The Gathering of Titans
Two days drifted by like heavy clouds over Seoul, and soon the entire nation buzzed with one event—the National Guilds Gathering. It was held at its traditional location: the K.G.H.A's Glorious Headquarters, a colossal white-marble complex that looked less like an administrative building and more like a palace built for the world's strongest exorcists.
Every year, guilds from across the country assembled here to negotiate alliances, announce promotions, settle disputes, approve transfers, and evaluate rising stars. But this year's gathering felt different. Something electric hummed in the air.
Everyone could feel it.
Something… someone… was coming.
FLASHBACK — Park Ji-hoon's Call
A few days earlier, Park Ji-hoon had called Jae-min with the usual authoritative tone he used when talking to promising exorcists. But his voice cracked slightly when Jae-min asked:
"Hyung, take me with you to the gathering."
Park Ji-hoon nearly dropped his phone.
"...You? Why? You hate attention."
Jae-min sighed.
"I got attacked by Shin Soo-jin today. These people keep approaching me, trying to sabotage me. I want them to stop."
Park Ji-hoon froze.
He knew Jae-min never asked for help unless it was necessary. And more importantly—Jae-min never revealed his true power publicly.
Bringing Phantom to the gathering meant unleashing his existence to every high-ranker in Korea.
After wrestling with the decision, Park Ji-hoon finally said:
"Fine. Maybe… maybe it's time the world sees who the Phantom really is."
The call ended.
And a new legend quietly prepared to walk onto the world's stage.
---
THE PRESENT — INSIDE THE LIMOUSINE
The Blue Ravens' limo glided through the golden gates of the K.G.H.A. Reporters swarmed outside like birds sensing a thunderstorm. Inside the vehicle, Beak Eun-ji couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Opposite her, sitting calmly with crossed arms, dressed in all black with a mask covering his face, was the Phantom.
The same Phantom who had silently supported their guild.
The same Phantom whose name carried weight like a curse and a blessing.
The same Phantom whom no one dared approach lightly.
Beak Eun-ji swallowed hard, her eyes glued to him.
Park Ji-hoon, seated beside her, rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry, Eun-ji. I didn't tell you or the others because… well, it was necessary."
She nodded slowly, still staring at the mysterious young man across from her.
And Phantom—Jae-min—wasn't paying attention to either of them.
His mind was elsewhere.
Checking His Stats
Blue holographic runes flickered silently in front of his eyes—his personal ability window.
He checked Rangāh's status again.
> Demon Soul Representative: Rangāh
Unlocked Power: 4%
Jae-min's hand tightened.
Four percent.
Only four percent, yet during the Dragon battle, Rangāh had fought toe-to-toe with an S-rank ghost beast.
Meaning…
At one hundred percent…
Jae-min couldn't even imagine the power gap. A chill crept down his neck.
Demons and ghosts… they're not even on the same scale. If this is four percent… how terrifying is a demon truly?
He exhaled slowly.
From the corner of her eye, Beak Eun-ji noticed how he sat—silent, unreadable, with an aura so dark it felt like a storm was wrapped around him.
And unfortunately for her—
That was exactly her type.
---
THE SILVER CROSS UNION ARRIVES
Near the entrance of the headquarters, the atmosphere suddenly ignited like flame thrown into gasoline.
The press screamed.
Spectators surged forward with cameras flashing.
The Silver Cross Union had arrived.
Not just any guild—the Number One Guild in all of South Korea. Their very name caused waves through the crowd. Their presence at events always created uproar, but today was even louder.
Kang Dae-hyun, the guild captain, stepped out first. With silver-white hair, sharp eyes, and an aura that seemed to bend the air around him, he was a celebrity and powerhouse in one.
Reporters shouted questions.
Fans cried.
Exorcists whispered his name like he was royalty.
Behind him, Go Ji-min was gritting her teeth.
"These people are so loud it's giving me a headache," she muttered.
Kang Dae-hyun chuckled, adjusting his coat.
"Relax. We're here to work, not to entertain them."
The President of the K.G.H.A personally stepped out to greet them.
"Captain Kang! It is an honor. Please, come inside."
They entered with pride and quiet superiority.
---
THE MOMENT THE WORLD STOPPED
Inside the headquarters' massive hall, all guilds were already present—Phoenix Talons, Dragon Fangs, Night Vipers, Silver Cross Union, and more. Cameras hovered. Reporters whispered. Every guild wanted to know who would dominate this year's gathering.
And then…
The doors opened again.
The Blue Ravens walked in.
People turned—only mildly interested at first…
Until they saw him walking behind them.
A tall figure in a black trench coat.
Masked.
Silent.
Presence heavier than gravity.
The hall froze.
Even Kang Dae-hyun, who rarely reacted to anything, widened his eyes.
