Wow, this was just incredible. I liked Makoto's character in the manga better than in the anime, but God, I just wanted SOMEONE to SMACK Sekai at the end. I especially like how you fit in "Kanashimi No Mukou E" with this oneshot. It really felt like an alternate ending to the anime (actually, this ending would have made much better sense, lol).
Wonderfully-written oneshot, great job!

This was perfect. This is exactly the kind of ending I would have loved for the manga. Also, I like how, in the end, all three of them are dead by the end, or perhaps I am a morbid person. But I've always figured that if one or two of them die, then the third is probably going to or should die as well in order to tie it all together, which you did magnificently. (And I would know about things like that, since I wrote one post-anime fic with Kotonoha killing herself at the end and since then I've always liked the kind of setting where all three are together in both love, life, and death)

Anyway, my rambling aside, kudos to you, and I look forward to any future School Days fics you come out with.

-NRI

Nice boat, Rahkshi! The manga ended less apocalyptically than the anime because the characters were, on the whole, better people... but your story finishes the job. There's a symmetry with the anime in that Sekai kills someone and then the survivor kills her. What's more, I've seen at least one post-anime fic where Kotonoha jumps off a building (like she does in the game), completing the trio's cycle of mutual destruction; you do the same here with Makoto. It provides a sort of karmic balance.

The funny thing about School Days for me (and based on your fic, I'm guessing you too) is that I like watching the characters destroy each other even though I don't hate any of them. There's a tragic inevitability to the whole thing. It's more obvious in the anime -- and because all three characters there are too selfish to put others' feelings before their own, the eventual catastrophe is somewhat cathartic. They "had it coming", if not quite so horribly.

The manga is different. The characters there spend lots of time worrying about each other's feelings, especially Makoto, who's almost an innocent bystander in the Kotonoha/Sekai war. Instead of a pathetic snafu, the manga is a reminder that everything can go wrong even with good intentions. When the girls suddenly turn violent, it's not selfish people taking the logical next step, it's good people pushed past the breaking point. We share Makoto's horror in that amazing final panel -- how could this happen?

In one sense, this is a problem for your story. Manga-Makoto doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would kill, even for revenge. But neither did Sekai or Kotonoha in the manga, and Makoto's still absorbing the shock from that. His blood loss and injuries aren't helping either. So I can see this as a possible direction he might take after the ending... and killing himself after realizing what he'd done is definitely in character.

By the way, I love how you threw in "Kanashimi no mukou he" at the moment of truth. I could hear it in my head. For anyone who's seen the School Days finale, that song is one of the most disturbing and memorable in anime.

Looking forward to your next SD story!

omfg, that was great! I really enjoyed this ending more than both the Manga and anime, cause, its much more...Uh...realistic, and it doesn't make Makoto look like TOO much of a jack-ass man whore! :D

Good job ^^

~Shyoko-chan

Ah, that was good. Haha, the manga always seemed interesting to me in the way it ended. Anyway, I like your continuation of it and the end you came up with. ♥

Oops. I accidently added an "m" at the end of see. Haha.

It was so appropriate we should have spoken about your progession as a writer; Asmodeus is easily the finest story you have submitted thus far. It is descriptive, emotive, powerful—everything is near perfect. You have writen a truly beautiful and terrible story here, one that will haunt me for a long time to come. It took a long time for you to write this, and the effort clearly shows in the end result. Asmodeus is a brilliant continuation of the School Days manga's ambiguous conclusion. This is absolutely a must-read for fans of School Days. I look forward with much anticipation for your next School Days-based efforts.

hi! sorry i couldn't read this earlier.

omg it was amazing! very dark and sad but the feelings from makoto are done very nicely. great job!

again, very good!