Chapter 87: Wei-Wan vs The Silver Moon
Fwoo...
The ruined streets of Kingsville had fallen into an eerie silence.
Not the silence of peace.
The silence that followed devastation.
Smoke drifted lazily between shattered buildings as fires continued to consume abandoned vehicles, their crackling flames echoing through the empty streets. Broken concrete covered the roads like fractured bones, while the distant cries of emergency sirens struggled to pierce the heavy atmosphere. A cold wind swept through the city, carrying dust and ash across the battlefield, as though Kingsville itself mourned the destruction that had unfolded only moments before.
Standing alone in the center of the ruined street was Wei-Wan.
His sword rested calmly at his side.
His breathing remained slow, steady, and perfectly controlled.
There was no tension in his shoulders, no hint of nervousness in his eyes, and no unnecessary movement in his posture. He simply stood there, waiting and watching.
Across from him stood three figures whose very presence made the air feel heavier.
The Silver Moon.
Three brothers.
Three monsters.
Mirage rested his enormous greatsword casually across one shoulder, his piercing eyes never leaving Wei-Wan for even a second.
Beside him, Shogun rolled a glowing cube effortlessly across his fingers, wearing the same playful smile that had become synonymous with death.
The third brother Baekho remained silent and motionless.
His expression betrayed nothing as his sharp eyes studied Wei-Wan from head to toe, carefully measuring every breath, every shift in posture, every possible weakness.
For several long seconds...no one spoke.
Then Mirage finally broke the silence.
"So..."
His deep voice echoed through the ruined street.
"This is the team that's been making all the noise."
His lips curled into a disappointed smile.
"I expected more."
Wei-Wan slowly exhaled through his nose.
"You talk too much, for someone who just got his butt handed to him by Zachia."
Shogun chuckled.
"Funny."
He spread his arms casually.
"And yet you're standing here all alone."
Wei-Wan calmly lifted his sword until its tip pointed directly toward the three brothers.
"That's enough talking."
Silence briefly returned.
For one brief heartbeat... The entire battlefield froze.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
The street exploded beneath Mirage's feet.
He vanished from sight, crossing the distance between them almost instantly before reappearing directly in front of Wei-Wan with his massive blade already descending.
The sheer force behind the strike threatened to split the entire street apart.
Instead of retreating...Wei-Wan stepped forward.
CLAAAAANG!!
Steel collided with steel.
The impact exploded across the battlefield like thunder.
A violent shockwave burst outward, shattering every remaining window in the surrounding buildings as deep cracks raced beneath their feet, spreading through the road like an enormous spider's web.
SWOOSH!
Before the sound of the collision had even faded shogun moved.
With a simple flick of his wrist, several glowing cubes shot into the air.
They spun rapidly.
Their light intensified.
Then—
POP!!
POP!!
POP!!
Air distorted.
Freakers burst into existence one after another, crashing onto the battlefield from every direction.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Within seconds, Wei-Wan found himself completely surrounded. Every Freaker lunged at him simultaneously, but Wei-Wan didn't hesitate.
He moved.
FWOO!
His sword became nothing more than a silver flash.
SHING!!
One clean slash.
Three heads separated from their bodies before the monsters even realized they had been cut.
He stepped between two charging Freakers with effortless precision before driving his palm into the face of another.
THOOOM!!
Its skull collapsed instantly.
Pivot.
Low sweep.
SHHKK!!
Two more Freakers lost their legs.
Spin.
Reverse slash.
SLAAASH!
Another pair fell lifelessly onto the broken pavement.
There was no panic and no wasted movement. Every strike flowed seamlessly into the next.
Watching Wei-Wan fight didn't resemble a desperate battle, it resembled a perfectly choreographed dance of destruction.
Mirage attacked again.
SLING!
His enormous blade descended with enough force to flatten a building.
Rather than meeting the attack head-on, Wei-Wan shifted his footing just enough to redirect the tremendous force.
Mirage's own momentum carried the blade harmlessly past him.
FWOOSH!
In the same instant, Wei-Wan stepped inside his guard.
THUD!!
His elbow crashed into Mirage's jaw.
The leader staggered.
Behind Wei-Wan—
FWIIISH!
Shogun appeared.
POP!
