Arnik, Markus, and Aika rushed out of the HQ, their boots pounding against the metal walkways.
Their voices shouted over the storming coms.
"ROSE! KAI! YOUR LOCATION!!"
Only static answered.
Markus snarled. "Coms are jammed…"
A new voice suddenly cut in—Andrews.
"Outside the HQ,all coms are jammed!! All mages have assembled to battle stations! Stay sharp!"
Arnik nodded, his bright blue eyes hard with resolve.
"Angel Squad!! LIMIT CASUALTIES!"
"Right!" Aika called back, clutching her staff, her black hair whipping behind her as she ran.
Markus scoffed, pulling his katana free with a sharp hiss.
"Sure…"
He veered off from the others, breaking away on his own.
"Markus!!" Aika called, but he was already gone.
"Let's go!" Arnik shouted, and he and Aika sprinted forward, disappearing into the chaos.
Inside HQ—
"NOW?! It could've been any time, but WHY now?!" Kaelani slammed his hand against the table, his voice thundering across the war room.
"This is no time to panic."
Riku's sharp voice cut through the noise. His eyes locked on the generals before him.
"Greaves! Kaelani! Virell!"
Virell, who had been spacing out, snapped upright immediately.
"All of you will head first into the Demon Users! DESTROY THEM ALL!"
"RIGHT!!" they shouted in unison, fists slamming across their chests.
Andrew exhaled sharply, stepping back to his coms. His voice rang with command.
"All Arch Mages of Mars! Protect the people!!"
"RIGHT!!" the coms echoed back, hundreds of voices carrying through the channels.
Andrew lowered the receiver, sinking into his chair for just a moment. His hand clenched tight against the armrest.
"Our fleet's holding strong… for now…"
Above, Mercury's fleet cut through the skies like a wall of steel and fire.
Lionel's forces hammered them relentlessly, but the super-shields held—immense barriers of mana and technology interwoven.
Every blast, twas swallowed in glowing waves of blue light.
Lionel's fleet could not break through.
Not yet.
Fires roared, civilians screamed, Demon Users moved like shadows through the wreckage.
But the mages were already on the hunt.
Kaelani, Greaves, Virell, Takashima, and Miu moved quickly through the ruined sector while the lower-level mages and mutants handled crowd control behind them. Their job was to clear civilians, restore order. Theirs was to hunt. To finish the Demon Users once and for all.
When they reached the breach in the city's shield, almost nothing was left. Only scorch marks, twisted metal, and silence.
Kaelani clenched his jaw, his eyes sweeping the street. "They're already spread across the damn city… VIRELL! Close up the damage."
Virell blinked, distracted for a moment, then snapped into focus. She raised her hands, runes of golden light flickering around her fingers as she sealed the gap. The barrier stitched itself together until the breach was gone.
Takashima stroked his chin. "…Strange."
Miu leaned forward, tilting her head. "What's the matter?"
"…Something feels off."
Greaves agreed, her voice firm. "Too easy. HQ was left heavily defended. They shouldn't have slipped this far."
Kaelani smirked faintly. "The Demon Users will be eradicated soon enough."
But Virell's tone cut through the air, sharp despite her calm face. "…Remember, Satsujin nearly killed all of us."
Then—shadows shifted ahead.
About ten Demon Users stepped into view. Their armor was crude, little more than scraps of metal bolted together. Some looked like thugs, others like broken civilians wearing stolen gear, cursed energy leaking off them in waves.
Kaelani scoffed. "These small fry? Seriously?"
Takashima adjusted his glasses. "…Let's take care of them quickly."
The Demon Users rushed forward, snarling.
Kaelani's greatsword flared into existence, molten fire dripping from its edge.
"Out of my way!" he roared, swinging in a wide arc. Two Demon Users were cleaved in half, their bodies igniting before they even hit the ground.
Greaves conjured her barrier lance with a snap of her hand, obsidian spears erupting around her. She hurled one, piercing straight through an enemy's chest and pinning him against a wall. Another spear followed, skewering his partner beside him.
"Sloppy," she muttered, pulling her lance back.
Virell's golden revolvers spun into her grip, glowing wards wrapping her arms. She fired twice, light bullets curving midair to strike through two more hearts.
"They fall too easily…" her voice was flat, but her eyes stayed sharp.
Miu's katana howled as wind surged around her. She darted forward in a blur, slicing through three Demon Users in a single breath. Their bodies fell in pieces behind her.
