"STRIKE!"

As Bomb said this, he saw Yuuki taking a stance before shortly lunging towards a nearby boulder. The moment that the young man thrusts his hand forward, Yuuki was shocked by what he witnessed. While he couldn't slice apart the boulder as easily as Bomb could, he saw slash marks deeply carved into his target. Noticing this, Bomb simply nodded his head.

"You're not quite there yet to use this martial arts proficiently, at least not in your human form. But you should be able to pull it off in your slave form at least. We'll continue your training so you can use Fist of Whirling Winds Slashing Steel in both forms consistently. Any questions?"

"No sir!"

"Alright, you're dismissed. I'm leaving today since I have my own dojo to attend to. You still have your own work to do as a care taker, but don't slack off."

Having gotten Bomb's approval, Yuuki began to head back to the dorm with a smile on his face. Everyone has been training intensely inside of Shangri-la for an extremely long time and was showing immense progress. Just as Yuuki was about to head into the dorm, he saw someone sitting on top of a rock and gazing upon the moon in the sky. When Yuuki walked towards the individual, he noticed that it was actually Varvara Pilipenko.

"Chief Pilipenko!"

Upon suddenly hearing Yuuki's voice, the 8th Unit chief fell to the ground as she tried to crawl away. However, Yuuki ran around the rock as he looked at the young woman. There was something important he had on his mind that he needed to discuss with her. With how much she avoided him, now was his best chance.

"Please, tell me why you loathe me. I'll try to better myself!"

"......"

"If the Eighth Unit's relationship with the Seventh turns sour because of me, it will inconvenience Kyouka-san."

"You want to know why you are loathed? The reason will become clear once you see my ability."

As soon as she said this, Varvara put her hands together as if she was giving a prayer. A bright light began to emerge from behind her as Yuuki used his arms to try and shield his eyes from the light. While doing so, Yuuki managed to catch the words of the Eighth Unit chief.

"I was born to leaders of a criminal organization. As I grew, I knew that my parents were doing evil deeds. Through trespassing into Mato and stealing a peach from there, my parents promptly made me eat it to gain an ability. Creating a space of emptiness that gives me the upper hand, that was my ability at first. Thinking that i'd be following in my parents' footsteps made me grow cold and unfeeling from melancholy. But one day, before I graduated, a turning point arrived."

~Flashback~
Currently, Varvara was seen sitting at a table outside of a cafe. Suddenly, she saw someone pulling out a chair as she saw a young woman sitting across from her. The woman exuded immense amount of pride as she crossed both her arms and her legs whilst looking at Varavara dead in her eyes.

After discussing things with Ren, Varavara soon followed her into Mato as they were now in the Anti-Demon Corps' headquarters. After being given a uniform and changing into it, Varavara was now seen standing before Ren as the young commander decided to give her a task.

"You're a bit too cold, Pilipenko, so I decided to have you train under a fiery person. Come in."

The moment Varavara turned around, she saw her. A young woman with long, silver hair and with pink colored eyes that held a fiery determination within them. After making her way to Varavara and Ren, the Chief stood at attention as she introduced herself.

"I am Kyouka Uzen! Let's get along!"

~Flashback ends~

"I still remember it so clearly. The way that Kyouka-sama defeated Shuuki even without her ability. They way she would treat me after a mission. She was intense, yet gentle, with a smile like a flower, and a beauty like a sculpture. When I looked up what kind of person she was, I learned about what happened to her destroyed hometown. While I grew cold knowing of my family's crimes, Kyouka-sama exuded life. She lit a fire in this once cold heart of mine."

"Pilipenko-san, I had no idea."

"It was then, my ability went through a change."

As the bright light finally began to dim, Yuuki couldn't believe his eyes. Right now, he was standing in a large cathedral. The once empty space that held nothing within it was now a cathedral, a place of faith towards Kyouka. Though Yuuki couldn't help but notice something was off the moment he was in this space.

"Huh? I feel so incredibly at ease."

"?!"

"I understand. If you love Kyouka-san so much, me becoming her slave must be an eyesore for you."

"You don't understand anything at all. If Kyouka-sama is happy, that's all that matters."

"I'm sorry!!!"

"The reason I loathe you is due to the rewards. The price that must be paid for her ability. It's immoral. However, you said this cathedral that reveres Kyouka-sama puts you at ease. That is proof of how deeply you respect her. I understand now that you hold no vulgar thoughts towards Kyouka-sama. So ...i'll change my impression of you, just a little bit."

"Thank you very much, Chief Pilipenko."

As Yuuki said this, he noticed how the chief deactivated her ability. The moment this happened, Varvara was the first person to go inside of the building. However, just as Yuuki was about to go inside, he noticed something hovering over him.

"Huh? Is that a card?"

"It sure is, you dumbass."

An unfamiliar voice entered Yuuki's ears before he was suddenly punched through the walls of the dorm. As the mysterious figure stood up, he began to stretch as he was looking around. With a vicious smile upon his face, he proudly spoke up.

"While you dipshits were getting chummy, Fukuma finally decided to make her move. I bet by now that she even has Rairen by her side and ready to kill the lot of you."

"No, you're right on time. Glad you and Fukuma took the bait I laid out for you, dumbass."

As the young man heard this voice, he saw one man walking out of the destroyed wall. However, it wasn't Yuuki that was stepping out. The person that was walking towards him had a cold look in his eyes while his left hand held the sheathe to his katana as his right hand held the blade itself.

"Right now, Yuuki is regrouping with the others. You'll have to settle for me, you son of a bitch."

"So you're the guy that old man replaced me with, Tomioka Nagisa. Medusa told me a lot about you before I came here. So.....let's skip the chatting already. My name is Garou. You all slaughter monsters left and right, but this will be different. This the fight where the monster wins!"

"You're right. This will be the fight in which the monster does win. But you made one simple error."

Just as Nagisa said this, he took the blade in his right hand and used it to sharpen his sheathe. It was a simple action, yet each time sent a shiver down Garou's spine. Just as Nagisa finished sharpening the sheathe, he simply looked at Garou as if he was nothing but prey.

"Why did you assume that there was only one monster? In this world, you better focus on the enemy in front of you."

The war between two monsters is about to begin.