"What did you see there?" Roco asked, noticing the shaken look on Kichu's face.
Kichu exhaled sharply. "It's bad... really bad." His voice was low, almost hollow. Without another word, he turned and started walking back toward the village.
When they reached the old building, Anna was still there, waiting.
"Hey... tell me, when is the little girl supposed to go to the mountain?" Kichu asked, his tone unusually serious.
Anna hesitated. "Tomorrow evening," she finally said.
Kichu clenched his fists. "Okay... then let us stay here for the night."
"Of course, you can stay here," she said, but there was worry in her voice.
"Alright, Roco, here's the plan," Kichu said, turning to his friend. "Tomorrow, we follow the little girl. We stay hidden until those bastards show up. Then we kill them. No mercy. But first, we make sure the girl is safe."
Roco nodded. "Sounds good. But hey, lady, I have a question," he said, glancing at Anna.
"Yeah? What is it?" she asked.
"You said we're the fourth people to find this planet. What about the other three? Are they still here?"
Anna lowered her head. "No... the first one was me. The other two are dead."
Roco scoffed. "Yeah... figures."
"It's a miracle they haven't found you yet," Anna added, her voice heavy with fear.
Kichu narrowed his eyes. "Why? You don't trust us?"
Anna shook her head quickly. "No, it's not that. I do trust you. But they're powerful-too powerful. The second and third people who arrived here were strong. They even had sins. But they still died. That's why I'm scared for you."
Kichu looked at her for a long moment. Then he nodded. "You can trust us. I don't know if that prophecy is real or just some nonsense, but we'll help you."
Roco tilted his head. "By the way, what's your name? Just realized we never asked."
Anna blinked before giving a small, tired smile. "It's Anna Hertz."
The night passed, but sleep was hard to find.
By morning, the peace was shattered by a roar of voices outside. Kichu jolted awake, instincts kicking in. He reached for his sword and rushed toward the door.
"Hey! Don't go out there!" Anna grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"What the hell is going on?" Kichu asked, his heart pounding.
Anna hesitated. "It's... just a crowd," she said unconvincingly.
Kichu let out a dry chuckle. "So, the show has begun."
He moved toward the window and peeked outside. A sea of angry villagers had gathered, screaming, throwing stones, their faces twisted in rage and fear.
"So, what did their 'God' say this time?" Kichu asked without looking away.
Anna's face paled. "How did you know?"
Kichu smirked darkly. "Just tell me what the voice said."
Anna swallowed hard. "Last night... everyone heard it. It said, 'Bring the men who came from the sky to the mountain. They have come to destroy us.' And now... this."
Before Kichu could respond, Roco and Forcy burst into the room, panting.
"Kichu!" Roco shouted.
"What?" Kichu turned, his grip tightening on his sword.
"Those bastards! They took the girl!"
Kichu's blood ran cold.
Anna gasped. "What?!"
Kichu's face twisted with fury. "Roco, when did this happen?!" He was already moving toward the door.
"Early this morning," Roco explained, keeping pace. "Forcy was protecting her, but that invisible bastard got to him first. Beat him unconscious and took her."
"Ahh... fuck!" Kichu cursed. "We need to move-fast!"
They sprinted toward the mountain, their breaths heavy, their hearts pounding.
Suddenly, a voice whispered near Kichu's ear.
"Need some speed?"
Kichu barely had time to react before a figure appeared in front of him out of nowhere.
Instinctively, he reached for his sword. "Who the-"
"Oh, oh... easy there," the man chuckled before vanishing in an instant.
Kichu froze, scanning the area. Nothing.
"Damn it..." he muttered before taking off again.
Finally, they reached the towering statue of the so-called God. The place was eerily silent. No sign of the girl. No sign of anyone.
Kichu gritted his teeth, his voice thundering through the still air.
"COME OUT, ASSHOLES!"
Suddenly, Roco collapsed to the ground.
"Roco, what happened?" Kichu called out, stepping toward him. But just as he moved, a sudden sensation warned him-he quickly dodged.
