Makoto sat at the dining table with the rest of the group, casually eating and laughing along with their conversations. The hum of the phone vibrating on the table drew his attention. Picking it up, he saw Renji's name flashing on the screen. Makoto hadn't heard from him in a while, and it was unusual for him to call out of the blue. Without saying a word, Makoto stood up, excused himself silently, and stepped outside.
"Hey, Renji. It's been a while," Makoto greeted as he answered the call.
"Makoto! It's about time you picked up!" Renji's cheerful voice came through. "We've missed you around here. And Airi especially misses you."
In the background, Makoto heard a flustered voice shout, "I do not!" Her shy protest made him chuckle softly.
"How's Airi doing these days?" Makoto asked, leaning against the porch railing.
"She's fine, perfect actually," Renji said. Then his tone shifted slightly. "Oh, right—Grandpa wants to see you. He mentioned you left last time without saying goodbye."
Makoto sighed. "I've been busy working. I'm not too far from home, though. I can drop by sometime soon."
"Well, Grandpa wants to see you today. That's the main reason I'm calling," Renji insisted.
Makoto frowned but nodded to himself. "Alright. I'll head over soon."
"Great. I'll let him know."
Makoto hung up and walked back into the house. Yana, noticing the shift in his expression, raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," Makoto replied. "I just need to visit my family today."
As he sat back down, Rin stood up from the table, carrying his plate to the sink. "You sure you're up for that? Your wounds aren't fully healed."
Makoto waved him off with a faint smile. "I'll be fine."
A few hours later, Makoto arrived at his family's house. He had dressed neatly for the visit, his injuries hidden beneath his clothes. Ringing the doorbell, he waited patiently until Renji opened the door with a wide grin.
"Makoto!" Renji exclaimed, throwing his arms wide for a hug.
Makoto stepped aside, dodging the embrace with a smirk. "Good to see you, too, Renji."
Renji let out a mock groan of disappointment but led Makoto inside. The familiar warmth of the house washed over him as he entered, and his eyes immediately landed on Airi.
She greeted him with a smile. "Welcome back, Makoto."
Makoto grinned teasingly. "Looks like your chest got bigger."
Airi's face turned crimson as she retorted sharply, "Die!"
Laughing, Makoto turned his attention to the elderly man sitting in the armchair by the window. "Gramps, you're looking good."
Grandpa smiled warmly. "It's good to see you, Makoto. You should stay the night—I made plenty of food."
"Actually," Makoto said, lifting a small duffle bag, "I brought my luggage. I'm staying the week."
Renji perked up. "Oh, that's awesome! By the way, I saw the Zeyrix show you were in. You were amazing! You really led those people to safety."
Airi, trying to act indifferent, crossed her arms. "You were alright, I guess."
Makoto smirked, but before he could reply, Grandpa scolded the siblings. "Stop bothering him! He's injured and needs rest."
Makoto chuckled. "It's no big deal, Gramps."
Renji's stomach suddenly growled, and everyone burst into laughter. "Let's eat before talking more," he suggested sheepishly.
"Pig," Airi teased.
Just as the laughter subsided, a low rumble echoed from outside. At first, they thought it was Renji's stomach again, but the noise grew louder and more persistent. The group exchanged confused glances before rushing to the door.
Stepping outside, their jaws dropped as they saw dozens of towering robots, each standing at least fifty feet tall, marching through the street. The ground trembled beneath their heavy steps, and their metallic forms gleamed ominously under the sunlight.
"What the hell is that?" Airi whispered, her voice tinged with fear.
Makoto's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. Renji, standing beside him, muttered, "This can't be real..."
Grandpa shuffled out onto the porch, leaning heavily on his cane. "What's going on out here?"
Makoto turned quickly, his tone firm. "Gramps, get back inside. Now."
"But I—"
"No arguments," Makoto snapped. Reluctantly, Grandpa sighed and returned indoors, grumbling under his breath.
Airi turned to Makoto, panic creeping into her voice. "What is happening? Are those... real?"
"I don't know," Makoto admitted, pulling out his phone. Before he could make a call, it buzzed in his hand. The name "Takumi Enatsu" appeared on the screen.
"Takumi Enatsu, what's going on?" Makoto answered.
