The DEM main building shook violently, its walls riddled with cracks, lamps shattered, and the sound of explosions echoed through the night. Inside, a fierce battle was underway: Ellen Mathers faced Tohka, now in her inverted form. Tohka's hair was flowing wildly, a purplish-black aura emanated from her entire body, and her eyes were cold and merciless. Each swing of her sword, Nemehah, left a path of destruction that made the room feel even more cramped.
Ellen leaped nimbly, parrying and slashing, but each attack only delayed, not defeated. "This power... is even more than I expected." Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, but her face remained resolute. She fired a massive laser from DEM's weapon, its beam piercing the ceiling, shattering concrete and steel, revealing the night sky and the cold moonlight. A deafening explosion shook the entire building.
But from the smoke, Tohka emerged. She stood in the air with light steps, wings unsupported, as if the ground, gravity, and the laws of the world did not apply to her. With one fluid motion, he raised Nemehah and launched a massive energy slash at Ellen.
Ellen moved swiftly, her body darting to the side as she glanced back. "Isaac!"
On the other side of the room, Isaac Wescott stood his ground. There was no tension on his face, no panic. He watched the destruction with calculating eyes, his lips curled calmly like someone reading the course of an experiment.
In an instant, Ellen dashed toward him, knocking Isaac aside as the energy slash hit the floor. The explosion ripped through, creating a long line that cut through the room. Dust flew, debris falling with a thud.
Tohka stood her ground, her eyes blank and menacing. Her dark aura intensified, making the air around her vibrate.
"I can't take him down in this condition," Ellen admitted, her voice level.
Isaac, remaining calm, simply stared at Tohka without the slightest waver. "Then, let's retreat. There's no value in staying here." His words were flat, like a business decision.
But before they could move, Ellen's instincts screamed. She instinctively grabbed Isaac's arm and pulled him aside.
SHREEEENGGG—!!
The floor they were standing on suddenly split open. A long, sharp slash formed, nearly cutting them both apart. Ellen gritted her teeth, staring intently into the darkness of the corridor.
Footsteps sounded soft. A steady voice echoed through the rubble. From the shadows, a figure slowly emerged.
A man in a long, dark coat stepped out, a futuristic mask covering his face, revealing only a pair of cold, crystal blue eyes. His hand gripped the scabbard of the Yamato sword, but the blade remained closed, as if he didn't need to draw it to pose a threat.
"Noir Blade..." Ellen whispered, her voice hushed.
Isaac averted his gaze. His calm eyes stared at the figure with interest, not fear. "Finally... this variable has revealed itself." His tone was calm, almost like a professor discovering a new sample for his research.
The air in the room suddenly changed. The aura Noir Blade radiated was colder, more oppressive, even compared to Tohka's inversion. Tohka herself paused, her gaze blank, but her body seemed to instinctively respond to the new threat that had emerged.
Ellen gripped her sword tighter, her body tense. Her instincts told her the masked man was not an opponent she could defeat. In fact, she doubted anyone could face him alone.
Isaac, on the other hand, continued to gaze at Noir Blade with an almost relaxed expression. "Tonight seems much more... interesting than I expected," he said quietly.
…
The shattered DEM main building was now filled with clashing auras. Tohka, in inversion mode, stood atop the rubble, her sword still dripping with dark light. Ellen and Isaac stepped back slightly, assessing the situation. From the darkness, Noir Blade's steady footsteps echoed, piercing the ears of anyone who heard them.
But not far away, in a well-hidden corner, Shido and Miku hid, observing everything that was happening. Shido had just regained consciousness, his body still feeling weak from the fatal stab he had received from Ellen moments earlier. His breathing was still heavy, his chest aching, but his eyes widened as he saw a figure in a dark coat and a futuristic mask walk out of the shadows.
"No… it can't be," Shido muttered softly, his voice trembling. "He's… Noir Blade."
Miku, standing beside him, though still keeping her distance with a slightly haughty expression, felt something different. The cold, oppressive aura emanating from the man made it difficult to breathe. It was as if an invisible hand was pressing down on her chest. She furrowed her brows, trying to remain calm even as cold sweat began to break out on her temples.
"What do you mean, Shido?" Miku turned, her voice serious this time, a far cry from usual. "Who is that man? I… I can barely breathe just because he's here. His aura… is suffocating. Not like a spirit, not even like a human."
Shido swallowed. His gaze remained focused on the figure of Noir Blade, now standing between Tohka, Ellen, and Isaac. The shadow of the man's dark coat swayed gently in the night breeze. "I've seen him fight… He's too strong. Kurumi, even with all her powers and all her clones, couldn't hold him back."
Miku fell silent, her eyes widening. For a spirit accustomed to her own power, hearing someone she knew to be extraordinary be treated as nothing by Shido made her heart flutter strangely. "Don't joke, Shido. You said that person… is stronger than a spirit like me?"
"Yes," Shido replied quickly, his tone filled with determination. "I don't know who he really is, but everyone who has faced him… has never been able to win. And that aura you felt… I felt it too. It felt like… a bottomless pit. As if we were nothing in his eyes."
Miku bit her lower lip, trying to deny the feeling of dread creeping up on her. But her body couldn't lie every time Noir Blade took a step forward, the hairs on the back of her neck bristling.
"Tsk, this disgusting man…" Miku tried to cover it up with a sneer, but her voice trembled slightly, lacking its usual firmness. "It doesn't make sense for a man to have that kind of power."
Shido turned his head, looking at her seriously. "Miku, I know you hate men. But listen to me carefully… Don't be reckless in facing him. If you challenge him without thinking, I… I'm afraid you won't come back."
Miku fell silent, her pupils trembling slightly. There was a sincere tone in Shido's voice that he found hard to ignore. For a moment, his pride and disgust for men were replaced by a survival instinct that whispered that Shido was right.
Before them, Noir Blade stopped walking. The figure didn't say a word, simply standing, staring at the furious Tohka, the alert Ellen, and the calm Isaac. But even without speaking, the pressure he radiated was enough to make the space seem to freeze.
Shido felt cold sweat run down his back. 'Why is he here? What does he want? If he moves…'
He gripped her hands tightly, trying to hold back his trembling. "Miku, we have to stay still. Don't let him notice we're here. If Noir Blade decides to attack us, even I'm not sure I can protect you."
Miku wanted to retort with harsh words, but her voice choked. For the first time in a long time, she felt something akin to fear. And it wasn't from DEM, not from Ellen, not from the AST troops, not even from the inverted Tohka… but from a mysterious man in a dark coat and a mask covering his face.
Among the ruins of the building, echoing with Tohka's voice and DEM's weapons, Noir Blade now stood as the center of attention. But from that corner of the room, Shido and Miku knew—whatever happened next, that figure would be the most dangerous variable in tonight's entire battle.
And with heavy breathing, Shido could only silently pray that Noir Blade wouldn't turn its gaze toward them.