"Too easy!" she laughed, twirling her blade as she slid back beside the others.
The last Demon User lunged at them, screaming.
Takashima raised his hand, barriers forming instantly. The creature froze in midair, crushed as gravity folded around it. He snapped his fingers—the body shattered into the ground with a sickening crack.
"Hmph. Weak hosts," he said coldly.
Kaelani rested his burning blade on his shoulder, sneering. "Pathetic."
Virell holstered her fading revolvers, her voice low. "…This isn't right. If this is all they've got, something worse is coming."
The sound of clapping echoed through the ruined street.
Slow. Mocking.
Every mage froze.
A presence pressed down on them—a suffocating weight that hadn't been there a heartbeat ago.
Weapons snapped back into their hands, all pointed toward the sound.
There—standing above them on the broken roof of a building—was a man.
His armor was a dull, rusty red, jagged and cracked like it had been pulled straight from a battlefield and never cleaned. A single demon horn jutted crookedly from the side of his head. His black hair hung over half his face, covering his right eye completely.
"Well done, well done!!" His voice rang with mock applause as his hands slapped together. "What a show! What a show!"
We didn't sense him coming… Takashima thought, his jaw tightening.
Greaves scowled, her grip on her conjured lance tightening.
Kaelani'sgreatsword burned hotter, his eyes locked on the figure above.
Virell, however, only sighed faintly, her gaze drifting. "This is a pain…" she muttered, revolvers steady but her expression detached.
The man leaped down effortlessly, landing in front of them without even disturbing the ground. He gave a mocking bow.
"My name is Emo…" His voice dripped with amusement. "But for your simple human minds… call me this."
He lifted the hair covering his face, revealing the right side at last.
Tattooed into his flesh was a bold number: 2.
"Call me Demon User, Rank 2."
Every mage stiffened. Their weapons were up, their breathing sharp.
Only second to Satsujin.
And third to Lionel himself.
Emo chuckled, his grin widening. "This hardly seems fair, don't you think…?"
He snapped his fingers.
The air split open—three black portals erupted to his sides.
The mages leaped back instantly, spreading out as cursed energy spilled from the void.
"What the hell is he doing?!" Kaelani growled.
"Portals…" Greaves' eyes narrowed. "Brace yourselves."
From the portals, three figures stepped out.
Emo spread his arms wide like a ringmaster.
"Zak! Azazel! Gull!!"
Each of them bore the tattooed mark of 2.
Azazel emerged first—
A beautiful woman with long, dark blue hair, her body clad in tattered, bloodstained garments. Her lips curled into a manic smile as she dragged her tongue slowly across the edge of her twin cleavers, both blades caked in dried blood.
Her eyes glimmered with broken-heart-shaped pupils, glowing faintly with cursed energy.
"No demi-humans…?" Her voice was sing-song, dripping with disappointment. She pouted, twirling one of her cleavers. "Awww… human meat is so boring…"
The second portal twisted open, and Zak stepped through.
His stride was calm, deliberate, almost theatrical.
"Now, now…" he drawled, his tone sharp and smooth at once. "Strong humans carry rather good meat on them…"
He lifted a pale hand to his mouth, covering his face as though hiding laughter. His shoulders trembled with suppressed amusement, muffled chuckles leaking through his fingers.
"…But… I don't see any."
His hair was stark white, cut unevenly so strands draped across his face. His crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the shadow of his bangs, unblinking and sharp. His armor was silver and gelatinous, its surface shifting and rippling like it was alive, as though veins pulsed beneath it. At times it looked like it was breathing. Each step he took made the armor flex and writhe, crawling slightly across his frame as if feeding on him.
The third portal exploded open, and something leapt through like a beast freed from its cage.
A man dropped onto all fours, snarling, saliva dripping onto the pavement.
This was Gull.
His short, messy black hair clung to his pale face, matted with grime and sweat. His crimson eyes were wild and bloodshot, darting frantically as if he saw everything at once and nothing at all.
Around his neck was a brutal spiked collar, chained so tight it dug into his skin. His mouth was strapped with jagged iron, twisted into a gag that still let feral noises slip through.
His entire body moved like a rabid hound—slamming his fists into the ground, crawling erratically, snapping his teeth in broken bursts.
"GRRRR… BARK!! GARK!!" His guttural noises echoed through the ruined street.
Emo laughed, his voice echoing across the ruined street.
"Now this… this is a party!!"
