Amaya's face turns a deep shade of red, her blush spreading down her neck. She quickly covers her mouth with both hands, trying to take back her confession.
Amaya: "You heard nothing!"
She squeaks out, her voice muffled behind her hands. The pug finally releases Kiyozawa, trotting over to Kanako with an excited bark. Kiyozawa sits up slowly, his mind reeling from the sudden emotional whiplash. His sister's timing couldn't be more perfect—or awkward.
Amaya: "We'll talk about it later."
She says firmly, her blush slowly fading as she refocuses on the mission at hand.
Amaya: "Right now, we have to stop this."
Kiyozawa nods, a faint blush still coloring his cheeks as he stands up.
Kiyozawa: "Yeah... later."
He mutters, unable to meet her eyes. The urgency of their situation pulls them back to reality—the other Links are still rampaging under Axel's control, and the battle rages on all around them.
Axel dissolved into a pool of viscous, ink-black shadow to put distance between himself and Hiromi. He knew all too well that a girl wielding the power of a God was a nightmare to put down. The jagged memories of the first link played back in his mind, a haunting reminder of her resilience: Hiromi had already spat in the face of death, surviving two blows that should have ended her life.
Axel's form shuddered, his very essence reacting to the bile rising in his throat. Around his feet, the ink-black liquid didn't just sit still; it hissed and boiled against the floor like acid, sending up a faint, metallic scent of rot.
(In his mind).
"That girl... his thoughts were a jagged snarl. The power she carries is a divine sickness, more stubborn than I ever anticipated. I cannot tear the life from her yet, but she is a mere distraction."
He clenched a fist, and the shadows crawling up his arms tightened until they bruised the skin.
"The book is the only key. Once it is in my grasp, my annihilation of this pathetic world will finally begin. She will watch everything she loves turn to ash before I allow her the mercy of a grave."
(Out of his mind).
(At the battlefield).
The heavy silence that followed Axel's disappearance felt like a physical weight. Hiromi stood amidst the wreckage, her divine aura flickering like a dying candle against the encroaching dark. The air still carried the metallic tang of his shadow-ichor—a scent that reminded her of old blood and stagnant water.
She looked down at the floor where he had dissolved; only a viscous, bubbling smear of black remained, slowly eating into the floorboards like acid. He was gone, slipped away into the cracks of the world. A cold shiver traced down her spine, not from fear, but from the realization that his retreat was a calculated move. He wasn't running to save himself—he was running toward the book.
Hiromi: "He's hunting for the book... I have to stop him."
She whispered, the urgency clawing at her throat. But as she turned to give chase, the air in the room seemed to curdle.
There, emerging from the gloom like a recurring nightmare, was Kaito. The leader of the Satanic Slaughter Yakuza wore a smile that was far too wide, a jagged expression of pure, sadistic delight. The last time she had seen him, he had been restrained by Hayden's chains, but now he stood free—a wolf finally out of its cage.
Kaito: "We meet again, don't we?"
He purred. His voice was oily, dripping with the kind of dark satisfaction only a man who feeds on suffering could possess.
Hiromi lunged toward the spot where Axel had vanished, but a wall of pure malice intercepted her. Kaito moved with a predatory grace that betrayed his violent history, his massive frame cutting off her only exit. She had witnessed the summoning—she knew the monster had been unchained—but facing the leader of the Satanic Slaughter Yakuza in the flesh felt like staring into an open grave.
The air around him seemed to grow heavy with the phantom scent of old cigarettes and copper. Kaito's twisted smile widened, stretching the skin across his face until it looked like a mask of human leather.
Kaito: "Going somewhere, little girl?"
He asked, his voice a low, gravelly rasp. He cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing like dry branches snapping in the dark.
Kaito: "Axel is busy. But me? I've got all the time in the world to watch you bleed."
Hiromi's gaze locked onto Kaito, but for a split second, she didn't see the Yakuza leader. She saw the lifeless eyes of Emi—the small, innocent girl Kaito had slaughtered in cold blood just to watch the light fade from her face. The memory was a jagged shard in Hiromi's heart, and Kaito's demonic grin only twisted it deeper.
Hiromi: "Get out of my way!"
Her voice didn't just carry anger; it carried the weight of a divine judgment.
