Meanwhile.
On the ground.
Tendou Civil Security Agency.
Creeeak—
The old wooden door was pushed open.
Satomi Rentarou walked in carrying two bento boxes, exhaustion written all over his face.
After that unpleasant parting earlier, he'd wandered the streets alone for a while. The cold wind had done a decent job of clearing his head.
What he'd said had been too harsh. That much he could admit.
He was genuinely sick of the revenge obsession—had genuinely decided to start fresh. But leaving her behind like that, all alone... that wasn't something a man should do.
"Kisara-nee?"
Rentarou changed his shoes and called out tentatively.
No answer.
The Office was pitch-dark. Not a single light on.
By the moonlight filtering in through the window, all he could see was the aftermath of destruction—the scattered mess from their earlier blowup.
"..."
Rentarou frowned, irritation welling up inside him.
Same as always.
Every time this topic came up, Kisara-nee would spiral into one of those hysterical episodes. He'd had years of this—years of being bombarded by that relentless negativity. He was beyond fed up.
"Kisara-nee?"
He called out again, louder this time, and flicked the wall switch as he did.
The incandescent bulb flickered twice before illuminating the empty room.
No one.
Not just the dojo—even that beat-up sofa where she always curled up to watch TV was vacant.
Rentarou checked the kitchen. Then he walked over and knocked on Tendou Kisara's bedroom door.
"Kisara-nee, I picked up some discount bentos. Only got two. If you're not eating yours, I'm saving it for tomorrow."
Still nothing.
He pushed open the door.
The futon was folded with meticulous care.
She wasn't home?
"Seriously..."
"Where did she run off to this time?"
"Kisara-nee?"
Rentarou's gaze swept rapidly across the room.
No one.
And it wasn't just her that was missing. The cursed blade she guarded as though it were her very life—Yukikage—was gone too.
"..."
Rentarou's brow furrowed. He strode quickly to the bathroom and checked there as well.
Still empty.
A nameless unease stirred in the pit of his stomach—but he quickly tamped it down.
Maybe she'd just left on her own?
"Seriously..."
"Is this that noble-born heiress pride of hers? She's already in that kind of shape, and she's still trying to act tough."
Rentarou sighed, pulled out his phone, and dialed the familiar number with practiced fingers.
"The number you have dialed is currently powered off or out of service range..."
The busy tone from the receiver made him hang up in annoyance.
"She even turned off her phone."
"Whatever. Probably ran off somewhere to blow off steam."
Rentarou didn't think much of it.
After all, based on his understanding of Tendou Kisara, she'd most likely gotten too angry to sit still, stormed off to some corner, and was burning through what little stamina she had left swinging that sword of hers.
Once the anger passed, she'd come back on her own.
After all, she had no money. She didn't even have enough for a train fare. As long as she was broke, she couldn't get far.
She'd have to come crawling back eventually.
"Forget it."
After a moment's thought, Rentarou set Tendou Kisara's bento on the table and left a note beside it.
[Food's on the table. Remember to heat it up before eating. What happened earlier was my fault—but I stand by what I said. Revenge won't put food on the table. Think it over.]
Having written that, Rentarou turned and left.
Tomorrow, he had the meet-and-greet for his new Civil Security partner to attend.
And so.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the room.
Silence reclaimed the space.
—
On the other side.
Ten thousand meters above the earth.
Haimer withdrew his gaze from below.
Though separated by a vast distance and layers upon layers of buildings, he could still clearly perceive the boy's departure.
This boy—who was supposed to be the protagonist of this world. Who was supposed to be Tendou Kisara's sole salvation.
Had simply walked away. Just like that.
"How reassuring of him," Haimer said with a soft chuckle.
The words weren't loud, yet they reached Tendou Kisara's ears with perfect clarity.
But Tendou Kisara said nothing.
She simply stared, hollow-eyed, at the city sprawling beneath her feet.
The vertigo from that earlier spatial shift had already faded. In its place was an unprecedented lucidity.
And...
A cold that cut straight to the bone.
Haimer's Divine Power barrier shielded her from the winds at this altitude, yet she still felt freezing. Because she had realized something.
Up here.
At a height that even birds could never reach.
If this self-proclaimed God wanted to kill her—or simply drop her—it would be easier than crushing an ant.
Even with Yukikage still clenched tightly in her hand.
Before this kind of absolute power, the swordsmanship she took such pride in was nothing more than a child's game.
The sensation of her life and death being entirely beyond her own control made her tremble.
And yet...
