Up in the sky, glowing like a bright star against the dark night, was Sasha.
Her long, flowing frock danced wildly in the cold wind. She pointed her shining wand straight at Scarlett, her face full of determination.
"Teleport!" Sasha shouted. Her voice echoed loudly through the whole area.
Everyone stared up at her, their hearts pounding, hope lighting up their faces.
They thought—finally, finally, they could win.
But—
"Cough!"
Suddenly, Sasha coughed out a mouthful of dark red blood. Her glowing eyes dimmed at once. Blood ran from her mouth and nose.
"I can't... teleport her," Sasha gasped weakly, her voice trembling. "She has too much resistance... her body is too strong..."
And with that, she fell from the sky like a broken doll, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Her body didn't move again.
Sasha died on the spot.
"ARRRGH!!"
Arthur let out a scream full of rage and despair.
"I should have known!" he shouted, punching the ground. "Scarlett is too strong to be teleported without a special portal or rare artifacts!"
He gritted his teeth, his hands shaking. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he lifted his sword high and—
Swish!
He cleanly sliced off his own head, choosing to die and activate his blessing.
The world spun around, and—
He went back in time once again.
At this point, Arthur had lost count of how many times he had gone back.
Thousand? Teh thousand? Maybe Million?
It all felt like one never-ending nightmare, and Scarlett was the final boss he could never beat.
But no matter how many times it took,
no matter how much pain and death he faced,
he would not give up.
He had to stop her.
---
The night came again....
The soft glow of the campfire lit up the clearing.
Scarlett sat beside Irish, both of them smiling gently, waiting for the potatoes to cook over the fire.
The atmosphere was peaceful, heartwarming, like a small slice of heaven.
Scarlett's purple hair shimmered under the moonlight. Irish hummed a quiet tune, swinging her legs happily.
It was hard to believe that the same woman sitting there so peacefully could destroy the whole world in the blink of an eye.
But far away, hidden in the dark woods, Arthur and his team were ready once again.
This time, things were different.
Arthur's face was calm, but his eyes burned with a fierce determination.
A small, confident smile played on his lips.
He had seen every possible future. He had died a thousand times.
He had calculated everything down to the smallest detail.
This time, he was sure. He would win.
"Is everyone ready?" Arthur asked quietly, glancing back at his team.
They nodded, though confusion flickered in their eyes.
They didn't understand why Arthur seemed so cheerful—
why he looked like a man who had already won.
"Team B is in position too, right?" Arthur asked.
Sasha stepped forward, a cold glint in her eyes.
"Yeah. Team C has also hacked into the Russian and American nuclear systems," she reported.
Arthur nodded, pleased.
"Good."
But Sasha frowned sharply at his calm reply.
"Good?" she repeated with a sneer. "Do you realize what you've done? You just made the whole world your enemy! It won't take them long to figure out that this disaster is your fault!" she hissed, her voice full of anger.
Then she shrugged and laughed coldly.
"Not that I care. I love destruction. The bigger the mess, the better."
Still, she couldn't hide her irritation.
"You know," Sasha said, crossing her arms, "you put together a team of criminals, heroes, and money-hungry lunatics to fight someone who's basically a god. Are you out of your mind?"
Arthur just smiled at her calmly, the firelight flickering in his eyes.
"Sometimes a team doesn't need to be the strongest," he said softly. "Sometimes they just need to hit in the right place at the right time."
He looked at Sasha, his gaze steady.
"As for the destruction... it's better than extinction. I'll take full responsibility."
He stepped forward without fear, his sword resting on his shoulder.
"Let's go. We can't waste even a second."
Sasha watched him silently, her usual mocking smile gone.
Even she was moved.
"...How did he even get all those secret details about American and Russian nukes?" she thought, feeling a shiver run down her spine.
"No wonder he's the world's top hunter."
------------------
Meanwhile, the whole world was in complete chaos.