She called upon God's power, and the air around her began to hum with a violent, blinding radiance. The light didn't just glow; it seared, flowing through her veins like liquid gold and vibrating with enough force to crack the floor beneath her boots. She wasn't just a girl anymore—she was an instrument of retribution.
Kaito's fingers danced in the air, tracing glowing, jagged demonic symbols that bled into the atmosphere. One of the seals pulsed with a sickening light, drawing in the rubble and twisted rebar from the surrounding ruins. With a flick of his wrist, he launched the concentrated destruction at Hiromi, the heavy stones whistling through the air like cannonballs.
Hiromi didn't flinch. Channeled through her righteous fury, God's power erupted from her fists in a shockwave of blinding light, pulverizing the incoming boulders into fine white dust.
Seeing his physical assault fail, Kaito's twisted smile only deepened. He traced a final, complex sigil that began to weep a foul, ink-black sludge. It was a mockery of Axel's shadow-form—a dark liquid that hissed as it pooled at his feet, hungry and alive.
A flash of recognition sparked in Hiromi's eyes as the obsidian sludge began to weep from the demonic sigils. She had faced Axel once before—a brief, violent encounter—and she knew the suffocating cold that accompanied his shadow-liquid. But this... this was a mutation.
Where Axel's power was like a calm, bottomless lake, Kaito's was a festering swamp. The liquid didn't just flow; it twitched and bubbled with a sickly, iridescent sheen, like oil on a dead man's eyes. It carried the stench of the Satanic Slaughter Yakuza: a mixture of decay and iron. Hiromi felt her divine light pulse in warning. This wasn't just a weapon; it was a corruption that sought to swallow everything she was.
Kaito: "Shall we begin?"
He flung the obsidian sludge with a flick of his wrist, sending a wave of shadow screaming toward Hiromi. She pivoted, her divine speed allowing her to blur past the initial strike, but the liquid was sentient and cruel. Mid-air, it hardened, sprouting jagged, glass-like spikes that lashed out like a scorpion's tail.
Two of the barbs tore into her back with a sickening squelch. Hiromi let out a sharp cry, her legs buckling as she slammed into the dirt. A searing, oily heat began to spread from the wounds—Kaito's poison was a foul, stinging venom that felt like liquid needles crawling through her veins.
Terror seized Hiromi as the paralysis surged through her nervous system, turning her limbs into useless stone. She watched, trapped in her own body, as Kaito loomed over her like a vulture. He raised his hand for the killing blow, his eyes glowing with a sickening, demonic light.
Kaito: "Die, you bitch!"
He snarled, the words dripping with the malice of a man who loved the kill.
The air didn't just move; it cracked. A sudden, blinding sapphire light erupted in front of her, forming a massive Blue Cross shield that hummed with a resonance so pure it made the shadows hiss. Kaito's attack slammed into the barrier with a thunderous boom, but the shield held firm, unyielding as a mountain.
Hiromi gasped, the divine pressure in the air making her heart race for a different reason. She knew that aura. Blue Cross. The legend who had emerged victorious from the God Orb War had descended into this hellscape to face the darkness head-on.
Through the haze of the poison, Hiromi's vision cleared enough to see a silhouette that commanded the very air to still. Standing before her was Haruki—the legendary Holy Orb King. His blonde hair caught the light of the shield, shimmering like spun gold, while his blue eyes remained as calm and deadly as a frozen sea.
He stood tall, his white cape snapping behind him in an invisible gale.
The massive blue cross emblazoned on the fabric seemed to pulse with a rhythmic, holy light, acting as a beacon in the middle of Kaito's ink-black rot. As the leader of Orbrael, Haruki didn't just bring power; he brought a divine authority that made the demonic symbols in the room flicker and fade.
Kaito: Impossible..."
His voice cracked, his sadistic confidence withering instantly. He recoiled as if the white of Haruki's cape was a physical flame.
Kaito: "You... you disappeared. You were a ghost!"
Haruki: "This stops now."
He replied. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a weight that seemed to anchor the very shadows to the floor. He didn't move a muscle, yet his presence felt like a storm held in check. On the ground, Hiromi's heart hammered against her ribs for a different reason. She stared up at the man who had won the God Orb War, her breath hitching in her throat. There was an eerie, unmistakable resemblance in the line of his jaw and the piercing depth of his blue eyes—a reflection of her own face staring back at her from a legend. Having grown up never knowing her parents, the sight of Haruki didn't just bring hope; it brought a cold, sharp realization that her past was far more complicated than she had ever imagined.
