The rain of blood intensified, drumming against the cracked stone ruins of the ancient city. Wind howled through the shattered remains, and thunder rolled ominously in the distance, as if the sky itself anticipated the battle to come. Ao and the Prophet stood locked in a silent, tense standoff. The air between them was thick with energy, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
Ao: “If you really are a prophet... then surely you must know you’re making a grave mistake in trying to hinder me.”
The Prophet’s lips curled into a sneer, his expression calm yet dripping with menace. He exuded a strange aura—composed but unsettling.
Prophet: “Let me introduce myself.” His voice was smooth, deliberate, and laced with authority.
“I am the prophet 「Alpha」 of the Blood. I see the future by gazing into the blood of the one concerned...”
He raised a trembling hand and pointed directly at Ao, his yellow eyes gleaming with excitement.
Prophet: “Your blood. Show me your blood!”
The corners of his mouth twitched upward into a frightening smile, his entire body trembling with anticipation, as if he were on the verge of losing control.
Ao’s eyes narrowed as he studied the man before him. There was something unsettlingly familiar about the Prophet—his voice, his movements, his presence.
This Prophet... why do I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before?
His gaze flicked over the Prophet, then back to the assassins kneeling in the background, their bloodied robes soaked even darker by the rain.
There was no mistaking it—this man radiated star power. But it was... wrong. Twisted.
Abnormal. Something’s not right about him. If I have to fight him under the Pendragons’ cameras...
He glanced at the sky, where the camouflaged chameleon cameras hung, invisible to most.
That’s exactly what they want.
For the best fighters to show off all their skills so they can study us. Counter us. Exploit us when the time comes.
Tch... It doesn’t hurt to try, though.
Without breaking eye contact, Ao raised his right hand.
He clenched his index finger, and a single drop of blood fell, dark and vivid against the rain-soaked ground.
The Prophet’s face lit up with wild hunger as he darted forward with unnatural speed.
Before Ao could react, the Prophet grabbed his wrist tightly, his long, bony fingers pressing into Ao’s skin as he brought the bloody fingertip inches from his face.
Prophet: “Huh...” He stared at the blood with an expression that bordered on reverence.
“No system. No trace of engram or soul poisoning. Ooooooh~”
His hands trembled as he gently released Ao’s wrist, tears streaming down his face. He staggered back, clutching his chest, his voice breaking as he spoke.
Prophet: “You... You’re one of us... Ooooooh~”
Ao stepped back instinctively, his face tightening in confusion and alarm. His mind raced.
He knows about engram and soul magic?
Who is this guy?!
But before he could piece it together, the Prophet let out a wail, dropping to his knees.
The assassins behind him followed suit, tears running down their faces as they pressed their bloodied hands together in prayer.
Prophet: “You... You must join us, Aotahi! You belong with us!”
He staggered to his feet and leaned toward Ao, his face contorted with sadness and desperation.
Ao watched in stunned silence, unsure of how to respond.
The man before him was unraveling faster than he’d ever seen anyone lose control.
His yellow eyes burned with madness, and now... they began to bleed.
Thin red streaks ran down his cheeks like tears of blood, staining his already crimson-soaked robes.
Prophet: “IT’S BECAUSE OF THIS BENEDICTION... MALEDICTION... BENEDICTION!!!”
His voice rose to a frantic scream, echoing off the ancient ruins.
Ao’s gaze flicked to the white-haired woman, still cradling the body of her fallen orc companion.
Her quiet sobs were lost beneath the Prophet’s raving, but her pain cut through the chaos like a dagger.
I won’t be able to fight and protect them at the same time.
I need to come up with an escape plan. Fast.
The Prophet’s ravings grew louder and more erratic.
He scratched deeper at his skin, tearing through flesh until blood poured freely from his arms, his chest, even his face.
The assassins around him began to chant under their breath, their words unintelligible, but their tone reverent.
The Prophet suddenly threw his head back and screamed, his yellow eyes locking onto Ao’s.
His voice cracked as he shouted, his words a broken mantra of contradictions.
