While Maria was resting in her room after Aibar's birthday celebration, someone knocked on her door.
She looked toward it.
"Maria, am I bothering you?" Alexei asked from outside.
Maria got up, turned on the light, and opened the door.
"Big brother, why are you still awake at this hour?"
She invited him inside.
Alexei sat down on a chair while Maria returned to her bed.
After a brief silence, Alexei spoke in a calm voice.
"Maria... I met our mother."
Maria froze.
Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell slightly open.
After a few seconds, she forced herself to respond.
"Brother... don't joke about something like that..."
Alexei simply looked at her with a faintly sorrowful expression.
That was enough.
Maria realized he wasn't joking.
"Our mother..." Alexei continued quietly.
"...is a member of Eclipse."
Maria felt as if the world had stopped.
She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Even breathing became difficult.
Alexei lowered his eyes.
"This is painful for both of us..."
He paused.
"But one day... Aibar will have to kill her."
Maria remained silent.
"I only trust Aibar as a hero."
He spoke without hesitation.
"I don't trust the other two."
"Our only hope..."
"...is Aibar."
Maria lowered her head.
Alexei continued.
"Aibar is the only hero I truly trust."
"He needs to be careful around Lucas and So-Hyeon."
"I consider both of them dangerous."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Who would've thought..."
"...that I'd end up respecting Aibar this much?"
"But yes..."
"He deserves every bit of that respect."
Alexei looked out the window.
"This isn't a movie."
"In real life, anything can happen."
"There's no rule that says the heroes are guaranteed to win."
"If something goes wrong..."
"...even Aibar could lose."
He sighed quietly.
"That's why..."
"...I've started worrying about him."
Maria nodded sadly.
"You're right, brother."
Her hands tightened into fists on her lap.
She was angry.
Not at anyone else—
At her own weakness.
If only I had powers like Aibar...
If only I were strong enough to fight beside him...
She bit her lip.
If only I could help him...
Alexei reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Don't be afraid."
"We'll get through this too."
"Your brother..."
"...and Aibar..."
"...are both by your side."
Alexei stood up and walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he stopped.
Without turning completely around, he looked back over his shoulder and smiled faintly.
"Good night."
"And... I'm sorry for worrying you."
"I just didn't want to hide something this important from you."
He quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.
Maria lay down on her bed.
For a while, she simply stared at the ceiling.
Eventually, she rolled onto her side—
And noticed Aibar's large black cloak hanging on the wardrobe door.
She couldn't take her eyes off it.
...This thought is really strange.
It's embarrassing.
But...
I suddenly want to hug his cloak while I sleep.
Unable to resist any longer, she got up.
She carefully took the cloak off the wardrobe and draped it over her shoulders the same way Aibar always wore it.
Standing before the mirror, she examined herself.
A smile slowly appeared.
"It looks amazing..."
"This is our superhero's uniform."
She removed the cloak and brought it closer to her face.
Taking a gentle breath...
She smiled even brighter.
"Ah..."
"Aibar always smells so masculine."
"I wonder..."
"...what kind of cologne he uses."
Unable to help herself, she put the cloak back on once again and admired herself in the mirror.
She liked it far more than she expected.
The next morning, Maria arrived at school slightly later than usual.
Fortunately, class hadn't started yet.
The moment she entered the classroom—
Everyone stared at her.
She had copied Aibar's style almost perfectly.
A black skirt.
A black shirt.
And Aibar's cloak draped over her shoulders exactly the way he always wore it.
Even her expression was almost identical.
With a perfectly calm face, she asked,
"Huh? Why is everyone staring at me? Did something happen?"
Sitting at his desk with his eyes closed, Aibar let out a quiet sigh.
"...Ugh."
Symbat looked at Maria before bursting into laughter.
"Haha... what kind of clown show is this?"
Maria immediately dropped the imitation.
"What did you just say?"
"Oh, nothing."
Maria clenched both fists tightly.
"I heard everything."
"Don't lie to me."
Symbat calmly examined her fingernails.
"So you heard me..."
"Then why ask what I said?"
"Our honorable Guardian of Order never ceases to amaze me."
A smug smile appeared on Maria's face.
"You called it a clown show, didn't you?"
"I never knew you hated Aibar's style."
Symbat blinked.
"W-Wait..."
"That's not what I meant..."
Aibar slowly opened his eyes.
"Girls..."
Maria and Symbat shouted simultaneously,
"Stay out of this!"
Without saying another word, Aibar quietly closed his eyes again and remained seated.
The rest of the class couldn't help smiling.
No one had ever managed to silence Aibar so effortlessly before.
Somehow...
It was strangely adorable.
Classes had barely begun—
When disaster struck.
A fiery projectile tore straight through the third floor of the school.
It entered through the front wall of Aibar's classroom...
And blasted through the back wall before disappearing into the distance.
Although the attack itself had been small...
The damage was devastating.
Lucas and So-Hyeon immediately began evacuating the injured students to the lower floors.
Meanwhile, Aibar activated Wind Mode and flew through the massive hole in the wall.
He suddenly stopped.
A figure was approaching him at incredible speed.
