Gara's eyes darted across the horizon, every sense sharpened by the pounding rhythm of blue ribbons battering his wooden walls.
Splinters flew through the air like rain, the sharp crack-crack-crack of breaking wood echoing across the mountaintop.
'Where is he hiding…?' Gara thought, scanning through the mist and the flickering light of the dying clouds.
His hand hovered over his belt, touching an invisible hilt, the Geru.
One swing—that was all it would take.
If he unsheathed it now, [Blue Cover] wouldn't stand a chance.
The fight would be over in moments.
But the cost… the energy drain would leave him wide open for what might come next.
Because [Blue Cover] wasn't the only one here.
Somewhere out in this Fragment lurked [Black Cover]—a D Ranker, stronger, faster, far deadlier.
If that one arrived while Gara was spent… neither he nor Leif would make it out alive.
He exhaled slowly, forcing the urge down.
Not yet. Not unless I have no other choice.
Wasting his energy on [Blue Cover], even if it tore at his pride, wasn't an option.
It hurt—more than he'd admit—to rely on Leif instead of finishing his first E Rank fight in a blaze of triumph.
But logic won over ego.
It had to.
Survival came first, and pride could wait for another day.
He steadied his breathing, channeling his remaining energy into thick wooden walls that rose around him in layered formation.
Each one creaked and groaned under the constant whip of blue ribbons, but they held long enough for him to think, to plan.
Then, through the storm of cracking wood and snapping ice, a faint voice reached him from within the dome.
"Gara—release the ice!"
Leif's voice. Weak, but alive.
Gara's eyes widened. "Finally…" he muttered, a flicker of hope lighting up in his chest.
A small, tired smile tugged at his lips.
He could feel it—an unmistakable pulse of new power emanating from within the dome. The air vibrated faintly, carrying the same kind of energy that now coursed through his own veins.
"So you made it too, huh…" he murmured.
Leif had done it.
The blonde-haired young man had climbed out of the lowest rung of the Story World—the fragile, perilous F Rank—and stepped into E Rank.
The same lightning that had nearly killed him had reforged him instead.
Gara's smile deepened, pride flickering in his eyes. "Welcome to E Rank, partner."
With a flick of his fingers, he dispelled the dome.
The thick ice shimmered, then melted into clear water that pooled across the mountaintop.
From the rippling reflection in that shallow puddle, a lone figure stood tall at its center.
Blue lightning flashed around him—wild, alive, echoing his heartbeat.
Blonde hair matted from the storm, crimson eyes glowing faintly beneath the hood of a black cloak that cloaked his entire form.
Leif.
He exhaled slowly, letting the sparks dancing across his skin settle into his veins as his aura burst forth—a golden blaze marking his rise to E Rank.
Then, with deliberate calm, he raised a hand and summoned his Original Story—[Masked Threat].
The shadowy energy enveloped him, its familiar weight settling like armor.
He didn't call on his Inherited Story; [Lightning Dance] was too volatile with the storm still raging above. No, this fight demanded precision, not chaos.
And so, the newly risen E Ranker prepared himself, cloak billowing as lightning crackled around him like a crown.
Soon enough, a black, shadowy mask took form in Leif's hands—shifting, breathing, as though alive.
He lifted it slowly and pressed it against his face.
The moment the mask locked into place, two sharp black horns sprouted from its sides, curving upward like the tips of a crescent moon. His golden aura, fierce and radiant only seconds ago, vanished instantly—snuffed out as if it had never existed.
His presence disappeared. His power, his threat, his very existence—all masked.
In his right hand, a black Odachi materialized, its blade shimmering faintly with streaks of gold lightning crawling across its surface before fading into the shadows.
Leif's voice, calm and emotionless, broke the tense silence.
"Protect me," he said, tone cold and deliberate. "I'll find [Blue Cover]."
Their plan was simple—almost deceptively so.
Gara would take defense; Leif would take offense.
While Gara summoned wall after wall—of wood, of ice, of anything that could buy a second of time—he would serve as the shield.
His roots and frost would block the waves of blue ribbons that sought to pierce through.
Meanwhile, Leif, hidden under the shroud of [Masked Threat], would move unseen, his presence erased from the senses of even the sharpest killers.
Once he found [Blue Cover], the assassin's tricks would mean nothing.
Against Leif's sword, not even a cover could protect him.
...
[Blue Waves] floated in the air, his body steady and unmoving as endless torrents of blue energy surged beneath his feet, forming a swirling ocean in the sky.