"Makoto, it's chaos here," Takumi Enatsu's voice came through, frantic. "We've got massive robots surrounding the Seirei Exorcist building. They're everywhere, spreading across the city!"
Makoto's jaw tightened. "They're here too, Takumi Enatsu. These things are massive—stretching from the Seirei Exorcist building all the way to this neighborhood."
There was a brief pause before Takumi Enatsu spoke again. "We need you here. Now. Kaito is leading them."
"Kaito?" Makoto asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes," Takumi Enatsu confirmed grimly. "And he's not alone. Get here as fast as you can."
Makoto ended the call, turning to Airi and Renji. "Evacuate everyone on this street. Get them as far away as possible."
"What about you?" Airi asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"I'll handle this," Makoto said.
Before either sibling could protest, Makoto bolted down the street at full speed, his figure disappearing into the distance.
Meanwhile, at the Seirei Exorcist building, the situation was dire. Kaito, one of the infamous disciples of Damein, stood atop the lead robot, a smug grin on his face. His dark hair glistened in the light, and his piercing gaze scanned the crowd of Seirei Exorcists gathering below.
The boss stepped forward, his face grim. Rin stood beside him, his fists clenched.
"Who is that?" Rin asked.
The boss's eyes never left Kaito. "He's one of Damein's disciples. Kaito. He has the standz ability to control technology at will."
The name sent a ripple of unease through the gathered members.
Kaito's grin widened as he addressed the crowd. "Good. It seems you know who I am. That'll save us some time. I'll keep it simple—unseal Damein, or I'll unseal him myself."
The boss's expression hardened. "We'd rather die than release that monster into the world."
Kaito chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't seem to understand the situation." He gestured to the army of towering robots surrounding the building. "If you don't unseal him, I'll have to commit mass murder. And trust me, I'm not bluffing."
The tension was palpable as Kaito began counting down. "Ten... nine... eight..."
"Boss, what do we do?" Rin asked urgently.
The boss stood his ground. "We don't negotiate with monsters like him."
"Three... two... one..."
Before Kaito could reach zero, a razor-sharp card flew through the air, aimed directly at him. Kaito smirked, pulling out a glowing lightsaber-like weapon and slicing the card in half mid-air. "Is that the best you've got?" he taunted.
Haruko, the one who had thrown the card, smiled faintly. "The card wasn't for you."
Kaito's smirk faltered as Makoto appeared behind him, catching the second card Haruko had doubled mid air. With a swift motion, Makoto pressed the card against the back of Kaito's neck.
"Move, and your head will roll," Makoto said coldly.
The Seirei Exorcists gasped in awe at the perfectly executed maneuver.
"How did you do that?" Rin asked Haruko, his eyes wide.
Haruko smirked. "Before he sliced the first card, I doubled it in mid-air. The second was meant for Makoto to catch."
Kaito, unfazed, began to laugh softly.
"What's so funny?" Makoto asked, his grip firm.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Kaito said, his voice dripping with condescension. "You're nothing but a standzless freak. Let me show you your place."
With a snap of his fingers, a missile launcher emerged from one of the robots, aimed directly at Makoto's back.
Makoto's eyes widened. "Are you trying to kill us both?"
The missiles fired. Makoto leapt off the robot just in time, landing gracefully on the ground. The missiles, however, didn't harm Kaito. A shimmering technological shield appeared around him, deflecting the explosion.
Makoto stared in shock.
Kaito laughed again. "You see, I never had anything to fear. My auto-shield activates whenever I'm in danger."
The Seirei Exorcists regrouped around Makoto, their expressions a mix of fear and determination.
Kaito's grin faded into a cold, calculating stare. "If you won't cooperate, then you leave me no choice." He snapped his fingers again, and the army of robots began destroying everything in sight.
"No!" Rin shouted.
"Don't panic!" Makoto ordered. "Airi and Renji should have evacuated most of the civilians by now."
The group took a moment to process Makoto's words, their fear easing slightly. But the battle was far from over.
Kaito raised his hand, his robots closing in on the group. "Let's see how long you last against me, the disciple of Damein."
Makoto stepped forward, determination blazing in his eyes. "We'll stop you, no matter what it takes."
The final showdown had begun.