The episode opens not in Akihabara, but in a submerged data-graveyard beneath the neon-lit streets. We see Veltol (Maou) standing alone in a chamber of flickering server towers, his demonic eye glowing faintly. Before him, a holographic projection of a woman in a lab coat flickers—a ghost in the machine.
Three days have passed since the events of Episode 3. Veltol has begun streaming under the alias "DarkLord_2099," gaining a cult following for his archaic speech patterns and devastatingly honest game reviews. His manager, Machina, has secured him a sponsorship deal with CerebroSphere , the city’s dominant neural-interface corporation.
A secret forum online, called the "Returners," contacts Veltol. They are humans born decades after his defeat, yet they experience recurring dreams of serving him. One member, a young hacker named Kaito, reveals the truth: CerebroSphere has been digitizing and harvesting residual demonic essence from the ruins of the old world—including fragments of Veltol’s own lost power.
Veltol smirks. "Flattering. But I prefer 'legend.'"
"They’re using your soul as DLC," Kaito says.