With a flick of his wrist, those waves rose up and crashed outward, blocking the blizzard of white papers slicing through the air toward him from every direction.
Each paper shimmered faintly—like blades of light given form—and yet, every one that met his waves was instantly shredded, torn apart by raw power.
Still, they kept coming.
A low grunt escaped his throat, his voice deep and edged with irritation. "Tch… this again?"
For the last few minutes, it had been nothing but this—paper storms, illusions, and tricks, all courtesy of his elusive opponent.
[White Space] hadn't appeared even once.
Instead, the old man hid somewhere, using these relentless, bothersome attacks to keep him in place.
Neither of the SS Rankers had unleashed their true power yet.
Both knew better.
The moment they did, the entire Fragment would feel it—and that was the last thing either of them wanted.
The Rashanz Empire wasn't far from this region, and it boasted more than a few monsters of its own—several SS Rankers, even a handful of SSS Rankers.
And above them all, their Emperor, an X Ranker whose presence alone could erase entire cities if he wished.
And as if that wasn't enough, this Fragment's Reciter was also an X Ranker—a fierce woman known for her temper and her distaste for disturbances.
The two SS Rankers floating in the air knew that if they went all out now, they wouldn't just be fighting each other anymore—they'd be answering to beasts of the battlefield.
So, both continued their little game, trading cheap tricks and distractions rather than true attacks.
[Blue Waves] clicked his tongue, irritation flashing in his eyes as another wave of white paper cut through the air.
Their mission was already complete… or rather, failed.
The two F Rankers below—Leif and Gara—had not only survived but grown stronger. The Golden Lightning had done its job, and Leif had ascended to E Rank.
Worse still, Gara had also risen to E Rank.
That thought made [Blue Waves]' muscles tense.
Sure, he had only been paid to escort the Cover Club and make sure the operation ran smoothly, but his employer's orders were clear: don't let them succeed.
And now, because of [White Space]'s constant interference, he hadn't been able to lift a finger.
He clenched his jaw, muttering under his breath, "Damn old man... You made me look like a fool."
And the worst part? The old man hadn't even bothered to show his face.
[Blue Waves]' lips twitched in frustration as another flurry of white papers brushed against his waves like harmless snow.
"Coward," he muttered under his breath. "Can't even show yourself and fight me properly."
He exhaled sharply, his gaze lowering toward the mountain below. "Tch. Pathetic."
[Blue Cover]'s failure gnawed at him more than the old man's games.
The assassin couldn't even handle a fresh E Ranker like Gara?
Sure, he could admit that [Root of All Things] was a powerful Story Name—far superior to [Blue Cover]'s—but still, the boy had barely stepped into E Rank.
Losing so quickly was embarrassing.
And now, with Leif's rise to E Rank as well, the outcome down there was practically written.
[Blue Cover] didn't stand a chance.
Still, [Blue Waves] didn't turn away or retreat. His blue aura rippled faintly in the air as he folded his arms.
There was one more piece still in play—one that could change everything.
The D Ranker.
[Black Cover].
He had been fighting the D Ranker sent by [White Space], but a moment ago, he'd sent a message saying he'd won—the enemy had fled.
Now, he was heading toward them.
If [Black Cover] arrived before that, both Gara and Leif could still end up dead.
The old man's voice cut through his thoughts a second later.
"Do you really think [Black Cover] will change anything?"
[Blue Waves] tsked in annoyance, his jaw tightening.
Having his thoughts read always irritated him.
Still, he smirked faintly. "Why? You worried about them now?"
A soft chuckle echoed around him, the sound coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Worried?"
The old man's tone carried amusement.
"No need to be. I'm actually looking forward to it."
[Blue Waves] frowned. "Looking forward to what exactly?"
"Them," came the voice again—distant yet near.
"I want to see how far they've come since reaching E Rank… and more than that—" the old man's tone grew almost hungry, "I want to witness the Legendary Geru in action."
[Blue Waves]'s expression twisted with irritation.
He didn't doubt [Black Cover]'s strength—far from it.
A D Ranker was on a whole different level, a void so vast that even two E Rankers like Leif and Gara couldn't hope to cross it.
Still, that sword… the Geru.
His eyes narrowed. "The Geru, huh… wasn't that thing His before all this?" he muttered under his breath.
The thought gnawed at him, heavy and bitter.
No matter how many times he turned it over in his head, he still couldn't understand it.
Why him?
Why did the [First One Out]—of all people—choose Gara as his Champion?
