The crowd stared in horror at the figure standing at the top of the arena.
The air felt heavier, as if the entire stadium itself was holding its breath.
Ginmi, with a soft, almost childlike smile, gave a graceful little bow.
"I'm truly grateful that all of you could be here, seriously!"
She placed a hand over her chest, pretending to be shy. "I even got a little nervous, you know? So many people gathered just to listen to me…"
The captains stood up immediately, each of them wearing rigid, alert expressions.
In the guest room, The Paths, along with the other groups, rose to their feet.
silence was broken only by rapid breathing.
"What do you want from us?!" someone shouted from the middle of the crowd, their voice shaking with a mix of fury and fear. "We didn't do anything wrong!"
The shouts multiplied, turning into a wave of outrage.
Ginmi remained silent.
She simply watched them, smiling.
Then, without warning, a man in the middle of the audience fell to his knees.
His fingers dug into his own throat as his body convulsed violently, veins bulging in his neck.
"What's happening to him?!"
Despair spread like wildfire.
Ginmi sighed, shaking her head lightly as if dealing with unruly children.
"Ah, calm down… I know you all have many questions…"
Her voice was sweet, almost comforting. "But listen carefully to the message I have for you."
She flashed a wide, charming smile.
"At this moment, one third of you have been infected with a very interesting curse… and in about one hour…"
She paused briefly, savoring the terrified silence. "…everyone will die."
The man collapsed onto the floor.
In the next instant, blood began leaking from his mouth, eyes, and skin, as if his body were disintegrating from the inside.
Screams echoed through the arena.
"B-but… not even an hour has passed!" a woman cried out, her voice trembling, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
Suddenly, her expression froze. A number slowly appeared on her arm, glowing bright red:
13:24
Ginmi let out a soft, almost musical laugh.
"Ahh… did I say one hour?"
She brought a hand to her lips, as if she had made a silly mistake. "Forgive me for the slip-up."
Her eyes sparkled with genuine amusement.
"What I meant is that the effect varies between children and adults. Even I don't know exactly how much time each of you has…"
She winked, wearing a wide, almost sweet smile.
"So… good luck."
Panic took over completely.
People started running in every direction, pushing, stumbling, screaming, and crying. The metallic smell of blood filled the air. All across the arena, red numbers appeared on arms, necks, and faces — a relentless countdown to death.
Room A
"Damn it! We have to do something!"
Erick ran toward the door, but Takamiya grabbed his arm tightly.
"Get out of my way!"
"Calm down, Erick! Don't be impulsive at a time like this!"
"But if we don't act fast, everyone's going to die! Besides, Louis might be in danger up there too!"
Erick clenched his fists, panic clear in his eyes.
"I agree with Takamiya," Ike said, his expression calm and serious. "Facing the problem with your heart racing won't get us anywhere. We need to think clearly. Our superiors and the captain must already be aware of the situation."
Erick squeezed his fists hard… but then took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain control.
"You're right. Sorry… I don't know what came over me."
Lilith looked at Rose, her voice shaky, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Nee… your arm…"
Rose's eyes widened as she quickly glanced at her right arm.
Her face turned pale.
49:59
Absolute silence.
"Rose…" Erick tried to say something, but his voice failed.
Before he could continue, Rose gently pulled Lilith into a hug, stroking her hair with surprising calm.
"It's going to be okay, Lilith…"
"Nee-sama…" she murmured between sobs.
Erick watched the scene for a moment, feeling a painful, silent admiration.
"Alright, listen up!" Takamiya shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "Right now, the captain and the others must already be after the culprit. We need to close off every escape route the enemy might use!"
He pointed firmly:
"Erick and Rose — you two go and alert the other rooms. We need everyone's cooperation."
"Huh?! Why do I have to go with him?!"
"You two are the fastest. I'll stay here protecting Lilith, while Ike watches the escape routes. We can't let the enemy get away. Do you understand how serious this is?!"
Rose looked away for a moment… then huffed, crossing her arms.
"Hmph… whatever."
Without wasting any more time, they all left the room.
Captains' Lounge
"That bitch is going to pay for ruining the festival!" Darth roared, cracking his knuckles as his aura grew oppressive.
Nori swallowed hard.
"Everyone… look at your arms!"
Their expressions changed instantly.
"Seriously?! 46 minutes?!" Vulgo's eyes widened.