"Oh... you're quick." A voice echoed from the air.
"Show yourself, cowards!" Kichu shouted.
"Cowards?"
"It's just our power." Two voices came from near a statue. Kichu and Roco turned their heads and saw two men standing there.
"Be proud to witness a god. Be proud to stand in the presence of divinity!" one of the men proclaimed loudly from atop the statue.
"God, my ass! Where is the girl?" Kichu demanded.
"Do you mean her?" one of them sneered, pointing to the roof of a nearby building.
Kichu and Roco turned, their eyes widening in shock. She was hanging from the roof, her body covered in wounds.
"She was good. I mean, how wouldn't she be? She's an Aorizoner, after all. The most beautiful women in the universe, born from the worst race. Pathetic!" The man laughed.
Kichu's body trembled with anger. Without hesitation, he leaped toward the statue.
"Oh... no chill at all," one of them chuckled. Then, both of them vanished.
Kichu swung his sword with fury, slicing the statue clean in half.
"Haven't you realized by now? You can't even see us," one of them taunted, appearing behind Kichu.
"Hey, I'll take the sword-wielding one," said the second man-the teleporter-before disappearing again.
Roco aimed his gun around, but before he could react, he was kicked hard from behind.
"Ah... this power is so damn cocky!" Roco gritted his teeth and fired blindly in all directions.
Meanwhile, Kichu was struggling to land a hit on the teleporter.
"I'm here..." The enemy flickered from spot to spot, taunting him. Kichu swung his sword wildly, frustration mounting.
"Fight like a man, coward!" Kichu growled, raising his sword.
"Haha... That won't work on me!" The teleporter suddenly appeared right in front of Kichu.
"There you are." Kichu smirked. The moment the teleporter materialized, he slashed at him. But the enemy dodged at the last second, stumbling back before vanishing again.
"Damn... That was close," the teleporter muttered. "What's he up to?"
At the same time, Roco was still locked in battle with the invisible man.
"Haha! How can you shoot me if you can't even see me?" The invisible man sneered, landing blow after blow on Roco.
Bruised and bleeding, Roco dropped to one knee, panting heavily.
"Agh... It's too soon for you to die, huh? Fine. I'll finish you off." The invisible man appeared before him, spear in hand, and stabbed forward.
The spear went straight through Roco's body.
At the same moment, Kichu's eyes widened in horror.
"Roco...!" he shouted, just as the teleporter struck him multiple times with a knife.
Kichu staggered back, blood dripping from his wounds.
"This is bad... If this keeps up, we'll both be dead." He clenched his jaw. "Think, Kichu. What's his weakness? Weakness...!"
The teleporter smirked. "I know you're using soul sensing! But too bad-you can't use it if you're distracted." He slashed Kichu again.
Kichu ignored the pain and laughed. "I think you have a limit."
The teleporter paused for a second before smiling. "Limit? Haha! I am a god-I have no limit!"
"You teleport every ten seconds. When you're talking, you reappear, meaning you can't teleport while speaking. That also means you're recharging every time you stop. You can only teleport five times in a row before you need a break." Kichu smirked.
"How do you-" The teleporter's eyes widened for a second, then he laughed.
"You're right. But I've only shown you a glimpse of my power. I can teleport objects, too, you know." He snapped his fingers.
A massive chunk of the broken statue appeared in front of Kichu-before he could react, it slammed into him, sending him crashing into a nearby building. The structure collapsed entirely.
"Hey, Cady! Mine's dead already," the teleporter said.
"Yeah? Mine was dead a long time ago," the invisible man cackled.
Roco lay on the ground, breathing heavily. "I've been training for years, trying to awaken a Sin. But... how can I find my mother if I'm this weak?" He clenched his fists. "This is it. I have to show the results of my training."
He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't move.
"Hey, you... you bastard hiding inside my soul," Roco muttered. "This is your last chance... Appear..."
His voice faded. Darkness swallowed him.
And then-
A warm, gentle light.
He saw her-his mother. She reached out her hand toward him.
"Grab it, son," she whispered.
