"Immortal's territory? What do you mean by that?" Kichu asked Texa, narrowing his eyes.
Texa replied calmly, "The wormhole transported you to the other side of the universe. Then the planet Gadha briefly teleported near the Eternal Empire."
Roco smirked, leaning back. "So, we're dangerously close to one of the Devils, huh?"
Kichu grinned, a fire of determination igniting in his eyes. "I never thought I'd get here this quickly. Time to save my friends."
Roco raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Kichu, isn't that a bit reckless? We're talking about a Devil-the most powerful being in the universe."
"I know," Kichu replied firmly. "But we have to land there. If there's even a hint about my friends, we need to find it."
"Yeah... I guess we have no choice," Roco sighed.
Kichu guided the spaceship down to the shadowy planet of Dark-93. They carefully disembarked, scanning the eerily quiet surroundings.
"Why is it so empty?" Kichu muttered as they walked ahead. Soon, a massive wall loomed before them.
"Time to jump," Kichu declared, vaulting over the barrier with ease. Roco followed-but another figure unexpectedly landed beside them.
"That was quite the leap, wasn't it?" the stranger remarked casually, brushing dust off his cloak.
"Yeah... Wait, who the hell are you?" Kichu immediately drew his sword.
The man chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, I'm just like you. A traveler."
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Kichu snapped, stepping closer. Suddenly, an arrow thudded into the ground between them. Armed figures emerged from the shadows, weapons drawn.
"Great. Fight time!" Kichu smirked, charging in with his sword. Roco activated his elementia, fusing water with his guns to dispatch several attackers. Amidst the chaos, Kichu noticed the mysterious stranger standing still as attackers closed in on him.
"Need a hand, old man?" Kichu taunted, slashing through another enemy.
The stranger appeared beside him in the blink of an eye. "Are you talking to me?" he asked coolly.
Kichu froze. "How did you...?"
"Rumor has it the city is just a few steps away," the stranger said, already walking ahead. "Coming?"
"Who are you?" Kichu demanded, jogging to catch up.
"Oh, my bad. I'm Alex. Just a traveler. Heard there's a lot to see around here," he replied with a grin.
"Traveler, huh?" Kichu eyed the massive staff on Alex's back. "And what's with that stick?"
Alex shrugged. "Self-defense. Lots of bad guys out here. Now, what about you? Got a name?"
Kichu hesitated before motioning to Roco. "Hold on. Hey, Roco. What do you think?"
Roco frowned. "He seems harmless... for now. We can trust him until we get to the city."
"Fine," Kichu relented, turning to Alex. "I'm Kichu. This is Roco. Let's move."
Alex tilted his head, studying Kichu. "Kichu, huh? You from Earth?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Alex chuckled. "Fate sure is funny. Never thought I'd meet you here."
Kichu narrowed his eyes. "Do I know you?"
"Nope," Alex said quickly. "Let's keep moving."
They reached the city's gates, where Alex turned. "Well, this is where I part ways. Sightseeing calls."
Kichu grabbed his arm. "Wait. We don't know this place, and you're sightseeing? Great! We'll tag along."
"I travel alone," Alex said flatly.
"Too bad. We're already disturbing you, so what's the harm?" Kichu grinned.
Roco sighed. "Look, we're searching for someone. If you help us, it'll be faster."
Alex considered for a moment. "Who?"
Kichu's expression darkened. "My friends. They were taken by Immortal's forces for some kind of project."
"How long ago?"
"Four months," Kichu admitted.
Alex frowned. "Four months? They're probably-"
"They're alive," Kichu interrupted firmly. "The project takes time. I know they're still out there."
After a pause, Alex nodded. "I'm already in trouble for fighting those guards earlier. But fine, I'll help,"
"Then let's go," Kichu said, heading off to search.
They scoured every corner but found no trace.
"I think we should split up and search," Roco suggested.
"I don't think that's a good idea. What if more guards show up?" Alex replied.
"Then it'll be a problem... for them, of course," Kichu said, drawing his sword. Alex stared at the weapon in shock, then smiled.
