As the Ice Altar was pulverized into nothingness by the collapse of the Natural Order, a dazzling Golden Path stretched out in a single, straight line from the mountain of rubble, piercing toward the heavens.

It was no physical bridge, but a "shortcut through Reality"—a path forced into existence as the golden ice shard in Koyoi’s hand violently overwrote the surrounding Void. Through the soles of his feet, Koyoi felt the golden arc thrumming with a steady, living pulse. Fleeing the abyss of Nothingness that yawned open behind him, he stepped onto the brilliant incline.

Contrary to its appearance, the surface of the trail was soft. With every step Koyoi took, the golden light rippled outward like waves, leaving behind faint, glowing footprints that traced his progress. These prints vanished after only a few seconds, but the way they flared with light just before disappearing made it seem as though the bridge itself was acknowledging his existence, preparing to receive his next step.

The Void stretched out on either side of the way. Peering into it, he could see the scenery of Nakaoka—or what was left of it—drifting like shards of shattered glass.

The world no longer held the shape of Nakaoka Station. Houses, cobblestone streets, and even the low, melodic chime of the bells he once knew were melting away under the Mist of Erasure unleashed by the Observers, reduced to a slurry of meaningless informational colors.

As he ran, Koyoi witnessed the horrifying sight of Kasumidai—the place they had been walking only minutes before—being dismantled in mid-air with a sound like a thousand windows shattering. The shock seared deep in his lungs.

From within the dissolving landscape, shadow-like figures in the shapes of people occasionally rose, reaching out toward Koyoi and his companions. These were not the Observers' assassins, but residual memories of the people who had once lived in this land. Even as they realized they were fading into non-existence, they continued to wave to the passing travelers until their very last moment.

Koyoi reflexively reached back toward one of those hands, but before his fingertips could touch, the phantom scattered like mist. He did not look back again. He knew instinctively that if he turned around now, the power of belief within him would snap.

"…Don’t you dare stop! The moment your faith wavers, this road will drop you straight into the pit!"

Kuon’s raw, ragged scream pierced through the roar of the collapse and echoed in his mind.

Kuon was pushing his prosthetic left eye to its absolute limit, forcibly stitching together the fragments of a crumbling world to maintain this bridge of light. The Ledger tucked in his coat continued to leak a violent afterglow of the Laws—an eerie, pale-blue light that stretched their fleeing shadows into impossibly thin, long lines.

The skin around Kuon’s artificial eye had already turned a scorched, bruised red. Every time a drop of black blood ran down his cheek and fell from his chin, it snapped and vanished upon the golden path like a burst of blue fireworks. Yet, he did not let that azure light falter for even a second. He understood more accurately than anyone that his friends' lives depended entirely on his eye.

"…Asahi-san! Hurry! The gate is closing!"

The words spilled from Koyoi’s lips. His voice was nearly swallowed by the thundering destruction, but he kept shouting. As he ran, clutching the drawstring bag to his chest, the glowing trail beneath him began to sway unsteadily.

The edges of the bridge were being nibbled away by the Void, and the golden radiance was dimming. Smothering his terror, Koyoi repeated the same words over and over in his heart, as if whispering to the gods inside his pouch.

I believe.

This path will not fade.

We are here.

As if the words had reached them, the droplets inside the bag grew warm all at once. From the very spot where he planted his feet, the golden road regained its brilliant luster.

With a thunderous roar, Asahi kicked off the earth and slid onto the golden arc, forcibly carving a way through the cracks of the failing Reality. His greatsword, resonating with the power of the Ledger, was shrouded in an eerie golden phosphorescence. Every time he swung it, he physically severed space itself, forcing a coordinate reset on their pursuers.

With every strike, sparks of information scattered into the air. They glowed with a brief, hollow beauty before vanishing, reminiscent of the lantern light that used to protect the nights of Suzutomo. Asahi’s breath was heavy and his body was laced with cuts, but his eyes remained as sharp as a predator's, showing no sign of exhaustion.

"…Let’s go. Deep within the Observers' legacy, we’ll take back the 'Answer' to the Laws."

Asahi spoke with quiet steadiness. Despite his labored breathing, his voice was surprisingly calm—as if the mere fact that he was walking beside his comrades was enough to dissolve every trace of anxiety, no matter how dire the situation.

Asahi shifted the greatsword back onto his shoulder and wiped the sweat from his brow with a blood-stained hand. Seeing him, Koyoi felt his own fear rapidly wither away. Kuon narrowed the blue light of his prosthetic eye and let out a short, sharp breath. When all three of them stepped firmly onto the path at once, the golden radiance flared with a final, defiant strength, pushing back against the roar of a dying world.

Koyoi’s bag pulsed with warmth, its heartbeat swaying in a steady, perfect rhythm with the Golden Path.