Well... Sorry for the delay on this chapter.

I have a bit of a problem when it comes to writing action scenes so it took a long time to get this out.

Especially with my typical case of "not feeling like writing" afflicting me once again.

Now on an unrelated note... I've put a poll up on my profile concerning what I should do with my 'WIP fics" so if you are at all interested in them, then feel free to vote on it.

And just to put it out there (yet again), if you have any questions you want answering, then my forum is where you should go... there is a link to it on my profile page.

Anyway... I think I'll just get on with the fic.


Higa Izumi found himself waiting calmly as a limousine left the Mikogami estate.

It was too early to attack right now but it wouldn't be long before he would unleash his assault on the young boy and eliminate the threat he posed to the progression of his goals.

Thankfully the boy had only taken two of his Sekirei, one inconsequential one with a scythe and another that Kakizaki informed him was a scrap number, a Sekirei so powerful that she had managed to wing herself.

At least, that was the working theory on it, he doubted that was the case especially given the fact that MBI's database also indicated that the scrap number was no match for their own enforcer who was legitimately winged to one of their own employees.

In the end though, none of it mattered if he could get his hands on the boy. After all, the Sekirei wouldn't dare act against him if the life of their master was on the line.

That was a tactic he had already made thorough use of before accepting the deal about destroying the Sekirei plan.

"Follow the car," he commanded easily, causing the driver to nod in acknowledgement and start following the vehicle containing the boy.

If he was correct, then the boy was most likely acting on the text the director of MBI had sent out earlier concerning some new Sekirei being holed up somewhere.

Honestly, he wasn't too concerned about that himself, he felt that he already had too many Sekirei and would rather use the Sekirei bonded to others through blackmail or other such means.

Sekirei number ten was a perfect example of that.

He would've used her if it wasn't for the possibility of Mikogami being the single most well-guarded participant in the entire Sekirei plan.

Time passed by relatively quickly as his limousine continued to follow the other limo, waiting for the perfect opportunity to launch his attack on the other Ashikabi.

He was certain they were far enough from the Mikogami estate now, and to make it even better, they were in a residential area during work and school hours, meaning it would likely be mostly abandoned, so without any further contemplation, he declared his intentions.

"Kakizaki, launch the assault," and with a firm nod of confirmation, his secretary proceeded to issue the command.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Mikogami Hayato couldn't contain his excitement as he thought of the new Sekirei he would soon obtain.

Number one oh eight had previously managed to escape his grasp but this time things would be different… this time MBI wouldn't be guarding her so closely and she wouldn't suddenly create a fully grown forest to protect herself.

Sure she may still be in that forest but at least they didn't have to worry about any more sudden growths like that.

In the end, he would probably only need Yomi, with Akitsu acting as back up in case that fire user tried to get in his way again.

The next moment flew by in an instant as he found himself being grabbed by Akitsu as she leaped from the car just as it was torn apart by a vicious pair of blades.

He couldn't understand just what was going on as he found himself supported by the Ice Sekirei just as she landed but he quickly took the opportunity to examine his surroundings.

Almost immediately, he found himself gulping nervously.

There were so many women that were obviously Sekirei surrounding him that it almost reminded him of his own flock... if his own flock weren't so happy to be with him that is.

The first that he noticed was a girl with short, spiky dark hair, wearing a white Haori with Red Hakama… and wielding an enormous pair of blades that looked very much like they could rip apart a Limousine.

Another of the Sekirei that stood out to him was a strong looking woman with short hair, wearing an outfit that was yellow on one side and purple on the other, with the two sides wrapping around at her midriff as they were held together by a metal ring.

After that, there was a girl with long, dark green hair, wearing a blue and white belly top that was left mostly open. Her legs were mostly covered by thigh high boots, while a pair of bloomers and a garter-belt covered her hips. Beyond that, he quickly noticed the red spear in her hands.

His attention moved to another foe, this one a shorter girl than the others with short, dark purple hair with a matching ribbon resting on top of it, while her body was covered in a long white dress with a purple bow and a black fabric that acted almost like a combination of a corset and a dress. The worrying part however, was the series of chakrams that were floating around her.