"At least you have more time than us," Kagura said, trying to stay calm even though the tension was visible. "I have 40 minutes."
"We need to find her now!"
Darth moved forward, but Cosmo firmly grabbed his shoulder.
"Calm down, Darth."
"Huh?! Can't you see that—"
He stopped.
His eyes fixed on Cosmo's arm.
29:50
Even so, Cosmo remained serene.
"If we act without a plan, we'll only waste time. We need to think."
"Cosmo-sama is right!" Nori said, stepping closer. "We have to work together!"
Kagura and Vulgo also lined up, determined.
Darth clenched his fists… but let out a heavy sigh.
"Damn it… what's the plan?"
With a smile, Cosmo stepped into the center.
"First, we need to find a way to nullify this curse." He brought a hand to his chin. "I believe you all felt something right before the announcer died…"
"Like… something had stained us…?" Nori suggested, frowning slightly.
"It was just a momentary discomfort. That's all." Darth snorted, crossing his arms. "Where are you going with this?"
Cosmo gave a small smile.
"We just need to eliminate the main source… but." His expression turned serious. "I don't believe a threat of this scale is working alone. So we must be extremely careful."
"I see…" Darth said, a smile forming. "So we're starting a hunt in a minefield, huh? Very interesting."
"Let's show them what happens when they mess with our people!" Vulgo shouted, raising his fist powerfully.
The captains shot out of the room like blurs, leaving only the wind behind.
Meanwhile…
Louis rushed down the stairs, desperation written all over his face.
"I need to do something… someone! Is anyone here?!"
Suddenly, a violent pain shot through his chest.
He fell to the floor, gasping, as the mark on his arm began to fade.
"W-what… is happening… K-Kamitsuki…?"
"There's nothing to worry about, kid. You simply paid your part of the deal."
"H-huh…?"
"I told you I would feed. It's in the contract. Every time you use my ability… I consume your energy."
Louis gritted his teeth.
"And you only tell me this now…?!"
With difficulty, he stood up and continued down the corridor, leaning against the walls for support.
Then—
"Aw man… I can't believe we got left out. So unfair! Right, Kios?"
Voices.
Louis peeked around the corner of the hallway.
"Have patience, Diane," Kios said with a tired sigh. "Our mission is to wait. Your ability would only cause more victims than necessary."
"Hmph… how boring!" Diane crossed her arms and pouted.
Then—
A presence emerged from the darkness.
"Come on… don't be sad, Diane."
The hooded figure appeared… smiling calmly.
Louis froze.
"It can't be…"
"I-it wasn't like that, Master!" Diane hurried to explain, blushing. "Of course I follow your orders, all of them!"
"Exactly, boss," Kios muttered, lowering his head.
"My client is demanding…" the hooded figure said calmly. "So I'll have to deal with those two brothers before completing the final objective…"
Louis's eyes widened as he swallowed hard.
"So… it's him…"
"However…" the hooded figure's tone shifted slightly. "I'm disappointed…"
Absolute silence.
"You were so distracted… that you didn't notice our main target was listening to everything."
A hand landed on Louis's shoulder.
"Weren't you, Louis?"
He froze. A chill ran through his entire body. His heart raced, his eyes wide open.
Diane and Kios looked shocked.
"W-wow… Master, you're amazing…" Diane murmured, her blush deepening.
"So…" the hooded figure whispered, his voice low and smooth. "How do you prefer to die? Before… or after your brother?"
Despair. That was all Louis felt in that moment. His body refused to move.
The hooded figure's hands slowly approached his chest. Everything seemed lost, until—
"Space Change."
In an instant, Louis vanished and reappeared beside Juichi.
The hooded figure let out a soft whistle.
"What an interesting magic…"
"Tch! Let's get out of here!"
The two of them bolted down the corridor.
Kios raised his hand.
"I won't let—"
"Stop."
The hooded figure interrupted him, wearing a calm… disturbing smile.
"Let them go. He fought so hard to save his friend… let's allow them to feel a little hope."
He paused.
"Besides… it won't be long before I achieve my final objective."
"What are your orders, boss?"
"Don't kill the main targets. Not yet." His voice echoed as he disappeared into the shadows. "Just… play with them."
"Understood."
Diane smiled, stretching her body.
"Finally! Let's go, Kios!"
"Tch… noisy woman."
And in an instant—
The two of them vanished.