Tokyo was no longer a city.
It was a battlefield waiting to happen.
From the highest surveillance towers to the underground barrier cores, every layer of the capital pulsed with mana. Invisible shields shimmered above districts. Emergency sirens echoed across the skyline. The Japan Council's last standing headquarters had been converted into a temporary war command center.
And for the first time since the Absolute Rank disaster…
Everyone important was here.
Not just students.
Not just teachers.
Not just Masters.
But legends.
Hiko stood on the rooftop of the central command building, staring at the ruined horizon. The Tokyo Tower was half reconstructed with spatial reinforcements. Entire districts were sealed behind glowing mana walls. Above, airships hovered, carrying sorcerer squads and evacuation units.
Behind him, footsteps echoed.
Goru walked up first, his Glorious Claws faintly glowing with dimensional energy.
Daizen followed, arms crossed, his earth mana heavier than usual.
Kaiser leaned against a railing, flipping a golden coin lazily.
Holo stood a bit farther back, holographic data screens floating around him, scanning the city in real time.
Zenith and Yami were nearby, both unusually quiet.
Nyx leaned on a pillar, black aura flickering faintly around her fingers.
Veliro was speaking quietly with Piero and Dezin, while Rougen stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the city with a serious expression.
Then more arrived.
Yogan RioMaru landed in his mech, the massive machine folding behind him into standby mode.
Vertigo Scalaris stepped out of a police transport, calm as ever, his Equilibrium aura barely visible.
Utotoka Riyo arrived with only one arm now, but his presence alone made the air feel heavier.
Several Master Rank sorcerers from different regions gathered, some wounded, some exhausted, all silent.
And then…
A man walked through the barrier.
Not teleporting.
Not flying.
Just walking.
Black coat. Long silver hair. Eyes that looked tired but sharp.
Yoruko Finigami.
The moment he stepped into the command zone, everyone felt it.
His mana was different.
Not overwhelming like Tengen's.
Not explosive like the Radiances.
It felt… deep.
Like something ancient was layered inside him.
Rougen turned.
"So you finally came."
Yoruko looked around at the group.
"…Looks like the endgame is starting."
The meeting room was massive, carved out of reinforced spatial stone. A holographic map of Tokyo floated in the center, layered with mana signatures, beast zones, and dimensional distortions.
At the center of the map…
One red symbol pulsed.
Tengen Orasu.
Riyo spoke first.
"Tengen has been moving between collapsed zones. He's not staying in one place long, but his dimensional pressure leaves traces."
Vertigo nodded.
"Equilibrium confirms it. Space is destabilizing around him. He's not just moving through dimensions. He's rewriting them."
Yogan crossed his arms.
"So the question is not where he is."
"It's when he decides to stop running."
Rougen looked at Hiko.
"Hiko. How long can you maintain it?"
Hiko didn't answer immediately.
His hand slowly clenched.
The others looked at him.
Hiko explained about the devil.
Inside his mind, something shifted.
A presence.
Not speaking.
Not laughing.
Just… watching.
"I can use ten percent."
The room went quiet.
Goru turned sharply.
"Ten percent? Are you insane?"
Hiko's voice was calm, but his eyes weren't.
"It's not stable. My body overheats. My mana circuits burn. My emotions get distorted. Sometimes I lose track of time."
Daizen frowned.
"And you're still willing to use it?"
Hiko nodded.
"If Tengen shows up… I won't be enough without it."
Rougen exhaled slowly.
"Ten percent of that thing is already beyond Rank 0. But the side effects will stack. You won't just get tired."
Vertigo looked at him.
"What happens if you go past the limit?"
Hiko hesitated.
"…I don't know."
Inside his head, the devil's presence pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
Not urging him.
Not resisting.
Just waiting.
Yoruko finally spoke.
"The devil inside you isn't lending you power. You're forcing your body to access a layer of reality it was never meant to touch."
Everyone looked at him.
Yoruko continued.