Prophet :
“CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED CURSED BLESSED Ç̸̡̪͙̲̺̠͍͎͒͋͆͐͗͑͑̇͝U̸̧̡̯̟̹̦̤͂͜ͅR̶͕̲͑͊̑̇S̸̘͐́̿̾̕̕̚͝E̴̦͕͚̻̠̪͌͌D̸͍̞̥̮̩͙͉͍͜͠ ̴̨̛͖̟̮̞̰̭͒̾͗̈́́̄̕̚͠B̵̨̫͔̼̰͓̹̹̖̽͋̿̀L̴͔͌͂̃ͅE̷̟̤̻̠̘̔̿̾́̈̐Š̵̡̥̕S̴̖̯̺͚̪̮̹͋̿͑̋̒̈Ȩ̴̬̜̞̫͕̺͚͎̞̓̾̽́͛͠D̴̛̦̫͐͆̈́̽̄̾̚̕͠ ̸̤̱̰̇̆͆̈͘̚͠C̸̡̟̲̊̽̌͊̅̇ͅỤ̸̢̨͚͉̰͉̱͑͆̓̔̎̽̚R̴̛͓̮̅̈͒̎̎̔̿S̸̨̺̼̻̗̫͎̝̓̂̃̿̍̀̅̈̕͘͜Ę̴͎̣͓̪̜̹̒͒͛̿͛͊̽͜ͅD̵̡̰͑̔̌̉͑ ̴͓̾͆B̷̧͇̼̓͊̔̈L̴̗͖͔̀͗͘͝É̴̼͝Š̴̛̩͖̬͎̝̝̹̬̗͋̊̀̕͘͝S̵̰̣̘̦̝͔̔̉͑͌̑͌͛Ȩ̵̡̠̇͜D̶̥̙̭͂ͅ ̶̥̤̭̠̟̠͓̥́̈̊̂̆͘͠C̴̹͉̥̹̩̱̏̆͆̕͠Ṳ̷̢̪̮̈̏̋̈́̅̈̿͜R̶͚̓̓͊͗̔͗͋̄́S̷̥̗͍̯̞̳̃̊̓̃̐̈͝E̶̛̳͇͑̚̚Ď̴̛̹̌̈͋͑͝ ̵̢̭͖̯͖̥̥͍̜͒̏̒̍͗̑̀̐͒́͜B̶̮̥̬̖͓͉͉̤͍͗͊͌̈́̐̏͗̀̋̍L̷̛̙͍̪̯̪̞̃̅͆͒̕͜E̵̖͊̑̒͛͒͒͘͜S̵͎̤̥͖̽S̵̲̒͠E̸̛͖͓̺̭̲̥̥̘̰̔̓͒̑͐͒̀̾̚D̶̢̜̥͎͎̬̻̤̆͌̓ ̵̯̳̲̼̻́̾̈́͛̂͗C̶̢̛̪͚͙̜̻͂̾̋̒̓ͅͅṶ̷̧͎̤̫̟̩͉̝̘̉R̵͚̘̞͔̭̥̼̹͐́̏̀͜͜Ś̷̨̫̗̟̟̠͐͋̎̄̆E̵̻͌̌̉̓D̷̙͍̘̘̖͛̀ͅͅ ̸̜̳̣̻̹͊̏̽́B̸̖̗̳̄̅͗̋͠L̷̳͙̠͎̗̪̎Ẽ̸̩̻̳͇̋̀͌̔S̷̹͇̰͇͂͊̏̑̃S̶̢̟̭̋̚E̶̯̝͈̥̼̙̠͕͙̠̾͌͂̿D̷̠̃ ̷̛̦̺͂͑̔͆̾̈́C̶̡̧̼̞̾͐͠Ȕ̸̜̙̞̪͍̫̑̕͠R̵̜͈̜̱͈̟̺̹͓̂̈̇̋S̴̥̖̜̻̞̺͙̆͛̀̂̏͑Ḙ̴̡̋̇̐͂̍̍̽͝͠͠ͅD̷͙̝̤͙̩̣̖̐̀̄͊͌͌́̚̕̕͜ͅ ̷̧̼͔̗͍͈͇͉͓̞̈́͋̒̌̈̋̈̎͘͝B̷̡̡̯͑̅͊Ĺ̸̢̡̥̘̣̣͂̋E̴̡̹̝̯͒͝S̴͎̪̬͕̆̓͑Ș̸̣̱͉̹̦̲̖̯͎͌̈́͐̊̓͑̊̾̓È̵̯̮̗̠͙͕͓̱͉̃̌̊̍D̸̘͇̞̻̪̲͂̋͑̌̽́͌̐̚͜ ̸̢̩̰̮̟̤̗̱͊̊͜ͅC̴̟͍͉̭̉͗̏͊̉̈̋̌͠͠Ư̴̺̝̟̜̯̤̫̰͙̭͛̈́̓̊̀̈͗̇R̸̢̝̭̜̜͇͈̣̊Ş̵̣͔̬̄̐̊̉̓̐̈́̋͊̑͜E̴̠̓͛͐D̴͉̲͉̲̠̙̜̂͜ ̵͈̩͉̤͇̒͐͠Ḃ̴̭͠ͅL̶̳͕̣̊E̸͔͋S̷̳͒̇S̸̳͈̬͉͂̉̉̽͒̈͌̃̃͝Ĕ̷̬͂͛̾̂͑́͗̍͜͝D̵̨̹̤͕̰̺̲͔̞̂̑̚̚ͅ ̴̨̼̥͎͎͖̜͇̲̹͐͑̂Ć̵̨̩͖̹͖̩̼͕͋͛̂͛͌̃̂̿ͅU̶̡̖̥̼͖̥̣͖̯͓̒͒͑̈́͆̾̔͘R̴͉͇͔̳̥͉͙͖̍ͅŞ̸̢̨̢̼̹̤̙̑͜E̵̳̠̻͙̊̒̈́D̸̢̼̮̊̆̑̓̌̾̑̈́̂ ̷̧̪̭̯͍̖͚͓̳̙͌̈́̈́͐̐͝͝͝B̶̩͎̪͍̙̝̈́̿̾̍̆͠͠L̸̲̝̃͒̃̉͂͝͝͝Ę̴̪̝͖̔̎ͅS̴̠̺̖̻̘͕̻̓͒͂̈́̈́͘̚S̶͔̣̈́̍͐̀̾Ę̶̡͍̼̟̓͊͗̌͛̉ͅḐ̷̡͕̩̹͓̐̋̄̓̒̑̚ͅ”
The words trembled out of his mouth, his voice breaking.
He shook uncontrollably, clawing at his skin as his emotions spiraled into chaos.
Blood trickled from the fresh gashes he left on his arms, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop.
Ao’s hands tightened into fists as he steadied his breath.
His instincts screamed at him to attack, but something held him back.
This wasn’t an ordinary fight.
The Prophet was too unstable, too dangerous—and too unpredictable.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed faintly across the ruins, blending with the relentless drumming of blood rain.
From a dilapidated rooftop, Kin and Gin surveyed the chaotic scene below.
Gin’s sharp eyes caught sight of the white-haired woman kneeling on the ground, clutching what remained of the orc’s broken body.
Gin: “YUMI!!!”
His shout cut through the storm like a dagger, drawing the attention of everyone below.
Ao turned sharply toward the voice, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the two figures on the roof.
Wh… Gin?!
Recognition flickered in his expression, then shifted into disbelief
Yumi: “Mu... THEY KILLED MU!!!”
Her voice cracked as she wailed, her arms trembling as she held the battered remains of the orc
Kin’s face twisted with a mix of grief and fury, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles went white.
His gaze locked onto the Prophet, and then to Ao, suspicion and rage flaring in his eyes.
Kin's Thoughts:
The Prophet... and him. Are they working together?!
Without hesitation, Kin leapt from the rooftop, his body moving with a deadly purpose.
Ao’s eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.