It also filled her with a twisted thrill of excitement.
Because it meant one thing—
This man truly possessed the power to overturn everything.
"Want to hear the rest of what I didn't finish saying earlier?"
Haimer turned around, his back to that dazzling sea of city lights, and looked at this girl who was shivering ever so slightly.
He didn't assume any air of authority. Nor did he deliberately release any Divine Might.
Completely casual.
And yet—Tendou Kisara dropped to her knees.
Thud.
Right there, ten thousand meters above the earth, she knelt before Haimer and lowered that once-impossibly-proud head of hers.
Black hair cascaded down around her feet.
Tendou Kisara pressed both hands against the invisible wall of air.
"Please... help me."
Tendou Kisara was staking everything on this single throw of the dice.
"I want..."
"I want revenge."
"I want to kill every last one of them."
"Tendou Kikunojou, Tendou Kazumitsu, Tendou Hinata, Tendou Gentaku, Tendou Kitoshi..."
Tendou Kisara recited every single name of those she suspected of being behind her parents' murder!
"Those pieces of garbage who killed my parents, who turned this world into a living hell, and yet still sit in their high seats enjoying wealth and glory—"
"I want to slaughter them all!"
"For that..."
"Kami-sama! I am willing to pay any price!"
Haimer looked at Tendou Kisara.
At this girl—warped by hatred, yet blooming with an astonishing vitality precisely because of that hatred.
Just as expected.
This was exactly the person he'd been looking for.
Compared to heroes who spouted justice and wanted to save the world—a madwoman willing to transform herself into a demon for the sake of an obsession was far more to his liking.
"That's the spirit."
Haimer nodded, clearly pleased with Tendou Kisara's display.
"In that case, allow me to reintroduce myself."
"My name is Haimer."
"A God from the distant Heavens... how to put it—let's say I'm a deity who broadly presides over the concept of strife."
"Of course, you've never heard of me. I don't exactly have a reputation in this world."
Haimer shrugged.
"As for why I descended upon this world—"
"I simply wanted to find some interesting people."
"Specifically, you—"
Haimer leaned forward slightly, extending a hand toward Tendou Kisara.
"—Miss Tendou."
"With your body in its current state, forget killing every last person responsible for your parents' deaths—just staying alive is already taking everything you have."
"And even if you did manage to kill one or two of them, then what?"
"Bleed out on a dialysis bed?"
"Get gunned down by the police who come running?"
"That kind of ending is far too boring."
Haimer shook his head, a note of genuine regret in his voice.
"If you're going to take revenge, do it thoroughly."
"Don't just kill your enemies."
"Destroy the order they built. Shatter their pride. Make them watch in despair as everything they possess crumbles to ash before their very eyes."
"Now that would be a proper Tendou-style revenge, wouldn't it?"
These words were nothing short of the devil whispering in her ear.
Every single sentence struck the most hidden, most deranged corner of Tendou Kisara's heart.
Yes.
She didn't want to die some pathetic, wretched death.
She wanted to win. To win beautifully and completely. To grind the Tendou family beneath her heel!
"And so—I can give you all of this."
Haimer's voice continued.
"A healthy body."
"Strength that surpasses all limits."
"And even..."
Haimer paused. That faint, enigmatic smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.
"If you perform well enough—if, someday in the future, you win glory in my name—"
"I might even consider..."
"Fishing your parents back from the underworld."
BOOM—!
For Tendou Kisara, that single sentence was more explosive than every truth she'd heard combined.
Her pupils dilated to their absolute limit.
Her breathing stopped entirely in that instant.
"Re... resurrection?!"
Tendou Kisara trembled as the words left her lips.
Bringing back the dead.
That was something she hadn't dared to even dream of.
"Is it that hard to understand?"
Haimer looked as though this were the most natural thing in the world.
"For mortals, death is the end."
"But for Gods..."
"Death is simply a change of address."
"It's a bit of a hassle, admittedly. I'd have to exploit a few loopholes and probably pick a fight with a handful of old-timers along the way..."
Haimer rubbed his chin.
"But it's not impossible."
"After all—I am a God."
God.
That single word.
In this moment, it weighed heavier than a mountain in Tendou Kisara's heart.
If before, it had been for revenge—
Then now, there was one more reason. A reason so compelling she would seize it even if it meant descending into hell itself.
Her parents...
That mother who always smiled so gently.
That father who was strict yet righteous.
If there was even a chance of seeing them again.
Even if it was one in ten thousand.
Even if this was a devil's lie.
She would bet everything!
