The Rescued Nanami Kento

Inside the rift was no longer a damp alley wall, but a vast, boundless Pitch-black Void. Flecks of colorful starlight floated, flickered, and spun through it like broken streams of data.

A portal to an unknown space had been opened with just two casual slashes!

"..." Kitagawa Marin was completely speechless.

She covered her mouth, her eyes wide behind her Red Contact Lenses. Reflected clearly in them was the Cross Starry Sky Gate suspended in midair, along with the fantastical starlight swirling beyond it.

The light danced in her eyes, as if fireworks had set the whole universe ablaze. This was a hundred times more thrilling than her favorite anime or her wildest Cosplay fantasies!

Chen Tian sheathed his sword in one smooth motion, as if he'd done it thousands of times. He turned around, a lazy smile on his face, and held out his hand to Kitagawa, who was still immersed in shock and excitement.

"Let's go, Xiao Meng." His voice rang out clearly in the quiet alley. "We're going home."

"Mm! Mm-hmm!" Kitagawa finally came back to her senses and nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick, excitement still coloring her cheeks.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the hand Chen Tian had offered. Its warm, firm touch put her even more at ease.

She practically skipped along beside Chen Tian and, together with him, stepped into the Cross Rift shimmering with eerie starlight.

Their figures vanished at once into the passage, where colorful starlight mingled with profound darkness.

All that remained in the alley was a lone shopping bag in the corner and an old streetlamp still casting its dim yellow glow. The faded posters and graffiti on the walls stood silent, while the sour stench of the trash cans lingered in the air.

Beyond the alley, the sounds of Shibuya's Halloween revelry drifted faintly over, like they came from another distant world.

Electric sparks flickered a few times along the edge of the Space Rift. The cross-shaped opening sealed without a sound, as if it had never appeared.

Kitagawa's vision blurred as colorful starlight suddenly flooded her eyes. She felt a slight sense of weightlessness, and before she could react, her feet touched the familiar wooden floor.

Her vision cleared at once.

The dim alley had been replaced by warm, bright lights. The sour stench in the air was gone, replaced by the familiar, faint smell of cleaning products at home.

She was standing in Chen Tian's living room, in a typical Japanese Detached House: a beanbag chair, a low table, a wall-mounted TV, and even the cute stickers she'd put up on her last visit.

"Huh?!" She whipped around.

Behind her, the starlit Cross Rift entrance had yet to close completely. Blue arcs crackled around it, like a window to the New World hanging on the wall by the entrance to her home—eerie and dreamlike.

"Tian Jun!" she exclaimed, turning excitedly. Her wine-red hair and Little Devil Horns swayed with the motion as she pointed at the portal. "Can we do that again? Just once! It happened too fast—I couldn't get a good look!"

Chen Tian looked at his girlfriend's Red Contact Lenses, which shone even brighter under the living-room lights. They were filled with childlike wonder and longing, like she'd just discovered a new toy.

Her straightforward, adorable request amused him. He reached out and ruffled her fluffy wine-red hair, his voice full of laughter. "Next time. I promise." He sounded as if he were humoring a child.

"Mm..." Rejected, Kitagawa pouted, but her brief disappointment was instantly swept away by her overwhelming excitement.

Like a happy little bird, she twirled lightly in place twice, then let out a cheer and threw herself onto the soft sofa with a "plop," sinking into it.

"Ahhh!" Lying on her back, she gazed at the familiar ceiling, her cheeks still flushed and her eyes dazzlingly bright. "I never would've guessed! My boyfriend is a Superhero! That's so cool! A hundred times more thrilling than Cosplay!!"

Chen Tian laughed as he walked over to the sofa and sat down. Reaching out, he scooped his girlfriend—still riding the afterglow of her excitement—into his arms.

"All right, Xiao Meng." He rubbed his chin against her Little Devil Horns. "Don't get too excited, or you won't be able to sleep."

Nestled in his warm embrace, Kitagawa finally calmed down a little. Then she suddenly remembered how strange Chen Tian had acted in Shibuya.

She raised her head and asked curiously, "Oh, right, Tian Jun. You suddenly started acting weird in Shibuya and looked up at the sky... Did you discover something? Is a supervillain going to appear?!"

Chen Tian tightened his arms around her and glanced at the simple clock hanging on the living-room wall.

The hands pointed clearly to 20:40.

