Only a few days had passed since the world was saved from absolute annihilation, and yet, the ensuing silence was even more tense than the battle itself.
Although ordinary humans had forgotten the events of that night thanks to the dissolution of the Dark Hour, the supernatural factions had not.
---
The Underworld – Grigori
In a vast hall adorned with floating screens and mystical documents, Azazel, the leader of the Fallen Angels, read in complete silence the official report issued by the demon faction.
Beside him, Barakiel, serious and somber, slowly lowered the document and murmured:
"Nyx, the manifestation of humanity's desire for the end? This is no common threat, Azazel... this is existential."
"And the worst part," replied Azazel, with his typical weary tone, yet not lacking seriousness, "is that it wasn't caused by Heaven, nor Hell... It was a human error. An error the Kirijo Group tried to bury."
Michael and Uriel were discussing with concern. The consequences of such a manifestation were on their radar, and the records on Nyx—though fragmented—confirmed its transcendental nature.
"This was not just a dimensional aberration. It is an archetypal force," expressed Uriel. "An incarnation of the collective unconscious."
"And its arrival was not random," affirmed Michael, frowning. "The trigger was human. A miscalculated experiment..."
The reactions were the same: alerts, discussions, diplomatic protests.
Every pantheon leader demanded explanations. If something so colossal could appear, then their own worlds were not safe.
Many of them identified Daniel as the one who stopped the Fall, but still... who was the cause of all this?
The answer was becoming increasingly clear:
> Kirijo Group.
The doors of the ancestral Kirijo complex opened solemnly before two figures of undeniable importance.
Serafall Leviathan, dressed in a formal robe but maintaining her characteristic electric air.
And beside her, Sirzechs Lucifer, with an imposing yet peaceful presence, a symbol of diplomacy and power.
They were greeted by Mitsuru's father, Takeharu Kirijo, along with a retinue of assistants.
"Lord Lucifer. Lady Leviathan. It is an honor to receive you," he greeted with a controlled bow.
Sirzechs wasted no time.
"Lord Kirijo. We need answers. The factions demand an explanation of how something like Nyx was unleashed upon humanity. And all paths point to the Kirijo Group's experiments."
Takeharu did not flinch. He knew this moment would come.
"I understand. I will not hide from the truth. The Kirijo Group made unforgivable mistakes... and my daughter is now paying the price by helping to remedy them."
Serafall crossed her arms, less patient.
"What we want to know is why the factions were never notified about the existence of something like the Dark Hour. Why hide such a dangerous failed experiment?"
Takeharu lowered his gaze.
"Because it was not just an experiment. It was scientific arrogance. A quest to control the unknowable...
Nyx was not summoned, but attracted. And when we realized the mistake, it was too late."
There was a heavy silence. Sirzechs sighed.
"The world was saved... but not without consequences. These kinds of mistakes cannot be repeated."
Serafall shot him a sharp look, with no trace of her eccentric personality.
"The other pantheons are demanding compensation. And some are already investigating internally if there are similar experiments within their own domains. This situation could destabilize the peace between factions."
Takeharu nodded solemnly.
"Then I will cooperate. We will share the records of the Nyx Project. And Mitsuru, along with her team and the young Daniel... will be able to respond from the field if necessary. I seek no excuses. I only want... to make sure it never happens again."
In the infirmary of Kuoh Academy, Daniel slept peacefully, unaware that his name was already circulating among the leaders of the supernatural world.
And not as a threat...
But as the human who faced Nyx... and lived to tell the tale.
But now that the supernatural world knew of his existence...
The peace would not last long.
The days passed more quietly since Daniel woke up, at least on the surface.
He was no longer in critical condition, though he still had to rest. The wounds were deep, and his body was still adapting to the side effects of the battle and the 'gifts' from Philemon.
But while his body healed... the hearts around him were in conflict.
Mitsuru Kirijo, the always elegant, cold, and rational leader of SEES... was not well.
Ever since Daniel opened his eyes and smiled with that mix of calm and warmth, something inside her had changed.
Every time she saw him talking to one of his girlfriends, smiling at them, holding their hands, or even laughing with Tamamo... an uncomfortable warmth rose in her chest. And it wasn't magic.
*It's not envy... I'm just worried about his health... that's all,* she repeated to herself.
One lie after another. The truth was obvious: she was falling in love.
Even worse, Yukari was too.
Yukari Takeba, for her part, wasn't handling it much better.
