The scent of rain still lingered, a reminder of the storm that had passed. The sanctuary, though intact, bore the tension of war quietly brewing. Rei stood in the ritual chamber once again, this time not as a seeker—but as a harbinger.
The First Flame fragment now pulsed not alone, but in concert with a second—The Ember of Silence, drawn from the ruins of the old Nephilim tomb.
Karasu stirred.
"You are closer now than any before you. But every step you take, echoes will follow."
Rei's hand hovered over the two fragments, encased in a sphere of obsidian-light, laced with intricate script of spirit runes.
[System Notice: Dual Fragment Synchronization — Initiated. Compatibility Index: 53%]
A thin line of blood slid from his nose. Rei didn't flinch.
"I'll take it all. The risk. The memories. Even the fire of gods long dead."
Behind him, Mireille entered, no tray this time—just her presence.
"You've pushed too far without rest."
He gave her a sidelong glance, a half-smile. "I've already rested once. In a coffin."
Her eyes softened, then sharpened. "This path will not let you choose who you burn."
Rei turned to her fully. "Then I'll burn them all equally."
She didn't argue. Instead, she handed him a single folded parchment—seared at the edges.
"A message arrived. Delivered by… a devil."
Rei raised a brow. "Which faction?"
"Gremory."
He unfolded the parchment. It was short.
'We know what you carry. We know what hunts you. Meet me in the ancient city beneath the Underworld. Come alone. — Rias G.'
He handed it back. "So… finally, the factions make their move."
Karasu whispered, "Not a move. A test."
Underworld – Ancient City of Dis
The subterranean city was a graveyard of empires. Crumbling columns, molten rivers, and skies lit by an artificial sun of crimson hue. Rei walked alone, clothed in a black traveler's cloak, his katana hanging across his back—spirit-bound, silent.
Rias waited.
Not alone.
Akeno stood to her right. Grayfia to her left. Behind them, two unfamiliar devils—powerful. Watching.
"You came," Rias said, her voice not quite relieved, but not cold.
"I was curious," Rei replied.
Akeno smiled faintly. "You don't strike me as the curious type."
"I am when people with interest in spirit systems start sending cryptic notes."
Grayfia stepped forward. "What you're doing could disrupt the balance between factions."
"I'm not aligned with your balance," Rei replied, stepping closer. "The moment I died and became this… I left your chessboard."
Rias held up a hand. "We don't want a fight."
Rei narrowed his gaze. "Then why are you arming yourselves?"
The two unknown devils moved.
[System Alert: Spirit Hostility Imminent — Combat Readiness: 92%]
Rei's eyes glowed faintly gold.
But Rias spoke again, calmly. "They're not for you. They're here for what follows you."
A shadow dropped from above. A creature not of devil, nor angel, nor fallen. A Voidborn—a fragment-eater.
Karasu screamed in his mind. "You must not let it touch the fragments!"
The fight exploded.
Rei moved faster than the eye could track, blade drawn in one breath, slicing through corrupted ether.
Akeno summoned lightning, Rias her Power of Destruction.
Grayfia held the line, elegance laced with lethality.
But the creature adapted. Each attack it suffered, it mimicked. A false Rei rose from its center, mockingly wielding spirit energy.
Then Rei released both fragments' power at once.
[System Notice: Dual Flame Unleashed. WARNING: Core Overload Risk — 74%]
The ritual chamber back in the sanctuary shattered for a brief moment.
A twin phoenix of white and crimson flame engulfed the city of Dis, burning not stone, but memory. Echoes of screams long past filled the air as the creature howled, forced into retreat.
When silence returned, Rias stared at him—stunned.
"You're not human."
"I was," Rei said. "Now, I'm whatever is needed to end what's coming."
Later – Ruins Outside the City
Mireille met him beside the shattered portal.
"You made an impression."
"They needed to see."
"And now?"
He looked to the stars—red and fractured above the Underworld.
"Now, I hunt the next ghost."
Karasu pulsed.
[Fragment Location Acquired: Sea of Forgotten Kings]
Rei smiled. "Sounds peaceful."
Mireille touched his shoulder. "Do not forget yourself in their fire."
He turned toward her.
"I've already burned. What's left is something sharper."
They vanished into light.