A man in a cloak stepped into a dark room. A lone figure stood inside, staring into the abyss.
"Master, we lost two rooks and a knight," the figure reported.
The cloaked man turned slowly, his voice calm yet ominous. "I suppose it's time. The little man is going to fight." With that, he stepped out of the room.
"Are we launching an attack, Master?" the figure asked hesitantly.
"No," the man replied. "I'm going to stop it. There's another beast on that planet." Then, without another word, he vanished.
At Little Garden
Mr. Goat was still battling Elizabeth. He was exhausted, bloodied, and barely standing.
"Haha... Time's up, old man," she sneered, raising her sniper rifle.
She pulled the trigger.
Before the bullet could hit, Kichu rushed forward, blocking it with his sword. Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock, and she lowered her weapon.
"No... No, you can't fight, darling," she stammered. "My master said if you fight, I'm dead." She hesitated, raising both hands in surrender.
"This won't end well if you don't fight back," Roco warned, raising his guns.
Elizabeth turned to him with a frown. "And who the hell are you?"
"I'm Roberto Roco. Sorry for the late introduction," he said, activating his Elemental Shield.
Kichu grinned at Roco before stepping forward with his sword.
"Elementia? Haha… That's surprising," Elizabeth muttered. She pulled out a shield and a sword, ready for battle.
Roco fired at her while Kichu lunged. Elizabeth blocked the bullets and met Kichu's attack head-on.
"It's only a matter of time before your sword breaks apart," she taunted, clashing blades with him. She struck, but Kichu dodged and slashed her back.
Roco saw an opening and fired, but Elizabeth blocked with her shield and countered with a flamethrower. Fire roared toward them, but they defended themselves and kept attacking.
Meanwhile, Mr. Goat stirred, his vision blurred. He crawled toward the restaurant, struggling to stay conscious.
Suddenly, a girl ran to him with a first aid kit.
"Grandpa... Here, take this!" She carefully bandaged him and tried to help him up.
"You shouldn't be out here. Get inside where it's safe," he groaned.
"You want me to abandon you? Forget it," she snapped, shoving a sturdy stick into his hand.
Leaning on the stick, Mr. Goat slowly stood and limped toward the restaurant.
"Where are you going, Mr. Goat?"
A deep voice rang out behind him.
Mr. Goat froze. He recognized that voice. Turning around, he saw him.
"Hawks? What are you doing here?"
Hawks grinned. "Oh, you remember me? That's good. We have a lot to talk about."
Mr. Goat's eyes widened. "Run!" he shouted at the girl.
She turned to flee, but Hawks raised his gun and fired.
Before the bullet could hit, Roco appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the girl and shielding her.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded, running inside.
Mr. Goat exhaled in relief before turning to Roco with a faint smile.
"Oh, the kid got away? No worries, I'll kill her later," Hawks said nonchalantly.
Mr. Goat clenched his fists. "Hawks, why are you in this cult? You were a notorious criminal, a murderer of countless innocents."
Hawks smirked. "I've changed. I'm a new man now." Then, his expression darkened. "But I've never forgotten what you did. You threw me in prison. When I heard we had a mission on this planet, I was thrilled. I've been waiting for this moment—to kill you and wipe out everything connected to you."
"I wasn't a captain anymore when I put you in prison," Mr. Goat said calmly. "I did it because it was my duty. Holding a grudge against me is pointless."
"Enough talk." Hawks raised his gun. "Fight me, Captain of the 6th Division, Mr. Goat!"
He fired.
Mr. Goat flicked his fingers, and the bullets dropped harmlessly to the ground.
Hawks charged, throwing a punch at Mr. Goat's face.
Mr. Goat raised his palm, a force field slamming Hawks to the ground.
But Hawks grinned. In an instant, he kicked Mr. Goat's legs, making him stumble.
"How?" Mr. Goat gasped.
"I've fought you more than anyone. I know all your tricks," Hawks said, dashing around him and opening fire.
Mr. Goat deflected most of the bullets, but two found their mark, piercing through his body.
He fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Same tricks don't work twice, Goat." Hawks aimed his gun at him and fired again.
---
Meanwhile, Kichu and Roco were still locked in battle with Elizabeth.
"I can't keep going," Kichu panted.
"Just hold on a little longer," Roco urged. "Look at her—she's barely standing."
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.
Roco turned and saw Mr. Goat lying on the floor, blood pooling beneath him.
Hawks stepped inside the restaurant.
"That bastard," Roco growled, charging after him.
"Wait, Roco—" Kichu started, but before he could react, a laser shot grazed past him.
He barely managed to block it before slashing at Elizabeth.
"Why are you still fighting?" Kichu gasped. "Just stop!"
Elizabeth clenched her fists. "I'm not leaving without you," she whispered before collapsing.
Kichu slumped to the ground, exhausted.
Then, Roco flew out of the restaurant, crashing onto the street.
Kichu's eyes widened in shock.
"Roco... Not again."
Hawks stepped out.
"Who the fuck are you to block me?" he sneered.
Roco groaned, staggering to his feet. "Damn… He's strong," he muttered.
"Oh, crap," Kichu said, gripping his sword.