Ao's Thoughts:
Damn it! What the hell is Gin doing here?! And that crying woman’s name is Yumi? The dead orc… Mu. The big one with Gin—
His gaze shifted to Kin, and realization hit him like a thunderclap.
He’s going to attack the Prophet in the middle of a psychotic break! Idiot!
Kin landed with a heavy thud near the Prophet, the ground splintering beneath his feet.
His voice rang out with fury as he charged.
Kin: “Enhance: Right Punch MAXIMUM OUTPUT!!!”
His right fist crackled with energy, glowing faintly as he poured all his strength into the attack.
The punch roared toward the Prophet like a battering ram. But just as it was about to connect—
The Prophet stopped it with a wave of his hand
Kin’s body froze mid-strike, completely immobilized.
The energy around his fist flickered and dissipated as if snuffed out by an unseen force.
Slowly, the Prophet turned his head toward Kin, his yellow eyes gleaming with malice.
Prophet: “Kin Shakespeare...” His voice was calm but venomous, dripping with condescension.
“Do you want to end up like your brother Mu?”
The words struck Kin like a physical blow.
His eyes widened, his breath hitching as rage and grief clashed within him.
But before he could react, the Prophet’s aura intensified, bathing the area in a suffocating red glow.
It radiated pure, insurmountable power, pressing down on everyone like the weight of a mountain.
Gin and Yumi froze in place, their eyes filled with fear as the Prophet’s overwhelming presence choked the air.
Kin: “Gin!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!”
The Prophet’s expression darkened as he raised his fist, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to Kin.
The sheer force of the punch would have turned him to dust. But just as the attack came down—
Gin: “Chikyu: Wall!”
With a sharp incantation, Gin appeared behind Kin, slamming his hands into the ground.
The earth rumbled and rose, forming a massive earthen wall between them and the Prophet.
The barrier stood tall and sturdy, a testament to Gin’s skill. But it didn’t last long.
The Prophet’s punch obliterated it instantly, sending debris flying in all directions.
The force was so great that Gin staggered backward, barely catching his balance.
The Prophet’s fist came barreling toward them, promising devastation—
—but it never landed.
A flash of blue light cut through the chaos.
Ao appeared in front of Kin and Gin, his arms raised to intercept the Prophet’s attack.
The blow connected with his forearms, the impact reverberating through his entire body.
Blood sprayed from his arms as he slid backward slightly, but he held firm, gritting his teeth against the crushing force.
Ao: “If you want to kill them...”
Slowly, he raised his head, his eyes blazing with blue fire.
His voice was low but carried a deadly promise.
Ao: “You’ll have to beat me first!”
The Prophet growled, pulling back his hand as a tense silence filled the air.
The ruins seemed to hold their breath, the only sound the relentless rain of blood and the faint crackle of energy around Ao’s body.
Everyone watched as Ao stood tall, unyielding against the terrifying aura of the Prophet.
Prophet: “Rivers of Blood!”
The Prophet’s broken voice shattered the silence as he threw his arms outward.
The rain intensified, drenching the battlefield in thick, heavy sheets of crimson.
The blood-soaked ground began to shift and flow unnaturally, gathering into massive rivers of blood that surged toward Ao and the others like a tidal wave.
Ao reacted instantly, throwing a super-powerful punch in front of him.
Forming and sending a shockwave rippling through the earth, causing massive chunks of rock to rise and form a barrier.
The blood rivers crashed against the makeshift wall, temporarily halting their advance and sending splashes of crimson everywhere.
This won’t hold for long!!
With the Prophet temporarily out of sight, Ao spun on his heel and sprinted toward Yumi.
She was still clutching Mu’s body, sobbing uncontrollably.
He grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her away.
Ao: “Leave him! He’s gone!”
Yumi struggled against him, screaming incoherently, but Ao didn’t stop.
He reappeared beside Kin and Gin in a flash, tossing Yumi to the ground with little gentleness.
Ao: “You three—buy me some time while I prepare a teleportation!”
Kin and Gin exchanged a glance, their expressions grim but resolute.
