Inside the main hall, the once-boisterous festival cheers had turned into chaos. The cheers were replaced by screams, sighs, and the echo of Miku Izayoi's song filling the air. With a single hum, the spirit known as Diva summoned the power of her angel, Gabriel, a giant musical instrument capable of manipulating the hearts of people with its mere melody and hypnotizing the entire audience.
The eyes of the students, once filled with enthusiasm, now looked blank, like soulless puppets. Even the usually confident Kaguya and Yuzuru stood upright with blank expressions, their bodies moving solely according to Miku's will. Yoshino was no exception, her little penguin doll falling from her grasp as she took a step, her eyes blank.
Only Shido and Tohka, wearing headsets, managed to maintain their composure, though it was clear how difficult it was to resist Miku's dominance. "Miku! Stop this!" Shido shouted desperately. But the Diva only smiled arrogantly, her white dress gleaming in the cracked stage lights.
"I won't let a disgusting man like you ruin this beautiful world," Miku replied in a melodious, yet hateful tone. "A world where only women are worthy to shine!"
In that instant, Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Yoshino attacked. Kaguya glided with energy wings on her back, wielding a sword of light, while Yuzuru supported her with a barrage of energy arrows. Yoshino stared blankly as she summoned ice that froze in the air, forming ice spears that plunged towards Shido and Tohka.
"Tohka!" Shido shouted, drawing his Sandalphon sword to deflect the barrage. Tohka, her eyes blazing with rage, swung her greatsword, attempting to fend off the attacks of her now-enemy-controlled companions.
On the other side, Kaito leaned casually against a cracked wall at the edge of the building, his crystal blue eyes observing the battle motionlessly. A faint smile played across his lips. "So this is how you play, Diva?" he muttered. "But it's not time for me to intervene yet… let's see."
The battle intensified. Swords met swords, light and ice clashed, and booming sounds filled the room. And amidst the chaos—
Suddenly, the building's walls collapsed. A burst of white light destroyed part of the stage, and a woman with long blonde hair floated in imperiously. Her body was encased in a futuristic-designed DEM CR-Unit, with metallic wings gleaming menacingly.
Ellen Mathers.
The notorious and unbeatable commander of DEM.
"Heh," Ellen grinned, her sharp eyes scanning the spirits inside the building. "I've been waiting for this opportunity. The spirits who cause trouble… you will all be arrested."
"Mmph, who are you again?" Tohka hissed, panting after fending off a barrage of attacks.
"I am Ellen Mathers, one of DEM's executives," she replied arrogantly. "You are merely research subjects. What do you think is a fair price for one spirit, hmm?"
Without further ado, Ellen launched herself forward at breakneck speed. Her first punch struck the floor, creating a large crater. In an instant, the battle shifted from resisting Miku's influence to confronting the very power of DEM.
Shido and Tohka tried to resist, but Ellen's power was too great. Even Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Yoshino, still controlled by Miku, were mere pawns on this chaotic chessboard. With one swift maneuver, Ellen managed to immobilize Tohka, her DEM units enveloping her body in a constricting energy field.
"Tohka!!" Shido shouted, his arms outstretched in despair, but his body was thrown out of the building by the artillery strike from Ellen's metal wings. His body slammed hard against the ground outside, sending dust billowing high.
"Shido…" Tohka's voice trailed off, her body propelled forcefully toward Ellen.
Shido, now lying outside the building, stared up at the sky with a look of despair. His breath was ragged, his body trembling, but his heart remained strong. "Please… I hope Tohka is okay… I have to… I have to save her…"
But before he could get up, the crowd of spectators controlled by Miku stormed out, running with blank stares. Shido was forced to retreat, his body dragged by fear and responsibility, deciding to flee.
Inside the building, the chaos intensified. Miku smiled with satisfaction as Shido ran. "Hmph, that's how men are. Running with that contemptible face."
But not far away, Kaito had stopped leaning. With calm steps, he rose from his position, his hands tucked into the pockets of his elegant suit. His faint smile this time was different—cold, sharp, like a predator who had just decided to hunt.
"It seems… my time has come," he whispered softly.
His crystal blue gaze glinted, reflecting the light of the debris and the blazing fire. The aura he had suppressed from the start slowly seeped out, making the air around him vibrate.
Kaito stepped forward.
The night was growing late, and the city was quiet. Streetlights flickered faintly, and the occasional sound of passing vehicles could be heard. Kaito walked leisurely toward his apartment, his hands tucked into his pockets, his mind still replaying the chaotic events at the festival hall.
But his steps stopped when a group of students in high school uniforms appeared from ahead. Not just one or two, but dozens, even hundreds. They all carried dimly lit light sticks, their eyes blank, their faces expressionless. Their movements were stiff, as if they weren't human, but rather remote-controlled puppets.
Kaito let out a short breath. "Huh... so this is how you play, Diva." His tone was flat, like someone who already knew the answer.
The crowd surrounded him from all directions. The sound of simultaneous footsteps echoed through the narrow street. They raised their hands, trying to grab Kaito, as if to drag him alive.
Kaito didn't show the slightest sign of panic. Instead, a small smile appeared on his face. It was his trademark calm yet confident smile.
"At this rate, I won't be able to make it home on time," he muttered softly, his tone light, almost joking.
He lowered his head slightly, then whispered,
"The World."
In an instant, the world stopped. The blowing wind froze in place, the streetlights froze, and the hundreds of students who had reached out their hands were now lifeless statues. Only Kaito moved.
The silence was tense, but to Kaito, it felt like an empty space filled with opportunity.
Wasting no time, he stepped forward. His hands moved quickly, precisely, and powerfully. One by one, he struck his opponents in the nape of their necks, rendering them unconscious. But even though time had stopped, their bodies didn't immediately fall. They remained standing stiffly, as if continuing their halted movement.
Kaito moved nimbly through the crowd, each step lightning-fast. His hands slapped, lightly punched, or grabbed with unavoidable precision. He even managed to adjust his tie mid-action, as if in no hurry at all.
"Hmm… one, two, three…" he counted slowly as he moved. "Well, it doesn't really matter. The point is, everyone should go to sleep."
The seconds ticked away. In a full nine seconds, Kaito had managed to incapacitate over a hundred people. He had struck everyone on the street with clean, efficient movements.
Now there was only one second left before the world would turn again. Kaito stood at the highest point of the stack of guardrails, his body straight, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
And as time returned, the results were immediately apparent.
The hundreds of students who had surrounded him collapsed simultaneously, their light sticks falling to the ground with a loud thud, echoing through the silent street. The scene looked like dominoes falling simultaneously—both terrifying and illogical to anyone watching.
But no one had time to realize who the perpetrator was. Because in that same instant, Kaito had disappeared. At top speed, he had already left the scene, leaping across the rooftops towards his apartment.
On the rooftop, he stood for a moment, looking down at the crowd now lying helplessly. The night breeze ruffled his white hair, the black tie around his neck fluttering.
Kaito let out a long sigh. "It's tiring, it turns out, with this many..." He scratched the back of his head lazily. A small smile appeared on his lips. "But yeah, it's good for a warm-up."
He continued his steps, jumping lightly to the next rooftop. He didn't say anything grandiose, didn't announce his participation in this grand game. He remained humble, despite clearly having just demonstrated an extraordinary power beyond human comprehension.
That night, only Kaito knew what was really happening. And only he could decide when it was time to take action.