From the news channels to the streets, from offices to homes, everyone was talking about only one thing—the terrible situation unfolding before their eyes.
It all happened so suddenly, like a nightmare no one could wake up from.
It shook the world to its very core.
"Breaking news! Breaking news!"
A panicked American news reporter shouted into the camera, his face pale and sweaty.
"We have received terrible reports! Russia has launched a nuclear missile towards America! This... this is no less than a declaration of World War III!"
The studio went silent for a moment.
Even the reporters, trained to stay calm no matter what, were struggling to find words.
Some of them even looked like they might cry.
Fear filled the hearts of everyone watching.
People hugged their loved ones tightly, praying it was just a mistake... a misunderstanding...
But deep down, everyone knew—this was real.
---
At the same time, at a top-secret American military base, Colonel Michael was having a heated conversation with the Russian military leaders through a crackling radio.
"What do you mean your nuclear power plant and missiles got hacked?!"
Colonel Michael roared into the radio, his voice shaking with anger.
"Nuclear missiles are supposed to be the most protected thing in a country! Are you joking with me right now?!"
On the other end, a Russian officer spoke hurriedly in a heavy accent.
"We... we don't know how it happened! I swear this is not an act of war! We are ready to publicly apologize for this mistake! Even we are shocked—this hack was so perfect, so clean, we couldn't even trace it!"
The Russian officer sounded desperate, almost begging.
But it only made Colonel Michael even more furious.
"ARGHH!!"
Michael smashed the radio against the ground.
The device broke apart into pieces with a loud crack.
His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.
Anger, fear, and helplessness burned inside him all at once.
A young soldier standing nearby, too scared to meet Michael's eyes, asked carefully,
"Colonel, what... what should we do now?"
Michael clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"We'll talk to the higher-ups first," he said through gritted teeth, "but there's really only one answer."
He took a deep breath and continued, his voice cold and hard.
"We have to destroy that missile in the air."
The soldier hesitated, fear flickering across his face.
"But... Colonel... destroying it in the sky... it will cause huge damage to the atmosphere! Especially to the ozone layer... it could poison the air for years!"
Michael turned to face him, his eyes burning with a fierce, painful light.
"What choice do we have?" he said bitterly.
"If that missile falls, America will be wiped out. We'll be thrown back into the stone age! Cities will vanish, millions will die. We must protect America—no matter the cost."
He straightened his uniform and marched forward, his boots striking the ground hard with every step.
"And after this is over," he said darkly, "Russia will pay dearly for this recklessness."
The soldier watched him go, feeling a deep chill settle in his heart.
-------------------
Meanwhile, Scarlett and Irish were just relaxing together, sitting near a small campfire outside Scarlett's house.
The fire crackled softly, and the night was peaceful, the stars shining brightly in the dark sky.
Suddenly—
"Ouch... My knee burst!"
A boy's painful cry broke the silence.
Scarlett and Irish both turned their heads quickly.
A young boy had fallen down hard on the stone pathway, holding his knee and crying.
Irish stood up at once, frowning in confusion.
"Huh? What's a kid doing here at this hour?" she mumbled.
It was very late.
The area was completely silent.
Not a single other person was around.
Why would a small child be outside, all alone, and so late at night?
But before they could even move—
Out of nowhere, a man appeared.
He was dressed like an assassin, wearing black clothes and a creepy mask that hid his face.
He rushed forward and pressed the sharp blade of his katana right against the boy's neck.
His voice was rough and threatening.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill this kid!" he barked.
Irish's heart skipped a beat.
Her blood boiled with anger.
Without a second thought, she charged forward.
"Release the child!" she shouted fiercely, her fists clenched tightly.
She rushed out through the small wooden gate—
But just as she stepped out—
"Teleport!"
A teenage looking girl, Sasha, jumped out from behind a tree, her wand glowing with strange light.
Before Irish could even realize what was happening, a strong magic force grabbed her—
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Irish disappeared, teleported far away.
