"Almost nothing," Seraphine said. "Elemental magic, physical combat, poison, curses, holy magic, dark magic, time manipulation, space manipulation—he's faced all of it. My spy network has compiled reports from every known encounter. He has adapted to virtually every combat technique we know."

Satou had been quiet, studying the map and thinking. Now he spoke up. "You said his ability is called Absolute Adaptation. Not Absolute Immunity. That's an important distinction."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Adaptation implies a process," Satou continued. "He experiences an attack, his body or ability analyzes it, then he becomes immune and gains a counter. That means there's a window, however brief where he's still vulnerable to the first instance of any attack. The trick isn't finding something he hasn't seen. The trick is making that first hit count."

"Easier said than done," Loki said. "The reports suggest his adaptation is nearly instantaneous. We're talking seconds at most before he's fully adapted and countering."

"Then we need an attack that kills in less than seconds," Satou said simply.

"That's—" Seraphine started, then stopped. She looked at Satou with dawning realization. "You're thinking of using your Void Fang. A Reality-Class weapon that cuts through existence itself. If anything could kill instantly, before adaptation completes..."

"It's a possibility," Satou confirmed. "If I can get close enough for a single strike, if that strike connects properly, if Void Fang's existence erasure works faster than his adaptation—those are a lot of 'ifs,' but it's a chance."

"It's suicide," Lyra said flatly. "Even if your sword can kill him before he adapts, you'd have to get within striking distance. Which means facing everything he throws at you first. You'd be dead before you got close."

"Not if I'm fast enough," Satou argued. "I have Void Step, Shadow Step, True Flight, enhanced speed from my dragon transformation. I can close distance quickly."

"And if you fail?" Jessica asked, her voice tight with worry. "If he adapts to your sword before the cut completes? If he becomes immune to reality erasure? Then we've lost our only potential advantage, and you're dead."

"Then we find another way," Satou said. "But right now, this is the best option we have. A weapon he's never encountered, used by someone he doesn't know exists, in a single decisive strike before he knows what's happening."

Seraphine was shaking her head. "You don't understand. Even if this works, even if you somehow kill The Reaper, you'd be painting a target on yourself. The human kingdoms would know a demon lord killed their strongest hero. They'd send everything they have after you. Your settlement would be destroyed. Your people would die. You'd be hunted for the rest of your life, however short that would be."

"That's a problem for later," Satou said. "Right now, we focus on stopping The Reaper before he destroys your territory."

"Why?" Seraphine asked suddenly, her mismatched eyes intense. "Why would you risk all of that for me? We barely know each other. I came here intending to corrupt you, to add you to my collection. I've been testing your weaknesses, manipulating your people, planning how to bind you to my will. And now you want to throw away everything you've built to save my territory? Why?"

Satou was quiet for a moment, considering his answer. When he spoke, his voice was firm and clear.

"Because you asked for help. Because your people don't deserve to die for something beyond their control. Because if The Reaper destroys your territory, he'll move on to the next one, and the next, until eventually he reaches mine. Because someone has to stand up to threats like this, or they just keep winning." He looked directly at Seraphine. "And because despite everything, despite your plans to corrupt me, you're still someone trying to protect what they've built. I respect that. So I'll help."

Seraphine's eyes filled with tears again. "You're either the noblest person I've ever met, or the most foolish. Possibly both."

"Definitely both," Lyra said with a sigh. "But that's who he is. Which means we're doing this." She looked around the table. "So how do we make this insane plan actually work?"

"We can't," Urgak said bluntly. "Not with our current forces. Even if Satou's sword can kill The Reaper, getting him into striking distance requires dealing with the elite force traveling with the hero. We'd need an army."

"I have an army," Seraphine said. "My territory's defenders. Thousands of succubi, corrupted warriors, bound servants. They're not as individually powerful as The Reaper, but they can engage his support force while Satou focuses on the primary target."

"Will they fight?" Cassius asked. "If The Reaper is as terrifying as you say, will your forces actually stand against him, or will they scatter?"

"They'll fight," Seraphine said with certainty. "Because if they don't, they die anyway. The Reaper doesn't take prisoners. He doesn't accept surrenders. He purges everything demon-touched from territories he conquers. My people know that fighting is their only chance of survival."

"Then here's what we do," Loki said, taking command of the planning. "Seraphine returns to her territory immediately. She has two weeks to prepare defenses—not to stop The Reaper, but to delay him, to control the battlefield, to create opportunities for Satou's strike. Satou and a small strike force travel to the Fallen Spires. When The Reaper arrives, Seraphine's forces engage and distract. Satou uses that chaos to get close and make his assassination attempt."

"I'm going alone," Satou said.

Everyone stopped and looked at him.

"Alone?" Lyra repeated. "Absolutely not."

"I have to," Satou insisted. "The Reaper adapts to anything he encounters. That means the more people we send, the more abilities he sees, the more counters he develops. If I bring a strike force, he'll adapt to all their abilities and become even more dangerous. But if I go alone, I limit his exposure. He only sees my abilities, and ideally only sees Void Fang once—right before it kills him."

"That's insane," Jessica said. "You can't face the strongest hero alone!"

"I won't be alone," Satou countered. "Seraphine's forces will be engaging him. I'll just be the surgical strike that ends it. One person, one weapon, one chance."

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