"No way… that's—"
Whispers exploded.
"Phantom?!"
"The real Phantom?"
"Why is he with the Blue Ravens?"
"Is this an alliance?"
"No—this changes everything…"
Dozens of guild captains straightened up as if a king had entered the room.
Some people stepped backward unconsciously.
Some stared in awe.
Some trembled.
And some… felt threatened.
Because when Phantom walked, shadows trembled around him as if even darkness bowed to his existence.
Beak Eun-ji slid closer to him and whispered:
"…You're really causing a storm."
Jae-min didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
His presence was loud enough.
The Gathering of Titans had officially begun—
and everything, absolutely everything, was about to change.
---
---
The National Guilds Gathering had always been a spectacle, but this year… this year felt different.
Even the skies above the K.G.H.A Glorious Headquarters seemed heavier, as if the air itself was preparing for something historic.
Inside the massive plaza, guilds lined up in rows — over thirty groups, each with different uniforms, symbols, and ranks embroidered proudly on their coats. Cameras flashed everywhere, reporters struggled to get close, and murmurs filled the hall like a rising tide.
But then—
A ripple went through the crowd.
Then another.
Then gasps.
Because the Silver Cross Union, the No.1 guild in Korea, had just arrived.
Their entrance was like a military parade.
Their uniforms shone with silver trims.
Their footsteps were synchronized.
Their reputation weighed heavier than mountains.
And at the front walked Kang Dae-hyun, the infamous captain with eyes that seemed to pierce straight into the soul. The crowd roared with admiration.
Yet Kang Dae-hyun barely reacted.
He was smiling faintly — a calm, unreadable smile.
"Captain! Captain! Please say something about today's gathering!"
"How does it feel leading the number one guild again?!"
But he simply waved once and continued walking as if the world's noise never mattered.
Behind him, Go Ji-min clenched her jaw.
"These people are so annoying," she hissed.
"Endure it," Kang Dae-hyun said smoothly. "Our mission comes first."
Mission.
The word sounded sharp… dangerous.
And then—
---
THE MOMENT THAT SHOOK THE HALL
The great doors at the entrance opened again.
Blue flames flickered across the marble floors.
The Blue Ravens had arrived.
And with them…
Stepping forward like a shadow that refused to bow to light…
Cloaked in black, silent, unreadable, with an aura that made even seasoned exorcists flinch—
The Phantom.
Gasps exploded across the hall.
"He actually came!"
"That's the Phantom?!"
"He looks… terrifying."
Even Kang Dae-hyun paused mid-step. His smile vanished, replaced by surprise — real surprise.
tch. So he showed up, he thought.
Beak Eun-ji, walking beside Park Ji-hoon, froze.
"That's… really him? That's the guy you've been hiding from us?" she whispered.
Park Ji-hoon nodded awkwardly.
"I had no choice. He preferred to remain in the shadows until now."
Beak Eun-ji's eyes slowly moved up and down the Phantom's figure.
Tall. Calm. Sinisterly quiet.
Aura swirling around him like unseen cold wind.
(…Wow. That's dangerously my type…) she thought, cheeks warming.
But the Phantom — Jae-min — didn't even glance her way.
His attention was elsewhere.
---
PHANTOM'S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE
Inside the limo earlier, he had discovered something terrifying:
Rangāh was using only 4% of his power in that fight against the S-rank Ghost Dragon.
Four percent.
If that level of strength was only a fraction…
Jae-min gripped the inside of his cloak slightly.
(…The gap between demons and ghosts is too big. If that dragon was struggling against a weakened soul servant… then what happens when Rangāh hits even 20%?)
A chill ran down his spine.
But he stayed silent and followed the group inside.
---
THE SILVER CROSS UNION GROW AGITATED
Because the Phantom walked past them.
So casually.
So completely ignoring them.
Go Ji-min's eye twitched violently.
Yun Lee narrowed his eyes.
The other members whispered angrily.
"That's the Phantom? That brat thinks he can walk in like he owns the place?"
"Why is he with the Blue Ravens?!"
"He didn't even show respect to our captain!"
Kang Dae-hyun turned slowly, observing Phantom's retreating figure.
"…Interesting," he whispered to himself.
---
THE MEETING BEGINS — AND TENSION RISES
The large conference hall filled with guild leaders, captains, and elite exorcists. Everyone took their seats.
At the center podium stood Yan Jin Kah, the president of the K.G.H.A.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, voice deep and commanding, "today's gathering concerns an unprecedented threat."
The hall fell silent instantly.
"Three weeks ago, we discovered anomalies appearing across South Korea."
A large hologram flickered to life behind him.
Everyone gasped.
Because the image wasn't of a Ghost Chamber.
