Back in the universe, Paulo is unsure of what to do with the Oni bodies.
"I advise we restore them as our soldiers to fight up against threats," Yuki remarked after returning.
Paulo went on to say, "I can resurrect them as a cosmic soldier because my cosmic green revive is a duplicate ability that I first cloned." Then Yuki enquires as to how each skill functions.
Paulo then went on to say, "Cosmic extraction is the first skill. I can extract a dead soul from a corpse using this power skill, which is triggered by the command "Arise." success based on how strong I am in comparison to the aim. to construct cosmic soldiers out of fallen people, even though failure destroys the soul."
"You mentioned skills, but that's just one," Maki continued. With a sigh, Paulo replied, "You stupid, you have about four skills. I'll explain the rest."
Paulo continued, "Cosmic Storage is my second kill. It enables me to contain his whole army inside my own Soul, making the soldiers weightless and invisible until I call upon them."
"Cosmic Exchange is my third skill," Paulo continued. "It is perfect for travel, ambushes, and, if needed, fleeing danger because it enables me to immediately teleport by switching positions with any of my cosmic troops."
Paulo continued, "Cosmic Preservation is the last skill I copied from this set. By drawing a dying cosmic soldier into my soul before it is destroyed, it enables me to save it. Later, when it is fully restored, I can summon it again and keep an army that will never die unless it is destroyed forever."
"That's cool, so which skill are you going to use?" Yuki asked. Then Paulo added, "The first one."
Then Paulo added, "The first skill." He held up his arm. "ARISE!" Around them, green energy burst into a storm-like swirl. With his eyes now blazing with cosmic fire, the Oni's body rose from the earth.
The Oni's spirit was restrained; it was no longer free or human. Punishment forged a soldier. Paulo, however, was exerting so much energy without taking any breaks, so he passed out.
Yuki said, "Wake up, My beloved," and Maki and Yuki hurried to Paulo's side in concern. "You're down bad, but I respect that," Maki said after giving her a quick glance.
***
Paulo's eyes fluttered open, but the world around him was unfamiliar.
He was not in his bedroom, nor anywhere on the world. He stood in a vast chamber suspended in the sky, surrounded by towering celestial pillars that shimmered with cosmic energy.
The floor below him was translucent, revealing swirling galaxies far below. The air pulsed with power, and yet Paulo felt strangely lucid, as if he were both present and absent.
Then, without warning, his body stiffened. His limbs moved, but not by his will. His voice echoed, but not from his own thoughts. "This isn't a dream," Paulo whispered in his mind. "This is a memory… someone else's memory."
A voice rang out behind him, deep and commanding.
"Radiation Monarch… your time draws near. You are the oldest among us. The cycle demands your end." Paulo turned slowly, and there stood Antares, the Monarch of Dragons.
His form was regal and terrifying, scales of obsidian and gold, eyes like burning stars. His wings folded behind him, and his hands were clasped behind his back.
"Antares…" Paulo muttered, stunned. "He is real. I have read about him in the ancient texts… but this, this is before my time." Then Paulo heard his own voice speak again, but it was not his own, it was the voice of the Cosmic King, the Monarch of Radiation. "I've already prepared for my departure," the Cosmic King said calmly. "I have chosen a mortal vessel. His name is Paulo Satoshi."
Paulo's dream-state self-gasped. "Me? I am the vessel?"
Antares stepped forward, his tone sharp. "A mortal? Do you expect a fragile human to contain your power? Without safeguards, he will disintegrate before he even awakens."
The Cosmic King's eyes narrowed, glowing with ancient wisdom. "I have accounted for that. He will be bound by five limitations, each designed to protect him… and to evaluate him."
Antares scoffed, his voice rising. "Five? That is all? Do you think your power is so tame it can be contained by five seals? You underestimate yourself, Cosmic King."
The Cosmic King flinched slightly, then steadied himself. "These limitations are not trivial. Each requires immense sacrifice and strength to break. Only when he is ready will they fall."
