IN A CAVE
The cave was dark and poorly lit, shadows crawling along jagged walls. The sword spirits gathered together, anticipation and tension thrumming through the air.
Umihiko's voice broke the silence, excitement and relief mingling in every word. "Finally… I never thought we would finally be free."
Shōsei's gaze was steady, measured. "Yes, you're right… but we're not totally free yet."
Enma tilted his head, confusion flashing in his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"
Benika's tone was sharp, cutting. "I'm not surprised that a hot-headed man like you does not understand."
Enma's jaw tightened, though he forced a calm reply. "I'm sorry… if you have something to say, come say it to my face, princess."
Momiji stepped between them, her voice gentle but firm. "Will you two not fight right now?"
"I wasn't fighting," Umihiko said, shrugging as though to dismiss the tension.
Gensuryuo's voice boomed through the cave. "Enough. Will you just let Shōsei explain?"
Enma exhaled, the tension easing slightly. "Fine."
Shōsei took a deep breath. "As I was saying, we can't start our killing spree while we are still bonded to our masters."
"I thought we didn't have a connection anymore," Enma said, his brow furrowed.
"No," Shōsei replied, his voice firm. "In order for a connection between a sword spirit and its master to be broken, the master has to no longer care—or love—the sword spirit."
Ketsuki Shihai's voice carried a note of realization. "So in other words… we cannot attack recklessly when we haven't severed the connection."
A voice echoed from a dark tunnel, calm yet commanding. "That is right… we can't be careless."
A figure emerged from the shadows. The sword spirits recognized her immediately. Shizuka.
"So," Shizuka said, stepping forward, "the next assault… we must focus on breaking the connection."
A dark, tired voice spoke from a corner. "And how do you propose we do that?"
"You must have patience," Shizuka replied, her eyes glinting with determination. "The plan to destroy the Spirit Corps is coming together."
Kokuki's skepticism was sharp. "If you say so… and one more thing—should we really trust a former spiritualist?"
Silence fell over the group, heavy and uneasy.
Shizuka's gaze was steady, unwavering. "You may not worry about my master, Rihito. He long abandoned the name of a spiritualist and is now working toward a world without bloodshed."
Soshinjin's voice cut through the silence. "Very well… but he's going to have to earn our trust."
Shizuka inclined her head slightly. "I know he will. Now, on that note…"
The flames lighting the cave flickered, casting shadows across her determined face. "I would like Kokuki, Eiten, Sasori, and Senshucho to follow me."
The four spirits moved without hesitation, disappearing into the tunnel alongside Shizuka.
Back in Yugo's inner world
The air crackled with tension. Kuro launched himself into the sky, swinging a powerful strike toward Yugo, who barely blocked it with a standard katana. The clash splintered the blade, forcing Yugo to retreat.
"How the hell am I supposed to win with weak swords like these?" Yugo thought, frustration burning.
"Keep hanging in there, master," Kuro taunted, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
"As if I'll ever be killed by you," Yugo shot back, glaring.
"Well," Kuro said, "let's look at the facts. I have no injuries, and you… you have fifteen cut wounds."
"And why does that matter, huh?" Yugo shot back.
"You only have twenty swords left," Kuro said, eyes glinting dangerously. "Once they all break, what are you going to do then?"
"Then I'll have my fists," Yugo said, his resolve hardening.
"You really are delusional," Kuro replied, "thinking you can win with only your fists."
Yugo seized a massive blade, shaped like a butcher knife, and then spirit flashed behind kuro as he struck. Kuro without turning around,put his sword at his back planning to block the strike—but Yugo spirit flashed again in an instant appearing in front of kuro charging up an attack.
"Black Slash!" Yugo spoke.
Darkness arced through the air, exploding on impact.As the dust settled, a hand reached toward him—but Yugo stepped back just in time.
"I knew that would be enough to kill you," he muttered.
"You should have put more energy into that attack," Kuro replied, blood smeared across his chest. He touched it, licked it, and smirked. "I'm sure you're happy that you managed to damage me, right?"
"Who can say for sure?" Yugo replied, grim determination in his eyes.
"I plan on finishing this fight… so let's do it, shall we?" Kuro said.
"Yeah," Yugo said. "I'm in a hurry, so I agree."
Both surged with spiritual energy—Yugo's a brilliant blue, Kuro's a blazing red—preparing to collide in a storm of force and fury.
IN HELL
The Junmon Gate opened. Mikasa, Maya, and Yuki stood before it, hearts pounding as Martha, Zeke, King, and Aries bid them farewell.
"Remember," Martha said, handing them supplies, "I put a spell in the Junmon pathway to slow down the reaction of the walls. You can pour all your energy into speed."
"That's right," Aries added. "With your improved speed, you should reach the human world in thirty minutes at best."
"You kids better not become overconfident with your newfound strength," Zeke warned.
"We know," Mikasa replied softly. "But it feels strange leaving…"
"I know what you mean," Maya murmured.
The gate opened. They stepped through together, leaving the guardians behind.
