Kyle had barely taken his first step toward the exit…
When the world stopped.
Not because he wanted it—
But because the world itself refused to let him move forward.
Sound fractured.
And in the next instant—
The ground beneath him exploded.
---
"Enough."
A cold voice… devoid of any emotion.
Neil struck the ground with his fist, and masses of ice surged from within the rock like awakened beasts, climbing through the air at terrifying speed, sealing the passage in an instant.
The exit turned into a crystalline blue wall… solid… silent… unbreakable.
Kyle stepped back.
But…
That was only the beginning.
---
Shadows intertwined.
Before he could react—
Black chains wrapped around his wrists, emerging from nothingness as if born from the void itself.
They tightened with crushing force.
Stopping him.
Restraining him.
Locking him in place.
Across from him—
Wan stood still, slowly raising his hand, his eyes fixed on Kyle.
"Don't move."
---
Kyle pulled against the chains violently.
A metallic screech tore through the silence.
The ground beneath him cracked…
But the chains—
Didn't move.
"You think this will stop me?!"
His voice erupted as the Infinity Heart began to pulse violently, releasing an invisible pressure wave that shook the air around him.
But—
Before the surge could fully form—
It stopped.
---
Something cold… touched his neck.
Precise.
Steady.
Lethal.
A blade.
---
He hadn't seen when it arrived.
Hadn't felt its movement.
It was simply—
There.
Standing behind him…
As if it had always been there.
"Leaving in this state…"
The voice came deep, calm—closer to a final judgment than advice.
"…you're dead."
---
"Albert."
Rio whispered, without raising his voice.
---
The blade pressed slightly against Kyle's skin.
Silence fell.
Heavy…
Suffocating…
Tight as a string about to snap.
---
Kyle breathed slowly.
His eyes moved between the ice wall… the chains… the blade.
Then—
He smiled.
A small smile…
But it was wrong.
---
"Impressive…"
he said quietly.
"So even you… want to restrain me."
---
He pulled the chains again.
This time—
With something different.
"You're no different from him."
The air trembled.
The chains began to grind sharply.
Even the ice… cracked slightly.
---
Neil's expression changed.
Wan tightened his grip.
As for Albert—
He didn't move.
---
"You're mistaken."
he said calmly.
Then—
He disappeared.
---
In an instant—
He stood before Kyle.
The blade was no longer at his neck…
But at his chest.
Close.
Close enough to pierce his heart with the slightest movement.
---
"We're not restraining you because we fear you."
Albert said, his eyes locked onto Kyle's.
"It's because right now… you don't own yourself."
---
Kyle stopped.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
---
Albert continued.
"The Organization's leader is waiting for you out there like a hunter… who has set a trap for prey that already knows the path to it."
---
Kyle's pulse slowed slightly.
Not because he was convinced—
But because the words struck something inside him.
---
"Anger is power."
Albert said.
"But blind anger…"
He paused.
Then finished:
"…is just a slow way to die."
---
Silence.
---
The chains stopped trembling.
The ice stopped cracking.
Even the air—
Calmed.
---
Rio stepped forward.
Slowly.
Calmly.
As if entering a battlefield… not to end it, but to redirect it.
---
He placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder.
This time—
Kyle didn't push him away.
---
"The show's over."
Rio said quietly.
"Now… listen."
---
Kyle raised his eyes to him.
Inside—
The conflict was still burning.
---
"If you go out now…"
Rio continued,
"You won't be the one choosing the fight."
He stepped closer.
"You'll be crushed."
---
The three exchanged glances.
Then—
Slowly—
Wan released the chains.
They fell to the ground with a heavy metallic sound.
---
The ice didn't disappear…
But it no longer threatened.
And Albert—
Lowered his blade.
Just one step back.
But it was enough.
---
Kyle didn't move.
Didn't charge.
Didn't speak.
---
He simply…
Stood still.