​[Golden Palace.]

​Inside the shimmering, temporal folds of the Golden Palace, the air crackled with the residue of Carl’s divine awakening. Mirabella looked down at the boy, who was still pulsing with the fading golden light of the Angel Clan. With a calm flick of her wrist, she snapped her fingers, initiating the resurrection protocol to mend the damage Sukuna’s Malevolent Shrine had wrought on his soul and body.

​"Come on, let’s go," Mirabella said, her voice echoing with the authority of the domain master. "We still have five months—well, twenty minutes in the real world."

​She didn’t wait for a response. In a blur of spatial displacement, she vanished from the Palace, taking the slumbering Cupcake with her and leaving the dimension.

___

​[New York University - Dark Domain.]

​Underneath the suffocating pitch-black dome that isolated New York University from the rest of the world, a heavy silence reigned. To the students, a literal year of hellish combat had passed. They were older, scarred, and their eyes held the hollow depth of veterans who had looked into the abyss and survived.

​Suddenly, Mirabella appeared at the center of the clearing. Above her, the Golden Palace hovered like a majestic, celestial fortress, though thanks to Adira’s concealment magic, it remained invisible to the students’ weary eyes. To them, she had simply stepped out of the ether.

​She stored the palace back into her spatial inventory and swept her gaze across the ranks. The students stood like disciplined soldiers, their spines straight, staring at her with a mixture of terror and awe. To them, she was no longer just a Captain; she was a god who dictated the laws of life, death, and time.

​"Okay, you all made great progress. If you hear your name, step forward."

​She snapped her fingers. The air vibrated as twenty golden artifacts—each radiating the overwhelming pressure of the Legendary Class—materialized in the air. Skill scrolls made of ancient parchment hummed with latent power alongside them.

​"Hitachi, Rose, Grace, Austin, Aurelia, Kent, Yi Chang, Daniel, Precious, Janet, Casey, David, Mitsuki, Violet, Gabby, Ken, Nina, Stellar, Mika, and Mira."

​The twenty survivors stepped forward, their footsteps heavy on the scorched earth. While the rest were focused on the loot, Grace glanced over her shoulder at Carl. Anxiety gnawed at her. Everyone knew Carl was Mirabella’s little brother, but his name hadn’t been called.

​’Did he fail? No, that’s impossible,’ Grace thought with mounting concern.

​Mirabella began the distribution, her voice cold and clinical.

​"Hitachi, although you’re an All-bloodlines, you don’t have an armor... or any defense abilities. You simply rely on your eyes." She moved a finger, and a set of legendary golden armor drifted toward him.

​Hitachi stared at the plates for a moment, his reflection appearing in the polished gold. The moment he nodded his head in acceptance, the artifact pulsed. Acknowledging its new master, the golden hue bled away, replaced by a terrifying, dark blood-red that matched his killing intent.

​"Thank you, Captain," Hitachi said gratefully. He felt the weight of the armor settling into his soul. Mirabella hadn’t just helped him survive; she had equipped him for the revenge he so deeply craved.

​"Rose, as a mage you already have a legendary staff, so I’ll give you a legendary class skill scroll." A scroll bound in violet silk floated toward her. "Use it when you’re alone; at least it should be one of your trump cards," Mirabella instructed.

​"Thank you, Captain," Rose replied with a small, respectful bow, her mind already racing with the possibilities of a secret Legendary spell.

​"Grace... You are also a mage, but doesn’t have a good staff, so I will give you this legendary class staff... Use it wisely."

​A dark, ornate staff topped with a pulsating gem moved toward Grace. She blinked in disbelief, her breath hitching as she reached out to touch the cold, powerful wood.

​"Thank you, Captain!" she said in awe, bowing low.

​Mirabella nodded, her mind already calculating future builds. ’I will give her a legendary class skill later,’ she thought.

​For the next ten minutes, she continued the ceremony. It was a surreal sight. In the outside world, a single Legendary artifact could spark a continental war or define a powerhouse for generations. Here, Mirabella was handing them out like common commodities, a casual reward for a job well done.

​As the last student stepped back, Mirabella stood with a smirk. ’These kids... while you were training, I cleared a 50-mile radius. I have more than one hundred legendary artifacts and ten more legendary skill scrolls. With all the skills I copied from everyone here, I am invincible.’

​She cleared her throat, her voice booming through the dark dome.

​"You all did exceptionally well... which is why I rewarded you. But out of everyone here, Carl did the best."

​She gestured toward Carl. The statement stunned the crowd. Some looked on with envy, others with pure shock. Carl himself stood frozen, his eyes wide.

​’Carl not only showed his extreme loyalty, he also unlocked an ancient bloodline... Such a good Subordinate should be treasured.’ With a snap, two legendary skill scrolls and a pair of wickedly curved legendary daggers appeared. They didn’t just float; they hummed with a predatory hunger. They flew toward Carl, and as he gripped the hilts, a brilliant light merged the weapons with his very essence.

​"These are your rewards," she said with a small, rare smile. ’I could have given him one god-class skill scroll, but he can’t use such a skill with his current strength.’

​"Thank you, Big sister!" Carl shouted, his face breaking into a radiant, joyful smile. ’Yes! With these, I can protect Big sister more!!’ His thoughts were transparent to Mirabella, making her chuckle inwardly at his singular devotion.

​"Ok, now... You all must increase your level."

​Mirabella began to hover, rising into the air beneath the dark canopy. Suddenly, she released her suppressed power. The aura of a Level 500 fighter burst out from her like a physical shockwave.

​"...??!!!"

"You...."

"You’re already at Lv500?!!" Rose shrieked in disbelief. The gap was no longer a distance; it was an ocean.

​BAM!

​A five-meter-tall mountain of glowing Awakening Stones crashed onto the ground before the students. The sheer volume of wealth was staggering. Some students actually fell backward in shock. In this world, Awakening Stones were the lifeblood of power—expensive, rare, and fought over by forces. Even the Emperor didn’t possess a hoard this massive.

​’Huh? It’s just 500 million awakening stones,’ Mirabella thought nonchalantly.

​"You all can start absorbing; the fastest will gain more!! You can start."