(Meanwhile at the battlefield).
Yusuke: "Haruki must've come."
He says it calmly, throwing his scythe at Axel the moment their eyes meet. Axel barely dodges as he looks up—only to see the immense aura radiating from Yusuke.
Axel instantly appears right in front of Yusuke using his black liquid ability. Yusuke swiftly pulls the chain, bringing the scythe back towards himself before grabbing it firmly. He immediately charges at Axel with incredible speed. Axel, anticipating the attack, uses his black liquid to create a protective barrier around himself just in time. The scythe collides with the barrier, causing a loud clashing sound and sending shockwaves through the air. Yusuke's momentum is halted abruptly, and he stumbles back slightly.
Yusuke begins to summon his diamonds—the same technique he stole from the Diamond Kingdom during his genocidal reign. The air around him starts to glitter as numerous sharp, crystalline diamonds materialize and hover menacingly, ready to be unleashed at Axel.
Axel swiftly uses his black liquid to deflect most of the diamonds, but some slip through due to the darkness energy mixed within them. Yusuke's smirk grows slightly as he watches a few diamonds bypass Axel's defense, embedding themselves into the ground around him with a sharp clink. The darkness energy from the diamonds begins to spread ominously.
Yusuke: "Looks like your barrier isn't enough."
He remarks coldly.
Axel immediately disappears, using his black liquid to create distance between them. Yusuke seizes the opportunity, extending his darkness energy to absorb the retreating black liquid—after all, it bears a striking resemblance to darkness. Axel's eyes widen in shock as he watches his own power being drained, evaporating into the swirling dark tendrils reaching toward him.
Yusuke: "You thought darkness could escape darkness itself?"
He says, his voice laced with cold amusement as more of Axel's liquid dissolves into him.
Axel: "Well then, how unexpected."
He speaks, his voice echoing strangely as he removes the goat mask, revealing his pale face. His eyes are completely black—no whites, no iris, just endless voids. White hair falls around his shoulders as he discards the cultist cloak, exposing his bare chest. There, branded or etched into his skin, is a prominent inverted goat pentagram, pulsing faintly with dark energy. Yusuke's expression shifts slightly, something between recognition and mild annoyance flickering across his face.
Chains begin to erupt from Axel's body, shooting toward the book as a desperate measure—his life bound to it. The goat cult members immediately halt their attacks against the Kings and retreat en masse. The chains strike true, slamming into Kiyozawa who's holding the book, and wrap around Kaito as well, who's with Haruki. Kiyozawa drops the book instantly, a pained grunt escaping him, while Kaito staggers back, blood trickling from the deep gashes the chains inflicted.
The chains lash out, targeting the First and Third Links—Aaron and Asuka—and yank them violently toward Axel. Amaya immediately clutches Kiyozawa tightly, trembling with fear.
Amaya: "I'm not letting go."
She whispers fiercely into his ear, wrapping her arms around him like a lifeline as the chaotic energy swirls around them. The chain's dark aura pulses stronger, pulling all connected Links closer to Axel's desperate grasp. Kiyozawa grimaces but doesn't push her away, instead placing a protective hand over hers.
Amaya: "I know I said we'd talk later, but... I love you. So much."
She confesses, her voice trembling with emotion and fear. Kiyozawa turns to look at her, his red eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Kiyozawa: "I... I love you too."
He stammers, the words heavy with feeling as he struggles to hold back his tears amidst the chaos. Their hands clench together tightly, a silent promise and source of comfort in the face of impending danger.
Without warning, one of the chains suddenly stabs Amaya directly through the chest. Kiyozawa's eyes widen in shock and horror as he reaches out desperately towards her. His heart sinks like a stone plummeting into an abyss, a pained gasp escaping his lips.
Kiyozawa: "A-Amaya!"
He cries out, his voice cracking with anguish as he tries to pull her closer, blood seeping between his fingers where they press against the gaping wound in her chest.
Amaya: "Kiyozawa..."
She whispers, tears streaming down her face as her lifeblood soaks through her clothes. Kiyozawa's expression shifts from horror and sadness to pure, unadulterated rage. A sudden transformation ripples through him—his form morphs into an even more terrifying incarnation of death, this time sprouting massive, long black wings that unfurl with a sound like tearing reality. Axel stares in shock, completely unprepared for the Second Link's unexpected metamorphosis.