"We really wish we could go with you," Zeke said.
Yuki gave a small nod. "We understand. Thank you for taking care of us."
The gate closed behind them."They didn't ask about their friend" Aries said
King responded.
they didn't need to. They know they will see him soon enough.Now it's their chance to shine like a spirit gem.
IN THE HUMAN WORLD
Within the Spirit Corps, the central training ground rang with the dull thuds of wooden weapons colliding. Dust rose from the cracked stone as combat drills continued relentlessly. At the center stood Leona, the captain commander of Sector 12, her presence fierce and domineering as she oversaw the training.
"Put your backs into it you maggots, keep fighting until you either kill the enemy or get killed by the enemy," Leona barked, her voice echoing across the field.
Adam glanced sideways toward Kyoko as they continued sparring. "It looks like your captain is more fierce than usual huh, Kyoko."
"Yeah, but can you blame her in this situation we are in," Kyoko replied.
Without hesitation, Kyoko lunged forward, thrusting her wooden sword toward Adam. He narrowly dodged the stab and countered with a sweeping slash, but Kyoko leapt backward just in time, the air splitting where the blade had passed.
Before the exchange could continue, a voice cut through the training ground.
"Hey Leona, your time's up."
Leona turned sharply, eyes narrowing. "Saturo Chronos, what are you babbling about now."
"I said your training time is up now, or do I need to take you out myself."
Leona's lips curled into a sharp grin. "You honestly think you can beat me in a battle."
"In a battle between you and me, I'd win."
"I really hate that overconfident bravado of yours."
At that moment, both captain commanders released their spiritual energy. The pressure was immense—stone cracked beneath their feet, the ground groaning as if it were about to collapse.
From the sidelines, Shinra swallowed hard. "Should we stop them."
Tesai shook his head grimly. "We should, but we would be nothing more than insects."
Suddenly, an overwhelming presence flooded the training ground. The air grew heavy, suffocating, and a menacing voice resonated from above.
"You two better stop fighting right at this moment."
Leona and Saturo froze instantly, terror flashing across their faces.
"Sentinel… Homura," Leona said.
Standing beside him was Akira, watching silently. His thoughts echoed sharply in his mind.
"Do you have to go overboard Homura."
"We're sorry sir," Saturo said quickly.
Homura's crushing presence slowly calmed and began to dissipate, but the damage was done. Every officer present, including the two captain commanders, remained shaken to their core.
"Seriously Homura that was—" Akira began.
"Don't finish that sentence, after all it wasn't," Homura replied coldly.
"If you say so."
Leona and Saturo stepped forward, saluting sharply.
"Lord Homura what brings you here," Leona asked.
"We just came up to come get a few of you higher rank officers. Akira can you please."
"I'm not your damn assistant."
"I asked you if you can help and you agreed, so now if you please."
Akira scowled, clearly annoyed. "Can all lieutenants and in command officers come with us."
"They want us," Tesai muttered.
"But why exactly," Adam questioned.
"I think we should just follow them," Kyoko said.
All the ranked officers who had been called stepped forward, following Homura and Akira, with Saturo and Leona joining them. Together, they made their way to the Sector 13 research center.
"Why are we here," Shinra asked.
"Keep it moving all of you," Homura replied.
As they entered, the lieutenants, command officers, and the two captain commanders froze. Every captain commander was already present.
Homura raised his voice. "Hey Teja we're all here."
From the floor, a pillar extended upward, reaching toward the higher levels. Railings formed along its sides, and Teja descended smoothly while seated on a chair attached to the railing.
"Somebody tell me when we got this far technology wise," Shinra muttered.
"And you expect us to know that," Tesai replied.
Teja stepped off the chair as it ascended back upward, the pillar retracting neatly into the floor.
"I'd like to thank all of you for coming," Teja said.
He clapped his hands. The room suddenly lit up, revealing countless computers, incubators, capsules, tubes, and advanced machinery lining the walls.
"Well this is a large room," Veronica said.
"Can you all follow me," Teja replied.
They split into four different elevators. The descent was long—five floors down, then moving right, passing twenty stops, descending again until finally reaching the fiftieth floor. The doors opened.
"Okay we're here," Teja said.
He turned back to see several officers visibly affected—some dizzy, others fighting the urge to throw up.
"You are all high ranking spiritualist for God sakes and you got sick from a little elevator ride."
"Teja is not lying," Homura added flatly.
They continued walking until they reached the center of the floor.
"I wonder why all those rooms were numbered," Tesai said.
"Hey we all came so explain what we you wanted us for," Akira said bluntly.
Teja's voice suddenly grew loud with excitement. "Look alive people, science has truly evolved into something magnificent."
Thousands of floating screens appeared around the center of the room.
"What the heck is this," Tesai muttered.
"Though Yosuke is a traitor, his inventions and blueprints are truly amazing. He managed to make inventions that we would have only discovered in eight hundred years. We've reached the future."
"You're saying all of this was discovered by Yosuke, that traitor," Shinra asked.
