Author's Note: This is a special chapter. Its purpose is to clarify the differences between the fake world, the real world, and the timeline. If I had included all this information alongside the fight scenes or regular dialogue, the chapter would have become bloated and overwhelming. I chose to explain everything at once because the mechanics are quite complex. I know it's unusual to pause the action after Chapter 62, but please view this as a side story / extra chapter—an essential guide to understanding what comes next.
5 Hours Ago | 4:50 PM | House 45
Akos was staring at the floor, sitting on the couch. Suddenly, he stands up: "Oh guys, I've got it! I've figured out what we're going to do." Vanessa asks, "Tell us then, what have you thought of?"
Akos: "Listen closely. We have two factors: the negatives and the positives." Maria says: "And what does that mean? Explain it better, Akos."
"The negatives are threefold. First, the FAKE WORLD is invisible; we can't see it. It's like a virus circulating everywhere, which is why we can't stop it. Second, the sorcerers are all over Japan. We can't locate all 102 sorcerers scattered across every city. Third, the sorcerers themselves don't know who they are; they might not even realize they are sorcerers or enemies."
"Then what are the positives?" Valentina asked.
Akos: "There are roughly two positives. First, we are the positive." Everyone looks at Akos with curiosity. Ronika speaks bluntly: "Drop the mysterious act; we don't have time for this nonsense." "Fine, fine, you didn't get the first positive," Akos said. "Look: the strongest sorcerers have gathered here. This is good because we have our 'heavy' abilities. This gives us a path to move without obstacles."
Valentina stands up: "What Akos is saying makes sense. We actually have achieved something positive: we've gathered all the powerful abilities and heavy weapons, such as the following:
Akos Tasaku: Infinite Eyes
Ronika Zade: Dual Spine Katanas
Jin Tori: Wind Cut
Riko Aimi: Energy Scan
Sora Haze: Increase of Willpower
Ruka Zade: Eye Sights
Maria: Stars Dancer
Alexandra: Mark Precision
And I with Dizzy of Passion.
Look, we could indeed split into teams and set targets, but we must be careful because the negatives are very difficult. " Her expression changes, and everyone stares at her. "Oops, sorry, I guess I got ahead of myself," she says, sitting back down.
Akos continues: "The second positive is that we managed to take the Purple Crystal from the Devil Monster, which will help us greatly. My plan is..."
"Alexandra, Vanessa, and Yuzana will go find Yugo. I am absolutely certain that Yugo will force the Sorcerers to kill one another to thin their ranks quickly. Your goal is to prevent any sorcerer from using their powers so that the barrier of the fake world remains stable.
Ronika and Jin, you two will act as the 'bridge' for Alexandra and Sora to destroy the Fake World. This means your sole objective is to clear the path of any threats. As for Alexandra and Sora, your goal is to plant the Purple Crystal into the core of the barrier."
Sora looks up at the ceiling and says, "The Fake World barrier is saturated with the memories and the willpower of all us Sorcerers. Yugo wants to destroy everything within a barrier that serves two purposes: first, as a repository for our memories and will, and second, as the pillar holding up the Fake World. The Fake World is now merged with the Real World and the actual timeline. This means that whatever happens in the Fake World happens in the Real World simultaneously, as the two dimensions have become one.
There is a positive and a negative outcome:
Positive: All memories will be restored to the Sorcerers.
Negative: The explosion of the barrier will level the entire area due to the sheer magnitude of the energy.
We must position the purple crystal perfectly. First, we need to create a localized point in the barrier that obeys us, because right now, the barrier only takes orders from Yugo and is bound to his Nature Energy. We must employ a 'hit and run' tactic because the barrier emits excessive energy and 'devils' at the same time."
He takes a deep breath, looking exhausted. He lowers his head, drains the entire water bottle, and sets it back on the table. "Alexandra will execute the maneuver. I will provide her with the energy to maintain balance, while Ronika and Jin will serve as the shield at my back."
Maria lights a cigarette, takes a long drag, and says, "The fact that the Fake World is tethered to the Real World and the Timeline means that one wrong move could annihilate everything. So, what's our move, 'Master' Akos?"
