The red glow of a magic circle flashed through the apartment's living room, and Genichi emerged from the light.
Seven or eight figures followed close behind, stumbling out of the circle and collapsing across the room. Some fell facedown, others slumped against the walls, while the rest sat sprawled on the floor.
They gasped desperately for breath, their eyes unfocused as though they had just awakened from a nightmare.
Some stared down at their hands. Others touched their faces. One person pinched his arm hard, then grimaced when the pain struck.
"Are we... Are we back in the real world?"
A middle-aged man asked the question in a trembling voice, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He looked around at the familiar furniture, lights, and walls. Tears suddenly spilled down his face.
"We're back... We're really back..."
The others gradually realized what had happened. Some began laughing, others burst into tears, and several dropped to their knees and kissed the floor.
They had died in this world and spent countless years surviving in the other one, fighting vengeful spirits day after day while hiding and fleeing for their lives.
They had believed they would never return, that they would remain trapped forever in that gray-white hell.
But now they were back.
Genichi stood to the side, watching them celebrate their miraculous escape with a cold smile on his lips.
He raised his hand, and several spears of light formed above his fingertips. It was the Fallen Angels' power to manipulate light, an ability he had acquired after obtaining the blood of the vengeful spirit Akeno.
The spears took shape in the air, radiating a blinding white glow.
Then they struck.
"Aaagh!"
Screams erupted throughout the living room.
The spears accurately pierced the vengeful spirits' thighs, arms, and shoulders, pinning them to the floor.
Blood poured from their wounds, staining the floor red and filling the room with its metallic stench.
Some writhed in agony. Others screamed at the top of their lungs. A few desperately tried to pull out the spears, only for their fingers to burn the moment they touched the shafts, producing sharp sizzling sounds.
"What are you doing?"
The middle-aged man glared at Genichi, his eyes filled with anger and fear.
"We've never done anything to you! Why would you..."
"Never done anything to me?"
Genichi interrupted him, his voice as cold as a winter wind.
"What were you thinking when you shouted for me to run? Were you thinking, 'Perfect, now we have someone to sacrifice'?"
The man's expression froze.
The others fell silent as well. Their screams abruptly ceased, leaving only the sound of their ragged breathing.
They looked at Genichi with guilt and fear. Some lowered their heads, while others turned their faces away. A few opened their trembling lips to defend themselves, but no words came out.
Genichi swept his gaze across them, and his irritation only grew stronger.
He clearly remembered what had happened. The horde of vengeful spirits had surged over the horizon like a black tsunami, covering everything in sight.
He could have avoided it. He could have silently disappeared into the shadows and allowed the spirits to pass him by.
But just as he was about to move, these people had shouted, "Run!" at the top of their lungs.
Their shrill voices had echoed throughout the gray-white world, instantly attracting the attention of every vengeful spirit in the area.
The spirits had spotted Genichi and rushed toward him like sharks that had smelled blood.
If he had been an ordinary person, they would have torn him apart.
Those people had not shouted to warn him. They wanted him to become their sacrifice.
They knew that vengeful spirits attacked the nearest target. If Genichi became trapped by the horde, they would gain a few more precious seconds to escape.
They had tried to trade his life for their own.
Genichi crouched in front of the middle-aged man.
The man's face was twisted with pain, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead. Yet he did not dare scream. He could only grit his teeth as his entire body trembled.
"You've lived in that world for a long time, so you should know how vengeful spirits behave."
Genichi spoke softly, as though discussing something perfectly ordinary.
"They attack the closest target. As long as someone stays behind, everyone else can get farther away. You shouted because you wanted me to be the one left behind."
The man's lips trembled before he finally forced out a response.
"I'm sorry... We were... We were terrified... We didn't mean to do it..."
"You didn't mean to?"
Genichi smiled mockingly.
"So you did it intentionally?"
No one answered.
Genichi stood and looked down at the group.
Some lay facedown, others were sprawled on their backs, while a few remained on their knees. Every one of them had been pinned to the floor by a spear of light and could not move.
Blood seeped from their wounds, gathering into small, dark-red pools across the floor.
The air reeked of blood and fear.
"Now, I'll ask the questions, and you'll answer."
Genichi's voice returned to its usual calm, but that calm frightened them far more than his anger.
