Chapter: Chapter 83: The S-Rank BurdenThe S-Rank badge was heavier than it looked.It was made of solid platinum, inlaid with a core of crystallized mana that hummed against my palm."This is not just a badge," the Association courier said, bowing so low his nose touched the gravel of the villa driveway. "It is a key to the kingdom."He handed me a thick black booklet."Your privileges, Sovereign Amagiri."I opened it.[Perk 1: Infinite Credit Limit.] (Backed by the National Treasury). [Perk 2: Diplomatic Immunity.] (You can't be arrested unless you commit treason). [Perk 3: Access to Restricted Zones.] (Area 51, The Vatican Archives, The Emperor's Kitchen).My hands trembled.(Infinite credit? Immunity? I can buy an island. I can jaywalk in front of a police station. I can finally pay off the strawberry debt.)"Acceptable," I said, suppressing the urge to kiss the booklet. "The nation recognizes true value.""Indeed," the courier nodded. "However..."He pulled out a second envelope. This one wasn't black. It was blood re
Last Updated: 2026-02-11
Chapter: Chapter 82: The Sixth Member"Pink," Ayaka Saionji said, her voice dripping with S-Rank disdain. "You want to paint the west wing... neon pink?""It’s not pink," Hoshino Lumi corrected, snapping her fingers at a mover carrying a life-sized statue of herself. "It’s 'Electric Sakura'. And it helps my creative process."We were standing in the driveway of the Saionji Villa. Or rather, what used to be the driveway.Now, it was a parking lot for eighteen moving trucks."This is a fortress," Runa growled, poking a fluffy pink beanbag chair with her dagger. "Not a dollhouse. This... furniture... lacks honor. It offers no tactical advantage.""It offers comfort, you muscle-brain," Lumi shot back, adjusting her oversized sunglasses. "Something you wouldn't understand.""Muscle-brain?!" Runa’s aura flared violet. "I will sever your twin-tails!""Try it!" Lumi’s throat glowed silver. "I'll sing your eardrums into dust!""Silence!" Ayaka’s golden mana spiked. "This is my house! If you want to live here, you follow my aesthet
Last Updated: 2026-02-10
Chapter: Chapter 81: Resurrected from the RubbleThe beam of light widened."HEAVE!" Runa’s voice roared from above."PULL!" Ayaka commanded.CRUNCH.The massive slab of concrete that had been pinning my leg was ripped away. Not by a machine, but by sheer, hysterical strength.Dust swirled in the sudden influx of fresh air."Master!" Melody dove into the hole first. She was covered in soot, her maid uniform torn, but she didn't care. She grabbed me, checking my limbs with frantic hands. "Are you intact? Do you require hydration? Did the rocks touch your face?""I'm fine," I grunted, shielding my eyes from the floodlights. "Melody, help me stand."(I am not fine. My leg feels like a tenderized steak. But the cameras are watching.)"And the Princess?" Melody looked at the girl clinging to my chest.Lumi looked up. Her makeup was smudged. Her pink dress was ruined. But she was alive. And she was glaring at Melody."I'm fine," Lumi snapped. "And I don't need help."She tried to stand, but her knees buckled.I caught her. Again."Careful
Last Updated: 2026-02-10
Chapter: Chapter 80: Buried AliveDarkness.Absolute, suffocating darkness.The air smelled of pulverized concrete and old dust. It was hot. Oppressively hot."Cough."I tried to move my arm. Pain shot through my shoulder like a lightning bolt.(Broken. Definitely broken. And my ribs. And my dignity.)I was pinned. A slab of concrete lay across my legs. Twisted rebar formed a cage around my head.But I wasn't dead.And I wasn't alone.Beneath me, shielded by my body, something soft stirred."Nngh..."Hoshino Lumi. The Princess.She coughed, her small body trembling against my chest."Renji?" she whispered, her voice laced with panic. "Where... where are we?""We are in the VIP section," I wheezed, tasting blood. "The underground suite."(We are buried. We are buried under a billion tons of stadium. We are going to suffocate.)Lumi shifted. She realized the position we were in. I was arched over her, taking the weight of the debris on my back to keep her safe. Her face was inches from mine in the pitch black."You..."
Last Updated: 2026-02-10
Chapter: Chapter 79: Saving the StadiumBEEP.The sound was small. The result was not.KA-BOOM.The foundation pillars of the Electric Heaven Arena detonated. It wasn't a single explosion; it was a domino effect. Sixteen shaped charges tore through the reinforced concrete that held the massive dome roof suspended over fifty thousand people.The floor pitched violently."Gah!"I fell to one knee, clutching the unconscious Lumi.Ghost didn't wait. He activated a grappling hook on his belt and shot up toward a ventilation shaft that was still intact."Goodbye, Saint!" he cackled. "Try to talk your way out of gravity!"He vanished into the duct.Above us, the sky cracked.The dome—thousands of tons of steel, glass, and lighting rigs—groaned. Then, it began to fall.It wasn't a slow descent. It was a freefall.The crowd screamed. A sound of pure, primal terror. Fifty thousand people looked up and saw their death coming down."Master!" Runa grabbed my arm. "We must flee! The exits are blocked, but I can cut a path through the wal
Last Updated: 2026-02-09
Chapter: Chapter 78: The Syndicate's EliteCLICK.The hammer fell.(I’m dead.)BOOM.The gun fired. The muzzle flash blinded me in the darkness.But I didn't feel a bullet entering my skull.I felt a vibration. A massive, resonant hum that originated from my own throat.[System Passive: Siren's Defense.] [Effect: High-frequency sonic shield deployed reflexively.]The air next to my ear rippled solid. The bullet hit the wall of compressed sound and disintegrated into lead dust."What?" The invisible assassin gasped. "A sonic barrier? At point-blank range?"I was alive. The Fragment I had just stolen—the [Siren's Echo]—had reacted to the threat faster than my brain could process fear.(I have a forcefield? I have a forcefield!)My panic turned instantly into adrenaline-fueled arrogance.I adjusted my grip on the unconscious Lumi. I turned my head toward the breathing sound in the dark."You missed," I whispered."I won't miss twice," Ghost growled. I heard him rack the slide."You won't get a second chance," I countered. "Becaus
Last Updated: 2026-02-09