Another Sekirei that he didn't recognise was a young looking woman with short blonde hair, a striped tube top with matching bicep long gloves, a pair of bloomers held up by a belt and stockings that covered most of her legs. Her weapons were also rather dangerous looking, a long series of whip-like strings with sharp blades attached to the ends.

The last of the group was easily the least threatening of them all… being the youngest looking of the group with her hair tied into a pair of ponytails that fell down over her shoulders and wearing a long Kimono with exceptionally long sleeves and a black belt held in place by a ribbon. His eyes however noticed a sharp looking glint that appeared from the ends of those sleeves and gulped as he wondered what sort of weapons she used.

He couldn't tell if there were any more Sekirei behind him given his current position but he had a feeling there were… after all, the only other Ashikabi with this number of Sekirei were The East and West… and from what he had heard, the West didn't act like this.

"W-what do you think you're doing?!" he cried out, "that could've seriously hurt me!"

He didn't want to admit it, but the way they had torn apart his car could have very well killed him.

"Yeah… it's lucky for us you survived," the one with the spear spoke up easily, "it means we get to draw a bit more blood before taking you for our Ashikabi."

He couldn't stop himself from swallowing nervously at that claim.

"B-but that's against the rules!" he declared firmly, knowing that Sekirei attacking Ashikabi was forbidden by MBI.

"So what?" the one with the yellow and purple outfit asked with an amused smile, "our Ashikabi doesn't care for this game you're playing."

So Higa of the East didn't care about the Sekirei plan… that was definitely scary since it meant he wouldn't play by the rules that were set forth by MBI.

There was one thing he could take advantage of though.

"Yeah, well how is he going to handle it when the Black Sekirei comes for him?!" he had already had the displeasure of meeting the Black Sekirei once and could honestly say that she was a horrifically monstrous creature… massacring one of his Sekirei just because they had met on the street.

"You're making a massive assumption there kid," the one with the spear spoke up with amusement in her tone, "you're assuming you'll get the chance to tell someone about this!"

His eyes couldn't follow the movement, one second she was a couple of dozen feet from him and the next she was barely six away with a wall of Ice blocking her path.

The massive crack that spread through the Ice Wall made it clear that it wasn't going to hold for long and Akitsu quickly jumped back with him.

"A-Akitsu, Yomi, are there anymore enemies?" he asked nervously, unsure of his chances of getting out of this without losing his Sekirei.

And it was all because the East was a dirty, no good cheater!

His ears picked up the sound of slashing and several screams before a familiar presence settled beside him.

"Not anymore Mikogami-sama," suddenly the situation felt like it was a disaster to a stroke of luck.

After all, now that Mutsu was here there was no way they could lose.

"Shit! I thought that guy was supposed to be at the mansion?!" one of the Sekirei that were attacking him asked with clear frustration.

"Following a Limo isn't exactly inconspicuous," his first Sekirei responded bluntly, easing the tension that had spread throughout the Ashikabi's body.

"I shouldn't have expected any less of you Mutsu!" he exclaimed happily as he basked in the fact that his first and most powerful Sekirei was now here to protect him, "now, let's show this cheater who's boss!"

Mutsu gave a small sigh of defeat upon hearing that.

"Yomi, take care of Mikogami-sama," the white haired Sekirei commanded quickly, "get him out of here."

"Y-yes!" the scythe wielder responded quickly, moving to take their Ashikabi off the ice wielder.

"Akitsu, back me up," it was another simple command but the busty Scrap Number refused to move.

"Akitsu, do as Mutsu-kun says," Mikogami found himself commanding softly, earning a small 'ah' in acknowledgement from her as he was handed over to the scythe user who quickly tried to leave.

"Like hell you're escaping!" and almost immediately a series of knives cut off the retreat for an instant before they were frozen solid along with the Sekirei they were attached to.

But that instant was enough for another foe to make their way to block him and Yomi from leaving.

In another instant, he found himself being moved out of the way of the new attacker as his scythe wielding Sekirei took a blow that had previously been aimed at him.

"Yomi!" his heart was pounding at the current situation, it seemed almost guaranteed that he was going to lose at least one of his Sekirei if the latest occurrence was anything to go by… there was only one way he could think of to overturn this current situation, "Yomi… let me give you a Norito."

The only response he got to that was a pair of lips locking with his own as his Sekirei's wings erupted and she was empowered beyond what she normally was.

