Civilians ran down the streets of Tokyo as an army of knights marched down the street, greatswords in hand.
"For the Endless! Endless shall Reign!"
One woman tripped over a blade, and the knight attempted to stab her. Before he could, a large van formed around him, trapping him in place.
"What the hell?"
The other knights looked around, confused, before bits of their bodies began to disappear piece by piece.
"We're under attack!" one gasped. "Find the bastard!"
A flicker of movement appeared above them, and they noticed a black-clad figure holding out a hand.
"Jugen-Metsusha: Rei Myaku Shuryūdan!"
A large barrage of bombs formed over the knights, reducing them to nothingness in an instant. When the woman looked up, she noticed Zan and Yūto standing over her.
"Who…who are you?"
"I'm Zan," he introduced. "Kaidanchōō of Dokkōdan. This here is one of my most talented members, Yūto."
Yūto gave a wave.
"What happened to the other Kaidanchō?" the woman asked.
"They've failed you, and they hid, scurrying like rats. But don't worry, Dokkōdan is here to keep you safe."
A goblin attempted to lunge at her, but Zan erased it with a bomb.
"Now then, let us get you outta here, shall we?"
They helped her up and led her away from the streets, and Zan briefly turned his head before leaving.
Meanwhile, inside the Kaitansha HQ, Hayate watched the Tokyo feed, with Omariro and Marin next to him.
"You see this crap?" Hayate exclaimed. "These thugs are pretending to be the good guys!"
"It is a very unfortunate situation," Marin admitted. "With them discrediting the reputation of the Kaidanchō, and several of our own still missing for over a month, we have little leeway to act."
"Then you know what we must do, no?" Hayate told her.
"Yes. We must retrieve the other Kaidanchō, even if we have to use force to do so."
"The question remains where they could be hiding…" Hayate murmured. "All of our resources have failed to locate any of them."
"We should start with the lowest risk asset first. May I start looking into any leads on Kaoru's location?"
Hayate nodded. "That could prove useful. Omariro, do you think you can bring them in?"
Omariro grunted and left the room.
"Well," Hayate remarked. "That was something."
"I'm sure he means yes," Marin assured him. "Either that or a hard no. Regardless. I shall be off to work on that, now."
She left, leaving Hayate to analyze the feed.
"Dokkōdan…why now? Why here?"
Elsewhere—-
An older couple was busy cooking steak and rice in a small home, with a music player playing a soft tune as the oven ran.
Sitting on the living room sofa was Kaoru, who was busy painting a picture of the Pacific Ocean.
"Honey, are you ready to eat?" her mom asked.
"Yeah, one second, Mom!"
She put the finishing touches on her painting before setting it down and heading for the kitchen.
On the table was her food, fresh and waiting for her. Her parents sat on either side of her as she dug into her food.
"So, how have you been, darling?" her dad asked. "When you asked us to move in so abruptly, we'd almost thought you'd come across trouble!"
"Kinda…" Kaoru admitted. "It's…a lot."
"You can share with us, honey," her mom assured. "By the way, how is your squad doing? That Eikaidan or whatever group?"
"It's called Kōkaidan, Mom," Kaoru corrected. "And it's disbanded."
"Goodness me! But why?"
"I failed. We all did. The Huntress killed almost all my rookies, and then those dungeon freaks unleashed a trap that brought all the monsters into the world. If that wasn't enough, even Sir Nyugawa has Heralds with unfathomable power looking for him. It's all too much, Mom."
Her parents remained silent for a long while.
"I understand," her dad stated. "You are only 19, after all. It's a lot of pressure for someone so young, especially after your brother—-"
Kaoru cleared her throat. "Dad."
"Right. Sorry."
"Anyways. They've still got Gakuto, Atsushi, and Sir Nyugawa. They do not need me. At all."
Her dad took a bite out of his steak. "If that was true, they'd have kicked you out a long time ago. Sure, you may not be some legend who can turn into a dragon at will, but you're still one of the strongest Kaitansha on the planet!"
"Yes, and what of your other members?" her mom added. "You can't just abandon them out of the blue!"
"They'll find someone else, Mom. It's for the best."
Kaoru continued eating her food as the parents shared a look. The dad leaned in to whisper to his wife.
"She'll come around. She just needs time."
The rest of the dinner went by silently, and when Kaoru was finished, her mom gently grabbed her arm. "Kaoru. Have you seen your sister lately?"
Kaoru shook her head. "Haven't seen her since Kazuki died."
"Ah. Well, tell her we'd like to have her over for dinner soon."
"I will, Mom."
She left the house, shutting the door behind her. Once she made sure they weren't looking, she followed a trail to a nearby shed, opening the door.
"Okay…in, and out."
Inside was a trapdoor that led to a basement, and next to it was a bag of food. "Right on time."
She opened the trapdoor, taking the food down with her. The basement was dark, cold, and filled with dripping sounds. Kaoru flicked a nearby light, revealing a man restrained to the wall by chains. He was tattered and beaten.
"Sister," the man remarked. "Come to jest at my situation some more?"
"Shut up and take this," Kaoru snapped, tossing the bag at his feet. "It's all you get."
He used his foot to slide the bag into his hand, looking inside. "A cup of rice and half a bottle of water? Wow. Barely enough to keep me alive."
Kaoru glared at him. "Be glad you're alive at all, after all you've done."
"Heh. I wonder what Mom and Dad would think of you and Kana keeping me stashed away down here."
"They won't know. They think you're dead."
"Then what of your Kaitansha buddies? The Kaidanchō, Nyugawa, all of them?"
