The sky above Dark Valley was tinted with a crimson hue as if the world itself held its breath. Takami stood bloodied, bruised, and exhausted. His body ached, muscles screaming, but his focus never wavered. The more he slayed the stronger the coming waves. The final spirit stood before him, alone, silent, terrifying. This wasn't just another enemy; this one felt like a boss-level nightmare.
Its form was jagged,hairy and tall, like bone-crafted armor had fused with its flesh. Twin bone blades extended from its wrists, curving like scythes, and its grin... that wide, wicked grin promised nothing but pain. It's fangs long and sharp.
"Tch... last one, huh? Let's make this count," Takami muttered, spitting blood to the side.
The spirit lunged without warning. The ground cracked beneath its feet from the force, and in a blink, it was in front of him.
CLANG!
Bone met steel as Takami's daggers intercepted the scythe-blades, they shattered. Sparks flew. The impact jolted up his arms like electricity.
"I was expecting that sooner or later!" Takami grunted, flipping backward, in the air he summoned shadow blade and landed, trying to gain space. But the spirit didn't allow it. It pressed forward, slashing in a barrage that left no room to breathe.
He ducked low, twisted under a horizontal slash, then spun, letting his blade scrape across the spirit's side. It roared, more annoyed than hurt, and countered with a wild arc that caught Takami's shoulder. Another went through the side of his stomach. Blood spurted.
He winced but didn't slow. "If I fall now... it's... over."
Takami's eyes sharpened, locking in. His instincts flared. Every attack became a bit more clearer, each movement of the spirit parsed in microseconds.
They danced in the valley, predator versus predator. Takami's blade sliced, parried, and redirected bone attacks. The spirit's movements were relentless, spinning, feinting, and clawing. Takami landed a low kick to its knee and followed with a jab to its ribs, but the spirit rotated mid-air and cut his cheek.
Takami staggered, eyes wide, breath ragged. Red blurring his vision.
DING!
A sudden screen snapped into existence before him.
⟨Upgrade!⟩ ⟨Predator's Insight - Lv. 12⟩
⟨Upgrade!⟩ ⟨Predator's Insight - Lv. 13⟩
"P-perfect…timing."
Everything slowed. He could see it all, the shift in the spirit's weight before it lunged, the slight hesitation before each swing. Its rhythm was no longer overwhelming.
It lunged again, Takami ducked under, slashed its shoulder, then kicked it in the spine. The spirit turned with a screech but was too slow. Takami rolled around it, spun up, and carved a bloody X across its back.
The spirit shrieked and went berserk. A flurry of strikes came at Takami like a tornado of bone and rage. He parried high, swept low, pivoted, slashed its thigh, and then…
CRACK!
A roundhouse kick straight into its jaw. It staggered. Takami didn't wait. He dashed past it in a blur.
THUD.
The spirit stopped. A line appeared on its neck.
It's head fell.
⟨Extraction Complete...⟩
⟨Extraction Complete...⟩
⟨Level 3 Cloak acquired.⟩
Takami collapsed to the ground, his back flat against the petals of dark flowers. His chest rose and fell violently. Blood soaked his shirt.
He materialized a potion with trembling hands and downed it.
"A double drop from a single spirit? Hah... lucky me..." He coughed, laying back down.
⟨Time Left: 0h - 0m - 21s⟩
⟨Final Stats Increased⟩
| Perception +5
| Intelligence +6
| Strength +9
| Durability +4
| Spirit Resonance +20
| Agility +6.⟩
Takami exhaled slowly. "Spirit Resonance again. What even is that stat... it only increases during weird moments. At least it increases reasonably."
⟨Time Left: 0h - 0m - 0s⟩
⟨Mission Complete!⟩
⟨Player can now exit Dark Valley⟩
⟨Total Skills acquired - 2.⟩
⟨Exit.⟩
He downed two more potions and stood slowly.
"Do I eat or sleep first...?" he groaned.
Raising a hand, he activated Astral Forge. The remnant grant swirled into a pendant.
⟨Beast's Fang Pendant | Class: C | Boosts Strength and Speed.⟩
"Huh, gear too? Although for a spirit that strong, I expected something flashier." He dismissed it and tapped Exit.
A bright spark. The air tore open, revealing a gate.
He stepped through and vanished.
Mount Fuji - Phantom Order R&D Base
Inside the high-security containment room, alarms pulsed softly. The two bodies floated in the crystal tanks, sealed in arcane symbols and tech overlays. A few scientists worked quietly at consoles. One approached Mizuno.
"Sir... their grant levels are still pulsing through the seals. Waking them could destabilize the chamber and that'll be a complete disaster."
Mizuno didn't turn.
"I see. But let me ask you something. A matter of fact it goes to all of you," he said, voice calm but commanding. "Where does Grant come from? How does it truly work in the body?"
The room went quiet.
"No one?"
A scientist stuttered, "Uh... we know it's tied to the heart and mind but—"
Mizuno raised a hand. "Typical textbook drivel."
He turned to them, eyes sharp. "Grant begins in the mind, yes. But not just any mind. One under pressure. Emotional extremes, fear, rage, grief, pain, unlock the seal. But that's only the start."
He walked to the tanks.
"The heart... the real battery. Once the mind awakens the flow, the heart maintains it. Even if the body is broken, paralyzed, maimed, if the heart beats, Grant flows."
He tapped the glass. "These two... they're anomalies. Avatars, sure. But look again. Their Grant is too refined. Not raw power, it's dense. Structured. That's mage flow."
"Mages? But their profiles are combative."
Mizuno nodded. "And that's what makes them terrifying. You know the difference between a high grant Rank-1 slayer and a high grant Rank-3 mage?"
"The slayer obviously has more Grant?" someone guessed.
