Chapter 49: The Final Squad

Soujin made his way toward Squad 10. His mind was still half on Bellar and half on whatever he was about to walk into. Squad 10. He figured it’d be another standard setup, not anything nearly as wild as Squad 9’s living jungle.

But when he arrived, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“…The hell?”

This wasn’t a barracks. It wasn’t even close.

At the very back of all the squad buildings, tucked away almost like it didn’t want to be found was what looked like a massive office building that towered over the surrounding structures. It had a sleek, almost corporate feel. In front of it was a poster—a single, giant poster slapped onto the front wall.

Soujin squinted at it.

“Squad 10: Efficiency, Order, and Professionalism. Paperwork is our Blade, Discipline is our Edge.”

Soujin’s eye twitched.

“Oh… oh no.” He ran a hand down his face. “Please don’t tell me these are the stuck up jerks of the society…”

He stepped forward and was already bracing for whatever headache was about to hit him the moment he walked through those doors.

When he walked in, he saw desks lined the room in neat, efficient rows, each occupied by squad members hunched over papers, typing on odd-looking devices, or murmuring into what looked like communication scrolls designed like wired headsets. The air smelled faintly of ink, and… was that coffee?

Before he could process the absurdity of what he was seeing, a woman approached.

Half of the woman’s attire was the standard Divine Blades uniform with a sword at her hip, but the other half was a neatly pressed blazer with an actual ID badge clipped onto it. Her hair was pinned up in a bun, and eyes locked onto him with a knowing look.

"Captain Soujin," she greeted with a straight face. "Captain Kodrine will see you right away."

Soujin blinked. "Wait, what? I didn’t even say anything yet."

The woman simply pointed to a sleek elevator in the corner—an actual, fully functioning elevator? In this place?

"Tenth floor," she instructed smoothly.

Soujin stepped into the elevator, eyeing it with suspicion.

Of all the things he expected from Squad 10, an elevator was not on the list. The buttons glowed faintly, numbered in perfect sequence. With a small sigh, he pressed 10.

The elevator moved smoothly, but slowly—almost too slow, like it wanted him to stew in the moment. A squad full of office workers? What was their deal?

Finally, a soft ding announced his arrival. The doors slid open.

Soujin stepped forward. His immediately locked onto the figure standing in front of a massive desk.

The man’s back was turned, facing a panoramic window that offered a crystal-clear view of the Divine Blade Society.

“Captain Soujin,” the man spoke, even and controlled. “I knew you would come the moment I heard the news myself.”

Kodrine turned around slowly. He was tall. His uniform was immaculate: He wore a crisp black coat buttoned over combat armor that looked sleek rather than bulky. Silver streaks ran through his neatly combed dark hair, but his face had barely a wrinkle. His sharp blue eyes carried a quiet intensity. Over it was his divine blade cloak with dark streaks.

There was something about the way he looked at Soujin—not just recognition, but assessment.

Soujin crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. “You must be Kodrine. Gotta ask…do we know each other well or something?”

Kodrine’s lips curled into something that might’ve been a smirk if it had any warmth behind it. Instead, it was cold.

"It seems you've forgotten," Kodrine said smoothly. "A great deal. But then again… death would do that to someone."

Soujin felt his jaw tense. But before he could respond, Kodrine lifted a hand. “No. I haven’t bought into this ‘reincarnation’ story of yours. There are many ways a man could survive something meant to kill him. I prefer to have facts over fairy tales.”

Soujin exhaled through his nose. ‘Of course.’

Before he could say anything else, Kodrine’s tone shifted. “But that’s not why you’re here.”

His piercing gaze locked onto Soujin. “Let’s talk about Cera. And the execution order hanging over her head.”

Soujin clenched his fists.

Kodrine tilted his head slightly. “Does it make you sick?”

Soujin scoffed. “Well, yeah.”

Kodrine’s lips barely moved, but Soujin could swear he caught the faintest hint of amusement.

“Good,” Kodrine said. “That means we can have a real conversation.”

