Charlie tried to open his eyes.
His vision was blurred, distorted.
A silhouette stood before him.
Charlie:- "…Ryujin?"
The image shifted.
Another man came into focus—calm eyes, sharp presence.
It was Lucas.
Charlie thought to himself—Where… am I?
Charlie's eyes suddenly snapped open.
He realized he was sitting on a metal chair. His wrists were locked inside glowing handcuffs.
He struggled, pulling with all his strength.
Nothing happened.
Lucas:- There's no need to struggle.
Charlie looked up.
Lucas stood calmly in front of him.
Lucas:- These handcuffs suppress your Arc Core and keep its energy at absolute zero.
You won't die—but you won't be able to use your powers.
Charlie:- …Who are you?
Charlie's eyes shifted.
He noticed Ryujin standing near the wall.
Charlie:- You too? What the hell is going on?
Lucas:- I am Lucas, Chief of the Supernatural Order of Surveillance—S.O.S.
And you… are Charlie.
Lucas:- This is an S.O.S interrogation room.
You have been arrested for violating the laws.
Charlie:- …What laws?
Lucas:- In your world, ordinary humans follow ordinary laws.
But we are different.
Lucas:- We don't follow their laws.
We create our own.
Lucas:- You may not realize this, but you have used your powers in front of civilians—multiple times.
Charlie:- …What?
Lucas:- No superhuman is allowed to reveal their abilities to ordinary people.
Those who do are punished severely.
Charlie:- I didn't know. I had no information about this. I was unaware.
Lucas:- You were with Master Nijin.
A former Chief of S.O.S.
Lucas:- And you expect me to believe he never told you?
Charlie:- That's the truth. I swear.
Lucas stared at him.
Lucas:- Let's assume you truly didn't know.
But ignorance does not erase crime.
Charlie clenched his fists.
Charlie thought—I can't stay here… I need to get out.
Charlie:- …Sorry. But I can't stay here.
Ryujin narrowed his eyes.
Suddenly—
BOOM.
A massive force erupted from Charlie's body.
The floor cracked. Shockwaves spread.
The handcuffs shattered.
Lucas's eyes widened.
Ryujin instantly drew his sword.
Ryujin thought—His Arc Core was at zero… how did he—
Charlie suddenly froze.
Charlie:- …What?
Why can't I move?
Ryujin:- What happened to him?
A slow clap echoed.
Voice:- How uncivilized criminals have become these days.
Ryujin turned.
Ryujin:- …Noel.
Noel:- Huh? You're here too?
Lucas:- Noel, what are you doing here?
Noel:- I'll explain later.
First, I need to let off some steam.
Noel vanished.
BAM!
Noel's punch slammed into Charlie's face.
Charlie crashed to the ground.
Charlie thought—Who… is this guy…?
Noel laughed.
He kept punching—again and again.
Ryujin:- Enough! You're going too far!
Noel:- Shut up.
Ryujin appeared in front of him.
His blade touched Noel's neck.
Ryujin:- If you don't stop… I'll cut you down.
Noel stood up, staring him down.
Noel:- You think I'm scared of you?
Lucas:- Enough.
Lucas looked at Charlie.
Charlie was unconscious.
Lucas:- You both… leave.
Elsewhere—
Master Nijin slowly opened his eyes.
A girl sat beside him.
Hiyori:- Master… are you alright?
Nijin:- …Hiyori. You're here.
Hiyori:- Yes.
Nijin:- What happened to the Sealed Vault?
Hiyori:- S.O.S has taken control of it.
Nijin:- …That means Denjiro.
Hiyori:- He refused to move.
They tried peacefully… but one of their men beat him badly.
Nijin closed his eyes.
Nijin:- And where is he now?
Hiyori:- Ryujin?
Nijin:- No.
Where is Charlie?
Hiyori:- …Charlie?
Detention Zone
S.O.S guards dragged Charlie into a transparent prison cell.
His vision slowly returned.
Charlie:- …Where am I?
The cell was circular, made of transparent energy walls. Strange symbols floated in the air, constantly shifting.
Denjiro:- This is a prison.
Charlie looked at him carefully.
Denjiro:- A place where powers don't work.
No Arc Core. No abilities. No exceptions.
Charlie:- Wait…
Charlie narrowed his eyes.
Charlie:- I remember you.
Your name is Denjiro… right?
The man nodded.
Denjiro:- Correct.
Charlie:- Then why are you here?
Charlie glanced at the walls.
Charlie:- And what happened to the Sealed Vault?
Denjiro let out a slow breath.
Denjiro:- They took it.
Forced us out.
Now S.O.S guards it themselves.
Charlie clenched his fist.
Charlie:- Who did this to you?
Denjiro's jaw tightened.
Denjiro:- A man named Noel.
Arrogant.
Violent.
Powerful enough to believe rules don't apply to him.
Charlie:- Do they know what's inside the Sealed Vault?
Denjiro shook his head.
Denjiro:- No.
My clan hid it for generations.
Not S.O.S.
Not the Ten Kings.
