CHAPTER 136: CHAPTER 135: I WILL BE YOUR BRIDE IN THE NEXT LIFE...

The living room was large—but even so, the two of them were quickly cornered.

With each step he took, the skin on Spencer’s body continued to peel away, revealing metallic gears and components beneath. He no longer resembled a man, but a machine—cold, precise, inhuman.

Just like the young man who had emerged from the black hole days prior.

The sound of kaba kaba, the grinding of metal on metal, echoed with every movement. Spencer had fully transformed into a gear-laden monstrosity.

He was now just one of many puppets—an agent acting on the orders of Mother, Mitaka Jin. His mission: bring more humans back for "conversion."

Though the machine retained Spencer’s memories, all emotion had been stripped away. Only obedience remained. Naturally, he returned first to those he once loved: his wife, Sayuri, and their daughter—Eriri.

Sayuri and Eriri had nowhere left to run. As Spencer closed in, Sayuri, now composed in the face of danger, turned to her daughter.

"Eriri, can you do it again? Hit him like before—we might have a chance to escape."

Eriri hesitated. Her hands trembled slightly.

This thing... was still her father.

But there was no time to dwell.

She clenched her fists, took a deep breath—and inhaled more than lungs should’ve allowed. Even Sayuri felt the sudden drop in air pressure, gasping from the vacuum forming around them.

A scorching sensation ignited in Eriri’s core, like a firestorm in her belly begging to be unleashed.

When she could hold it no longer—

"Roar of the Heavenly Dragon!!"

A swirling vortex of compressed energy exploded from her mouth, ripping through the air like a cannon. The devastating blast slammed into Spencer, hurling him hundreds of meters away.

The force annihilated the entire living room. Walls crumbled. The villa’s front entrance—and most of the wall itself—was completely obliterated. A deep trench was carved into the earth where the energy struck.

Eriri collapsed, drained. Her body, still adapting to the Dragon Slayer Crystal, couldn’t endure the strain. She had pushed beyond her limit. Her magic was exhausted, and her muscles failed her.

Sayuri stood frozen, overwhelmed by her daughter’s transformation. The once fragile girl had just blown away a monster with the breath of a dragon.

Still, years of upbringing in a powerful family kicked in. Sayuri gathered herself.

"Eriri, can you still move?"

Eriri’s breathing was shallow. Her skin pale.

But after a few precious seconds, she inhaled sharply, converting air into mana. Bit by bit, she recovered just enough to stand.

Sayuri supported her, and they limped toward the garage. There was only one safe place she could think of now:

Shiro Sakamaki.

With a roar, Sayuri floored the gas pedal. The car surged out of the driveway, tires screaming.

But after a short while, she slammed the brakes. The tires screeched, smoke curling up from the sudden stop.

In front of them—bathed in the harsh glow of headlights—stood dozens of people. Men in suits. Workers in uniforms. Shoppers in aprons.

All with the same emotionless eyes. All transformed.

Just like Spencer.

Sayuri gritted her teeth, slammed the gear into reverse, and floored it.

"BANG!"

The car jolted violently.

From the rearview mirror, she saw Spencer—back on his feet, his grip crushing the car’s rear. The sheer force burst the tires with a deafening pop.

Surrounded. Dozens of lifeless eyes closed in.

Sayuri tightened her grip on Eriri. Eriri could barely sit up now, her head drooped, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

She whispered in regret.

"Shiro... I guess I’ll be your bride in the next life..."

And then—

BOOM!

A thunderclap split the night sky. Lightning illuminated the street like daylight.

And in that flash, Eriri saw something—a silhouette she knew too well.

---

[Time Rewind: A few moments earlier]

Shiro Sakamaki was following Gojo Satoru. He hadn’t planned to fight—just to assist, observe, maybe take notes. Satoru could handle anything, after all.

But something felt... off.

The direction they were flying—it wasn’t random. It was headed straight toward Eriri’s neighborhood.

That sinking feeling in his gut grew stronger. Something was wrong.

And Murphy’s Law? Shiro believed in it fully: "If it can go wrong—it will."

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and dialed Eriri.

No answer.

He tried Sayuri. The landline. Even Spencer’s number.

Nothing.

His worry turned to alarm.

"Gojo," he called out. "I just remembered something urgent. I’ll catch up later!"

Without waiting for a reply, he changed direction, wings erupting from his back in a burst of lightning.

He flew faster than he ever had before, eyes locked on the rising smoke in the distance. On the ruined villa. On the helpless girl and her mother, trapped in a ring of machines.

And just as Eriri whispered her final words—

He arrived.

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