Antares turned his back, his tail flicking with irritation. "Then tell me. What are these five trials? And are they truly worth the pain they demand?" The Cosmic King placed a hand on Antares's shoulder, his voice solemn.
"The first limitation will shatter only when he dies for the first time. In that moment, he will awaken my cosmic aura… and the Eye of Eternity." Antares's expression darkened.
"You are saying he must die to access your power? That is twisted, even for you." Paulo's dream-self froze. "I… I already died. On Earth. I took my own life. That means… I have already broken the first seal."
The Cosmic King continued, walking slowly toward Paulo's suspended body.
"The second limitation will break when Paulo and his cosmic soldiers reach a combined power level of around 250 million. When it breaks, he will gain additional copy slots and expanded summon storage. He will know it has shattered when he relives this memory."
Antares nodded, his tone more thoughtful. "That is a fair trial. It demands unity and strength. But the third?" The Cosmic King's voice grew colder. "He must slay over one hundred million evil souls. Only then will he unlock the ability to wield future sight."
Antares's eyes flared. "Future sight? You would give a mortal the power to see beyond time? That is madness. You risk destabilizing the balance."
Paulo chuckled in his dream-state, unheard by the monarchs. "Guess I'm going to be a problem for the universe."
The Cosmic King smirked. "Limitation four will fall when Paulo reaches a power level of 2.5 trillion. At that point, he will gain the ability to copy forms, any form he witnesses, mortal or divine."
Antares raised an eyebrow. "You laugh, but this is dangerous. If he copies the wrong form, he could unravel himself." The Cosmic King's tone softened as they reached Paulo's body, suspended in a glowing cocoon of starlight.
"The final limitation… will only break when all others have fallen. He must reach a power level of one trillion… and then, he must die once more. A final death. Only then will the seal be broken, and he will transcend mortality."
Antares's voice was quiet now, almost reverent. "So, he must die… to be reborn as a god." The Cosmic King nodded. "Yes. Only through death can he ascend. Only through pain can he become the new Monarch of Radiation."
The chamber began to darken. The memory faded. Paulo felt himself being pulled back, the voices of the monarchs echoing in his mind. "Five trials… five deaths… five awakenings."
As the dream collapsed into shadow, Paulo awoke in his mortal body, drenched in sweat, heart pounding. "I'm not just Paulo Satoshi anymore," he whispered. "I am something more. Something ancient. And my trials… have only just begun."
Paulo then woke up to Yuki hugging him while surrounded by his summons. he then got a phone call from Saya which confuses him, but Paulo did not know what hell happened earlier on Earth.
***
13 hours ago. The sun dipped low behind the jagged rooftops of Keiko City, casting long, bleeding shadows across the alleyways.
The air was thick with the scent of rain-soaked concrete and distant traffic, the city humming with its usual indifference.
Ava walked alone, her footsteps soft against the cracked pavement, her school bag slung loosely over one shoulder.
Saya and Tsuki had split off earlier, heading toward the station, leaving Ava to take her usual shortcut home, a narrow alley tucked between two aging buildings, where the light barely reached and silence clung like fog.
She did not notice the figure waiting in the shadows.
Riku Masusa, a senior from Keiko High, stepped forward with a smile that did not reach his eyes. His presence was wrong, too still, too quiet. "Hey, Ava. Walking alone again?"
Before she could respond, a sharp sting pierced her neck. Her vision blurred instantly. Her knees buckled. The world tilted sideways. And then, darkness. The school buzzed with its usual chaos, but something was off.
Ava arrived with a strange smile, her eyes glassy, her voice unnaturally sweet. She clung to Riku's arm like a doll, laughing at his jokes, her movements robotic. She did not mention Paulo. Did not even flinch at his name.
Tsuki leaned in, whispering to Saya, "She is not herself. Look at her eyes. That is not Ava." Saya's jaw clenched, her grip tightening around her phone. "Something is wrong. We need to call Paulo. Now."
