A fierce battle between former and new members of the Arc Dominion. The winner of the battle at the Rainbow Bridge was the new executive, Kuriyama Rintaro, aka the heinous mysterious Death Green.

Rintaro picked up the small body of Samecchi, who was lying limp, as if she was a princess. Her shark-print pajamas were soaked with water from the wind and rain, and some of the buttons had been ripped off.

Rintaro firmly confirmed the weight of his own peace that was stolen from him by the purgatory mysterious being Hinosmera.

「This is Death Green, I have successfully secured Samecchi. The situation has ended. All hands evacuate immediately.」

『Ka ka ka, I didn’t even have to show up! It’s a shame that I couldn’t beat her up with my own hands, ja wai.』

「It would be better if the old man never appeared. I don’t want you to be rushed to the hospital because you hurt your back.」

『Haah! I am young, ja mon! My waist can be rotated 360 degrees!』

A gurgling motor sound echoed from Rintaro’s Death Green transformation gear. It was quite surreal to imagine a young blonde girl spinning her upper body around in front of the radio.

To begin with, Rintaro and Tagaraak were supposed to meet up on the bridge, but where in the world is she radioing from?

『I can’t believe I am fallin’ behind such a youngsta’.』

As Rintaro was taking a break after retrieving Samecchi, the strangely clear voice of a woman reached his ears. Rintaro looked at the body of Samecchi sleeping in his arms, and saw a black flame, reduced to the size of a match, swinging unreliably in her exposed chest.

Although she no longer had the strength to resist and had lost control of her body, she was still conscious, as one would expect from a former executive.

「Hey, are we still going to do it? Give me a break, I’ve just managed to avoid dropping the Rainbow Bridge.」

『I ain’t that bad. Rather…… Were ya’ plannin’to drop this bridge as well……』

「Well, if I got hit, the bridge piers will be blown up right away.」

Hinosmera was silent for a moment when Rintaro said this as if it were a matter of course, but then, perhaps unable to contain herself any longer, she let out a self-deprecating laugh.

『Fufuh…… I can’t compete, Death is it, No wonder Samecchi fell in luv’ with ya.』

The black flame, about to be extinguished, swayed with laughter. The flame that Samecchi had risked her body to protect was literally a dying flame.

「I’m gonna take that as a compliment. Then Hinosmera, about your treatment after this……」

The distant sound of a helicopter picking them up was gradually getting closer. For Hinosmera, it was the sound of footsteps on the 13 steps to the gallows.

『A loss is a loss, I’ll leave my affairs to ya. Let me die as painlessly as possible.』

「……That grace, I hope a certain babiniku[i] little girl can emulate it. But, well, let’s not make it look bad for Samecchi.……」

Rintaro’s mutterings of dismay were muffled by the loud rustling of the wind. A pitch black helicopter emerged from the rain clouds and circled over the Rainbow Bridge.

The loud sound of the approaching helicopter awakened Samecchi.

「N……Nyu……？」

「Hey, good morning Samecchi.」

「Aniki…… This is, ssu……？」

Samecchi, still in Rintaro’s arms, glanced around. Then, seeing the flames burning in her chest, she shouted in surprise.

「Wawaaaaa, ssu!? Hino-chan, don’t come out, ssuyo!」

『Ah ha ha, ya’ look better than I thought ya’ would.』

The helicopter that was picking them up slowly lowered its altitude. The side hatch is opened, and Minato, who was on board, waved widely to Rintaro.

『……Finally, looks like the final call has arrived』

Her clear voice sounded somewhat lonely and somewhat happy. Unable to grasp the situation at the moment, Samecchi alternately looked at the fire smoldering in her chest and Rintaro’s face.

「Just to be sure, don’t get violent, okay? Hey, it’s this way. Hurry up and get down quickly!」

When Rintaro called out to the helicopter, Minato waved her hand even harder. She seemed to be desperately trying to communicate something, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of the helicopter.

Minato, perhaps sensing this, shouted into the loudspeaker microphone attached to the cockpit with a panicked look.

「Rintaroooo!」

「Hey Minato, what’s going on?　If you don’t pull the helicopter closer, I won’t be able to get on!」

「The bridge……! The bridge is meltiiiiiiiiing!!!」

「What the hell!?」

The next moment, Rintaro’s feet swayed unsteadily.

The heat waves from Hinosmera’s sun-like attack reached not only the asphalt, but also the Yurikamome line running beneath it and the core of the columns that suspended them. The reinforced concrete, which had turned red like magma, was no longer in a condition to support its own weight.

「Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!」

「Awawawawa, Anikiiiiiiii!!」

Fifty meters below the crumbling scaffolding, you can see the rough waters of Tokyo Bay. It’s barely high enough for the death green suit to withstand.

「Victory Change!」

――However

The essential Victory Transformation Gear was not responding at all. It’s no wonder.

「Oh no, that’s right!」

The crucial suit was left on the karakuri robot in a decoy operation, and was burned up by Hinosumera.

「Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!」

「Anikiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!」

Rintaro fell 50 meters headlong with Samecchi in his arms.

In his stagnant eyes, he saw the surface of the sea slowly approaching, as if in slow motion. It’s one thing if he was a mysterious being, but he was a flesh-and-blood human being, he might faint at best, or even die at worst.

