As Kaguya Yamai returned to the battlefield, she found that what was once a serene Origin Land had turned into a wasteland.
The clash between the Devil of Darkness and the Flame Spirit was a collision of two supreme forces, and both had unleashed their full might upon each other.
Each of them possessed the ability to regenerate indefinitely—one could heal as long as it remained in darkness, while the other could endlessly recover as long as she wasn't instantly killed.
Their battle showed no signs of stopping, only growing fiercer.
Kotori's crimson eyes had turned completely bloodshot.
She growled ferociously, her expression more Devilic than that of the devils themselves, her rationality consumed by the thrill of battle.
"Hey! Can you still hear me?"
Keeping a safe distance, Kaguya shouted at Kotori.
But Kotori, entirely absorbed in the fight, didn't respond at all.
Seeing this, Kaguya's gaze darkened slightly, and she sighed.
Having once assumed Kotori's form, she knew that Kotori was the most susceptible to losing control.
Once spiritual energy was overused, the unpurified Spirit crystal would begin to erode her mind.
Although it had only been ten minutes, the Devil of Darkness was not an opponent against which Kotori could afford to hold back.
With her Spirit energy fully unleashed, the madness in Kotori's blood had long surpassed even her final battle against Muzan in the Devil Slayer world.
Even though the transformation item had another twenty minutes of effect remaining, they couldn't let her continue fighting any longer.
If she went completely berserk, things would become impossible to clean up.
Having made up her mind, Kaguya manipulated the wind and wrapped Kotori in a swirling vortex.
The Devil of Darkness had sensed Kaguya's presence much earlier, assuming she had returned to reinforce Kotori.
Thus, it had already adjusted its attacks to a more defensive approach, preparing to deal with both of them together.
However, Kaguya didn't attack. Instead, she ensnared Kotori and forcefully dragged her away.
The Devil of Darkness instantly realized that they were attempting to escape.
Its form melted into its shadowy cloak, dissolving into pure darkness and giving chase.
"Makima has arrived! It's time to retreat!"
Kaguya explained briefly to Kotori as she ran at full speed.
Kotori's crimson eyes flickered at the sound of her voice.
Though she still let out beast-like snarls, her wanton release of spiritual energy slowly began to subside.
"Snap out of it! We need to match our explanations!"
Even as they fled, Kaguya continued to talk to Kotori.
She had just fabricated an explanation to Makima about the so-called 'Flame Spirit,' and Makima would definitely press them further for details.
But Kotori, still dazed from battle, remained silent.
The accumulated madness wasn't something that could be suppressed in an instant.
Clearly, she was still not in a state where she could have a proper conversation.
"Damn it."
Kaguya clicked her tongue.
However, she couldn't afford to slow down. The Devil of Darkness was pursuing them relentlessly, so all she could do was push forward toward Makima's location.
With her full speed unleashed, Kaguya managed to shake off the Devil of Darkness for a brief moment and reunited with the others.
The moment they saw Kotori, everyone was momentarily stunned.
Although Kaguya had already explained that the one fighting the Devil of Darkness wasn't Yuzuru but their 'sister,' the Flame Spirit, actually seeing her in person left them dumbfounded.
Even Makima had many unanswered questions.
But she could still sense the Devil of Darkness rapidly closing in, so she knew that now was not the time to ask them.
Makima immediately took action to transport everyone back to the human world.
The Puppet Devil had a contract with the Hell Devil. It was through this contract that Denji and the others had been sent into Hell.
Thus, Makima only needed to do one thing.
The moment Kaguya brought Kotori back, she activated her Control Power and took hold of one of the golden-haired men hiding among the group.
"Say it: 'I offer everything I have in exchange for sending everyone here back to the human world.'"
The golden-haired man was, in reality, one of the Puppet Devil's perfect puppets.
As an extension of the Puppet Devil, he too had a contract with the Hell Devil.
Under Makima's Control, the man obediently repeated her words.
In the next instant, darkness descended.
A massive six-fingered hand emerged, enveloping everyone in its power.
Within a few heartbeats, the darkness receded, and everyone found themselves back in the human world.
They had returned to where they started.
Finally freed from the unknown horrors of Hell, Denji and the others let out a collective sigh of relief.
Then, almost immediately, they began scanning their surroundings, searching for Kaguya and Kotori.
But they were nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, in Syria.
When Kaguya opened her eyes and found herself standing in the middle of a desert, she was momentarily dazed.
But soon, her lips curled into a smile.
"Great! We didn't end up in the same place as Makima!"
She had initially assumed that the Hell Devil would transport them all directly back to Tokyo.
However, instead, she and Kotori had been sent back to Syria—the location where they had first been dragged into Hell.
For Kaguya, this was excellent news.
It meant she had ample time to wait for Kotori's mind to recover before confronting Makima's questions.
A few minutes later, Kotori's blood-red eyes gradually regained clarity.
Seeing her return to her senses, Kaguya wasted no time explaining everything that had happened.
After hearing it all, Kotori's mouth twitched.
"So let me get this straight—you told Makima that I'm one of your long-lost sisters, and that you have eight others just like me?"
"Yes," Kaguya answered bluntly.
Kotori massaged her temples and sighed. "Kotori temporarily matching the power of the Devil of Darkness is already ridiculous enough. Now, you've convinced her that the two of you—who are already absurdly strong—have eight other sisters on your level? Do you think that makes sense?"
"I didn't have much time to think, okay?!"
Kotori sighed again and shook her head. "It's already said and done, so we have no choice but to roll with it."
She crossed her arms. "Since Makima isn't here, we need to come up with a proper backstory for this nonsense before we see her again."