Loki smirked slightly.
"If you want to taste something good," he said calmly, "I have plenty."
At that moment, both Cris and Wal stopped moving.
Wal turned away casually.
"Okay. Let's go to our base."
As Wal and his team headed back, an uneasy feeling crept over him.
Someone was watching.
Wal suddenly stopped and glanced behind him.
Nothing.
No presence. No movement.
Yet—
A hidden figure smiled from the shadows.
"Oh? Quiet… impressive," the voice thought.
"He noticed me even though I completely erased my presence. I should keep an eye on him."
[Scene shifts to Loki's team]
Cris scoffed.
"Hey, powerless guy. Why are you coming with us?"
Wal replied calmly, without even looking at him.
"You're the one who came after me. So you have no right to complain."
Cris clicked his tongue but said nothing.
Soon, they reached their place.
Loki folded his arms.
"Alright. You two will work together from now on. Partners."
Wal smirked.
"Me? Nah. I'd rather work alone than team up with him."
Cris shot back instantly.
"I'd rather team up with a fly."
The air grew tense.
Loki's expression darkened. A pressure burst out from him, crushing both of them.
"Enough."
Both Wal and Cris froze.
"I have an important mission," Loki said coldly.
"And you two will protect my base."
He turned away.
"If anything goes wrong—call me. I'll come immediately."
Loki paused for a second.
"And if you overcome your limits in battle…"
"…I'll send you messages"
Wal hesitated.
"But… we don't have one."
Loki didn't even blink.
"Then buy one. Send a message to this number."
He turned away.
"Bye."
Before anyone could react, Loki vanished—his speed leaving only a faint distortion in the air.
On the table, a small note remained.
Loki's number.
Wal picked it up slowly.
"…What do we do now?"
At that moment—
The door creaked open.
A stranger stepped inside.
"Hey, Loki. Where are you?" the man said casually.
"It's me—Yoru Akamane."
Cris tensed.
Wal answered calmly, "Oh. He went out for work. What do you want?"
Yoru nodded.
"Oh… okay. I just—"
Suddenly—
An ice spear shot forward.
Yoru's eyes widened as it grazed past him.
Wal panicked.
"Cris! Why did you attack him?! I'm sorry, Yoru—this was a mistake!"
Yoru slowly lifted his head.
His voice changed.
"A… mistake?"
The room darkened as shadows crawled across the walls, wrapping around Yoru's body.
Shadow claws formed. A long, flickering shadow tail dragged across the floor.
"Let me show you," Yoru whispered,
"what a mistake looks like."
In a blink, Yoru lunged at Wal, claws tearing through the air.
But—
Clang.
Cris stepped in front, blocking the strike with an ice staff, a grin on his face.
"How pathetic," Cris mocked.
"You can't even land a hit."
Wal stood frozen, watching.
Then—
Yoru vanished.
A chill ran down Cris's spine.
He reappeared behind him, shadow blade raised, slashing toward his back.
Cris raised his arm, a thick wall of ice forming instantly behind him.
Yoru lunged forward, slashing with brutal precision—but Cris blocked the strike effortlessly.
Yoru twisted mid-air, spinning a full 360 degrees, his tail lashing out like a whip.
Cris stomped the ground.
A small iceberg erupted upward, absorbing the blow with a thunderous impact.
The collision shook the battlefield.
Smoke and frozen mist flooded the air, swallowing both figures.
For a moment—nothing could be seen.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Cris narrowed his eyes.
Yoru's claws had transformed—
one into a blade, the other into a shield, shifting forms mid-battle.
Cris smirked.
"Oh? Changing styles in the middle of a fight," he said calmly.
"Interesting. But you can't do what I can."
An immense ice aura exploded outward from Cris.
The temperature plummeted.
Behind him, faint yet terrifying—
beast-like eyes glowed within the frozen mist, locked onto Yoru.
Cris charged.
Yoru stood still—calm, unreadable.
The moment Cris entered a certain radius—
Yoru slashed.
Cris blocked instantly, leaping high into the air and bringing down a devastating strike.
Yoru blocked again.
Cris smiled coldly.
"Yoru… you're too slow."
In the next instant, Cris vanished and reappeared behind Yoru.
Blue veins surged across his arms.
His ice deepened into a dark, lethal blue.
Twin ice daggers formed in his hands.
He swung—aiming to cut both Yoru's head and body in one motion.
But—
Yoru dissolved into shadow.
"Huh?" Cris muttered.
A shadowy sphere burst from beneath him, dragging him down.
When Cris opened his eyes—
There were two Yorus.
One radiated pure rage, violent and overwhelming.
