Ronan slowly turned around.
Three figures stood before him.
Shina.
Alex.
Kito.
For a brief second, silence filled the ruined corridor.
Then Ronan smiled.
A calm, almost welcoming smile.
"I have been waiting for you."
He had known from the very beginning that they would come for him.
That was why he had sent all of his subordinates away.
This battle...
was personal.
Even so, beneath his gentle smile, a trace of caution lingered in Ronan's eyes.
He had grown stronger.
Far stronger than before.
But he knew these three were not weak.
Ronan lifted his wrist slightly.
The air around him trembled.
Thin black strings began to emerge from the darkness, one after another, circling his body like living serpents.
His evolved power.
He was no longer merely someone who controlled minds from the shadows.
Now—
He was a true Puppeteer.
A monster capable of controlling both flesh and the battlefield itself.
The strings twisted sharply, creating a deadly sphere around him.
Shina gritted her teeth.
Alex clenched both fists.
Without waiting another second, the two charged.
"NOW!"
Shina came from the left, her blade aimed for Ronan's neck.
Alex rushed from the front, fist glowing with force.
But before either attack could reach—
Slash!
The black strings shot forward like whips.
Shina barely blocked, sparks flying as the string scraped across her weapon.
Alex twisted his body, avoiding one—
only for another string to slice across his shoulder.
Blood sprayed.
The two didn't stop.
They attacked again.
And again.
And again.
But every single strike was stopped.
The strings moved too fast.
Too precisely.
Too mercilessly.
Ronan stood in the centre without moving a single step.
Like a spider sitting in the heart of its web.
Minutes passed.
The battle turned ugly.
Shina's arms were covered in cuts.
Alex's chest and shoulders were torn open by multiple deep wounds.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
Their breathing became ragged.
Yet Ronan...
remained untouched.
Not even a scratch.
Ronan's smile widened.
"Is this all?"
Shina growled and rushed once more.
Alex followed with a scream.
But in the distance—
Kito still stood motionless.
His eyes were cold.
Emotionless.
He had not joined the battle.
Not because he was afraid.
Not because he had abandoned them.
But because from the very beginning...
Kito had already made his decision.
This was never meant to be a team victory.
This was a sacrifice.
A one-way road.
Hidden deep inside Kito was the unstable dark power he had sealed for years.
A power forbidden even to himself.
A power that would devour his sanity the moment he released it.
Kito knew one thing clearly—
If he fought alongside Shina and Alex now, he would lose control too early.
And then everything would be meaningless.
So he waited.
He watched.
He let the battle move toward defeat.
Because he knew the truth, his friends did not want to accept it.
They could not win.
Ronan had once been in Grade 2.
But after receiving power from the Void...
He had already stepped into Grade 1.
Perhaps even beyond.
Against such a monster, ordinary effort was useless.
Only one thing could kill Ronan now.
A monster greater than him.
Kito slowly lowered his head.
Dark energy began leaking from the cracks of his clenched fists.
His heartbeat started to rise.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
And for the first time that night—
Ronan's smile faded.
Because he finally noticed...
Kito was the real danger.
As excepted Shina and Alex were hung in the air with their friends tied by Ronan's strings.
Kito smiled as he entered the battle field with his hands in his pockets, confident that they would be the grand winner.