The earth continued to fracture, deep fissures slicing through the soil like veins. A pair of glowing eyes emerged from the ground—not bursting out, just… watching.
Its eyes closed again, and the creature began dragging itself through the earth. Cracks followed in its wake, forming jagged, serpentine trails as it moved forward beneath the surface.
— School Rooftop —
-Shijun and Cherl
"Actually… do you have anything planned after school?"
Cherl asked casually, a slight smile curling on her lips.
"Huh? Me?!"
Shijun blinked, caught off guard before snapping back to reality.
"Uh, well, I'm pretty free today. Why do you ask?"
He tilted his head slightly, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Cherl chuckled.
"Wanna hang out after class? I was thinking of checking out that new lagoon place that just opened. You in?"
"M-me?! You want me to come with you?"
Shijun stammered, almost tripping over his own words—his brain practically blue-screening.
"You know," she teased, leaning slightly closer, "every time you're around me, you get sooo nervous. What? Do I make your heart skip a beat?"
"W-what?! No! No… totally not,"
he tried brushing it off, but anyone with working eyes could see the truth written all over his face.
Cherl burst out laughing.
"Well? You coming or not?"
"Yes."
The reply shot out faster than Shijun turning in last-minute homework.
"Great! Meet me outside the school gates when class ends,alright?"
"Alright!"
he shouted, waving like a lunatic as Cherl turned and left the school rooftop.
The second she was out of sight, Shijun leaped into the air, exploding with joy.
"YO SHE ASKED ME OUT—HELL YES! WHOOHOOOOOO!"
"Shut up,"
Minus snapped in his head.
"My bad… got a little carried away,"
Shijun grinned, scratching the back of his neck as he walked toward the exit.
But not before sneaking in one more victorious jump of happiness.
— Countryside — Outskirts of the City
Meanwhile, far from the school grounds, the cracks worsened.
Now, they stretched wide across the entire west sector of the countryside—
—and something was clearly coming.
— CSX Corporation HQ — Emergency Systems Triggered
Alarms flared a bright yellow across the facility.
SYSTEM WARNING: DEVIL ENERGY DETECTED
-Interception Request Sent
Location: West Sector, Countryside Region
— School Dismissal Bell
The familiar, soul-crushing sound of the final bell rang out, signaling the end of another day of teenage torment.
Shijun was already waiting outside, scanning the crowd, hoping to spot her.
"Looking for me?"
a voice asked, tapping his shoulder.
"Ah!"
Shijun nearly jumped out of his shoes as Cherl smiled beside him.
"Well? Ready to go?"
He nodded way too fast.
But just as they were about to leave, the ground shook violently beneath them.
"WHOAAA—WHAT THE HELL?!"
Shijun stumbled.
"Shijun!"
Cherl called out, bracing herself.
"Man!Why the hell does shit always go down the moment things are going right?!"
Shijun growled in frustration.
"Quit whining, dumbass!"
Minus barked.
Before either of them could react, a massive crack opened beneath Shijun's feet—
—and he was swallowed by the earth.
"SHIJUN! HANG ON!"
Cherl didn't waste a second. She immediately activated her hero suit, pink light flaring around her as she prepared to dive into the abyss—
—but just as she moved, the ground sealed shut.
"Damn it!"
she cursed.
"I need another way down. Fast."
—below the surface—
"AHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Shijun kept screaming as he plummeted down the unnaturally long pit.
"You gonna transform into me or what, dumbass?!"
Minus grumbled in his head.
Shijun didn't hesitate.
"MINUS!"
he yelled, thrusting his hand forward as the Entheon Motor formed on his wrist.And with a swift swipe across it—
FWOOOM!
He transformed mid-fall.
"TCH!"
Minus clicked his tongue as the transformation stabilized their descent.
They slowed down just enough to avoid a full-on splatter.
BOOM!
They landed rough but standing.
"GAH… goddamn… why does this shit always go down when something good happens?"
Shijun glanced around, blinking.
"Wait a second… this doesn't look like underground…"
He wasn't wrong.
Floating rocks hovered around him in a void-like space, stretching over what seemed like an endless drop.
"Oh hell no…"
he muttered, backing up slightly.
"I can't even see the bottom…"
But before he could analyze further—
TOMP. TOMP. TOMP.
The air around him trembled with heavy, stomping steps on the floating rocks around him.
ROOOOAAARR!!
CRASH!!
A monstrous figure burst out and rammed Shijun straight into the rocky wall.
"OF COURSE IT'S A DAMN DEVIL'S DOING!"
Deathdrago -
-The Slump Devil
Shijun shook his head, groaning as he shoot it off.
"Ew… this thing looks like dogshit. Literally. That's disgusting."
He snapped into a stance.
Without wasting time, Shijun charged at the grotesque devil—
—but Deathdrago growled and opened its malformed jaws.
Its grotesque tongue extended at light speed—
"EW, WHAT THE FUCK!"
SPLAT!
The tongue wrapped around Shijun's neck and began tightening.
"DISGUSTING!"
he gagged, clawing at the tongue in a desperate attempt to break free.
Suddenly, a strange message shimmered in the air—floating in front of them. But it wasn't in any human language. Just weird, glowing symbols.
