Days had passed. Sōn, Deo, Baraka, Alex, and Kazuki were each in separate hospital rooms, their bodies still recovering from the intense battle. The air inside the hospital was heavy.
Meanwhile, in the reception area, Kinto sat alone on a bench, hunched forward with his eyes downcast. His face looked defeated—burdened.
A quiet shuffle of footsteps approached. It was Kito, his father, who took a seat beside him.
"You sitting here depressed won't change anything, son," Kito said gently.
Kinto kept his eyes forward. "They're in a critical state because I failed as a leader. If I had made better decisions, maybe they wouldn't be in this condition."
Kito sighed. "Being a leader means taking responsibility, that's true. But that doesn't mean everything is your fault. They chose to fight beside you. They all chose to stick to the mission till the end. No one's at fault. Not you, not them."
Kinto clenched his fists. "If they don't make it out okay... I might as well quit this whole assassin thing."
Kito placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Calm down kid, you're too hard on yourself. They'll be okay."
Just then, a female doctor walked toward them. Kinto stood up quickly.
"Are they okay?" he asked, his voice desperate.
"They're stable," the doctor replied, "but it's still critical. Baraka's condition was due to him pushing his body past its limits—he burned through energy that his body needed to survive. As for Son... the wound in his chest was only part of the issue, his small intestines were burned and destroyed. Not just that he unleashed so much internal heat, some of his organs began to melt. Deo's case is similar—he used power beyond his physical threshold."
Kito looked at her sharply. "Will they make it?"
"They're in safe hands," she replied, "but next time... they can't be this reckless without proper training, otherwise they'll die"
"And Alex?" Kinto asked.
She smiled faintly. "He's stable. He should regain consciousness soon. Out of everyone, he recovered quickly."
Meanwhile, in one of the rooms, Alex slowly opened his eyes. The ceiling lights blurred above him.
"…What happened? Where am I?" he whispered.
Before he could process anything, someone leapt onto his bed.
"Alex!" Raquel cried, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "You're awake!"
"Whoa—calm down," Alex said weakly.
Tears welled up in Raquel's eyes as she stared at him. "I'm so glad you're okay. Really, i thought you had died!"
Alex reached up and patted her head softly. "Im okay. I'm not dying. Not yet."
She wiped her tears, still holding onto him. "When you get discharged, I swear—I'm not letting you do anything reckless again.", Alex had a nervous smile on his face "Now she's behaving like a worried wife." He thought to himself.
Alex smiled and replied to her. "I promise. No crazy stunts... for now.", Raquel nervously exclaimed "What do you mean for now?!"
In another room, Kazuki sat upright, staring out the window. The soft light of the morning cast shadows on his solemn face. "So I got knocked out for day Huh? Pity."
A knock came at the door.
Serena entered, holding snacks in her basket "Kazuki? You good?"
He turned to her. "Hey Serena … I'm fine. Just... body's a bit stiff."
Without saying a word, Serena walked up and hugged him with a worried look on her face "When I heard you went to save Alex alone… I was terrified. Raquel gave me the whole story of what happened to Alex, and I was scared for him. When I realised you had gone on your own to save him, I was more scared."
"Is Alex okay?" Kazuki asked.
She nodded as she let's go of Kazuki "Raquel just told me he woke up. He's going to be fine."
Kazuki let out a soft breath of relief and looked down at his palm.
"…Why was I able to use techniques I've never learned before?" he muttered. "Why did I feel stronger?"
Serena tilted her head. "Huh?"
Kazuki looked at her. "I think… my spirit mark evolved."
A few weeks later
At Alex's house, plates clattered and bowls emptied as Alex devoured the feast before him. Raquel, Kinto, and Mori watched in disbelief.
"Raquel," Kinto asked, "how much food did you make?!"
She smiled proudly. "Don't worry—I have reserves in the kitchen."
Alex leaned back, rubbing his belly. "I'm full."
Kinto's eyes widened. "Wait—no way. I've known this guy for years and I've never seen him say that."
Raquel laughed. "And there's still lunch and dinner waiting.". Mori and Kinto were stunned "HUH?"
Alex replied with a smile "Really? Sounds fun."
Watching the interaction, Kinto smiled to himself. "Those two… they're totally gonna be a couple one day."
Mori snickered. "It's funny how comfy they are with each other. It's like they don't even notice."
Mori turned serious. "By the way, did you guys hear? Kojin's calling every team for an important meeting."
Kinto groaned. "If it's another mission, I swear…"
Raquel shook her head. "I think it's something about a promotion.". Alex, Kinto and Mori paused "Promotion?" They asked In confusion.
Later, in Kojin's office
Every team stood at attention. Kojin paced slowly before them.
"I want to start by congratulating all of you on completing the assassination exams. And for those who went to rescue Alex... you will be rewarded vet wholesomely."
He paused, then looked around.
"Wait. Where's Sōn?"
"I called him this morning," Raquel said.
Just then, the door opened.
Sōn stepped in, panting slightly. "Sorry I'm late, dad."
Kojin's face twitched. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that at work?"
A moment of silence passed. Then—
"WHAT?!" Alex, Kinto, Baraka, Deo, Serena, and Sukuna all shouted in unison.
Mori blinked. "Wait— you guys didn't know that?! You guys are dumb."
Deo pointed accusingly. "If you knew, why didn't you say anything?!"
Runo just sighed "It was actually common sense Deo."
Kojin sighed. "Yes, Son is my biological child. And I'd appreciate if you all acted like professionals."
The room was still buzzing with shock.
"Now," Kojin continued, "I've called you here to officially promote you all to C-rank. From this point on, you'll be considered as the special force that would do the heavy lifting for the city. Your missions will be more dangerous, more critical and life threatening."
He walked to the window. "There are five divisions:
Assassin Division – They are the one's who go on covert operations.
Tactical Division – They are the trategy and planning team that creat battle scenarios in time for war.
Soldier Division – They go on frontline missions.
Technical Division – They are the science department that make tools and invention. They are also uncharged of the technology and the energy flow of the city.
Medical Division – They are incharge of healing and support."
"In three years," Kojin said, "you'll be chosen for permanent roles in those divisions. Until then—train. Grow. Survive and become stronger. Things are going to be more tense for all of you. So you better sharpen your skills, otherwise you'll be left behind. Is that clear?" Everyone exclaimed "YES SIR!"
Later that evening
Near a calm riverbank, Alex and Kinto sat watching the sky.
"What division do you think you'll be in?" Kinto asked.
Alex shrugged. "No idea."
The wind rustled the grass around them.
"…Do you think everything will be okay?" Alex asked, his tone distant. "Now that things are getting harder?"
Kinto gave a small smile. "I don't know. But whatever happens—we'll survive as usual. Hopefully, this world doesn't chew us aside and move on."
Alex grinned. "Hopfully not, I'll keep getting stronger, i have all the skils and potential i need. Then after that, I'm gonna become the strongest ever. Strong enough to be a lord."
Kinto chuckled. "Then don't let go of that dream, and dont get cocky."
He reached out for a fist bump. Alex returned it with a smile.
Suddenly, Alex tilted his head. "Wait. If there are five divisions… what are we all called collectively?"
Kinto blinked. His expression went blank. Then—
BAM!
"WE'RE ASSASSINS AND SOLIDIERS ALEX!! YOU ASKED ME THAT JUST TO CONFUSE ME IN THE MOMENT, DIDN'T YOU?!" Kinto yelled, smacking Alex on the head.
Alex burst out laughing. "I knew you'd fall for it!"
END OF EPISODE