???——
"Father? Father! Wake up!"
Raizen—-no, Raishō's eyes opened. He was now in a more humanoid form with red hair and eyes, and his daughter, Michiko, was standing over him, with Raikoku beside her, also humanoid.
"Are you alright?" Michiko asked.
Raishō sat up, the world around him blanketed under a stormy red sky. His daughters helped him up.
Raikoku bowed. "I apologize for failing you, Father."
"I do as well," Michiko added.
Raishō placed a hand on both of their heads. "No, no. I have failed you, children. I apologize for sending you to war like soldiers, for letting the mortals take over our home."
"Don't say that, Father!" Michiko insisted. "You fought amazingly! You almost defeated the Legendary Kaitansha!"
"Yes, you fared much better than either of us, you've made all of us proud!" Raikoku stated.
She gestured behind her, where more of Raishō's children, in human form, were standing, bowing toward their father.
"I'm flattered," Raishō admitted. "Truly. But praise isn't necessary. After all, that man isn't a man at all. He could have killed me at any time. Yet he chose to fight me as an equal. That man…"
Raishō chuckled.
"…is cursed."
Michiko looked towards the sky. "I agree."
"What do we do now?" Raikoku wondered.
"The Endless will summon us. When we meet Omariro Nyugawa again, I'd like to have a longer chat. Come, daughters. Let us walk."
His daughters took his arms and walked with him.
"Let us enjoy the sights. Life is a precious gift. That's a rule no one can break."
They walked into the distance, with the rest of his children following.
Okinawa Dungeon—-Final Floor:
Omariro exited the temple, with his party immediately swarming him.
"Sir!" Zaria called out.
"You won!" Han cheered.
"But—-but your face!" Rika noticed. "What happened?"
"His eyes are gone, hehe!" Rei giggled.
The other three stared at her.
Omariro held up a hand. "Fine. Will heal. Cursed to heal."
Rika placed a hand on his head. "I still can heal one more time…please let me fix this."
Omariro paused. "Okay."
Energy flowed through his body, and his eyesight was restored. Omariro straightened up. "Girl used her own life. Mine does not end."
"That's fine! Are you feeling better?"
Omariro cracked his back. "Back sore. Face fine."
〈Dungeon: Cleared.〉
An exit gate appeared, and the kids threw him into a hug, nearly crushing him.
"We did it!" Zaria announced. "We kicked that challenge's ass!"
"No jail!" Han yelled, pumping his fist.
"We really got lucky," Rika smiled. "Such an awesome mentor."
Rei jumped in. "Woo-hoo! Party time!"
The kids jumped back, and Omariro remained in place. Rei turned her head. "Hmm? Party later?"
"What do we do about her?" Rika asked.
"Well, stats show adding more party members increases risk of betrayal, rivalry, or death, so if you guys wanna take that chance," Han shrugged. "Up to you."
Zaria folded her arms. "Sir, what should we do?"
Omariro approached Rei. "Girl. Origin."
Rei dug a finger in her ear. "Origin…hmm…can't really remember. Oh! That's right! Long time ago, I was living in this amazing place! Then, this giant thing, I forgot what it was, scooped me up and dragged me here! Then Raizen came along, and used my power for himself! Hehe! Any questions?"
The kids just blinked, confused.
"Uh, is she crazy?" Zaria wondered.
"Might be," Han remarked.
"Then, how old are you claiming to be?" Rika asked.
"I can't recall the age…" Rei moaned. "But it's definitely a very large number!"
"You look 18," Han pointed out.
"Eighteen? No, that doesn't fit."
Omariro began to head for the gate. "Girl can come. Past something to discover."
"You're letting her IN?" Han gasped.
"I mean, she seems harmless," Zaria commented.
Rei fired a moon blast, blowing up a temple.
"Well…harmless enough," Zaria corrected.
Rika sized up Rei before squeezing her arm.
"Well, at least we have another girl in the group! Ghost or not, now we've got a full trio!"
Han slapped his forehead. "Three's a crowd."
Omariro exited the gate. "Come. Home waits."
The others exited the gate as well, just as a shadowy portal opened, dropping an armored figure from the roof.
