Ace woke up the next morning to the sound of a notification. He grabbed the device that looked like a holographic phone. On the screen was an alert saying a foreign object had entered Earth's atmosphere.
"It's too early for this… is this a bad omen or what?"
He got up, woke Lala, and the two of them got ready for school.
At the school gate, they ran into Masachika.
"Yo, Masachika. Did you sleep well after last night?"
"Thanks to the charm you gave me, I slept like a baby."
They walked to class together and greeted Alisa.
"So, Alisa-san, you're alright?" Ace asked.
"Yes, Ogami-sensei got us back safely," she said.
"That's good."
"What about that junior… Itadori, right? And the other two?" Masachika asked.
"Itadori's fine. He's mentally tough. For the other two, sensei explained things to them and asked whether they wanted their memories erased or not."
"And their answer?"
"They didn't want their memories erased. Looks like they weren't traumatized, so everything should be fine. Oh, and sensei invited Itadori to join the Sword of Logos. He said he'll think about it."
"He got invited? So how do you even join your organization? Are there benefits?" Masachika asked.
"Do you want to join the Sword of Logos? There are two ways. First, you get recommended by a swordsman or the council. Second, you're chosen as a successor by a Sacred Sword. Whether a sword chooses you or not is another story. As for benefits? You get trained in combat, swordsmanship, cursed energy control, touki, magic, basically anything you can handle. But if there's a mission or a call for help, you have to answer it. And yeah, you could die."
"Are the Sacred Swords like sensei's sword?" Alya asked.
"Yeah. The Sacred Sword of Earth, Gekido."
"How do you get chosen by a Sacred Sword?" Masachika asked.
"I have no idea. That depends entirely on the sword. And right now, every sword already has a wielder."
"You guys are ignoring me! Just because I wasn't there last night!" Lala complained.
"Relax, Lala. Also, Kato-san, eavesdropping isn't nice."
"Wah! Since when were you there, Kato-san?" Alya asked.
"Since earlier. Your story sounded interesting, so I listened. Were you guys roleplaying yesterday?" Kato asked.
"Something like that," Ace replied.
They chatted until Ogami entered the room and class began.
During break, the five of them headed to the cafeteria. Yuki greeted them midway and joined their group.
After they finished eating, they went to the student council office. They knocked on the door and stepped inside.
"You're here. Take a seat," Ogami said.
"Why are Ogami-sensei and Itadori here?" Ace asked.
"I've decided to join the Sword of Logos," Itadori said.
"I see. Looking forward to working with you, Itadori," Ace replied.
"Yes, senpai!"
"So, what are we discussing today?" Ace asked.
"They want to learn how to use aura," Ogami said.
"But sensei, people need solid cursed energy and touki control before mixing them into aura. And does the council even allow that?"
"Even if they can only use cursed energy or touki, that's already good enough. I asked Sophia and Rintaro. They said it's fine as long as they're under my supervision. They'll technically be my students, and maybe future successors of Dogouken Gekido."
"Who exactly do you mean?" Ace asked.
"Sarashina Chisaki and Kuze Masachika."
Ace glanced at Masachika.
"You serious? I get Sarashina-senpai, but you? You barely move unless you have to."
"Hey, that's rude. I have my reasons."
"This is dangerous, like I said earlier. You could die."
"After learning about curses and everything else… I can't just ignore it and run away again. And now, I have something I need to protect."
"… You're not embarrassed saying that out loud?"
Masachika covered his face. "This is super embarrassing…"
"Это не стыдно, это звучит круто, ("It's not embarrassing, it sounds cool.")" Alya muttered quietly.
"Alright, alright. Before we continue, Ace, why did you bring a student who has nothing to do with this?" Ogami asked.
"Huh?" Ace turned toward where Ogami was looking and saw Kato Megumi. The others turned too.
"Um… why's everyone looking at me?"
"Since when were you here?" Kenzaki asked.
"Since the start. I came in with everyone."
"Right, I didn't think leaving Megumi alone was nice, so I brought her," Lala said.
"I want to know if she's from a hidden ninja clan," Yuki whispered to Ace.
"So? Sensei, do we erase her memory?" Ace asked.
"Erasing someone's memory is scary, Akashi-san," Kato said.
"As long as she doesn't tell anyone, I think it's fine," Masha added.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about your roleplay game with sensei," Kato said.
'Good. She thinks it's all roleplay!' they all thought.
"But it's real though, senpai," Itadori said.
'ITADORI!!' they screamed internally.
"Yes yes, Megumi, this is real," Lala added.
'LALAAA!!' they yelled internally again.
"I see… then I'll protect this secret until death," Kato said with a straight face.
"No need to be that serious," Ace said.
"So, we're the only ones who know about the supernatural stuff at this school," Yuki said.
"No. There's one more."
"Who?" Ogami asked.
"Yotsuya Miko. She's in class 2C. She actually knew about this before any of you."
"Does she have ties to the supernatural world?" Ogami asked.
"No. She just happened to open her spiritual eyes, so she can see spirits and curses."
"How did you meet her?"
"I was out shopping and she asked for help so she wouldn't see curses anymore. So I helped her."
"Just make sure she keeps quiet."
"No worries, sensei."
Later, on the way home, Ace and Lala stopped by Kamiyama Touma's bookstore.
"Hello Kamiyama-san, Mei-san."
"Oh, Ace. I heard something happened at your school last night," Touma said.
"Yeah, but it was manageable."
"Mei-san!" Lala called out.
"Lala~ are you going to continue writing again?"
"Yep!" Lala said and joined her.
Ace walked closer to Touma and noticed he was reading a book.
"What's that?"
"Your book."