"Scythe of my pledge, reap the woes of my Ashikabi," the whisper that came from her lips was nowhere near as loud as the battle raging around them, but he could hear them as clearly as a gunshot in a silent room.

Almost immediately, she turned and proceeded to swing her blade diagonally, unleashing a gust of razor sharp wind that forced her opponents to guard or dodge... the one that chose to guard was in for a rude awakening.

"Argh!" that was the thing about Yomi's variant of wind manipulation, even if it was defended against, there was the possibility that it would continue around the guard and still cut her foes.

When empowered by a Norito, it was only made more dangerous... dangerous enough that it could just slice through a flimsy enough guard.

Which is exactly what happened when her strike hit the defence of the Sekirei with the long sleeves hiding a vicious looking pair of blades, breaking through the weapons and cutting into her chest with little effort as it knocked her back, with deep gouges stretching from hip to shoulder.

"A-Ashikabi... sama," he felt his heart clench at those words from the downed Sekirei... as much as he liked to think of this entire situation as a game, it didn't change the fact that each defeated Sekirei was a reminder of what could face him if he lost.

Even if Mutsu had told him that the winner would be able to reactivate all the defeated aliens, it was still hard to watch his own birds being taken from him.

But that was just one more reason why he had to win this tournament, even if that meant deactivating the Sekirei of other Ashikabi.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Mutsu couldn't stop himself from swearing under his breath as he dodged yet another strike by the lance user before blocking a ferocious kick by their partner and jumping even further back as a third foe took a shot at him.

This situation was certainly not something he was happy to be in, but he was at least relieved he was the one in it… had it been any other Sekirei that lacked area of effect attacks, then they would've been eliminated within seconds of starting the battle.

At least as a member of the original S Squad, he had experience with the chaos of war and facing multiple opponents.

So despite being on the back foot, he was at least capable of handling his foes, Yomi was clearly suffering from facing superior numbers while trying to keep Mikogami-sama safe and Akitsu…

"GAHHH! WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THIS BITCH?!"

Akitsu was infuriating her foes through her sheer raw power and range of effect making numbers completely useless against her.

It probably wouldn't take long for him to receive back up from the ice user, at which point the battle he was currently engaged in would be over with his victory almost assured.

But for now, it was simply a case of paying attention to his own situation and avoiding his foes until he could find an opening he could take advantage of.

"Shit!"

And he struck.

His foe was too busy being distracted by a light behind him, most likely Yomi receiving a Norito and he took advantage of it without hesitation, carving a wound that would prove fatal into his foe, deciding that this was not a situation where he should hold back.

Of course, seeing their comrade fall drew the attention of the others, not that it mattered as much now that he was only facing two opponents instead of three.

It seemed he may not even need Akitsu's help anymore.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Higa couldn't stop himself from frowning as he watched the battle that was taking place between his and Mikogami's Sekirei.

It was obvious that his Sekirei had the advantage of numbers but that was the only advantage they had.

Even the weakest of Mikogami's Sekirei had the obvious advantage of being in a Norito state and allowing her to take out one of her aggressors, pushing the advantage into her own favour.

Then there was number zero five, with his wartime experience of being assaulted on all sides granting him more than enough ability to systematically dismantle his opponents while the Scrapped number had powerful area of effect attacks that rendered the numerical advantage obsolete.

It was genuinely frustrating.

If he had simply managed to eliminate the boy then it would be a simple matter of getting away from the scrap, but with zero five showing up, his initial plan had been foiled.

"That's another one of your Sekirei eliminated," Kakizaki stated with a nervous gulp, things were definitely not going as planned and his Sekirei were now starting to drop like flies, "and another... only Toyotama and Ichiya are left."

He could do little more than exhale in frustration, he had already lost the majority of his Sekirei due to the unexpected interference of zero five and despite not participating in the tournament on the same level as the other Ashikabi, he couldn't afford to be taken out of it.

And with that in mind, he made his decision.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Mutsu could feel relief starting to wash through his form as Akitsu took down her opponents and Yomi finished off her own foe, leaving only the pair of physical type Sekirei that were attacking him, the one with a spear and the other with greaves.

That meant that the battle was decided and once the duo had been taken out, he would have to send a message to MBI about Higa's attempts at harming his Ashikabi.