Another cube had already activated.
A Freaker materialized point-blank behind him.
Without even looking, Wei-Wan ducked beneath its claws, grabbed the monster by its arm, and spun it directly into Mirage's next attack.
SLAAASH!!
Mirage's greatsword sliced cleanly through both the Freaker and his own attack.
"Tch..."
Shogun clicked his tongue in irritation.
Wei-Wan slid backward across the fractured pavement before coming to a calm stop.
Despite being surrounded...Not a single meaningful wound marked his body.
His breathing remained perfectly steady. He looked at the brothers without the slightest hint of concern.
"You rely too much on numbers."
Mirage narrowed his eyes.
"And you rely too much on technique."
Then...For the first time...Baekho moved.
SWOOSH!
He disappeared completely.
Wei-Wan's instincts screamed, behind him, or above him.
Every direction suddenly felt dangerous.
WHAAAM!!
A devastating strike slammed into Wei-Wan's guard.
SKKREETCH!
Although he blocked the attack, the impact sent him sliding several meters across the broken street before he finally regained his footing.
Shogun grinned.
"Three against one."
His smile widened.
"Let's see how long that composure lasts."
* * *
The three brothers moved as one.
BOOOMM!!
BRRRMMMM!!
CRAAAASHH!!
Mirage charged from the front, his massive greatsword tearing through the air with enough force to level buildings. Every swing carried overwhelming weight, forcing the ground to fracture beneath his feet as he relentlessly pressed forward.
At the same time, Shogun remained several meters behind, continuously flicking glowing cubes into the battlefield.
One after another—
WHOOSH!
POP!!
POP!!
Sparks rippled.
Fresh Freakers materialized from the glowing cubes, immediately throwing themselves into the battle without hesitation. Their distorted roars echoed across the ruined streets as they swarmed Wei-Wan from every possible direction.
And then...there was Baekho, mischievously silent and invisible.
FWOOSH!
He appeared only for the briefest of moments before disappearing again, attacking from impossible angles that left almost no room for prediction.
It was the perfect combination.
Raw strength, endless numbers and unpredictable precision.
Against anyone else...the battle would have ended in seconds.
Wei-Wan slowly closed his eyes for the briefest instant. His breathing settled and everything around him faded away.
The collapsing buildings, the Freakers, the explosions, even the voices of his opponents themselves.
FWOO....
All that remained...was movement.
Mirage's blade descended once more.
Instead of retreating, Wei-Wan accepted the attack.
CLANG!!
Rather than meeting the strike with force, he redirected it with flawless precision, allowing the tremendous momentum to continue harmlessly past him.
Fwooo....
His body flowed around the blade as though dancing with it.
A Freaker lunged from his left.
Wei-Wan planted one foot onto its shoulder before using the monster itself as a stepping stone.
BOOM!!
He launched high into the air, flipping gracefully over Mirage before descending behind Shogun.
The cube user barely had time to react, as Wei-Wan's sword flashed.
SHIIIING!!
Shogun's eyes widened.
"Fast—!"
He barely managed to raise his arm in time.
CLAAANG!!
The impact hurled him backward across the broken street, his boots carving deep trenches through the concrete before he crashed.
Wei-Wan didn't stop since he was already moving.
One step.
Fwoosh...
Another.
His blade cut through three incoming Freakers with effortless precision.
SHHK!!
SHHK!!
SHHK!!
Bodies collapsed behind him before he had already reached his next target.
Then—
CRACK!!
Pain shot through his ribs.
The silent Baekho had appeared beside him without warning.
The heavy strike forced a grunt from Wei-Wan as he slid backward across the shattered pavement.
Mirage's eyes immediately lit up.
"There!"
He raised his colossal blade overhead. Energy gathered around its edge. The surrounding air trembled violently.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The sword crashed downward.
Wei-Wan crossed his blade just in time.
The collision unleashed a devastating shockwave that tore across the battlefield.
PROOOFFRRRRRSHHH!!
Buildings crumbled like sandcastles. Abandoned vehicles were thrown through the air as though they weighed nothing. The already fractured streets exploded beneath their feet, sending enormous chunks of concrete flying in every direction.
Wei-Wan's boots dug deep into the ground as he was forced backward meter after meter.