His thoughts were once again cut short—this time by a flurry of white paper slicing through the air like mocking snowflakes.
Each one shimmered faintly before vanishing on contact, their edges sharp enough to sting his pride more than his skin.
"Tch—! You keep doing that, old man, and I swear, once we're outside this Fragment, I'll—"
[White Space]'s laughter echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once, light and airy like it didn't belong in battle.
"You'll what? Kill me? Hah! You're a thousand years too young to be threatening your elders, boy."
[Blue Waves]'s eye twitched. "Keep talking. Out there, with no Fragment rules, I'd crush you before your little papers even touched me."
[White Space] hummed, clearly amused.
"And yet, here we are. You're trapped in my little playground, unable to do a thing."
[Blue Waves]'s jaw clenched, but he forced himself to breathe through his anger.
He was confident—rightfully so. In a straight fight, he would win.
He was a brawler, a storm given shape. [White Space] was nothing but a trickster who hid behind illusions and paper talismans.
If only he could catch him in an open space... just once, and it would all be over.
But [White Space] wasn't just any SS Ranker—he had an organization backing him as well, just like [Blue Waves]. The papers, the tricks, the endless taunting—it all reminded [Blue Waves] just how outmaneuvered he was at this moment.
Still, he barked out the threats anyway, his voice rough with frustration. "Mark my words, old man! This isn't over! Outside this Fragment, I'll—"
[White Space] didn't even respond directly.
His laughter carried faintly across the air, like wind slipping through the cracks of a mountain cliff, leaving [Blue Waves] simmering in impotent anger.
Venting at least made him feel like he had some control, even if it was only an illusion.
...
Gara's hands moved swiftly, summoning a sturdy wooden wall to shield himself from the relentless onslaught of blue ribbons. Another wall sprang up to guard Leif, who stood behind it, masked and unreadable.
Gara gave the blonde young man a small nod, and almost instantly, more wooden walls erupted all over the mountaintop like a chaotic, jagged forest.
The effort burned through a massive amount of Golden Cores, and Gara could feel his stamina dip slightly, but he didn't falter.
This was necessary.
Snowballs could no longer obscure the area effectively, so instead, he built a labyrinth of wooden barriers, each one designed to block sight and hinder movement.
Paired with Leif's masked aura courtesy of [Masked Threat], the two of them became nearly invisible—ghosts hidden behind a forest of wood and deception.
For [Blue Cover], finding the blonde-haired young man now would be almost impossible.
Blue ribbons thudded and scraped against the wooden walls, but not all of them; [Blue Cover] could only summon so many at once.
Gara seized the brief lull to catch his breath, pressing his back against one of the sturdy walls. Each inhale and exhale drew some of his lost stamina back, though only a fraction of it.
Behind the barricades, Leif moved cautiously, zigzagging from one wall to the next, every step calculated to avoid detection.
His eyes scanned every shadow, every corner, making sure no trace of him was visible.
Soon, he reached the edge of the mountaintop—but the space was empty.
Carefully, he continued his methodical advance, weaving through the wooden walls again, each move deliberate, each step a measure of patience and precision.
Whenever a blue ribbon shattered one of Gara's wooden walls, another immediately sprouted in its place, obeying his command like extensions of his own body.
[Blue Cover] found himself at a sudden disadvantage.
He was now facing not one, but two E Rankers.
Even hidden from sight, he should have had the upper hand.
Yet these were no ordinary E Rankers. Their Story Names alone carried weight beyond the norm—[Root of All Things] and [Masked Threat]—powers that could dictate the battlefield itself.
The playing field had shifted, and [Blue Cover] could feel it.
Gara didn't just sit back to recover—he got to work.
Placing his hand on the ground, he connected with the root he had set earlier across the mountaintop.
Now that the blue ribbons weren't constantly tearing through his defenses, thanks to the countless wooden walls he'd summoned, he could focus entirely on tracking [Blue Cover].
Earlier, even if he had located the assassin, he would've had to strike immediately to stand a chance at landing a hit—a near-impossible feat.
But now, things were different.
He wasn't the attacker anymore.
That role belonged to Leif.
Working with another person truly made things easier.
It stung his pride a little—of course it did—but it also taught him something valuable.
He'd rarely fought alongside anyone before; even when guiding clients through Fragments, they'd usually split up, each taking their own opponent instead of working together against one.
Soon enough, his efforts paid off—he found the assassin's position.
Without hesitation, Gara pulled up his Golden Story System Interface and marked the exact coordinates.
