UTILE

Kazenari Rei was an ordinary human, once lost in the despair of his mundane life. But when the collapse of his world arrived — powered by the cataclysmic force known as Honkai End — Rei’s soul was chosen for rebirth. Not as a hero. Not as a savior. But as something the world of High School DxD is not prepared for.

Armed with the power to awaken Spirits in ordinary humans — a twisted hybrid of the Date A Live system and Honkai resonance — Rei now walks among devils and angels as an unpredictable force. With a personality as calm as flowing water but wrath as deadly as a collapsing star, Rei keeps to the shadows, choosing neutrality… for now.

Eclipse of the Spirit: The Reincarnated Flame

The wind that swept through Kyoto that night was not a wind born of weather.It was a tremor—an echo drawn forward through time.

Somewhere between seconds, in the stillness of Rei's reformed flame, the world blinked. For the briefest instant, the moon turned black, and all things that bore memory—trees, stones, even ghosts—shuddered.

Then came the footsteps.Not heard, but remembered.

A figure stepped into the Shrine of the North Wind, not through gate or path, but through recollection. As though someone had once seen him, long ago, and that memory was now walking.

He wore robes that shimmered between realities—half-faded, half-alive. His eyes were mirrors.

"Chronomnemesis," Karasu hissed. "A guardian of echo-paths. A being that should not walk unless summoned by distortion."

The man smiled. "Neither are you anymore."

Noira moved to Rei's side, blade drawn. "State your intent."

The man bowed, mockingly. "To warn. To challenge. To test."

He pointed at Rei. "You have accepted the flame of Azeron, and thus awakened the Chronomnemesis Module. That makes you a vector. If you cannot contain the next convergence, the timeline collapses into recursion."

Mireille blinked. "Wait. Recursion? You mean—"

[Echo-Domain: Temporal Fault Layer Zero]

They were no longer in Kyoto.They were inside a fractured version of the shrine, where everything looped.

Eirenne stood still. Then again. And again. Three versions of her blinked in and out of existence.

"This is unstable," she muttered. "We're in a time-fold."

The Chronomnemesis turned to Rei. "Every decision, every flame you've touched—it accumulates. This realm shows what happens when too many echoes remain unresolved."

From the mirrored horizon emerged versions of Rei.Some kinder.Some darker.Some already dead.

"You must choose which path remains. And sever the others."

Rei narrowed his eyes. "And if I refuse?"

System Combat Protocol: Chronomnemesis Mode Engaged

[Target Class: Echo Variant][Rules: Personal Integrity. No External Flame Assistance Allowed.][Victory Condition: Survival of the Original.]

Rei moved like wildfire through glass—elegant and exact.

Each Echo bore flaws: one was too proud, one too hesitant, another too cruel.But each also had a shard of him.

With every clash, he understood himself.Not just the him that was, but the him that could've been.

As he drove the last Echo into silence, the Chronomnemesis nodded.

"You passed the first divergence. There will be more."

The realm cracked.Reality pulled itself back together.

Back in the Real Shrine

Rei fell to one knee, breath steady but spirit heavy.

Karasu fluttered down."You've just stepped into temporal sovereignty. You are now one of the few who can prune or preserve echoes."

Noira handed Rei water. "Next time, let us help."

He took it, smiling faintly. "Next time… they might be you."

Mireille looked out toward the forest. "If this is just the beginning of Chronomnemesis, we'll need more than strength."

Eirenne agreed. "We'll need resolve. To face ourselves."

Rei stood.And as he did, a new system prompt blinked:

[Echo Variant Registry: Unlocked.Next Convergence Site Detected — Tokyo Underground: Spirit Vault Δ09.Estimated Threat: Unbounded Flame of Mercy.Category: Anti-Sovereign Echo.]

Chapter 112: Shadows of the Chronomnemesis