"Irish!" Scarlett screamed, her heart pounding hard.
Her mind raced in panic.
What was going on?
Who were these people?
Where had they taken Irish?
But Scarlett had no time to figure things out.
She turned her sharp gaze toward the masked assassin, ready to smash him into the ground and get some answers.
However—
The assassin quickly raised his hands in surrender, his voice trembling.
"Wait! You're Scarlett! I don't want to fight you! Take this child!"
Without warning, he threw the little boy toward Scarlett like a sack of potatoes.
"Save me!" the boy cried out, flailing in the air.
Scarlett's instincts kicked in.
She moved fast and caught the boy safely in her arms before he could hit the ground.
But she didn't even look at the boy.
Her whole mind was focused on finding Irish.
"Where is Irish?!" she shouted, her voice filled with fury.
And then—
"Dark Prison!"
"Space Binding Vacuum!"
Two girls who looked almost identical jumped out from behind the bushes.
They wore dark robes and had cold, serious faces.
Both of them pointed their glowing wands at Scarlett.
The ground suddenly cracked open beneath Scarlett's feet.
From the deep cracks, thick, black chains shot out like snakes.
The chains wrapped tightly around Scarlett's body, trying to hold her in place.
At the same time, a strange, invisible force surrounded her.
It felt like a heavy wall pressing from every direction, squeezing her and locking her inside.
Meanwhile, Arthur, who had been pretending to be the cruel assassin threatening the boy, was breathing hard.
His heartbeat thudded loudly in his ears.
"Sasha needs ten seconds... Just ten seconds for another teleport! I did the last time, I can do it again" he thought desperately.
Every second felt like a hundred years.
Behind him, a group of strange people wearing creepy cult robes and masks made of human skulls were chanting loudly.
They were from a dangerous criminal group called "The Occult."
Arthur had somehow managed to convince them to help, even though it had cost him a lot.
"Status Boost! Strength Boost! Magic Boost! Greater Magic Boost! Ultimate Buff!"
Their voices echoed through the night, as powerful magic filled the air.
The air shimmered. The twin girls, Luna and Sona, who were trapping Scarlett, grew even stronger.
They were famous for trapping monsters.
But even after all the buffs, Scarlett only seemed slightly bothered.
And even then, she barely tried to escape.
But just like last time It had only been four seconds.
They needed ten.
Arthur gritted his teeth.
"It's up to me now!" he thought, feeling both fear and determination burning inside.
He dropped the act immediately and rushed toward Scarlett.
"So you wanna die first?" Scarlett growled, her voice cold like ice.
Arthur felt a chill run down his spine but forced himself to stay focused.
"First will be a jab!" he told himself.
Scarlett's fist came flying toward him with unbelievable speed.
He twisted his body desperately and barely dodged it, feeling the air slice past his face.
"Now it's a hook!" he thought, and sure enough, Scarlett swung her arm sideways.
He ducked just in time, sliding sideways on the ground.
"She'll appear behind me next!" he guessed, trusting the pattern he had memorized from hundreds of deaths.
Scarlett flashed behind him like a ghost, her foot swinging for his head.
Arthur immediately dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the deadly kick.
Dust flew up around him.
"NOWWWW! SASHA!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice almost breaking.
He ran with all his strength, creating distance between himself and Scarlett.
Up in the air, floating like a bright star in the dark sky, was Sasha.
Her long frock fluttered with the wind as she pointed her glowing wand straight at Scarlett.
Just as she raised her wand, Scarlett's body started glowing, Or more specifically, A sting hairpin like artifact was sticking to Scarlett's body.
When Arthur throwed the child and Scarlett catched it to save him.
But who would tell her that, The child was a middle aged man named zeld that could physically transform his body.
Scarlett gave no attention to him and this made his work easier, He put the teleporting artifact on Scarlett's body which's control was now in sasha's hand .
And right now, It was impossible to avoid it.
Only soft sound of Sasha was in the air.
"TELEPORT!"