"The hell is that? What is this… scribblish?"
Shijun choked out.
But Minus…
He froze.
"Is..Is fromThe Lord…"
"What?"
Shijun coughed.
"Can you stop saying 'what'?"
Minus snapped.
"…Sorry."
"Alright! Forget the creepy message—just get us out of this fucking tongue already!"Minus commanded.
"Right!"
With what little strength he had left, Shijun pulled both arms up, summoning his four glowing energy blades from the sides of his head.
He launched them forward—
SHINK-SHINK-SHINK-SHINK!
The blades sliced clean through the tongue, severing it.
SCREEEECH!
The devil shrieked in agony as it recoiled, enraged.
Shijun panted, watching it stumble backward, then—
"Uh-oh."
The entire environment around him began to twist and warp.
"What the hell—"
Suddenly—
they were underwater.
Bubbles rose, light refracted strangely, and a whole new setting took shape.
"Great,"
Shijun grumbled,
"now it's shifting environments?"
He stayed alert, scanning the waters.
ARGHH!
A feral roar echoed from above.
Deathdrago came crashing down, spinning through the water with its horns aimed like a drill. The horns glowed, charging up an incoming energy blast.
"Entheon Foreblast!"
Shijun shouted, crossing his arm over his chest. The gem on his forehead pulsed blue before unleashing the searing energy beam.
ZZZZZZRRRMMMM!!
The two beams collided violently mid-water—
causing the ocean around them to spiral like a hurricane.
In the chaos, Shijun poured more energy into the blast.
Until finally—
BOOM!
His beam overpowered Deathdrago's and struck the devil dead-on.
BZZZZZZTT!!
The devil screeched as the energy blast sliced its body,disorienting it from the hit.
Shijun saw his chance.
"You like shifting environments, huh? Then how about you shift me back to the surface!"
He rushed forward, grabbing the devil's body and flying upward at full speed. As the momentum built, Shijun delivered savage knees and elbows to the devil's face—
CRACK! WHAM! CRACK!
The force began tearing through the creature's defenses—
until the pressure threatened to rip its head clean off.
In a panic, Deathdrago warped the environment again—
Suddenly:
A lagoon.
Back on the surface.
SPLAAASH!
They both shot out of the water, crashing onto the grass.
Shijun dropped the devil midair causing it cause a explosion when it collided with the ground.
Blood and gashes lined the monster's neck as it groaned, struggling to move.
Shijun landed clean ahead of it.
"I'm back on the surface…"
he muttered, glaring down at the devil as it weakly rose.
"You JUST had to ruin one of the best days of my life, didn't you? And now—"
But before he could finish his sentence,
a swirling rift of crimson energy opened up behind the devil.
FWOOSH!
Deathdrago was instantly yanked back into the Devil World.
Shijun stood frozen,confused on what just happened.
"…Did that… seriously just happen?"
"Minus? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Silence.
Then—
"That message… the one the devil showed earlier…"
"Shijun—GET OUT OF THAT AREA NOW!"
"Wh—"
Before he could even finish the question,
a second rift burst open beneath him and sucked him in.
TOMP!
He was gone.
TOMP!
Shijun rolled violently across the rugged, scorched terrain as the rift spat him out like trash.
He coughed and groaned, slowly pushing himself off the gritty black soil.
"Jeez… Where the hell am I now…?"
"No…"
Minus muttered, his voice low. But it wasn't just low—it was nervous.
And Minus was never nervous.
"This—this is what that symbol…Shijun… we're in the Devil World."
Shijun's brain short-circuited.
"THE MESSAGE SAID WHAT? AND DID YOU JUST SAY 'WE'RE IN THE FUCKING DEVIL—EXCUSE ME, REPEAT THAT?!"
He looked around in disbelief.
Crimson skies loomed overhead, casting blood-red light over the desolate wasteland.
Jagged horns jutted from the ground, and the floor beneath his feet felt like compacted ash and bone.
It was silent.
Too silent.
Shijun's pulse quickened as his eyes darted from shadow to shadow.
WHAM!
Out of nowhere, a black staff came flying from behind and slammed into his back, launching him face-first into the dirt.
"TCH—AGH!"
he groaned, clutching his ribs and scrambling upright, battle-ready despite the pain.
And then—
a cold, venomous voice sliced through the sky like a blade.
"It's been 1,000 years… Long time no see, Minus."
Shijun froze.
Minus's voice… actually trembled.
"T-t-the Lord…"
Shijun gulped.
"This—this is The Lord?! The guy?! The actual guy?!"
The figure descended through the red clouds, cloaked in swirling black-and-red energy.
Its true form still obscured, like a living shadow with fire beneath its skin.
The Lord landed before Shijun, dark aura warping the air itself.
"1,000 years later… and you're still the same stubborn fool who refuses to kneel."
Minus responded sharply, taking control of Shijun's voice.
"And you're still the same coward who hides his face while sending his pawns to do all the dirty work."
The Lord's tone dipped into mockery.
"Still got that mouth, huh?"
He paused.
"But I can sense it… There's something different about you now. That energy that resides within you—did you really fuse with a mortal?"