Before he could fully react—
A monstrous punch slammed into him.
The impact alone possessed enough force to level an entire city.
Yet Aibar endured it.
At the last possible moment, he redirected the destructive force inward using the flow of Wind Mode, preventing the shockwave from spreading across the city.
Every ounce of that power was forced into his own body.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The attacker calmly withdrew his fist and floated backward.
Fortunately...
He was only using Wind Mode.
Had he been using an even higher mode, the impact radius alone would have devastated everything nearby.
The stranger calmly observed Aibar.
"Incredible..."
"You're strong."
"That technique..."
"How did you learn to manipulate Wind Mode like that?"
"Even some of Eclipse's elite members can't do it."
"This level..."
A twisted smile slowly spread across his face.
It was the smile of a complete psychopath.
Cruel.
Disturbing.
Merciless.
"My name..."
"...is Meyrambek."
He immediately launched himself forward again, fist cocked back.
He was unbelievably fast.
By the time Aibar noticed—
It was already too late.
His fist stopped only centimeters away from Aibar's face—
Because Lucas had kicked him away.
Meyrambek was sent flying into the distance.
Lucas floated beside Aibar and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"You alright?"
Aibar looked at him calmly.
"I'm fine."
Lucas activated Fire Mode.
The two waited.
Without warning—
Meyrambek suddenly appeared directly above them.
In an instant, he slipped behind Aibar, wrapped an arm around his neck, and began dragging him upward at terrifying speed.
With a disgusting grin, he whispered,
"Come on, sweetheart."
"Let's have a private conversation up there."
Aibar struggled to break free.
It was useless.
Meyrambek had already entered Blue Fire Mode.
Lucas immediately chased after them.
But by then...
Meyrambek and Aibar had already reached outer space.
Lucas soon caught up.
Without warning, Meyrambek leaned toward Aibar's ear...
Ran his tongue across it...
Then bit down with terrifying force.
Aibar's body jerked violently.
Meyrambek released him.
A small piece of Aibar's right ear had been bitten clean off—
And swallowed.
Aibar calmly covered the wound with one hand.
Despite the severity of the injury...
Not a single drop of blood flowed.
The bleeding stopped instantly.
Complete mastery over his own body.
Lucas noticed immediately.
Before he could even ask—
Aibar calmly replied,
"I'll explain later."
"It's a long story."
Aibar activated Fire Mode.
Lucas stared at him in disbelief.
"You only learned this mode recently!"
"It takes one to ten years to fully adapt to each mode!"
"You..."
Aibar interrupted calmly.
"Later."
"Right now..."
"...that's not important."
Meyrambek still wore that same twisted smile.
Aibar and Lucas attacked simultaneously.
A fierce close-quarters battle erupted.
But to Meyrambek...
The two of them felt like children.
Unable to gain any ground, Aibar and Lucas retreated.
Lucas glanced toward him.
"This isn't just any opponent."
"That's Meyrambek."
"He's ranked eighth among Eclipse's strongest members."
Meyrambek began moving.
His speed was so overwhelming that it looked like teleportation.
It wasn't.
It was pure speed.
Now using Red Fire Mode—
He completely disappeared from their sight.
The battlefield became nothing more than flashes of red.
He wasn't even taking the fight seriously.
He was simply playing with them.
Suddenly—
Lucas was struck.
He shot across space at unbelievable speed before crashing into the Moon with enough force to leave him embedded in its surface.
Aibar couldn't even see what had happened.
The speed was impossible.
Meyrambek suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
"Boo."
That same disgusting grin remained.
He grabbed Aibar by the collar...
And began punching him in the face.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Finally, he stopped.
Aibar's face was covered in blood.
Bruised.
Swollen.
Lucas returned and unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.
None of them landed.
Not a single one.
Holding Aibar by the collar, Meyrambek moved so quickly that he seemed to disappear and reappear every instant.
Even while carrying someone—
He was untouchable.
Aibar had already lost consciousness.
Yet Fire Mode remained active.
Lucas suddenly stopped attacking.
He looked upward.
Then roared.
Green Fire Mode erupted around him.
Charging again, Lucas finally managed to perceive something—
Not Meyrambek himself...
But faint red streaks left behind by his movement.
For the first time—
He had something to follow.
Lucas continued chasing him.
But the difference in strength remained enormous.
Meyrambek still didn't consider him a threat.
Then—
Aibar's fist slowly clenched.
His eyes opened.
Both irises glowed a deep crimson.
Pure rage.
He seized the arm holding his collar.
Meyrambek froze.
Sky Blue flames slowly spread across Aibar's body.
Lucas stopped moving.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Aibar had entered Complete Azure Fire Mode.
Everything changed.
Now—
Aibar was the one relentlessly attacking.
Meyrambek barely managed to dodge.
Even so, several punches landed.
Lucas immediately wrapped an arm around Meyrambek's neck from behind, locking him in place.
With Meyrambek restrained—
Aibar's attacks became far easier to land.
Punch after punch crashed into him without mercy.
Lucas could hardly believe what he was seeing.
He was genuinely happy.
