The school corridor lay eerily quiet, lit by the harsh fluorescent glow that flickered above. A low hum of energy pulsed beneath the surface as Himiko Natsuno stood poised in her Divine Combat Suit—sleek, metallic limbs bristling with hidden cannons and barrelled machine guns. Her golden eyes narrowed as she surveyed the spreading stain of molten debris and demonic ichor where the Archdemon had erupted into the hallway earlier. Her crimson-and-gold armor gleamed under the artificial lights, mechanical joints whirring softly as she activated her boosters. Beneath that angular exterior was a girl with a pure heart—but also one who ached for attention, burning with the desire to be adored rather than forgotten . A roar split the air—another demon, massive and menacing, emerged from the rubble, its grotesque form towering over the desks strewn about like kindling. It charged, claws shredding lockers and metal lockers crumpling beneath its weight. Himiko leaped, boosters flaring, and zipped forward with subsonic speed—her foot crashed into the demon’s jaw with a collapse of bone and armor, sending shockwaves across the hall. She followed with a stream of concentrated energy blasts from her wrist-mounted cannon, each bolt carving chunks out of the creature’s armored torso. The beast staggered back, roaring in pain. Then, with a graceful curl of her metallic arm, Himiko unleashed a single, elegant energy beam that erupted outward, obliterating the demon in a white-hot cascade that reduced it to shattered limbs and smoldering dust. The walls trembled, but the blast halted before collapsing the corridor entirely . Silence fell. Himiko’s breathing echoed as fans bordering the scene—the secret members of her fan club—peered out, eyes wide with awe. Her heart thundered with triumph—and with that familiar, teasing excitement. Fame, she thought, would come for her tonight.