"Last chancesurrender and become DEM test subjects. If not"
He left the threat hanging; the meaning was obvious.
The air seemed to freeze.
Tohka and Nia looked nervously at Rei Ao; Kurumi kept her enigmatic smile; Ellen stared daggers at Westcott, eyes conflicted.
Rei Ao sighed lightly. "Finished?"
"What?" Westcott frowned.
"I asked if you'd finished your last words."
Rei Ao's rainbow pupils suddenly blazed, and with a snap of his fingers
The sound was small, yet it thundered in every mind.
In that instant, every mech outside halted.
Thenall at oncethey rotated, aiming every barrel at Westcott inside.
"What?!"
Panic flashed across Westcott's face.
"What are you doing?! The Spirits are the targetsfire!"
The machines remained still, crimson targeting lasers fixed on him.
Ellen drew a sharp breath. "They're under control!"
Westcott wheeled toward Rei Ao, true fear showing for the first time.
"What did you do?!"
Lounging on the sofa, Rei Ao crossed his legs.
"Nothing. Just borrowing the army you're so proud of."
A handy bit of mental mastery.
He gestured; every mech advanced a synchronized step, doubling the pressure.
"Looks like I'm holding the bargaining chips now."
Sweat beaded at Westcott's brow, yet he forced composure.
"Impressive power, Mr.Rei Ao. But you must realizeDEM's reach is global. Even if you kill me, the hunt for Spirits will continue."
Rei Ao shrugged.
"That's irrelevant. What matters isdo you want to stay alive now?"
Silence fell.
Westcott's mind raced. At last he exhaled and raised his hands in reluctant surrender.
"What do you want?"
Rei Ao glanced at Tohka.
"My little princess, your call."
Tohka straightened, bow still aimed.
"DEM must stop hunting Spirits. Permanently!"
Nia nodded frantically. "Yes! We just want a peaceful lifenot to keep running!"
Westcott's expression shifted subtly.
Slowly he lifted his hands higher.
"If that is your demand I agree. From today, DEM will cease all antiSpirit operations."
His tone sounded sincere, but a cold glint hid in his eyes.
"Ah."
Rei Ao suddenly laughedsending a shiver through Westcott.
"You know, Mr.Westcott?"
He rose and walked over, stopping inches away.
"I've met plenty like you."
"Outwardly yielding, inwardly plotting betrayal."
Rainbow eyes pierced deep.
"You just thought: 'Pretend to agree, then once they leave, launch a global Spirit extermination,' didn't you?"
Westcott's pupils shrank.
"How could you?"
"Because I can read minds, idiot."
Rei Ao's smile vanished, replaced by icy killing intent.
"I already gave you your chance."
~~~
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Chapter 776: Nia Honjo's House! Time to Fulfil the Deal!
Rei Ao raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers toward the ceiling.
The ElectrokinesisUser's power activated.
"BOOOOM!!"
In that split second, dark clouds rolled over the entire DEMCorporation headquarters, thunder booming overhead.
Countless bolts of lightninglike spears hurled by the godsstabbed through the building, striking every mechanical soldier and every DEM member with pinpoint accuracy.
Walls vaporized in the scorching heat, metal frames melted into glowing crimson liquid, and the alarm system was annihilated before it could even sound.
Isaac stared on in terror.
He wanted to flee, yet found his body immovableRei Ao's oppressive aura nailed him to the spot.
"NNo you can't do this! I am the master of DEM! I am"
A colossal lightning pillar more than tenmeters wide plummeted from the sky, landing squarely where Isaac stood.
Blinding white light swallowed everything, and the shockwave flattened the entire office.
When the radiance faded, DEM's headquarters no longer existedonly a smoking ruin remained.
Rei Ao stood at the center of the wreckage, a barrier of mana surrounding him and shielding four women from harm.
Lowering his hand, he watched the storm clouds scatter; sunlight poured down anew.
"Done."
He clapped the dust from his hands and turned to the four behind him.
"That settles the problem completely."
Tohka, Nia, Kurumi and Ellen stared, dumbstruck.
Just minutes ago the DEM headquarters had been imposingnow it was scorched earth.
Those fearsome mechanical soldiers and elite magicians had all been reduced to ash.
[Ding! Trade complete!]
[Ding! You have obtained the ability "Spirit Crystal Angel"Sandalphon"!]
"ThThis is way too over the top"
Nia's glasses slid to the tip of her nose; she even forgot to push them back.