He can no longer choose his means, so there is only one thing he could do at this moment.

「Hang on tight, Samecchi！」

Rintaro embraced Samecchi’s body as if to wrap her in his arms. He arched his back, holding the small head tightly to his chest.

「No, ssu! aniki will die, ssu!」

「Listen, Shark, for the sake of my little sister, I can even fly!」

Rintaro smiled, but of course, no flesh-and-blood human being can fly.

Doppaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!

Immediately after, Rintaro’s back was slammed into the surface of the sea and a large pillar of water rose up. Debris fell into the sea one after another as if covering the two of them.

「Gobogabogabobobo……!」

Rintaro’s body, knocked unconscious by the impact of the fall, sank to the bottom of the dark sea. Still embraced by his chest, Samechi struggled.

「Aniki…… Will definitely be saved by Samecchi, ssuuuubukubukubuku!!」

The cold water mercilessly entered through her mouth, ears, and nose. Since gaining the power of fire, the ocean is now the natural enemy of Samecchi.

Will Samecchi, who had turned into a kanadzuchi, be able to save a grown man? No, it’s not about whether she can do it or not, she must do it.　

Samecchi flapped her tiny limbs frantically in the dark, cold sea.

The stagnant waters of Tokyo Bay, combined with the stormy weather, made it difficult to tell which way was up and which way was down.

In the water, where debris is pouring down, surrounded by the sound of raging waves.

even so――

『Can’t be helped. Hino-chan will lend ya’ a hand just a little.』

――The voice clearly reached Samecchi’s ears.

「Hino……–chan?」

The next moment, a small black flame that had been smoldering around Samechi’s heart beat with a thump. As if released from a curse by prayer, the flame changed its color from black to white.

At the same time, Samecchi’s entire body was filled with power. Energy, as if it were the true spirit of an aquatic mysterious being, welled up from the bottom of Samecchi’s body.

「Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!」

The triangular dorsal fins, the pointed tip of the nose, and the sharp fangs that peeked out from the large mouth. In an instant, the girl transformed into a “monster” reminiscent of a giant shark.

The Ark Dominion’s proud underwater champion, the fanged shark mysterious being Samegaro, the true form of Samecchi.

Her finned arms held Rintaro’s body firmly, and her huge body took flight as if flying through the water.

The murky water relentlessly obstructed the view, and the semicircular canals were thrown out of whack by the debris and rough waves.

However, at the bottom of the dark sea, where there was no guidepost, a small white light was shaking in front of Samecchi’s eyes. The light rose to the surface of the sea as if guiding Samecchi.

There was no proof, but. Samecchi was convinced that the light would lead them to the surface.

She doesn’t know why, but it felt warm.

「Samesamesamesameeeeeeee! ! ! ! !」

In front of the shark’s eyes as it rushes straight to the surface of the sea. The light was fleeting and scattered, just like falling flower petals.

And the next moment.

「Puhaaaah, ssu!!!」

The pointed tip of Samecchi’s snouts broke through the surface of the sea with great force. Fresh air was pumped into her chest.

A huge shark appeared out at sea and flicked the cheek of the man holding her under his arm with her fins.

「Aniki, aniki, get it together, ssu! Need to do Jinkonkonkyu, ssu! Hah, but in this appearance, it would look like like eating, ssu!」

The sound of wings, “balalalalala,” danced over the two of them, who had just appeared on the surface of the water. Samecchi looked up to see Minato leaning out of the black helicopter.

「Rintaroooooo! Samecchiiiiiii!」

「I’ll help you now, ui! Rescue team descends, descends, ui!」

The two were pulled up into the helicopter by the zako fighters who were on board. Minato immediately administered life-saving measures to the dying Rintaro.

「There is a pulse but his breathing is shallow, I need a respirator! A blanket for Samecchi too!」

「Containment complete, ui! Ascend ascend! We’re heading back to the secret base on the super express, ui!」

「……Ugh……」

「Recovered consciousness!　Rintaro, don’t push yourself too hard yet. Your back’s been hit hard, too.」

Having returned to the form of a little girl, Samecchi looked anxiously into aniki’s face as she wrapped herself in a warm blanket.

「Anikii……」

Round, straight eyes meet stony, dark eyes. When he saw Samecchi’s face, Rintaro let out a wicked smile, as if he was truly relieved.

「Samecchi, thank god……」

「Aniki is alive, ssuuuu! It’s thanks to Hino-chan, right, Hino-chan?」

An atmosphere of relief filled the helicopter as Rintaro regained consciousness. The zako fighters shook hands and high-fived each other, happy for the success of the mission.

But neither the cries of joy nor the whirring of helicopter wings reached Samecchi’s ears. It was as if one sound that should have been there was missing.

「……Hino-chan?」

When Samecchi called her name, that clear voice did not return.

---

[i] A Japanese term for an online avatar depicting an anime-style female character used by content creators who are often (but not always) male. The term is an abbreviation of “virtual bishoujo juniku” (バーチャル美少女受肉, meaning “virtual girl incarnation”) or “virtual bishoujo self juniku” (バーチャル美少女セルフ受肉, meaning “virtual girl self-incarnation”).

<150: Purgatory Mysterious Being Hinosmera vs. Heinous Mysterious Death Green
152: A Small But Strong Vessel>