Kaelani snarled, his teeth bared, flames crawling up his arms as his mutation burned hot. "Enough games!!"
Greaves leveled her gaze, her lance already forming, voice sharp. "Don't underestimate us."
Miu twirled her katana, grinning despite the pressure. "Finally, something fun!"
Takashima adjusted his glasses, his tone flat. "…Stay focused. They're not fodder this time."
Virell sighed, her revolvers spinning into her hands. "…What a pain."
At once—both sides moved.
Kaelani's greatsword erupted in molten fire as he lunged forward. Greaves surged beside him, obsidian spears spiraling into the air as her lance thrust ahead. Miu blurred into a whirlwind of steel, her katana slicing sharp currents through the rubble. Takashima advanced with calm precision, barriers unfolding as gravity warped at his fingertips. Virell hung back, golden wards spinning into her revolvers, aiming with deadly focus.
Zak strode calmly to meet them, silver armor rippling across his frame, his chuckles growing louder. Azazel skipped forward, cleavers raised, her broken-heart pupils glowing with manic hunger. Gull bounded on all fours, chains clanking as he barked like a rabid hound, saliva spraying from his gagged mouth.
Both sides clashed head-on—
The street erupted into chaos.
"ROSE!! ROSE!!" Kai's voice rang out across the city.
BOOM!!
A massive surge of energy tore through the streets, the ground cracking as shockwaves shattered windows and toppled weakened walls. Fires burst from collapsing buildings, ash clouding the air.
Slashing winds cut like razors through steel. Flames of twisted mutant energy carved molten scars into the ruins.
Kai darted through the chaos, his movements precise. He slipped between blasts, rolled under a wave of fire, and leapt across falling debris with practiced grace.
"I need an advantage point…" he muttered, eyes narrowing.
He scaled the broken husk of a skyscraper, climbing fast. At the top, the ruined city stretched before him—soldiers clashing with Demon Users, magic bursting in flashes of color. But his eyes locked on the far edge. A suffocating pressure pulsed like a heartbeat, energy rippling skyward.
"…Arch Mages," he muttered, jaw tight. "What are they fighting?"
He didn't get the chance to think further.
ZIIIIPP!!
His instincts screamed. A massive blade formed in his hands, silver edge glowing as he raised it—just in time to block a crushing blast. Sparks ripped across the rooftop as the impact forced him back.
"Damn…" he hissed.
Glass shattered. From the next building, a Demon User burst through, streaking straight at him.
The collision was instant. Kai was thrown through a tower's side, stone and steel exploding around him. Dust buried the street, but when it cleared, he stood unharmed, a fading shimmer of a shield around him.
The Demon User charged again, hulking muscles bulging beneath charred armor, skin glowing with crimson veins. Horns jutted from his skull, red eyes burning with fury.
"RAHHH!!" he roared.
Kai sidestepped, smooth as water. His weapon shifted mid-swing into a massive bat. CRACK! He smashed it into the demon's ribs, the impact echoing like thunder.
The beast staggered. In one motion Kai's weapon twisted back to a blade, slicing clean across its chest. The roar cut into a wet gasp before the body collapsed, crumbling into smoldering fragments.
Kai lowered his weapon, calm and unscathed.
But then—shadows stirred.
From the smoke, more Demon Users emerged. Dozens. Crawling from rubble, stepping out onto rooftops, eyes glowing red as their twisted forms closed in around him.
Kai tightened his grip on his blade.
"…So be it."
Five Demon Users surrounded him, each with a twisted blade in hand.
Kai's grip tightened.
"…Rank fours, maybe fives. Still… there's only so many I can handle."
The horde rushed him.
Kai moved first. His blade shimmered, reshaping into a long edge before he swung wide—SLASH! A crescent of energy tore through the street, slicing straight through two Demon Users and cleaving into a building behind them. The structure groaned before collapsing, stone and steel raining into the flames.
But more were already on him.
Clang! Steel clashed against his guard. Kai shoved one enemy back, strings snapping to grab a fallen sign. He whipped it like a blade, cutting into another's side. His sword flashed again—parrying, redirecting, slicing across an exposed neck.
Another charged. Kai spun, releasing a wave of energy with his swing. The slash tore through three in a row, cutting clean through their blades, their bodies, and the support pillars behind them. The building shook violently before crashing down, dust swallowing the street.
He dashed through the haze, weaving between falling debris. A blade came for his head—he ducked, strings lashing out to grab a loose beam above. He yanked it down with brutal force, smashing it onto the attacker before finishing with a stab to the chest.