Yumi wiped her tears, her trembling hands rose to a fighting stance, with a strong desire of vengeance
Ao knelt behind them, his hands pressed to the ground as he closed his eyes, the air around his body crackling with energy as he concentrated.
The Prophet growled, his voice low and guttural as he stalked toward them.
Prophet: “You think you can escape me, Aotahi?!”
The rain of blood fell harder, mingling with the chaos below.
Just as Ao prepared to finish the teleportation circle, a red-and-black silhouette streaked through the air above them, its form twisting like smoke, aiming a deadly flying kick at Ao.
Kin's sharp instincts kicked in, and he leaped to intercept.
Kin: “Enhance: Full Body MAXIMUM OUTPUT!”
Kin’s body surged with energy, his punch meeting the flying kick mid-air with an explosive collision. The impact sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield, scattering blood and debris.
The silhouette recoiled but didn’t go down. Before Kin could land, another figure—a second red-and-black silhouette—appeared beside him, closing in for a strike.
Kin’s body twisted in the air, but he was too slow to defend.
Yumi: “DA DA DA DA DA DA!!”
Yumi barreled into the second figure with a flurry of wild punches, her fists flying in every direction. Her movements were chaotic and untrained, but they were relentless, driving the silhouette back as she screamed with raw emotion.
Her voice cracked through the storm as she shouted with everything she had.
Kin: “Is that teleportation coming?!”
The Prophet let out a guttural roar as he surged through the crumbling earthen wall, his yellow, blood-crying eyes locking onto Ao.
His voice thundered with desperation and madness:
Prophet: “GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD!!!”
Ao pressed his hands into the blood-soaked ground, blue energy spiraling outward in intricate patterns to form a glowing circle around the group.
Ao: “Teleportation!”
The Prophet lunged forward, his claw-like hand inches from Ao’s neck, but he was too late.
A blinding blue light erupted from the circle, enveloping Ao, Kin, Gin, and Yumi completely.
The Prophet screamed in frustration, his voice reverberating across the ruins.
Just as the group disappeared, a great ball of blue energy expanded outward from where they had been, pulsing with raw power.
The sphere hung in the air for a split second before detonating in a massive explosion.
The force shook the ruins, sending a shockwave of dust, blood, and rubble in all directions.
The group is swept away into what looks like an endless tunnel, without light or darkness..
They're bewildered.. Has the teleportation gone wrong?!
Gin tries to open his eyes, but can't see anything.. but he feels something deep inside him..
Something, someone, is holding him back..
He feels a great, inexplicable unease, as if he's remembering.. someone else's life?
He hears a voice... familiar, maternal
??? : “Pass the ball, boy!”
Gin hears a child laughing.. who is this child?
He wonders why, he remembers this
The descent of the endless tunnel suddenly stops... and the uneasiness intensifies, more deeply, like a forced tearing away of something vital
It's as if.. he feels his mind twisting and freeing itself from chains, anchored in his memories, his appearance, his..
CONSCIOUSNESS|EXISTENCE
Gin cries out in.. pain?! or does he cries out in.. joy?!
What's his name? Gin? or...
??? : “Good night.. Hikaru”
...
That should be enough...
Ao: “Teleportation”
Ao and the group find themselves.. in the air, high above the red desert of Artand
Crap.. I miscalculated this axis, we're in freefall!!
And these 3.. They're going to be unconscious for a while now, so I've got to catch them and hide them until they come to their senses!
Ao moves through the air, carrying the 3 companions as best he can, and descends at full speed over the red desert, next to what looks like the entrance to a canyon cave
He lands, cushioning the fall by emitting a shockwave with his legs, cracking the red earth beneath him.
He exhaled sharply, sweat dripping down his face as he carried the unconscious trio toward the canyon entrance.
The rain is much calmer here..
We must be pretty far from the red cult.
They won’t find us here easily.
The sound of the droplets hitting the rocky terrain was oddly soothing, a stark contrast to the chaos from moments ago.
Ao dropped his companions unceremoniously inside the cave, leaning against the entrance as he caught his breath.
After a moment, he glanced at Gin, his expression thoughtful.
