A loud, piercing scream suddenly tore through the air from outside—the unmistakable cry of a Soul Reaper. Takashi reacted instantly, sliding the rear gate open just a crack to peek out. His eyes widened as he saw a 4th-grade Soul Reaper banking through the air, locked onto their tail.
"Hey… there's a Soul Reaper chasing us from behind!" Takashi shouted to the others. "It's not that powerful—pretty weak compared to the others!"
Hearing this, Sami's heart hammered against her ribs. She tightened her grip on Nitsuki, pulling his limp body closer, determined to make sure nothing would happen to him.
In the front, the military man didn't hesitate. He stood up, kicked open the hatch above his seat, and hauled half of his body out into the rushing wind, clutching an RPG launcher.
"Leave it to me, you little guy!" the Military Man barked down at them. "Sit properly and hold on to something tightly!"
Takashi pulled his head back inside and slammed the gate shut. He dove onto the seat beside Kento, wrapping one arm firmly around the sleeping boy to anchor him. With his other hand, he gripped a metal part of the vehicle's frame with a white-knuckled hold.
"You can't escape from me, you bastard Soul Reaper!" the Military Man roared. He leveled the RPG, taking aim as the vehicle roared down the highway at high speed.
Finally, he pulled the trigger.
The rocket streaked through the air, but luck was not on their side. The Soul Reaper shrieked and spiraled with unnatural agility, easily dodging the missile.
"D*** it!" the soldier growled. "But I am not going to miss it this time." He ducked back slightly to begin the frantic process of reloading his RPG.
At that exact moment, the Soul Reaper retaliated. It unhinged its jaw, and a searing beam of laser light shot toward them. But the driver was highly skilled; he saw the glow and immediately swerved the vehicle to the side, narrowly dodging the blast.
Because of the sudden, violent move, everyone inside was shaken badly. Sami nearly fell from her seat, but she squeezed Nitsuki tightly and managed to keep her balance. Takashi, holding the snoring Kento, braced his legs and maintained his position. Even Nayashiki managed to keep his balance while holding onto Yakuzo beside him.
"I've done my job!" the Driver shouted up at the hatch. "Now you do yours! Aim properly and take it down!"
The Military Man smirked, slamming a new rocket into place. "Roger that. This time, it won't miss."
He took a breath, timed the Reaper's wingbeat, and fired.
The missile hit the Soul Reaper directly in the chest. The creature was almost killed instantly, but before it died, it let out an extremely loud, earth-shaking roar. The sheer wind pressure from that final cry was so powerful that it physically lifted the armored vehicle into the sky.
"Ahh… the vehicle is going to flip!" the Driver screamed, his hands useless on the wheel. "It's impossible to control it now!"
Just before the vehicle could hit the ground and shatter, it suddenly stopped falling.
A shimmering, silver-colored outline appeared around the entire vehicle, wrapping it in a protective aura. The violent spinning slowed to a crawl, and the car stabilized, hovering perfectly in midair.
Everyone inside froze. The roaring wind had stopped. The shaking had stopped. There was only silence.
Takashi's eyes widened in shock. Sami felt a sudden, heavy pressure in her head—a familiar, surging feeling. She slowly looked down at her hands and saw they were glowing with a faint silver light.
"…It's me," Sami whispered, almost to herself.
The Military Man stared down through the hatch in total disbelief. "Wait… that aura. Are you controlling the vehicle?"
Sami swallowed hard, sweat forming on her forehead from the mental strain. "I'm… not lifting it fully. I'm just stopping it from falling."
Outside, the injured Soul Reaper tried to move, its body cracking and smoking as it struggled to recover for one last strike. Takashi reacted instantly.
"Kento! Wake up! Now's not the time to sleep!"
Kento groaned, shifting his head as he remained half-asleep. "Huh… why does it feel like flying…?"
"I can't hold this for long!" Sami yelled, her teeth clenched. "My energy is draining fast!"
The Driver shouted from the front, "If we survive this, I'll never doubt teenagers again in my life!"
"Just give me five seconds!" the Military Man yelled, re-aiming the RPG one last time.
Sami nodded, her voice shaking but firm. "Do it. I've got this."
The silver aura intensified, glowing brighter as the vehicle hovered. The final moment was here. The Military Man fired. The missile flew straight and true, hitting the Soul Reaper directly. A massive explosion shook the area, and the creature let out a final, distorted scream before its body was torn apart, dissolving into black smoke.
The silver aura flickered and slowly faded. The car gently descended, landing back on the road with a heavy thud—but it was upright and safe. Sami collapsed to her knees on the floor of the vehicle, breathing heavily.
"I… I can't move for a second…"
Takashi rushed to her side. "You did amazing. You saved everyone."
The Military Man lowered his weapon, staring at Sami. "That wasn't just luck. That was control."
Beside Nayashiki, the other passenger finally stirred and woke up from the commotion. "So that Soul Reaper had been chasing us this whole time? No wonder there was so much shaking."
