Tokyo, Japan—-
Inside the Kaitansha HQ, Hayate leaned back in his chair, checking the time on his watch.
"Twenty hours gone, just like that," he remarked. "Meaning they've only got four hours left."
Marin was busy carrying stacks of paper, dropping them on Hayate's desk. "Here's your list of complaints, sir."
He grumbled and sat up. "What is it this time?"
"Requests for this year's Division Raid Tournament," she answered. "You've been slacking on preparations."
"Route them to some expendables," he ordered. "I'm occupied."
"As you wish."
As she turned to leave, she paused. "For the record, I think getting Nyugawa involved again is a huge mistake."
"What makes you say that?"
She closed her eyes. "Sometimes, having great power can be a curse."
Without another word, she left the room.
"Huh," Hayate thought. "Still hasn't gotten over her feelings, eh?"
He sat up. "No matter. Nyugawa's running out of time. Let's see if the Legendary Kaitansha can pick up the pace."
He pulled up a feed of the Okinawa Dungeon, which showed Omariro and his group heading onto Floor 4.
Okinawa Dungeon—-Fourth Floor:
Once the group entered the floor, Zaria's eyes opened. "Ugh...guys...we cleared the floor or no?"
"Zaria!" Rika realized. "You're awake! I almost thought you died!"
"Feels like it," she grumbled. "What Floor is this?"
"Four," Han told her. "Thanks to your incredibly capable party, we beat those 'Creep-Stalkers.'"
She got up. "Appreciated. I saw some crazy stuff in my dream."
"Like?"
"Buried memories I don't wanna talk about. Where's Mr. Nyugawa?"
"Up ahead."
Omariro was busy analyzing the floor, which was a white room with a console stationed in the center.
"Hmm."
Zaria stood up, walking over to him. "Mr. Nyugawa, can I ask you something?"
"Speak, girl."
She took a deep breath. "Do you know anything about a form of Jugen called 'Jugen-Daraku?'"
Omariro paused, the news slightly catching him off guard. When he spoke again, his tone was firm.
"Dangerous. Forbidden. You ask for reason. What reason?"
"Well, something happened to my mom and sister, so I just wanted to know if you knew anything about it?"
Omariro turned to face her. "No. Answers not here. First, clear dungeon. Then, you seek."
"...Yes, sir."
As Rika and Han approached them, the room responded, and the terminal began to glow.
〈Rule: All Party Members Must Partake In Test.〉
"A test?" Han questioned. "My specialty! Is it math? Science? Advanced Physics?"
"Just kill me now," Rika groaned.
〈Party Member *1* Selected: Zaria Takeno. Press Hand To Terminal.〉
Zaria looked at her group, but Omariro gave her a nod. "Go."
She walked up to the console, which had a hand scanner. "Not really a fan of academics, but whatever."
Once she placed her hand, the scanner began to glow.
〈Confirmed. Level: 55. Class: Jugen-Tōshi—-Combat Class. Selecting Opponent.〉
"Opponent?"
〈Selected. Level 55 Domain Boss: Tōshu of the Kaze no Ichizoku—-Yoshihiro. Goal: Defeat Opponent within 1 minute and 30 seconds.〉
Zaria watched as the floor opened to reveal a large, armored samurai kneeling in a formal pose, a hand on his blade.
"A fight?" Zaria realized. "That's my kinda test!"
〈Timer: 1:30. Begin.〉
Yoshihiro slowly stood up, winds erupting off of him like a storm. "A mere child. Food for my blade."
Zaria summoned her spear, getting into a fighting stance. "Big talk for a little man."
A barrier formed around them, blocking Omariro, Rika, and Han from entering.
"Hey, it shut us out!" Rika exclaimed.
"Well, they did say we all had to take the test," Han pointed out.
"Focus," Omariro said. "No weakness. No hesitation."
Zaria twirled her spear. "You got it, sir!"
Yoshihiro stepped forward, slashing the air and causing a wind current to strike Zaria, which felt cold to the touch.
〈Domain Effect: Frigid Winds. All slashing attacks will summon an instance of sub-zero wind gusts.〉
"Wonderful," Zaria scoffed. "Just my day."
