The air was thick with silence. Dust drifted lazily across the broken ground, and blood stained Shingo's uniform as he knelt, trying to steady his breathing. His sword trembled in his hand. Across from him stood Hyung Hun, the man he had respected all his life, the man he once called Sensei.
"Why?" Shingo asked, his voice barely escaping his throat. "Sensei… why?"
Hyung Hun gave a low, cruel laugh. "Sensei, you say? That's a good one."
His eyes gleamed under the dull light as he took a few steps closer. "I only kept you because the Koruzan expected me to look after you after your father's death. But… funny enough, I was the one who killed him, seventeen years ago."
Shingo's entire body froze.
His pupils shrank. Memories flashed before his eyes, his father's last smile, his mother's promise, the words 'Don't worry, I'll be home soon.'
Then, the sound of fire. Screams. The funeral banners. The Koruzan festival of mourning. He remembered every apology they gave him, saying they couldn't protect his parents.
And now... this man was telling him he was the reason.
Tears streamed down his face. "No… that's not true… It can't be…"
Hyung Hun's tone turned dark and steady. "Listen, boy. I'm still talking."
Before Shingo could react, the old man's sword pierced his side, twisting cruelly. Shingo gasped, blood spilling from his lips as pain shot through his body.
"Seventeen years ago," Hyung Hun continued, his voice growing heavier with pride, "there was a war between Koruzan and the bounty hunters.
Your father and I were brothers in arms, but he kept exceeding me, winning awards, getting stronger, stealing the spotlight. I couldn't stand it."
His grip tightened on the sword. "They said if he performed well, he'd be promoted to the Light Team, where your mother served. And I hated that. So I did what I had to do. I stabbed him… ten, twenty times, until he stopped breathing."
Shingo's eyes widened in disbelief. The words struck him harder than the wound itself.
Hyung Hun lifted his gaze to the cloudy sky.
"Your mother? She died on the frontlines because someone, maybe me, maybe someone else.... wanted her gone. Everything since then, bringing you here, training you, was all part of my plan. I wanted to kill you before you awakened her power and surpassed me."
He smirked. "Do you know how much I despised the way they saluted you back in the Super Tag Force? Everyone said you could reach the League if you kept growing stronger. But don't worry… now, I'll end that dream."
Shingo's sword slipped from his grip, hitting the ground with a hollow clang. His body shook, his spirit shattered.
"Mom… Dad…" he whispered, his tears falling onto the dusty ground. "I guess I'll be joining you soon."
Just as Hyung Hun raised his sword for the final strike...
Clang!
A blade crashed against his, sending sparks into the air. Hyung Hun was forced a step back.
"Sorry I'm late," a voice shouted.
Shingo looked up through blurry eyes and saw Fate Hisugaya, his friend and comrade, standing between him and the monster he once called teacher. Fate's sword gleamed under the fading light, his expression fierce.
"I heard the noise and tracked you down here," Fate said, his voice filled with anger. "I don't know what's going on, but I won't let you lay another hand on Sir Shingo!"
Shingo's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't find the words.
Hyung Hun lowered his blade slightly, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
"Tch," he muttered, "another fool with a death wish."
Fate raised his sword again, his aura burning brighter. The wind howled around them, and the air itself seemed to tremble.
Behind him, Shingo's blood dripped onto the cracked ground, his eyes filled with pain, but also, a flicker of hope.
The wind grew heavy around the battlefield.
Rubble smoked in the distance, and the air shimmered from the raw power both men carried.
Fate Hisugaya lowered his head, gripping his blade tightly. A faint light began to flicker around his hand, growing brighter with each heartbeat.
"Sword of Everlasting Light…" he muttered.
A radiant blade slowly began to form, thin at first, then widening, humming with divine power.
The ground beneath him cracked under the sheer pressure.
In a flash, Fate dashed forward without hesitation, slicing through the air, and striking Hyung Hun straight in the chest.
The old man staggered back, coughing. Fate exhaled in relief… but the victory lasted only a second. Hyung Hun's image flickered, and then disappeared entirely.
A sharp pain exploded from Fate's back.
He turned, horrified... the old man now stood behind him, his blade dripping with Fate's blood.
"Are you terrified of my divine gift?" Hyung Hun said with a sinister grin.
His voice was calm, mocking. "As long as you're within a 20-kilometer radius, any attack dealt to me is reversed five seconds before it happens. I can pause time itself and strike back in that instant."
Fate stumbled back, blood seeping through his uniform. "So… that's your ability, huh?" he whispered, clutching his side.
He knew rushing in again was useless, not against someone who could rewrite time itself.
Fate leapt backward, creating distance. He extended both hands, his aura bursting forth as spears of pure light materialized and launched at Hyung Hun like rain.
But the old man didn't even flinch.
Each time the spears hit, the scene twisted, and Fate felt new slashes tearing across his back instead.
Shingo, still bleeding on the ground, cried out, "Fate, stop! There's no way… you can beat him! Just... run! Get out of here!"
But Fate ignored him, his determination burning stronger than pain. "Not until I see this through!"
He spun midair, summoning another series of long, shining rods, and fired them in rapid succession.
The old man smirked. "Pointless," he hissed, activating his ability again.
But this time... nothing reversed.
The rods of light pierced straight through Hyung Hun's body, exploding on impact.
The old man froze, his eyes widening. Blood trickled down his chin. "W–what?"
Fate smirked, breathing heavily. "That's it… I figured it out. You're so full of yourself, you didn't notice that while you kept using your ability, you stepped out of your own invincible barrier."
Hyung Hun chuckled weakly, wiping the blood from his lips. "Not bad… for a brat."
"Now.... " Fate yelled, charging his power, "you're through!"
He thrust his palm forward, releasing a blinding burst of energy. The beam screamed through the air, engulfing the battlefield.
But before the light faded, Fate felt something pierce his chest. Then his sides. Then his arms.
Pain erupted everywhere.
He looked down. Dozens of light spears, his own.... had impaled him.
"W-what…?" he gasped, his vision dimming.
Hyung Hun straightened his back, smiling coldly. "While you were celebrating," he said, "I shifted the barrier's position.... five seconds before your final attack.
I absorbed every one of your rods, then reversed them onto you."
Fate's knees buckled, his eyes fading to white as he fell limp, blood spilling onto the cracked earth.
Hyung Hun stepped closer, staring at Fate's motionless body.
"Moral lesson, boy," he said darkly.
"Learn to deactivate your ability after firing it. And remember.... " he turned to Shingo, who was crying uncontrollably on the ground. "it takes at least ten Super Tag Force members to take down one of the Adams."
Shingo slammed his fists into the dirt, his voice breaking. "Fate! No! Damn it, Fate!"
Tears ran down his cheeks as the old man's footsteps echoed away into the cold night.
The ground fell silent once again… but inside Shingo's heart, something had begun to burn.