"Yes, in lay-man understanding. But no," Mizuno said with a grin. "The slayer uses more. Constant output, the flow. No reserve. But mages? They hoard it. Their heart stores so much it overflows when in rest. That overflow becomes magic."
The room fell silent again. Surprised looks on their faces.
"These two… if they wake up unsupervised, they'll burn this place by accident or intentionally. That's why we start here. Underground. Controlled. So whether we wake them now or later, the effects will remain the same."
He sat in a nearby chair, fingers on his chin.
"I just hope America doesn't throw a fit about this project. Last thing I need is political noise when these two decide to move."
He glanced up at the tanks again.
"Let's just pray they wake up… sane."
JSS Headquarters, Tokyo – [1:02 PM]
The clock ticked like a countdown. Inside the office, Hado leaned back in his chair, fingers rhythmically tapping the desk.
A knock echoed.
"Enter," Hado said without looking.
Jin stepped in, always composed, but today… something was different. His posture was straight, but his eyes held tension.
"We've got a problem, sir."
Hado finally looked up. "And?"
"Kyoto surveillance team sent in a report this morning, unverified but too loud to ignore. Multiple spiritual dorms have formed in rapid succession. High-class and High-class 2 spirits are nesting… but not moving. No attacks."
Hado arched a brow. "They're waiting?"
"That's what it looks like." Jin's voice dropped lower. "It's not just Kyoto anymore. Tokyo, Yokohama, Sendai, small clusters are forming. But the core threat is in Kyoto. Something… might be forcing them into evolving."
Hado went silent for a beat. Then:
"What level?"
Jin hesitated. "Two confirmed Great spirit presence signatures near Kameoka, weak ones though. And one anomaly that vanished before we could scan it."
Hado's fingers stopped tapping.
"Get me eyes on the ground. We need to know if this is an effect another piece of the Life Scale falling… or something worse."
"Yes, sir." Jin bowed and vanished like mist through the door.
Hado stood, staring out the window. The sky over Tokyo seemed calm, but he knew better.
"First comes the silence... then the screams."
In Ome,
The moment Takami stepped through the gate, he blinked in disbelief. He stood in front of his house.
"So the gate... brings me to what I picture." He rubbed his temple, dragging himself to the door.
Inside, his mother spun around and froze, then rushed to him.
"Takami!" she cried, hugging him tight. "Where have you been? You look exhausted, like you haven't slept for a week."
"I'm fine, Mom," he said with a weak smile. "Sorry for worrying you."
She pulled back slightly, cupping his face. "Blood stains but… No new wounds… no hospital this time."
"Went with a really good healer."
She smiled faintly. "But that aside, you've changed. You're taller, you look more fit. And… you've got that look now. Like a man who's seen things."
Takami chuckled sleepily. "Tomoe and Yosuke are at school?"
She nodded.
"I'll take a shower and crash."
She let him go. "Okay. I made miso soup if you're hungry."
He didn't respond. Sleep was already calling.
Later – [6:21 PM]
Takami sat up in bed, rubbing his head. "Ugh… hangover from the mission."
He summoned a healing potion and chugged it. As warmth coursed through him, the aches eased.
Downstairs, Tomoe squealed and hugged him tight. Yosuke grinned and gave a bro handshake.
Dinner was warm, comforting… almost too normal.
But Takami couldn't shake it. That sense of imbalance in the world. Of unfinished business.
Later that night, he lay in bed, eyes open. Restless.
He picked up his phone.
1 Unread Message.
[Unknown Number]
Please don't come back. They're looking for you. The old innkeeper's being tortured, they want names. I snuck his phone to send this. You saved us... this is how I hope to repay you. Please, mister Takami. Don't come back. Stay safe.
~ The Restaurant Owner, Okutama
Takami's breath hitched. He stared at the screen. A thousand emotions boiled at once, guilt, rage, duty.
He stood up, quietly dressed, and slipped out the window into the night.
Okutama – [11:39 PM]
Military trucks blocked the road. Spotlights panned across the mountain trail. The town was locked under martial rule.
Takami approached calmly.
"Halt!" one of the soldiers barked, raising a hand. "This area's under JDF control. Turn around."
Takami didn't stop walking.
"Yo, I said halt! You deaf or something? Hello?" the soldier walked to him.
The second guard reached for his weapon but didn't pull.
Takami's figure flickered.
CRACK.
The first soldier hit the ground, unconscious. The second barely raised his rifle when Takami appeared in front of him, eyes glowing faintly with a pale yellow aura.
"Y-you shouldn't be here!" the soldier panicked.
Takami grabbed his arm, twisted, and the weapon clattered to the ground. A swift punch launched the man into the side of a truck, denting the metal.
Takami walked over slowly, the glow in his eyes intensifying.
"Where are they keeping the civilians?" he asked, voice cold, almost detached.
The soldier, trembling, pointed inside the gates. "T-The inner town... next to the shrine ruins."
Takami kept quiet, then knocked him out with a heel kick.
The streets were quiet, eerily so. Barricades stood at every alley.
He passed a house with shattered windows. Inside, an old man knelt, bruised and bloodied. Takami moved fast, went inside and bent near the man. He materialized a healing potion and gave the man to drink. The man coughed, he was still unconscious but better than before.
"They hurt them… they actually hurt them."
Takami's fists clenched tighter as he moved. His steps were silent but each carried power. He gritted his teeth.
After walking deeper in, he saw it, a circle of soldiers surrounding a man close to the inn where he'd once stayed. But it wasn't the Innkeeper.
Voices echoed.
"Talk, dammit! What's his name?!"
"I swear I don't know." A scream answered.
Takami's aura flared to life.
His voice was calm and low, but it rang in their heads clearly. "It's me…", he looked up as they turned. His eyes glowing even more under the night sky.
"How may I help you."