Soujin sat in a chair that felt more like a throne, plush and overdesigned in a way that made him sink just a little too comfortably. He could almost roll with it, but the fact that Kodrine’s own chair was just a sleek office seat made it clear that the arrangement was deliberate.

Across the enormous desk, Kodrine leaned back slightly with his fingers interlocked. His sharp gaze never wavered.

“I believe in diversifying the society,” Kodrine stated. “It’s only thanks to Squad 8—and that man, Ketto—that we’ve been making strides in technology. The Divine Blades can’t thrive forever on tradition alone.”

Soujin remained quiet and listened

“My squad is made up of many people with varied talents. Mystcry spell masters, engineers, tacticians.” Kodrine smirked slightly. “I myself am a man of many skills. But Will—” His tone hardened just a fraction. “Will refuses to let me do one thing: Experiment with the Senodokidatsu.”

Kodrine’s fingers tapped lightly against the desk. “Cera will be yet another wasted asset. Another example of Will’s refusal to evolve.” He tilted his head slightly. “So, tell me, Captain… why shouldn’t we be trying to control it?”

Soujin frowned. “Because when a monster gets in, it’s not just some condition. It’s a takeover.”

Kodrine shrugged. “And if we could make that takeover work for us?”

His eyes suddenly seemed dangerous. “If we had a way to bend them to our will when they tried to take control? If we could turn them into our weapons instead of waiting to be their victims?”

Soujin leaned back in the oversized chair with his arms crossed. “If you can really pull that off, then I don’t see a problem with it… though, that’s a big risk.”

Kodrine smiled. “I know the risks. But tell me, isn’t it better than losing valuable people?”

Soujin opened his mouth, ready to counter—but nothing came. Kodrine wasn’t wrong. That was the worst part.

Soujin looked off to the side. “...I guess I can’t argue with that.”

Kodrine gave a satisfied nod. “Which is why I’ve already decided to help you.”

Soujin’s brow furrowed slightly. “Before I even asked?”

“Of course.” Kodrine’s fingers tapped rhythmically against his desk. “Because that’s what I do.”

Soujin didn’t know what to say to that. The only thing that felt right was a simple—

“…Thank you.”

But Kodrine wasn’t finished. “—which, naturally, will be added to your existing loan.”

Soujin blinked. “Wait. What loan?”

Kodrine reached into his desk and pulled out a thick folder. He placed it on the desk, then flipped it open.

Inside was a detailed ledger of every coin and resource that Soujin had ever borrowed.

Soujin’s eye twitched. “What the hell is this?!”

Kodrine adjusted his sleeves casually. “Your outstanding balance.”

Page after page. Weapons. Gear. Medical supplies. A note titled ‘Personal Bet, Lost—One Case of Premium Sake’. Another line item just said ‘Extremely Stupid Tactical Gamble’.

Soujin felt his soul leave his body.

“Hold on—” He jabbed a finger at the list. “This can’t be me. I don’t remember taking out a single loan from you in my life!”

Kodrine looked at him evenly. “…Death will do that to someone.”

Soujin slumped forward onto the desk. He was so screwed.

As Soujin stepped out of Squad 10’s towering office-like building, the cool night air greeted him. Behind him, Kodrine leaned casually against the doorway with his arms crossed. “You know, Soujin,” he called out smoothly, “you can pay back the loan anytime you’re ready. No pressure.”

Soujin stopped mid-step, turning back with a deadpan look. “Oh, gee, thanks. How generous.”

But then, an idea struck him. He glanced at Kodrine with a glint in his eye. “What if we get Will to see things our way tomorrow?” He rubbed his chin. “If this plan works, and we get him on board—would you consider removing my loan?”

Kodrine’s lips curled into an amused smirk. “I’ll consider cutting it by three-fourths.”

Soujin stiffened. “Three-fourths?”

“That’s a huge amount,” Kodrine pointed out while lifting a brow. “At that point, you could just take on one decent mission, get one bag of money, and pay off the rest. Simple.”

Soujin rubbed his hands together with a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“Ohhh, now that’s what I’m talking about…” he muttered. His mind was already cooking up some scheme to get a mission after this, but then, his own thoughts ambushed him.

