Back in the Spirit Corps, silence lingered long after the gate had closed.
Suzune stood beside Akira, arms folded.
"Uncle… was letting them go really the right decision?"
Akira stared ahead, eyes heavy.
"I don't know," he admitted. "We'll just have to see."
Suzune looked down.
"I just don't want you to have regrets."
Homura stepped forward, his presence firm.
"We don't have the luxury of regret. We need to grow stronger."
Sunny turned toward a kneeling officer clad in black.
"Any findings?"
The stealth officer shook his head.
"No, sir. Their chambers were completely empty."
Sunny sighed.
"I see… so we're back to square one."
Homura placed a hand on Sunny's shoulder.
"Don't stress yourself. We'll uncover something eventually."
*****
HELL
A massive gate tore open in the air, spilling dark light across the land.
The seven Hell Captains stepped through first, followed by Yugo, Yuki, Maya, and Mikasa.
June stretched his arms casually.
"Alright. We're here."
Yugo looked around slowly.
"So… this is Hell."
Yuki frowned.
"It's not what I imagined."
"Yeah," Maya agreed. "Same here."
Mikasa blinked in disbelief.
"I thought everything would be red. Infernos, caves, lava…"
Instead, they stood in the center of a massive region surrounded by seven towering castles, each enclosed by thick brick barricades. Beyond them stretched forests of strange trees, roaming beasts, farmland, distant mountains, prisons, dungeons, and a sky that looked eerily… normal.
Yugo exhaled.
"It looks like an everyday human world."
June smirked.
"Now were here, it's time to explain your training."
Martha turned to June.
"Captain, we'll be heading back to our territories."
"Alright."
Zeke waved.
"Can't wait to see you kids ."
"Bye," Yuki replied uneasily.
June clapped his hands.
"Now listen carefully. This is how your training will proceed."
He raised a finger.
"Day 1–21: Physical and mental conditioning."
"Day 22–33: Training under Zane."
"Day 34–45: Annie."
"Day 46–57: Martha."
"Day 58–69: King."
"Day 70–81: Zeke."
"Day 82–93: Aries."
"Day 94–105: Me."
Each of them swallowed.
"We will train you differently," June continued, "based on your abilities."
Yugo raised a hand.
"What about the first stage?"
"Meditation, endurance, discipline," June said. "Foundations."
Yuki glanced around.
"Shouldn't you show us where we're sleeping?"
June tilted his head.
"What do you mean? We're already here."
Yuki frowned.
"…Stop joking."
Suddenly, the scenery warped.
In an instant, they stood inside a massive room filled with high-quality beds, dark walls, and soft lighting.
Mikasa's eyes sparkled.
"Okay… that was actually cool."
Yuki sighed.
"You really enjoy messing with us."
Martha's voice echoed inside their minds.
> Martha: June, I forgot to mention—their training clothes are in the white boxes near the black beds.
"Thanks," June replied aloud.
Maya blinked.
"Training clothes?"
"Yes," June said. "You won't be wearing combat gear here."
Yugo nodded.
"That explains a lot."
June handed each of them a thin rectangular prism.
Mikasa examined it.
"What are these for?"
"For the first three days," June explained, "your schedules will be identical. From day four onward, your training will change daily. These will update you."
"Anything else they do?" Yuki asked.
"They'll wake you up, teleport you within the guest castle, and that's all."
Yugo narrowed his eyes.
"That can't be everything."
June smiled.
"You'll be teleported thirty minutes before training begins. Only after completing your tasks will you be allowed back."
Maya's face paled.
"Wait—seriously?"
"One more thing," June added. "Every seven days, one of us will check on you."
Yugo hesitated.
"And if we don't finish our tasks by midnight?"
June's smile faded.
"Then punishment."
He raised three fingers.
"One: repeated simulated death through torture."
"Two: being hunted relentlessly for hours."
"Three: having your soul forcibly extracted repeatedly."
Yugo stiffened.
"…That's excessive."
"No," June replied calmly. "And be careful with those prisms. There are no doors here."
With that, June vanished.
Yuki exhaled shakily.
"I feel like this training might actually kill us."
Yugo lay back.
"Then let's rest while we can. Tomorrow's just day one."
Morning came instantly.
Before anyone could speak, the four were teleported outside.
June stood waiting.
"Welcome to your first day."
Yuki blinked.
"Where are our prisms?"
"Just say it," June replied. "Prisms, appear."
"Prisms, appear."
Instantly, the devices materialized.
Tasks flashed.
Yuku's eyes widened.
"A… twenty-five kilometer run?"
Maya swallowed.
"Two hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups…"
Mikasa stiffened.
"One hundred and fifty minutes of meditation… no movement?"
Yugo muttered.
"This is insane."
"It isn't," June replied.
He snapped his fingers.
Instantly, crushing pressure slammed into their bodies. They collapsed, gasping, unable to stand.
"What the hell is this?!" Yugo shouted.
"This is Hell," June said coldly. "Yesterday, you were able to move because we suppressed the environment."
Yuki gritted his teeth.
"And how are we supposed to train like this?!"
"That," June replied, turning away, "is your problem to solve."
As he vanished, Yugo pushed himself up slightly.
"They're insane…"
Then he smirked.
"…But that's why I came."
Night fell.
None of them completed their tasks.
Their prisms activated.
> [WARNING: Failure detected. Punishment will now be enforced.]
Two hours later, they were returned to their room—silent, exhausted, alive.
Yuki finally spoke.
"Today was… brutal."
Yugo nodded weakly.
"Yeah."
Their prisms lit up again.