Akos: "You and Riko have one goal: find Devils Help and Gojoru." Jin raises his hand: "Whoa, hold on. Can someone remind me how the hell the Fake World, the Real World, and the Timeline operate simultaneously?"
Sora, using the data she gathered from Ibaraki, explains, "This is how the Fake World works. It has two pillars: A) the barrier and B) Yugo himself. Since A and B are linked, Yugo acts as the 'Admin' of the barrier; he issues the commands and releases whomever he chooses. To understand how the fake world functions, we must look at its origin. The answer is both shocking and, personally, quite ironic: the fake world acts like an invisible virus. It can exist in food or even technology. How did we get trapped? On New Year's Day, we ate the sweets that carried the virus.
That virus immediately uploaded our memories and our will into the Barrier, while physically displacing us into different locations with fabricated lives and memories. The Fake World is the lie we are living right now. It can turn a doctor into a police officer; it alters everything—time, lifestyles, names, our very existence, and reality itself. The only thing it cannot change is our nature energy; that's why the Barrier harvests and stores it.
As for the Real World, that is the reality consisting of three elements: 1) Our existence (currently imprisoned in the Barrier), 2) The Truth, and 3) Everything else that constitutes physical reality.
Finally, regarding the timeline: In the fake world, we believe it's January 16, 2025. However, the Real World's technology and daily life are far different. The actual time is January 16, 2014! It's as if we are living in the year 2100, but our actual standard of living is the Stone Age. It was designed this way specifically to keep us utterly disoriented."
"But that doesn't mean we traveled to the future. No one has the power to transport the entire world into the future! All Yugo did was alter our memories, making us believe the year is 2025. We are neither in the past nor the future; we are in the present. The only difference is that the elements of reality themselves are being reshaped."
Riko suddenly interrupts: "Wait, wait... how did Akos end up in the Fake World? For us, it makes sense, but Akos possesses overwhelming, potent energy—thousands of times greater than ours."
Sora responds: "I don't have a definitive answer, but I can offer a logical explanation. It's possible that Akos's memory and will are contained within a separate barrier. If Yugo tried to house all that energy in a single barrier, the Fake World wouldn't last a minute. Hold on... the objective of the Fake World was twofold: either to weaken Akos or to kill him. Akos is the only one who harbors the Devil End within him."
"This completes the picture for me," Sora continues. "A pact was made between Yugo and the Devil End. This explains why Akos seemed so cold and despondent at first. It wasn't just because his grandfather died; it was because the Devil End was feasting on his energy. Yugo could never hope to contain that much power on his own because Akos's energy is inexhaustible—it is infinite. The Devil End is legendary for having no energy limits. There is no other conclusion: the Devil End's goal was the very part of Akos that was weakening him."
Maria asks in a loud voice, "Does this mean the Fake World is nothing compared to Akos?" Sora looks at her: "I'd venture to say yes."
Yuzana, his voice trembling with fear, says, "Forgive me for speaking up; I know I can't fully grasp everything you're saying about devils and energy, being just an ordinary citizen. But based on what Ms. Sora mentioned—that Sakoura has no energy limits and that there are two barriers, one for the Sorcerers and one specifically for Akos, controlled by the Devil End himself—I have a thought.
If we look closely, the devil end never truly left Akos's body. Akos has grown weak because Sakoura siphoned so much of his memory when he used his ultimate ability a few days ago. This means Sakoura is the 'chosen one'—a limitless devil holding Akos's memories hostage and knowing every one of his techniques. In my personal opinion, Sakoura's goal is simply to fight a formidable opponent. Having lived for thousands of years, the loneliness of his power has driven him to seek someone strong enough to challenge him."
Akos stares at him: "What you're saying makes perfect sense. Now, I can reveal my final plan. I will go to fight the Devil End personally. Ruka, I want you to meet our allies—Reino and the 'Academia Non-System of Ninjutsu'—to brief them on the plan. The 'Sword Fire' faction, consisting of dozens of gangs from all over Japan, will launch an attack in a few hours. At the same time, the 'Private Defense Hunter Devils' will have already mobilized. As Ronika told us, there is a fierce rivalry between Devil Hunters and Sorcerers. Their goal will be to eliminate us before we can return. This is a massive problem for us. Now that you know the plan, we must move fast!"