On Sam's command, Ichigo closed her eyes and activated her ability, Transcendent Purge.
Outside the abandoned airport, six cube shaped drones lit up with a pale red aura as the Force Field covered each one.
The aura continued to spread, eventually merging together as the area each drone covered continued to expand. Soon enough the whole airport was inside a giant pink dome. Everything seemed to go still for a single second, then came the pained screams of the Fallen.
Just like when she used her cleansing ability before, the mad survivors Heald their heads and wailed, the crooked halos over their heads flickering and on the verge of disappearing. Some of them slowly floated down and landed safely, others lost the ability to fly and just fell, and the lucky ones were able to die right away.
It wasn't just the fallen who were affected by the Ichigo's cleansing. Some of the survivors, those who have yet to lose to the madness, were suffering from the same pain, all of them holding their heads and screaming until their voices could no longer be heard.
"Keep at it, Ichigo." Sam instructed.
"Understood…"
The burden she experienced was far lighter than before, but that didn't mean she would be able to keep Transcendent Purge going indefinitely. Ichigo was willing to follow the Doctor's command to the very end, no matter how exhausting it was to do so
She ignored the pained wails of the Fallen as they suffered under the effect of her cleansing ability and continued pouring her focus into keeping it up.
She was making a great effort and contributing to the battle even more than before. Once all of this ends, she is sure the Doctor will reward her just like he did after they defeated the ant army. This time she was sure they would go all the way. She would finally get to experience being loved by him, and once that happens, she would become one of his personal Valkyries.
Her chest was filled with anticipation as she imagined how her life would be once the battle comes to an end, but then the world seemed to suddenly grow cold as a chill enveloped her entire being.
THUD
She felt the impact even before the sound could reach her ears.
THUD… THUD…
Though it was created by expanding her Force Field, Transcendent Purge wasn't a barrier ability.
THUD… THUD… THUD…
Anything could enter and exit the area it covered, there was nothing isolating the inside from the outside.
THUD… THUD… THUD… THUD…
If something is unable to enter the boundaries of her ability, it means that thing is entirely alien, lacking anything that couldn't be disintegrated by the purifying effect of her Force Field.
Ichigo opened her eyes. She glanced before her and saw the Doctor, his body was motionless, his head facing the left as he gazed at something with eyes spread open.
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD
Something told Ichigo that she shouldn't look. She should ignore the sound, ignore the sensation, and just close her eyes. If she were to turn to the left right now, whatever was there, she was sure her mind wouldn't be able to handle it. That's why she should just close her eyes and continue to pray.
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD
THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD
She should've done it. She should've done just that. She should've closed her eyes and prayed, that's the best choice she had. But she couldn't handle it. She couldn't handle hearing the sound in the dark. The screams of the Fallen had already faded. They were still there, but her mind couldn't perceive them. She couldn't hear anything. Even if her comrades were to call for her, even if the doctor were to give her a command, her ears couldn't pick any of it.
The only thing she could hear was the sound of something large lazily hammering at the outer surface of a giant wall.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
The sound suddenly came to a stop, and for a long moment there was nothing but a blissful piece. Believing that whatever it was that had been striking at the dome created by her ability was now gone, Ichigo slowly opened her eyes. She hesitantly raised her head, then, her body moving with morbid curiosity, she turned in the direction of the sound.
The horror that met her was unlike anything she had faced throughout her life.
A single, giant eye stared down at them, its size towering over the largest building in the abandoned airport. It looked similar to a human's, but at the same time not. It had no eyelashes nor did it have eyelids. Only an eyeball floating in the air, surrounded by a hazy darkness as if it was peeking from beyond a translucent veil.
Long tentacles extended from beyond the same thin membrane, each one larger than the planes scattered around. They seemed to be made of old dried flesh, covered in scars and wrinkles brought about by the passing of countless years.
The pink haired Valkyrie instantly recognized it. Those things were what had been striking at her Transcendent Purge. She could see burn marks on each of them, showing that the dome formed by her ability had dealt quite a bit of damage to whatever that thing in the sky was.
The Valkyries were frozen, and so was their Doctor. The entity staring down at them struck fear into their very being, but the one who had it worse was none other than Ichigo.
The giant eye was too large to discern what it was looking at, however for some reason Ichigo alone felt that it had its gaze on her.
The reason should've been obvious. Whatever it was, that thing had recognized the pink haired Valkyrie as its enemy. Without uttering a word, it demanded that she take down the dome preventing it from reaching whatever was inside.
"Ichigo!"
A slap on the cheek snapped her back to reality. In front of her was the Doctor, his expression void of any and all emotions. He looked her in the eyes and remained silent for a few moments. He then opened his mouth and gave her one command, his voice faltering once, the horror he was struggling to suppress threatening to break out at any moment.
"Don't even think of stopping your ability." He said, his eyes conveying his desperation. "No matter what, you hear me?"
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