She was pure emotion. She didn't overthink it, she simply felt.
And lately... she felt she wanted to be near Daniel all the time.
She found herself talking to him more sweetly, looking for excuses to get close, she had even hurried a couple of times to give him water or adjust his pillows... only to find that one of his girlfriends had already done it.
But today... today was the last straw.
Alya, one of Daniel's girls, entered the infirmary with a radiant smile. She carried a box with homemade food she had prepared herself.
"Daniel, look what I made for you! Your favorite food," she said in a honeyed tone.
But before she reached the bed, Yukari stepped in with a nervous but firm smile.
"E-eh, don't you think he shouldn't eat so soon? Mikado said his diet needed to be controlled..."
"And you're the nurse now?" Alya replied, raising an eyebrow.
And as if choreographed, Tamamo rose from her seat, her ears twitching with irritation.
"Since when do you decide what he can eat?"
"I'm not deciding anything! I just...! I'm taking care of him too!"
"Too?" Hibiki intervened with an icy smile. "Since when are you his girlfriend?"
Yukari blushed completely.
"I didn't say I...! Just...!"
Daniel, from his bed, watched it all with an anime-style sweatdrop trickling down his temple, his soul slowly leaving his body.
"Can I... at least... have the jelly?"
*This is chaos. Totally improper. Unacceptable...
Why do I feel like standing up and telling them that I want to be close to him too?*
And although Mitsuru said nothing, her icy expression wasn't enough to hide what was going through her mind.
Yukari knew it. The competition wasn't just with the girlfriends... it was with Mitsuru too.
Daniel's girls noticed everything, of course. The furtive glances, the awkward gestures, the tension.
But they weren't cruel. They just wanted Daniel to recover.
So, for now, they ignored it all... but the peace was fragile. Very fragile.
And there he was. Injured, exhausted, lying down... and slowly becoming the center of a multicolored war of jealousy.
"Ddraig... help me... before someone dies..."
"I can't, partner. I'm enjoying the drama. This is better than an Underworld soap opera."
Daniel sighed.
And this, when he just woke up...
While Daniel still rested under the watchful eyes of his girlfriends (and under the growing tension between them and certain SEES girls), the supernatural world boiled with rumors, political pressure, and intense diplomatic meetings.
In the Underworld, Heaven, Grigori, and in the sacred temples of each of the great pantheons—Norse, Hindu, Egyptian, Shinto, and more—leaders gathered with concern.
The "Night of the Fall" was not a minor phenomenon. The energies released were so intense they left mystical traces in space-time, causing disruptions in the energy flow of several dimensions.
It was impossible to completely cover up what had happened, so a convincing explanation was needed.
The demon faction, led by Sirzechs and Serafall, issued an official report before all factions:
> "The responsible party for creating the system that allowed the Dark Hour was the former Kirijo Group, now dissolved with its leader deceased. However, we have discovered evidence of infiltration by hostile elements from the supernatural world, led by the fallen angel Kokabiel. He took advantage of human ignorance to sow the seed of the Fall and lead the world to its end."
This statement was met with a mix of relief and tension.
Humans were not exempt from blame, but since the true mastermind, Takeharu Kirijo's father, no longer existed, the major charges faded away.
Takeharu was posthumously judged for cooperating in the early stages of the experiment. Mitsuru was granted full exoneration, officially recognized as a heroine and an active part of the team that saved the world.
And as expected, the eyes of all factions fell upon Daniel.
The man who had done the impossible.
A Red Dragon Emperor off the scale, with power rivaling primordial gods, a mastery of abilities never seen before, and above all... with an aura that made even leaders of ancient clans tremble.
His story was already circulating in hushed tones in every corner of the supernatural world.
And with it... came the diplomatic proposals.
In a rather peculiar twist, Daniel began to receive letters.
Letters with seals from temples, kingdoms, clans, pantheons... and expensive perfumes.
—"On behalf of Princess Vishaka of the Hindu Pantheon, we offer a matrimonial alliance in recognition of the hero who stopped the Fall."
—"The Vanir House of Asgard wishes to formally present Lady Sigryn as a potential consort for the Crimson Dragon."
—"The Celestial Empire wishes to open talks for a future union with the maiden Baihua, a direct descendant of the celestial dragon line."
Some letters were more formal, others outright romantic and some... oddly seductive.
