At the base of the Dark Sign which was a castle, Sorata, Kenji, and Ukina sat together while a calm wind drifted across the room.
Ukina broke the silence, arms crossed, her voice composed.
"We've lost three of our important members—Mirio, Garou, and Bara. It's a shame. Our group has now been reduced to just four."
Sorata leaned back in his chair, legs resting casually on the table. He had a look of indifference on his face
"Not really surprised, honestly. Knowing them, they weren't exactly strong to begin with. But yeah... it's a shame, I guess."
Kenji shot him a glare.
"Hey, I know you've got an attitude problem, but they were still our comrades. The least you can do is mourn them—for like two minutes."
Sorata tilted his head, with a look of disinterest.
"Oh, what a shame~ Have I mourned them the right way now?", he said and asked sarcastically.
Kenji let out a long sigh and leaned back.
"There's just no working with you."
Ukina remained unfazed, she took a sigh.
"We've almost fulfilled the reason we came together in the first place. At this rate, the group will disband soon."
Kenji nodded.
"Well, we did agree to join you since we shared the same goal..."
Sorata cut him off.
"Speak for yourself. I didn't agree to anything. I just came here to get some battle experience and test my strength."
Ukina closed her eyes briefly.
"It's a shame Shinki left. He would've been a good asset to us. But he made it clear before joining—he was always going to leave at some point. I just hope he's doing alright now."
Kenji then asked curiously,
"So... what exactly did you do to that Diablo guy? How did you even beat him? You did mention that he was all powerful and stuff."
Ukina's eyes narrowed as she began to explain.
"Despite his godlike power, Diablo is the reincarnation of Bansha—the god who created this world. He possesses an unbelievable amount of strength and energy. It doesn't matter how destructive an attack is or incredible it is, even if it can burn down the Earth or an entire universe—it won't affect him."
Kenji blinked.
"Wait—what? That doesn't answer the question. If nothing works on him, then how did you beat him?"
Ukina replied, calm and composed.
"I sealed him away into a dimension where time, space, and reality don't exist. In that kind of place, even someone like Diablo can't move. It's called the Reality Sealer."
Sorata raised a brow and thought to himself "Why do I feel this is all a lie?"
Ukina snapped her fingers. A small cube with the symbol of a magic circle and a single eye appeared in her hand, glowing faintly.
"This is the Reality Sealer," she said, holding it up. "I trapped Diablo inside this. Although he might not be able to escape... I get the feeling he's moving freely in there. Probably even creating his own little worlds. But as long as he can't leave, we're fine. It was made to seal away any powerful being. It ignores all sort of strength and power."
Meanwhile, within the Reality Sealer Dimension...
A radiant field of glowing flowers stretched for miles. Above, a bizarre sky swirled with a hundred colors. Diablo lay peacefully on a bed of blossoms, his hand resting beneath his head as he stared up.
"I'm so bored," he muttered. "I've already made three realities just to entertain myself—one with unlimited food, another with only video games, and one filled with big-titted women pampering me all day."
He sighed again.
"Still bored. I could break out of this void anytime I want, honestly. I'm just curious what the world does without me. This is supposed to be a dimension where space, time, and reality don't exist... and yet, I can move, create, and reshape everything here as much as i like."
He smirked.
"Either I don't understand the full extent of my power... or I'm just built different."
Back in the City...
Alex walked down a lively street, a grocery bag slung over his shoulder. His white hair blew gently in the wind as he paused at a street stand.
A newspaper caught his eye.
"16-Year-Old Boy Named Alex Starion Saves the City – Defeats B-Rank Villain!"
Alex blinked, a bit amused.
"Huh. So I'm a hero now. That's nice. With a title like this, becoming a Lord might not be so hard after all."
He continued on his way, casually strolling through the market.
Later, at Home...
The clock on the wall read 12:20 PM. Alex set the grocery bags into the fridge and stretched with a tired sigh. He opened the door to his room...
Only to freeze in place.
Raquel was lying on his bed—completely naked. Her yellow eyes met his as she smiled seductively.
"Welcome home, Alex. I've been waiting for you."
Alex blinked, then grinned.
"It's been a while since we did something like this... Are you feeling better now?"
She got up from the bed and embraced him.
"You're awesome, you know that? We've been through so much in these past few months. Let's just take a break and enjoy ourselves. Today's a safe day for me... so it's fine."
Alex's face flushed red. Without a second thought, he tossed off his clothes. They dove into the bed, the sheets drawn over them.
At the Door...
Kinto stood just outside, hand raised to knock—then stopped.
From inside the room, unmistakable moaning sounds echoed.
Kinto froze.
"What the hell is going on in there...? Don't tell me—again?!"
He turned around with an exasperated groan.
"Nope. I'm not dealing with that today. Let them do whatever they want."
Hours Later...
Alex and Raquel lay in bed, quiet and warm in each other's arms.
She looked at him with a soft smile.
"Hey Alex... you know, the whole city sees you as a hero now."
Alex looked up at the ceiling.
"Yeah... I just couldn't watch the city fall apart. Kojin wasn't around, and neither were the team leaders... or Diablo."
He paused.
"Come to think of it... Where is Diablo?"
TO BE CONTINUED...