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

Deep beneath the known world, in a forgotten vault older than the Heavenly Dragon Era, something stirred.

A pulse—not of magic, nor spirit, nor flame—but of origin. The floor of the void chamber flickered with translucent symbols. Reality curved inward.

He no longer resembled the curator of Sovereign Flames. His body was fragmented—veins pulsing with black-gold ether, one arm crystalline, his face cracked with ancient ruin script.

"Ten flames… and yet he lives," he muttered, voice more echo than speech.

Behind him, the Loom of Realities twisted unnaturally. The red thread—once central—now frayed, split into ten spirals, each glowing with the essence of the integrated spirits.

"You shouldn't have reached ten, Rei. The system was meant to contain power. Not liberate it."

Vereth stepped forward, dragging a blade behind him—a construct of woven timelines. He had abandoned guardianship.

He had become a sovereign usurper.

Spiritforge Sanctuary — Dawn After Flame

Rei sat within the courtyard, silent.

Ten flames hovered around him. Not wild, not subdued—but awaiting. Each spirit fragment had been harmonized. Even Vildras pulsed with steady resolve now.

Mireille knelt beside him, scanning his vitals. "You should be in stasis. No one can survive ten integrations."

Rei's eyes flickered open. "I'm not surviving. I'm continuing."

Eirenne stirred the breeze with her hand. "Then what's next?"

Rei looked to the north. "We find Vereth."

Noira's grip on her blade tightened. "You think he'll wait?"

Karasu landed on Rei's shoulder, unusually still. "He's preparing. The Loom's final song is coming."

As they passed through the ruins of Kyoto's underground dream-market—a place where spirits once bartered future memories—Rei felt a jolt.

> [System Alert: Fragment Signature Detected — Null-Class Anomaly. Name: Sorrowling. Origin: Uncatalogued]

Before he could respond, the walls around them rippled.

A figure emerged—a child-shaped echo, dressed in funeral silks, eyes black as sealed voids.

It looked up at Rei and whispered, "The weaver made me from forgotten endings. Can you carry them?"

The Sorrowling vanished into flame.

[System Notification: Sorrowling absorbed. Classification: Transitional Flame. Emotional Pressure increased. Recommend Emotional Anchor stabilizer.]

Mireille frowned. "That… wasn't normal."

Rei nodded. "Vereth is seeding false spirits. Testing how far I'll bend."

Noira drew her sword. "Then stop bending."

Their next destination: The Spiral Path—a bridge of threads that connected sovereign nodes across time.

As they walked it, visions appeared. Ghosts of moments Rei never lived—of children he never had, of wars he never fought, of deaths that were meant to be his.

Eirenne whispered, "The Loom's backlash. Vereth is unraveling the future."

Rei clenched his fist. "Then I'll bind it again."

As they reached the end, a single figure stood blocking the way.

He wore ten rings on one hand—each glowing with twisted fragments of former sovereigns, consumed and reconfigured.

"You followed the thread," Vereth said. "But the thread was mine first."

Chapter 161: The Loom Beneath Creation