Akira and Volts returned to the base in silence, a deliberate gap separating them. They walked like strangers forced onto the same road—worse, like enemies barely restraining themselves from drawing blood again.
The tension between them was suffocating.
Akira rubbed the back of his neck, clicking his tongue under his breath before finally speaking.
"Hey… uh…" His voice faltered for a moment. "You weren't gonna say anything, so I will. Sorry about earlier. I went too far."
Volts glanced at him briefly, his eyes cold and sharp with disdain. No reply came—only silence heavy enough to crush the hallway around them.
Rozori, walking ahead, let out a tired sigh.
"Try to get along, you two."
Though even he knew the words were pointless.
Forcing fire and lightning into harmony was impossible, at least for now. The best he could hope for was that whatever mission Sazoru assigned next would force them to cooperate before they tore each other apart.
The three eventually stopped before a tall wooden door reinforced with black iron lining. Rozori pushed it open.
Sazoru's office greeted them with an oppressive calm. Shelves packed with documents towered against the walls, and the faint scent of old paper and ink lingered heavily in the air. A single lamp cast warm light across the room, illuminating the man seated behind the massive desk.
Sazoru raised his eyes slowly.
"Akira. Volts."
His voice was calm, yet carried enough weight to silence the room instantly.
"I heard the two of you fought." His gaze sharpened. "And that Rozori had to intervene. Is that correct?"
The atmosphere turned heavy.
Even Akira, usually quick to speak, found himself hesitating under Sazoru's stare.
Neither of them spoke. The tension between them was almost physical.
Sazoru let out a slow breath through his nose, clasping his hands behind his back as he turned toward the window.
"Fine. I'll get straight to the point."
His gaze shifted briefly to Rozori before returning to Akira and Volts.
"You're here because of Rozori's request. Consider this… enforced camaraderie." His tone remained calm, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath it. "Whether you like each other or not is irrelevant. I expect cooperation."
Neither of them answered.
A heavy silence lingered before Sazoru continued, his voice growing more serious.
"We've identified one of Mikadzuki's associates. The same network connected to the recent bank robbery."
With a tap against the desk, a pale blue hologram flickered into existence. Faces, criminal records, and gang insignias rotated slowly in the air.
"What's troubling," Sazoru said, "is that these people were ordinary. No bloodline ties. No shrine affiliations. No altar connections. Nothing."
The hologram shifted, displaying distorted PSD readings.
"And yet… they awakened abilities."
Akira's expression tightened.
Volts, who had remained silent the entire time, finally lifted his head.
"One of them," Sazoru continued, "was confirmed to possess smoke magic."
The room grew noticeably colder.
Sazoru enlarged the emblem of a black crescent surrounded by jagged thorns.
"The suspects belong to a gang called Dawn's Dread. DD, for short." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Smugglers. Armed robbers. Mass executioners when necessary. They've operated independently for years and never once collaborated with external groups."
The hologram froze.
"Which leads me to believe Mikadzuki is supplying them."
Rozori folded his arms. "That explains the spike."
Akira glanced toward him. "Spike?"
Rozori's face darkened slightly.
"For the past seven and a half months, criminal activity involving ability users has increased dramatically throughout Celesta. Not just isolated incidents either." He gestured toward the floating PSD charts. "PSD surveillance recorded an abnormal rise in awakened individuals among gangs, fugitives, and unidentified civilians."
The graphs pulsed brighter.
"Too sudden. Too widespread."
Sazoru nodded once. "Authorities initially assumed it was coincidence. They were wrong."
Akira stared at the holographic data, unease creeping into his chest.
"So people are just… gaining powers out of nowhere?"
"Not naturally," Rozori replied immediately.
That single answer made the room feel heavier.
Akira frowned. "Then how the hell are you even tracking something on this scale? Celesta's massive."
Rozori cut him off before he could continue.
"That," he said firmly, "is a conversation for another time."
The way he said it made it clear the topic wasn't merely classified.
It was dangerous.
"Exactly," Sazoru said, nodding. "The Green Flower squad also sent a report—Mikadzuki's been hunting for ancient relics. Artifacts tied to an old legend… one that speaks of a god's rebirth."
The room fell silent. Even Volts seemed to take the matter intrigued.
