Shirabe throwing herself into Kirika's scythe to protect her and getting impaled is the single most emotionally devastating moment in the season and the show earns every second of it. these two girls who have spent the whole season protecting each other finally facing the cost of that protection is handled with real grief. Finé's soul appearing inside Shirabe's mind — choosing to protect her rather than take over because she couldn't move on after Shirabe took a blow meant for Kirika — and revealing she has a message to pass on is surprisingly tender for a character who spent season 1 as the villain. Maria's broadcast going unanswered because no one joins her song and her breaking down in tears is its own quieter devastation.