A few weeks later, Inside the Dark Sign hideout, Sorata stood before a mirror. His reflection stared back at him—burn marks carved across his hands and crawling up the side of his neck.
He traced the scars with his fingers, a twisted grin spreading across his face.
"Third-degree burns, huh? I wasn't expecting that. I knew my destructive energy eats away at me, but I didn't realize it'd be this bad."
He chuckled, then brushed it off. "Oh well… it doesn't matter."
His gaze glazed over as a flashback clawed at his mind—the moment he had nearly unleashed the Beast of Destruction on Kojin. The sheer thrill of it made his pulse race.
"My destructive energy is purple in colour, it's as a result of intense training and life or death situations I've kept myself in. Destructive energy works like flames, the hotter they get, the more their colour changes. Normally, destructive energy is black in colour, it's the special ability wielded by the people of the Takahama clan, from what i know, that clan was filled with blood hotted beasts who loved the thrill of fighting. Tch, no wonder I'm like this!".
Blood began to drip from his cracked hand, trailing down to the floor. But Sorata didn't flinch. If anything, the sight made his smile widen.
"Kojin…" he whispered. "An A-rank. The kind of man who can destroy entire countries when he goes all out. That's the power expected of his rank. And me? I'm just B-rank. But with my stamina, my durability… I can still fight him head-on. Even if the drawbacks of my destructive energy limit me, I'll keep up. I'll do all the damage i can do in order to win."
He covered his psychotic but soft smile on his face with his bleeding hand, trembling with anticipation, he moaned.
"It's almost been a month now. Just a few more days… and I'll finally get my payback. The prick who made me suffer will feel it. Ahhh… I can taste it already."
Meanwhile, in Kojin's office, his closest allies stood before him—Alex, Kazuki, Veronica, Kinto, Serena, Sukuna, Raquel, Son, Runo, Mori, Deo, Tobi, Kazui, and Luck.
Kojin sat at his desk, his expression sharp and unyielding.
"You all know what's at stake," he said, his voice low but heavy. "In just a few days, a war will break out. Not just any war… but one that will decide the fate of this world."
Beside him, Veronica stepped forward, her voice carrying a stern weight.
"This isn't going to be a push-over. We're fighting the Dark Sign—the most dangerous criminal organization in the world. Once, there were ten members. Seven of them are dead now, and thankfully, Shinki, the strongest of them all, has already fallen. But the group is still led by Ukina, an A-rank powerhouse and the mastermind behind this war."
Her eyes swept across the room.
"She's not the only one tho. They still have their heavy hitters: Kirihai—one of the strongest female assassins and swordmasters alive. Kenji—once of the Iron Country who had an incredible talent for fire and lightning. And Sorata… the insane menace to society himself. His destructive energy rivals Kojin's own. All three of them are B-rank, which means their power is enough to level cities and mountains with ease."
The room grew heavier at her words.
Kinto then proceeded to ask.
"Miss Veronica… what if those aren't the only threats? Ukina could summon more. The shadow puppet Kojin fought weeks ago… or worse—celestial beings, we all should have a good grip of how strong she alone is. Maybe even divine beasts. She does have access to the dimensional scroll that she stole from the iron country a few days ago."
Veronica paused, then smirked.
"I see you're pretty sharp, Kinto. You're right—Ukina has the resources to unleash more than just the Dark Sign. But that's why we'll divide ourselves." She gestured to each of them in turn.
"I'll take care of Ukina myself. Serena, Sukuna, and Raquel—you'll deal with Kirihai. Kinto, you're requested in the Iron Country to fight Kenji. Son—you'll face Sorata. As for the rest of us, thousand shadow puppets will be released upon the city. We don't know if they'll be like the one Kojin fought, but Tobi, Kazui, and Luck—you'll remain behind to defend against them. The rest of you will take care of any additional threats.".
Kojin stood, his voice carrying the weight of command.
"Understand this: the fate of the world is in your hands. Diablo, who would normally handle threats of this scale, is sealed away. Which means it falls to all of you. Go all out—don't hold back!"
As the team nodded, Kazuki leaned toward Alex with a funny look of disinterest.
"Looks like we'll be stuck at the back lines. We weren't even given positions."
Alex replied with a tired facial expression and a sigh "I guess so, but I won't be too sure. Out of all of us, we're the strongest here. Kojin isn't the type to waste strength—trust me, he has a plan for us."
Sure enough, Kojin raised his voice.
"Everyone is dismissed—except Alex and Kazuki. You two stay behind."
Alex shot Kazuki a smug look. "Told you."
The others filed out, Raquel and Serena looked back at the boys with worried looks before turning forward. Veronica lingered briefly, speaking to Kojin in a low tone.
"The city's military, along with the assassins, will march with the Lightning Country, Raijin, and the Iron Country. A thousand C-rank fighters will remain here to defend. Raijin, Lightning, and the city will each send twenty-five thousand of their strongest soldiers, while the Iron Country will send fifty thousand."
Kojin nodded, and Veronica left, her footsteps fading down the room.
Now, only Kojin, Alex, and Kazuki remained.
Kojin looked at the two teenagers with sharp, unwavering eyes.
"I've been observing you both. Out of all the B-ranks, your strength stands above the rest. That's why you won't be holding the rear—you'll be at the front lines of the battlefield."
Alex and Kazuki both exchanged a grin.
"Of course," Kazuki said smugly "We are the strongest."
Alex also had a smirk too. "Alright Kojin, what do you have for us?".
Kojin nodded, his expression hardening.
"You'll be training with me for the next few days in a special place. I'll push you past your limits, because you are the only instruments capable of tipping this war. Your potentials are extremely high, your skill rate and improvements are far better than that of all the soliders in this city. Not just that, but you proved yourselves in your battle against Kuro. So in other words, im confident in you too."
His voice grew darker, more solemn.
"From this day forward… you two will be known as the Hell's Duo.".
End of Chapter 9