Kiyozawa whips around to face Axel, his glare burning with unimaginable rage. Everyone—Kings, goat cult members, even the links—freezes in place, stunned by the dark angel towering before them. Hiromi and Haruki stand speechless, eyes wide with shock. Even Yusuke halts mid-step, his diamonds momentarily forgotten. Kiyozawa unleashes a devastating, guttural screech that tears through the air like thunder, sending powerful sound waves blasting directly toward Axel.
Kiyozawa clutches Amaya's limp body tightly against his chest, his wings flaring protectively as the devastating sound waves pierce through Axel's black liquid barrier like it wasn't even there. The force slams into Axel, sending him hurtling across the battlefield like a ragdoll, crashing into debris with a sickening thud. The surrounding fighters stare in stunned silence—no one had ever seen Axel's defenses fail so catastrophically.
(In the background).
Mochizuki stares, utterly stunned by Kiyozawa's new, terrifying transformation.
Mochizuki: "I didn't know he could transform like that."
He mutters, eyes wide. He suddenly notices Kaien approaching the Third Link—and immediately yanks the curious King back behind him, protective instincts flaring.
Kaien: "You're the Third Link, aren't you?"
He asks, his voice low and dangerous, staring directly at Asuka, who remains silent, the dark chain coiled tightly around his body like a serpent.
Kaien: "I saw you in the memories... I'm your backup."
He says, his voice choking as the terrible, repressed memories of Asuka's past flood back into his mind. Asuka turns to look at Kaien, surprise and a hint of vulnerability flickering across his face as he sees the tears brimming in the link's eyes. The dark chain around Asuka's body seems to tighten slightly, reacting to his sudden emotional turmoil.
Asuka: "Is it love that my father gave me, or is it something else?"
He asks Kaien softly, his voice barely audible over the battlefield noise. Without warning, a brutal scythe slash suddenly tears through Asuka's back, spurting blood across the grass. Kaien immediately catches him as he falls, cradling his battered form. Mochizuki's eyes widen in shock and horror as he looks up to see Yusuke—the Dark Orb King—standing there, his scythe dripping with Asuka's blood.
Yusuke hesitates, not speaking immediately—Asuka is the Third Link, and killing him would prevent the Book from gaining more power. Instead, his eyes shift to Kaien.
Yusuke: "You just said you're the backup Third Link."
He states coldly.
Yusuke: "That means you must die."
He swings his scythe toward Kaien, aiming to eliminate the spare. However, Mochizuki instantly intervenes, unleashing his black flames to block the lethal strike, the dark fire meeting the scythe with a sizzling clash.
Mochizuki: "Over my fucking dead body!"
He snarls, locking eyes with Yusuke as his black flames flare aggressively around him. The battlefield falls eerily silent for that brief moment—two Kings staring each other down. Yusuke's smirk returns, cold and unyielding.
Yusuke: "I can arrange that."
He replies flatly, the tension between them crackling like electricity about to strike. Kaien holds Asuka tighter, watching the confrontation unfold while the chain still binds the fallen Link. Blood pools steadily on the cold ground beneath them.
Asuka: "Was it really love?"
He whispers, his voice weak and broken, staring up at Kaien with tear-filled eyes.
Asuka: "The pain and suffering... all those touches... was that really love?"
Kaien looks down at him, his own golden eyes reflecting deep understanding and shared trauma. He shakes his head slowly.
Kaien: "No."
He answers quietly.
Kaien: "I know what it felt like. I was a sex slave, forced to do things... That wasn't love. That was ownership. That was torture. That was never love."
Asuka: "Now I know the truth..."
He breathes out, his final words barely audible as his eyes gloss over and his body goes limp in Kaien's arms. Kaien feels the life drain from him, and his own tears finally spill over, falling onto Asuka's pale face.
Kaien: "No... no no no..."
He whispers, clutching the dead Third Link close as grief and rage surge through him like a tsunami. Mochizuki's flames intensify around him, matching his fury. Yusuke watches impassively.
Mochizuki: "Kaien..."
Yusuke: "Oh yeah, I forgot—Anastasia's sex slave."
He says mockingly, his voice dripping with cruelty.
Yusuke: "Or should I say unconscious sex slave? Torture slave? I remember the brothel receipts... people rented you for thousands of dollars."
Mochizuki's fury erupts.