When Lucas had still been a ten-year-old member of Eclipse...
Meyrambek had seemed like an unreachable mountain.
Someone who constantly mocked and humiliated him.
Now—
Watching that same monster being beaten into submission...
Filled Lucas with overwhelming satisfaction.
Meyrambek suffered injuries far worse than anything Aibar had endured.
For the first time in his life—
The psychopath felt genuine pain.
Tears appeared in his eyes.
His regenerative ability healed his wounds almost instantly...
Only for Aibar to break him again.
It no longer felt like a battle.
It felt like an execution.
Terrified, Meyrambek instinctively flew upward.
He wasn't even thinking anymore.
He had completely lost control.
Lucas smirked.
"Where are you going, kid?"
"How pathetic."
"You've got the body of an adult..."
"...but you're still just a child."
"Don't worry."
"Your two dads will send you..."
"...to the afterlife."
"Haha..."
The crimson glow disappeared from Aibar's eyes.
His sanity returned.
Lucas continued mocking Meyrambek.
"Don't worry."
"I forgive my kids."
"Daddy's here."
"Aibar..."
"Destroy his core."
At that exact moment—
Meyrambek's free arm suddenly moved on pure instinct.
It lashed out at Aibar.
Caught off guard, Aibar unintentionally released his grip.
Meyrambek drifted only a short distance away before stopping.
Still trapped in Lucas's chokehold—
He grabbed Lucas's wrists with both hands.
Then...
He squeezed.
Hard.
Lucas cried out in pain and instinctively released him.
Meyrambek slowly turned toward them.
The disgusting smile was gone.
No.
He wasn't smiling anymore.
He was furious.Aibar kept attacking, but Meyrambek effortlessly dodged every single punch without the slightest difficulty.
Lucas still couldn't keep up with their speed. The only thing he could barely perceive were the faint red and blue streaks left behind as they moved.
Meyrambek casually caught Aibar's fist just before it reached his face.
"It's my turn," he said coldly.
He immediately launched a relentless counterattack.
Driving his knee into Aibar's stomach, he forced him to bend forward. The moment Aibar doubled over, Meyrambek grabbed him by the head, yanked him downward, and smashed his knee directly into Aibar's nose.
Aibar barely managed to straighten himself—
Only for Meyrambek to unleash an endless barrage of punches.
Aibar was growing weaker.
Then came a single devastating blow.
Meyrambek drove his fist into Aibar's abdomen with enough force to destroy an entire nation.
Aibar's body could no longer endure the impact.
His consciousness faded.
He collapsed.
At that exact moment, So-Hyeon arrived in Green Flame Mode.
She immediately saw Lucas standing there helplessly...
...and Aibar lying unconscious.
Some time later...
Meyrambek landed back within the school grounds.
He wasn't alone.
He casually dropped the unconscious Aibar from his shoulder onto the ground before tossing Lucas and So-Hyeon down beside him.
Aibar.
Lucas.
So-Hyeon.
All three lay defeated before him.
That same twisted, psychotic grin slowly returned to Meyrambek's face.
From the second floor of the school, Maria looked down—
And froze.
She saw Aibar.
His face was covered in blood.
Slightly swollen.
Her eyes widened.
Then rage consumed her.
Pure rage.
At that moment, she also noticed Alexei approaching from outside the school.
Without hesitation, Maria jumped down from the second floor.
Alexei simply raised one hand toward her.
"Stop."
Maria immediately halted.
Alexei calmly continued walking toward Meyrambek.
Meyrambek turned toward him, wearing that same disgusting smile.
"Oh...? You've got balls of steel."
Alexei stopped several meters away.
"Enough useless talk."
"You..."
"Tell me everything you know about my mother."
Meyrambek blinked in confusion.
"Huh???"
"I'm not your father."
"I'm only twenty-one."
Alexei's voice rose with anger.
"Zhanar Kovalyova..."
"The wife of Alexander Viktorovich Kovalyov."
Meyrambek's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"...What?"
After a brief pause, he smirked.
"So you're..."
"The children of the honored No. 5 and No. 7 elites of Eclipse?"
Alexei and Maria both froze.
Their eyes widened.
Their mouths fell open.
Maria whispered,
"That's... impossible..."
Alexei quickly regained his composure.
"Fine."
"Tell me about them."
That twisted grin spread across Meyrambek's face once again.
"Oh... now this is interesting."
"With pleasure."
"As I already told you..."
"They currently rank among Eclipse's strongest elites."
"Mr. Alexander is No. 5."
"And Lady Zhanar..."
"...is No. 7."
He paused for a moment before speaking again.
"But why am I pretending to respect them?"
"Calling them 'Mr.' and 'Lady'..."
"What a joke."
Alexei's fists slowly clenched.
Meyrambek's disgusting grin returned in full.
"After all..."
"I don't truly respect either of them."
"For me..."
"The strongest one..."
"...is me."
Lucas's eye suddenly twitched.
Slowly...
He opened his eyes.
Azure flames erupted around his body.
Lucas rose back to his feet.
Meyrambek slowly turned around.
Looking over his shoulder at him.