Rio and Jack stood on the mountain peak, looking toward the city of Thraven. It was a colossal city—half of it destroyed—yet it was not dead. Dozens of workers were scattered throughout it, working without rest, rebuilding what had been destroyed as if defying ruin itself.
Jack stared at the scene for a long time before saying in astonishment: "Why is this city so incredibly large?"
Rio replied calmly, his eyes still fixed on the city: "Each kingdom has three powerful clans, and each clan lives in a large city like this."
Jack was shocked and found no words to respond. The city was truly massive. Vast farmlands surrounded it outside the walls, and even there, the traces of gangs and syndicates were clear, as if chaos were part of the city's very fabric.
"Oy, Kaizen… haven't you gotten the information yet? It's just a city. You've disappointed me." Rio said this while staring down from the mountain.
Jack muttered to himself: Kaizen… an unknown person who speaks with Rio from time to time. Their way of talking is completely mysterious.
Suddenly, a suffocating pressure swept over Rio and Jack, as if the air itself had grown heavier. Then a voice emerged from nothingness: "I already obtained the information, but I was busy with very important matters."
Neither Rio nor Jack said a word after hearing the voice. After a few moments, the voice returned: "The city of Thraven belongs to the Kingdom of Bones. It is the only kingdom where revolutionaries exist."
The voice continued: "After the clan that ruled the city was destroyed, the revolutionaries advanced to take control of it. It is said that their leader, named Salvedor, reached the Nightmare level five months ago."
Rio and Jack froze in place. The appearance of someone at the Nightmare level was enough to terrify the entire world—let alone if he was a revolutionary.
The owner of the voice continued: "The city of Thraven is divided into two parts. The first part is ruled by a man named Revan, who serves the King of the Kingdom of Bones. The second part is ruled by Voltar. It is said that he follows the revolutionaries, but there is no confirmed news about whether he is truly one of them."
Then the voice lowered slightly, as if issuing a warning: "Listen, Rio. Do not get involved with Voltar. This man is completely unknown. I even spoke with one of the kings, and he said he does not know him and has never heard of him."
He continued: "And if you want to enter the city, use the methods of the Kingdom of Bones… kill one or two men only, and you will enter without problems."
Rio muttered as he began descending the mountain toward the city: "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I'll get the necklace. All you have to do is gather information about the Kingdom of Beasts. And you know that I don't kill anyone unless it's in self-defense."
Rio finished speaking, and the voice from nothingness did not return. Rio and Jack moved together and headed toward the city, reaching the gates of Thraven after a short time.
The city walls were intact, not destroyed, with only a few guards standing on them. Rio advanced, with Jack behind him. Before they could enter, the guards moved and stopped them at the gate.
The guards did not speak much.
Rio immediately drew his sword.
Pressure spread through the area like an invisible beast, a weight that choked the breath. Everyone stepped back instinctively. Fear came before words, and they were allowed to enter without objection.
Rio entered one of the city's streets.
The street was suffocating with people… yet none of them truly looked alive.
Emaciated bodies clung to the walls, pale faces as if the sun had abandoned this place years ago.
Children sat on the ground, their eyes larger than their bodies, their bellies sunken, fingers trembling as they stared at passersby—not begging for alms, but hoping for scraps of life.
A woman clutched her child tightly, rocking him and whispering to him, unaware that his breathing had stopped hours ago.
The air was suffocating, saturated with the smell of old sweat, rotting clothes, and bodies that could no longer find water to wash themselves. Every breath carried the taste of poverty, a reminder that hunger here never leaves.
The ground was cold beneath their feet, harsh beneath exhausted bodies.
A single touch revealed bones immediately—no flesh to soften their cruelty, no warmth to suggest that life was still present.
In their mouths, only bitterness remained. Cracked lips, dry tongues, and memories that remembered food more than they tasted it. Even saliva had become heavy, as if hunger had stolen its last trace of sweetness.
Here… people do not scream.
Hunger taught them silence,
then took them one by one.