Gripping his sword firmly but flexibly, he immediately charged at the Sekirei that focused on kicking her opponents, she had less ability to block his attacks after all.

He couldn't stop the sigh of annoyance that escaped his lips when the blue clad lance user got between him and his opponent and thrust, forcing him to dodge before she attempted to swing her spear at his side, something he had already been more than ready for, allowing him to bring his blade up to knock the swing high while he ducked under it.

His sword was in just the right position, this next strike would eliminate her and he could tell by the way her teeth gritted that she knew it.

Instantly he jumped back, his instincts crying at him to get away and his eyes widened as a bolt of lightning struck where he had previously been, causing his foe to let out a surprised yelp in response.

His mind started to race.

Why were they here?

Even if he had gotten into conflict with Hikari and Hibiki before, they were clearly even more firmly against Higa so why did they attack just then?

"What the hell?! What do you think you two are doing getting in our… what the hell is that?!" the short haired foe immediately responded before trailing off upon looking in the direction of the lightning, prompting him to turn his own attention up the way.

"W-what?" he couldn't stop the word from escaping his lips as he witnessed something he had never expected to see, an unknown figure with a giant pair of bat-like wings and a long whip-like tail, casually floating in the air.

"Oh? What's the matter number Eighteen?" the… whatever it was, said with amusement obvious in its tone, "even after I was kind enough to save you for Izumi-chan."

And with that, the creature descended to the road and Mutsu immediately felt his blood run cold as he noticed the casual way the creature offered him no attention as it spoke towards his enemies.

"Hmm… I guess Izumi-chan has a thing for big boobs… must be why he didn't want to screw me," the creature said without hesitation and he found himself inwardly wondering if it actually thought that or if it was ignorant of its own apparent physical immaturity.

Make that immaturity full stop… he had not expected the creature to start molesting the lance user.

But that did give him an opening.

In an instant, he had closed the distance and slashed his sword at the winged creature… only to jerk awkwardly as it was stopped mid-swing by the tail that extended from the winged girl's rear.

"Now now, don't be greedy," the creature spoke without any hint of concern in its tone, not that he could blame it, it had just blocked his attack with nothing more than its tail after all, "I'll make sure I have more than enough time to violate you as well."

His blood ran cold at both the statement and the way she said it like it was an undisputed fact… this creature planned on 'violating' him when it was done with its own 'allies'.

"Akitsu!" his call was loud and immediately, he jumped away, allowing a newly formed spear of ice to sail past where he used to be and strike at the foe, knocking it back slightly but doing nothing more.

"Are you serious?" he felt his heart starting to pound faster as the previously dismissive attitude of the creature morphed into something far more sinister, "did you really think that that would work given your level?"

He couldn't stop himself from swallowing nervously, the creature looked almost angry right now and it still had his sword.

"You ningen are too low on the multiversal food chain to even interact with someone like me," the dismissive way she spoke made it clear that she was looking down on them, but the anger was still unexpected, "so even if you try to exploit my weakness like that, you're too low to succeed."

Weakness?

Was that creature weak to ice? Because if it was, then they really were completely helpless against it.

"Weakness?!" a voice he had hoped would be gone by now called out and Mutsu couldn't stop his mind from focusing on the fact that his master was still there.

"Yomi! Get Mikogami-sama out of here now!" he commanded firmly, earning a quick acknowledgement from the weakest member of their current team.

"Oh? Well… I guess a moving target is fine too," the creature spoke before pointing in the direction of his master.

Before he could even react, a bolt of lightning arced towards the fleeing Sekirei and he noted that Yomi had succeeded in moving their master out of the way of the bolt.

Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same about her spine.

The charred flesh that denoted where the bolt had grazed her was obvious, the fact it had been torn asunder and cauterized at the same time showed that the creature wasn't playing in the same category as Hikari and Hibiki, their strikes were more just shocks than anything else… but this, this was likely even more dangerous than actual lightning.

"Y-Yomi?!" he couldn't stop himself from grimacing as he heard his Ashikabi call out to the Sekirei that was definitely about to deactivate before he shut out that situation and slammed his foot into the ground.