He gave a slight nod, confirming her guess.

But in the next instant, the warmth in his eyes from his girlfriend's adorable reaction quickly faded, replaced by detached calm.

Images of the crowds filling Shibuya's streets flashed through his mind: the revelers, the Cosplayers in their outlandish costumes, the excited smiles...

Did it matter to him how many of them died? They were just leeks.

His mind drifted to the strange Black Mud in the sky, and to that white-haired figure.

The guy who'd be cut in half in the future. Shibuya. Halloween...

A trace of amusement appeared at the corner of Chen Tian's mouth.

Now that he'd discovered what was happening, why rush to deal with it right away?

He'd stumbled upon this "storyline" just as it was beginning... Why not let things develop a little further?

Besides... this was the perfect opportunity to test just how powerful he could become in this real world.

As for whether he might lose?

Chen Tian lowered his head and looked at Kitagawa's cheeks, faintly flushed with excitement, feeling the warmth of her body against his.

He chuckled, his laughter filled with absolute confidence and a hint of arrogance.

Lose? What a joke.

He patted Kitagawa's back lightly, his tone relaxed. "All right, don't worry about all that. We got back early tonight for once. Want to watch a movie or play a game?"

Kitagawa was still curious, but Chen Tian's calm demeanor soothed her. On top of that, the shocking experience she'd just had had taken quite a bit out of her.

"Mm... Do you want to see my... Succubus Outfit?" A blush began to bloom across Kitagawa's little face.

Chen Tian watched her shy expression, but his gaze drifted back to the clock on the wall.

20:42.

There was still time.

Chapter 4: The Rescued Nanami Kento

A lingering warmth and a faint, sweet fragrance still hung in the air above the Tatami.

Chen Tian carefully moved the exhausted Kitagawa, her skin glistening with sweat as she dozed with her eyes closed, off him and gently laid her on a nearby thin blanket.

As soon as she left his warm embrace, Kitagawa sleepily opened her eyes.

Wine-red strands clung to her damp neck, and her large eyes, with their Red Contact Lenses, were hazy with moisture.

She languidly reached out and wound her arms around Chen Tian's neck again, pulling him closer.

Leaning close to his ear, she spoke in a soft, sultry voice, her warm breath carrying a Succubus's allure. "Are... we... doing it again?"

Chen Tian lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the corner of her slightly pursed lips, still glistening with moisture.

"No," he said in a low, hoarse voice, his post-intimacy rasp tempered by a clear head. "I'm going to Shibuya."

"Huh?" Kitagawa froze for a moment, then followed his gaze to the simple clock on the wall.

The hands pointed clearly to 22:10.

The haze in her eyes cleared almost entirely. She remembered the alley and the portal, the shock of it all, the strange sky over Shibuya, and the mission of her "Superhero" boyfriend.

Chen Tian took her wrists and gently lifted her slender arms from around his neck.

He rose briskly to his feet. The two of them had left their clothes scattered beside the Tatami.

He bent down, picked up his dark jeans and an ordinary black hoodie, and pulled them on with practiced ease.

The simple clothes concealed the lines of his lean, powerful body. The intimate lover from moments ago was once again the young man with a slightly wild air about him.

Kitagawa propped herself up on the Tatami. The thin blanket had slipped to her waist, but she paid it no mind as a large expanse of pale skin was exposed beneath the warm indoor lights.

She watched Chen Tian get dressed, then head toward the bare wall in the living room.

With a mere thought from him, the air tore open without a sound!

A blue, cross-shaped rift appeared out of nowhere. Familiar arcs danced along its edges, while a deep, swirling starfield filled its center—the portal to Shibuya had opened once more.

"Tian Jun!" Kitagawa called out, her voice tinged with nervousness, but filled even more with pure excitement and trust.

Clenching a small fist, she waved it vigorously at Chen Tian's back. "Go get 'em! Beat those bad guys to a pulp!"

Chen Tian paused in surprise, then turned his head. The living-room light illuminated one side of his face. White bangs fell over his forehead, and his lips curled into a warm smile.

"Mm," he replied clearly. "I'll be back soon."

With that, he strode through the starlit Cross Rift without another moment's hesitation.

His figure was instantly swallowed by the starlight.

After a faint tremor in the air, the rift smoothed over as if it had been erased. The blue light flashed and vanished, and the living-room wall returned to normal, as if nothing strange had ever happened.

