"Commander! Outbreak detected in District C!"

Commander Lionel narrowed his eyes as he glared at the massive screen before him where a map was displayed. A single pulsating red dot steadily expanded on the map, growing bigger and bigger as the clock continued ticking.

"This… it's the biggest one I've seen yet…"

"What should we do, Commander?" A woman wearing glasses standing beside Lionel asked.

"What's the Ghosts' archetype?!" He asked in a hurry, ignoring the woman's question.

"E-Energy signatures are showing all five archetypes!" A panicked soldier cried out.

"What?!" Lionel slammed his fists onto the white table before him, splitting it slightly. "All five at the same time, from the same location… in other words… it's a Perfect Outbreak…?"

"A-A Perfect Outbreak?!" another soldier shrieked. "The last time that happened, humanity was nearly wiped out!"

"Silence!" Lionel roared, but his voice was quivering. "That was then, this is now! We're a lot stronger now, with better weapons and better technology. And most importantly… we have the power of Angelicas on our side, this time."

Turning to the woman beside him, the commander gave his orders. "Alert the higher-ups and contact all five guilds immediately — this is an emergency!"

*****

- The Phantom Slayers Corps Headquarters -

"Guildmaster, we just received a call from the Ghost Hunter Organization," a young girl in a maid outfit said, bowing down.

"Oh…? What was it about?" The guildmaster — a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her twenties — murmured airily, voice light and soft.

"Apparently… another Perfect Outbreak has occurred. This time, in District C."

At this, the woman stopped fiddling with the apple in her left hand and sat up straight, a sinister smile on her face.

"My, my… a Perfect Outbreak, hm? Looks like I'll have to pay District C a visit myself."

*****

- House of Spectra Headquarters -

"What did you say? A Perfect Outbreak?" A handsome young man dressed in full white narrowed his eyes and stood up from his luxurious chair.

A man who looked to be a few years younger than him closed his eyes and bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. The message came from the GHO themselves. It cannot be wrong."

"…" the young monarch turned his head and stared out the windows of his royal palace, eyes filled with determination… and perhaps a hint of fear.

"Could it be…? A second Expungement…"

"What do you wish to do, Your Majesty? Shall I gather all of our strongest warriors?"

Spinning back around, the king sliced through the air with his hand.

"Yes… but I will also be going."

"W-What?! But Your Majest-"

"I've made my decision. Prepare the teleportation device."

"This…" the servant appeared conflicted, but eventually sighed and gave in. "Understood, Your Majesty."

*****

- Theocracy of Light Headquarters -

"It is here… after thousands of years… the second Era of Darkness… is finally coming."

"Pope…" a nun bit her lip, a nervous expression on her face.

"I know, I know… we cannot afford to succumb to the Darkness once more," the old man who had spoken the previous words clenched the staff in his hands tightly. "This time, we shall fight — with the powers bestowed upon us by the Almighty One. I refuse to let history repeat itself!"

"I will alert our Guardians."

"Good, good…" the Pope activated his Angelica as two flaming wings shot out of his back, fiery determination burning in his eyes. "In the meantime… I shall head there first myself."

The nun nodded and bowed deeply. "Be careful, Pope Verdict."

*****

- Night's Conflux Headquarters -

"Yamikishi-dono, you have a message from the Ghost Hunter Organization."

A lean middle-aged man calmly took the scroll from the rectangular container his servant held and tore off the ribbon that kept it rolled up.

But upon reading the letter's contents, any calmness he had completely disappeared, as quickly as the shadows when night falls.

"This…" his hands trembled as he read the scroll, eyes opened wide in shock.

"Y-Yamikishi-dono?" the servant asked worriedly, slightly confused.

His words snapped Yamikishi out of his trauma fit and regain his composure.

"A-Ahem… tell all our forces to head to District C, as soon as possible."

"W-What…? ALL?"

"YES!" Yamikishi roared. "Do I need to say it again?!"

"N-No, Yamikishi-dono!" the servant quickly shook his head and scurried away like a frightened insect, while Yamikishi summoned his blade and headed for the teleportation device.

As he walked, a white glow surrounded him, black flames encasing that glow. He sheathed his katana into the scabbard on his back and narrowed his eyes, dark hatred burning within them.

"… Perhaps this time… I may finally be able to slay the demon who killed my ancestors."

*****

- Eidolon's Bane Headquarters -

"Matriarch Tian. The situation is urgent — District C requires your assistance immediately."

"District C… that's right next to us," Tian Xiaoyue, the matriarch of Eidolon's Bane, murmured quietly to the phone she held in her hands.

"Indeed," the female voice over the phone said calmly. "A Perfect Outbreak has taken place. We're afraid… a second Expungement is coming, if we do not subdue the threat now."

"A second Expungement… that cannot be allowed to happen. Last time, humanity managed to rebuild itself through luck, thanks to the awakening of Angelicas, but this time, those devils will be more thorough in their purge. If we allow them to succeed…"

"Exactly. The other four guilds are dispatching their forces here as we speak."

Tian Xiaoyue took a deep breath. "I understand. Eidolon's Bane will put their utmost into this fight."

"Much appreciated. According to estimates, the Ghosts should be arriving in roughly fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes… that's more than enough."

With that, she hung up, before picking up a token of some sort from her desk and yelling into it.

"Attention, all disciples of Eidolon's Bane! Everyone is to immediately head to District C to assist the impending threat there! The more you slay, the better the rewards you will receive!"

