The day after the Christmas Eve dinner began turbulently. Erika had enjoyed herself more than she should have—she drank a bit with Meliu, which resulted in a brutal hangover.
Unfortunately for the young Lady Berta, the Captain of Squad Zeta was someone who followed plans to the letter. At six in the morning, Takashi made the first call—before the captain could shout through the house, Izumi was already on his feet.
Erika, however, wanted to sleep "five more minutes," which turned into three more hours.
Dissatisfied with his companion's lack of discipline, Takashi decided to let the other members study in peace while he went to make the undisciplined Erika's life miserable.
"Did you teach him item enchantment?" Erik asked Kimisu as they sat at the living room table.
They were studying Old Luthark, aiming to translate Himinglaeva's contract. However, Kimisu hadn't had time to fully refine Izumi.
"Not yet…" the master replied, crossing his arms.
With no solution at hand, Izumi remained quietly distant.
Erik's plan was simple, so the other two already understood it: if Izumi knew enchantments, he could use a pen infused with mana or prana. That way, he could write the contract's runes while Erik translated.
But enchantment was the third foundation of energy control. Izumi was only on the first: rotation.
"There's no other option…" Kimisu commented, pushing his chair back slightly. "We'll have to develop your foundations… and we only have four days."
Standing up, he picked up Izumi's staff and handed it to him carefully.
"I need you to be willing to spend this time without rest…"
But wouldn't it be the same inside a Domain? Izumi knew that much: no matter how long he went without sleep, the next month would be nothing but attacking and being attacked by demons.
Enthused, Izumi took the staff and leaned on it, ready to continue his duties.
"Teach me just the basics and the start of the intermediate level. I'll manage," Izumi declared, striking the staff against the floor.
Squad Zeta began their final preparations.
Only thirty minutes later, Takashi had managed to drag the Berta twins into a training session—even though Erika hated him for it, since she wanted to sleep more.
All it took, however, was a warm breath to wake her up.
The members of Squad Zeta, from all Sectors, gathered in the DSSP Gymnasium to focus on the primary foundation of combat: physical enhancement.
While the other Squads limited themselves to basic techniques and non-lethal sparring, Takashi completely ignored the rules.
A thunderous boom echoed through the gym. The low temperature quickly rose, making the Revealed sweat as if in a desert; the wind warped into living heat.
Then, a tower of flames rose.
Leaping back from the blaze, Erik fired uncontrollably as he retreated in short bursts. The young Berta was sweating like never before—both from the heat and the tension.
[The Avatar of the Katayo Family, Kagutsuchi, has been summoned!]
[The
A red screen glowed beside Takashi; from it, like the sheath of a sword, emerged a katana engulfed in fire, its edge shining like the sun.
'Ten percent should be enough…' Takashi thought, gripping the sword.
Suddenly, he leapt out of the pillar of flames.
Consumed by the avatar of the god Kagutsuchi, wrapped in a mantra of blazing fire, the Captain of Squad Zeta brought the blade down like an axe toward Erik.
Erik, however, managed to dodge in advance. Firing again, he sought as much distance as possible—even knowing he couldn't keep it up for long.
'This guy's a psychopath!' Erik thought, nerves on edge. 'This is just training, but he's hunting us like we're demons!'
Breathing flames, Takashi calmly walked toward his comrade; every shot Erik fired was disintegrated by the extreme heat.
'Come on…' Erik pleaded to himself, firing as he retreated.
"If all your discipline amounts to is shooting and running… you won't survive long!" Takashi said, drawing the katana back to shoulder height.
The blade consumed the mantra, preparing for a concentrated release of energy.
[The has had its potential reduced to ten percent.]
Even with that reduction, Takashi's attack carried enough force to lethally injure the young Berta. For that reason, the Captain of Squad Zeta was waiting for another member to act…
Just as he was about to unleash the attack on Erik—ready to cancel it if there was no intervention—he hesitated.
Wishing she would attack him…
And she did.