"My book? It's printed already?"
"This is a limited version. Perks of being a famous author and being the guy who recommended your work."
"As the author, I didn't get one? That's unfair!"
"I want to read Ace's book too!" Lala said.
"They should arrive tomorrow," Touma replied.
"So? How is it?" Ace asked.
"The detail's great, though the pacing is slow. The fight scenes are well written. Readers who prefer fast pacing might get impatient, but overall, the first volume is solid."
"I see."
Well yeah, it's literally copy-pasted. Thanks, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, Ace thought.
When Ace and Lala got home, Craftbot was taking a call.
"Yes ma'am! Got it!" Craftbot said before hanging up.
"Who was that?" Ace asked.
"Your mom."
"What did she say?"
"She asked if you've been behaving and told me to discipline you if you cause trouble."
"… You wouldn't dare."
"Then I'll just report everything to her."
"Are you my power sphere or her loyal servant?"
"Your mother outranks you."
"Whatever… why did the signal from this morning disappear?"
While Ace searched for the spaceship signal, Lala helped Craftbot cook dinner.
"Dinner's ready! Chef Lala made it!" she said proudly.
"Can't wait to try it," Ace said.
After eating, Ace went back to tracking the alien craft. When his radar picked up a life signature close to the house, he assumed it was the alien from earlier.
"Lala, Craftbot, I'm going out for a bit."
"Okay," Craftbot said.
"Be careful," Lala added.
Ace walked to an empty area far from the house and people.
"How about you come out now? Maybe I'll go easy on you."
Someone stepped out of the shadows. A blonde girl.
'Her… Yami. Great. This is going to be annoying,' Ace thought.
Yami's arm shifted into a long blade and she attacked without warning.
Ace used Fenghuang Down to tamper with her perception and vanish. His version wasn't as strong as the real one since he didn't have a Herrscher Core, but the effect was similar. He erased Yami's memory of his movement for a split second, making it look like he disappeared.
He reappeared some distance away and summoned Thousand Demon Dagger, splitting it into dozens of floating shards and firing them at her.
Yami transformed again. Her organic armor hardened and deflected part of the attack. Her left arm morphed into a long whip and snapped toward Ace's head. Ace wrapped himself in aura and smashed the whip aside with the dagger shards. She tried to shift form again, but Ace was already charging in with a horizontal slash.
Yami switched her arm into a blade and parried, trying to retreat, but the shards hit her from the side. Several cut her arm, though she didn't show pain.
Yami lunged, both arms shaped into blades. Ace quietly created a gravity grenade. When her blades hit, the barrier from Solomon's ring stopped them. Ace dropped the grenade under her feet and leapt away. The explosion pulled Yami into the ground with crushing force, cracking the earth.
She escaped the pull and prepared to attack again, but both of them heard another sound. They turned.
A spider-like stray devil.
"Hehehe… two prey," it cackled.
'Great. Another problem,' Ace thought.
Yami didn't speak, but her stance changed. Right arm turned into a massive blade, left into a shield.
Ace recalled the dagger fragments and floated them around himself. He also drew Kurayami.
Yami charged first. Fast and silent. Her blade slashed, but the devil jumped aside and stabbed its front legs into the ground.
It fired dozens of thread-like needles. Yami blocked some, the rest ripped through the dirt. Ace sent half the dagger shards at it and sliced incoming threads with Kurayami.
Some shards wounded it. Yami came from behind and cut it again. It leapt away and vomited more threads. Ace recalled the shards and cut them apart, while Yami chopped through the rest with blade-arms.
Ace created several laser pistols mid-air and fired. The devil shielded itself with its own threads.
As Ace focused on it, Yami attacked, but he blocked with Kurayami.
"Hey! Are you serious right now!?"
"You are still my target."
Ace parried and used Fenghuang Down again, confusing her vision long enough to slip behind her. But the stray devil jumped back into the fight, forcing them to split apart.
Ace pressed Kurayami's trigger and unleashed two purple slashes that tore into the devil.
"Aaagh! What is this!? Holy power!?"
Ace used 24 Tempest Steps and appeared right in front of it. He hit Kurayami's trigger again.
"UNCOVER THE DARKSIDE, EXPLICATING SLASH!"
He cut the devil clean in half.
Yami saw the fight end and immediately resumed attacking Ace. Her arm-blade aimed straight for his neck. Ace raised Kurayami just in time. Metal rang loudly. The shock reached his elbow.
"Can't you wait five seconds?" he muttered.
Yami didn't answer. Her arms lengthened like organic spears and shot forward. Ace dodged with 24 Tempest Steps, but she chased with frightening speed.
Ace called all the dagger shards behind him, forming wing-like blades. He launched himself upward and dove in with Kurayami. Yami twisted in midair and parried, then leapt after him.
Their movements blurred. Every swing sparked.
Ace fired the remaining laser pistols, but Yami cut each shot perfectly. He sent dagger shards toward her blind spots, but her armor thickened again, knocking them away.
"Tough as a tank…" Ace muttered, landing lightly.
Yami lashed out with a long whip-like strike. Ace blocked, but the raw power behind it pushed him back.
Fenghuang Down pulsed faintly, giving him a split-second read on her next move. He erased her memory of his position again, making her strike a phantom.
She sliced the illusion while Ace appeared at her flank.
He pressed Kurayami's trigger. Dark energy surged.
The slash hit her side and sent Yami flying. She hit the ground hard.
Ace stayed alert, ready for her to transform again. But she didn't move.
He approached slowly. Yami was unconscious.
"Finally. What a long night…" Ace sighed, tying her up and hoisting her over his shoulder.
Suddenly, a magic circle lit up at the edge of his vision.