The samurai struck again, aiming to cleave Zaria's head off, but she ducked and retaliated with a spear thrust, extending it through Yoshihiro's armor.
〈Boss HP: 100% → 89%〉
"Hey," Zaria noted. "This time, my hits hurt!"
Yoshihiro cracked his neck. "Only if you hit."
He delivered a powerful downward slash that sent an uproar of wind rippling through the area. Zaria got out of the way, but caught her foot on a gust, tripping.
"On your feet, Zaria!" Rika shouted. "Don't let him embarrass you!"
"Yeah, send him packing so I can hop on next!" Han added.
Yoshihiro leaped into the air, stabbing his blade where Zaria was, but she rolled out of the way.
"Agile," he commended. "But sloppy."
Zaria kicked herself up and spun her spear around before whacking Yoshihiro in the side.
〈Boss HP: 89% → 72%〉
"Keep going!" Rika cheered.
Omariro watched silently.
Zaria and Yoshihiro circled each other, waiting for the other to make their move. He pointed his blade at her, and she responded by pointing her spear at him.
"Is this a samurai thing?" she questioned. "Sticking your weapon out like that?"
Without hesitation, he knocked the spear from her hand and delivered a powerful kick to her face.
"Hold on, hold on! Cheating bastard!"
"Focus," Omariro told her. "Clear mind. Hit strong."
"Right, sorry!"
She grabbed her spear as more wind rippled toward her, and she slid on the ground and swept Yoshihiro's legs from under him, causing him to fall flat on his face.
〈Boss HP: 72% → 55%. Phase 2: Beginning.〉
Yoshihiro teleported into the center of the room, and a tornado flailed around him.
〈Domain Effect: Violent Tornado. Every 2 seconds a tornado will form. Timer: 0:45.〉
"When you say tornado, how big we talking?" Zaria wondered.
〈Begin.〉
A massive whirlwind formed from Yoshihiro's blade, bouncing across the walls like a bullet and knocking Zaria back.
"Big!" Zaria exclaimed. "Got it!"
"Calm," Omariro stated. "Not close. Range."
"Range? What do you mean, sir?"
Another tornado formed, increasing the wind speed of the terrain and nearly blowing Zaria away.
"Use wind," Omariro commanded. "Throw."
Yoshihiro spun around rapidly, forming a tornado of his own that headed for Zaria, who quickly ran to the other side of the room.
"Throw?" she thought. "Throw what?"
She looked at her spear. "Oh! Gosh, am I dumb."
As more tornadoes spawned, she narrowed her eyes, watching.
"Need an opening, all this damn wind is gonna sell my angle. Or maybe..."
Yoshihiro stopped spinning. "Given up yet?"
Zaria threw her spear at one of the tornadoes, and it spun around before spiraling off, striking Yoshihiro in his helmet.
"Nice! Direct hit! Eat that, sucker!"
〈Boss HP: 55% → 32%〉
"Now I just need a few more," she confirmed.
Yoshihiro unleashed a shockwave of wind that knocked Zaria back into the wall and sent her spear clanging off to the side.
"Insolent girl!"
More tornadoes formed, and one picked Zaria's spear up. Yoshihiro quickly grabbed Zaria by her neck.
"Game over."
Zaria noticed the tornado carrying her spear, and she glared at the samurai.
"Not yet."
Using her leg, she kicked her spear into her hand and stabbed Yoshihiro through the chest.
〈Critical Hit! Boss HP: 32% → 0%〉
Yoshihiro screamed and fell to his knees, before exploding in a blast of wind.
〈Timer: 0:02. Challenge Completed.〉
The barrier was removed, and Han and Rika congratulated her.
"Nice work!" Rika cheered. "You gutted that thing!"
"Could have saved several seconds if you paid attention to the wind patterns," Han explained. "But solid."
Zaria rolled her eyes. "You guys."
She walked up to Omariro. "Thanks for the help, Mr. Nyugawa."
Omariro reached his hand out and gripped her shoulder.
"Careful. Almost hurt. Mind clear. Combat sharp."
"Yeah, my bad..."
〈Party Member *2* Selected: Han Jisoo. Press Hand To Terminal.〉
Han smirked and walked up to the console. "Time to shine."
