"If you insist on choosing this card, don't regret the truth it reveals."
[I]Yomi Aoi × The Awakening of Black Jack In a desert wasteland, golden sands surged like waves and the night wind howled.
Yomi Aoi knelt between rocky cliffs, palms open. Above his hands floated a pitch-black card surrounded by a blood-red glow - Black Jack.
"You have already resonated with it."
A mysterious wanderer stood on a boulder, his gaze deep as the abyss.
"But this card is not just a conduit for power - it reveals a future you were never meant to see."
Yomi slowly lifted his head.
"I can feel it whispering. Laughing..."
"Waiting for me to fall into the darkness - and then become it."
Suddenly, the blood from his fingertips was drawn into the map. A crimson rift opened in the void behind him, from which a phantom arm of playing cards emerged - shifting and flickering with his emotions.
The shadow of the Joker.
Behind the rift, a vertical pupil slowly opened, staring straight into his soul.
"Remember," the wanderer's voice fell to a grave tone, "Black Jack is not a magic trick. It's a contract."
"From the moment you chose it, you were no longer 'human.'"
[II]Shiran × Forbidden Laboratory "Final Classroom" Beneath the Seiyu Foundation's 12th underground lab, Shiran, dressed in a white research coat, moved wordlessly among a group of scientists, flipping through a classified document.
-Project Code: E-XI - Final Classroom Inside were the mind wave records of hundreds of students lost in interdimensional space-some already transformed into "Apostles of the Otherworld," the rest...
"Preserved in consciousness pods?" Shiran muttered.
He walked down a corridor filled with frosty air and stopped at a sealed chamber. Through the glass he saw a familiar figure floating in the air - Shirakawa.
Eyes hollow. Chest scarred. As if recently reassembled.
"You won't even let the dead rest in peace..." Shiran whispered.
Behind him, an old but amused voice sounded:
"You've come too far, Shiran. There's no turning back now."
It was the director of the lab - gold-rimmed glasses and a perpetually elegant smile.
"We need you... to witness the final evolution of the world."
[III]Sayo Houdou × The Path of Pursuit In a moonlit forest, Sayo Houdou knelt, one arm bloodied.
In front of her stood Blackblade - silver hair falling, eyes cold as steel.
"Turn back. You can't keep up with him."
Sayo clenched her jaw.
"Yomi Aoi... he's falling into darkness. I won't let him go alone again."
Blackblade sheathed his weapon.
"You will die."
She looked up, her gaze unwavering.
"If he dies, I die with him."
The wind rose. Leaves scattered.
Blackblade turned silently, leaving only a low murmur:
"You remind me of her."
Sayo didn't understand what he meant.
But she knew - there was no going back.
[IV]Kyōichi Tendō × Kamura Setsura - Training Duel Deep within the Dragonfang Arena, flames sparked, sword auras and spear powers clashing violently.
Tendō Kyōichi, bare-chested and scarred, stood still with his eyes closed, holding his sword in one hand as if feeling the rhythm of the wind.
Kamura Setsura, wielding his mechanical gokuretsu, roared:
"You can't let your emotions cloud you anymore, Kyōichi! Shirakawa's death wasn't all your fault!"
Kyōichi remained silent, then whispered:
"But with that blow... I held back."
"I hesitated."
"The next time I face Blackblade, I will die."
Kamura pressed the tip of his spear against Kyōichi's chest:
"Then from now on, no more hesitation."
The wind stopped.
Kyōichi opened his eyes - and in that instant, swordlight burned in them like fire.
Softly, he spoke:
"Sword Heart - No Thought - I want to try it."
V]Omen × Fourth Otherworld Walker: Frost Commander Location: Eastcloud Academy Underground Parking Lot, B1 Codename: Frost Commander Abilities: Absolute Zero Field × Ice Blade Spiral Slash × Puppet Control Style: High-Speed Spin-Based Attack, Ambush & Field Suppression Night was falling. The underground garage was silent. Neon lights flickered as frost silently crawled over every inch of concrete.
Mito Karuma stepped inside.
Behind him, ghostly beasts coalesced - a silver-maned wolf, a long-tailed scorpion, two rune serpents.
His hand stroked the whipblade Night Hunt at his hip, the black-gold coil hissing softly.
"Someone's been watching since before."
"Who are you?"
A cold crunch of footsteps on ice answered him.
Out of the mist came a figure in silver-blue armor, wearing a horned mask and holding two ice blades. His steps were precise, like a puppet moved by code.
Mechanically and without emotion, he spoke:
"Unit: Fourth Otherworld Walker."
"Mission: Battle Evaluation - Mito Karuma."
With those words, a frost field burst outward.
The temperature dropped to -20°C. The ice spread rapidly. The Frost Commander accelerated, spinning at an incredible speed - six ice blades formed triple spiral trajectories, slashing like crescent moons.
Mito reacted immediately and unleashed Night Hunt. The whip lashed out like snakes to block the blades.
"Silvermane, intercept!"
The summoned wolf collided head on, producing ice and sparks.
Then Mito's eyes widened:
These weren't real blades, but energy puppets!
The real Frost Commander had already flanked him.
"-Die!"
Mito spun, his whip in a full arc. Snake Spirits shielded him - but he was hit, blown back meters. Blood dripped from his lips.
Breathing heavily, pale but calm, he murmured:
"You didn't mean to kill me."
Frost Commander stopped.
"Evaluation complete. You are not yet worthy to face the 'Puppet King.'"
He disappeared into the mist.
What he left behind was not only wounds, but a declaration of war.
Yomi Aoi stood on the edge of a cliff. Black Jack scattered in a storm of cards around him, whispering voices echoed on the wind.
He murmured:
"Can I still come back?"
Sayo, wounded, leaned against a stone and looked at his back.
She answered softly:
"If you don't come back, I will find you.
At the same time, Kyōichi Tendō called a meeting of all the club leaders.
"We must complete the first phase of the ability enhancement before he returns. When he comes back-" "We must be strong enough to stand beside him."
Kamura Setsura smiled slightly:
"Or strong enough... to stop him-if he changes."