"That's right. When I was investigating his barracks the blueprints for all of this were in there. So now we no longer need to use letters to send messages. We can now talk to each other without being face to face. You can now track your health without learning medical skills or going to the medical center."
"And you're saying all that is now possible," Shinji asked.
"That's right old man."
"He is a traitor but you can't disagree that he is a genius," Akira said.
"Yeah, no wonder I could never reach his level of intelligence," Teja admitted.
"I am amazed but I can't shake the feeling you wouldn't have brought us down here to show us this," Adam said.
"Yeah you're right," Teja replied.
"So what else did you call us for," Homura asked.
"This very floor is a training center for all of you."
"Wait a training center," Leona said.
"Yes. If you need to improve destructive techniques you can come down here. The walls are made from a fusion of the five strongest spirit minerals so breaking them is nearly impossible, and we can track your body's condition."
"That is pretty neat," Shinra said.
"Here you go."
Lieutenant Kurotsuchi stepped forward, handing each of them a small device.
"This device will help us communicate with each other, and they are also your key to your own individually designed training rooms."
"You really did all this in 4 months, it's rather impressive," Fumi said.
Teja replied"This is a new age we are in, and the WWSB has let me choose the name for this new age we are entering… so I'm going to call it the Spiritual Science Age."
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the Spirit Corps headquarters. The sharp, urgent sound echoed through the halls as an announcement crackled over the intercom.
"Everyone the spirit Corps is under attack by several enemies, each sector is being attacked."
Teja's expression tightened. "They attacked earlier than I expected."
Homura clapped his hands once, the sound cutting cleanly through the chaos. His voice rang out with authority. "Listen up everyone the enemy is finally making it's assault and it is your job to eliminate them is that Understood."
"Yes sir."
High above the Spirit Corps headquarters, Rihito sat calmly atop the tallest pillar at the center of the complex. Behind him stood a hooded individual, their presence quiet but watchful.
Rihito breathed in deeply, almost content. "Ahh, it's nice to see different beings being free."
The hooded figure spoke from behind him. "You honestly think it was a good idea to start the assault this early."
Rihito's smile didn't fade. "Does it matter if it's early or not, don't forget I have a very specific goal in store."
"You just better know what you're doing Rihito."
Rihito chuckled softly. "Now now, aren't you happy that you're free now, Riko."
Riko gazed into the distance, sensing the battlefield below. "Ohh, it looks like many strong spiritual energies are moving in different direction."
"You're right, but let's just leave it to our allies."
Akira rushed toward the Sector 15 quadrants, his senses flaring with urgency. The spiritual energy ahead of him felt unmistakable.
"That spiritual energy I'm sensing it has to be him."
Suddenly, a massive ball of flames roared toward him. Akira blocked it just in time, landing firmly as heat rippled through the air. Before him stood a sword spirit with red skin, two horns, golden eyes, white hair, and white markings covering his body.
"So who's sword spirit might you be," Akira asked calmly.
"The name is Enma."
Akira's eyes narrowed. "Enma as in Shinra's sword spirit Enma."
"That's right, Akira."
Enma produced multiple fireballs, the heat distorting the air—until another voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Captain Akira he's mine."
Akira glanced upward. "Is that Shinra."
Shinra dropped from the sky, landing between Enma and Akira.
"Captain Akira you should go and help out your Sector I can handle this."
Akira nodded. "Very well I'll leave him to you."
He leapt to the top of the wall and began spirit flashing through the air.
Enma sighed mockingly. "That's just great I get left with a weakling."
Shinra's grip tightened. "So I'm a weakling am I."
"That's right and I can't believe you used to be my master."
"Enough talk I prefer a fight."
Shinra drew his sword and dashed forward swinging his sword at Enma.Enma shifted his body, swinging his arm upward. A burst of flames engulfed Shinra—but Shinra pushed through and attempted a stab. Enma leapt away.
"Ohh, it looks like the weakling has gotten better but I doubt he's become stronger."
"Your personality has taken a 180."
"What do you mean."
"You used to be a lazy, annoying brat but now you're arrogant and overconfident."
"I guess that means you never knew me well."
"No I knew you better than anyone."
Shinra slipped a hand into his haori and pulled out two ball-shaped wraps, throwing them to the ground. Smoke exploded outward, covering the area. Enma smiled and unleashed flames in all directions. As the eruption ceased, Enma looked down—Shinra crouched below, completely unharmed.
Shinra slashed upward, cutting Enma from his neck to his left eye. Enma leapt far away.
"This is what happens when I let my guard down."
"I wanted to stab you but I know that would have given you time to dodge."
"You truly have improved."
"While you were enjoying the little freedom you have, I have been practicing my sword techniques with my fellow officers."
"Sword techniques don't explain how you're unharmed from my flames."
Meanwhile, Akira arrived at the Sector 15 quadrant… only to be met with devastation. His officers lay dead around him.
"No, I'm too late."
Kokuki looked up slowly and grinned.
"So you've arrived, master."