The afternoon sun stretched across the rocky paths of Moonveil Forest as Shougo's squad continued walking through the wilderness. Their mission had already lasted for hours, and although countless Evil Spirits had been eliminated, everyone remained alert. The silence around them felt strange—as if something unseen were watching from beyond the trees.
Kairo adjusted the Black Spartan on his back before wiping the sweat from his forehead. His body still ached from the brutal training in Evil City and the Warrior PvP match against Oko, but compared to before, he felt much lighter.
"...I'm really getting stronger."
Tyouro laughed loudly from behind and threw an arm over Kairo's shoulder.
"Of course you are! You beat Oko! The guy who embarrassed almost everyone in Warrior PvP! You know how crazy that sounds?"
Kairo scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
"I think... he was still holding back."
"He definitely was."
Yura answered calmly without even turning around.
"But..."
"So were you."
Kairo blinked.
"...Really?"
"You still haven't mastered Hikari."
"You just awakened Yami."
"You barely understand how Black Spartan works."
She looked at him for a brief second.
"If you master all of them..."
"...You'll become terrifying."
Kairo laughed nervously.
"I don't think I'm that amazing."
Kimimaru, who had been quietly walking ahead with his hands in his pockets, spoke without looking back.
"...Your biggest weakness..."
"...is underestimating yourself."
The group fell silent.
Even Tyouro didn't joke this time.
Because everyone knew Kimimaru rarely spoke unless he truly meant something.
After a few moments, Tyouro stretched both arms behind his head.
"Man... this mission is actually peaceful."
Almost immediately...
Shougo stopped walking.
"So you finally said the forbidden words."
"...Huh?"
The instant Tyouro frowned in confusion...
A violent explosion echoed somewhere deep within the forest.
BOOOOM!!
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Birds scattered into the sky.
Dust rose above the distant trees.
Everyone's expressions instantly changed.
Shougo's calm eyes sharpened.
"That's not an Evil Spirit."
Kimimaru had already drawn his Zweihander.
Yura lowered her stance.
Tyouro's fists ignited with Blast Energy.
Kairo instinctively reached for Black Spartan.
"Move."
Shougo disappeared first.
The others immediately followed.
Their figures shot through the forest one after another, racing toward the source of the explosion.
None of them noticed...
A pair of glowing eyes watched them from high within the trees before quietly vanishing into the darkness.
Far away...
Back at Reikosha Academy...
Inside the faculty dining room...
Lady Chõko sat alone before a table absolutely covered with food.
There were empty bowls stacked like towers beside her.
Plates of fried chicken.
Ramen.
Rice.
Cake.
Fruit.
Curry.
Bread.
Even the academy chefs had begun bringing extra servings without asking.
"Mmm~!"
"This is amazing!"
She happily stuffed another mouthful into her cheeks before reaching for another plate.
The cafeteria staff could only stare.
"...How does she eat that much?"
"I stopped questioning it days ago."
Lady Chõko hummed happily while swinging her legs beneath the chair.
"So yummy..."
Then...
She suddenly stopped eating.
For exactly one second.
Silence.
Her cheerful smile became soft.
Far beyond Reikosha Academy...
Beyond Reishin...
Beyond the kingdoms...
Beyond mountains, valleys, forests, and rivers...
Her hearing reached all the way to Stonefang Highlands.
Every voice.
Every breath.
Every word.
She heard the Dimensional Clan discussing their next move.
She heard Raizen's laughter.
She heard Hiroshi's calm voice.
She heard Yurota warning them once again.
She heard the name...
Haruto.
"...Hehe."
A tiny smile appeared on her face.
No fear.
No surprise.
Almost...
As if she had expected every single word.
Without saying anything...
She picked up another piece of fried chicken.
"Mmm!"
"So crispy!"
And immediately went back to stuffing food into her mouth exactly like before.
The chefs sighed in relief.
"See? She's normal again."
Nobody realized...
For that single second...
Lady Chõko had been listening to people hundreds of kilometers away.
She simply chose...
To keep eating.
To keep smiling.
And to let everyone believe she was nothing more than a strange girl with an endless appetite.
Only she knew the truth.
She had been hearing the Dimensional Clan's conversations...
Since the very beginning.