***
Back at where Paulo is currently. A rift then tore open in the air before him, glowing with cosmic light and humming with ancient energy.
He turned to Maki, his expression unreadable. "Defend the fort. I will be back."
Maki nodded, her blade already drawn. "Don't die again." Paulo stepped through the portal.
He arrived at the Keiko graveyard, the air cold and still. Mist curled around the tombstones like ghostly fingers.
The sky above was bruised with twilight, and the silence was deafening.
Paulo stood alone, his presence warping the space around him, the ground beneath his feet pulsing faintly with cosmic energy.
He dialled Saya. "Bring Alexis and Tsuki. Meet me here." Minutes later, the trio arrived. Saya ran to him first, tears in her eyes, throwing her arms around him.
"I missed you, idiot." Paulo smirked faintly, his voice low. "I've only been semi-dead for a while." Saya smacked his shoulder playfully. "Don't joke about that."
Alexis stepped forward, eyes wide. "You look… different." Paulo's gaze was distant, his tone colder. "I am."
Then they heard footsteps. Ava and Riku emerged from the mist, Ava clinging to him, her expression blank. Riku's smirk was smug, his posture arrogant. He thought he had won.
Paulo's eyes darkened. In a blink, he vanished. Riku turned, confused, only to find Paulo behind him. With one brutal motion, Paulo punched through Riku's skull, the force snapping bone and silence alike.
The sound echoed through the graveyard like thunder. Riku's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless. Ava gasped, stumbling back.
Paulo stepped toward her, his hand glowing with green light. He placed it gently over her head.
"Copy: cure." A surge of energy pulsed through her. Her body trembled.
Her eyes widened. Her breath caught. And then, recognition. "Paulo?" she whispered, voice cracking.
She tackled him, sobbing, clutching him like he was the last star in her sky. "You came back. You really came back."
Paulo held her close, his voice low and steady. "I could not stay away. But I cannot be here long. I only came to kill a pest."
He turned to Riku's corpse, eyes glowing with divine fury. "You'll be better as a cosmic soldier, you drugging prick."
He raised his arm. "ARISE!" Green energy exploded around them, swirling like a storm.
Riku's body lifted from the ground, his eyes now glowing with cosmic fire. His soul was bound, no longer human, no longer free. A soldier forged from punishment.
Paulo opened another portal, the rift humming with power, its edges flickering like lightning. "If you want to experience war, follow me. If you want peace, stay here. But know this, death follows me."
Ava hugged Paulo from behind, her voice was trembling as she spoke. "We are coming with you, Paulo. My Paulo."
As they stepped toward the portal, Maki Sato appeared on the other side, her blade resting on her shoulder, her eyes sharp and unreadable.
Ava's smile faltered, her grip tightening. "Who is she, Paulo-Kun?" Paulo patted her head gently, his voice calm. "She's, my companion. I killed Maki once. Then summoned her back. She was Ghostface. Not anymore."
Ava's jealousy melted into awe. She nodded, gripping his hand tighter. Together, they stepped through the portal.
Riku's reborn form dissolved into Paulo's shadow, waiting to be summoned again. And as the portal closed behind them, the graveyard fell silent once more, its mist curling back into the earth, its secrets buried again.
***
As the portal sealed behind them with a thunderous hum, Paulo, Ava, Saya, Alexis, and Tsuki stepped into the otherworld, a realm stitched together by cosmic winds and fractured stars.
The sky above shimmered with violet clouds, and the ground beneath their feet pulsed with ancient energy.
Towering spires of obsidian and glowing crystal surrounded them, forming the skeleton of a new base still under construction.
Maki stood at the centre, overseeing the finishing touches with a blade strapped to her back and a quiet intensity in her eyes.
Around her, the rest of Paulo's resurrected army moved with purpose: Akikage, Haruka, Yurei, Hiro, Minako, all once Oni, now reborn as cosmic soldiers under Paulo's command.
