Kaitansha HQ—-
Rei and Shino, now dressed in leather jackets, skirts, and boots, landed atop the Kaitansha HQ building. Rei turned to Shino. "Shino? I don't know if we should be doing this…"
Shino looked at a nearby rooftop, where Stone was watching. "It's okay…Mr. Nyugawa wouldn't give us something if we couldn't handle it. Smooth operation, in and out."
They noticed a vent nearby, and Shino erased it. Without missing a beat, she hopped inside, and Rei followed.
As they crawled through the vents, Shino shook the dust out of her hair. "Rei? Have you seen Han?"
Rei shook her head. "They said he would join us later!"
"Well, he'd better hurry up. Otherwise, he'll get left behind."
They continued crawling through the vents before Shino suddenly stopped. "Okay, we can drop!"
She kicked open a vent and dropped through it. Once Rei followed, they noticed they were in a hallway, with armed agents marching past. Both girls reached into their jacket pockets, pulled out ski masks, and put them on.
"Ready?" Shino asked.
"Ready!" Rei nodded.
They both crept down the hall, surveying room after room. "Armory…Maintenance…Restrooms…Storage…there! Archives!"
Guards were patrolling the area, forcing Shino and Rei to hide inside a nearby closet.
"How do we get in?" Rei asked.
Shino noticed some janitor outfits nearby. "With a little disguise. Think you can blend in?"
"I can try!"
A few minutes later, they were wearing janitor outfits, holding brooms as they approached the guard patrol. Rei gave a friendly wave. "Hi! Can we enter?"
"For what?"
"Erm, well…"
Shino raised her hand. "The Director told us to clean the storage! You know, make sure no gunk gets in the files?"
The guards shared a look. "He never told us anything about that."
"Well, duh. You're agents. Not janitors."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means it's not your job. Now can we enter or not? I don't have all day."
They reluctantly stepped aside as Rei and Shino entered the room. Inside were waves of files, neatly organized on shelves. Shino analyzed them. "What were we supposed to be looking for again?"
"The Dungeon Files!"
"Right. Uh, you go left, I go right?"
"Sure!"
They separated, scouting for the files. Every so often, they tensed up when they heard movement outside. Rei grabbed a file with the name marked out. "Shino, could this be it?"
Shino took the file from her, briefly flipping through it. "No. Just information on Jugen."
She noticed a file inside a box on top of one of the faraway shelves. "Hey, I think that's it! Rei, give me a boost!"
Rei helped her up, and Shino snatched the box off the shelf. She took the file in hand and read it. "Yep! Got it! Now we need to get outta here!"
An alarm immediately sounded, and Shino noticed the box was wired. "…Shit."
"ALERT. ALERT. ARCHIVE INTRUDER DETECTED."
"Run!"
The guards immediately threw open the door as Rei and Shino took off the janitor outfits and ran for dear life, navigating through hallways and guards attempting to snatch them. Shino pointed up to the vents. "Jump!"
They scaled up, climbing into the vents as guards tried to grab their legs. "Shit! Meet them at the top!"
The girls hurried through the vents as the alarms got louder. They finally reached the exit, climbing onto the roof.
Sure enough, armed guards were waiting.
"Halt!" they ordered.
Shino and Rei noticed a figure standing on the edge of the roof. "Han!"
They rushed over to him, but when they turned around, they noticed he had a different appearance.
"…Han?"
His hair was much longer and messier, covering his eyes, which had purple scars lining them. As soon as they got close, Han extended his hand, his voice more commanding.
"The file, give it to me."
Shino did so, turning around. "Han, they're coming! We need a way to escape—-!"
"Thank you."
He turned, firing a wire toward the building Stone was on, ditching the girls in the process. "Wait, Han!"
By the time Han looked back, the girls were already surrounded, and Han handed the file to Stone. "Here."
Stone watched the agents take the girls in. "Mmm. Why'd you abandon your teammates like that?"
"Because they're double agents. The moment you gave them an opening, they'd run and tell Nyugawa everything."
Stone gave a nod of approval. "Didn't know you had the balls to turn on your Master, kid."
"He's not my Master. I am."
A little while earlier——
Han was at the Shinkaidan Mansion, leaning up against its back wall as Omariro appeared. "Phew. Thanks for coming, sir."
"Boy need help."
He showed Omariro the canister. "Yeah. I feel like Dokkōdan are plotting something, but they don't trust us enough to give up their secrets. What if they use the Abyss to attack?"
"Abyss is dangerous. Canister dangerous. Boy has it for reason. Why?"
"I was…going to ask if you think I should try to move up their ranks. You know. Try to dismantle them from the inside out. But I know that to do that, I'll have to sever ties with the girls. What do I do, Master?"
"Boy take on great burden. If boy does this, boy may never restore their faith."
Han took a deep breath. "Well, will I still have your faith, Sir?"
Omariro gave him a pat on the head. "Yes."
"Well, that's all I need. I'm the only one who can do this, it's the least I can do to make up for my actions."
Omariro teleported away, and Han drank the entire canister.
Present Day—-
Stone escorted Han back into the hotel, where Zan was waiting, clapping with approval. "You've exposed treachery and retrieved the files. I must admit, Han. After you rejected the Abyss in Kagoshima, I was sorely disappointed. But now, it seems you've realized your true calling."
"Yes," Han agreed. "I want more power."
He handed Zan the file.
"Then power you shall have. Come. I've got someone important to show you."
Han followed Zan into a private room, where he noticed a gray-haired woman busy meditating, with IVs linked to her body.
"The Nurse?" Han thought. "What is SHE doing here? No. Focus, Han. I must complete Master's mission, no matter what."
"The Sixth," Zan bowed. "By your grace, we have delivered your prized child."