The swarm pressed harder.
One lunged from the side, ramming him mid-swing. The impact lifted Kai off his feet and smashed him into a wall. The building cracked, then collapsed around him as he rolled free, coughing dust.
"Dammit—"
Another swung down at him. He parried, sparks showering as steel screamed. Then came another from behind, blade raised high. Kai snapped threads outward, yanking rubble into the path, but more rushed in. Their swords hammered his guard, forcing him step by step into the wreckage.
Then the magic came.
BOOM!!
Dozens of blasts ripped across the street—fire, ice, lightning—slamming into him all at once. Kai grit his teeth, raising his sword. The weapon shimmered into a massive shield, glowing threads wrapping around it as he braced.
KRAK-BOOM!!
The rooftop exploded as the volley hit, shockwaves tearing through the block. Kai staggered back, his shield burning under the strain. More blasts rained down—BOOM! CRASH! ZZZRRT!—one after another, relentless. He blocked, deflected, redirected, the air around him screaming with pressure.
The ground split beneath his boots.
Another Demon User slammed into him head-on, driving him through the remains of a skyscraper. Concrete shattered, steel bent, glass rained down as he crashed through floor after floor before hitting the ground level hard.
"Khh—!"
The moment he got up, more were there. A dozen red eyes gleamed through the dust, blades raised, magic glowing in their hands.
"Enough…!!" Kai roared, unleashing a wild slash. The energy tore through the first line of enemies, sending them scattering. But even as they fell, more surged forward, their blades and spells raining down all at once.
Kai's breath came heavy. His coat was shredded, dust and blood smeared across his face, but his eyes stayed sharp. Strings snapped wildly, pulling every scrap of debris into a swirling shield around him.
He braced, blocking strike after strike, his arms trembling under the weight.
"I can't… hold forever…!" he hissed, sweat dripping into his eyes as the city burned around him.
Kai's blade shifted wildly in his grip, threads of mana snapping and reattaching as fast as he could think. BOOM!! A fireblast slammed into his shield form, rattling his arms so hard his bones screamed.
He shoved forward anyway, forcing the weapon into a spear and driving it through a Demon User's chest. THRUST! Blood splattered across his torn coat. He ripped it free, gasping.
CLANG! Another blade crashed against him. Kai's weapon snapped back into a longsword, sparks erupting as he caught the strike. His boots slid across broken stone, his teeth grit, sweat and blood mixing down his face.
"Dammit… move… MOVE!" he snarled, shoving the attacker back. He spun, blades morphing into daggers—SLASH SLASH!—carving shallow cuts, then twisting into a heavy axe. CHOP! It buried deep into another's shoulder before vanishing again.
But for every one he dropped, three more pressed in.
"RAHHH!!"
A kick crashed into his ribs. CRACK! His breath hitched. Another sword bit across his back—hot blood sprayed the ground.
"NGHHH—! Hhhaaahh!!" Kai roared, his blade stretching into a greatsword. He swung desperately—SLASH!!—a crescent of energy ripped through three Demon Users, tearing a skyscraper clean in half. The building groaned, then collapsed in fire and smoke, swallowing half the street.
He staggered forward, lungs burning, knees shaking. His coat was shredded, his arm dripping red. The shapeless blade flickered in and out of form, glitching as his focus faltered.
Five blades came all at once.
Kai blocked the first—CLANG!—barely parried the second. The third slashed into his shoulder, hot agony ripping through him. He ducked under the fourth, but the fifth stabbed into his side, forcing a scream out of him.
"GUHHHH!!"
He ripped it out, swinging wildly, his weapon snapping into a spear and skewering the closest enemy. But before he could pull it free—BOOM!—a fireblast slammed into his chest, hurling him into the pavement. The stone cracked beneath him, blood pooling at his lips.
Still—he forced himself up, swaying, his weapon trembling in his hand. His breaths came in ragged, broken gasps, every inhale stabbing his ribs.
"…hah…hah… I… I'm not… done… yet…"
He raised the blade again, though his arms shook violently, barely able to hold it steady.
The Demon Users snarled, blades glowing, circling closer.
Kai's knees buckled. His vision blurred. The shapeless blade flickered like dying light.
"…Rose… I can't… fall here…"
In an instant—everything ended.
Every Demon User froze, their eyes wide, before collapsing in unison. Their throats, their chests, every vital point had been pierced through in less than a second.
Kai blinked, barely able to register what had just happened.