It was something far more terrifying.
"These," the president continued, "are Rifts. Unknown dimensional tears with energy signatures unlike anything we've recorded."
Chaos. Talking. Panic.
"What do you mean 'unlike ghost chambers'?!"
"That energy reading is unstable!"
"Are these natural? Or… created?"
Everyone was shocked—
except one person.
Kang Dae-hyun.
He simply smirked beneath the table.
(So it begins… Phase Two.)
But he played innocent, raising his hand politely.
"Mr. President, do we know where they originate?"
"We are still investigating," Yan Jin Kah replied. "But one thing is certain: they are not ghost-related. Something else… is coming."
The room shook with fear.
But the real drama was only beginning—
---
THE PROBLEM WITH EXORCISTS
Two elite exorcists from another guild began whispering loudly behind the Phantom.
"He doesn't belong here."
"A nobody with a mask shouldn't enter a national gathering."
"Why does Park Ji-hoon protect him? Is he weak?"
The Phantom ignored them.
At first.
But then one of them stood up.
"You there. Phantom. Remove the mask and show your face. Otherwise, you have no right to be in this meeting."
The room went silent.
Park Ji-hoon almost fainted.
Beak Eun-ji clenched her fists.
"Oh no… they're dead."
Go Ji-min smirked.
"Good. This will be entertaining."
The Phantom slowly stood.
And in a calm, bored voice, he said:
"If you want my attention that badly…
we can settle it in the arena."
---
THE ARENA BATTLE — PHANTOM VS TWO S-RANKS
A crowd rushed into the massive underground arena, forming a giant ring around the battlefield.
Two S-rank exorcists stepped forward:
Cha Myun-soo, wielder of kinetic impact techniques.
Lee Rudo, a long-range weapon spirit specialist.
Phantom walked to the center alone.
He didn't summon Rangāh.
He didn't activate Demon Rise.
Only his twin daggers, his speed, and his abilities.
Beak Eun-ji bit her lip anxiously.
Park Ji-hoon whispered, "Jae-min… don't kill them."
Kang Dae-hyun watched with intense interest.
And Yan Jin Kah simply observed silently, curious.
---
THE FIGHT BEGINS
BOOM!!!
Cha Myun-soo launched first, slamming the ground with a kinetic burst, sending shockwaves ripping across the battlefield.
"Break under my power, Phantom!"
But—
Phantom blurred.
Just a whisper of a shadow.
He appeared behind Cha Myun-soo before the dust even settled.
FWOOM—!
A dagger flashed.
Cha barely blocked with his gauntlet, sparks flying.
"Tch! Fast—!"
Lee Rudo fired spirit-bound chains from the side.
Phantom spun smoothly, daggers crossing as he cut through energy, splitting the attack into harmless flickers.
The audience gasped.
"What?! He cut a spirit weapon?!"
"No S-rank should be that fast!"
"Is he even human?"
---
PHANTOM COUNTERS
Jae-min vanished again.
Shadow Step.
He reappeared above them, daggers descending like fangs.
A controlled impact.
No gore. No blood.
Just raw power.
Cha Myun-soo was sent skidding back 20 meters, cracks exploding beneath his boots.
Lee Rudo tried to fire again—
But Phantom flicked a dagger.
TING!
The shot was deflected at an impossible angle, hitting the wall behind Rudo.
"What—?!"
Then Phantom appeared right in front of him.
Their helmets almost touched.
"You talk too much."
BOOOOM!!!
One kick.
A shockwave.
Lee Rudo flew back and crashed into the arena barrier, groaning but conscious.
The audience screamed.
"He beat an S-rank with physical strength!?"
"This can't be real!"
"What rank is the Phantom actually?!"
---
THE FINISHER
Cha Myun-soo roared, his whole body glowing with kinetic energy.
"PHANTOM!!!"
He charged—
Phantom stepped forward once.
A single, precise movement.
The entire world seemed to freeze.
Then—
SLAM!!!
Cha Myun-soo was slammed into the ground by Phantom's counter-technique, a dark aura swirling around his arms.
The arena shook violently, dust flying everywhere.
When it cleared—
Both S-ranks were down.
Exhausted. Defeated. Stunned.
Phantom simply sheathed his daggers and turned away.
---
THE WHOLE ARENA FELL SILENT
Every guild.
Every spectator.
Every captain.
Even Kang Dae-hyun felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
(…He's grown stronger.)
Beak Eun-ji's eyes sparkled.
Yan Jin Kah leaned forward, intrigued.
And the Silver Cross Union—
They were furious.
Confused.
Threatened.
They couldn't deny it anymore:
The Phantom wasn't just strong.
He was a monster in human form.
And this gathering…
Had just become far more dangerous than anyone expected.
---