His muscles strained. His arms trembled beneath the overwhelming pressure. Yet...he refused to fall.
The attack finally ended.
Silence followed.
Drip....
Drip....
A thin stream of blood rolled from the corner of Wei-Wan's mouth before dripping onto the broken pavement below.
Mirage slowly lowered his sword.
For the first time since the battle had begun...A smile of genuine respect appeared on his face.
"...Good."
His voice carried neither mockery nor arrogance.
Only acknowledgment.
"You're worth killing."
* * *
Wei-Wan calmly wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.
Then...to everyone's surprise...he also smiled.
Only slightly but enough.
"...Finally."
His stance changed the adjustment was subtle almost impossible to notice.
Fwoosh...
His feet lowered closer to the ground. His shoulders relaxed. His breathing slowed until each breath became almost impossible to hear. Even his heartbeat seemed to disappear.
The atmosphere secretely shifted.
"You aren't the first group I've faced that fights like this."
He slowly raised his sword once more.
SLING!
It's blade reflected the burning city around him.
"But..."
His eyes sharpened.
"...You might be the first to survive long enough to witness this."
FWOOSH!
An invisible pressure spread across the battlefield. The Freakers suddenly stopped growling. The wind itself seemed to hesitate. Even Mirage instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.
Something had changed.
Wei-Wan moved.
But this time... He wasn't reacting to their attacks. He was taking control of the very situation itself.
Mirage swung.
SHING!
Wei-Wan stepped inside the attack before the greatsword had fully accelerated, neutralizing its destructive force with a single, perfectly timed movement.
His palm struck Mirage's chest.
THOOM!!
The leader stumbled backward.
POP–POP–POP!!
Shogun launched another volley of glowing cubes.
Wei-Wan's sword became a silver blur.
SHING!!
SHING!!
SHING!!
Every cube was cut apart before it could activate.
No Freakers appeared and no explosions followed.
Baekho emerged from Wei-Wan's blind spot, or so he thought.
GRAB!
Without even turning around, Wei-Wan caught his wrist.
The silent assassin's eyes widened.
With one smooth motion, Wei-Wan twisted his arm before driving a crushing knee into his stomach.
BAAAM!!
SKREETCH!
The impact folded the assassin in half before sending him skidding across the street.
Everything flowed together seamlessly.
Attack. Counter. Redirect. Strike.
Every movement blended into the next without interruption.
The Silver Moon...were being pushed back.
For the first time during the battle...their coordination had begun to crumble.
Shogun stared in disbelief.
"...What the hell...?"
Mirage's expression hardened.
"...Enough."
He planted his feet firmly into the shattered ground before slowly raising his massive blade above his head.
WHOOOMM!!
An overwhelming amount of energy gathered around its edge. The surrounding air distorted beneath the immense pressure.
Wei-Wan saw everything. He understood exactly what was coming. Yet...he continued walking forward.
Step....
One step.
Step.....
Then another.
Straight toward the descending blade. He wasn't merely surviving anymore. He had taken complete control of the battle.
Just as Mirage unleashed the devastating strike—
SHWI–!
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Move!"
Wei-Wan disappeared.
An instant later—
Fwoo...
The wind split apart.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A blinding pillar of energy accelerated from the side like divine judgment.
Fah-jin's beam swallowed the battlefield whole.
The explosion consumed the Silver Moon before violently dragging them across the landscape, carving an enormous trench through the earth that stretched for miles beyond Kingsville.
The horizon erupted.
KAAAAAAAAABOOOOOOM!!
The distant explosion shook the city itself, sending another powerful tremor racing through the streets.
When the blinding light finally faded...Wei-Wan landed silently upon the broken pavement.
His sword lowered calmly to his side. His breathing remained steady. Behind him, Daito and the others finally arrived.
Daito looked toward the battlefield before turning his attention to Wei-Wan.
"You held your own."
Wei-Wan didn't even look back.
"...I didn't hold."
A brief silence followed.
His faint smile returned.
"...I was just getting started."
Far beyond the drifting smoke...
Three unconscious silhouettes were covered in dirt and surrounded by ash.
The Silver Moon...Were still alive.
And now...They finally understood exactly what kind of monster Wei-Wan truly was.
to be continued...