He staggered to his feet, his sword flickering in his grip. Slowly, his eyes turned—
And then widened.
"…Rose…" he whispered.
She stood there, her yari extended, the tip dripping with blood as its glow slowly faded. Her body was still coiled from the burst of movement, her tail swaying behind her as the fire and ruin framed her figure.
Rose turned her head toward him. On her face… was a smile.
Not her usual grin. Not her cocky smirk.
But a gentle, lovely smile.
Kai's heart skipped.
For a moment, he thought he was seeing her for the first time.
Or maybe—just maybe—she was finally showing her true self.
"Happy to see me?" she asked softly.
Kai's throat tightened. Tears welled in his eyes as he stumbled forward and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened at first—but then he felt her shoulders tremble, her tears soaking into his chest.
"…Rose."
"Yes, Kai?"
He pulled back, their faces close, eyes locking even as the chaos raged around them. The explosions, the flames, the screams—all of it seemed to slow, like time itself had bent just for them.
"For years… I kept my heart guarded. I didn't trust anyone. I wouldn't let anyone in." He grabbed her hand, pressing it against his chest. "But now… Rose… I'm going to trust you—"
He gripped tighter, his voice breaking.
"—and give you my heart!"
Her breath hitched. Her ears twitched. And then—
"Kai!" Rose sobbed, hugging him so tightly it almost crushed his ribs. "O… Kai…!"
He held her just as hard, burying his face into her shoulder.
But their moment couldn't last.
The circle of red eyes tightened around them. More Demon Users emerged—nine this time, their blades drawn, power flaring.
Kai pulled away, wiping blood and tears from his face. He pressed a hand to his chest, green light glowing faintly as his wounds began to heal.
"Rose."
"Kai."
They raised their weapons as one.
"We fight… together."
And then—they moved.
Rose was faster than lightning, her yari striking in blurs the Demon Users couldn't track. Each thrust ripped through armor, each sweeping spin tore across their guard before they even realized they'd been hit. Her weapon became an unbroken rhythm, a deadly dance through the fire.
Kai was her shadow, his shapeless blade shifting from shield to spear to sword in perfect sync with her movements. When she struck forward, he guarded her back. When she twirled through an enemy line, he carved through those she left staggering behind. Together, their momentum never broke.
Skyscrapers collapsed under the storm. Dust clouds swallowed whole blocks. And still, Kai and Rose pressed forward, unstoppable, every strike an answer to the other.
In Kai's mind, a single truth burned.
At last… I have a reason to fight. A reason to never lose again.
And in Rose's heart, there was no hesitation.
I've found the one I want to spend my whole life with.
When the smoke cleared, the battlefield was silent.
The Demon Users lay scattered, their weapons shattered, their blood soaking the rubble.
At the center of it all—above the ruins of collapsed skyscrapers, fire raging around them—stood Kai and Rose.
Arm in arm.
Aika thrust her staff upward, the carved runes along its length glowing a deep emerald. Gravity bent to her will, and the skeletal frame of a collapsing skyscraper froze mid-fall, hanging above a fleeing crowd like a mountain suspended in air. With a sharp cry, she swept the staff sideways.
The rubble groaned, then shifted, pulled by invisible force. It slammed harmlessly into an empty street, the shockwave rattling the pavement but sparing every life beneath it.
"Go! Move quickly!" she shouted, her voice strained, sweat running down her cheek.
Arnik was already gone in a flash. His figure blurred with beyond-lightning speed, weaving through smoke and flame. In a heartbeat he reappeared, carrying civilians out of harm's way.
"Gotchu!" he grinned, setting them down gently before bolting again. "I won't let anything happen to you!"
The ground shook. A fractured skyscraper gave way, its upper floors snapping loose and tumbling straight toward a narrow street where a little demi-cat girl stood frozen, too terrified to run.
"Arnik!!"
CRASH!
The collapse was deafening, but she never felt it. In the instant before the building came down, Arnik blurred past the dust, scooping her into his arms and streaking clear across the block. He skidded to a halt just as the tower thundered into ruin behind them, the blast of debris shaking the pavement.
He set her down, ruffling her ears with a reassuring smile. "You're safe now. I told you—I won't let anything happen to you."
But danger was never far. A Demon User lunged from the haze, blade raised high—
CRASH!
The strike never landed. Markus intercepted, his fist exploding across the Demon User's jaw. The impact launched the enemy like a ragdoll, smashing him through a wall before his body crumpled into silence.
