A Darkened Awakening
Thick, shadowy portals materialized at every corner of the city. From within, grotesque creatures, black as the abyss, crawled forth—gleaming yellow eyes flickering with hunger, hot saliva dripping from between razor-sharp teeth that trembled in anticipation. Their presence alone sent waves of terror through those unfortunate enough to witness them.
Pedestrians, upon realizing the nightmare that had surfaced, screamed in panic—desperately fleeing for their lives while covering their noses. The stench of ammonia filled the air, a rancid signature of the monsters' foul existence.
Yet, no matter how much they struggled to escape, ordinary human speed was no match for these beings. The inevitable soon followed—victims were seized, their flesh ripped apart by those gnashing jaws. The creatures showed no hesitation, no mercy. They drank deep of human blood and feasted until nothing remained but scattered bones.
Above, crystal wings shimmering under the dim sky, Bijou soared through the chaos, witnessing helpless souls devoured before her very eyes. Though she could not save them all, she had no intention of standing by as a silent observer.
Without hesitation, she dived downward, summoning her trusted katana—Tomato—from the dimensional rift where she stored it.
Blade met flesh. Again and again, she slashed through the cursed demons, her lips curling into a smirk as her weapon cleaved effortlessly through them. The once-gray pavement was now splattered with inky black blood. Her rapid movements blurred through the battlefield as she extended a hand, yanking a woman out of a demon's grasp mere moments before she would have been devoured.
"Heh. Too easy," she muttered, grinning as she disposed of the creature before dashing toward her next target.
She was so engrossed in the slaughter that she failed to notice a demon creeping up behind her—until a magical bullet tore through its skull.
From the distance, a pink truck barreled through the street at full speed. Startled, Bijou quickly ascended, avoiding its path just in time. As she hovered in the air, her gaze caught sight of something painted on its side.
"Risu Isekai Express?" she murmured, reading the lettering as she cautiously approached the driver's seat.
A cold dread settled in her stomach. This truck belonged to someone from HoloCorp. That very organization had once imprisoned them. True, HoloCorp had given the Advent a chance to prove themselves to The Council, to show they were not a threat. But that was in the past. Their relationship had since soured.
"Yo, Biboo."
A voice called out. From the truck, a squirrel-eared girl emerged, a sniper rifle resting casually in her grasp.
"H-hai, Risu-senpai." Bijou froze. Caught red-handed, she had no chance to run.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Risu asked, glancing at the last demon corpse still twitching from her bullet. "The Council forbade you from interfering with incidents like this, didn't they?"
Bijou averted her gaze, unable to answer. She knew Risu would never accept a selfish excuse. To betray one's allies was the lowest form of scum.
Yet, instead of pressing further, Risu simply let out a soft sigh.
"You know, Biboo," she said, slinging her sniper over her shoulder. "I need a partner right now. Want to help me out?"
Bijou blinked. "Are you serious? I—I just violated The Council's conditions. You realize that, right?"
Risu smirked. "Then I'll give you two choices. Either be my partner now, or I call Kaela and have her drag you to The Council herself."
The name alone sent an icy chill down Bijou's spine. Sweat beaded at her temples. Kaela the blacksmith. If she found out Bijou had betrayed Advent, she wouldn't just hand her over—she would do something much worse.
Bijou swallowed hard, her lips paling.
"A-alright, I'll go with you, Risu-senpai. Just—just don't hand me over to Kaela," she stammered.
"The last thing I need is to be melted down into some kind of weapon."
Risu chuckled at her panicked response, casually opening the truck door. "Then hop in."
A-D-V-E-N-T
...Elsewhere...
As a demon herself, Tokoyami Towa was not easily impressed. Yet she couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the creatures emerging from the dark portals. They were demons, but not from her world. Even so, they were just as savage, just as mindless, just as stupid as the ones back home.
They massacred without restraint, shredding innocent lives apart as if they were mere scraps of paper. Towa scowled.
She could not allow this.
For an Imperial Demon like her, the admiration of humans was far more satisfying than their flesh. If these lowly creatures continued their rampage, all they would breed was fear—and fear did not serve her interests.
Which was why she had called upon Risu.
Despite her ties to HoloCorp, Towa still retained a degree of freedom. If eliminating these pests meant regaining the worship of humanity, she would do what was necessary.
"Towa-sama, we've got some... minor reinforcements," Risu's voice chimed through telepathy just as Towa impaled another demon with a dark spear of magic.
"Minor reinforcements? What do you mean?"
Before she could get an answer, Risu's truck pulled up. The moment Towa saw the little gemstone girl stepping out, she understood.
A flicker of emotion—something between amusement and exasperation—passed through her.
"I know Bijou's small, but you didn't have to call her minor, Risu."
Bijou tilted her head in confusion. Risu just snickered. Meanwhile, Towa sighed.
The last time she had seen Bijou, the girl had nearly gotten herself captured by Kaela for aiding a demon. It had shown Towa something valuable—that Bijou wasn't just out for herself.
Now, staring at her once again, Towa's expression turned unreadable.
"You haven't changed, have you?" she murmured, crossing her arms.
Bijou smiled sheepishly. "I just couldn't stand by and watch people die."
"And you think slaughtering these demons will fix everything?" Towa scoffed. "Even if you wipe them all out, there's no guarantee the portals won't open again."
Bijou bit her lip. She knew Towa was right.
Risu patted her shoulder. "At least we've cleaned up the mess for now."
Towa sighed before turning away. "I'll deal with the portals. You two—don't cause more problems."
"Hey! I don't cause problems!" Bijou protested.
Towa only gave her a knowing glance before walking off.
Risu chuckled. "Well, Biboo, looks like we're officially partners now."
Bijou exhaled deeply, but despite herself, a small smile found its way onto her lips.
"Yeah... I guess we are."
From the ruins of a collapsed building, unseen eyes glowed red in the darkness, watching them with interest.
"When this is over, you'd better have a damn good reason for me not to throw you to The Council," Towa muttered under her breath.
A-D-V-E-N-T
...Meanwhile, at HoloCorp Headquarters...
Footsteps echoed down the corridor as Sora, still wrapped in bandages, strode toward the mission control room.
"Wait, Sora! You're still injured!" Roboco called, hurrying after her.
Sora didn't stop. When she reached the door, she pushed it open, stunning everyone inside—including Nodoka, the current operations lead.
"Sora-san? What are you doing here?" Nodoka asked.
"Let me fight," Sora declared, eyes burning with determination.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Nodoka replied flatly. "You're one of HoloCorp's most valuable assets. We cannot risk you in this condition."
"I won't be reckless," Sora insisted. "If I can't fight on the field, then let me help from here. Just give me a communication device, Nodoka-chan."
Nodoka sighed. There was no stopping Sora when she was like this.
"Fine," she relented.
A staff member handed Sora a headset. She put it on, her gaze locking onto the battlefield map.
"Everyone," she spoke into the comms, her voice steady. "Can you hear me?"