Tohka swallowed hard. "Rei Ao did you really kill them all?"
Rei Ao nodded. "Every core member of DEM, Isaac included, has been eliminated.
"The rankandfile staff outside were only knocked unconscious."
He looked at Ellen. "Naturally, I made sure to leave you alive."
Ellen's face was paperwhite; her body trembled. She had just witnessed DEM's annihilationan organization she had served for years torn apart like paper before Rei Ao.
Kurumi's clockeye spun wildly; she licked her lips.
"Ara,Rei Ao-sanwhat a delightful surprise~"
Her voice quivered with irrepressible excitement.
"Such clean, decisive destruction as beautiful as a work of art."
Rei Ao chuckled. "Thanks for the compliment."
He turned to Tohka.
"Our earlier dealtime to conclude it."
Tohka's cheeks flamed; she dropped her gaze and fidgeted with her hem.
"Mm I keep my promises"
Only now did Nia snap out of her shock. Pushing up her glasses, she peered curiously at the pair.
"Wait, what deal?"
Rei Ao winked mysteriously. "It's all in the group chat."
Nia wanted to press further, but the surrounding ruin reminded her of more urgent matters.
"Uh Rei Ao, what do we do now? And herhow are you going to handle her?"
Rei Ao looked at Ellen, who instinctively stepped back.
"Ellen is now my prisoner," he declared in a tone that brooked no dissent.
"I'm going to train her personally for a while."
Seeing Ellen's mortified expression, he added, "Relax, I won't harm you."
Without further explanation he addressed the others.
"Next, how about we stay at Nia's place for the night?"
"MMy place?" Nia stammered. "But it's a mess"
"Better than sleeping on the street," Rei Ao said lightly, then glanced at Kurumi.
"Kurumi-san, would you like to join us?"
Tilting her head, Kurumi offered a meaningful smile. "Ara, is that a pickup line?"
Rei Ao admitted readily, "More or less. I'm quite interested in you, Kurumi-san."
To everyone's surprise, Kurumi did not refuse.
"Very well, I'll impose upon you~"
Curiosity sparkled in her eyes. "I'm eager to learn Rei Ao-san's secrets."
And so the group left DEM's ruins behind.
With a casual swipe, Rei Ao tore open a spatial corridor leading straight to Nia's apartment.
Upon entry, Rei Ao finally understood what Nia meant by "a mess."
The cramped flat was heaped with manga drafts, snack wrappers and dirty laundry.
Underwear lay scattered across the sofa; towers of instantnoodle bowls on the coffee table gave off dubious odors.
Through the halfopen bedroom door one could see bedding and yet more clothes piled high.
"Uh closing in on my deadline" Nia explained awkwardly, scrambling to tidy up.
When she saw Rei Ao pick up a pair of pink lace panties from the couch, her face turned scarlet.
"TThat's washed!"
Kurumi giggled behind her hand. "Nia-san certainly lives life to the fullest."
Tohka, unfazed, walked straight to the fridge. "Any food? I'm hungry."
Ellen stood in the doorway, still numb from DEM's fall, staring blankly at the scene.
After a burst of chaotic cleaning, Nia finally cleared a spot for people to sit.
Night deepened; neon lights glittered outside the window.
"Um shall we rest?" Nia suggested. "The bedroom is for the ladies;Rei Ao-san, could you sleep on the sofa?"
Rei Ao shook his head. "No. I'll use the bedroom tonight."
Seeing Nia's puzzled look, he added, "Tohka and I have a deal to finish."
Nia blinked, then her whole face flushed like a ripe apple.
"DDon't tell me you're going to in my bedroom?"
Tohka, likewise crimson, stared at the floor.
A sly gleam flashed in Kurumi's eyes. "Ara, such an exciting deal~"
Feigning innocence, she asked, "May I spectate?"
Rei Ao grinned. "Certainlyif you've got the nerve to come in."
With that he took Tohka's hand and headed for the bedroom.
Just before the door closed, he glanced back at Kurumi still standing in the living room.
"Seems Kurumi-san is a bit shy after all."
"..."
~~~
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Chapter 777: Ratatoskr reaction to the Destruction of DEM!
The door closed.
Soon, noises that could make one blush and heart race began to echo.
In the living room, Nia buried her head under a cushion, curling up on the sofa.
"Ahhhmmy ears are no longer clean"
Kurumi gave a faint snort, her figure slowly melting into the shadows.