I didn’t expect to run into you again so soon, Gin. But... His eyes narrowed slightly.
I’d already planned to start with you.
Let's see.. Gently approaches the cave entrance, and takes a closer look at Gin's face
He frowned as he noticed something odd—disfigurements.
Kin, Gin and Yumi’s bore the same type of glitchy anomaly on their faces
Damn... what the hell have they been doing to people in Kamelott?
His eyes wandered to Kin’s body and spotted a device protruding from the pocket of his jacket.
It looked like an augmented-reality telescope—sleek, small, and covered in a sheen of blood from the rain.
What’s that thing?
Curiosity got the better of him. He leaned forward, grabbed the device, and brought it to his eye.
A computerized and holographic interface blinked to life within the scope, startling him.
Welcome to the System
The mechanical voice of the device spoke clearly, cold and detached:
Welcome to the System Skills Analysis.
Move your gaze over a person to analyze their skills.
Skills analysis? What is this, some kind of... game?
He glanced over his shoulder and aimed the device at Gin. Instantly, a screen appeared in the holographic interface, displaying stats like a digital character sheet:
Gin Shakespeare, Third Class
Vigor: 20
Stamina: 13
Speed: 14
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 22
Pendragon Recommendation:
ANOMALY DETECTED. Please return to your place, insect. ANOMALY DETECTED.
What the hell...?
His brows furrowed as he read the stats.
A system... are they actually playing some kind of video game in Kamelott?
Is this how they rank people? Reduce them to numbers? And what’s with the ‘anomaly’ message?
His thoughts raced as he processed the implications.
Then, an idea struck him.
He glanced down at the device in his hand and tilted it toward his own face, curious to see how the system would analyze him.
As soon as the device scanned him, the holographic screen glitched violently, filling with distorted symbols and corrupted text. The computerized voice sputtered with static, struggling to process him.
▓▓▓▓▓▓, UNKNOWN ENTITY
Vigor: 8th+20
Endurance: 9th+54
Speed: O̵̡͎͉̝̬͖͚̗͆̓̄̈́̔̿͑̌͝͝Ô̷̦̮̺͈͍̏͐͌O̶̡̠̦̟̖̣̹͑̿̽O̷̼͑̉̌̄͑̂̾̀̕͜O̵̧̨̤̫͙͍̥̠̳͐̽͗̀̀̈O̵̤͓̥͔̰͐͜O̷̰̪̱̦̗̮̱̎͌ͅͅO̶̗̭͎̻͖͉͌͜Ȍ̸̢̨̢̳͍̖̜̲̯̜̀͠O̴̯̜̜̦̲̙̥͂̑̈͗̀O̸̜̥̯̳̟̐O̵̢̧̡͖͇̝͚͉̟̔̔͑̊͝0̷͎͍̮͑͐̌͗͛͐̃̈́̐͝1̵̘̐͛̈̏1̷̗̑̔̌̌̒̈0̵͓̰̠͍̖͕̟̭͓͖́̌́̉͘͝͝1̷̨͈̜͖̫̝̘̰͍̊̋̍̑0̸̫̟̮̩̙̤̩̈́̃̃́̑͆0̷̻͔̙͎̣̳̂̂1̵̢̰̔̈̈́ ̵̢̠͇̬̻̖̐0̵̢̝͇̺͔̦͓̆̋͐̓̂͐́̈́̊0̴̡͉̫̺͖̘̼̈́̈̀͝1̷͍̪̦͙͔̗̝̩͓͊̂̈̐͛͋̋̈́̚͜0̷̨̳͉̞͎̓̎0̴̧̨̲̝̫͔̆̏̅̚̚0̷̡̢̛̠̜̭̲͋0̷̗̤̙̔0̴̧͔͓͓͂̄̉̀̐̃̈́ͅǪ̶̛̲̳̭̬̠̱̬̮͊̇̓̿̚͠ͅỢ̴͚̆̐͑̒̂̉̚͠͠ͅƠ̷̗ͅO̴̢͙̖̰̲͇̭̙̾͑̏͜͠O̷̺̱͙͇̪̐̄̌̔͜͠ͅO̸̮̻̯̬̓̌͝͝O̶͇̥͕̪͓̩̪͇͋͌̅͝Ȍ̶̡͉̯̈́O̶̡͕̲̲͔̠̯̰̯͌̾̚Ǫ̶̢͓̪̩̣͎̼̍̒͑̓̿̔̀̋̈̇Ọ̵̰͔̫͙͔̿
ERROR REPORT: STATISTICS NOT IN LINE WITH PENDRAGON STANDARDS.
