That night, laughter and cheers echoed through the city center, right in front of the Hero Guild headquarters.
Tables were overflowing with food, magical lanterns shone brightly, and alcohol flowed freely.
"LET'S EAT TO OUR HEART'S CONTENT!!" shouted one of the heroes, raising his massive mug.
Everyone laughed.
The atmosphere was festive.
But that joy didn't last long.
A loud explosion shook the air, followed by a rumble and a burst of dark magic light from the roof of the guild headquarters.
Chaos broke out instantly.
Screams. Panic. Blood.
The silhouette of a young boy stood atop the guild's rooftop.
His black cloak fluttered in the night wind.
The light from the magic lanterns couldn't pierce the shadows cloaking his body.
He looked down, calm. Unshaken.
"What is that...!?"
"Who is he!?"
One step. Two steps.
The figure jumped from the rooftop, landing silently, right in the middle of the crowd of heroes, who now backed away in fear.
And as if responding to that fear... shadows began appearing one by one around him.
Mysterious figures, unknown, as if born from the darkness itself.
They were... the members of Nocturne Eclipse.
Their arrival was silent.
But the magical pressure they brought made the air feel heavy, suffocating.
Then, that voice was heard.
Calm. Deep. Full of arrogance.
"We..."
The figure stepped forward.
Each step tore into the ground, as dark magic spread from his feet.
"...are Nocturne Eclipse."
One stomp, and thick energy spread like dark ink.
Kazuki...White Reaper, slowly raised his hand, like a conductor drawing open the curtains of darkness.
"We emerge from behind the light and the shadows..."
His eyes gleamed, sharp like a cold blade.
"To reveal the rotting world... and erase these fake 'heroes' from the stage."
A soft chuckle followed.
Silence turned into terror.
The night's performance had begun.
But as always… there's always someone trying to act like a hero.
A young man stepped forward, overly dramatic, puffing out his chest, voice booming:
"AHHH!! SHUT UPPP!!!"
White Reaper only stared at him. Expressionless. Flat.
Inside, he just wanted to finish this performance in style.
Well... guess I'll beat this guy first. Then I'll unleash my ultimate skill… the night's still long.
"Heh…" White Reaper scoffed softly.
The guy charged forward, in a completely... amateur way.
Reckless, no technique, just yelling and swinging his sword wildly.
White Reaper drew his sword...
White Blade, a black-and-white sword with a dark purple sheen, and easily blocked the attack.
The clash of metal rang through the air.
Kazuki stepped back, face still emotionless.
"STOP RUNNING, COWARD!! YOU IDIOT!! PERVERT!!" the guy yelled, pointing and cursing wildly.
Kazuki just blinked slowly.
Does he think… just because I have lots of female members, I'm running some harem? What a paper-brained idiot.
"Hmm... you're not even worth fighting."
White Reaper's voice was cold.
His steps were calm, unbothered by the insults.
"You and the rest… are not real heroes. Just cheap clowns begging for applause on a fake stage."
"Tch!!" the guy growled. But his eyes were starting to tremble.
And then...
Whoosh!
A shadow dashed in.
A wolf girl. One of the members of Nocturne Eclipse.
She emerged from the darkness, her movements fast, undetectable.
Her claws and speed magic struck them all at once.
One move. Five bodies thrown aside.
"U..UWAARGH!!"
"W-WHAT IS THIS!?"
None of them could fight back. They were just playthings.
Ah man, she stole my stage… haha...
Then, the wolf girl jogged back to White Reaper.
"Boss!!! Wasn't my action super cool!?" she shouted, full of excitement.
Well… she got happy real quick...
That's fine. Even if she stole the spotlight, at least she's happy.
Oh right... I haven't given her a name yet. Hmm...
"Now, I shall give you a name..."
"Hmm... maybe Fenya," said White Reaper, with a cool tone.
"I LOVE THAT NAME, BOSS!!"
Fenya shouted with sparkling eyes, her tail wagging in delight.
Even though that name was just a random product of my own imagination...
Haha... my genius brain is dangerous sometimes.
Suddenly, another member of Nocturne Eclipse appeared, Neera.
Her face was serious.
"Lord White Reaper... we sense a different aura approaching this way."
I hope this time... it's really my stage.
"Alright. Let me handle this alone."
White Reaper said, eyes narrowing toward the night sky.
White Reaper walked casually toward the source of the strange aura.
His eyes stared straight ahead.
Cold.
"Are you... a hero?" he asked. His voice was quiet, but full of pressure.
The man was startled.
"Huh?! Who the hell are you!?" he shouted, on guard.
White Reaper slightly raised his chin. His expression remained flat.
"You don't need to know my name. Only those worthy enough to fight me deserve to know who I am."
The man scowled.
"Oh, is that so..."
Power surged instantly from his body. Without a word, he attacked White Reaper.
But...
Zzzzt!
The attack was deflected.
White Reaper dodged easily, his speed beyond normal sight.
Tsk… too easy. Boring. Guess I'll just kill him.
"How boring," White Reaper muttered, like he was just yawning.
THWACK!
A clean kick to the head.
Blood splattered.
The man's body slammed into a stone wall.
White Reaper approached slowly.
Without saying a word...
SLAASH!
White Blade, the black-and-white sword with violet hue, sliced the body clean in two.
The body fell. No longer moving.
"One more piece of trash taken out."
And White Reaper walked away as if nothing happened.
Elsewhere in the ruined city, a group of five heroes appeared.
One of them looked around, tense.
"What… happened here!?" he shouted in disbelief.
Another one stepped forward.
"Hmm... let's check inside the guild headquarters."
They entered the main guild building.
But the atmosphere…
Silent. Too silent.
As soon as the front doors opened, their steps froze.
There...
In the center of the main hall...
Someone was sitting on a grand chair.
Dim light cast a silhouette. Sitting relaxed, legs crossed, his gaze blank as if savoring the stage prepared before him.
Beside him stood his subordinates.
Members of Nocturne Eclipse.
He was...
White Reaper.
"W-WHAT!?" the heroes screamed in unison.
They took a step back, their instincts screaming danger.
But White Reaper only gave a faint smirk.
Silent.
But dominating.
And then...
My true stage... is about to begin.