Channelling his power to an extent he didn't normally do, he forced the ground beneath the creatures' feet to erupt upwards, knocking it into the sky where it was almost immediately encased in a solid block of ice.

"Akitsu, get Mikogami-sama and run!" he commanded once again, watching as the ice user moved towards the human boy before turning his attention back to the opponents.

He watched as the ice started to crack before it had even had a chance to hit the ground, before he was rudely reminded that he wasn't up against a single foe when he was forced to dodge a strike by a viciously grinning Sekirei.

Unfortunately for his opponent, he wasn't completely reliant on his sword.

With his foe moving so close, he was more than capable of using his now free set of hands to grab the spear to take for himself, only to find a leg aimed at his side, striking him with a force great enough to force his grip loose on the spear and allow its original owner to win the grapple and strike at him once again.

Barely dodging the attack, he noted the line of blood that now graced his chest as the ice above shattered, raining down on the street and causing his despair to deepen.

One on one, he may have been able to buy Mikogami-sama some time… but now…

Now all hope was lost.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Mikogami could do little more than stare as his first Sekirei was ganged up on by a pair of other Sekirei and some sort of Succubus.

He had already lost Yomi to that monster and now he was going to lose Mutsu too… it wasn't fair.

Everything had been going so well until that game breaker showed up and casually blocked his first and favourite Sekirei with nothing more than a stick thin tail.

It just wasn't fair!

Why did he have to lose his Sekirei because Higa was being a dirty cheater?!

Why?!

His mind noted his phone beeping but he didn't pay it any attention… he had more important things to deal with right now, even if it was just trying to accept the loss of his Sekirei.

The beeping continued and he gritted his teeth as he pulled out his phone to turn it off before stalling.

His phone didn't have that beeping.

Looking down to the touchscreen, he was greeted by the sight of an unknown application sitting on his home screen, making him wonder just how bad the day was going to get.

"Dammit! I don't have time for this shit!" he cried out and was immediately caught off guard when the phone lit up.

[Summoning Program Remote Activation Initialized]

His mind froze at that statement taking up his phones screen before it turned black and a design that he could only describe as an occult style circle appeared and shone with a brightness that made him close his eyes.

"Greetings summoner," his eyes opened and he was greeted by a sight that made him stare in disbelief.

Porcelain skin, long blonde hair, wings of the purest white… and a lot of leather straps and a blind fold… he just knew it was an angel even despite the clothing fit for a fetish shop.

"Tch, an Angel huh? I guess those bloody Seraphim are making their own moves now aren't they," he heard the demonic creature spit out despite the distance, drawing the attention of the pure being that currently floated before him.

"Master, please remain calm… I shall eliminate the Lilim," the angel spoke without hesitation and he felt relief flood his being as it raised its hand, unleashing a beam of light towards the enemy that had ruined his day completely.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Mutsu couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Mikogami-sama had somehow managed to summon some form of Angel that was now fighting the monstrously powerful foe he had been expecting to die against.

Watching them facing off against each other was like watching Miya once again, though the part that really made him nervous was the way he could follow the speed of their movements without actually following their movements themselves.

It was scary how they seemed to move at a speed he could comprehend but in a form that he couldn't… it was almost as if they didn't even exist on the same plane of reference he did.

That was the truly terrifying part about watching them, their attacks caused ripples in the air, but when the ripples touched him, it felt less like a sonic boom and more like his entire being was shaking at a subatomic level.

Like he was being thrown around a room without touching the floor.

His eyes widened at the realisation of what he was feeling… he was feeling ripples of G-force with each hit his opponents made against each other.

All it did was make the battle even more terrifying than before.

Enemies that could cause gravitational waves just by clashing were so far beyond his frame of reference that he didn't even know where to start in defining how powerful they were.

He needed to get to Mikogami-sama and get him out of there.

The power that was currently being thrown about was too great and he was not going to risk his masters life in a battle between higher forces.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

To think, such a thing was actually happening right here in this very city.

Minaka couldn't stop the grin from gracing his lips as he watched the live feed from a loyal operative.

He was certainly happy they had already been informed about the existence of such beings as it meant that even the most surprising turns of events didn't make the camera shake too much.

The power of the demonic creature probably would've been a surprise if he hadn't already known that the Sekirei didn't compare to the higher existences out there courtesy of Kashima and number one oh fives minor confrontation.

