The bureaucratic aftermath was far worse than the fight itself. Kenji found himself sealed inside an observation room in the IAB's deepest sub-level, a bland, soundproof box designed to absorb all traces of Mana. He'd traded one gilded cage for another, trading the freedom of his rank for the suffocating scrutiny of his Handler.
The Special Grade Report
Commander Elara slid a dense stack of documents across the steel table—the official Code Omega After-Action Report. She didn't sit; she stood, radiating an icy hostility that chilled the room more effectively than the air conditioning.
"The good news, Grandmaster," she began, her voice tight, "is the Cursed Assembly is secured. The five kidnapping victims are recovering. The Blade of Volcanic Flare is back in IAB custody. The bad news is that your existence has become a greater liability than the threat we just neutralized."
"I saved the district from combustion," Kenji mumbled, adjusting his hat. He hadn't slept, and the effort of lying about the Dark Magic was exhausting.
"You deployed a technique we have no record of," Elara countered, tapping the report. "Your explanation—a 'Temporal-Pressure Wave' exploiting minimal lag—is ingenious, but logically unstable. Your personal Mana signature spiked to dangerous levels, the type of power output that shouldn't be possible with your normal Mana Efficiency discipline."
She leaned over the table, her eyes drilling into his. "I am your Handler, Kenji. My job is to monitor Special Grade Assets to ensure their power doesn't fracture the stability of the sector. You were assigned to this easy-target zone specifically because we believed you were the least likely of the three Grandmasters to ever be necessary. Yet, you just executed a tactical intervention that Rina's defensive projections couldn't have contained, and Kaito's predictive tracing wouldn't have seen coming."
Kenji understood the unspoken threat: his power was too different, too absolute. The IAB feared what they couldn't control.
________________________________________
The Unbreakable Binding
The true cost, however, wasn't the interrogation; it was the power he'd used.
"What is the status of the Assembly?" Kenji asked, diverting the conversation.
"They are inert," Elara confirmed, with a shudder. "Your binding spell—that 'Containment Protocol'—is holding. Their Jujutsu remains locked, but their minds are aware. We can't figure out the exact nature of the lock. It's not physical paralysis; it's magical negation."
"It's a mental and energetic contract," Kenji explained with a practiced shrug. "The rule is simple: The Game is Over. All Hostile Action Ceases. They can move, but they can't break the rule without shattering their own Mana core. It's a permanent deterrence."
He had secured the sector, but the act of forcing his will onto others through the Dark Magic left a residual, psychological strain. It was the core reason he hated using the power—it was an invasive, absolute violation of the natural flow of Mana.
________________________________________
The New Surveillance
Elara gave him a tight, satisfied smile. "Your secrecy ends here, Grandmaster. Effective immediately, your mission parameters are revoked. You will be reassigned as the primary Tactical Auditor for the IAB. This places you under my direct, minute-by-minute authority."
She didn't miss a beat. "Furthermore, the Hybrid Enforcers, Ren and Sora, are now permanently assigned to your tactical team. Their unique ability to track contradictory Mana signatures—specifically the chaotic output you demonstrated, and the impossible perfection of your claimed 'Temporal-Pressure Wave'—makes them the perfect internal monitors."
Kenji closed his eyes briefly. It was a brilliant, elegant trap.
1. Tactical Auditor: It meant he was still the one solving the hardest problems, ensuring his essential power was available.
2. Ren and Sora: The two people most keenly attuned to the subtle difference between Kenji's efficient lie and his corruptive truth were now his constant companions.
Elara was making him work, forcing him to be visible, and assigning his trackers to watch his every move. His mission to achieve peace through inaction had completely failed.
"Your straw hat stays, your lax work ethic ends," Elara concluded. "Welcome back to the front lines, Grandmaster. And know this: the moment you deploy another unclassified technique, the IAB will move to permanently contain you."
Kenji picked up the report, tossing it carelessly onto the table. "Fine. But I'm going to need a very detailed requisition form for an unlimited supply of cherry-flavored instant ramen. Long days require fuel, Commander."
The joke was weak, but the defiance was clear. Kenji was trapped, but he was still the most powerful asset they had. The price of his secret was his freedom, but now, he would use his new role to figure out who—or what—had forced Akira's betrayal, knowing that the ultimate, unseen enemy was still out there.