Only a faint trace of ozone from the Spatial Tear lingered in the air, proof that it had all really happened.

Kitagawa Marin sat alone on the Tatami.

The blush hadn't faded from her face, and the weariness left in her body still made her limbs feel a little weak. But her large eyes, framed by Red Contact Lenses, shone brilliantly, filled with a strange fire that mingled excitement, pride, and a hint of secret worry.

She looked down at herself. Her body was completely exposed, but she didn't care.

"Haah!" She suddenly cheered, as if trying to encourage herself.

Then, brimming with energy, she sprang to her feet and dashed barefoot toward the kitchen, her quick "pat pat pat" footsteps echoing as she went, completely unconcerned by how "exposed" she was.

Her destination was clear: the fridge!

She pulled open the fridge door. It was packed with ingredients she'd bought over the weekend. The cold air hit her, making her hunch her shoulders slightly, but it did nothing to dampen her excitement.

"Tian Jun will definitely be hungry when he gets back from the fight!" she said to herself, facing the fridge full of food, her little fists clenched and an eager smile on her face.

"What should I make? Ramen? Curry? Or Pan-fried Dumplings?" She tilted her head, her wine-red hair swaying with the motion and her Little Devil Horns gently bobbing as she carefully considered her options.

Central Shibuya, the site of the once-raucous Halloween celebration, had become a living hell.

Piercing alarms mingled with cries and screams, while the roar of collapsing buildings sounded without end. The air reeked of scorching, blood, and the thick stench of curses, making it hard to breathe.

At the center of the chaos, on a relatively open stretch of scorched earth,

lay a massive lump of flesh, rapidly turning to charcoal and giving off wisps of smoke. It still vaguely retained the outline of twisted, octopus-like tentacles. It was the Special Grade Cursed Spirit "Dagon," who had just been killed.

A figure crouched beside the mass of flesh.

He had a burly build, and the top of his head resembled a miniature active volcano. Where his eyes should have been was a huge, cold, inhuman-looking eye, gazing without emotion at the remains of his companion on the ground.

He reached out and grabbed a handful of Dagon's flesh, which was rapidly turning to charcoal. The warm chunk of meat quickly lost its color in his palm, turning black and brittle before crumbling to dust and sifting through his fingers.

"So you're dead, Dagon." His voice sounded like two rough rocks scraping together, devoid of even a trace of emotion. He spoke as if stating a trivial fact.

He stood up and casually shook the remaining charcoal from his palm. Ash drifted away on the curse-laden wind.

"Our souls," he said with absolute certainty, his huge eye turning toward the three figures standing silently nearby, "don't need humans to reincarnate."

"See you in the wilderness a hundred years from now."

As he spoke, his huge eye abruptly swung toward the side!

His icy gaze, like a tangible blade, instantly locked onto the blond, middle-aged man among the three—Nanami Kento!

A furious, searing aura of killing intent, terrifying enough to reduce even a soul to ashes, erupted without warning! Centered on Jogo, the scorched earth beneath his feet instantly cracked and melted!

There was no warning, no afterimage!

Nanami's pupils contracted sharply. His Cursed Technique hadn't fully activated, yet the hand in his field of vision had already pressed against his abdomen!

"First."

The icy announcement was like the whisper of the Grim Reaper.

BOOM—!!!

An explosion! Like a volcano, suppressed for ten thousand years, erupting inside his abdomen in an instant!

An indescribable heat and shock wave poured from Jogo's palm!

Nanami's entire body, along with the space around him, was instantly engulfed in raging crimson flames!

The flames were a flood of molten lava condensed to its absolute limit!

The blond figure couldn't even scream before he evaporated into nothingness, leaving only a bottomless, terrifying crater, its edges running with molten lava!

"Nana—!!!"

The woman beside him—Zenin Maki—managed to cry out only one syllable!

Jogo's figure vanished from where he stood, as if he'd teleported!

He had appeared beside Maki. The rocky hand that had just set Nanami ablaze casually patted her shoulder, as if brushing away dust.

A tiny, intensely compressed ball of lava formed at the point of contact and exploded!

More intense than before! More explosive! A crimson Fire Pillar shot into the sky, sweeping Maki and the ground beneath her into its depths! The flames formed a raging lava tornado! The woman's figure twisted in the crimson blaze, turned to charcoal, and disappeared!