Even the Valkyries, famous for their pride, sent a gift with protective runes engraved by hand and a signed photo of one of their most beautiful warriors. Just "as a token of goodwill," of course.
Meanwhile, Daniel remained bedridden, unaware of the political storm brewing around his name.
Ddraig, who had awakened alongside him, already sensed it.
"Get ready, partner. You may have saved the world... but now you'll have to survive the true hell: diplomacy, politics... and suitors."
Daniel just sighed, with a slight shiver running down his spine.
He still didn't know what awaited him when he returned to class...
Nor the international harem that was coming his way.
With the echoes of the Fall still resonating in the memory of the supernatural world, Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan, having now navigated the diplomatic wave that involved clarifying the Kirijo Group's responsibilities, could finally breathe... if only for a short while.
Now, a new problem loomed on the horizon.
The number one priority for all factions was clear:
Locate and neutralize Kokabiel.
That fallen angel, the shadowy architect of the global disaster, remained free.
His trail was an elusive ghost.
Azazel, the leader of Grigori, had activated all his contacts, even magical and demonic surveillance networks, but had obtained no results.
> "Not a trace of his energy. It's as if he vanished," murmured Azazel, his brow furrowed in the Underworld conference room.
Nor did the "gifts" Daniel had left behind help:
Surgal and other fallen angels captured during his multiple missions.
They were all locked in magically reinforced cells... but uselessly.
Each one of them, when interrogated about Kokabiel or his location, died instantly, their bodies exploding in a dark, sickly glow.
Automatic death seals.
Serafall gritted her teeth.
> "Tsk... Kokabiel never left loose ends. He planned this to ensure no one could follow his steps, even in case of failure."
> "It's clear he always knew he was sending his pawns to their deaths," added Sirzechs gravely. "They are sacrifices in his game."
Faced with the impossibility of tracking him and with no reliable leads, the factions were forced to do what they hated most:
Wait.
Wait for Kokabiel to move again.
Wait for him to make a mistake.
Wait for the world to shake once more... and then act.
But everyone knew one thing:
It wasn't a matter of *if* he would act, but *when*.
---
Meanwhile, Daniel, still recovering in Kuoh and unaware that his name was listed as a key piece in all global security reports, rested... oblivious to the fact that his next battle could be as chaotic as the previous one.
Because Kokabiel was not finished.
He had only hidden.
And the darkness had not yet spoken its last word.
Kokabiel, the fallen angel who had manipulated the Fall from the shadows, was not gone.
No... he was only waiting.
Planning.
While the world stirred with diplomatic conflicts and fruitless searches, Kokabiel remained in the depths of an ancient, forgotten sanctuary, surrounded by darkness and forbidden seals. There, leaving no trace of his energy, his mind schemed the next great blow.
"Too many eyes on me... now I must be more subtle," he whispered to himself with a twisted smile.
The factions were already alert.
The names Kokabiel and Nyx resonated in the reports and meetings of the most important pantheons.
To act directly... would be suicide.
His new plan was simple in structure, but complex in execution:
Gather the fragments of the legendary sword Excalibur.
Centuries ago, the original Excalibur was destroyed during the Great War, and its remains were forged into seven distinct swords, each with unique and dangerous abilities.
Among them:
Excalibur Destruction
Excalibur Mimic
Excalibur Ruler
Excalibur Rapidly
Excalibur Blessing
Excalibur Nightmare
Excalibur Transparency
The Catholic Church safeguarded five of the fragments in a sacred chamber beneath the Vatican.
The other two were in the possession of House Pendragon, along with the mythical Caliburn, the sword that can choose its true king.
Kokabiel knew that a direct attack on the Pendragons was equivalent to a death sentence.
Even he recognized that Arturia Pendragon, the current head of the house, was someone not to be underestimated.
"Then it will be the Vatican... their guardians are fanatics... manipulable."
His plan would take time. Precision.
And for that, he activated the sleeper agents he had infiltrated into the Holy Church decades ago.
Corrupt clergymen, renegade exorcists, and underworld spies secretly swore loyalty to his cause.
These dark pieces would be the ones to steal the fragments, one by one.
In silence.
Without alerting the heresy hunters or the new eyes watching the world.
Kokabiel did not need speed.
He needed the swords.
And with them, he would begin the next phase:
A holy war the likes of which the world has never known.
"With these weapons... I will no longer need to hide. The roar of the end will sound again... and this time, there will be no one to stop it."