Kuoh Academy Exterior.

"What the fuck!?" Raphael exclaims loudly. "What's that black shit!?"

"No idea." Ingrid reads the magical seals in front of her. "But it seems to be some sort of [Chaos]-based magic. But I've never seen [Chaos] this concentrated before..."

"[Chaos] magic? Now that's some cray cray shit woman!" Raphael spins his guns around his fingers. "You think its one of them [Absolute Existences]?"

"That's indeed [Chaos]." Blake's voice suddenly speaks from behind them. "But a [Chaos] of this density is Shi's doing."

"Blake. This man says he saw something." Blake turns around. Takamichi is leading a wizened old man towards him. "He claims that the school cracked like glass before shattering. Also, he said something about a pillar of light rising into the sky."

"Rhongomyniad." Blake mutters. "Judging from the holy energy concentration, I'm guessing Shi broke the spear."

"Rhongomyniad?" Ingrid's eyebrow furrows. "The Spear of King Arthur?"

"King Arthur?" Raphael butts in. "Didn't that dude have a really hot wife that cheated on him with his best friend?"

"Both of you shut up!" Blake glares at them. Both Raphael and Ingrid immediately clam up. "Right. We need to secure the area around the Academy and wait for Shi to finish."

"Why? Can't we just walk into the black thingie and tell him we're here?" Raphael asks, having already forgotten about Blake's order to shut up.

"If we do that, there's a chance our very existence will be erased from Time." Blake points at the black barrier. "[Havoc] is a barrier made of incredibly dense [Chaos]. Within the barrier, the [Chaos] being radiated from the barrier is weak enough so that it doesn't have any effect on physical form. However, if anything, physical or spiritual, touches the barrier, the [Chaos] energy will re-write their existence."

"Its that powerful huh..." Takamichi lights a cigarette. Next to him, the old man is shaking.

"Its [Chaos], one of the [Absolute Existences]. This level of power is to be expected." Blake sighs. "I wonder who Shi is fighting, to force him to go this far."

Kuoh Academy Ruins.

"Not bad." Shi slashes the lighting strike with Clarent. Immediately, the lightning crackles and fizzles out of existence. "How was it? Challenging [Death]?" Shi shivers. "Just imagining the feeling is exhilarating for me."

"You're sick." Dulio gasps. Even if the drain hadn't happened, Dulio's mana is near zero.

"Sick? No, I'm honest. The [Chaos] of war, I love it. The fact that at any moment, you can die? A situation where your luck, bravery and skill are the only things keeping you alive? That's when you know you're alive. The ultimate high." Shi spins Clarent around his hand. "And only in [Chaos] can you find this sort of feeling. That's why I want to extend the [Chaos] endlessly. To keep feeling this feeling."

"You're right. You aren't sick. You're insane." Dulio stands up. His legs feel like they're about to give out. But he knows that he cannot allow this maniac to live. "You're far too dangerous to keep alive."

"Perhaps." Shi admits. "Perhaps in my seeking of [Chaos], I've forgotten the death I spread in my wake..." Shi looks at his sword, before laughing. "Whatever. I'll kill who I want to. The only man who can stop me from walking my path...well he isn't here."

"Heh." Dulio laughs. He knows full well he is going to die. "So this is how I die huh."

"May the Lord have mercy on him, on the man whose soul is departing and cannot speak." Shi speaks softly. Dulio bows his head as Shi's sword slashes downwards.

"Huh." Dulio looks down. Clarent's blade has imbedded it into the ground below Dulio's neck. "Seems like [Chaos] has granted you a [Miracle]."

It took Dulio a moment to realize what had happened. At the moment of contact, Clarent had turned intangible, passing through Dulio's neck, leaving him unharmed. "How-" A wide smile appears on Shi's face. "-interesting! Very well!" With a wave of his hand, the barrier receded back into Clarent. "You live to see another day, [Joker]!" Shi spins around. "I need to go now. But-" Shi picks up the unconscious form of Alexander. "-[Chaos] blessed you, so I'm certain we'll fight again." Laughing loudly, Shi walks away with Alexander on his back.

Gremory Mansion, Lilith.

"4 of a kind." I say, placing my hand on the table.

"Guh! 3 of a kind!" Xenovia groans, showing her hand.

"...Fold." Aw! Koneko-chan has dud cards!

"Royal Straight Flush." Damnit Kiba! Don't put the cards down with that smile on your face!

"Arara." Akeno-sempai laughs. "Looks like Kiba-kun won again!" Guh! I can't believe his luck! Not just girls, but cards to!? Damnit God! Why are you so unfair!

"Hahaha!" Sean laughs. He's been watching the game from the sidelines. "Seems like even the legendary Dragon has things he can't do."

"Arrgh!" I hold my head in my hands. "Why!"

"This seems like fun." Oh! Takamichi-sensei is here. "How was the meeting by the way?"

"You weren't there?" Sean asks. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing Takamichi-sensei.

"I had other business to take care of." Takamichi-sensei replies. "I've been tracking the movements of a certain organization-"

"You mean [Testament]?" Buchou walks in. "[Death Specs] Takamichi, what is your connection to them?"

"What do you mean?" Takamichi-sensei asks, a smile still on his face. "Have I done something suspicious?"

"No." Buchou admits. "But to disappear right before an important meeting? That's very unusual-"

An explosion rocks the building, cutting her off. Outside, screams can be heard.

"Hmmm." Takamichi-sensei's smile hasn't left his face. Incredibly suspicious! "It seems like something bad is happening outside. Why don't you check?"

"...kuh." Buchou grits her teeth. She knows she can't do anything against Takamichi-sensei without evidence. "My servants, let's move!"

Gremory Mansion, Lilith.

Takamichi-sensei watches as the Gremory Peerage files out. He wonders why Blake wants him to act this way. This method of interaction only created more suspicion towards Takamichi.

"Takamichi-sensei." Sean is still in the room. "I can trust you right?"

"Sean-kun. If you stay out of our way, nothing bad will happen to you." Takamichi lights a cigarette. "Return to Cross-Rail now. If you stay here, you'll die."

"Takamichi-sensei..." A gun appears in Sean's hand. "So you're [Testament]."

"...don't do this Sean-kun." Takamichi's slides his hands into his pockets. "You can still get out."

"As the representative of Cross-Rail, I have a duty to protect the Alliance from all threats." Sean points the gun at Takamichi's head. "Even if its you."

"You really are like Negi-kun." Takamichi smiles a sad smile. "Always doing what you believe is just. I can't help but admire people like you." Before Sean could say anything, a powerful blow strikes him in the solar plexus, forcing the air out of his lungs. "And like Negi-kun, you hesitate to attack allies."

"Guh-" Sean gasps. His gun has fallen onto the ground, just inches away from his hand. With a deft kick, Takamichi kicks the gun out of the way. Sean looks Takamichi in the eye. "Ta-ka-mi-chi-" Before Sean can finish his sentence, Takamichi spins around and kicks him in the head. Sean hits the ground, unconscious.

"Sorry." Takamichi says, turning around and walking through the door.

The Conclusion to the Joker vs Swordsman fight. (Well not really, I'm sure they'll cross swords again :D)

The beginning of [Testament] and [Revelation] attack on the Underworld.

Thanks for staying with me this far!

Daemon