Hawks turned to him, gun raised. "Who are you, kid? Move aside if you want to live."
Kichu tried to raise his sword, but his body felt heavy. His vision blurred.
"What the hell is happening?" he thought as his sword slipped from his grasp.
"Kichu, what are you doing?" Roco shouted.
Kichu couldn't answer. His body collapsed.
Hawks grabbed him by the neck. "You seem familiar, kid. But bad luck—you're gonna die."
Kichu struggled, gasping for air as Hawks' grip tightened.
"You bastard, drop him!" Roco yelled, firing his gun.
Hawks dodged and punched Roco square in the face.
"Don't try to be a hero," he mocked, slamming Kichu into the ground and lifting again.
"Where's that bitch Rook? Did you kill her?" Hawks asked kichu.
Elizabeth groaned, forcing herself up. "No, you bastard…"
"Haha, so you're alive," Hawks chuckled.
"And bad news for you," she spat.
Hawks scoffed. "I'll kill these two first. Then, I'll deal with the captains."
He tighten his grip.
A hand grabbed his wrist.
Hawks turned and froze.
"Master…" Elizabeth whispered, kneeling.
"Don't hurt him," the cloaked man said. "He is the one."
Hawks frowned. "This one?" He glanced at Kichu.
"Remove your hand," the master ordered. Hawks' grip loosened involuntarily, and Kichu fell.
"I'm sorry, Master," Hawks said, kneeling.
"Tell everyone to retreat," the master commanded. "Before he annihilates us."
A few minutes ago.
"Sir Hal, let's go. Our captains need us," Sam said to Hal, who was staring at Matt's lifeless body.
Hal didn't say a word. He simply stood up.
"Sam... Where are our captains now?" he finally asked.
"Two of them are in the market, and—" Before Sam could finish, Hal fired into the sky, the force of his shot leaving a crater in the ground.
Sam looked up in confusion.
In the market…
The captains of the 11th and 12th divisions were fighting four pawns from the cult.
"Is that all you've got, captains?" one of the cultists sneered before they all burst into laughter.
Just then, Hal appeared out of nowhere and struck two of them with a single punch, sending them flying. One lost an ear from the sheer force.
"Sir Hal...?" Gard Lively, the 11th division captain, muttered in shock.
Hal didn't even glance at them. His gaze was locked onto the remaining enemy.
"Who the hell are you, bastard? How dare you kill my comrades?" the pawn growled, raising his spear.
Hal clenched his fist and, in an instant, punched him. The attack was so fast that his head exploded from the impact.
Then Hal vanished.
"What just happened?" Henry Foster, the 12th division captain, asked, still processing the scene.
"I... I don't know. I've never seen Sir Hal like that," Gard replied, staring off into the distance.
Elsewhere in the city…
The 10th division captain, Yoru Min, was locked in combat with a bishop and a pawn from the cult.
Hal arrived, his piercing gaze fixed on the bishop.
"What the hell are you staring at, bastard?" the bishop snarled.
Drops of blood splattered onto his face.
"The fuck...?" He wiped it off and turned toward the pawn—only to freeze in horror.
The pawn lay on the ground, his body severed in half.
"W-What is this...?" The bishop's face twisted with fear. He instinctively raised his sword, pointing it at Hal with trembling hands.
"Move an inch, and I'll kill you!" he threatened.
"Sir Hal... What are you doing?" Yoru Min asked, sensing something was off.
"I'm going to kill every last one of them," Hal replied, his voice cold and unrecognizable.
Yoru Min swallowed hard. It was the first time he had ever seen Hal like this.
He's like a completely different person.
Before he could react, Hal crushed the bishop's head with a single motion.
Back to the restaurant..
"W-What…? Master, we lost all of our people! A single man wiped them out! We need to leave this planet now!" Elizabeth reported, panic in her voice.
"As expected," the Master sighed. He turned to the side—where Hal stood, fists trembling, his clothes drenched in blood.
"It's really sad to see you like this," the Master said, shaking his head. "Did your son pay you a visit?"
Hal's body stiffened. His breathing grew ragged. His rage erupted as he let out a furious scream and lunged at the Master.
"Umm… You really shouldn't do that," the Master muttered.
Hal collapsed to the ground instantly.
Roco slowly regained consciousness, his face battered from the fight. He crawled toward Kichu and tried to wake him—but Kichu remained motionless.
Gritting his teeth, Roco stood up, lifted Mr. Goat onto his back, and carried him inside the restaurant.
A young girl ran to them, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed onto Mr. Goat.
"What happened to Grandpa?" she asked.
"He's okay. Just unconscious," Roco reassured her. "Listen carefully. Take him to the hospital. It's not safe here anymore."
"What about you, big bro?" she asked.
Roco smiled, patting her head before turning toward the door, guns in hand.
"Wait…" Mr. Goat coughed and forced himself up.
"You're still alive, old man?" Roco smirked.
"You wish, bastard…" Mr. Goat groaned. "Here, take this."
He tossed two golden Marsh revolvers to the floor. Roco's eyes widened in surprise as he picked them up.
"Use them wisely. They're a family treasure," Mr. Goat said, laying back down.
Roco grinned. Then, without another word, he ran outside.
- To Be Continued...