Hurled onto the sports field, Akira and Kana steadied themselves on the slimy, pulsing ground. The night sky was sealed in black mist, blotting out stars and moon. The field was a grotesque mire of reddish-black sludge, like rotting flesh, the soil throbbing beneath their feet. Jagged concrete slabs jutted up, half-submerged in the muck. The bleachers had collapsed, twisted steel beams curling like bones, plastic seats melted into warped husks. A fallen goalpost lay entangled in slime-soaked netting, resembling a giant spider's web. The air was thick, reeking of blood and decayed algae.
At the field's center loomed Zhu Ren, her monstrous form over ten meters tall, slick with black ooze. Countless tentacles lashed the ground, her four eyes glowing red, bone wings spreading tattered membranes. Her split maw bared fangs, saliva sizzling as it burned the earth.
Zhu Ren roared, "Mortals, this is your final stage! Rot in my garden!"
Her tentacles tore the sky, erupting the ground in geysers of mud.
Akira raised his true sword, voice unwavering. "Combat continues. Kana, prepare to attack."
Kana nocked an arrow, forcing back terror. "I won't forgive this monster! I'm taking back the dawn!"
The battle erupted.
Zhu Ren's tentacles crashed down like thunder. Akira met them with his blade, slicing through, spraying slime that hissed on impact. But severed ends sprouted new tendrils, striking with doubled fury. He brandished his wooden sword to parry, but Zhu Ren's eyes flared, and the ground quaked.
The field's sludge boiled, red bubbles bursting into swarms of spiked orbs that hurtled toward Kana. She fired, piercing some, but their numbers overwhelmed, grazing her legs.
Akira stepped in front, slashing wildly. "Evade attacks. Analyzing enemy patterns."
He carved through the orbs, slime coating him as he advanced. Zhu Ren's wings swept forward, unleashing a shockwave that sent them sprawling.
Akira slammed into the ground, sparks flying from his left arm. "Damage detected. Combat capacity at seventy percent."
He rose, but a tentacle ensnared him, hoisting him aloft. Slime ate through his uniform, exposing his metal frame.
Kana screamed, firing arrows. "Let him go!"
An arrow struck the tentacle, but Zhu Ren laughed. "Human defiance—so futile!"
Her wings blotted the sky, red mist swallowing the field. It seared Kana's skin, burning like fire. "It hurts!"
Her arrows vanished into the fog, missing Zhu Ren. Kana ran, clutching her bow, but slipped in a sludge puddle, tumbling. The bow sank into the muck. She crawled to retrieve it, but a tentacle seized her arm, lifting her high.
"Over, human!" Zhu Ren's fangs loomed, slime dripping onto Kana's face.
Kana cried out, "No! I don't want to die! Akira!"
Akira thrashed in the tentacle's grip, his systems faltering, eyes dimming. "Critical error… Kana's survival… priority…"
His voice cut off, body going limp.
Zhu Ren cackled. "It's done! My garden is eternal!"
Her tentacle tightened, choking Kana's breath. Akira's body fell, sinking into the slime.
Death loomed, the red mist thickening.
Kana's vision blurred, despair clawing at her heart as Zhu Ren's grip crushed her.
The field's sludge boiled, mist obscuring all. Akira lay submerged, sparks flickering from his left arm. Zhu Ren's four eyes gleamed, her maw grinning.
"Human hope is pathetic. Sink into eternal night!"
But then, Akira's eyes blazed red. "System reboot… Kana's survival paramount… Resuming combat."
Sparks erupted as his damaged frame forced itself upright. Kana's cry echoed within him, igniting something beyond programming.
Crawling from the muck, he gripped his sword. "Combat continues."
He leaped, slashing the tentacle holding Kana. She fell, coughing, and scrambled for her bow. "Akira… you're okay…"
Wiping tears, she nocked an arrow, aiming for Zhu Ren's eyes. One arrow struck true, bursting an eye.
"We're ending this night!" Kana shouted.
Zhu Ren shrieked, tentacles flailing. Akira hacked through them, relentless. "Weak point identified. Keep attacking."
He charged her chest, plunging his blade deep. Slime gushed, and a wing snapped.
His left arm shattered, sparks flying, but he pressed on. "Kana, don't stop!"
Kana fired a barrage, piercing Zhu Ren's remaining eyes. Her body quaked.
The field's sludge began to evaporate, the mist thinning.
Kana loosed her final arrow. "It's over, Zhu Ren. Give us back the dawn!"
The arrow struck her heart. Zhu Ren's roar shook the field. "Mortals… well done… but the night…"
Her voice faltered. Her massive form crumbled—tentacles withered, wings shattered, slime turning to black ash. Her eyes dimmed, and she sank into the ground.
The corrupted earth stilled, the red mist fading. Dawn's light pierced the night sky, outlining the school's silhouette.
Akira stood beside Kana, catching his breath. "Combat terminated. Mastermind activity ceased."
His body was wrecked, left arm useless.
Kana, tears streaming, grasped his hand. "We did it, Akira! The dawn's here! Thank you… for staying alive…"
"Kana's survival confirmed. Mission accomplished."
A faint warmth crept into Akira's voice.
They stood on the sports field, bathed in sunrise, the night's battle finally over.