"I quit," she hissed. "And they'll never find you down here, so good luck."
She turned on her heel.
"Such a bluffer," he mocked. "My friends will come for me."
"Then they'll be right here with you."
She left, leaving Kazuki alone.
Achi, Nagano—-
Sōshin sped Han along the pathway to Achi Village, stopping when it came into view. Omariro appeared next to them.
"Sir," Han questioned. "Which Kaidanchō are we tracking?"
"Girl," Omariro replied.
"That's very…vague."
Sōshin pointed to a hot spring nearby. "Ooh! A pool!"
Before he could take off, Han grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Not a pool. Sir, where should we start?"
"Locals," Omariro answered. "Hold information."
A few locals were gathered near an inn, playing music and sharing snacks. Omariro immediately appeared next to them, and they all jumped back.
"Gah!"
"Is girl here?"
One of the locals immediately recognized him, covering her mouth. "You—you're the Legendary Kaitansha!"
The other two quickly pulled out their phones to take pictures as Han and Sōshin caught up.
"Ooh, he's brought company!" one commented.
"Are you planning to stay a while?" the other spoke. "We can give you the biggest room in our inn!"
"Stay not needed. Came for girl."
"Girl?" the first local questioned. "Sir, you'll have to be a bit more specific."
"Kaoru," Omariro said.
"Oh! I haven't seen Kaidanchō Tsukishima around here in a minute. Maybe try her parents' house?"
"Reveal location."
She pointed far into the distance, indicating the most remote house in the village. "Over there."
Omariro took Han and Sōshin and disappeared, leaving the locals stunned. By the time Han could blink, they were near the aforementioned house.
"Do we just…knock?" Han wondered.
Without giving a response, Omariro banged his stick on the door, and the mother opened it.
"Ah. Do my eyes deceive me?"
"Woman," Omariro stated. "In need of daughter."
"Omariro Nyugawa at our doorstep? Honey, honey! Come quickly!"
Her dad popped up, examining Omariro. "It truly is you! Sir, our daughter is a huge fan! Both of them!"
"Daughter is where?"
"You just missed her, but you're welcome to come inside and have some snacks! Here, our treat!"
Before Omariro could protest, the two hurried him and his students inside.
The couple wasted no time seating them at the dining table and pushing bowls of rice and ramen before them.
"Here are some leftovers we made," her mom explained. "My name is Karin, and this is my husband, Kanon."
"Irrelevant," Omariro scoffed.
"Erm, I'm Han," Han introduced. "This is Sōshin, he's our youngest teammate."
Sōshin began digging into his food.
"And apparently the most naïve," Han thought. "I hope this food is clean."
"May we ask why you requested our daughter?" Kanon remarked.
"Woman called back," Omariro told him. "Trouble in Japan."
"Ah. So that crisis she was venting about. It must have gotten worse."
"Yep!" Sōshin confirmed. "People are on curfews now!"
"Fortunately our village hasn't been affected," Karin said, relieved. "But I worry for those people, and my daughter. Those deaths have clearly affected her. She's always been holding in so much trauma."
"The bubbly girl?" Han questioned. "The one who's always smiling?"
Karin nodded. "She and her siblings grew up abused by their brother. He was my son from another marriage. Eventually, it got so bad that they killed him in self-defense. She's never recovered since then."
"That poor girl…" Han whispered. "But wait, why would she come back here, then?"
"It's her only home. Remote enough that you wouldn't be able to find her. But clearly we were all mistaken. How did you locate her, after all?"
"Woman not slick."
"He used his Jugen!" Sōshin blurted out. "It tracked her lifeforce down!"
"Incredible," Kanon gawked. "Even though you're much older than us, you're still far from washed."
Sōshin finished his food. "Time for me to look for Kaoru!"
"Yeah, I'll come too," Han added. "Sir, are you coming?"
"Go. Attention will follow me."
"Okay."
The two boys left the house as Karin examined Han's plate. "That boy didn't even eat his food…"
Outside—-
Han formed his cube. "Man, it feels good to do that again. Cube! Scan for solutions!"
[Scanning…]
It suddenly dinged.
[*1* Solution Found.]
"Use it!"
The cube flashed a light blue beam, which lit up some faint footprints leading to the faraway shed.
"Footprints?" Han wondered. "Sōshin, come on."
Sōshin followed Han as they approached the shed. Han tried to open it, but it was locked shut.
"Hmm. Stand back, Sōshin."
Han formed his watch and fired a wire into the shed. Once he retracted it, the wound gave way and pulled the door open, revealing the trapdoor hidden behind it.
"Just as I thought," Han muttered. "A basement. Sōshin, you think you can do the honors?"
Sōshin touched the wood. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Densō—Dai-ni Giyā!"
The wood began vibrating so fast that it splintered and snapped, breaking the lock. "Done!"
The duo dropped into the basement, making as little noise as possible as they advanced. Sōshin bumped into Han, causing them both to fall down the stairs.
"Ow!"
"Sorry, Friend Han!"
An unfamiliar voice spoke.
"Is someone there?"
Han reformed his cube, shining a flashlight on Kazuki, who blinked a few times. "Huh. You two aren't the friends I was expecting…"
"Who are you?" Han asked.
"Not now," Kazuki replied. "Find somewhere to hide before they come back—-!"
THUD.
A painful object struck both Sōshin and Han in the back of the head, causing them to fall to the ground and black out.
As Han lost consciousness, he could see the frame of two women standing over him.
"What do we do with them, Sis?"
"We can't have any liabilities, Kaoru. No witnesses."
"Right."
And then, it all went black.
——