Rio was shocked by what he saw. He kept walking, street after street, but the scene did not change. Every road was a distorted copy of the first.
Rio suddenly stopped and said in a low but charged voice: "Kaizen… what exactly is happening here?!"
The pressure spread again, and the voice emerged from nothingness: "I assume you've entered the city. Yes, that's why there are revolutionaries. The Kingdom of Bones does this throughout the entire kingdom… and it is considered the worst kingdom in everyone's eyes."
Rio shouted angrily: "Are you joking with me?! Is there a king who does this to his own people? This is a crime… a crime punishable by death!"
Kaizen replied coldly: "Are you stupid? You want them to kill a king? That's impossible. Now tell me… who will you side with? With truth, or with falsehood?"
Rio did not respond.
He resumed walking through the streets until his attention was drawn to a flag hanging everywhere. He approached one of the people sitting nearby and asked him, and the man replied in a weak voice that it was the revolutionaries' flag.
Rio smiled faintly.
He headed straight toward one of the restaurants—it was a restaurant exclusive to the revolutionaries. Rio and Jack entered, sat down, and began ordering food.
Everyone inside was staring at them.
There had been many wars between the revolutionaries and the kingdom's followers, and the tension in the air was heavier than hunger itself.
Jack began to grow nervous, fear clearly visible on his face because of Rio's behavior.
Rio suddenly stood up and said loudly: "Why are you staring at us, you idiots?"
Everyone was stunned—even Jack himself. After a brief moment, people averted their eyes, and heavy silence once again settled over the place.
Rio sat down again, calmly continued eating, then smiled and said loudly: "Did you hear that, Jack? These stupid revolutionaries want to control the city. They're just failures… I'll kill them all. Even Salvedor, their leader, I'll make him my servant."
Silence fell over the entire restaurant.
Rio was the only one smiling, while everyone else froze in place, shocked by what they had heard.
A man stood up from one of the tables, drew his sword without hesitation, and rushed toward Rio.
Rio disappeared from his spot.
In the next instant, he appeared beside the man and plunged his sword straight into his heart.
The body fell to the ground… a lifeless corpse.
Rio looked at him coldly and said: "Just someone at the Skill Transformation level trying to kill me? You're really funny."
It wasn't over.
A man appeared behind him holding a knife, but before he could do anything, he fell to the ground.
An arrow pierced his body with precision.
Seven people stood up at once and charged at Rio.
Rio said in a terrifyingly calm voice: "Artery Explosion Technique."
The arteries began to explode from the inside.
The seven fell dead, and the restaurant was filled with blood.
Everyone stood up at once and attacked Rio and Jack.
Rio slammed his foot into the ground—
the restaurant exploded.
Tables shattered, walls cracked, and dust and debris fell from the ceiling.
Rio moved like a ghost.
A single punch pierced through one man's chest, and as Rio pulled his hand back, blood sprayed like hot mist.
Another tried to stab him—
Rio grabbed his wrist, twisted it, then snapped his neck in one motion.
The body fell lifeless, blood flooding the ground.
Three attacked him together.
Rio extended his hand—
their blood froze inside their veins.
They stiffened in place, eyes wide with terror, then exploded from within moments later.
Bodies began to pile up.
Jack fired three arrows at the same time, then shouted: "I'm out of arrows, Rio!"
Rio extended his hand.
Blood rose from the ground, flew through the air, and transformed into arrows that settled beside Jack.
Blood was everywhere.
Rio was fast, swinging his sword, severing heads without hesitation.
And after a short time… everything stopped.
A young man entered the restaurant.
He looked around at the piled corpses and complete devastation, then said: "I didn't expect to find you here, Rio."
Rio replied immediately: "What is Number Five doing here?"
Everyone looked at the young man.
He was from the Kingdom of Light.
Number Five in the ranking of Existence Levels…
the person who had defeated Rio before.
The young man began walking over the corpses—there wasn't a single spot to place a foot without stepping on one.
The walls were shattered, tables and chairs destroyed, the restaurant reduced to ruins.