The air was thick with tension, curiosity, and something else, something darker.
Paulo stepped forward, his voice calm but commanding. "Before we move forward, we need to know each other. Introductions. Now."
He turned to face the group, his golden-green eyes glowing faintly. "I'm Paulo Satoshi,"
He began. "I am from Earth. I died once. I came back stronger. I fight for balance, and for the people I love."
Akikage stepped up next, his silver hair catching the light. "Akikage Shirogane. I was a male Oni. Paulo ended my life but gave me a new one. I serve him now, as a cosmic soldier."
Haruka followed, her crimson eyes sharp. "Haruka Yurei. Female Oni. I was chaos once. Paulo ended me. Now I fight for order."
Yurei stepped forward, their voice echoing with dual tones. "Yurei Mori. I was both a male and female Oni. Paulo destroyed me. Then rebuilt me. I owe him everything."
Hiro cracked his knuckles, his grin fierce. "Hiro Yamamoto. Male Oni. I was a monster. Paulo made me a warrior."
Minako bowed slightly, her voice soft but firm. "Minako Kanamoto. Female Oni. I was lost. Paulo gave me purpose."
Maki stepped up, her gaze unwavering. "Maki Satō. Ghostface assassin. Paulo killed me. Best thing that ever happened. Now I fight beside him."
Saya stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly. "Saya Yamamoto. I was Paulo's classmate. I watched him fall. I thought I lost him forever."
Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Yamamoto? Same last name. Different worlds. Strange… but kind of cool."
Tsuki smiled faintly. "Tsuki Ishikawa. I was Ava's and Saya's classmate. Paulo's death broke us. But now… we are here."
Ava stepped forward, her voice quiet. "Ava Amani. I was Paulo's girlfriend. Before Riku stole my memories. Before everything changed."
Yuki's eyes narrowed, her wings twitching. She stepped forward, her voice sharp and loud. "HEY, AVA. I'M YUKI FUJIMOTO. I'M A TENGU AND AN EVOLVED ONI. YOU USED TO BE PAULO'S LOVER. BUT THAT'S MY ROLE NOW. I WILL NEVER LIKE YOU. YOU WERE HIS BELOVED BEFORE ME."
The air snapped with tension. Ava's eyes widened, but her voice remained soft. "I am sorry, Yuki. I do not want Paulo anymore. I lost most of my memories of him… because of Riku."
Yuki's eyes darkened further, her aura flaring. "That bastard. Summon him, Paulo. I want to kill him a thousand times over. No one hurts people you care about."
Ava stepped back, stunned. "Yuki… why? Why waste time? He is already dead."
Yuki's voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Does not mean I do not want him to suffer. You are like a sister to me now, Ava. Remember that. I will protect you." Suddenly, the ground trembled.
Paulo raised his hand, summoning a surge of cosmic energy. Shadows twisted behind him, and Riku's form emerged, reborn, glowing with green fire, his eyes hollow. Yuki did not wait.
She launched forward, her wings slicing the air, her blade drawn. "YOU TOOK HER MEMORIES. YOU TOOK HER PEACE."
Riku barely had time to react before Yuki's blade tore through him. Again. And again. Each strike fuelled by rage, by grief, by love twisted into fury.
The others watched in stunned silence as Yuki screamed, her attacks relentless. Paulo did not stop her. He let her purge the pain. When she finally collapsed to her knees, panting, Riku's body was shredded, but still alive, bound by Paulo's power.
Paulo stepped forward, placing a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "Enough. He is yours now. But he serves me." Yuki nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you… for letting me feel it."
Ava knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around her. "You are not alone, Yuki. I remember enough to know… Paulo never stopped caring."
Paulo turned to the group, his voice rising. "This is our team. This is our war. We fight not just for survival, but for redemption.
For vengeance. For love." The sky above cracked with thunder. And the war began.