Chapter 32 — The Fourth Witch

The six corrupted Next Generation Bravers attacked without hesitation, their arm cannons glowing brightly.

WHHHHHMMM!!

Six beams of Stellar Energy erupted simultaneously. Ryuen barely managed to throw himself aside.

BOOOOM!!

The blasts tore through the shopping mall, reducing entire storefronts to rubble.

"Damn it!"

Ryuen rolled across the broken floor before jumping back to his feet. The corrupted soldiers charged again. Despite their twisted appearance, their combat instincts remained, and mechanical weapons continued shifting across their armor.

"Bastards!"

He slashed both hands through the air, sending dozens of violet blades of energy flying toward them.

SHHHKKK!!

Arms, legs, shoulders—entire limbs were severed.

"I got you!"

Ryuen laughed triumphantly. Then his smile froze.

Vines suddenly erupted from every severed wound, wrapping around the detached limbs and pulling them back.

CRACK!

The arms reattached.

CRACK!

The legs reconnected.

The wounds closed as though they had never existed. Ryuen stared in disbelief.

"...What the hell...?"

The monsters charged once again. This time, vines with dark cherryblossoms shot toward him like countless whips while another volley of energy beams filled the corridor. Ryuen desperately dodged, twisting away from one attack before leaping over another. A beam narrowly missed his face.

"Damn it!, Damn It!"

Every attack he landed healed immediately. There was no end, no weakness, and no opening.

"...Argh!"

A blue beam struck his shoulder, shattering his Violet Braver armor around the impact. Burned flesh appeared beneath the broken plating, and pain exploded through his body. Before he could recover, the vines reached him.

CRACK!

One whip struck his back, another wrapped around his arm, and another tore across his leg. The living branches ripped pieces from his armor.

"STOP!"

The six corrupted Next Generation Bravers roared together as they rushed toward him, preparing to finish him.

Ryuen stumbled backward. His legs finally gave out, and he fell onto the floor.

"...No...Get away!"

The arrogant Purple Braver covered his face in fear.

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Then—

The temperature suddenly plummeted.

CRRRRRRSHHHH!!

Ice spread across the floor, and the six corrupted Next Generation Bravers froze instantly, becoming encased inside enormous pillars of crystal ice.

Ryuen slowly lowered his arms.

Standing before him were two familiar figures.

The Blue Braver, Endou, stood in sleek blue armor decorated with subtle water-wave patterns. Beside him stood Yuki, clad in gleaming silver-white Braver armor.

Yuki slowly turned toward him.

"...Are you alright?"

She extended her hand. Ryuen stared at it before violently slapping it away.

"...Get lost!"

Yuki quietly withdrew her hand. Without another word, she returned beside Endou.

Ryuen remained sitting on the floor, breathing heavily as his entire body trembled.

Across the room, Wrath continued holding the unconscious Greed. The black cherry blossoms still gently surrounded Greed's body, while the terrible burns slowly faded and the blue Stellar cracks continued disappearing little by little.

Endou stepped forward, his gaze remaining fixed on Wrath.

"...Sakura...Is that really you?"

At Endou's question, Wrath smiled. It wasn't a kind smile; it was filled with contempt.

"...Don't call me by that filthy name. It means nothing to me anymore."

Silence filled the shopping mall. Endou lowered his eyes. His suspicion had just been confirmed.

Yuki stepped forward.

"...Sakura... What happened to you? Who did this to you?"

Wrath laughed, producing a cold, bitter sound.

"Hahahaha... Why do both of you pretend to care now? After all this time?"

Yuki's voice shook.

"...What are you talking about?"

Wrath's expression darkened.

"Every single one of you... only cared about yourselves."

She muttered as she looked at her two former companions with complete disgust.

"You left Taichi to fight alone... You left me trapped... like a bird inside a cage. Singing meaningless songs... for those disgusting humans."

"...Sakura..."

Yuki whispered.

Wrath's voice grew colder.

"Taichi... Roland... And me... We only became free... after embracing despair. We finally escaped those filthy human emotions... that kept us chained like slaves."

Endou tried speaking again.

"...Saku—"

"THAT'S NOT MY NAME!"

Wrath's scream echoed throughout the building, and dark petals exploded around her.

"...I am a Witch of Sin. ...Wrath..."

Her visible crimson eye glew brightly with a dark light.

"...My only purpose... is making every human being... fall into the deepest depths of despair."

She laughed, producing a furious, broken sound.

Yuki couldn't speak. The sweet girl who always smiled shyly, the girl who once encouraged everyone, had disappeared. Only hatred remained.

Endou remained silent before quietly nodding.

"...I see."

He looked at the unconscious Greed in Wrath's arms.

"...Then... The true identity of Greed... is Taichi."

Yuki immediately turned toward him.

"What?!"

She looked back at Wrath. Wrath answered only with a cruel smile. That smile confirmed everything.

Endou finally understood. Three missing Bravers. Three Witches of Sin. They hadn't been murdered; they had been transformed, their humanity stolen from them. He slowly raised his fists.

"... Sakura. I won't make promises I can't keep. I don't know... if any of this can be reversed."

He took a fighting stance.

"But I'll do everything in my power... to save the three of you."

Yuki hesitated before stepping beside him. She raised her own fists, ready to fight and ready to save her friends.

Wrath suddenly laughed again.

"Hahahaha... Save the three of us?"

She tilted her head.

"...Don't you mean... four?"

Endou frowned.

Then his eyes widened.

"...Saki."

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Far away, in District A, hundreds of heavily armed soldiers surrounded Saki's apartment complex. Floodlights illuminated every entrance, while armored vehicles blocked every road.

A young soldier lowered his binoculars.

"Commander. No enemy movement detected."

The commander nodded and reached for his radio.

"Interior teams. Report your status."

But to the commander's surprise, only static answered.

He frowned.

"Interior teams. Respond immediately."

Silence.

The commander's expression became uneasy.

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Inside the apartment building, the corridors were completely silent. Military rifles lay scattered across the floor, while dozens of soldiers remained motionless, their bodies transformed into lifeless wooden puppets.

Soft footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Step...

Step...

Step...

A small figure walked quietly between the fallen guards. Sloth's oversized black sweater brushed against the floor as she passed, but she didn't even look at the puppet soldiers. Her tired eyes remained fixed ahead.

At the end of the hallway, one apartment door stood waiting.

Saki's.

Sloth slowly stopped in front of it and gently raised one small hand toward the doorknob.