteor and closing in on the ground, they remained bewildered, not fleeing. One young man, caught up in excitement, raised his phone to capture the falling red light, opening his TT account and launching a live stream, brimming with enthusiasm:

Wow, everyone, look! Something incredible is happening here...

Boom!

The crimson light crashed down. Miku Ito landed squarely at the center of Mokushita Town's intersection. The overwhelming force of her descent blasted a crater several meters wide, sending dust billowing into the air.

Cough, cough...

What a spectacle!

Pedestrians and drivers alike stared in shock at the girl emerging from the haze, unscathed. Her entire body was wrapped in blood, her brows and eyes delicate as snow upon distant peaks.

Rather than fleeing, the crowd pressed closer—the dramatic arrival of the girl did not inspire fear but drew even more people to the scene. After the initial astonishment, the onlookers gazed at her stunning beauty, whispering and snapping endless photos. The young man streaming was quick to aim his camera at Miku Ito, his broadcast attracting ever more viewers.

Did you see that? It's amazing, right? What is she—a magical girl? A Valkyrie?

On the right of the livestream, messages from newly arrived viewers flooded the comment section:

wwwww

Filming a movie?

Is it CGI?

This is Mokushita Town

lolololololol

Is it really this grand?

Talk to her—I'll reward the streamer with a festival!

...

Seeing that last comment, the young man's eyes lit up. He walked toward Miku Ito, phone in hand, waving as he approached.

Um—

He stretched out his right hand, moving closer, but as he reached within a few meters of her, his feet suddenly felt trapped, as if sinking into a mire.

What...?

Glancing down, his eyes widened in horror—somehow, his feet were already surrounded by a surge of blood, clutching his legs tightly, making escape impossible!

Moreover, this blood was spreading outward from the girl at its center. In mere seconds, it engulfed the entire street, covering hundreds of meters in every direction.

What is happening?!!

Hey—

No use—I can't get out!

The pedestrians and crowd finally panicked, and those in cars grew fearful as the blood seeped through every gap, soon reaching their bodies as well.

Watching this unfold, the young streamer’s hands trembled. He turned back toward the heart of the blood tide.

At the center, the girl smiled gently at all those bound by the blood.

Everyone, do you wish for release?

Her voice, laced with seductive resonance, echoed in the minds of all nearby.

This world is full of suffering. Each of us lives in loneliness.

We cannot understand one another, nor connect soul to soul. We are adversaries, we kill and wound, creating pain in this world, and are swept up in it.

But now... things are different.

Because I am here, standing before you. I have come for everyone’s happiness.

From this moment, there is no more strife, no more struggle. All will live in a unified world, each person as the whole, and the whole as each person.

So—please, live equally and peacefully in my world!

As Miku Ito's gentle voice rang out, the tides of blood surged skyward, enveloping everyone! The young streamer’s eyes turned vacant and dreamy, his phone slipping to the ground—not just him, but all others, pedestrians, drivers, passengers, seemed to shed their defenses, gazing out with muddled eyes and serene smiles.

So that's it...

How wonderful...

I never imagined true salvation was right here...

Thank you...

Everyone surrendered, letting the crimson tide consume them. Hundreds, thousands were wrapped in blood, forming an enormous sphere that slowly contracted inward.

When at last the blood sphere condensed into a single entity, Miku Ito vanished from Mokushita Town.

The scene was left in utter chaos. Only the abandoned streaming phone remained on the ground, surrounded by a flood of comments.

wwwwww

What happened at the end?

No idea, but there was some strange sound

It was like hearing some kind of gospel^^

I felt strange when I heard it...

Probably not a movie, right?

Whoa, what happened to the streamer...

The comments continued to pour in until a programmer finally cut the broadcast. Yet even then, the chatter did not die down.

On Mokushita Town’s street, the police at last arrived. Amid urgent sirens, a line of patrol cars stopped at the curb. Dozens of officers stepped out, surveying the empty street—cars and sidewalks deserted, as if some monstrous beast had devoured everyone. Their faces turned pale.

This is beyond our jurisdiction! The patrol chief of Arakawa Ward barked to his subordinates:

Seal off the area immediately—call headquarters at the Metropolitan Police Department and the Ministry of Defense, now!