"Don't get careless, Arnik," Markus muttered, shaking out his head.
Arnik smirked, landing beside him. "Well, I'm not."
The Demon User twitched—then his body split apart, blood spilling as if carved by an invisible blade.
Markus's lips curled into a smirk. "You've gotten a lot stronger."
Arnik grinned back. "I can say the same about you."
Overhead, another tower cracked loose. Arnik darted clear, Markus pacing him step for step.
"Why aren't you drawing your sword?" Arnik asked, eyes flicking toward the sheathed katana at Markus's hip. Its ominous aura bled into the air like smoke.
Markus's gaze lingered on it, heavy. "…I don't know."
"Well, if it's not hindering you, then fine." Arnik's tone softened. "Just… be careful."
Markus nodded once. "Right."
BOOM! BOOM!!
The ground shook beneath them. Even here, shockwaves rolled across the city from the clash of Lionel's mages. The pavement cracked, fires guttered, and the air itself seemed to waver.
"So much power…" Aika whispered, her staff trembling in her grip.
Arnik's expression hardened. "We should head over there as soon as possible."
Markus folded his arms. "We need to find Kai and Rose first."
"…Right."
They pressed on, cutting down stragglers and shielding survivors until Arnik shouted over the chaos.
"Aika! How many are left?!"
She planted her staff in the ground, runes glowing faintly as she swept the city with her magic. Her eyes dimmed, then brightened. "None! Everyone's evacuated!"
The three regrouped. Aika leaned on her staff, her chest rising and falling fast. A tired smile flickered. "I might just… take a nap."
"After we finish," Arnik said firmly.
"Mmhm…" she yawned.
Markus cracked his knuckles. "Now… let's find those idiots."
"Way ahead of you," Arnik replied as the team broke into a run.
The air shifted.
Arnik stopped mid-stride, unease crawling up his spine.
Markus caught it. "Come on, Arnik—we can't afford to waste time."
Arnik almost pushed the feeling aside—
But Aika suddenly screamed.
"Run—no—!"
Her words cut off as her body seized and dropped, hitting the ground with a hard thud.
"Aika!" Arnik knelt, shaking her shoulder. Her eyes were shut tight, her chest rising slowly. She was asleep.
"What the hell…?" Markus growled, scanning the shadows.
Then—his legs buckled. He collapsed just as fast.
"Markus?!" Arnik's voice cracked. "What's going on—"
Movement flickered at the edge of his vision. A silhouette. A woman's figure, stepping gracefully from the gloom.
She moved with the poise of a dancer, every step deliberate, her heels clicking against the broken pavement.
Her armor was slick and black, polished to a mirror shine, hugging her form with lethal elegance.
Her hair spilled long and crimson down her back, strands glowing like fire under the broken lights. Her eyes—deep, scarlet red—shimmered with both beauty and danger. Her lips curved in a smile that was soft, almost gentle, yet cruel at its edges.
Arnik froze, breath caught in his throat.
She raised one finger, her voice playful. "Bang."
Darkness swallowed him. His body crumpled to the ground.
The woman knelt beside him, slipping one hand beneath his chin to tilt his face toward hers. She brushed his hair aside with tender fingers, her touch strangely intimate.
"…Handsome," she murmured, her smile lingering. "But too pure-hearted. And that… is a no-no."
She leaned in. Her lips touched his—not rough, not violent, but slow. Her mouth pressed against his with a softness that stole the breath from him. Her kiss deepened, lingering, almost savoring, her warmth sliding into him with a sweetness that twisted into poison.
It was a kiss that promised both affection and destruction, a taste of something forbidden, pulling his consciousness down into darkness.
When she finally drew back, her crimson eyes glimmered. "You'll need… a little more of my magic."
Arnik's body went limp. His eyes shut.
And like the others before him, he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Rose and Kai stood in the aftermath of chaos.
Around them, forty Demon Users lay scattered across the ruins—silent, broken, and still. Smoke curled from the streets, and the air shimmered with fading magic.
It was a record. Even by Angel Squad standards, it was unreal.
But numbers didn't matter.
Their true reason for fighting had finally ignited—
a flame burning bright enough to consume everything in its path.
Rose stood there, her breath soft, her cheeks faintly flushed. For once, the sharp, teasing confidence she always carried was gone.
"Kai…" she murmured, voice trembling. "O-Kai…"
Her hands fidgeted for a moment before she stepped closer, the heat of battle replaced by a fragile warmth.