The voice cut out abruptly, replaced by a faint, high-pitched whine.
The screen flickered with strange symbols—rows of zeros and ones jumbled together with corrupted glyphs.
Ao’s eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of the mess.
I get it now...
He lowered the scope, his expression hardening as he looked over at the unconscious bodies of Kin, Gin, and Yumi.
That’s how they keep control.
By reducing people to numbers, by limiting their ability to grow, evolve... to break free.
It’s all a game to them—a system rigged to control everything. And anyone who doesn’t fit their mold... He clenched his jaw. ...gets erased.
He glanced back at the device in his hand, tempted to smash it, but hesitated.
Instead, he slipped it into his own pocket, his mind already working out how he could use it to his advantage.
Maybe I’m wrong... but it doesn’t feel like I am.
Ao sat at the cave’s entrance, staring out at the faint drizzle of rain.
His thoughts were distant, mulling over the strange device in his hand and the implications of the system. But then—
The faint sound of footsteps behind him snapped him back to the present.
Before he could turn, a voice shouted:
???: “Enhance: Right!”
The attacker’s voice was raw, fueled by anger and desperation.
A powerful right punch came hurtling toward Ao’s head, but he caught it effortlessly with his palm.
The force rippled through the cave, stirring the air, but Ao didn’t even flinch.
He sighed heavily, like a teacher dealing with an impatient student.
Ao: “Kin, is it?”
His eyes flicked up, meeting the fiery gaze of his attacker—Kin, teeth clenched and trembling with rage.
Ao: “Or…” He tilted his head slightly, his tone calm but knowing.
“It’s probably another name that’s starting to run through your head, isn’t it?”
Kin’s eyes widened, his breath hitching for just a moment.
But he shoved the doubt aside, his voice trembling with rage.
Kin: “YOU MONSTER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO US?!”
Ao exhaled slowly, almost like a sigh of disappointment.
With a small push of his palm, he shoved Kin’s fist away effortlessly, sending him stumbling back several steps.
Ao: “I’ve woken you up.”
Kin regained his footing, snarling as he dropped into a fighting stance.
His body glowed faintly, pulsing with the energy of his enhancement technique.
Kin: “Enhance: Full Body MAXIMUM OUTPUT!”
Ao’s lips curled into a faint smirk.
He rolled his neck lazily, a soft _pop_ breaking the tension in the air.
Then, with deliberate slowness, he began walking toward Kin, each step measured and calm.
Ao: “Good…”
He snapped his fingers with a sharp click, his gaze locked on Kin.
The sound echoed through the cave, almost mocking Kin’s tension.
Ao: “We’re going to start with the basics of the basics…”
Kin’s stance tightened, his body ready to spring into action.
He barked back at Ao, his voice raw and furious:
Kin: “You’re going to undo what you did to my brother and sister, you freak!!!”
Ao stopped in his tracks, tilting his head slightly as if considering Kin’s words.
Then he gave a faint chuckle, low and amused. His voice was calm but carried an edge of authority.
Ao: “Believe me, Kin…”
He leaned forward slightly, his smirk widening as his tone grew sharper.
Ao: “In a few minutes, you’ll be thinking the exact opposite.”
Kin’s fists tightened as he snarled.
Kin: “What the hell are you talking about?!”
Ao’s grin turned almost goofy, his expression shifting in a way that made Kin’s anger falter for a moment.
Ao: “Lesson number one…”
He pointed a finger directly at Kin, his voice dropping into a commanding tone.
Ao: “How to start in life”
