The stone door seemed to be gradually drifting away.
Defeat?
No, how could he allow something like that to happen?!
Figures emerged one after another: White Night, Bronya, Arisugawa... even Toudo Touka, Gagami, Ayatsuji দৃশ্যা, and then Kurogane Shizuku.
At the very end was that vivid red hair, the figure gradually becoming clear—Stella!
Countless encouragements, countless promises. Reaching the peak of the path of knighthood together, sharing that joy together...
Aaaaah!!!
"How could I possibly stop here!!!"
His unyielding will erupted. With a ferocious expression, Ikki reached out toward that door.
"Crack, crack—"
Faintly, bursts of shattering sounds rang out as countless chains exploded apart.
"I've finally been waiting for this." (White)
On the arena, Ikki had finally broken through into the realm of Demons. Invisible Magic Power flowed out from behind that door.
At that moment, the memories he had lost returned as well. "So that's how it was... that guy White Night..."
One Blade Arrogance was about to run out, yet Ikki remained calm and composed. "Stella, to answer your expectations, I've poured everything I have into this strike."
"Then let's settle this in one move!"
Stella condensed an enormous sword of light and brought it crashing down with terrifying heat, holding nothing back. "Burn to ashes! Blazing Heaven Earth Dragon King Flame—!"
Magic Barriers were erected one after another.
Hei Nai, Ning Yin, White Night... even Nangong Torajiro. Several of the world's greatest powerhouses took part, layer upon layer of defenses completely withstanding the impact.
Yet in the end, it was the sword of light that shattered. Most people had not even seen what Ikki did in that instant.
—Final Secret Sword: Shadow Chase!
A strike that had truly reached the realm of Demons. The instant the blade moved, it converged through causality independent of the world, anchoring the outcome of "slaying."
When the dust settled, Stella was already lying on the ground. Ikki had claimed the final victory.
"Woooooo!!!"
Cheers erupted from the stands, thunderous applause and jubilant cries soaring into the sky.
However...
In places unnoticed by most people, several forces of fate from the realm of Demons collided in secret, intimidating those harboring ill intent.
Abraham Carter adjusted his sunglasses. In the end, he restrained his aura and silently left the venue.
"This really is lively, huh~"
Once the clash ended, White Night let out a long breath. His existence as a Demon had flaws, so he was still somewhat weak. "But this should mean it's over, right?"
A soft little hand quietly reached over. Edelweiss looked at White Night with eyes full of affection.
It Was Time to Set Out
The competition was over, and White Night would be setting out afterward.
Given Edelweiss's personality, she naturally would not burden White Night with such matters. She would only support him quietly.
So over the next few days, Xiao Ai became rather clingy with White Night, and at night she let go a little more... For three consecutive days, White Night did not even attend the award ceremony.
By the time everyone gathered again, three days had already passed. The location was Broken Blade Academy.
"Amane, why are you here?"
After Ikki and Stella arrived in the meeting room, they immediately spotted Shinomiya Amane sitting in the corner and were quite surprised.
Amane waved at Ikki, her smile much more sincere than before. "It's been a few days, Ikki. I haven't congratulated you on winning the championship yet. As for me..."
"White Night called me here~"
White Night...
Ikki said nothing more. If it was White Night, he must have some plan again.
Not long afterward, a handsome middle-aged man in a suit and sunglasses pushed open the door—the Far East's highest authority, Tsukikage Bakuga!
Hei Nai and Ning Yin followed closely behind. Even Ning Yin restrained herself considerably in front of her former teacher.
Meanwhile, White Night, the organizer of this gathering, had somehow still not arrived.
With no other choice, Tsukikage Bakuga took charge and began explaining matters concerning "Demons." Ikki and Stella were now qualified to know.
A minor conflict arose during the discussion:
—It concerned the Kingdom of Famillion concealing information about "Demons." Stella summoned the Dragon Sinner Sword, sparks of flame igniting as she questioned Ning Yin and Tsukikage Bakuga.
But the requirements for becoming a Demon were far too harsh. Tsukikage Bakuga analyzed the matter logically from every angle and calmed Stella down.
"Oh, you got here a little early." At that moment, White Night finally arrived at the venue.
Bronya was at his side as always, but the other person with them came as a surprise—Edelweiss!
"Ahem, don't be surprised just yet."
White Night cleared his throat a few times, drawing everyone's attention before gesturing to Tsukikage Bakuga. "You can catch up later. Let's discuss business first."
Tsukikage Bakuga nodded as well. A jewel-shaped Inherent Gear appeared in his hand. "I'll explain the details later. First, take a look at this."
As he spoke, Tsukikage lightly flicked the jewel with his finger. Its surface rippled as though it had become a lake.
A droplet of water fell from it, sending invisible ripples across the floor...