"I like that attitude. You know, I had a younger brother just like you," Alex said, eyeing Kichu.
"Had? What happened?" Kichu asked, curious.
"It's nothing. But seeing that sword, I can't let you go alone," Alex said.
"Oh, don't worry. I'll cut down anyone who gets in my way," Kichu said with determination.
"Huh... As I expected," Alex muttered, handing Kichu a device. "If anything happens, press this button. I'll be right in front of you."
"Okay, but just so you know, I won't need to use it," Kichu replied, walking away.
Roco and Alex took different paths to continue the search.
After hours of walking, Kichu grew tired and sat by the roadside, surrounded by people in the city.
"Ugh... What a pain. I can't find any trace. Guess I'll have to take a riskier path," Kichu muttered, heading into a crowded area.
"Excuse me, do you know where I can find the guards? My wallet's gone," Kichu asked a civilian.
"Of course! If you go straight ahead, you'll reach the sub-headquarters. You can file a complaint there," the civilian replied.
"Thanks a lot!" Kichu said, then made his way to the headquarters. He covered his face with a cloth and scaled the wall.
Meanwhile, Roco walked through the city when a group of guards appeared in front of him.
"Surrender. That's your best option, intruder," one of the guards ordered.
"I don't think so," Roco said, drawing his guns.
The guards lunged at him, but Roco activated his elemental shield and fired back, taking them down.
"An Elementia holder? Interesting," a man with golden claws stepped forward from the guards.
"Oh, you don't like that?" Roco smirked and fired at him. The man dodged and lunged at Roco with his claws.
"Oooh... golden claws," Roco commented, casually tucking his guns away. "I surrender," he said, suddenly kneeling.
The guards burst out laughing and dragged him off to the headquarters.
"Sir, we've caught one intruder, but the other two are still unaccounted for," a guard reported to a large man in a room.
"Missing? Get your asses over there and catch them in an hour. Got it?" the man shouted. He was one of the vice commanders of the Immortal Benedict Griz.
"Intruders on my planet? They've got guts," he muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette. Meanwhile, Kichu sprinted through the hallways, spotting more guards ahead. He leaped out of the window and landed safely on another floor. He peeked inside and locked eyes with Benedict, who was staring right back at him.
"Hello, I'm your new window cleaner. Kic-Kickburn Sunshine. Nice to meet you..." Kichu stammered with a smile.
Benedict stared at him, unmoving.
"I'm dead. He's not buying this," Kichu thought to himself.
Benedict stood up, walking toward the window. He leaned in and studied Kichu closely.
"Ha... Window cleaning, huh? I've been thinking about that for a while. Do your job properly or say goodbye to your family," Benedict warned, walking away.
Kichu was left speechless.
"He really bought that," Kichu muttered, entering the room. He searched the place but found nothing-except for a file labeled "Project Report," which he grabbed.
Suddenly, Benedict burst into the room. "Wait a minute... Where are your window cleaning tools?" he asked, glaring at Kichu.
Kichu froze, his eyes wide with shock.
"Hey, you? GUARDS!" Benedict shouted. The guards rushed in.
"Ah... Crap," Kichu muttered to himself, raising his hands in surrender.
"Who are you? What's your motive?" Benedict demanded.
"I'm here for sightseeing. Is this not a corporate zoo? All I see is a hippopotamus standing in front of me," Kichu quipped, grinning.
"You son of a-" Benedict growled, lifting his leg to stomp on Kichu. But just then, one of the guards entered and whispered something in his ear.
"What? Sir is coming here? Why? Wait... This is perfect," Benedict smirked, turning to Kichu. "Bring him with me."
They dragged Kichu to another room, where a massive man sat in a chair.
"Good afternoon, sir. What brings you here?" Benedict bowed respectfully.
"Nothing much, just wanted to see how things are going. What's this guy in the back done?" the man asked, rising from his chair.
Kichu stared at the man, horrified.
"Nothing, sir. He's just an intruder. What would you like to do with him, Sir Savon?" Benedict replied.
Kichu shocked and raised his head at the man.
"Hey.. Brat.. We met again." Savon taunted kichu.
-To Be Continued...