However, the following event had been even more interesting.

Witnessing a low-level showdown between some form of Succubus and an Angel had only made it even more obvious that the Sekirei were outclassed in every imaginable way, their attacks reverberating through the air, their moves possessing a grace that simply felt beyond mortal ability.

It was obvious that they were beasts of legend.

And he already knew that they were bottom of the barrel existences compared to someone like Kashima Naoki.

The Sekirei plan was really starting to heat up and his excitement was threatening to boil over even though things were still in their infancy.

Lastly of course, there was the question of whether or not Gabby would realize he had seen the battle himself or if she would assume he had no idea what had actually happened.

The second option was the one he would be more comfortable with, after all, if she knew he had witnessed the battle between angel and devil, she would probably keep a closer eye on him than she would otherwise.

Well, it wasn't like it really mattered, he would figure out who she was and what she planned regardless of how close an eye she kept on him.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Higa couldn't stop himself from gritting his teeth in frustration.

He had summoned Lilim with the intention of seeing if she could help shift the battle to his favour and she had done that so effortlessly that it had outright terrified him.

Her previous comments about how the Sekirei didn't stand a chance against her were no longer hollow boasts by a childish monster and were now a confirmed fact.

Unfortunately, it appeared that Mikogami had an ace of his own waiting in the wings.

An Angel that looked like it belonged in a low budget porno.

The worst part, was that Lilim seemed to be losing to the Angelic foe, though she wasn't completely outclassed.

But in the end, he had to make a decision and so he called it.

"Number sixteen, number eighteen," he called out to his two remaining Sekirei over their headsets, "retreat."

"Yes, Higa-sama," the response was the one he expected and it didn't take long for the duo to leave the area with the Limo also retreating, leaving the devilish girl to hold off the angel.

After he was sure he had made enough distance between him and the angel, he pulled out his phone and recalled the Lilim, noting that the app told him it was heavily damaged.

"Will everything be all right Higa-sama?" Kakizaki asked once they had confirmed everything was as they expected.

"I will need to speak with that woman again," he knew that if his foes had beings as powerful as that angel, then he would have to find minions that were more powerful than the one he had right now.

And only that Yuriko woman knew how he could get them.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Mikogami Hayato could do little more than stare in shock as he tried to process the information given to him by the angel that had emerged from his phone.

The Sekirei Plan was a method of determining who would create the new world when this current one lost all its energies and perished in a few years time.

And to make matters worse, Higa was actively trying to prevent that outcome, trying to stop the selection of a new creator and cause the permanent death of the world.

He grit his teeth in anger as his fists clenched in fury.

He didn't want the world to end but if there was no other option then he would become the new creator and make a world where no one would have to suffer, no one would have to be lonely and everyone was like a Sekirei, filled with love and loyalty.

Looking over to the area where the defeated Sekirei lay, his eyes lingered on Yomi's, causing him to swallow as tears swelled up in his eyes at having lost her because of an omnicidal monster like Higa.

If he became the new creator then he could bring her back to him, it was possible wasn't it?

And so, with a firm nod to himself, he made his decision.

He would win the Sekirei Plan and make a new, better world for everyone.

XXX A DEVIL'S WINGS XXX

Mutsu couldn't stop himself from grimacing as he felt the ice that was being used to stem the bleeding from his wound.

Akitsu had proven to be rather accurate in her application of the ice and he should be capable of lasting long enough to receive proper medical treatment back at the manor.

However that wasn't the most important thing as far as he was concerned.

No, that lay with the story the angel spun to his master… sure it was an angel, sure the story sounded plausible given the fact he had just discovered angels and demons were real.

But he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

Not with the smirk that graced the winged creature's face when Mikogami-sama clenched his fists.

The problem was, how could he deal with this foe and whatever influence it would have on his master.

Perhaps he should contact an old acquaintance… even if she was an unrepentant pervert, she was still one of the most brilliant minds in the world, so if anyone could help him, it would be her.


And that's it for today.

As I said before, I have problems with action scenes so I realize it is substandard as far as they go.

And there was no Naoki or anyone in his group in this chapter either but that's because it didn't feel right to put them in here.

Hopefully, the next update I make will be sooner.

Anyway... until next time.

Shadow out.