Mirei opened her eyes. "Han."
"Ms. Nurse," he replied.
"Have you come to mock me in such a state?"
"No, not at all. I've come to join Dokkōdan."
"Really? And what shifted your opinion?"
"I decided I needed more power, and Nyugawa is too secretive and distant to grant it to me."
"Ahh. So you've come to your senses? Good. I'm very glad. Come, Zan. Bring him with me."
Mirei slowly got up, the IVs shattering. She walked slowly, almost with a limp, as Zan followed her through the hallway.
"Now's the time to get some information," Han thought. "If I can break down her weaknesses and what she is, maybe Mr. Nyugawa can stop her for good."
He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Miss Herald?"
"Yes, my prized child?"
"Why are you…like this? Hiding here, unable to walk into the world?"
She paused as Zan looked between the two. "Hmm. That's a good question. Are you asking because you intend to become one of us? A herald?"
"I might be."
She turned around, her eyes glowing gray. "Daraku has overtaken every fiber of my existence. We cannot survive without it. So, unless I remain tethered to an abundance of Abyssal Energy, I cannot walk free."
"Then where were you before me?"
"The Abyss Dungeon. Our home."
A look of rage crossed her face. "The one my Master left us, left ME, to rot in for decades!"
Gray energy lashed out, erasing one of the walls. Zan extended a hand. "You're spiraling, My Herald."
"Quiet. I'm fine."
They finally arrived at a central hub, where Mirei plugged more IVs into her body. Han noticed the control table had various camera feeds across Japan, including in Fukuoka.
"Han, I have a big mission to entrust to you," she implored. "While our Abyssal power has granted us strength, we are not the originators of it."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"We still need our Master to unlock our true potential. Thus, I want you to deal with all his students, so he only has one group to go back to."
She stared at Omariro on the feed. "Could you handle that for me?"
"Yes, of course."
"The girls will be the issue," Mirei noted. "That boy, he could be easily manipulated. Do you think you could bring him in?"
"Sōshin? It's possible."
"Good. But first, I'd like you to handle Zaria. Her power is a major threat to our organization. Whatever she is, she's abnormal."
Han nodded. "You got it, Ms. Nurse."
Fukuoka, Japan——
Zaria was busy letting Rika do her hair in one of the mall bathrooms. "Rika, are you sure this is needed?"
"You wanna look pretty at the gala, don't you?" Rika questioned.
"Uh, I don't care about looking pretty for some gala."
Rika tilted her head. "Well, how about for Master?"
Zaria's face shifted. "You know what, take your time! No rush at all."
"Hehe. Knew it."
A little while later, Zaria was busy looking at gala outfits. "Now then, what girly mess do I want to wear for today?"
Nonoka held up one for her, a purple dress. "What do you think of this? Lethal, right?"
"Lethal ain't really what I'd use."
Sōshin zipped through the dresses, looking at each one. "Ooh, what are these?"
Rika led him away from the dresses. "Those are NOT for you, Little Bro."
"Oh. Okay!"
As Sōshin left the shop, a wire attached to his arm, dragged him around the corner. By the time he looked up, he saw Han, with tears in his eyes. "Friend Han?"
"Sōshin, listen to me, okay?"
"Why are you crying, Friend Han?"
"I've gotta do some things, okay? They're gonna make me look bad, and the girls will hate me for it, but you've gotta play along, okay? The Nurse is trying to use Dokkōdan to capture Mr. Nyugawa, and we can't let that happen!"
"Friend Han, what are you saying? Where's Friend Rei and Shino?"
As the girls exited the shop, Han quickly backed away. "Just keep them busy, okay! Don't let them suspect anything!"
He disappeared as the girls caught up to him. Rika put a hand on his shoulder. "Sōshin? You alright?"
"Yep!"
They noticed Omariro nearby, who had a calm look on his face. "There's Mr. Nyugawa! Come on, let's tell him we're ready!"
The kids all walked up to Omariro, who looked them over. "Children ready."
Zaria nodded. "Yep! So where is this gala, anyway?"
Omariro tapped his staff, and in the blink of an eye, they were in front of a large venue, with people crowding the entrance. As soon as they noticed Omariro, they swarmed him.
"Omariro Nyugawa!"
"He's here!"
"Please, sir, let me take an autograph!"
Omariro tapped his staff, and the crowd stepped back, allowing him to pass. A doorman took note of Omariro. "Ah. Mr. Nyugawa. I was told to give you VIP access should you show up. Are these your guests?"
Omariro nodded.
"Well, come on in then."
He allowed Omariro and the kids inside, which was a large ballroom-style gala interior, with tables, a bar, a dance floor with a disco ball, and even a stage in the center with a DJ on it.
People were dancing to the music, laughing, and drinking champagne.
"Oh. My. Gosh," Rika gasped. "It's…heaven!"
"Calm down, party girl," Nonoka scoffed. "It isn't ALL that."
The bartender noticed Omariro, holding a bottle of wine to his face. "My goodness, sir! You're here! Please, try this new drink I've been working on!"
Omariro swatted it out of his hands with his staff, sending it clattering into a wall.
"Wonder who's in charge of all this," Zaria remarked. "It's hella expensive."
The DJ playing the music stopped, picking up a microphone. "Temporary break, you guys! Our President has an announcement to make!"
"President?" Rika questioned.
To the kids' shock, a purple-haired girl walked up and took the microphone. "Thank you, thank you all."
"You've got to be kidding," Zaria realized.
"My name is Mizuki Saionji, and I'm a former Kaidanchō. I'm here, like all of you, to announce my intentions that the Kaitansha organization should end…"
Her eyes passed Omariro, widening as she continued.
"…for good."
——