Damn it. This was all because of his past self. That damn piece of shit! His past self was reckless, irresponsible, and apparently, now he figures out that he was financially incompetent?

"Stupid, stupid, STUPID," he cursed internally while staring at the sky in frustration.

Kodrine chuckled. “I’ll take that look on your face as motivation, then. Good luck, Captain Soujin.”

Meanwhile…

Hyorine stood stiffly in the Captain’s Meeting Room with her hands clasped behind her back. Across from her, Will Blackhart stood with his usual authoritative blue eyes aimed at her.

“Acting Captain Hyorine.”

The words hit like a hammer.

Her breath caught for just a second, but she forced herself to hold her composure. She knew it was coming, but hearing it aloud made it real.

“Until Muffet is found, that is how you will be addressed,” Will continued firmly. “That means you bear the weight of Squad 6’s leadership. You will ensure its stability. Understood?”

Hyorine swallowed the lump in her throat. Responsibility. Orders. Expectation.

She squared her shoulders. “Yes, Head Captain.”

Will studied her for a moment longer before nodding in approval. “Good. Now—onto the matter at hand.”

He turned to a large map sprawled across his table with various markers pinpointing recent activity. His finger trailed along the locations marked red—places where Senodokidatsu forces were retreating.

Or rather, had been.

“So far, the reports show that the Senodokidatsu have stopped running. They’ve changed tactics, and are now fighting to the death.”

Hyorine tensed. That wasn’t normal. It meant that not a single one had opened a portal back to their realm.

Which meant...

Muffet was still alone.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. A messenger entered swiftly, bowing before Will. “Sir, reports just came in. Captain Soujin has been seen moving between all of the Captains Squads today.”

Will exhaled through his nose. “Expected.” His sharp eyes flickered toward Hyorine. “We’ll move with the plan.”

Within Squad 4 – Cera’s Room:

Cera lay motionless on the bed. Sweat clung to her brow, yet she shivered. Then—her fingers twitched.

A weak groan escaped her lips as her hand drifted inside her uniform, clutching at her chest.

Thump-thump.

Her heartbeat felt wrong.

She winced. A sharp, searing pain shot through her body, making her arch slightly off the bed. A hiss of air escaped her clenched teeth.

And then, Dark, jagged veins crept up her face that were black as ink. They pulsed and wriggled beneath her skin like they had a will of their own.

Her pupils dilated. Her hands gripped the sheets. And then—just as suddenly as it came—the pain subsided.

Cera collapsed back onto the bed, gasping. Her chest rose and fell heavily.She was still herself… for now, but she knew it was getting worse.

Meanwhile - The Senodokidatsu Realm

A twisted castle of bone and shadow loomed in the distance with towering spires vanishing into a blood-red sky. Within its grand halls, Trombone stood, perched atop his throne crafted from the remains of fallen warriors. His long fingers tapped lazily against the armrest.

Footsteps echoed. In came a skeletal warrior clad in jagged armor who knelt before him with his head bowed low.

“Your Majesty,” the bone soldier rasped with a hollow rattle. “Muffet has arrived in our realm.”

Trombone’s fingers stopped tapping.

His golden eyes flickered with interest. “Oh? That pesky woman finally found her way here, did she?”

The soldier remained still. “Yes, Sire. The Elite Yokuni is dealing with her right now, but that is not all.”

Trombone’s face darkened. “Continue.”

The soldier raised its head slightly. “The Senodokidatsu you requested research on that infused with the Divine Blade Society girl—her location has been found.”

A slow, wicked grin spread across Trombone’s face.

“By whom?”

“Elite #3, Yokikatsu.”

Trombone let out a low chuckle and leaned foward with amusement. “That little shit finally did something right.”

The soldier nodded. “He discovered the Divine Blade Society’s stronghold… using his Joker card.”

A ripple of excitement filled the room.

Trombone tilted his head with satisfaction.

“Well, well…” He clasped his hands together. “This just became much more… entertaining.”