Nayashiki looked at him with slight irritation. "Jeez, who sleeps like that at a time like this? Look at this—if these teenagers hadn't been here today, we would've been dead, Yakuzo."
Kento finally opened his eyes fully, stretching his limbs. "Hmm? Did we win already?" He looked around at the stunned faces. "…Why is everyone staring at me?"
The Driver laughed shakily. "Kid, you slept through a near-death experience."
Then Sami slowly sat properly in her seat. With careful hands, she pulled Nitsuki closer and gently placed his head on her lap again.
Sami smiled weakly, leaning back and looking down at Nitsuki resting in her lap. "Please wake up soon… we're almost safe now."
They got back into the vehicle and continued toward their destination. Finally, they arrived at the location, but they were still on the surface. When they stepped out, they realized Kyoto was just like Tokyo—devastated, ruined, and scarred.
"Hmm… this area is almost in the same condition as Tokyo," Sami noted, her heart sinking. "The Soul Reapers have reached Kyoto as well. They're spreading way too fast."
Takashi didn't waste any time. He worked with practiced efficiency to tie Nitsuki back onto his back, securing him with the strips of his torn shirt. He looked ahead at a massive, skeletal building that looked like it might collapse at any moment.
"You're right," Takashi said, his voice grim. "We need to meet that Chinese Soul.R. Hunter as soon as possible and make a plan to stop all of this."
Nayashiki and Yakuzo walked a few paces behind the military man and the driver, their eyes darting nervously toward the shadows of the ruins. They were heading toward what looked like an empty, rubble-strewn lot.
"Sir, it looks like Soul Reapers attacked here too," Yakuzo said, his voice shaking. "Is the underground shelter even safe?"
The military man didn't look back as he answered. "Yeah, totally. First of all, this place is far below ground level. To get there, two secret elevators have been set up, so there's no chance that any Soul Reapers can attack that place. The shelter is extremely large and built with the strongest metals available. Engineers are still working nonstop to upgrade and reinforce it, so breaking through it won't be easy at all."
He continued as they walked, his voice filled with a strange pride. "The place is very bright, with perfectly arranged lighting everywhere. There is also a system to bring a huge amount of water directly into the underground shelter from the Otsu River. Using that water, they generate electricity through special methods."
"Oh, I see," Nayashiki murmured, impressed by the scale of the human effort to survive.
Suddenly, the military man stopped. He knelt down, clearing away several chunks of loose concrete and twisted rebar using a small specialized tool.
"What is he doing?" Nayashiki whispered.
"We've reached the place," the driver answered. "There's an option under this concrete to bring up the elevator."
As the last of the dust was brushed away, a circular metal symbol appeared, embedded deep in the cracked ground. The military man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, metallic ball. He placed it carefully on the center of the symbol.
Instantly, a low hum vibrated through the air. Then, the ground began to shake violently.
"WOHH! Why did the ground suddenly start shaking?!" Yakuzo cried out, stumbling to maintain his balance.
From a short distance away, Sami and Takashi watched in awe. The earth groaned as a massive structure began to emerge from the dirt. Dust and broken concrete slid down its metallic sides like rain. This wasn't a normal elevator—it was thick, armored, and clearly military-grade, built to survive the very end of the world.
Takashi narrowed his eyes. "So… this is the underground shelter."
Sami nodded slowly, her silver aura faintly flickering as she sensed the massive weight and energy of the structure beneath them. "It's huge… and it goes really deep. I can feel it."
The elevator doors slowly slid open with a heavy, grinding metallic sound. Inside, bright white lights flickered to life, revealing a spacious platform wide enough to carry entire vehicles and dozens of people. The thick cables and reinforced walls were a testament to the engineering.
But the moment the doors were wide enough, a blue blur shot past the group. Kento dashed forward, his voice echoing at the top of his lungs through the quiet ruins.
"FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!"
Before he could even cross the threshold, the military man's hand shot out like a lightning bolt. He grabbed Kento by the collar and yanked him back with a sharp jerk.
"Nope. There's no food here," the soldier said firmly, staring Kento down. "Get into the vehicle first. Once we go underground, you'll get food."
Kento clicked his tongue, his face twisting with irritation. "Damn it…"
Seeing the interaction, Nayashiki let out a small, genuine laugh. "He's funny."
Yakuzo nodded in agreement, adding casually, "Yeah… he's weird too."
Takashi let out a quiet, tired sigh while adjusting Nitsuki's weight on his back. Beside him, Sami covered her mouth with her hand, trying her best not to smile. Even in the middle of a literal apocalypse, Kento somehow managed to lighten the mood.
"Come on," the military man gestured. "Get into the vehicle first. This elevator will take us straight down. Once we're inside, Soul Reapers won't be able to reach us."
Takashi tightened his grip on Nitsuki. "Alright… let's go."
Sami took one last look around the ruined surface of Kyoto—the broken buildings, the empty streets, the silent destruction. Then, she stepped forward into the vehicle. Then the vehicle move into the elevetor.