Heavy breathing echoed throughout the simple-looking apartment, where an exhausted and disheveled Vanitas lay sprawled on the floor, struggling to catch his breath after the ordeal.
"God, I hope I never see that bastard again. I nearly died from one of his attacks; he was stupidly fast! I can't believe that annoying God just sent a boss after my head. I need to get stronger so this doesn't happen again."
The feeling of being prey to someone far stronger than him ignited a fierce determination in Vanitas. As the canon event loomed, he knew he had to be ready, even if things changed.
Taking a moment to collect himself, he brought up the system menu to review his stats and the rewards from the encounter.
**Event:** [Survive Unknown and Make it Home]
**[Rewards]:**
- Double EXP/Drops in Dungeon
- **{Spells}**
- **{Fira}** Unleashes a potent burst of flame. Consumes a small amount of MP.
- **{Blizzard}** Unleashes a gust of frost. Long-range attack. Consumes a small amount of MP.
- **{Thunder}** Calls lightning bolts to the target area. Consumes 1 MP.
- **{Dark Ring}** Reduces dark damage by 20% and raises Defense. Equip more to boost the effect.
**[Data Battle Room]:**
- [Leading Death to a High-Class Devil]
- Bonus EXP and Reward
- **{Corridors of Darkness}**: More commonly known as Portals, these are modes of travel used by Heartless, Nobodies, and those aligned with Darkness.
**[Claim Rewards] {Y/N}**
After selecting yes, he felt a surge of information about all the rewards. The Data Battle Room caught his eye, where he could fight all Organization 13 members.
Looking back, he checked his stats:
**{Vanitas} Lvl 12**
**{HP: 650}**
**{MP: 950}**
**{Drive Lvl 1}**
**{Spells}**
- **{Fira}** Unleashes a potent burst of flame.
- **{Blizzard}** Unleashes a gust of frost.
- **{Thunder}** Calls lightning bolts to the target area.
- **{Cure}** Restores a small amount of HP to one ally.
**[Power Over Nothing]:**
**{Nobodies Capacity}**
- Dusks (12)
- Creepers (15)
Vanitas couldn't help but smile at his stats and felt a surge of excitement. Taking a deep breath, he eagerly prepared for the dungeon.
Equipping his Organization 13 coat and the Dark Ring, he opened a Corridor. Stepping through, he was greeted by a familiar sight: standing atop a white castle, he looked down at the expansive Dark City below, filled with vacant buildings and neon signs.
"This is quite the view," he whistled, admiring the vast city. The World That Never Was will be my hub world for the dungeon and the Data Battle Room. I like it!" A Confident smile spread across his face as he went to the dungeon room.
As he opened the door, Vanitas saw a large hallway reminiscent of Castle Oblivion, filled with various types of Heartless roaming around. A door with a number above it stood at the end of the room, giving a clue to how the dungeon functioned.
Summoning his weapon and Nobodies, he charged in, swiftly destroying Heartless, who got too close. Some of his Nobodies clashed against the Heartless, attempting to ambush him. After clearing the room, he moved on to the next door, leading to the second hallway of the dungeon.
Meanwhile, in Kuoh Town later that morning, Koneko Toujou sat in a classroom, munching on snacks Vanitas had brought her, her frown deepening at the empty desk beside her. She recalled what her King had said: Kiba would challenge Vanitas on his walk home, and the thought filled her unease.
**{Later in the Day}**
**[Occult Research Club Room Meeting]**
Koneko lounged on the couch, enjoying more treats while Rias discussed Issei Hyoudou and the suspicious girl he had brought to school with Akeno. Kiba, the knight of the peerage, entered the room with an unreadable expression.
"President, we might have a problem," Kiba announced, all eyes turning to him. "I was waiting for a moment to challenge Vanitas to a duel... but a man in a black coat dropped from a building chasing him with two blue sabers of light."
Kiba struggled to explain the intense chase he had witnessed between Vanitas and the Exorcist. Rias immediately tensed, worried about the Exorcist who had already killed six of Vanitas's familiars and a stray without any effort. She felt relieved that her Kōhai had managed to escape.
Though Vanitas wasn't a part of her peerage, being the Territory Overseer of Kuoh Town made her feel responsible for ensuring such events didn't happen again.
'"Too bad the canon is starting.'