Once he did, he got his reading.
〈Confirmed. Level: 53. Class: Jugen-Kōbisha—-Binding Class. Selecting Opponent.〉
Han stretched. "What do they have for me today?"
〈Selected. Level 52 Domain Boss: Hokuran no Ōkami. Goal: Capture Hokuran no Ōkami in less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.〉
"Capture? Alright, if you insist."
〈Begin.〉
The room shifted into a mountain range as a barrier formed. At the top was a large wolf, with a howl more deafening than a horn.
"Doesn't look so tough," Han remarked, summoning his cube. "Scan!"
[*5* Solutions Found. Picking Most Effective: Summoning Steel Cage.]
The cube formed a giant cage above the wolf, but it quickly phased through the cage before jumping onto Han and sending him flying.
"Impossible! My cube calculated for every solution!"
〈Domain Effect: Secret of the Wolf. Every 3 seconds, Hokuran no Ōkami will have the ability to use Phase Shift, rendering him intangible.〉
"You couldn't mention that before?"
The wolf ran across the terrain, moving faster than Han could track. Every time Han tried to pin it down, Hokuran phased through his trap.
〈Timer: 1:01〉
"Nab that thing, Han!" Zaria shouted.
"Yeah, it's just a furry wolf!" Rika scoffed. "Use your net, or something!"
"I'm trying!" Han replied. "Thing's a quick little gremlin!"
The wolf lunged at Han again, knocking him over.
"Use head," Omariro demanded. "Not cube. Cube just extension."
As the wolf tried to bite him, Han rolled away. "Sorry to pry, but can you elaborate, Mr. Nyugawa?"
"Head. Use. Head."
〈Timer: 0:30〉
"Thirty seconds," Han thought. "Mr. Nyugawa said don't rely on the cube, so what do I do? Think! Think!"
A light bulb went off in Han's head. "That's it!"
Han formed his cube again as the wolf retreated to higher ground.
〈Timer: 0:15〉
"Never tried this before, so, let's run a calculation."
Hokuran prepared to spring again as Han whispered a command to his cube. "Cube: set Laser-Net Trap!"
The cube disappeared.
"Han?" Rika asked. "What'd you do?"
Just as the cube disappeared, Hokuran phased forward and tackled Han, but a net sprang from the ground and trapped them both.
〈Timer: 0:00. Challenge Complete.〉
"I just caught me a wolf," Han announced. "And myself, but I won!"
The barrier dropped.
"Pretty smart," Zaria acknowledged. "I guess that's how nerds work."
"Har, har, now can someone please free me?"
Hokuran disappeared, leaving Han trapped inside his own net. Rika and Zaria shared a look.
"You wanna do it?"
"I don't wanna touch that thing. It smells of wolf, and Han."
Omariro quickly retrieved Han, freeing him from the net.
"Thanks, Mr. Nyugawa."
Han returned to his spot. "No thanks to you, ladies."
They both gave him a half-hearted look.
〈Party Member *3* Selected: Rika Amakawa. Press Hand To Terminal.〉
Rika took a deep breath. "Alright guys, wish me luck."
She placed her hand on the console.
〈Confirmed. Level: 51. Class: Jugen-Kaiseisha—-Healing Class. Selecting Opponent.〉
"Give 'em hell, Rika," Zaria said.
〈Selected. Level 51 Domain Boss: Kokkon no Shinigami. Goal: Protect the Totem Sigil for *3* minutes.〉
"Sigil?"
The barrier formed, and the room shifted into a graveyard.
"Creepy..." Rika shuddered.
"Please," Zaria remarked. "Ain't like there's ghosts."
"You don't know that!"
A large totem appeared, behind Rika. Simultaneously, a shadow rose from a grave, holding a dark scythe in his hand.
〈Begin.〉
"Why do I have to get the scary death lord?" Rika complained.
Kokkon slashed at Rika, causing her to panic and duck. Behind her, the sigil took the force of the blow.
〈Sigil HP: 100% → 75%〉
"Oh no!"
"Calm," Omariro said. "Remove fear. Fear weakens."
"I can't!" Rika admitted. "I'm not a fighter like you, sir!"