"There's more," Sazoru added quietly. "We received word of a hidden lair beneath the sea. Nineteen warriors sent to investigate vanished without a trace."
The words hung heavy in the air. None of them spoke—each of them realizing this mission was going to be far more dangerous than they'd imagined.
"Last but not least," Sazoru said, his tone grave. "Our recent investigation into the Morians' data suggests that what we encountered were only prototypes. Even a prototype was enough to cause this much chaos… and a headache I'll never be rid of. Keep your eyes open for any trace of them."
He brought up a holographic map, red markers pulsing across the screen. "These are the gang's known territories. The strongest lead is north of Celesta — Zai'mére city. Reports from my informants confirm several hideouts there. Multiple squads are already deployed. Your primary objective is reconnaissance — gather intelligence and uncover whatever they're planning."
He paused, his gaze sharpening. "Before you go… there's one more thing. The man you captured — he's dead."
"...What?" Akira's voice broke the silence. Rozori's jaw tightened. Only Volts remained still.
Sazoru nodded grimly. "We discovered why he wouldn't answer our questions."
"Fear." Sazoru stated in cold.
"He was terrified. Turns out, they were being controlled."
He stepped closer, voice lowering. "If they fail to prove their loyalty… They explode."
The room froze.
Sazoru continued, "When the autopsy team tried questioning him, his veins turned crimson. His pulse spiked, his muscles convulsed—and then he self-destructed. No traces of an implant, no foreign device. Whatever's causing it… it's invisible."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Finally, Sazoru straightened and dismissed them. "Rozori, stay. I have other matters to discuss with you. Akira, Volts — prepare for deployment."
The two warriors exited the office. The hallway was quiet, their footsteps echoing off the steel floor.
"Volts," Akira called out. "You heard what Sazoru said. We need to cooperate. Again, I'm sorry about earlier." He extended a hand. "Let's start over."
Volts glanced at the offered handshake, expression unreadable. Then he turned away without a word and walked off.
Akira exhaled, lowering his hand. "…Fine. I'll focus on the mission."
He followed after, determination settling behind his eyes.
Seventeen minutes later, they had finally arrived at their destination. After long searching, they found an abandoned building filled with guards, it was just like they were protecting something valuable.
Volts suddenly touched the ground and released his electricity from his palm. The electricity current sent signals to his senses.
"21...24...25...27...28." Volts closed his eyes while counting.
After Volts did the counting, he turned to Akira "There are 30 armed guards around here. 12 from the upperground floor, 7 from the 2nd floor, 4 on the first floor, 5 outside the headquarters, and 2 from the watchtower."
Akira didn't count them, he just believe what he said there were 30 of them. Though he had sensed the guards' presence, he didn't count them as it wasn't necessary.
"Alright, let's take them down." Akira let out his scythe.
"You'll make a sound with that heavy thing, don't be rash." Volts went down and start the stealth
Akira and Volts snuck past the guards by cutting through their electric fences and the CCTV by controlling the electricity and turning it off. They eventually entered their secured area and began surveying. Akira made an amazing discovery. A wall-mounted scripture that appeared to be an antique document dating back a thousand years.
The complicated writings and characters of these documents perplexed Akira. Volts took a picture with his phone and saved it for further examination.
"Psst, someone's coming."
When Akira suspected that someone was approaching, he went into cover. Akira attempted to force Volts to conceal as well, but when he refused, he shocked the guy, sealing his mouth and knocking him out.
"Stop chickening out." Volts scolded him.
"You said not to take 'em out?" Akira stayed silent in frustration, gritted his teeth, and grunted, even though he wanted to yell at him. Akira did the same by strangling them and elbow-strike their guts until they passed out. They hid their bodies somewhere very hard to spot.
Akira and Volts continued to search and came across a secret vault in the basement that probably held something valuable, but it was blocked due to a security code. When Volts hacked into it, the vault gate opened and they saw a ton of cash and coins worth around a million gols.
"I see, funds. The Mikadzuki probably funded them for intel, you think I can borrow these and buy some pizza?" Akira's eyes turned gold as he grab a hefty of Gols.
"Don't be stupid, these are evidence that we need."
Akira's eyes couldn't sweep his money-shaped eyes away, he tried to get a hold of himself about the money. Akira and Volts had finished their mission and were seeking evidence from them.