Rio moved forward, with Jack behind him, and they passed by the young man without looking at him.
The young man went deeper into the restaurant, while Rio exited, a smile on his face.
Four Days Later…
Rio and Jack were inside one of the houses.
Rio said: "When will they fall into my trap?"
Jack replied tiredly: "You've been saying that for four days. What trap are you talking about?"
Rio frowned and said: "It was an ordinary trap… but it became excellent after that young man entered the restaurant."
He continued: "My plan was to enter the revolutionaries' restaurant, kill them, then Revan would hear about it and summon me. I'd join them, then make him drink poison. But after that young man saw me, he'll tell Revan about me… and they'll trust me easily."
Jack began preparing tea, uninterested.
After a short while, men entered and said sharply: "Who is Rio?"
Rio smiled and answered: "I am Rio. Do the revolutionaries want revenge on me? That's funny."
Rio slowly drew his sword.
The man quickly said: "We are from the Kingdom of Bones. The commander wants to meet you."
Rio laughed, looking pleased, and said: "This is my dream… I've wanted to join you for a long time."
The man left, with Jack and Rio following.
Rio said to himself: When I obtain the necklace… you will regret what you've done to the people, Kingdom of Bones.
After some time, Rio and Jack arrived at the city palace.
The palace was magnificent, its walls decorated with gold, reflecting excessive wealth in the middle of a city exhausted by poverty. Rio stood observing the scene—the palace on one side, the people gathered outside on the other. Anger was clear in his eyes, a silent fire that needed no words.
He was doing everything for the necklace… that necklace he had sworn to obtain, no matter the cost.
Rio and the others entered the palace. Inside, the place was filled with guards and servants, and every step made him feel the weight of authority dominating the place. After a short time, they reached the main hall… it was almost destroyed, as if a violent battle had taken place moments earlier.
Rio's gaze swept across the faces in the hall. Two men and two women, all at the Hidden level, stood in clear defensive positions, as if guarding a single person.
That man was seated on a chair, bald, his body still, yet his aura was suffocating.
"This bald man… is Revan without a doubt. The strongest person here." Rio thought to himself, feeling an invisible weight pressing on his chest.
Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a young man sitting nearby, wearing luxurious clothes like those of nobility. Rio froze in place, his eyes widening unconsciously…
The necklace he had been searching for was hanging around that young man's neck.
"Hey, move forward!" One of the guards shouted at Rio.
Rio stepped forward, apologizing with a slight nod, until he and Jack stood before Revan.
Revan studied Rio for a long moment, then said coldly: "You are Rio… the one who attacked the revolutionaries in the northern part of the city. Why did you do that?"
Rio answered without hesitation: "Because they deserve it. The king is our protector, but the traitors and instigators who call themselves revolutionaries know nothing but destruction."
Revan stood up from his chair and began walking toward Rio, step by step.
"Did… did I fail? Does he want to kill me?!" Fear echoed in Rio's mind, while his body remained completely still.
Elsewhere in the city…
Voltar was sitting, with an old man before him, his features carrying the weight of many years.
Voltar said in a low voice: "All I fear is that Rio will manage to take the necklace… and escape."
The old man cleared his throat and said: "Can you really not defeat Revan alone, with your full power?"
Voltar slowly stood up, his eyes gleaming sharply: "Yes. He is very strong. I can kill him… but I will die with him. Don't forget that he trains under the king and possesses the Bone Skill of the Kingdom of Bones."
Voltar looked at the three daggers placed in front of him and said angrily: "If I had four daggers… I could kill him easily. But I couldn't advance."
The old man asked with interest: "Your skill depends on daggers, and the more you have, the stronger you become… what is the maximum limit?"
Voltar raised his head, stared at him with a killing gaze, and said: "Five daggers."
The old man smiled faintly and said: "Very well… very well. I hope you succeed in what you're doing."
Voltar smiled confidently and said: "I will succeed… for sure."
After a short time, the old man left the place. Voltar remained, staring at his retreating figure, muttering to himself: "I will succeed… and I will prove that you were wrong, my little brother."