"Buzz!"
Above Itogami Island, the sky suddenly darkened with rolling, trembling clouds that twisted into a vortex, pouring down vast amounts of spiritual energy. It felt as if a high-dimensional otherworld had overlapped with this one, bringing in a domain beyond human comprehension.
This spiritual energy transformed into endless luminous beams—like a brilliant galaxy—descending onto a high-end apartment building.
Countless onlookers stared in awe, unsure of what strange event had befallen Itogami Island, growing uneasy.
However, this time the phenomenon remained purely visual—no tangible effects occurred. It was as if a portal had opened: within the vortex, spiritual energy swirled ceaselessly.
Before long, from the rooftop of that upscale building, a dazzling orb of light emerged. It lingered above the structure as if bidding farewell to this world, then slowly ascended into the vortex, vanishing within it.
With that, the radiant lights and spiritual energy began receding into the storm above, signaling the retreat of the higher-dimensional otherworld. Once the lights and energy disappeared completely, the strange phenomenon ended. The vortex of clouds subsided, and the sky returned to its usual clarity.
Almost a year after being summoned back, the deity had finally returned to its rightful place.
In the Minamiya family's main hall, everyone watched the return of the God of Sin in silence. A collective sense of relief and deep emotion filled the room.
Especially Kojou.
"Thank you—for saving my sister, and for saving Yuuma," Kojou murmured, quietly expressing his gratitude to the deity who had lent power to help him protect those dear.
"From now on, you can be a normal, useless human again," Motoki said, patting Kojou's shoulder. Kojou frowned at the remark, but it rang true.
By fate's twist, Kojou had become the Divine Child of Cain, but now he would revert to being an ordinary high school student—a target no longer sought.
Few knew of this change.
"I'll discreetly spread the word so whoever had their eyes on you can give up," Asagi said, holding her laptop, doing her best to help.
"I'll also report the news to the Management Cooperative. From now on, you won't encounter danger," Yaze added resolutely.
"Thanks," Kojou sincerely replied.
"But... Yaze, if that's so, you don't need to monitor Kojou anymore, do you?" Tokoyogi Yuuma asked.
"Huh? Is Yaze leaving Saikai Academy, then?" Nagisa was surprised.
Indeed, once the monitoring target had gone, Yaze technically had no reason to stay. But…
"It's not that easy," Yaze replied with a shrug. "Even if Kojou's normal again, there are still special individuals at Saikai Academy. Not just Rozen and Avrora, but even the princess from Aldegyr and now the Priestess of Cain has awakened. There's plenty left to observe."
In other words, Yaze couldn't leave the Academy.
But...
"I'm warning you—if you secretly follow me for that surveillance crap, I'll hack your computer and phone, and leak all your shameful secrets online!" Aiba threatened theatrically.
"I—I don't want some dirty male spying on me in secret! That's deeply disrespectful!" Avrora exclaimed, hiding behind Nagisa.
"I have knights tailing me; please be careful, Yaze-senpai," Kanon warned thoughtfully.
"You guys..."
Yaze's lip twitched—his identity as a monitor exposed wasn't ideal. From now on, the girls would be on guard—a blessing or a curse, he didn't know which.
"Better not cause a scene at school, or I won't care who you are," Natsuki snapped, also warning them.
With that, the group burst into chatter, the tension dissipated. Only Astarte remained calm, continuing her tea-making dutifully.
Watching them, Yukina felt a whirlwind of emotions.
"What should I do now?" she wondered, a bit lost.
Earlier, she'd contacted Endo Yukari, reporting everything—including her angel transformation and recent events. Yukari responded after a long silence:
"Since the Divine Child has claimed you, from today on you are his personal Sword Shaman. If you want to work for the Lion King Agency, we'll pay you well. But remember: your true master is the Divine Child. Take care."
Then, Yukari abruptly cut off communication.
Apparently this caused waves within the Agency—especially one agent, Kirasaka Sayaka, sent to find Shizuka Koyomi and failed. Reportedly she nearly hijacked a flight to Itogami Island to kill Rozen and free Yukina, but ended up grounded indefinitely.
Now, Yukina was no longer a pawn of the Agency—but Rozen's personal moniter.
"Personal moniter… huh?"
Yukina blushed as she glanced at Rozen.
And froze.
Rozen stood there, eyes closed, his expression unusually intense—surprise, confusion, joy, doubt... and, above all, wonder.
"Um... Senpai? Are you okay?"
Yukina blurted out instinctively.
Rozen blinked open his eyes and offered a gentle smile.
"Nothing—don't worry about it," he said.
"Really?" Yukina hesitated, still suspicious, but chose not to press further.
She had no way of knowing that Rozen's mind was racing.
In his thoughts, a torrent of information poured in.
It was knowledge—a forbidden curse.
Rozen recognized it immediately.
Its name: Cleansing.
(Cain gave me the knowledge of Cleansing?).
Yes.
Perhaps in gratitude or hope, Cain had shared the knowledge of Cleansing before departing—granting Rozen the full techniques.
At that moment, Rozen sensed a subtle reaction from the brilliant ring on his right hand.
(What is this...)
He touched the ring known as Miracle, thoughtful and intrigued.
At that point, Rozen did not yet realize: a significant turning point in his fate was about to unfold.