Reno's voice tore through the tense silence.
"Where in the hell were you?!"
Sam stretched his arms with a lazy grin, his tone light despite the tension in the air.
"Just taking a little nap," he said, a joking smile plastered across his face.
Asuna exhaled sharply, relief washing over her features.
"Don't lie, sensei. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
Kirito stepped forward, his brows knitted in confusion.
"What actually happened back there, Sam?"
"I'll explain later," Asuna cut in quickly, her eyes narrowing at Sam as if urging him to keep quiet.
Sam brushed off their concerns and strode toward Reno, his expression shifting from playful to serious.
"What a mess you people created here…" he muttered.
Reno ignored the jab, digging frantically through the coat of the fallen Hawk. His fingers finally found what he was looking for. He pulled out a folded document—its surface soaked in crimson.
"Did you find it, Reno?" Sam asked, his tone sharpening.
Reno lifted the blood-stained parchment, his jaw tight.
"Yeah. But it's covered in blood. Most of the writing is unreadable."
Takashi scowled, frustration bubbling in his voice.
"Then how the hell are we supposed to know what they were after? Without that, we're blind."
Kirito's gaze darkened. "They were also after Rin… Speaking of which, where is he?"
Reno hesitated. "I… put him to sleep while you were in the middle of the fight. After that, I don't know where he is."
"What the hell?!" Kirito and Takashi roared in unison. "You couldn't even keep an eye on a single child?!"
Reno bristled, his voice rising in defense. "Like it's only my fault! He was with me the whole time!"
Takashi's glare hardened. "Now you're blaming me for this?"
Sam, who had been standing silently beside Asuna, tilted his head.
"Who is Rin?" he asked, his voice calm but curious.
Asuna's tone softened as she answered. "If they were talking about that kid with them… the Dark Knight already took him to the ambulance. He's getting first aid and a body examination."
"So he's in the ambulance?" Kirito pressed.
"Yeah," Takashi confirmed.
"Yes," Reno added quickly, nodding.
But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief—
BOOM!
The night sky split with a fiery explosion. Flames erupted where the ambulance had been moments before.
Kirito's eyes widened in shock. "What was that?!"
"Shit!" Reno cursed, his hand reaching for his weapon. "Did we forget to capture someone?!"
Without hesitation, the group sprinted toward the blast site, their boots pounding against the broken ground.
Sam's voice cut through the smoke as they arrived at the scene.
"What the hell just happened?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing on the shaken Dark Knights who had been stationed nearby.The blast shook the ground, flames licking the sky where the ambulance once stood.
Sam narrowed his eyes, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"What was that?"
One of the Dark Knights stepped forward, his face pale beneath his helmet.
"Sir… a spirit has been obstructed in the boy's body."
Sam's gaze snapped to the wreckage. There, floating amid the smoke, was Rin. His unconscious body was suspended in the air, wrapped in a ghostly aura that seemed both alive and violent.
"A spirit… inhabiting the boy?" Sam muttered under his breath. His fists clenched. This is no ordinary possession.
"What the hell is going on?" Kirito demanded, his voice full of shock.
"Not the time to panic!" Reno barked. "Everyone, fall back!"
The Dark Knight raised his weapon. "Get back, stay clear of him! He's about to—"
A roar of fire cut him off. The spirit within Rin surged, condensing mana into a blazing fireball that hurtled toward them.
Sam stepped forward, calm yet sharp. "I'll deal with it. Fall back!"
A flicker of azure flame spiraled around his hand.
"Dematerialize, flame spirit…" he whispered.
The fireball exploded in midair, scattering into harmless embers. The others shielded their faces from the blast of heat.
But Sam didn't relax. His eyes sharpened, reading the flow of mana. So this isn't natural flame… it's simply generated by hydrogen and oxygen in the air. The spirit is manipulating even the elements themselves.
Slowly, Rin's body began to sink toward the ground, but the aura around him grew darker. Strange blue lines crawled across his arm, like a seal struggling to hold.
"There's no time," Sam murmured, stepping closer. Now my turn, Atomic Seal.
A glowing blue line traced itself in the air, responding to Sam's will. He pressed his palm against Rin's hand.
Kirito and Takashi gasped. The mark etched into Rin's skin shifted—its shape now different from before. Rin's breathing slowed, his unconscious body trembling, but the destructive aura vanished in an instant.
The spirit was gone.
For a moment, silence hung over the battlefield—until a loud shriek broke it.
"AAAH!"
Everyone turned. Citizens from the nearby blocks were fleeing in panic.
"Damn it," Sam muttered. "We don't have time for this. Evacuate them immediately!"
"On it!" Asuna shouted, rallying the knights to guide civilians out of the danger zone.
Kirito clenched his teeth. "Sam, what the hell is happening here? That mark on Rin—what does it mean?"