"Out of sight, out of mind~"
Only Ellen still stood where she was, staring at the bedroom door with a complicated look.
She had no idea what she was thinkingonly that an unprecedented confusion churned inside her.
DEM Industries was in ruins; Isaac was dead.
And sheonce the deputy director of the Second Executive Divisionhad become a prisoner of the enemy.
What unsettled her even more was that she actually felt a trace of anticipation for the "training" that was about to begin.
The sounds grew louder. At last Ellen could not stand it; she turned and walked out to the balcony.
The night wind lifted her golden hair while the distant city lights sparkled like stars.
One era had ended, and she was standing on the threshold of a new one.
Dark clouds gathered across the night sky like a surging tide, swallowing most of the city's lights and leaving only scattered points of brightness flickering in the darkness.
Aboard the Fraxinus, Ratatoskr's command bridge
Cold blue light filled the space, the atmosphere so tense it felt solid.
Kotori Itsuka bit down hard on her lollipop; the crisp crack sounded especially sharp in the silence. The minty coolness burst on her tongue, yet it could not dispel her unease.
Her eyes were fixed on the main screen.
In the satellite image, the oncetowering DEM headquarters looked like a giant had stomped it flatcharred wreckage radiating an eerie aura in the night.
The bastions that had symbolized humanity's cuttingedge antispirit technology were now twisted metal and collapsed stone, silently telling of brutal destruction.
"Is it confirmed? The entire headquartersis it really gone?"
Kotori's voice carried a barely detectable tremor.
She turned to the analyst beside her, Reine Murasame. Kotori's red twin tails swayed, the ribbons at their tips flickering like flames.
Reine pushed up her glasses; the heavy dark circles under her eyes looked starker in the cold screenlight. Her voice was frighteningly calm, like a machine without emotion.
"Absolutely confirmed.
"Thermalresidue analysis shows the destruction occurred at 3:27p.m. today and lasted no longer than fifteen seconds."
She pulled up data; the numbers dancing across the display were shocking.
"All core personnel lifesignals have vanishedIsaac Westcott included."
Kotori unconsciously twirled the candy stick in her mouthher habit when thinking, each turn weighing another possibility. Beneath her white commander's uniform, her shoulders tensed.
"Any idea who did it? Destructive power on this scale"
Her words brimmed with doubt and vigilance. Ratatoskr's intelligence net was vast, yet they had no clue who caused this catastrophe.
"No known Spirit," Reine replied, summoning another data set.
The energysignature curve onscreen lay completely outside known parameters.
"The profile is nothing like a spacequakemore like pure lightning energy, at an intensity current physics can't explain."
A rare hint of emotion crept into her voice; even she, who had seen much, was shaken.
Kotori frowned. As Ratatoskr's commander she knew every documented Spirit and magic detail by heart, yet a being that could level DEM HQ in five seconds was an utter phantom to her.
"There's one more thing," Reine added, fingers flying over the keys.
The display switched to a blurry video clip.
"Ground stations report that a Spirit codenamed 'Princess' appeared in the area a few hours before DEM was destroyed."
"Princess?" Kotori sat bolt upright, surprise flashing in her eyes. "The new Spirit who appeared and vanished mysteriously a few days ago?"
She remembered that Spirit well; now it seemed she was entwined with this cataclysm.
Reine nodded. "The same one.
"Strangest of all, our sensors caught her having brief contact with an unidentified individual just before the destruction."
On screen, a violethaired girl stood beside a blackhaired young man. Their figures were stark against the night. Before their faces or actions could be discerned, heavy interference blanketed the imagestatic blooming as though to conceal some secret.
Kotori stared at the blurred male figure, confusion flickering in her crimson eyes.
"That manMagnify his face for analysis."
"We've tried," Reine admitted, a rare crack in her composure. "Every recognition algorithm fails.
"It's as if some force is preventing us from seeing him."
Even the world's most advanced Spiritmonitoring systemand Reine's own abilitieswere powerless.
A chill crawled up Kotori's spine; she felt invisible eyes watching them from the dark. Still, she was commanderdecisions had to be made.
"Keep tracking the Princess's whereabouts," she ordered, voice firm.
"Raise the ship to maximum alert.
"I have a feeling the world is about to change beyond recognition."
Her gaze returned to the ruins on the screen. A nameless dread welled up within her.
A colossal storm was brewing
and they were about to be swept into its heart.
~~~
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Chapter 778: Kurumi's Resolved!
On the other side of the city