"Otherwise, I promise you'll wish you were dead."
The vengeful spirits nodded frantically.
They did not dare refuse, nor did they have the power to do so.
This young man had single-handedly annihilated an entire horde of vengeful spirits. He had effortlessly pulled them out of the afterlife and returned them to the real world. He had also pinned them to the floor with spears of light before they could react.
Killing them would be easier for him than crushing an ant.
"First question."
Genichi raised one finger.
"How did you enter that world after you died?"
A young woman hurried to answer.
"I... I don't know. I died at a hospital after my heart stopped. When I woke up, I was already in that world. I was lying on the school's athletic field, and there were many other people around me who had arrived the same way."
The others nodded and began recounting their experiences all at once.
Some had died in car accidents. Others had succumbed to illness, while a few had fallen to their deaths in various accidents.
Their causes of death were different, but the result had always been the same. When they awakened, they were already inside that gray-white world.
Genichi frowned slightly.
There was no pattern?
No selection process?
Did everyone who died enter that world?
He remembered that vengeful spirits only existed in Japan. No other country in the real world had them.
If every deceased person entered the afterlife, what happened to the dead from other countries?
Where did they go?
Or did that world only accept the souls of people who died in Japan?
Genichi could not reach an answer yet, so he moved on to his next question.
"Second question. Other than rational vengeful spirits like you, are there any other beings in that world?"
A young man wearing glasses raised his hand.
"Yes. We call them Feral Spirits. They're vengeful spirits without any reason left, and all they know is slaughter. They're far stronger and more dangerous than we are, so we usually hide from them and never dare approach."
"Where do Feral Spirits come from?"
"Most of them evolve from ordinary vengeful spirits. A spirit devours others of its own kind and accumulates power. Once it reaches a certain point, it loses its mind and becomes a Feral Spirit. Some also emerge from the depths of that world, but nobody knows where they originate."
Genichi recalled the several powerful presences he had sensed. Every one of them was at least comparable to an Ultimate-Class Devil.
Those were probably the so-called Feral Spirits.
There were five of them, perhaps even more.
Every one was his prey. Every one could become nourishment for his advancement to Satan-Class.
"Third question."
Genichi raised a third finger.
"Have you ever heard any legends about the origin of the vengeful spirits?"
The spirits exchanged glances, and something flickered in their eyes.
Some nodded, others shook their heads, while a few seemed hesitant to speak.
"I've heard one."
The middle-aged man finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Legend says there's a Nexus in the deepest part of that world. Anyone who finds it can control the entire afterlife and become its king. But the Nexus is hidden, and nobody knows where it is. Some have searched for hundreds of years, while others have searched for thousands, but no one has ever found it."
Genichi narrowed his eyes slightly.
A Nexus capable of controlling the afterlife.
It was almost exactly what he had suspected.
That world had its own laws, its own order, and its own king.
But the throne was empty, and the Nexus remained hidden. Whoever found it could claim the throne.
In the DxD world, the number of Satan positions was limited. To advance, an existing Satan first had to die.
Here, however, the throne was vacant. He only needed to find the Nexus to become that world's king.
"Are there any clues about this Nexus?" Genichi asked.
The middle-aged man shook his head.
"No one knows. Some say it's in the deepest part of the world. Others say it's at the exact center. Some even claim it isn't in that world at all, but hidden somewhere in the real world. There are all kinds of theories, but none have ever been proven."
Genichi fell silent for a moment.
No clues, no direction, and no useful information.
These vengeful spirits had survived in that world for so long, yet they knew almost nothing.
That was hardly surprising. If the Nexus had been easy to find, someone would have claimed it and become king long ago.
All Genichi could do was explore on his own and search for that hidden treasure.
"One final question."
Genichi raised a fourth finger.
"Do you want to leave this place alive?"
The vengeful spirits nodded frantically.
Genichi smiled, and there was a hint of cruelty behind it.
"Then you'll do something for me. Return to that world and search for clues about the Nexus. If you find it, I'll set you free and allow you to return to the real world. If you don't..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but the spirits understood.
If they failed, they would never be allowed to return.
They quickly nodded, agreeing to cooperate.
Satisfied, Genichi dismissed the spears of light. The vengeful spirits climbed to their feet, their wounds still bleeding, but none of them dared complain.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]