A deep silence settled over the Death Phantoms as they watched the st three figures step into the void.

  The mist swirled unnaturally, as if something inside was alive—waiting.

  Kenzo stood with his arms crossed, his golden eyes flickering in the dim light. His smirk was faint, but there was something in his expression—something just a little more serious than usual.

  He exhaled sharply.

  “So, they’re going in, huh?”

  A step behind him, YuYu leaned against the wall, twirling a knife between his fingers. His crimson eyes practically glowed with anticipation.

  “I remember my first time in there,” YuYu mused, his tone light, almost pyful. “Brutal. It was brutal. Fun, though. Lots of fun.”

  Kenzo scoffed. “You would say that.”

  YuYu grinned, fshing his teeth. “C’mon, Kenzo, don’t be like that. I think they’ll come out just fine. Or, y’know…” He spun the knife once before catching it between two fingers. “Mostly fine.”

  Kenzo shook his head, but his gaze flickered to Daisuke.

  Daisuke, who had been silent this whole time.

  His arms were folded, his posture as rexed as ever, but his eyes—those sharp, calcuting golden eyes—weren’t looking at the void.

  They were looking past it.

  Kenzo raised a brow. “What, reminiscing?”

  Daisuke was quiet for a long moment. Then—

  “I remember when Itsutsu created it.”

  YuYu let out a low whistle. “Damn, that takes me back.”

  Daisuke’s gaze remained distant. “Back then, it wasn’t just a training ground. It was a theory. A question Itsutsu wanted to answer.”

  Kenzo tilted his head slightly. “And that question was?”

  Daisuke finally turned to face them.

  “What happens when the soul is stripped of all restraints?”

  Silence.

  Even YuYu—who almost never stopped smiling, never stopped mocking—grew still for just a moment.

  Kenzo clicked his tongue. “And what was the answer?”

  Daisuke exhaled through his nose, a quiet, knowing sound.

  “That depends on who steps inside.”

  YuYu broke the tension first, rolling his shoulders with a dramatic sigh. “Man, now you’ve got me all nostalgic. I wonder how they’ll change when they come out.”

  Kenzo’s smirk returned, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

  And then—

  The void pulsed.

  The mist thickened.

  Something shifted inside.

  They all turned to face it.

  YuYu grinned wider. “Ooooh, this is the best part.”

  Kenzo just watched.

  The air around them felt heavier.

  Like something fundamental was about to change.

  Like something was already changing.

  But none of them moved.

  Not yet.

  Because this was the moment before something new was born.

  And for now—

  All they could do was wait.