A city consumed by flames, shattered streets, people dying horrible deaths in all manner of ways... blood, mangled corpses, screams—it was as though they were experiencing it firsthand, bringing everyone an enormous shock.
—Hell!
If it had to be described, that was probably the only word for it. No other word could capture it.
"Wh-what is this... urgh..."
After watching for only a few seconds, Stella could no longer bear it. She crouched on the ground, nearly vomiting.
It was not just her. Even Ikki, and even Hei Nai, felt their stomachs churning.
"So this is a clear future? This is my first time seeing one." White Night was doing fairly well. Having experienced war, his tolerance was much greater.
Then there were Ning Yin, Xiao Ai, and the others. Though they felt discomfort, they could still maintain their composure. Naturally, Amane was excluded—she had not been able to see any of it at all.
"This is Tokyo, right?" (Ning Yin)
"My ability can peer into the past to a certain extent. Of course, situations like this occasionally occur as well."
Tsukikage Bakuga steadied his emotions, speaking as calmly as possible. "What was displayed... became the future upon the lines of causality. It takes the form of this kind of 'precognitive dream.'"
—In other words, if fate continued along its current path, the hellish scene before them would one day become reality!
Tsukikage Bakuga then dismissed his Spirit Armor, leaving behind only deathly silence.
"This is... the future?"
Stella's voice was low. Clearly, she had yet to recover. The sight had been far too shocking. "...Why would this happen...?"
"Probably because of war." (White)
"I cannot confirm the cause of this tragedy. All I can do is 'see' it."
As he spoke, Tsukikage Bakuga turned his gaze toward White Night. "But... isn't there someone here who can observe the future as well?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to talk about this time."
White Night nodded and did not beat around the bush. The first person he looked at was Stella.
"If nothing unexpected happened, the King of Famillion should have invited us to the kingdom before this, right?"
!!!
Stella did not answer, but the surprise on her face... made words unnecessary.
"Looks like I was right."
He nodded to himself. Everything was still proceeding according to the script. White Night continued revealing information. "You'd better be careful. Have you heard of the Puppet King, Or-Gull?"
"..."
A silence fell.
Only Xiao Ai vaguely remembered something. But Xiao Ai had never cared about such things, so it remained nothing more than a vague impression.
"Wait, I remember back then..."
Tsukikage remembered. When they first met, White Night had told him to beware of Jester Hiraga Reizen. "Is he behind Jester? The antisocial Puppet Master you mentioned."
"He's a complete pervert." (Duck)
Heavy Rabbit, a dark-blue machine, appeared. This time, it served as a projector, displaying the information on the large screen:
"Rebellion" Apostle
He loved pure evil, hatred, screams, wails, betrayal... every kind of negative emotion. He loved them so much that he personally controlled his older sister and had her slaughter everyone in their hometown!
Though it was only a written description, it was enough to reveal what kind of person Or-Gull was. He truly was a complete pervert!
Especially the part about controlling his older sister. Simply reading it made them feel psychologically uncomfortable.
"Ikki, do you remember the Puppet Master incident from back then? He had a hand in that as well."
White Night continued revealing information. "The files also mention that he secretly controls many important political figures. So tell me... do you think the Kingdom of Famillion might be among them?"
!!!
"Don't panic, don't panic."
Before Ikki or Stella could say anything, White Night had already appeared between them, placing a hand on each of them. "Of course I prepared a backup plan."
Following White Night's gaze, the two saw that he was pointing at... Shinomiya Amane.
—Absolute good fortune!
As for matters of fate, Xiao Ai, Ning Yin, and the others would conceal them. (This was the author's secondary setting and might not be particularly rigorous.)
"We'll use random name selection and keep rolling until the list repeats. Those people will be the puppets."
Since it would not directly interfere with the other side, the difficulty would be lower, and it would not be so easy to detect. "If it's for Ikki, you'll help, right, Amane?"
"Ah, of course."
Shinomiya Amane nodded.
To be honest, she had no idea what they had been discussing before this. But since they needed her help, for White Night and Ikki's sake... she was willing to lend a hand.
"Then there's the Black Knight."
With one matter settled, White Night extended the topic. "She is Or-Gull's older sister. If you ask someone for help, be a little careful. She cannot be trusted."
"My, my, this is really something~"
Having received far too much information, Tsukikage lightly pressed his temples and interrupted White Night. He needed a moment to process it. "If this information got out, the whole world would be shaken."
Emmm...
Tsukikage then raised his head and glanced at White Night. "Wait, don't tell me there's more?"
"There's one last part."
White Night nodded, confirming Tsukikage's guess. "Of course, what I've seen is ultimately limited. This is all there is."
"...Isn't this already more than enough?" (Tsukikage)
"It's about superhumans."
Before you continue