"I've never… felt this way before," she whispered, looping her arms gently around his neck. Her forehead rested against his chest as she looked up into his eyes.
"Will you… be my reason to fight?"
Kai's heart pounded in his chest.
He was flushed, disoriented, still sorting through everything—the battle, the blood, the emotion. Yet his answer came without hesitation.
"Rose… I still don't fully understand my own feelings," he said softly, his hand brushing a strand of her hair aside. "But I know this—"
his voice steadied—
"I'll be your reason… and you'll be mine."
Her breath caught. Then she smiled—warm, real, and a little shy.
They embraced, holding each other tightly amid the ruins, as if the entire burning world around them had vanished.
In that moment, nothing else existed.
Then—
Crackle…crackle…
The coms flickered back to life, static cutting through the quiet.
A voice came through—strong, urgent.
"—This is Andrew Handerfall."
"Rose, Kai—do you read me?"
Kai tapped his comms. "We do," he replied, his voice steady but still catching from adrenaline.
"Thank the Spirit…" Andrew's tone carried both relief and urgency. "Listen—we've got a problem."
Kai frowned. "What is it?"
"We aren't getting any signal from the rest of Angel Squad."
Rose's eyes widened. Her ears twitched slightly, her breath catching. "What…?"
Kai's stomach tightened. "You mean—Arnik, Markus, Aika—they've gone dark?"
"Completely," Andrew said grimly. "Their vitals are still faintly active, but I can't reach them. I'm sending you their last known coordinates now. You need to find them—fast."
Rose's grip on her Yari tightened. "We're on it!"
They both leapt into motion—feet pounding across broken streets, wind tearing past them.
But before they could move another ten paces—
The air changed.
Every instinct screamed danger.
A crushing pressure fell upon them, so heavy it warped the air itself. The flames around them flickered and died as if suffocated by the sheer force of the aura. The ground cracked beneath their boots; even the air felt too thick to breathe.
Kai's eyes widened. "This magic—"
Rose stumbled back, her heart racing, her body trembling from the overwhelming weight pressing down on her chest. "It feels… like death."
On the comms, Andrew's voice cut through—panicked, sharp.
"Oh no…"
His tone snapped to a shout.
"KAI, ROSE—GET OUT OF THERE! NOW!!"
But it was too late.
The shadows around them bled upward from the ground, twisting, writhing like living smoke. The flames dimmed, and from within that suffocating void, a figure began to take shape—tall, lean, and monstrous in its stillness.
A blade formed first—long and black, a shadowy weapon that shimmered like liquid night.
Then came the man himself.
Satsujin.
Half his face was covered by a dark, seething mask that pulsed faintly like it was alive. His other eye—cold, crimson, unblinking—pierced through the haze. The aura radiating from him was suffocating, bending the very light around him.
He stepped forward once, and the ground beneath him split.
Rose's hand shook around her weapon. "Kai…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Kai swallowed hard, his heart pounding, sweat rolling down his temple.
"…Yeah," he breathed. "I see him.""DO NOT ENGAGE! RUN!!"
Andrew's voice thundered through the comms.
Kai's hand trembled on his weapon. His breath was unsteady, but his tone held firm.
"No… We can't. By the looks of things—he's not planning on letting us go. And if we split up, we'll just make ourselves easy targets."
Andrew's reply came fast, desperate.
"You two aren't strong enough!! All the mages are occupied! You'll die out there!"
Kai lowered his stance, the shapeless blade shifting into form. His eyes sharpened.
"We've gotten stronger…" he said quietly. "And we have no choice."
He glanced at Rose, her Yari already drawn, the tip trembling slightly.
"We just need to buy time for the rest of our squad."
There was a beat of silence on comms—
Then Andrew's furious shout echoed:
"DAMN IT!!"
The two of them stood side by side, flames and ash swirling around their feet.
Satsujin smiled. It wasn't joy. It was hunger.
"Well, well… two little lambs strayed away from their herd," he said softly, his shadowed mask twitching with faint pulses of black mist.
"And they're about to be gobbled up."
Rose's eyes flared with fury. She stepped forward, pointing her Yari straight at him.
"You…! You're the one who took Markus's family away from him! That's unforgivable!"
Her voice cracked—not from fear, but from grief.
"They were kind… every one of them. I never once saw them without a smile." Her grip tightened, her voice shaking. "Now Markus… I can hardly even see him laugh."
Satsujin didn't even look at her.