Mochizuki: "He's NOT a sex slave!"
He screams, launching a torrent of black flames at Yusuke.
Mochizuki: "He doesn't belong to anyone!"
Yusuke's kick lands squarely in Mochizuki's stomach, sending him flying backwards towards Kaien.
Yusuke: "He's the backup Third Link."
He states coldly.
Yusuke: "So he must die too. I don't care about his past or your feelings."
He strides forward menacingly, scythe at the ready to finish off Kaien while Mochizuki struggles to regain his footing amidst Asuka's corpse. The chain around Kaien tightens ominously.
Mochizuki: "Don't you dare touch him!"
He roars, lunging forward desperately to protect Kaien. Takumi's time freeze activates just in the nick of time, stopping Yusuke's scythe mere inches from Kaien's terrified face. The sudden halt of motion causes Yusuke's smirk to freeze on his lips as he's trapped in an instant of deadly intent. Mochizuki reaches Kaien first, pulling him protectively behind him while glaring at the frozen Yusuke with pure hatred in his eyes.
Takumi: "The Book is weakened."
He declares, his white hair and glowing green eyes giving off an aura of power.
Takumi: "We have a chance to win this."
Yusuke breaks free from the time freeze, though he looks annoyed rather than worried.
Yusuke: "If you say so."
He responds dismissively, clearly taking Takumi's word with a grain of salt but deciding to play along anyway. His scythe returns to his side as he surveys the battlefield, calculating his next move.
(Meanwhile at the other side of the battlefield).
Haruki: "Satanic Slaughter Yakuza Leader Kaito, are you now regretting your decision?"
He asks, blue energy begins to manifest around him. Kaito turns to face Haruki, a wild, maniacal laugh escaping his lips.
Kaito: "Regret it? You think I regret being a part of this satanic ritual?"
He cackles, his eyes glowing with dark energy.
Kaito: "This is exactly where I want to be!"
Haruki: "Well then, I guess I just have to do something about this."
He declares, instantly surrounding Kaito with a barrier of pure holy energy in the blink of an eye. Kaito immediately begins thrashing against it, trying desperately to break free, but the barrier holds strong—the holiness of it causing his dark chain to slowly dissipate.
Kaito: "What the hell is this?"
He snarls, panic starting to set in as his connection to the Book weakens.
Haruki: "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are guiding me to save you."
He says, his voice filled with a mix of hope and sadness.
Haruki: "But I am saddened to think that perhaps the other link has already passed away. I wish I could've saved them."
Kaito's eyes widen in realization and horror, the implication hanging heavy in the air—it's possible that Aaron or Asuka might be dead. The fading of his dark chain accelerates, the holy barrier continuing to weaken his connection to the Book.
Kaito: "No... no way..."
(Meanwhile on the other side of the battlefield).
Axel lay amidst the splintered remains of a stone pillar, his body twisted at angles that would have killed a human. For a long moment, there was no breath, no movement—only the settling of dust. Then, the inverted goat pentagram on his chest began to glow with a violent, ultraviolet light.
The ink-black liquid didn't just pool around him; it began to crawl back into his wounds like living sutures. With a series of wet, rhythmic snaps, his bones forced themselves back into place. Axel rose slowly, his pale face smeared with a mixture of his own dark blood and the acidic ichor.
For the first time, the "calculated" Axel was gone. As he stood up, the air around him began to warp.
Axel: "To think... a mere Link could resonate with such discord."
His voice was no longer a calm whisper; it was a layered, dissonant snarl, as if multiple people were speaking through his throat at once. He looked toward Kiyozawa, who was still cradling Amaya's body.
Axel: "You've forced my hand, Second Link. You've traded your Orbmanity for a pair of wings that will only carry you into a deeper hell."
Despite his recovery, Axel noticed the same thing Takumi did: The Book was flickering. With Asuka dead, the tether to the Third Link had snapped, causing the Book to bleed out its stored energy.
Axel's eyes widened as he remembers Kaien.
Axel: "The backup... I need the backup now."
He didn't run. He simply tilted his head back, and a torrent of the black, bubbling shadow erupted from his mouth, shooting into the sky like a geyser. The liquid began to rain down across the entire battlefield, but it wasn't just falling—it was seeking. Every drop that touched a cult member began to drain their remaining life force to fuel Axel's reconstruction.
This will continue in the next chapter.