Leif, hidden among the maze of wooden walls, saw the indicator appear before his eyes. A small, satisfied smile formed beneath his mask.
He hadn't expected Gara to go this far to make his job easier—but now, with [Blue Cover]'s location revealed, it was time for the [Masked Threat] to fulfill his role.
...
[Blue Cover] darted from one spot to another, his movements sharp and fluid like the ribbons he commanded.
His blue cloak fluttered behind him, hiding every part of his form—his face shadowed beneath a dark hood, only a pair of glowing crimson eyes cutting through the mist.
Blue ribbons coiled tightly around his arms and legs, reinforcing his body for speed and strength.
He avoided using his Story Aura; it would give away his position too easily.
Instead, he relied on stealth and precision, sending ribbon after ribbon slicing through the air. Each one struck a wooden wall, tearing it apart—only for another to rise in its place almost instantly.
The endless rebuilding was driving him mad.
Every time he thought he'd made an opening, the red-haired boy sealed it shut again. And worse than that, there was Leif.
Ever since the blonde had activated [Masked Threat], his presence had vanished completely.
No sound. No aura. No trace.
For the first time in a long while, [Blue Cover] couldn't tell whether he was the hunter or the prey.
He clenched his teeth, a low curse escaping beneath his hood.
He knew full well what Leif could do in a direct confrontation. Even before the blonde advanced to E Rank, [Masked Threat] was a nightmare to fight against.
Now that both of them stood on the same Rank, it wasn't even a contest—he was outmatched.
His crimson eyes flicked across the mountaintop, watching the walls rise and fall like a living fortress around him. Every movement he made risked exposing his position.
Every breath felt heavier under the pressure of two opponents working in perfect sync.
Just a short while ago, he'd been confident—cocky even.
He had looked [Blue Waves] in the eye and promised an easy victory. "Two F Rankers," he'd said, "it'll be over before they even blink."
But now?
Now, both had risen to E Rank before his eyes.
His mission was a failure.
His pride was cracking.
And worse yet, he could feel the tide turning, the inevitability of defeat creeping closer with every second.
The only thing keeping [Blue Cover] from outright panic was the message he'd received minutes earlier—[Black Cover] was on his way.
A D Ranker, stronger by leagues, his arrival would surely turn things around. Still, the thought offered little comfort.
Because even if he survived this, he'd still lose.
And losing meant punishment.
Severe punishment.
He gritted his teeth under the hood, frustration boiling beneath the surface. First [Silver Cover] was killed years ago—by Leif's older brother, no less—and now he, [Blue Cover], was about to fall to the younger one.
It was almost a curse, he thought bitterly.
Every time the Cover Club crossed paths with that family, someone died or vanished.
He tightened his fists, blue ribbons trembling around his arms.
"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath.
He could already imagine the faces of his higher-ups when they heard he'd failed.
And this time, there'd be no mercy.
Not that he was given mercy in this moment either.
His thoughts shattered when a black blade appeared out of nowhere, pressing against his neck.
Instinct took over—he raised his left arm to block.
The blue ribbons wrapping it were sliced apart instantly, and blood sprayed into the cold air. The force of the impact sent him stumbling backward, boots scraping against the ground.
A figure landed silently where he'd stood just seconds before.
Blonde hair glimmered faintly beneath the black horns of a mask. His entire form was cloaked in shadow, a massive obsidian Odachi resting easily in his grip.
[Masked Threat] had arrived.
The silence that followed was suffocating—no words, no taunts, just quiet intent.
The kind that told [Blue Cover] his time was running out.
Leif didn't give him even a second to process what was happening.
The blonde-haired young man dashed forward, the air splitting from the speed of his movement. Blue ribbons shot toward him in a desperate swarm, but each one was sliced apart in a blur of black steel—clean, surgical cuts that left no trace behind.
Before [Blue Cover] could summon more, a sharp kick struck his chest.
The force sent him crashing onto the cold ground, breath knocked out of him.
Leif followed through instantly, bringing his obsidian Odachi down in a single, decisive arc—
—but the blade met only air.
A thin, blue cover had materialized between them at the last second, and the impact shredded it apart, scattering fragments of blue energy across the mountaintop.
[Blue Cover] was already gone, having leapt backward to safety, his pulse racing.
'If I make even one mistake,' he thought, eyes wide, 'I'm dead.'
Leif lunged forward again, a black blur streaking through the mist.
[Blue Cover] gritted his teeth and fired a flurry of blue ribbons to intercept, but the assault was useless—each ribbon was severed mid-flight, cut so cleanly that they fell apart before they even touched the ground.
