The Hero Headquarters had never been this silent.
Shattered glass, broken pillars, and unconscious heroes lay across the lobby floor—victims of the mysterious blindfolded man who stood calmly in the center, hands in his pockets, as if the destruction around him were nothing more than spilled water.
Just then, a reinforced door slid open.
A tall hero in black composite armor stepped out, the emblem of a chess rook imprinted on his chest.
Rook — a mid-class hero whose Nexas allowed him to reinforce any part of his body to extreme density, surpassing steel in durability.
He froze, shocked.
"What… happened here?"
The blindfolded man tilted his head slightly and smiled—not warmly, but with the bitter satisfaction of a long-awaited meeting.
"There you are."
Rook frowned.
"Do I know you?"
A jagged laugh escaped the intruder's throat, sharp and wounded.
"Knew it. Of course you don't remember. People like you never remember the ones you step on."
His voice trembled—not with fear, but fury that had simmered for years.
"Today, I came only for you. So everyone else—stay out of this."
Rook bristled.
"Don't ignore me!"
His arms darkened into a metallic obsidian tone, density increasing rapidly. He lunged forward with a reinforced punch.
Luna sprang forward instantly—but an instructor caught her arm.
"Luna. Do not interfere. This is not a student battle."
Several heroes rushed in to support Rook despite his protest.
"I SAID I DON'T NEED HELP!" Rook snarled.
"I will deal with this alone!"
But it was too late.
The blindfolded man reached into his pocket and flicked a pebble.
And vanished.
SHF—SWAP!
He reappeared behind a hero, switching places with the pebble mid-air, striking a precise blow to the neck—clean, minimal movement, lethal precision.
Another pebble.
SWAP—
Another hero collapsed.
He repeated the motion—silent, efficient, almost surgical.
No speed Nexas.
No strength enhancement.
Just flawless martial skill and spatial swapping.
In less than twenty seconds, four trained heroes were down.
Gasps filled the room.
"Is he teleporting?"
"No—he's exchanging positions with objects!"
"How is a non-speed fighter beating pros like this!?"
Only Rook remained, breathing heavily, his reinforced arms already cracking under stress.
"You… monster…"
The blindfolded man exhaled irritably.
"This is becoming tedious. I didn't come here to play with children."
He looked toward the entrance.
"Backup will arrive soon. I'll end this now."
Before anyone could move, he lifted the blindfold just an inch—revealing one bloodshot crimson eye, its iris swirling with a hostile energy that made skin crawl.
A pulse of invisible force rippled outward.
Suddenly—
Heroes screamed, clutching their heads.
"My Nexas— it won't activate!"
"I can't trigger mine either!"
"What is happening!?"
Rook staggered, horrified.
"My reinforcement— it's gone! He canceled it—!"
The intruder spoke softly, each word like a knife:
"I didn't freeze your bodies.
I simply sealed your Nexas."
Everyone could move—but no one could use their ability.
Rook trembled, realization dawning.
"No… impossible… your family was—"
The blindfolded man stepped closer, voice breaking with rage and grief.
"Remember this name."
He leaned in.
"Fray."
Rook's eyes widened in pure shock.
"You—No. That entire bloodline was erased twenty years ago…"
Fray smirked.
"Here. A farewell gift."
He slipped a compact explosive device into Rook's armor—then flicked a pebble.
SWAP—
He vanished.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion tore through the hall, blasting debris in every direction. Luna shielded her face from the flying stone and steel, coughing through the cloud of dust.
Alarms screamed. Emergency lights turned the room blood-red.
When the smoke finally cleared—
There were no bodies.
No Fray.
No Rook.
Only silence and ruin.
The only object left intact was a scorched rook-emblem badge lying on the floor.
A frightened support hero whispered:
"Who… was that man?"
Another trembled:
"How can someone seal Nexas like turning off a switch…?"
Luna's hands shook as she picked up the broken badge.
"The name he spoke… Fray."
Her voice cracked.
Professor Celeste Ardyn, pale as a ghost, whispered as if speaking a curse:
"That name should not exist. Everyone from the Fray lineage… died twenty years ago."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
A ghost with vengeance.
A tragedy resurrected.
A storm awakened.
Luna stared out the shattered window toward Lionel Academy—toward her brother.
"…Raze," she whispered.
Thunder rolled overhead, shaking the ground as lightning split the sky.
The calm era had ended.
War was coming.