The sound of Truth's crying disappears as her corpse falls to the side. IRyS is speechless, the cold spot in her chest stronger than ever before...
"...A-ah... this..." Her eyes stare blankly at Truth's body, unable to pull away.
"...Goodbye, Truth..." Justice says as she lowers the weapon, turning back to the helicopter as its light shines down on her form.
IRyS finally blinks and everything is black once again.
Envy speaks into her ear from behind, a mocking tone in his voice.
"...How frail are you, Hope?"
"..." IRyS's fists clench...
"...We-?!" He's interrupted.
IRyS blinks again in surprise at the sudden break in his speech, finding herself back in the real world.
"...Huh...?" She's confused, but she manages to make out Envy's figure just as he throws a fist towards... Nerissa. The Demon of Sound seems to have been standing at Envy's side.
Just as his fist is about to collide with Nerissa's stomach, another of Bijou's crystals appears. A shockwave throws Envy over a car and into a shop on the sidewalk, smashing through the glass window.
A cloud of dust shrouds him as Nerissa turns back to Bijou, giving her a short wink and earning a happy smile in return.
"Alright, girls. He's not finished yet~" Shiori says as she walks closer to Nerissa, Bijou following after. They crowd together behind IRyS as she stares towards where Envy is. The twins, on the other hand, stand in front of IRyS.
"...With that, he's not doing well... Mococo, Fuwawa... playtime." Shiori smirks.
"...But what if-eh?! Moco-chan!" Fuwawa says as she turns to Shiori, an uncertain express on her face before watching as Mococo takes off.
"Bau!" Mococo quickly rushes at him, jumping over the car with ease before priming her claw for a downward slash.
A sudden tingle makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up, but she keeps going.
"...Rupture." Envy's voice echoes in the air, like bass in a concert.
"...?!" Mococo feels the arm she used to attack blow open. A searing pain fills every inch of the limb as every vein and artery within combust, blown apart by a violent surge of internal pressure.
In the next instant, the other girls watch as Mococo's body is thrown past them, smashing into a car and leaving a dent in it. Her arm is bleeding profusely.
"Shit, IRyS!" Shiori quickly tugs on IRyS, yet she stands motionless.
"IRYS!" Shiori yells out at her, grabbing her arm with both hands.
"..." IRyS's breathing quickens, her eyes focused on just one thing.
Envy walks out of the cloud of dust, flipping the car he collided with to the side. His expression remains neutral, yet his eyes tell a different story.
"...What's the matter, Hope?" His voice occupies every thought in her mind.
"IRYS!" Shiori screams yet again at her, yanking at her arm, only to get nowhere.
"...!" Fuwawa charges towards Envy, only to get grabbed by the neck. She tries to stab him in the arm, yet her claws stop just centimeters away from his flesh, small arcs of electricity forming between them.
"...Struggling..." Envy lets go of her neck before ramming his fist into the side of her head, dropping her to the ground and leaving a crater in the concrete.
"...will get you nowhere." He says as he straightens his posture, looking back up at the remaining girls.
"SNAP OUT OF IT, IRYS!" Shiori screams out as Nerissa stands in front of them.
The Demon of Sound swings her staff, a musical stave of black energy, outlined by that same dark blue leaving it and being propelled towards Envy.
He taps on the ground and the stave breaks into two.
"...?!" Nerissa says as she feels her body get pulled towards Envy.
He lifts his arm, catching Nerissa by the intact horn before grabbing the side of her head with the other.
"Fu-!" Is all she can say as Envy headbutts her.
Nerissa's eyes close as blood drips from her forehead and nose... but Envy's not done. He lets go of her. Using the same hand he used to grab her head, he throws a punch, but stops just as another of Bijou's crystals appears.
"..." He turns his attention to Bijou, his eyes narrowing at the girl who had been hiding behind Nerissa.
"...C-calm...!" Is all she can mutter before his fist pierces her stomach, a sound akin to glass shattering leaving her body as she too falls limp. He pulls his fist out, looking up to IRyS, their eyes meeting.
Bijou's body falls to the ground. He steps over her, coming face to face with IRyS, with Shiori standing beside her.
IRyS can't bring herself to say anything. It's like she's stuck in time... fear flooding every inch of her being.
Shiori lets go of IRyS, backing away from the two as they stare each other down.
"...I'll show them all the reality of this world... I'll start wi-?!" Nerissa suddenly grabs him from the back, putting her mouth up to his ear and producing an earsplitting sound.
Envy goes limp, falling onto IRyS's shoulder.
"...Hah... I-IRyS... please, help Mococo..." Shiori speaks out between pants. It seems even she was shaken up.
"...Fuck... I-I'LL..." Nerissa says as she raises her staff to stab Envy through the heart with the sharp tip, fury written all over her.
"...Oh wow, I'm not dead!" Bijou adds as she stands up and looks down at the hole in her stomach, putting a hand through it.
"...Wha... I-I thought... thank god..." Nerissa turns her head to Bijou before lowering her weapon and sighing in relief...
"..." IRyS is silent as she stares into the unknown, unblinking and unmoving.
Visions of memories not her own flood her mind. Images of Envy's past occupy her visual... and she finds herself on a beach, staring at the back of a man fallen to his knees.
Explosions, the sounds of men suffering, gunfire blazes on all around her. Bullets whizz past, blowing men apart at the seams. Obstacles such as barbed wire and large, metal tripods fill the surface of this battleground...
The man wears a military uniform... a British military uniform from the II World War...
"...Fuck, FUCK! WAKE UP! Please..." He switches back and forth between tones as he begs... towards another man. A man who had a pool of blood on his chest, soaking the clothes he wears.
"...What is this..." She feels cold water wash over her feet before retracting as a wave of soldiers run past her, running towards their own demise.
Another man, wearing a golden necklace with a... cross... screams out towards Envy from behind the cover of one of the metal tripods.
"GET THE HELL OVER HERE, A-!" He can't finish his sentence as another explosion scatters debris around, making the cacophony of noise even more disturbing.
"...I'm sorry..." Envy closes the man's eyes... he looks in front of him, towards the enemy.
...but before he can do anything else... a bullet blows his skull open.