"Tch!"
He slammed his hands together, conjuring multiple overlapping blue covers in front of him—layer after layer of glowing barriers stacking like shields.
Then, without wasting a breath, he flicked a blue ribbon into the horizon.
It shimmered faintly as it flew—his escape route.
The plan was simple: trigger the ribbon's mark and teleport far, far away from here.
But before the technique could activate—
Crack!
A thick wooden root burst from the ground and split the ribbon in two, severing the connection completely.
[Blue Cover] froze.
"Oh, right…" he muttered, realization dawning grimly.
He wasn't fighting one opponent.
He was fighting two.
And now that his ribbons weren't hammering those endless wooden walls anymore, that meant Gara was free—free to strike from anywhere.
[Blue Cover]'s eyes widened for a split second as the reality sank in—but instinct took over before panic could.
He flung his hands outward, summoning dozens of blue ribbons in a fan-like pattern around him. They slashed through the air, aiming to keep his enemies at bay—only for half of them to be shredded by thick roots bursting from the ground.
"Tch!"
He bent his knees and kicked off with explosive force, the blue ribbons wrapped around his legs detonating behind him.
The ground beneath his feet erupted, launching him out of Leif's sword's reach just as the black Odachi cleaved through every blue cover wall he had erected.
But before he could even stabilize midair, a flash of red appeared beside him.
Gara.
The red-haired young man swung his wooden sword with full force, the impact reverberating through the air.
[Blue Cover] barely managed to block with his bandaged right hand, the blue ribbons tightening like armor around his arm.
Sparks scattered from the collision.
For a brief moment, they stood locked in place—will against will—until [Blue Cover]'s Story Aura flared to life, flooding his body with power.
The surge sent Gara skidding backward several steps across the rocky surface.
[Blue Cover] turned his head just in time to see a glint of black and gold rushing toward him again.
"Already?!"
Leif was on him once more, silent as a shadow, Odachi raised high for the next strike.
In the next heartbeat, the air around him turned frigid.
A surge of frost swept up from the ground—then sealed shut.
A solid dome of ice enclosed him and Leif together, cutting off escape from every direction. The temperature plummeted, and the light dimmed to a faint blue glow refracting through the frozen shell.
[Blue Cover]'s pupils shrank. "You—!"
He wrapped ribbons around his left arm in a desperate burst of motion, reinforcing both fists before slamming them against the icy wall.
Each strike sent cracks spiderwebbing across the dome—
Bang!
Bang!
BANG!
On the third hit, shards exploded outward, the dome splintering under the pressure—
But it was already too late.
A dark blur crossed the dim blue space.
Slash!
A clean line of light cut through the cold air, followed by the faint sound of fabric tearing—then silence.
The black Odachi tore through the air—then through flesh.
Steel met skin with a sickening shhk!, and blood sprayed across the ice, painting red streaks over the pale blue walls.
[Blue Cover] gasped, his body jerking forward as the pain tore through his senses.
He staggered, eyes widening in disbelief.
As he began to fall, time seemed to slow—he saw the glint of that black Odachi rising again, its edge angled toward his neck.
'This is it...'
The thought never finished.
A sudden pull yanked his entire body backward, like reality itself had folded in on him.
Poof!
In an instant, he was gone from where he'd fallen—dragged violently through space until he reappeared several paces away, slamming onto the ground with a grunt, blood pooling beneath his back.
Pain throbbed through his body, but through the blur of agony, he saw it— a figure standing just ahead of him, cloaked in pitch-black shadows, aura rippling like a living storm.
Two crimson eyes gleamed within the darkness.
A presence heavy enough to crush the air around them flared to life—strong, predatory, and unmistakably higher than theirs.
A D Ranked aura.
Leif froze mid-step as the shadow's voice echoed through the frost and wind, low and calm.
"Step away from him."
The darkness around the figure pulsed once, and ribbons of pure shadow curled outward.
[Black Cover] had arrived.
—End of Chapter.
-------
That was... not good, right?
Gara: So... The D Ranker is here, huh?
Leif: It seems so. Still, thanks for the help.
Gara: No worries, see, you're warming up to me, hehehe!
Leif: Whatever you say.
Gara: C'mon, admit it, we did fine work, we were this close to ending [Blue Cover]... But then, the other one showed up and ruined it all.
Leif: Fine, you're right. Anyways, what do we do now then?
Gara left the chat.
Leif: Sigh, so much for being friends huh?