But, they must pass through the guards. They heard a sound and sent a team to check. Volts just started walking casually and kicked a drawer and making a loud thud sound.
"WHA- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!" Volts made an unexpected move that surprised Akira.
Volts ignored him and began pouring two buckets of water with salt he had just prepared before they investigated. The guards were alerted and told to examine the intruder over their headsets.
Volts just standing there with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the guards to come.
"Hey! Get down, dumbass!" Akira hissed sharply. "Are you trying to blow our cover?!"
His voice was low, furious.
This was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission. Quiet. Clean. Get in, gather information, get out.
But Volts kept walking forward without a word.
Akira gritted his teeth. Unbelievable.
Then he realized Volts wasn't ignoring the mission.
He was simply solving it his own way.
"Who the hell are you!?"
Guards rushed from the docks, rifles raised as glowing magic runes ignited around their arms. Crimson and blue sigils illuminated the rain-soaked alleyway.
Volts didn't even blink.
He slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
His right hand touched the flooded ground.
The air began to crackle.
Thin arcs of electricity crawled violently across the water beneath his palm.
[ELECTRICITY MAGIC: TASER SHOCK]
A deafening surge exploded outward.
The entire street lit up in blinding blue.
Electric currents tore through the flooded pathway like raging serpents, instantly reaching every guard standing in the water. Eighteen men convulsed violently as the voltage coursed through their bodies.
Screams echoed for only a moment.
Then silence.
Bodies collapsed into the shallow water one after another, smoke rising faintly from their armor.
Unconscious.
Not dead.
Akira noticed that immediately.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
"INTRUDERS!"
Eight remaining guards emerged from the compound and charged toward them.
Volts stood calmly, water dripping from his coat.
"Stop cowering and move."
Metal spikes slid from between his fingers.
With a flick of his wrist, the sharpened nails shot forward like bullets.
Two guards blocking the exit were struck instantly through their shoulders and thighs, pinned violently against the wall before they could react.
Volts kept running without looking back.
Akira clicked his tongue and followed.
For someone so reckless, the bastard was strangely precise.
Gunfire erupted behind them.
One of the electrocuted guards, barely conscious, lifted his rifle toward Volts and pulled the trigger.
The muzzle flashed.
Before the bullet could land—
CLANG.
Akira appeared beside Volts, deflecting the shot with a crimson blood-forged blade.
"Watch your damn back."
Volts glanced at him silently.
No gratitude.
No reaction.
Just those cold eyes staring for half a second before turning forward again.
"Tch."
Akira swung his arm backward.
A crescent-shaped slash of condensed blood erupted through the air, tearing across the compound and slicing through the base of two watchtowers.
The structures groaned violently before collapsing behind them.
Smoke. Screams. Chaos.
The perfect distraction.
Using the confusion, the two vanished into the darkness beyond the harbor district.
—
Hours later, Akira and Volts finally returned to headquarters, carrying stolen documents, PSD recordings, and enough evidence to confirm their suspicions.
But neither of them spoke during the entire journey back.
—
[Meanwhile In Mikadzuki Headquarters]
Deep beneath Celesta, hidden far below layers of steel and stone, countless glass chambers lined the walls of a massive underground facility.
Inside each capsule floated humanoid figures submerged in crimson liquid.
Motionless.
Sleeping.
Waiting.
"Zizizizizizi…"
A distorted laugh echoed through the laboratory.
A man draped in a dark ceremonial coat stood before the chambers, his grin twitching unnaturally beneath the flickering red lights
.
"They're finally ready…"
His fingers danced across a glowing control panel.
One by one—
The capsules opened.
Hissing steam flooded the room.
"A-21 through A-37," the man whispered excitedly, his voice trembling with obsession. "Follow my command."
The figures slowly stepped out from their chambers.
Not human.
Not entirely.
Their hollow eyes glowed faintly crimson.
"I order you…" The man's grin widened beyond sanity. "Kill Akira Keita and Kazoru Honomi Vlahadeer."
The lights across the facility suddenly turned blood-red.
"And lastly…"
The mysterious man spread his arms toward the ceiling like a prophet welcoming the end of the world.
"Destroy Celesta."