Daily Tasks — Day 1
Yugo Sukishima
1.1 / 25 km
27 / 200 pull-ups
56 / 200 push-ups
50 / 200 sit-ups
Meditation: 4 penalties
Yuki Saragaki
1.0 / 25 km
45 / 200 pull-ups
56 / 200 push-ups
25 / 200 sit-ups
Meditation: 12 penalties
Mikasa Azagawa
0.089 / 25 km
67 / 200 pull-ups
25 / 200 push-ups
15 / 200 sit-ups
Meditation: 1 penalty
Maya Boyle
4.0 / 25 km
10 / 200 pull-ups
34 / 200 push-ups
45 / 200 sit-ups
Meditation: 45 penalties
Daily Rankings
1. Yugo Sukishima
2. Yuki Saragaki
3. Mikasa Azagawa
4. Maya Boyle
Mikasa sighed.
"Of course Yugo's first."
"I thought Maya would be," Yugo replied. "She ran farther."
"It's just day one," Maya said. "Relax."
Mikasa shifted.
"Even now… moving feels hard."
Yuki nodded.
"Yeah."
Yugo stared at the ceiling.
"So… no real sleep or meals, huh?"
"Looks like it."
Mikasa groaned.
"What a pain…"
Days two through six passed in a blur of exhaustion and repetition.
The crushing weight of Hell that had once pinned them to the ground gradually loosened its grip. Their bodies adapted—muscles hardened, breathing stabilized, and movement slowly returned. By the sixth day, they were no longer crawling or collapsing under the pressure. They could stand. They could run—poorly, painfully—but they could move.
That alone felt like a victory.
On the morning of the seventh day, before their prisms activated, a familiar presence descended upon the training grounds.
Martha stood before them, her white hair swaying gently as she observed the four in silence.
"It would seem," she said calmly, "that you've improved."
Maya straightened immediately.
"Hey, Miss Martha."
"Morning," Yuki followed.
"Hi," Mikasa added.
Yugo nodded. "Good morning."
Martha's gaze softened slightly.
"So," she asked, "how are you finding Hell so far?"
Yugo exhaled.
"It's… intense. But manageable."
He frowned.
"Though something's strange. We haven't received our daily tasks yet."
"That's because," Martha replied, "your prisms have been adjusting your training automatically based on performance."
Yuki tilted his head.
"But today is different?"
"Yes," Martha said. "Today, I'll be the one setting your tasks."
Mikasa stiffened slightly.
"Do we need to do anything first?"
"No," Martha replied.
She snapped her fingers.
Instantly, their prisms materialized before them, hovering in midair as new directives scrolled across the surface.
Yugo's eyes narrowed as he read his.
"Spirit energy manipulation training…"
Yuki blinked.
"Same here."
Mikasa looked surprised.
"Sword spirit ability training?"
Maya nodded slowly.
"Mine too."
Martha folded her arms.
"I'll return in five hours to check on your progress."
With that, she vanished, leaving the four alone once more.
Yugo looked around.
"Guess we're not supposed to work together."
"Maybe not directly," Yuki said, thinking. "But we can still exchange advice."
Maya smiled faintly.
"We've only got five hours. We should learn something useful."
Mikasa tightened her grip on her sword.
"Yeah. Let's not waste time."
Yugo clenched his fist, feeling the familiar pressure of Hell pulse through his veins.
"Alright," he said. "Let's begin."
Yugo lay flat on his back against the scorched ground, staring up at Hell's dim, cloudless sky. His chest rose and fell steadily as spiritual energy circulated through his body—unruly, heavy, and stubborn.
Nearby, Yuki paced back and forth, boots crunching softly against the dirt.
"Have you thought of something yet?" Yuki asked, stopping beside him.
Yugo let out a slow breath.
"Everything I come up with feels impossible to pull off."
Yuki frowned.
"What kind of ideas make you say that?"
Yugo turned his head slightly.
"Well… my first thought was creating a massive meteor out of spirit energy. Then splitting it into dozens—maybe hundreds—of fragments and controlling each one independently."
Yuki stared at him in disbelief.
"…What goes on in your head?"
Yugo smirked faintly.
"A lot of things."
Silence followed as Yugo closed his eyes, replaying memories—sensations, past battles, moments when his power had moved on instinct rather than logic.
Then his eyes snapped open.
"I figured it out."
Yuki stiffened.
"Wait—seriously?"
Yugo pushed himself up into a seated position.
"Yeah. And judging by your face, you've got something too."
Yuki nodded slowly.
"I do."
Yugo grinned.
"Then we'll finish our tasks faster than expected."
On the opposite side of the training grounds, Maya and Mikasa stood facing each other, both deep in thought.
"So," Maya said at last, breaking the silence, "we're supposed to create new techniques without relying on our sword spirits."
Mikasa sighed.
"Easier said than done."
Maya tapped her chin.
"Then how about this—let's explain our sword spirits to each other. Maybe we can give advice that way."
Mikasa considered it, then nodded.
"Alright. Mine allows me to use the abilities of other sword spirits… but its core power is heightened perception. Senses beyond normal limits."
Maya's eyes widened slightly.
"That's impressive."
She hesitated, then continued.
"Mine lets me summon beasts."
Mikasa blinked.
"…That's troublesome."
Maya let out a small laugh.
"Tell me about it."
They both fell silent again—then, almost at the same time, their expressions shifted.
Maya spoke first.
"Since your power revolves around senses… why not create a technique that erases your presence entirely? If nothing can detect you, perception becomes your weapon."
Mikasa's eyes lit up.
"That could work."
She looked back at Maya.
"And for you—rather than summoning beasts directly, you could borrow their physical traits. Strength, claws, speed."
Maya's breath caught.
"…That's it."
Mikasa smiled faintly.
"We'll ace this test."
Maya clenched her fists, determination burning in her eyes.
"Yeah. Let's do this."