"Nyugawa…"
The gate closed, and the armored man stood up. "So he is back. Perfect. Now that I know he's still in Japan, he'll be easy prey."
A portal opened behind him, and he walked backwards into it.
"Keep a tight leash on your kids, Nyugawa."
And then, it closed.
Okinawa, Japan——
Outside the dungeon, the party landed on the streets of Okinawa, where Hayate and a large platoon of hunters were waiting. Hayate stepped out of his car.
"Well, if it isn't Omariro Nyugawa in the flesh," Hayate remarked. "You haven't lost a step, have you, old pal?"
"Tachibana…" Omariro recognized.
"That's me. Glad you made it out safe and sound, but technically you didn't clear every single floor, even if you did beat the Boss."
"Seriously?" Zaria groaned. "You're gonna pull a fast one?"
Hayate held up his hands. "No, no. I can overlook that. Point is, you've done pretty well for some illegal rookies. So, here you go."
The Director handed Zaria, Han, and Rika official licenses with their names and Jugen Class on them.
"Wait," Hayate realized. "Who's that?"
He pointed to Rei.
"Hi!" Rei greeted. "Rei Hayama! Been trapped in that dungeon for so long! Hey, do you guys still use horses?"
"We found her inside," Han explained. "She was a prisoner of the Dungeon Boss. She's a Jugen-Mahōshi User."
"I can tell she's of a high level," Hayate noted. "Rei Hayama…hmm, Omariro, do you claim this one?"
"I claim all," Omariro stated.
"Hmm?"
"Division," Omariro replied. "New. God. Shinkaidan. Kids join."
All the members present gasped, and Hayate cleared his throat. "You, you want a new division?"
"Yes," Omariro clarified. "Form."
"That means you'll be returning to full Kaitansha duty, are you sure that's what you want?"
Omariro nodded. Hayate sighed. "Well, you are still a legend. Marin! File a Division request! Take these kids' cards! And make a new one for the girl! Omariro Nyugawa is back, and he wants a faction to himself!"
Marin stepped out of the car, eyes glaring at Omariro for a moment before taking the kids' cards. "Yes, sir."
She walked over to Omariro. "Yours will be required too."
"Broken," Omariro affirmed. "Make new."
She scoffed. "Tsk. Of course it is."
Zaria leaned to Omariro's ear. "I'm sensing bad vibes, sir."
"Woman spiteful. Ignore woman."
Marin looked back once more before getting inside the car. Zaria put a hand on her hip. "Shit, that's a little more than spiteful."
Hayate coughed. "Anyway, Omariro, please meet us back at the Kaitansha HQ. We'd love a public announcement of your return."
"No," Omariro declined. "Children. Come."
They gathered around, and Omariro tapped his staff.
"Hey, Mr. Nyugawa! Wait—-!" Hayate shouted.
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Cursed Movement."
And in a flash of golden light, they were gone. Junpei walked over to Hayate, who put a hand on his shoulder. "Did you get all that?"
Junpei motioned to the alleyways with his arm, and a bunch of cameramen came out. "Every last word."
Hayate patted him on the back. "Good. We'll make the news yet."
Later, in Minato Ward—-
"BREAKING NEWS: Omariro Nyugawa has returned to the Kaitansha Corporation, and he's formed his own Division! Can you believe it?"
Zaria clicked through channels, sitting on Omariro's couch. "Sir! You're on the news!"
Omariro teleported into the living room, narrowing his eyes. "Stupid cameras."
As he turned to leave, Zaria paused the TV. "So…are you kicking us out, or where should we go? Cause we don't exactly have…stable homes."
"Children stay here," Omariro ordered. "Children learn, children grow. Children ascend."
Zaria's eyes widened. "We get to live here…with YOU?"
"Yes."
She nearly fainted. "REALLY? This is the BEST! Dude! No! Wait! Seriously! You're not joking sir, right? RIKA! HAN! GET DOWN HERE!"
Soon after, Han and Omariro watched as Rika and Zaria both grabbed each other's shoulders, giggling and frantically shaking each other.
"Girls not okay," Omariro commented. "Something wrong."
"No, sir," Han corrected. "They're just giddy. It is an honor to live with you, after all."
"This is gonna be so badass!" Zaria giggled.
