The blue portal shimmered behind them, leaving no trace of the nightmare they had just barely escaped.
The group emerged into the shadows of Kuoh's outskirts, bodies bruised, wings torn, and minds rattled. None spoke. There was nothing to say.
The walk back to their abandoned church hideout was silent, save for Freed's occasional grunts of pain and the wheezing breaths of the injured Fallen Angels. Sona and Rias had long since departed the scene, unaware of what the group had endured beyond the veil of the supernatural portal.
Once inside the church, the crumbling walls seemed to offer no sanctuary from the weight they carried. Freed dropped to the floor, his coat stained with blood and soot. His body trembled, not from fear but rage.
"That bastard," he spat, slamming a hand against the rotted pew. "That bastard made a fool out of me! You saw him, didn't you? He wasn't even serious! He—he was playing!"
His laughter turned wild and hollow, echoing off the cracked walls.
"I'll kill him. I don't care what he is—demon, ghost, thunder god. I'll tear his spine out with my teeth!"
Mittelt sat curled in a corner, hugging her knees. Her lips trembled.
"I… I couldn't move," she whispered. "He looked at me and I—I couldn't even breathe. That wasn't just a demon. What are we supposes to do with something like that?"
Kalawarner winced as she wrapped her arm, scorched from the lightning.
"His aura, it was like drowning in a sea of electricity. I've never felt that much power. Not even from any other of our race"
"We were nothing to him," Dohnaseek said quietly. "Insects. He could've killed us whenever he wanted. We were just entertainment."
For a while, the room was still.
Then, Raynare—who had sat in silence since their return—finally spoke.
Her voice was low. Hollow.
"I saw death."
The others looked to her.
"I saw it. I felt it. He didn't strike to kill, but he could have. I've always believed we were above humans. That our power made us superior. But now…" She stood, swaying slightly. "…Now I realize we're not even close."
Raynare's eyes stared ahead, unfocused, haunted.
"I need more power," she whispered. "No, I must have it. At any cost. I won't die like that. Not helpless. Not insignificant. Never again."
Mittelt looked at her, confused. "Raynare?"
But Raynare didn't respond. Her mind was already racing—thoughts spiraling through forbidden rituals, sealed knowledge, and dangerous deals.
-------------------------------------------
The quiet hum of the hotel room was broken only by the soft tapping of a spoon against a porcelain cup. Leonardo sat at the small table by the window, stirring his coffee absentmindedly as rays of morning light filtered in through the curtains.
Ding.
His gaze shifted lazily to the holographic notification that appeared in front of him.
[Dungeon Notification
Raid on "Demon Slayer: Kuoh Instance" has failed.
Participants reached Floor 4.
Raid terminated by Boss Guardian: Kaigaku.
Status: All members ejected alive but incapacitated.]
"Hm… so they made it that far," Leonardo muttered, sipping his coffee. "Surprising, really."
He flicked his fingers to open the expanded report. A familiar interface displayed the participants: Raynare, Dohnaseek, Kalawarner, Mittelt, Freed Sellzen.
He could see their progression through the floors, their stats, choices, the demon they fought on Floor 3, and the data footprint Kaigaku left in the encounter.
A smirk curved his lips.
"They never stood a chance."
Another window appeared, this one glowing in a faint crimson.
[New Feature Unlocked: Essence Assimilation
You have acquired the Essence of:
Raynare (Fallen Angel)
Dohnaseek (Fallen Angel)
Kalawarner (Fallen Angel)
Mittelt (Fallen Angel)
Freed Sellzen (Stray Exorcist)
Essences can now be used to:
— Recreate subjects as constructs in your original world.
— Place them as NPCs or Bosses in newly-designed dungeons.
— Customize their abilities, personalities, and allegiances.
— Influence their memories or rewrite them entirely.]
Leonardo leaned back in his chair, blinking slowly. "Essences, huh…"
It was a curious mechanic. One he hadn't seen before.
"So anything that dies—or nearly dies—in my dungeon, I get a copy of their soul, essentially?" he asked aloud.
[Negative. Near-death or emotional collapse in high-density dungeons might allow temporary imprinting. This imprint is refined into an "Essence" and permanently added to your creation database.]
His mind began to race.
He could resurrect Raynare and the others in his world. He could mold them into something new. Allies. Guards. Test subjects. Dungeon keepers. Or villains.
With unlimited points, the customization possibilities were boundless, loyalty enforcement, power restructuring, emotional calibration, even appearance modification.
He stood, the coffee now forgotten.
"This… could be very interesting."
Would he create a version of Raynare that remained obsessed with power but served him absolutely? Or one that fought against him, a rogue piece in a larger game? Maybe even pit them against each other in another themed dungeon?
His fingers hovered over the system's UI, opening the new Essence Library tab, eyes gleaming.
The question wasn't if he would use them but how creatively he would do it.