[ Sarah splashes Yami with warm water. ]
Yami: "Ahh—I'm up!!"
Sarah (laughing): "Goodness, you were knocked out by a pillow."
Yami: "I was still tired from training... but I've got some skills, hehe."
Yahiko: "Oh, that's so cool!"
Misami: "Interesting... though not as interesting as you turning our school event into a sports festival."
Yami: "H-How did you find that out?"
Misami: "The school page."
[ She shows Yami a post where Jayson mentioned the sports festival—crediting Yami. ]
Yami: "Ah... makes sense. Anyway—girls, would you like to join the school's safety team?"
Yahiko: "Yes!"
Misami: "I don't know how to defend myself..."
Yami: "When I was little, my dad taught me a bit about combat. Jayson already joined."
Misami: "We'll need a place to train then."
Sarah: "I got you covered."
[ She tosses a key to Yami. ]
Yami: "What's this?"
Sarah: "A friend of mine left town for a while. They own a dojo."
Yami: (grinning) "You knew from the start, didn't you... Mrs. Vermillion?"
Sarah: "Hehe, not telling."
Yami: "Alright—let's check out the dojo."
Yahiko: "Let's go!"
Misami: "Cool."
Sarah: "Have fun!"
[ The group heads toward the dojo. Meanwhile, Sophia arrives in Tokyo. ]
Sophia: "You're no longer needed. Your task is complete... so you live. For now."
The Guy: "Tha—"
[ Before he could finish, Sophia exits the car and dashes toward Regal High School. In less than five minutes, she's there—tearing through the entrance, storming into the principal's office. The door splinters off its hinges. ]
[ Without hesitation, Sophia draws her blade, holding it at the neck of Mr. Hoffman. ]
Mr. Hoffman: "Well... Sophia. You've grown. Did Lucifer send you for my head?"
Sophia: "Speak of my Lord with reverence. He demands to know what you've been up to."
[ Suddenly, a gust of wind bursts into the office. Before Sophia can react, a kick launches her through the window. She spins in midair, eyes wide. ]
Y. Kaguro: "Wow. She didn't see that one coming."
Mr. Hoffman: "Took you long enough."
Y. Kaguro: "Yeah, yeah. So—want her dead?"
Mr. Hoffman: "No. Just knock her out. She'll be useful."
Y. Kaguro: "Whatever, bruv."
[ Kaguro leaps out the broken window. Sophia steadies herself in the air, eyes narrowing. ]
Sophia: "Shut up and fight."
Y. Kaguro: "Don't die, 'kay?"
[ The battle ignites in the skies above Tokyo. ]
Dark tendrils erupted from Sophia's outstretched fingers—Underworld Chains—as she tried to bind her opponent midair. Kaguro countered with Shadow Requiem, a swirling maelstrom of darkness that shattered her attack and coiled around her limbs.
Sophia snarled, activating Maid's Malice, releasing a wave of corrupted energy to rot Kaguro's shadows from the inside. But he surged forward with Darkness Divinity, his aura intensifying, resisting her corruption. Then came Vortex Tempest—a raging cyclone of wind and shadow that hurled Sophia across the sky.
She righted herself midflight and created an illusion clone to confuse him. Kaguro's response was swift—Aurora Ascension—enveloping himself in radiant immunity and dispelling her illusion with ease. He blinked forward, executing a Shadow Strike that sent her crashing into a nearby skyscraper.
Bloodied, Sophia staggered up. Kaguro raised his hand and summoned Cosmic Oblivion—a singularity of darkness that bent the air around it. Eyes blazing, Sophia unleashed her hidden trump card: Underworld's Embrace—a shroud of shadow forged from the depths of hell itself.
The singularity met the shroud.
Boom.
A violent explosion shook the city. Debris rained from the sky. Both warriors plummeted.
Kaguro recovered instantly, using Wind Dancer to land gracefully on the pavement. Sophia hit the ground hard—her shield cracked, her strength fading.
Without pause, Kaguro ended it: a final Shadow Strike fused with Aurora Guard, a devastating combo. Sophia fell unconscious—heart still beating, but barely.
[ As the dust settled and silence returned, Kaguro stood victorious, laughing quietly. Mr. Hoffman approached, calm and composed. ]
Mr. Hoffman: "Grim's Lock."
[ Time froze. Everything—the crumbling buildings, drifting dust, even the wind—halted. A violet vortex opened at Hoffman's feet. He raised his hand and Kaguro and Sophia vanished into the vortex. The destruction around them vanished too, restored as if nothing happened. ]
Mr. Hoffman: "I didn't overuse it… but why would Lucifer send a maid? That arrogant bastard... what a bother."
[ With a sigh, he stepped into the vortex and vanished. Time resumed. Pedestrians walked by, oblivious. ]
[ Meanwhile, far away, Sarah froze mid-step—her expression grim. ]
Sarah: "...It can't be. The God of Death... is still alive?"