It was already 2 a.m., and under the quiet night sky, this lone public parking lot in Rad City should have been deserted.
Even late-night office workers wouldn't be parking at this hour.
Coincidentally, however, two people found themselves in this parking lot at this very moment.
More precisely, a killer and his target.
***
A blade gleamed white, slicing through the darkness and tracing a deadly path in the air.
With murderous intent, a man in a suit initiated a close-quarters fight with an unidentified man, while summoning several ice spikes behind him, imbued with a "guaranteed hit" ability.
"This will end it—"
Before the target could react, the high-speed ice spikes had already closed in on his vital points.
But...
Something was wrong.
Boom!
The ice spikes, which should have hit their mark, smashed into the concrete wall with destructive force, leaving gaping holes.
The deadly attack was effortlessly dodged.
"...Why isn't my ability working on you?"
The muscular man in sunglasses and a black suit briefly showed a flicker of fear, but his training as a professional killer quickly helped him regain composure.
"Those ice spikes had the 'guaranteed hit' causality element. How could they miss?"
As he questioned this, the man in the suit drew a standard-issue handgun from his jacket.
Unlike the earlier magical attack, this time it was pure physical force.
"Die!"
"...I'm not stupid enough to just sit here and let that happen."
In the blink of an eye, blood splattered everywhere.
The suited man had deep red slashes across his neck and inner thighs, the cuts so swift he hadn't even noticed them before reaching for his gun.
"Kh...!"
The suited man, drained by heavy blood loss, collapsed to the ground, his killer watching him with cold eyes.
"Any last words?"
His legs were unable to support him anymore, and the blood loss rendered him nearly immobile, with only his voice still functioning.
"Heh... you're dangerous, as expected."
"Is that all? Then it's goodbye."
"Not... yet...!"
The dying man forced a smile, mustering the last of his strength to fire the gun, while simultaneously pressing his palm to the ground.
The bullet, fired in a weakened state, missed its target and struck the ground in front of the man. All it did was create a puff of white smoke on the concrete floor.
"Heh... this was my real goal!"
Suddenly, a holy light shattered the darkness of the parking lot, radiating from the assassin's hand and spreading to every corner of the area.
"'Bond of Transference'—I'll send you somewhere unreachable... for the safety of Earth!"
This was the suit-wearing man's final trump card. If the assassination failed, he would activate this technique to transport his target to another world.
A massive magic circle appeared beneath the two of them, and divine energy wove a mysterious gate behind the assassin, leading to a far-off dimension.
The portal to another world opened for those present, and a flood of light erupted from within, swallowing both combatants completely.
If things had gone according to plan, when the light faded, the scene should have been—
—But things didn't go as the suited man had hoped.
"Giann Domanes, no matter what you do, it's useless..."
Neither of them had been transported.
When the light receded, both figures remained.
"You did your best."
The man looked at the lifeless killer who had fought him moments ago.
Now devoid of breath, the assassin had succumbed to his severe blood loss.
The portal should have pulled both combatants into it, transporting them to some unknown, mysterious realm.
Yet here they were, still in the parking lot.
And that portal, instead of vanishing with the death of its summoner, lingered ominously in place.
The door, exuding an eerie aura, seemed to beckon the man, glowing brighter as he approached.
He had a fleeting thought: something interesting might happen if he stepped through.
"After all, this world has already disappointed me... Will what lies beyond this door finally satisfy me?"
If possible, he wanted to find something "interesting."
Without hesitation, the man stepped forward, walking into the unknown, bathed in the endless glow of the portal.