He laughed.
Low, cruel, and dismissive.
"I did," he said casually. "And I enjoyed it."
Rose's whole body trembled.
Satsujin tilted his head, his grin widening beneath the mask.
"You humans eat cows, slaughter chickens. I simply follow the same law—the strong devour the weak. Nothing more."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting with venomous amusement.
"I not only killed them…" His voice darkened. "I had his father rot within their corpses."
Kai's stomach turned.
"You—"
Satsujin chuckled, cutting him off. "I bet if you had the chance, you'd filet me, serve me up to your friends… wouldn't you?"
Kai's voice dripped with disgust. "We wouldn't do something so sick and twisted."
Satsujin's grin faltered. His gaze sharpened.
Then—
Poof.
He vanished.
Kai's eyes widened. "What—"
In the blink of an eye, Satsujin reappeared directly in front of him. His hand clamped around Kai's face, fingers like iron, forcing his head back.
Kai's breath hitched—cold sweat running down his temples, his pulse pounding in his ears.
Satsujin tilted his head, studying him up close, his single crimson eye narrowing.
"I know that face…" he murmured.
Rose moved instantly, thrusting her Yari forward—fast as lightning.
But Satsujin was faster.
He disappeared again, her strike cutting through smoke and nothing else.
His voice echoed from behind them, calm and mocking.
"Wow… you really are the spitting image of them."
Kai turned, jaw clenched. "Of who?"
Satsujin's smirk twisted behind the half-mask.
"The scientists," he said. "The ones responsible for my resurrection… for creating the demon machines you fight… and for the birth of every Demon User you see now."
Kai froze. His chest went tight.
Satsujin's next words felt like knives.
"Kiyora… and Kei Loke."
The world fell silent.
Kai's blade trembled in his hands.
His mind went blank—his heart screaming, his breath catching like the air itself refused to move.
Rose's voice broke through faintly, distant.
"Kai…?"
But Kai couldn't speak.
Those were the names of his parents."Kai…"
Rose's voice trembled. Her eyes darted toward him—worried, desperate.
Kai's thoughts were spiraling.
My parents… they…
Information crashed through his mind like a storm, too much to process at once.
Satsujin's lips curved into a faint smirk.
Good… he's distracted.
He shifted into stance, his shadowy blade spilling waves of dark energy across the ruined street. The air grew colder, heavier—the light itself dimming as black mist licked along the ground.
"KAI!!!" Rose shouted, snapping her Yari up. "PLEASE! We need to focus on the fight!"
But Satsujin was already moving.
To him, time slowed to a crawl. Every spark in the air, every heartbeat, stretched into silence. He stepped forward almost lazily, his stride precise, blade cutting a slow arc toward Kai's neck.
In his eyes, Rose was frozen mid-motion, far too slow to stop him.
He smiled beneath his mask.
It's over.
But then—
Kai's eyes snapped toward him.
Confused. Dazed.
Yet locked onto his every move.
Their blades met.
CLANG!
The sound tore through the air—Kai's shapeless weapon intercepting the strike perfectly. Sparks exploded, shadows scattering like torn silk.
Satsujin's grin faltered. "What—"
Kai's hands shook, but his body reacted on pure instinct. His weapon shimmered, molding tighter around Satsujin's blade, locking it in place.
Satsujin tried to pull away—
He couldn't.
He followed my movements…?
A low chuckle rumbled from the demon's throat, his tone dripping with delight.
"Surprising."
He forced a step back, but the blade held firm—Kai's weapon wrapping tighter, threads of light and shadow intertwining.
He finally leapt free, landing several meters away, one knee sliding against the fractured pavement.
How interesting…
His mind—so fast. Processing information on instinct alone… truly extraordinary.
He hadn't finished the thought before a streak of motion flashed across his vision.
"Eight-Layered Pierce!"
Rose.
She was already upon him—her Yari a blur of silver and white light. Her speed cut through the smoke, her movements sharp and fluid, every thrust exploding like a cannon shot.
Satsujin barely had time to react. His hand shot out, palm forward.
BOOM!
The strike landed. The sheer impact forced his arm back—blood bursting from his forearm as he slid across the street, his boots carving deep scars into the ground. He stopped only after skidding nearly eighty feet, debris raining in his wake.
He glanced down at his arm, blood dripping from his sleeve.
A low laugh escaped him.
"She's fast…"
His crimson eye gleamed behind the mask—
"…and she might actually be fun."