From outside, she could hear the rowdy disciples' cheering as they immediately took off for District C. Sighing, the matriarch slipped on her combat clothes, a stunning white dress with deep purple decorations that matched her eyes.

She then activated her Angelica, a light purple aura surrounding her, as she disappeared into the void.

*****

Before long, all five leaders of their respective guilds had gathered at District C. All the citizens had already retreated indoors due to the warning the government sent out under the guise of a heavy thunderstorm, as requested by the Ghost Hunter Organization.

To make it seem realistic, they even had someone proficient with the Thunder Angelica conjure a massive storm that soon swallowed the district whole, also surrounding it with fog so no one could see outside their windows.

The five leaders stood on the ground at the center of the city, staring up into the sky as more and more Ghost Hunters from their respective guilds began showing up.

"A second Perfect Outbreak… my, my. How interesting," the guildmaster of the Phantom Slayers said with a wry smile, touching her own lips.

"Interesting?!" Yamikishi of Night's Conflux suddenly roared. "Our ancestors were slain horribly in the last Outbreak… and you have the guts to call this 'interesting'?!"

"As much as I hate to say it…" Pope Verdict stepped up, staff in hand. "… I agree with Yamikishi on this one. Those vile demons… they do not deserve to exist."

"The GHO said 15 minutes, right?" The monarch of the House of Spectra asked around, looking at the others. "How long do we have lef-"

Suddenly, a thunderbolt crashed down directly in front of the five leaders, and their eyes collectively widened as a massive black and red portal opened up in the sky.

"… They're here."

The five leaders all invoked their respective Angelicas, ready to take on whatever was going to come climbing out of that hellhole.

But what finally did… was a horror far more terrifying than they could ever have imagined.

An enormous demonic face the size of a small island emerged from the chaotic portal, a wide and sinister smile on its pitch-black face, marked with red outlines. It had two smiling eyes that seemed to hold the meaning of darkness within them, along with no nose whatsoever.

"W-What the hell… is that…" the young monarch from the House of Spectra trembled in fear, voice quivering.

"HEEHEEHEE…" the demon shrieked as its two clawed hands pried the portal even larger than it already was, tearing it as wide as it could possibly go.

By the time it was done, the red and black gate was nearly as big as the size of District C.

Millions of Ghosts poured out of the portal, squealing in delight at the sight of a whole new world to ravage. Meanwhile, the massive red demon, wide smile not once leaving its horrible face, reached down with its two massive hands and smashed them into the ground, demolishing streets and buildings alike as if they were nothing but tofu.

The entire earth shook in fear as the demon let his whole black and red body out into the world, trampling everything it passed through.

As it got up to its feet, leaving large chunks of buildings and dust in its wake, it twisted its head and slowly began taking steps towards the five leaders as the Ghost Hunters nearby desperately tried to deal with the countless Ghosts that had been spawned by this Outbreak.

With every step the demon took, thousands died. Apartments collapsed, and roads fractured. District C was completely annihilated.

The demon got closer and closer to the five leaders, who were frozen in place. Once within range, it leaned down its massive head towards them, hysterical smile still plastered over its face.

Then, to all the Ghost Hunters' shock and utter terror, the demon spoke, mouth moving like an animated creepy sketch.

"THIS… IS MY WORLD… NOW."

As if taunting them, the enormous fiend suddenly shrunk in size to no more than an average human despite all the devastating damage it caused with just a few steps of his feet. Although it shrunk, however, it still retained that same pitch-black body of his, outlined by glowing red lines, and on its face was that same creepy smile.

"WANT IT… BACK? HEEHEEHEE!"

It then created another black and red portal, smaller in size this time, as the one up in the sky closed. And right before it stepped through, it turned around and left behind one final challenge.

"THE GAME... HAS BEGUN. I'LL BE WAITING... HUNTERS."

As the demon's terrifying aura disappeared, the portal closing after him, the five leaders were finally able to move.

"What… what just happened…" the young monarch clutched his head and fell to the floor on his knees, shaking it in disbelief. "T-That was a dream, right? Please tell me that was a dream…"

Tian Xiaoyue gulped in fear. "No… I'm afraid… it's not."

Pope Verdict stumbled backwards, his old age unable to withstand the fright.

"Pope!" Yamikishi hurriedly caught him right before he hit the floor, eyes still in a daze.

"The end… is near…"

The staff fell out of his hand and clattered to the rain-soaked ground as the pope's eyelids closed, leaving behind that final message.

"OLD GEEZER!"

"… Many Ghosts have already escaped, but it is still not too late," the Phantom Slayers' Guildmaster said, the only one to calmly analyze this situation. "For now, just seal the district. We can work out what to do next at a proper meeting. And as for the rest of the world…"

She turned to survey the destruction all around them. District C, once flourishing with technology and science, now lay in smoke in fire.

"... Just tell them a nuclear station exploded."

*****

This day marked the beginning of a timer — the countdown before the world ends. The first Expungement was already bad enough, but humanity was able to recover. This time, however… was not a mere 'expungement'.

This… was extirpation on a global level.

Humans would be forever erased from the surface of this land, never to be seen again. The world would become that of Ghosts, roaming freely and devouring everything they could find.

Preventing this calamity, however, was not completely impossible — just nearly. All it took was an emotionless soul, an unbreakable will, and cold hard skills to match.

A challenge awaits.

Who will be the challenger?