The other stood calm—a guardian form, silent and deadly.
Both charged at once.
Cris's smile widened.
He unleashed his full power.
The shadow realm began to freeze.
Anger-Yoru pierced forward—
Blocked.
Calm-Yoru slashed—
Blocked again.
Cris countered with another dagger—
But Yoru slipped through the shadows, appearing above him, blade descending.
At that moment—
Cris spoke softly.
"First move… Zero Temperature."
Silence.
The entire area froze instantly.
Shadows turned to snow.
The battlefield became a frozen wasteland.
At the center—
A massive iceberg.
And on top of it—
Cris sat calmly.
The shadow realm collapsed.
Cris and Yoru emerged back into reality.
Wal stared at the scene.
"Woah… what an epic fight."
He scratched his head.
"Looks like a draw. You're both still standing."
Before he finished—
Both Cris and Yoru collapsed unconscious.
Wal blinked.
"Oh… guess I'm the last one standing."
Suddenly—
A chill ran down his spine.
Someone was watching him.
Wal turned toward the darkness.
"Bro, come on," he said lazily.
"What kind of assassin can't even hide their presence?"
A voice echoed.
"Oh? You noticed me?"
Wal smirked.
"You wanna know my backstory?"
"When I was a child… when I was a teenager… when I turned sixteen—"
The voice cut him off.
"You're a very unique one."
"When the time comes… we'll meet again."
The presence vanished.
Hours later, Yoru and Cris woke up.
"Bro, I've been waiting for ages," Wal said.
"What do you want, idiot?" Cris replied.
Yoru frowned.
"Why am I even here?"
Wal smiled.
"Ah… looking for Loki."
Yoru sighed.
"Looks like he's not here. Bye."
He stepped into his shadow, pausing once.
Yoru halted within the shadows, his body half-fading.
Before disappearing, he turned his head slightly.
"Before I go," Yoru said calmly,
"Tell Loki this…"
Wal and Cris both looked at him.
"Kaizel is getting dangerously strong."
Wal frowned.
"Kaizel?"
Yoru's eyes sharpened.
"The same man who split the giant centipede with a single slash."
"The one who wields a sword of white and purple."
The air felt heavier.
"That blade doesn't just cut flesh," Yoru continued.
"It cuts everything in its path."
And then—he was gone.
Wal stretched.
"Ahh… finally. I can rest."
The Next Day
"Wow," Wal said, staring at the sky.
"What a beautiful morning."
Cris walked over.
"Hey, shithead. Loki texted something."
Wal rolled his eyes.
"Are you illiterate? Just tell me what he texted."
Cris lowered his phone.
"Loki sent a location," he said.
"He wants us to investigate it. Said something about… sound."
Wal raised an eyebrow.
"Sound? Interesting."
After a short journey, Wal and Cris arrived at the destination.
The place felt strange.
It looked like a music district—old buildings shaped like instruments, soft echoes humming through the air, as if the land itself was breathing in rhythm.
Wal glanced around.
"Looks like this is the place we're supposed to investigate."
Cris nodded slowly.
"I thought it'd be crowded… but it's peaceful."
The calm was unsettling.
Suddenly—
Bump.
Someone crashed into Cris.
"Oh—sorry! Excuse me!"
Cris instinctively raised his hand, ready to strike—
But stopped.
Because when he saw her face, his body froze.
She had long purple hair, soft violet eyes, and wore round glasses.
There was a shy elegance to her presence.
The girl looked nervous but smiled politely.
"A-are you new here?" she asked gently.
Cris swallowed.
"Y-yeah… yeah."
His words stumbled over each other, his face slightly red.
The girl seemed relieved.
"Oh… nice to meet you."
She extended her hand.
Cris hesitated for a second, then shook it.
"C-Cris. My name is Cris."
She smiled warmly.
"I'm Decible."
Wal narrowed his eyes.
Decible continued cheerfully,
"If you're looking for a guide, I'd love to show you this world of sounds and music."
Wal immediately replied,
"We don't need a guide. You may go."
Decible blinked.
Her smile weakened just a little.
"Oh… that's slightly disappointing."
She bowed politely.
"Then… goodbye."
She turned away.
"WAIT!"
Cris grabbed her sleeve without thinking.
Wal's eyes widened.
Cris panicked.
"H-he's just kidding!"
"Please… be our guide."
Decible looked back at him.
For a second, the world felt quieter.
Then she smiled again—this time, brighter.
"Alright."
Wal stared at Cris.
"Hey—what the hell just happened to this guy?"
Cris didn't answer.
He was still staring at Decible.