The Seven Call

Inside the Seirei Exorcist headquarters, Smith and Ninda stood in Raito Kisaragi's office, watching as their boss spoke on the telephone with the Seven Headquarters.

"Yes, I understand. No problems here," Raito said calmly before the line cut off. He placed the telephone back on its stand, then slammed his fist on the desk.

"Damn it."

Smith immediately stepped forward. "What did they say?"

Raito exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening into a fist. "It's too late... Two assistants from the Seven are on their way, and they're bringing backup. They're here to take Mark into custody."

Ninda's eyes widened. "Is there anything we can do?"

But Raito shook his head. "No... nothing."

Smith clenched his teeth in frustration. "What if we apologize directly to the Seven?"

Raito scoffed. "The search for Mark has already been announced. It doesn't matter what we say. And as much as I hate those bastards, if they take Mark in under their authority, they have the power to shut down Seirei Exorcist entirely."

Smith's fists trembled in anger as Raito continued, "They've even temporarily banned us from exorcising Seireis until further notice."

Ninda looked concerned. "The others should know about this."

Without another word, Smith stormed out of the office and into the main hall, where Mark was sitting casually, eating an apple.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Smith growled. "The Seven are personally after you. If you say anything that pisses them off, they could shut us down or, worse—wipe us all out in an instant!"

The room fell silent. The other teammates gasped in shock.

Mark, unfazed, glanced at Smith with an emotionless side-eye. "Relax. I'm not afraid of them." He took another bite of his apple. "If they're after me, then I'm not going down without a fight."

From across the hall, Jack slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "Yeah! And we'll help too!"

The rest of the team nodded in agreement, their determination unwavering.

Before things could escalate further, Raito entered the room. His tone was serious. "If any of you intervene, you'll be in just as much trouble. Stay out of this."

Rin, one of the younger members, hesitated but then spoke up. "But boss... If we all work together, like when we fought Kaki, we might actually stand a chance."

Raito chuckled dryly. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. The Seven don't even need to use their Standz abilities to take you down. Their Standz Pressure alone could knock you all out in a second."

He glanced at Vanessa. "Well… except for her. She has a high amount of Standz Pressure."

The team cheered for Vanessa, momentarily shifting the mood. She blushed at the unexpected praise.

Smith, however, wasn't distracted. He stepped forward, frustration evident on his face. "They could be here any moment now."

Mark suddenly stood up, setting his apple down. His voice was calm. "Look, I promise this won't involve any of you. I won't let the Seirei Exorcist headquarters get shut down. This is my fight—just me and them. We're just going to have a talk."

At that moment, Ninda's eyes widened in realization. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" She smirked. "You wanted to confront the Seven, so you set all of this up."

The others turned to Mark, confused.

Mark smirked back at Ninda. "Finally, someone figured it out. Took you long enough."

Smith narrowed his eyes. "I still don't get it. Why go through all this trouble just to meet the Seven?"

Mark's expression darkened slightly. "Because I want to know the truth."

Everyone went silent as Mark continued. "Boss said that during Damien's rampage, the Seven didn't intervene. Even my father had to sacrifice himself just to save everyone, and they still didn't do anything. But if they really went that far, that means they were cutting ties with our region, right? Which should mean that everything we do doesn't matter to them anymore. But no… We still need their permission for exorcisms. They still oversee everything. There has to be a reason for that. And I want to find out why."

The room was completely still. The team stared at Mark in awe.

Jack, however, scratched his head. "I still don't get it."

Miwafe sighed and facepalmed. "Jack, just sit this one out."

Understanding Mark's resolve, the team stepped aside. They knew this was his fight.

Minutes later, the air grew tense as an armed force of soldiers surrounded the Seirei Exorcist building.

Two figures stood at the forefront:

Sakura, the Second Assistant of the Seven.

Belto Kurayami, the First Assistant of the Seven.

Belto grabbed a loudspeaker, his voice echoing across the area.

"Mark Carter, you have been called out by the Seven. Do us a favor and step out now, or we'll be forced to enter by force. Honestly, I'm hoping for the second option." He smirked.

Just then, from the shadows, Mark appeared, standing on the rooftop above them.

"Took you long enough. I was wondering when you'd show up," he said casually.

Immediately, the armed soldiers raised their weapons, pointing them directly at him.

Belto's smirk widened. "I'm required to tell you that anything you say will be used against you, blah blah blah…" He waved his hand dismissively before stepping forward, handcuffs in hand.

"Let's make this easy. Come quietly."

Mark didn't move. His gaze was unwavering. "I'm not going anywhere. If the Seven want me, they should come here themselves."

Belto chuckled darkly. "You're in no position to make demands. If you refuse to come with us, we'll gladly bring you by force."

Behind them, the Seirei Exorcist team rushed out, Vanessa at the front.

"Mark, please! Just listen to them!" she begged.

Mark didn't budge.

Miwafe turned to Raito. "Who is this guy?" She was glaring at Belto.

Raito sighed. "That's Belto Kurayami—the number one assistant of the Seven. A cocky bastard… but unfortunately, he backs it up with skill."

Meanwhile, Belto and Mark locked eyes, both refusing to back down.

Belto took a step forward. "You have five seconds to get into this car, or my soldiers will drag you in themselves."

Mark's voice was steady. "I already told you—I'm not moving. Get the Seven themselves to come."

Raito, his patience snapping, shouted, "Mark, just go! Either way, you're meeting them!"

Belto turned to Raito and sneered. "Shut up."

The blatant disrespect made the Seirei Exorcists furious. Miwafe lunged forward, but Raito caught her just in time.

Belto returned his focus to Mark. His expression twisted into mockery.

"You think you're special, don't you? Calling out the Seven like that. But here's the truth—you belong at the bottom."

Mark didn't react.

Belto smirked. "You're a Standz-less freak. The only human—no, the only thing—that doesn't have Standz. Not even Standz Pressure. My couch has more Standz than you. Literally."

Still, Mark remained unfazed. Scratching his head, he muttered, "Look, if that's your best insult, get in line, Bob Cut. But no matter what you say, I'm not moving."

Belto's smirk dropped. "Enough of this. Seize him!"

The soldiers charged, but Mark moved swiftly, using martial arts, out smarting them and brute strength to take them down one by one.

Jack whistled. "Nice uppercut."

Even Belto was impressed. "Not bad. Looks like you're worth my time."

Then, he pulled out a small, eerie doll.

Raito's face paled. "This is bad."

Rin frowned. "What is that?"

Vanessa shivered. "It's… creepy."

The boss, still sweating, clenched his fists. "That doll is linked to Belto's Standz ability called Soul Transfer, and it's one of the most dangerous abilities ever seen. If he points that doll at you, your soul will be transferred into it. It may feel like nothing happened, but anything he does to that doll will affect your real body."

The entire team tensed as the weight of the situation settled in. Their eyes flicked between Belto and Mark, worried about what was going to happen next.