"I know, right?" Rika agreed. "Living HERE! With HIM! I knew the world wouldn't curse me for long!"
They both sighed and fainted.
"And now they're out of it," Han stated, turning to Omariro. "Well, sir! I will do my best to meet your statistical standards!"
Omariro put a hand on Han's shoulder. "Boy work hard."
"I will!"
Rei jumped on both of them, wrapping her arms around them. "Hey! What's this place? It's so fancy!"
"House," Omariro answered. "Girl stay here."
"Ooh! Amazing! Can I bring a dragon?"
"No."
Han picked Rika and Zaria up off the ground. "Hey, sir. Are you sure we're capable of being in your division? You do have a massive reputation."
"Kids do fine," Omariro said. "Growth unavoidable."
Zaria slapped herself. "We'll kick tons of ass for you, sir! No question!"
"And any bosses or ghosts that pop up!" Rika added.
Zaria elbowed her.
Omariro turned back to the TV, which was now playing a speech from Hayate.
"Now, with the Nyugawa matter all settled, it's time to announce the location of this year's Division Raid Tournament!"
A UI popped up behind him, and he turned to it. "Reveal the location!"
The UI flickered for a while, before forming an answer.
〈Location: Chiyoda Dungeon.〉
The kids gasped.
"Chiyoda? That's right next to us!" Han exclaimed.
"We can see the Tournament firsthand!" Zaria smirked. "That's what's up, right, sir?"
But Omariro was gone.
"Sir?"
Hayate continued speaking on screen. "Perfect! The Chiyoda Dungeon is vast and full of oddities! What better way to celebrate our 100th anniversary of the Tournament? Now, I list all the Divisions participating!"
A UI list popped up.
〈1st Rank: Naraku-Kaidan〉
〈2nd Rank: Sōkaidan〉
〈3rd Rank: Rekkaidan〉
〈4th Rank: Seikaidan〉
〈5th Rank: Eikaidan〉
〈6th Rank: Kōkaidan〉
"Back-to-back years on top for those Abyss guys," Han scoffed. "Are they ever gonna get knocked down a peg?"
"What's this?" Rei asked, pointing to the TV. "Tournament?"
The three whirled around.
"You don't know about the Raid Tournament?" Zaria gawked.
Rei shook her head.
"It's only the most awesome, killer, blazing entertainment on TV! Everyone tunes in to catch a load of who's gonna clear the most quests and earn the loot!"
Rei tapped her chin. "Okay! So that must be why Mr. Omariro is on the screen!"
The kids turned back to the screen, where Hayate was standing, talking with Omariro.
"YOU? You want to enter the Tournament? But you just rejoined the Corporation!"
"I declare entry," Omariro repeated. "Shinkaidan joins."
"The rules state a Division must have at least 2 years of experience before applying. Aren't you worried about the risk to your members?"
"Break rules."
Hayate pondered for a moment. "This is pretty unorthodox, but having you in the tournament will raise the stakes, and the appeal! I'll allow it, but the other Kaidanchō won't go easy on you!"
"Other Kaidanchō weak."
Hayate turned back to the camera. "If you're just tuning in, it seems we have one more division to add to the 100th Division Raid Tournament! Shinkaidan!"
〈7th Rank: Shinkaidan〉
Back at home, the kids watched with their mouths agape. Omariro reappeared in front of them, sitting calmly and drinking coffee. "Game begins."
Rei clapped. "Fun!"
Meanwhile—-
Inside a dark office, a large man sat with his back turned toward the door. A young male entered, and he was watching a broadcast of the news on his phone.
"Kaidanchō Sunahara, I have news for you."
The man gestured. "Speak."
"Omariro Nyugawa is back, and he's formed a new division to enter the Raid Tournament."
The man paused, one glowing shadow eye turning to stare. "Nyugawa? Is this a trick?"
The young boy set the phone on the desk. "No, sir."
His boss picked up the phone. "Nyugawa…back after what happened…he must have a death wish."
"What do we do, sir?"
The man tossed the phone back to the boy. "Naraku-Kaidan has no equal. We will ensure it stays that way."
The boy saluted before leaving. "Yes, sir."
Once he was gone, the man's arm turned into a large limb made of stone, and he crushed the desk.
"Nyugawa…"
——