"Ten percent is already a violation of natural balance. The more you use it, the more your existence shifts."
Kaiser smirked lightly.
"So basically, he's burning his own soul as fuel."
Hiko didn't deny it.
Rougen turned back to the map.
"We don't fight Tengen with numbers. We fight him with structure."
He pointed to the city.
"All sorcerers below Master Rank will be deployed across Tokyo and surrounding zones."
Holo's screens shifted, showing dozens of red points.
"Evil sorcerers, remaining Calamities, Semi Calamities, and rogue beasts. They're drawn to Tengen's presence."
Riyo added.
"If we don't clear them, they'll interfere with the ambush."
Vertigo nodded.
"Lower ranks handle the chaos. Masters isolate the god."
Yogan activated a projection.
"Strike team for Tengen will consist of Rougen, Riyo, Yoruko, Vertigo, myself, and Hiko."
Goru immediately spoke.
"What about us?"
Rougen looked at him.
"You're strong. But this is beyond you."
Daizen clenched his fist.
"We're not useless."
Rougen's tone softened slightly.
"You're not. But Tengen is not an opponent you grow against mid-fight. One mistake and you're erased."
Silence.
Hiko stepped forward.
"They stay with the city squads. Protect civilians. Clear threats. Keep the battlefield stable."
Goru stared at him.
"…You're really planning to walk into that thing."
Hiko met his eyes.
"I'm already inside the war."
Yoruko looked at the map again.
"Tengen is currently near the old Shinjuku crater. That area has the highest dimensional instability."
Vertigo added.
"He's not hiding. He's waiting."
Riyo closed his eyes briefly.
"He wants us to come."
Rougen nodded.
"And we will."
Holo's holograms shifted, showing deployment routes.
"All non-Master units will form five divisions."
"Division Alpha clears eastern Tokyo."
"Division Beta secures evacuation corridors."
"Division Gamma hunts evil sorcerer clusters."
"Division Delta handles rogue beasts."
"Division Epsilon protects barrier cores."
Zenith spoke quietly.
"And us?"
Rougen looked at the Chosen Ones.
"You're split. Some of you join city divisions. Some of you stay in reserve."
Kaiser flipped his coin.
"So basically, we're the insurance policy."
Yoruko smirked faintly.
"More like the survivors."
Hiko looked down at his hands.
He could already feel it.
The moment he thought about the power…
His heartbeat changed.
His mana flow shifted.
Heat crawled under his skin.
Inside his mind, the devil's presence grew clearer.
Not words.
Not emotions.
Just a vast awareness, like an ocean noticing a drop moving inside it.
Ten percent.
The thought alone made his vision sharpen.
Colors became too vivid.
Sounds too loud.
The world felt closer.
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to stay grounded.
Rougen noticed.
"Don't activate it yet."
Hiko nodded.
"I won't. Not until I see him."
Yoruko turned toward the window, looking at Tokyo's glowing skyline.
"Tengen Orasu isn't just an enemy."
"He's a symbol."
Vertigo added.
"If he falls, the world will understand that Absolute Rank isn't invincible."
Riyo's voice was heavy.
"And if he doesn't…"
No one finished the sentence.
Outside, sirens intensified.
Airships began moving.
Thousands of sorcerers across Japan received the same message at the same time.
Operation: Tokyo Collapse.
All units below Master Rank were ordered to engage hostile entities.
All Masters were ordered to converge on Shinjuku.
Hiko looked at the city one last time.
People were still down there.
Civilians.
Students.
Families.
Shops rebuilding.
Life continuing, unaware that a god-level battle was about to happen above their heads.
Goru walked up beside him.
"Try not to die."
Hiko smiled faintly.
"I'll try not to become something worse."
Inside his mind, the devil shifted again.
Not laughing.
Not speaking.
Just observing.
Like it was curious.
For the first time…
The devil wasn't the one hunting.
It was waiting to see what Hiko would become.