"Voltage Needle!"
The words left Noel's lips like a command to the storm itself. A sharp beam of lightning tore through the night, striking the illusory figure chasing Noir. It exploded on impact—yet what followed was only smoke, not blood.
Noel's eyes narrowed, Revenant Fang already raised. 'A decoy?'
From the drifting haze, a man stepped forward—young, perhaps around Noel's age. His expression was empty, almost lifeless, but the mana radiating from him was ancient and suffocating.
Noir landed beside Noel, her violet eyes burning with intensity. 'Dad… that's him. One of the twins.'
Noel's grip on Revenant Fang tightened. "So you finally decided to show yourselves."
The man said nothing. He unsheathed his own weapon—a pitch-black blade veined with faint red cracks, humming with unstable mana.
The air trembled. For a heartbeat, the two only stared at each other—the calm before a storm.
Then both moved.