No one was supposed to know.
Charlie's eyes widened slightly.
Charlie:- …Ten Kings?
Who are they?
Denjiro looked at him, surprised.
Denjiro:- You don't know?
Charlie:- No.
A moment of silence.
Denjiro:- Did Master Nijin really tell you nothing?
Charlie:- Maybe…
Maybe he wanted to keep me away from all this.
Denjiro:- Too late now.
Denjiro leaned forward.
Denjiro:- You're already standing in the middle of it.
Charlie swallowed.
Charlie:- Please.
Tell me everything.
Denjiro studied him.
Denjiro:- Do you truly want to know?
Charlie:- Yes.
No hesitation.
Denjiro closed his eyes for a moment.
Then he spoke.
Denjiro:- This world has three kinds of beings.
Denjiro:- First—Ordinary humans.
People who live, die, and never touch the truth.
Denjiro:- Second—Superhumans.
Those born with Arc Cores.
Those who bend reality through power.
Charlie listened silently.
Denjiro:- And third…
Beings from other dimensions.
Charlie:- Other… dimensions?
Denjiro:- Yes.
They travel across realities.
Wherever they go—
Worlds fall.
Civilizations collapse.
Entire dimensions disappear.
Charlie felt a chill.
Denjiro:- To stop them, the strongest superhumans united.
Warriors. Strategists. Monsters in human form.
They called themselves the Guardians.
Denjiro:- Today…
The world knows them as S.O.S.
Charlie:- Then…
What about the Ten Kings?
Denjiro's expression darkened.
Denjiro:- The Ten Kings were once Guardians.
But power changed them.
They chose domination over protection.
Charlie froze.
Denjiro:- The war between S.O.S and the Ten Kings never ended.
It only went silent.
Denjiro leaned back.
Denjiro:- And now…
They're moving again.
Silence filled the cell.
Charlie stared at the floor.
His world… was far bigger than he imagined.
City – Seora
Seora was a beautiful city.
A place where people came to relax, to spend their weekends, to forget their worries.
Until everything stopped.
Some people walking through the streets suddenly froze.
Their faces went completely blank.
The next second, their bodies twisted.
Bones cracked.
Flesh tore apart.
They transformed into monstrous creatures.
Screams echoed everywhere.
People ran in every direction.
In the chaos, a small child tripped and fell.
A monster turned toward him.
It raised its claw.
Just before the attack—
The monster froze.
Not just one.
Every monster in the area stopped moving.
A tired voice echoed through the street.
Noel:- …What a headache.
In the same instant—
A silver flash cut through the air.
Ryujin moved.
His sword sliced through one monster, then another, then another—
So fast that blood only appeared after they were already dead.
The last monster, standing in front of the child, was split cleanly in two.
The bodies collapsed.
Noel:- Hey, Ryujin.
Those were my kills.
Ryujin:- I moved first.
If you're slow, that's not my problem.
Noel:- Say that again.
Ryujin ignored him and lifted the trembling child.
Ryujin:- Get out of here.
This place is dangerous.
The child's mother rushed in, grabbed him, and ran.
The street fell silent.
Then—
More people who hadn't escaped began to shake.
Their bodies started changing.
One by one, they transformed into monsters.
Dozens of them.
Noel:- Oh?
Looks like they brought their whole army.
Ryujin:- We'll have to wipe them all out.
Noel:- Stay out of my way.
I'll handle this.
Noel stepped forward.
Noel:- Come on, monsters.
Don't hold back.
The monsters roared and charged at him.
Noel vanished.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
He reappeared behind the first monster and smashed his fist into its spine, shattering it instantly.
Before the body even hit the ground, Noel was already moving.
He ducked under a claw, grabbed the monster's arm, twisted—
Bones snapped.
With a brutal kick, he sent it flying into another monster, crushing both.
Noel moved like a blur.
Punches.
Kicks.
Elbows.
Every strike was precise and merciless.
A monster leapt from above, aiming straight for his head.
Noel looked up and smiled.
Noel:- Too slow.
He was about to counter—
Slash.
The monster was cut apart midair.
Noel clicked his tongue.
Noel:- Ryujin.
But Ryujin was standing far away, sword lowered.
Someone else spoke.
???:- Hey, idiot.
Fight properly.
Noel looked up.
A girl stood on top of a building, holding a scythe.
Noel:- …You.
Before he could say more, she jumped.
She landed in the middle of the monsters.
Black aura gathered around her scythe.
She spun once.
A wide, circular slash burst out, her aura tearing through every monster it touched.
Bodies dropped instantly.
Silence returned.
Noel looked irritated.
Noel:- Luna.
Who called you here?
Ryujin:- She was already assigned to this mission.
We came to support her.
Noel:- If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come.
Luna:- Everyone knows that.
That's why no one told you.
The ground suddenly trembled.
Something massive began to form.
A huge monster emerged, far larger than the others.
Its presence alone crushed the air around them.
Noel, Ryujin, and Luna stared at it.
For the first time—
They were all silent.