In the heart of the city, Kojin and Ranpo sat quietly in a modest restaurant, sipping drinks under the low-humming lights. Ranpo, looking slightly worn out, let out a small laugh.
"Man, this takes me back," he said, swirling the drink in his glass. "Remember when we used to down entire crates of this stuff like it was water?"
Kojin chuckled faintly, though his expression remained heavy. "Yeah… simpler times," he muttered before his gaze dropped to the table. "Ranpo… I made a big mistake."
Ranpo raised a brow, setting his drink down. "What're you talking about?"
"It's the way I treated people… I looked down on them, always saw them as weak. I always thought that those who aren't strong, those who aren't on my level.... are nothing but nuisances"
With a long sigh, Ranpo leaned back in his chair. "If this is about your son… I've got nothing to say. I don't indulge in matters that aren't really my problem."
Kojin's eyes narrowed with a pained look. "I need help, Ranpo. I need advice. You've always been the one who called me out on my crap."
Ranpo crossed his arms. "Kojin, you've always had that bad habit. Even when we were teens, you acted like everyone else was beneath you. You thought strength made you superior… and now? You carried that same mindset into your home—your marriage, your parenting. And now look where it's gotten you. Your own son, Saito, is one of the most feared criminals in the world. And that idiot Olivia is making him stronger in order to take his revenge on you."
Kojin closed his eyes, the weight of regret pressing on his chest. "I should've treated him better. I should've paid more attention to him. Encouraged him… To me, strength was all that mattered. This world is full of unfaithful events, so obviously anyone who wants to survive would have to toughen up to get stronger."
"Don't blame the world for your mistakes. And plus Karma," Ranpo said flatly. "It always comes back. Usually when you least expect it."
Meanwhile, high up in the mountains, chaos erupted. Sorata sprinted across the rocky terrain as monstrous Shinigami—lion-like beasts with half-skull faces and glowing red eyes—charged at him.
Power surged in his hands, and a smirk on his face erupted. Purple destructive energy crackled all over his hands. As the Shinigami lunged, Sorata unleashed a massive blast that shook the cliffs. Smoke swallowed the air as the beasts disintegrated.
He exhaled. "Didn't think this mission would be such a pain in the ass. So there are beasts here huh? I guess it is as expected when a city has been ruined with war and no one to inhabite it anymore."
Continuing his path through the rugged mountain, Sorata spotted a tunnel glowing faintly with white light. Curious and mildly annoyed, he muttered, "Ukina better not have set up another death trap disguised as training…"
Inside the tunnel, eerie symbols lit up the stone walls as he walked deeper. At the end stood a massive ancient door with three circular slots—only two filled with stones.
Sorata scoffed. "Hm? An ancient door? Let me guess… needs all three to open. Typical!", he exclaimed with a smirk.
He grinned, power bursting from his fists. "Screw that."
With a thunderous punch powered by his destructive energy, the door shattered open in a thunderous explosion. Inside, on a glowing altar, sat the final piece: a white Millennia Stone. Sorata approached and snatched it casually.
"I'm grabbing this and finding something to eat… Maybe I should go eat some shikigami meat. The only thing is that it tastes wierd with seasoning. Tch!"
But as he pocketed the stone, the altar exploded in radiant light, everywhere started to shake "What the...." The entire mountain erupted, collapsing in a cataclysmic blast. Sorata got annoyed in an instant "TCH! FOR FUCK SAKE!"
Sorata in a flash of lightning, blew himself through the falling walls and rubble with the help of his destructive energy. The entire mountain came crashing down into rubble, but Sorata was fast enough to fly out of the place just in time, he was hovering above the destroyed land. "What the hell just happened—", he asked himself.
A cold voice echoed behind him. "You have something that belongs to me."
Turning, he saw a woman with radiant white hair, armored like a divine warrior, wielding twin swords. Her eyes burned with purpose.
"I am the guardian of the Millennia Stone," she declared. "It holds the Divine Beast of the Wind. Anyone who takes it… must die."
Sorata smirked. "So your mission is to kill anything that tries to take the stone? Understandable Crashout."
Back in the forest, Kirihai sat on a high branch while Mirio wrapped her wounds.
"I'm just glad you didn't get caught during the city raid," Mirio said with relief.
Kirihai raised a brow. "And I'm surprised you survived getting blown up inside a cube."
"I used my chains to shield myself," Mirio replied casually.
From below, a voice called out. "Yo! You two alive?"
It was Kenji, waving at them with a grin. As the trio walked through the woods, Kenji said, "It's good to see you're both safe. We were worried after the invasion."
Kirihai sighed. "Garou got captured… I'm thinking of rescuing him. Him and Zora. I almost forgot about Zora tho."
Mirio scoffed. "He's too arrogant. Always thought too highly of himself."
Kenji laughed. "He's fine. He tricked the soldiers with a metal clone. He's at the hideout."
Back above the mountain ruins, the battle between Sorata and the angel had begun. They clashed through the sky at blinding speeds, trading attacks as winds howled and beams exploded mid-air.
The angel hurled divine blasts and wind strikes, while Sorata dodged and countered as fast as he could with waves of destructive energy.
"She's fast," he muttered. "Barely keeping up…"
Keeping his distance, Sorata conjured a volley of energy arrows and fired relentlessly. The angel spun through them gracefully, dodging every shot and slicing through them.
"Divine Wind of God!" she shouted, unleashing a devastating wave of wind energy from her sword.
Sorata created a defensive barrier, but the sheer force overwhelmed him, sending him crashing toward the ground.
Hovering above, the angel prepared another attack. "I am a B-rank Angel. You won't survive this. You C-rank fodder"
Suddenly, Sorata reappeared behind her in a flash, charging an explosive amount of destructive energy and blasting it into her back. A huge explosion occurred all over the sky, one that could have wiped an entire city in a mere instant.
Smoke cleared. The angel had shielded herself with her blades.
Sorata grinned. "Good… I'm B-rank too if I push past my limits. Looks like we're a perfect match."
END OF CHAPTER.