Provoking the captain's sixth sense, Erika appeared wielding a long, sharp sword; its blade bathed in black, with a metal plate extending from the guard halfway up the blade.
Raising it high, her entire body was covered by a thin, radiant layer of pink energy. The sword's blade then shone intensely.
The flames, previously consumed by Tenkatsuhiko, were drawn in and slightly absorbed by the black blade.
[The Third Fragment of the Great Sword has consumed the equivalent of 10% energy.]
'Ten percent?' she pondered, seeing a system screen float within reach. 'That bastard… he really was thinking of hurting us…'
After consuming all of Takashi's energy, the Berta sword fell behind its wielder, who lacked the physical strength to sustain it for long.
[The have been conjured.]
Two screens floating above each of Erika's shoulders announced the arrival of her steel chains, each ending in a blade.
Fire escaped from the young Revealed's feet.
At that moment, every Revealed in the gym had turned their gaze toward Squad Zeta of Sector Four. It was only natural—while the others trained under limitations…
Takashi made a point of oppressing his own comrades.
Noticing the others watching her, a rewarding sensation filled Erika's instincts: she was the star capable of overcoming that catastrophe.
An approval, however, rejected by the captain…
Seeing that his agent sought others' evaluation, Takashi felt disgust.
'So this is how you act, Von Berta?' Takashi assessed with narrowed eyes, ready to attack Erika.
However… he chose a different course of action. As a captain.
[The has covered the battlefield.]
Ignoring Erik, the Captain of Squad Zeta turned and walked toward Erika as a dense ash mist covered the area. Trying to intervene but unable to enter, Erik decided to recover his energy.
"Resign," Takashi said, shrouded by the mist.
His voice was isolated by Tenkatsuhiko's ashes; those outside the mist could neither see nor hear them.
"What?" Erika asked, confused.
"Resign from this squad. We have no place for you here… This world has no place for you."
Takashi was swallowed by the mist and, in an instant, rushed at Erika unseen, appearing at her side as he prepared a heavy strike.
"You know, Von Berta? Praise is fuel for the weak…" he whispered, before cutting through the ashes with Tenkatsuhiko.
She dodged away, but the mist thickened.
"What are you talking about?!" Erika shouted.
Vanishing within the fog, the captain's voice echoed.
"You fight while looking around, seeking others' approval. The approval of those who don't even care to know your name…
Distracted by the speech, she failed to sense the threat. Takashi dropped down behind Erika with another heavy blow, gripping the hilt with both hands, only to be blocked at the last second.
Sparks of fire burst through the gray density.
"You…"
"Making excuses when you lose, swelling with pride when you win… Against a demon, will you seek the approval of the fighters? The strength a demon might approve of? You want to be a celebrity. You're no different from all the Sefiras of the new generation…"
"You talk like you're from the old days! You don't know me. You know nothing about me…"
Another hurriedly blocked strike echoed across the field.
"Yes, I do. The Von Berta twins were, in fact, triplets… weren't they?"
Erika's eyes widened.
That same gray mist from the battle… became the winter fog of Belgium. A forest. The cold of night. Three siblings… two remaining. Bloodstains on her own hands.
"Tell me—would Ebert be approving of you right now? Is he who you fight for?"
Takashi appeared right in front of her. If not physically, then verbally and psychologically.
"The dead have no desires. Whatever it was that made you walk this path until now, I suggest you abandon those chains… Become who you are… not who you should be."
Sword in hand, the captain walked toward Erika.
"Value your own worldview more than what others might think of you," Takashi concluded.
[The has been dispelled by its bearer.]
As the battlefield returned to normal, everyone saw the result: Erika was kneeling on the ground after taking a decisive blow from Takashi. The two fallen chains gradually disintegrated into particles of energy.
The captain calmly walked over to Erik, who refused to continue the fight upon seeing his sister's condition.
Erika stared at the ground in shock, stunned.
"We're done for today, Squad Zeta," he ordered as he descended the last steps. "Was I clear enough, Erika?"
Feeling hatred pulse in her heart, Erika clenched her fists and bit her lip.
"Yes… Captain."