"I'm willing!"
And so—
Before Haimer even had a chance to lay out his conditions.
Tendou Kisara had already planted both hands on the ground, head bowed low, black hair spilling down to hide most of her face.
Interesting.
"Raise your head."
Haimer's voice was calm.
Tendou Kisara slowly lifted her face.
On that tear-streaked visage, a pair of eyes burned with an obsession bordering on insanity.
"You don't need to kneel."
Haimer reached out and placed his hand on Tendou Kisara's shoulder, applying gentle pressure.
"Since you've decided to become a member of my Familia, there's no need for that kind of posture."
Tendou Kisara stumbled to her feet, still clutching Yukikage—the cursed blade—tightly in her hand.
Familia?
"What is a Familia?"
The term was completely foreign to Tendou Kisara.
But since it came from this God's own mouth, it had to be some form of covenant.
"Simply put, it means accepting my Grace and becoming one of my children."
Haimer's answer was as casual as ever.
"I give you power. In exchange, you fight for me and win me glory."
"And of course, you're free to pursue your revenge along the way."
"After all—"
Haimer smiled faintly.
"Your revenge is already spectacular enough on its own."
"As an opening act for the first chapter, it couldn't be more fitting."
Tendou Kisara didn't fully grasp what he was saying. First chapter? Opening act?
But she understood the part that mattered most.
This God would not only refrain from stopping her revenge—he was actively encouraging it.
"Then... what's the price?"
Tendou Kisara still had some questions.
"Didn't I just tell you?"
Haimer tilted his head.
"Become a member of my Familia."
"Fight for me."
"Win glory."
"That's all there is to it."
Tendou Kisara fell silent.
It sounded so simple.
This was nothing like the harsh conditions she'd braced herself for—signing away her soul, becoming some kind of tool, selling herself body and spirit.
This self-proclaimed God only wanted her to fight and win glory.
For someone who already lived by the blade and breathed revenge as her creed...
It was practically a gift handed to her on a silver platter.
"Is there really... nothing else you want?"
Tendou Kisara couldn't help but press further.
"Such as?"
Haimer raised an eyebrow at the question.
"Such as... my... you know... my soul, or... something else?"
As she said this, Tendou Kisara's face flushed red without her realizing it.
Only then did Haimer catch her meaning.
"Are you offering to devote yourself to me?"
"That sort of thing—for you, it's still a bit too early."
"Before I formally bestow my Grace upon you—"
Haimer raised his right hand.
"Let me first give you a grand gift."
"Consider it your inauguration ceremony—the opening of your very first act of revenge as a member of my Familia."
Snap!
A crisp snap of his fingers rang out across the sky at ten thousand meters.
Tendou Kisara's vision blurred.
The scenery around her warped, stretched, and then collapsed entirely in an instant.
The next second—
When Tendou Kisara's vision cleared again, she found herself standing in a completely different place.
Beneath her feet: marble flooring.
Above her head: a crystal chandelier.
All around her: lavishly decorated walls and floor-to-ceiling windows.
And—
Over twenty pairs of eyes, staring straight at her.
"Wh—?!"
The first to make a sound was a middle-aged man in a white suit. He had been standing at the head of an enormous conference table; the folder in his hand hit the floor with a sharp clap.
Tendou Kisara surveyed her surroundings.
This was an extraordinarily spacious conference room. The domed ceiling blazed with a magnificent chandelier, and the walls were hung with paintings worth a fortune. Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the Tokyo Area's nightscape stretched out in a panorama of glittering lights.
Around the conference table sat approximately twenty-odd people. All middle-aged or elderly men in formal attire. Every single face was frozen in utter disbelief.
At the very head of the table—
Sat a girl.
Porcelain-white skin glowing softly under the lights. She wore a pure white ceremonial dress, so exquisite she hardly seemed human—more like a meticulously sculpted work of art.
She was the nominal supreme ruler of the Tokyo Area.
—The Holy Emperor.
Ruler of the Tokyo Area: Her Holiness, the Holy Emperor.
And at this very moment, this young ruler's sapphire-blue eyes were brimming with shock.
"How... is this...?"
Her voice was delicate, yet trembling.
After all—right before her eyes, two people had simply materialized out of thin air.
"Guards! Guar—"
An official nearest to the door instinctively tried to call for help.
But his voice died in his throat the very next second.
Because he realized—his body couldn't move.
And it wasn't just him.
Every single person in the room—whether seated or standing—had been frozen in place as though pinned by an invisible force.
Only their eyeballs could still move.
____
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