The night around Squadra Diciotto's territory felt… wrong.
There was no wind, no sound of movement, not even the usual hum of machines from the scientist residential. It was as if something had quietly pressed down on the entire area, suffocating it before anyone could even notice.
A small girl walked along the outer path, holding a piece of bread in both hands, nibbling on it slowly as she looked around with innocent curiosity. The lights from the facility reflected in her eyes, soft and harmless, unaware of what stood just a few steps ahead of her.
A man stood in the shadows.
His figure barely visible, only the faint outline of his posture showing under the dim light. He didn't move at first, simply watching her as she approached, his head slightly tilted like he was studying something insignificant.
"…You're still awake," he said quietly.
The girl looked up, surprised but not afraid. "Ah… you're one of the kind men from earlier…"
She smiled.
That same smile...
He had seen it before.
The man stepped closer, his face still hidden. "…You shouldn't wander alone at night."
"I'm okay," she said softly. "You gave me food earlier, remember?"
There was a pause.
Then-
"…I remember."
The girl's eyes lit up slightly. "You're really kind-"
Her words stopped.
Not because she chose to.
But because something invisible passed through her.
No sound.
No warning.
Her body froze for a second before...
It split.
Clean.
Like space itself had cut through her existence.
The bread fell first.
Then her body followed.
The man stood there, watching without emotion as the pieces disappeared into nothingness, not even leaving blood behind just erased space where she once existed.
"…Kind," he repeated quietly.
Then he turned.
And walked toward the scientist residential.
Inside, the facility was still active, though quieter than usual. Papers rustled slightly from the air systems, machines blinking with dim lights as researchers and members continued their work, unaware of what had already begun.
The door opened.
No one noticed at first.
Footsteps echoed lightly across the floor, calm and unhurried, like someone who belonged there.
One of the members turned. "…You're back-"
He didn't finish.
A sharp distortion cut through the air, invisible but precise. The man's body twisted unnaturally before vanishing completely, erased from existence as if he had never been there.
The others froze.
"…What the hell was that?"
"Where did he go-?"
Another step.
Another shift.
Another body
Gone.
Panic began to rise, but it was already too late.
Ronin moved first.
His spear appeared in his hands instantly as his eyes sharpened, scanning the room with deadly focus. "…Whoever you are, show yourself."
The presence stopped.
Then-
It moved again.
Fast.
Ronin reacted, spinning his spear with precision and striking forward, the weapon cutting through the air with force strong enough to split steel.
It hit something.
For a second
Resistance.
Then-
The space itself cracked.
A figure appeared briefly, only for a moment, before shifting again. The distortion around them twisted like reality was being peeled apart, the air bending unnaturally with every movement.
"…So you can see me," the man said.
Ronin didn't hesitate. He stepped forward again, his spear glowing faintly with energy as he thrust it forward with even greater force, aiming directly at where the presence flickered.
"I don't need to see you," Ronin replied calmly. "I just need to kill you."
The spear struck.
But before it could connect-
It stopped.
Mid-air.
Not blocked.
Not deflected.
Cut.
A thin line appeared across the shaft of the spear before it split cleanly in half, the upper portion disappearing into nothing as if erased by an unseen blade.
Ronin's eyes widened slightly.
"…Dimensional cutting…"
Before he could react again-
The space in front of him folded.
And his body followed.
No scream.
No struggle.
Just silence.
Yamato moved next, his body bursting forward with speed as he activated his energy, fists coated with raw power as he launched a direct attack toward the distortion.
"I don't care who you are!"
His punch connected
But instead of impact
The space in front of him shattered like glass.
A hand emerged from the distortion.
And grabbed his face.
"…You should've cared."
Yamato's body lifted slightly off the ground before-
It split.
Gone.
Arthur rushed in from the side, his blade already drawn, his movements sharp and controlled as he aimed for a precise strike.
"You're not leaving here alive."
The man didn't move.
Arthur's blade cut through-
And stopped.
The edge didn't meet flesh.
It met space.
And then-
That same thin line appeared.
Arthur's eyes widened.
"…No..."
The cut reached him first.
His body separated before he could even finish his thought, disappearing into nothing like the others.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Only one remained.
Kiyo stepped forward slowly, his breathing steady despite the destruction around him. His eyes scanned the space carefully, analyzing every distortion, every unnatural shift in the air.
"…You're not one of us."
The presence finally stabilized.
A figure stepped out fully this time.
"…That's right."
Kiyo's eyes narrowed.
"…Then who are you?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…Just a guy."
Kiyo didn't move.
"…You killed them all."
"…Yeah."
"…Why."
The man paused.
Then-
He smiled.
"…Because I wanted to."
The air shifted again as Kiyo activated his energy, his stance lowering as he prepared for combat. "…You're insane."
"…No," the man replied calmly. "I'm honest."
Kiyo moved first.
Fast.
His body shot forward, his attack precise as he aimed directly for the man's core, adjusting mid-motion to account for the distortions he had observed earlier.
For a moment-
It worked.
His strike connected.
The man stepped back slightly, his expression unchanged but his interest clearly rising.
"…Not bad."
Kiyo didn't stop. He followed up instantly, chaining his attacks together, forcing the man to move, to react, to actually engage instead of simply erasing everything around him.
The room shook from the impact of their clash, the ground cracking slightly under their movements.
For the first time
The man raised his hand.
And blocked.
A sharp sound echoed as Kiyo's strike met resistance, the force pushing both of them back slightly.
"…You're different," the man said.
Kiyo's eyes hardened. "…I'm not dying here."
"…Good."
The man straightened slightly.
Then-
He removed the shadow from his face.
And stepped fully into the light.
Kiyo's eyes widened.
"…Raizen…?"
Raizen smiled.
Not the kind one.
Not the gentle one.
Something else entirely.
"…Took you long enough."
Kiyo's grip tightened. "…You… what are you doing…?"
Raizen stretched his arms slightly, as if loosening himself.
"…What I've always planned."
Kiyo shook his head slightly. "…No… that's not..."
Raizen laughed.
A low, unhinged sound.
"…Twenty years."
Kiyo froze.
"…I've been waiting for twenty years."
Raizen's eyes gleamed with something dark.
"…All those smiles… all that kindness… all those pathetic moments where I pretended to care…"
He stepped closer.
"…Fake."
Kiyo's expression shifted from confusion to anger.
"…You're lying."
Raizen leaned in slightly.
"…Am I?"
A faint distortion formed around his fingers.
"…I killed them because I wanted to."
His smile widened.
"…Because it felt good."
Kiyo lunged forward again, rage fueling his movement as he attacked without hesitation, his strikes faster now, stronger, more desperate.
"You're a monster!"
Raizen didn't dodge.
He stepped into the attack.
And cut.
Kiyo's arm..
Gone.
Not severed.
Erased.
Kiyo's body staggered back, his breath catching as the pain hit him all at once.
Raizen watched him carefully.
"…I don't feel regret."
He tilted his head slightly.
"…I feel joy."
Kiyo dropped to one knee, his body shaking but still trying to move, still trying to fight despite everything.
"…Why…"
Raizen looked down at him.
"…Because I want to be the strongest."
His voice lowered.
"…And to do that…"
The distortion around him intensified.
"…Everything else has to disappear."
Kiyo tried to stand again.
He really did.
But-
Raizen raised his hand.
And the space around Kiyo collapsed.
Silence.
Nothing left.
Raizen stood alone in the ruined facility, bodies erased, existence wiped clean as if none of them had ever lived.
He exhaled slowly.
Then smiled.
"…Now it begins."