Minus didn't flinch.
"If I did, what of it?"
"Pathetic,"
The Lord sneered.
"I thought having one of my elders seal you away back then would've taught you something. But instead… you got even weaker. Helping some random..what is those mortals in the outside dimension called again?Ah yes…human from the outside dimension?"
"You're beyond saving."
Minus snapped back.
"Says the freak who doesn't know the meaning of saving anything."
Shijun, completely overwhelmed, whispered:
"…Minus, I really don't like this."
The Lord slowly raised his hand—
FWOOM!
The black staff, Noctor, snapped into his grip with a loud, echoing crack.
"I'll give you one last chance, Minus."
His tone turned deadly serious.
"You're not a bad warrior. I'll let you return to my tower… serve beside me. You'll be one of my elites again. But only if you abandon the mortal host. And finally,submit to me."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Final offer. Refuse… and I'll make sure you, and that pathetic excuse of a human inside you… lose everything."
Minus didn't hesitate.
"Go fuck yourself."
He threw Shijun's body into a fighting stance.
"I don't care how scared this dumbass is. You heard the threat. Now let's beat his smug ass."
"GO!"
"On it!"
"You really want to fight me?"
The Lord scoffed.
"Don't make me laugh."
Shijun lunged, throwing a high-speed kick toward The Lord's face—
—but it was effortlessly blocked by the Noctor staff.
The Lord waved his free hand—
SWIPE!
—a claw-shaped strike of crimson energy ripped across Shijun's chest, launching him backward.
Before Shijun could recover, The Lord swung his staff—
BOOM!!!
The shockwave blasted Shijun through the air, slamming him against one of the massive horns sticking out of the ground.
"AAARGH!!"
he screamed in pain.
"Deathdrago…"
The Lord muttered ominously."
The same devil from before reappeared—
but something was very wrong.
The Lord hovered above, perched atop a horn like a twisted king, then raised his hand—
He infused Deathdrago with an overwhelming surge of dark and crimson energy.
The result was instant.
Deathdrago's body twisted and corrupted, its crimson-and-black aura boiling out like a plague.
"It-it went rogue…"
Shijun whispered.
"That's the same energy on Alien Baruzo that time…"
But it was too late.
Deathdrago had lost all sanity.
The corrupted devil let out a distorted screech, its mutated aura now surging like a black storm.
Then—
BOOOOM!!
A massive shockwave of energy burst from Deathdrago's body, slamming into Shijun with crushing force.
He hit the alien soil—hard.
"D-damn it…"
he coughed, barely able to move.
"Don't tell me I'm really about to die down here… I just became a hero not that long ago…"
His voice cracked.
"How deep is your beef with this guy, Minus?.."
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!"
Minus roared inside him.
"I DIDN'T LEND YOU MY BODY JUST SO YOU COULD GET YOUR ASS BEAT AGAIN—STAND THE FUCK UP!"
"I'm… trying…"
Shijun groaned, trembling as he tried to push himself off the ground.
His arms quivered.
His legs wouldn't respond.
The shockwave from The Lord had wrecked him—and the corruption blast only made it worse.
His vision blurred. His breaths were shallow.
His limbs felt like they were made of concrete.
And Deathdrago?
It didn't wait.
THUMP!
It stomped onto Shijun's chest—
then again—
THUMP! THUMP!
"GAAAAHHHH!"
Shijun cried out, barely managing to block the next blow with his forearm.
Above him, The Lord chuckled from his perch, resting casually on the horn.
"Yes… go on, Deathdrago. Pulverize that traitor."
Shijun's body shuddered under the pressure.
"G-get… o-off…"
he grunted—
—but it didn't help.
The next moment, Deathdrago's horns began to glow, its eyes blazing with crimson power.
A black current of unstable electricity crackled between them.
"No… no, no, NO—!"
ZRAAASH!!!
The energy exploded, blasting Shijun across the battlefield like a ragdoll.
He tore through multiple Devil World structures, chunks of obsidian spikes and red stone crumbling in his path—
Until he finally crashed into a hill with bone-snapping force.
BOOM!
Dust clouded the air.
Shijun didn't get up.He can't.
"Tch… Come on… s-stand up, Shijun,"
he mumbled weakly, more to himself than anyone else.
**— Meanwhile, Back on Earth —
Back on the school grounds, Cherl was pacing frantically near the sealed crack.
Her mind raced
"I have to get back down there. But if I blast the ground open, what if I hit him? What if I… hurt him by accident?"
She clenched her fists, teeth gritted.
"Dammit… what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Every plan she thought of came with a risk.
She looked down at the ground again.
Her hands trembled.
"Come on Cherl… think… THINK…"
Then—
A wild idea sparked.
"…Maybe…"
She didn't finish the sentence. She just took a deep breath and crossed her arms into a specific formation.
"I don't know if this will work,but it's worth a shot."
"Cupid Render…"
she whispered.
A glowing pink aura enveloped her entire body.
Then—
FLASH!!
She collapsed towards the ground,phasing downward into the earth—
a desperate gamble, fueled by instinct alone.
"Please work…I beg of you Cherl…."