"Not fighter. Protecter."
"W...what?"
"Protect sigil. Use your own."
"But you told me—-!"
"Now is time. Defend worth."
Rika's sigil rose from her pocket, beginning to glow. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Protect."
Rika clutched her sigil in her hand. "Okay. I'll do as you say, sir."
〈Sigil Ability: Deflection. Deflects *1* attack regardless of ATK level. Charges: 2〉
"Two charges," Rika mused. "Means I've gotta time this smart."
〈Timer: 2:25〉
Kokkon prepared to strike, but Rika stood firm, raising her arms to block.
SLASH.
〈Charges: 1〉
Kokkon bounced back, hitting a tombstone.
"It worked!" Rika laughed. "Take that, Death!"
"Rika growing a spine?" Han questioned. "Now that's an improbable event."
"I heard that!"
Kokkon rose, screaming so loud that Rika had to cover her ears. Behind her, the giant totem began to crack.
〈Sigil HP: 75% → 50%〉
"Focus Rika," she told herself. "Like Mr. Nyugawa said. Firm. No fear."
She walked forward as Kokkon drifted toward her. "Get back."
"Silly girl," Kokkon whispered. "You know not of being a warrior."
"Doesn't matter. I was told to protect this sigil, so that's what I'm going to do."
Her hands trembled a bit, but she took a deep breath.
"Trembling...you're afraid."
"Might be. But doesn't matter!"
The Reaper whacked her with his scythe, sending her reeling over.
〈Charges: 0〉
"I'm out!" Rika realized. "Not good, what do I do?"
"Stay sharp, Rika!" Zaria called out.
Omariro uttered one line to her. "Healer. You are healer."
Kokkon slowly dragged his scythe along the ground before slicing the totem sigil.
〈Sigil HP: 50% → 25%〉
"It's over," Kokkon declared.
Rika got to her feet. "That's right, I am a healer!"
Without waiting, she reached out and touched the sigil. "Jugen-Kaiseisha: Forbidden Restoration!"
〈Sigil HP: 25% → 100%〉
"What did you do?" Kokkon cried.
"I fixed the Sigil," Rika explained. "By removing two years off my life."
"You'd bring yourself closer to death?"
"To help my team? Every time! And the more you attack, the more years I'll shave off."
Kokkon tossed her out of the way and delivered a powerful strike to the Sigil.
〈Sigil HP: 100% → 10%〉
"Not today!"
Rika reached out and touched it, wincing as she did so.
〈Sigil HP: 10% → 100%〉
"Don't strain yourself, Rika!" Han warned her.
"It's fine!"
〈Timer: 0:30〉
"If you insist on interfering," Kokkon growled. "I shall sever your lifespan early."
In the blink of an eye, he sliced off her right leg, left arm, and both eyes.
"Ow!"
Rika, not missing a beat, pressed her hand to her upper chest.
"This is going to take another year off my life," she noted. "But that's for future Rika to worry about."
Dark energy flowed through her body, and her injuries fully healed, though she was exhausted.
〈Timer: 0:05)
Kokkon charged up his scythe. "Now, you lose!"
But when he tried to swing down, Rika grabbed the scythe, stopping him just long enough.
〈Timer: 0:00〉
"NO!"
〈Challenge Completed.〉
Kokkon disappeared. The barrier dropped, and Rika collapsed to the floor, but was caught by Omariro, as Zaria and Han surrounded her as well.
"Rika, that was crazy! And reckless! And stupid!" Zaria scolded. "But awesome! You're starting to act like me. Kinda scary."
"Don't pull a stunt like that again," Han said. "Risking lifespan like that can drop you from age 80 to age 40 if you're not careful."
"I know, I know," she sighed. "Mr. Nyugawa, did I make you proud?"
Omariro stayed silent for a long moment. "Yes. Done well."
"Thank you, sir."
He passed her to Han and Zaria, who supported her. "Hold girl. I go now."
〈Party Member *4* Selected: Omariro Nyugawa. Press Hand To Terminal.〉
Omariro slowly approached, pressing his hand.
〈Confirmed. Level: 99,999. Class: All. Error. Error...〉
The room turned red.
〈Data Does Not Compute.〉
—-