After Mouchi's brutal defeat, Rio felt a terrifying shift within him. He tried to claw back control of his limbs, but Neroli's grip was like iron. She had broken her promise.
"Give it back... Neroli!" Rio shouted within his own mind, but the entity only laughed, her presence expanding like a dark stain.
Suddenly, a heavy, rhythmic footstep echoed from the entrance of the kitchen. A tall man with a muscular build and a battle-hardened face stepped into the light. He carried an aura of absolute authority.
"Interesting," the man spoke, his voice deep and calm. "It looks like a monster has taken root in your body, kid. But you haven't been 100% consumed yet."
Without warning, the man lunged forward. His fist, encased in a swirling aura of air, struck Rio squarely in the chest. The impact wasn't just physical—it felt like it was shaking the very spirit out of him.
"Stop! Wait!" Rio gasped, the shock of the blow allowing him to momentarily regain his senses. "I... I can control it now! I've got my body back!"
"Oh? Is that so?" The man retracted his fist, eyeing him with a piercing gaze.
From a safe distance, Gyau and Kawsoki watched in stunned silence. Their ghost-hunting stream had turned into something far beyond their understanding.
"Kid, do you even know what you're carrying?" the man asked, crossing his arms. "That thing inside you... it's a fragment of the soul of the most feared monster to ever walk the earth."
Rio's eyes widened. "What? You're serious?"
"Let's move," the man commanded. "We're going to a diner. You're going to explain everything, and I'm going to tell you exactly how much trouble you're in."
A short while later, at a quiet 24-hour diner, Rio and his friends sat across from the mysterious stranger. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
"Monsters like the one you encountered are high-risk threats," the man explained, taking a sip of black coffee. "We are Hunters. We specialize in tracking them down using a unique power known as Spiral Energy, or more specifically, Air. It's the only thing that truly damages their essence. That 'Holy Water' you were using? It's a toy. It only works on low-level grunts."
The man leaned forward, his expression grim. "The entity inside you dates back over 1,500 years. She was sealed away by Japanese sorcerers and mages of old. I came here to eliminate that specific fragment."
"1,500 years...?" Rio muttered, his head spinning.
"Yes. Every corner of Japan holds a piece of her power. But forty years ago, during the Great Yokia Mountain Catastrophe, one of the sealing stones was shattered. Her soul split into five distinct fragments."
He tapped the table. "The Spiritual Organization has already secured three of them. I was watching your live stream when I saw those cursed marks on your face. I knew exactly what I was looking for."
The man sighed, his eyes reflecting a hidden worry. "By now, you're already a high-value target for the Organization. But it's not just us. Those 'Old Men' at the top... the elders... they're going to hunt you to the ends of the earth to get that fragment back."