Slowly, Roco raised his trembling hand.
The moment their fingers touched, a brilliant blue light erupted from his body.
"What's happening?" The invisible man shielded his eyes.
"Hey, that light-it's coming from the gun kid! Don't tell me he's awakening a Sin," the teleporter said, teleporting near Roco.
Before he could get close, a massive wave of water crashed into him, sending him flying.
"Wick! What the hell just happened?" the invisible man shouted.
He turned toward Roco with rage and disappeared. Reappearing behind him, he raised his spear to stab Roco's back-
But another wave of water surged, knocking him back.
"Water? No... this bastard couldn't possibly..." The invisible man gritted his teeth.
The bright light faded.
Roco stood at the center of it, two circles of swirling water surrounding his body.
"The Elementia... Water!" The invisible man's voice wavered with disbelief.
"Elementia? The Class II top-tier Sin?" The teleporter's eyes widened as he stared at Roco, realization dawning on him.
Roco stood firm, his breathing heavy, two swirling rings of water orbiting his body like sentinels. His eyes burned with rage.
"Where is Kichu?" he demanded, his voice sharp as a blade. With a flick of his hand, countless water droplets shot toward the enemies, striking them like piercing needles.
"Ah... fuck! I never expected this brat to awaken Elementia." The teleporter gritted his teeth, gripping his knife. "Now we can't even get near him. That damn Elemental Shield-our biggest disadvantage. As long as it holds, we can't touch him."
Roco clenched his fists, his fury barely contained. "I asked you... where is he?"
The invisible man let out a cruel chuckle. "Oh, I'm delighted to tell you... he's dead." He grinned mockingly.
Roco's entire body tensed. His teeth clenched, his breath ragged. "You... motherfuckers..." His voice dripped with venom as he lunged at them.
The two enemies charged at him, screaming, their movements fueled by desperation.
At the same time Beneath the Ruins..
Kichu lay beneath the collapsed building, his body pinned under the weight of shattered stone and debris. He could barely breathe. His limbs refused to move.
"Shit..." He groaned, barely able to lift his hand. His fingers scraped against the rubble. "I... I can't move."
Then, suddenly-the ground beneath him crumbled. The weight above him shifted, and he fell.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
With a painful thud, he landed on solid rock. Dust choked his lungs as he forced himself to sit up, his body screaming in protest.
"Where... am I?" His voice echoed through the cavernous space. His vision adjusted to the pitch-black surroundings.
A deep silence pressed against his ears-until his gaze landed on something.
His sword.
Or rather, what was left of it.
It lay beside him, shattered in two.
His breath hitched.
A hollow laugh escaped his lips, bitter and broken. "I can't... I can't do this anymore." His voice cracked as he clenched his fists. "I couldn't protect Roco. I couldn't even protect myself. I'm... I'm a failure."
He squeezed his eyes shut, hot tears slipping down his face.
"Somebody... help me..."
"No."
A voice-deep and unwavering-echoed through the darkness.
Kichu's breath hitched. His head snapped up.
"Who's there?" His voice trembled as he scanned the darkness.
The voice resonated again, powerful and commanding. "Think. Are you truly hopeless? It's shameful to hear a human speak of failure. Hopeless?" A pause. "Your kind survives on hope."
A shiver ran down Kichu's spine.
"Where are you? Show yourself!"
A low chuckle reverberated through the cave.
"Show myself? I have no face. I am but a mere product of someone's determination. And I can sense it in you, too."
Kichu gritted his teeth. "Determination? Determination alone isn't enough! What I need is-" His voice wavered. "Power."
The voice remained silent for a moment. Then, it spoke.
"Power?" The word echoed like a challenge. "Is that what you seek? Then come to me."
Kichu's hands curled into the dirt. "I can't even move."
"If you stand now... you can create a new history." The voice deepened, almost taunting. "Or... history will simply repeat itself."
Kichu's breath was ragged, his heart pounding in his chest. His fingers twitched.
His body screamed at him to give up.
But his soul whispered something else.
Move.
-To Be Continued...