The sky had darkened by the time Uhra stepped out of his car.
He adjusted his suit, took a slow breath, and began walking with determined steps toward a gray, half-collapsed building.
He entered cautiously.
Two masked figures stood by the entrance. Special Killers.
They gave him a silent nod and allowed him to pass.
(Of course there wouldn't be any Regular or even Excellence Killers here), Uhra thought dryly. Not at a meeting with the Boss. Only the strongest are allowed here.
The strongest… He tensed slightly.
Are they here?
The Four.
He turned down a dim hallway and approached a single door at the very end. His hand moved to the handle. Slowly, he pressed it down.
The door creaked open.
Silence.
Nothing happened. Not that anything should have happened—until an old, brittle voice broke the air.
> "Come in, Uhra."
Uhra's breathing quickened.
The Boss. The King of the Killers.
He pushed the door open fully and stepped inside.
The room was almost completely dark—except for three candles, arranged in a straight line. They were the boundary. Crossing them would mean death.
The flickering light revealed five silhouettes: four young… and one old.
The Four. The Elite. The Apocalyptic Riders.
Uhra's breath grew faster.
He stepped forward a few paces, then knelt before the three candles.
He raised his eyes to the elder figure—their leader. The King.
The voice spoke again, calm yet commanding.
> "Uhra, you know why you were summoned. Why we stand here in the presence of the Apocalyptic Riders, the Elite of the Ligers."
Uhra swallowed hard, trying to steady his mind.
> "Yes, Your Grace."
The figure nodded.
> "Then tell us. About him. This boy."
Uhra nodded nervously.
> "Yes, Your Grace. His name is Ruigh. As you surely know, I encountered him three weeks ago during the mission where I was tasked to eliminate that A-Rank. Both Ruigh and the A-Rank showed… unusual traits."
One of the four silhouettes shifted. A young woman's voice spoke, calm but curious.
> "Unusual? In what way?"
Uhra answered quickly.
> "That A-Rank… escaped my Black Hole. He broke free from the Null Dimension. I could feel it."
Another figure moved—a young man's voice followed.
> "Your supernatural ability has something to do with dimensions, doesn't it?"
The young woman spoke again.
> "Yes. His ability lets him transfer objects into his own dimension, where they're destroyed. No one can escape it."
Uhra smiled faintly.
> "And yet… it happened. I could feel it. As if he altered reality itself. That's the only logical explanation."
The leader shook his head.
> "Enough about that. What about the boy, Ruigh?"
Uhra hesitated before answering.
> "He has supernatural powers, but he claims he only awakened them after meeting that A-Rank."
The young woman scoffed.
> "Impossible. The Energy System can only grant abilities at birth."
The young man turned toward her.
> "Shimura, don't be so naïve. Maybe the universe looked the other way this time."
Another voice spoke—deep, tired, belonging to the tallest figure.
> "Anki, the universe doesn't look the other way."
The tall figure leaned back against the wall. Her tone was rough, almost bored.
> "It would be useful to know exactly what kind of ability this Ruigh has."
Her gaze locked onto Uhra, waiting.
Uhra cleared his throat.
> "According to his own words, it's… logic manipulation."
A quiet murmur rippled through the group.
Shimura crossed her arms.
> "Logic manipulation… to what extent?"
Uhra bowed his head slightly.
> "We only started training recently. But it seems he has to focus on manipulating one specific logic at a time."
The tall figure asked,
> "And how is he progressing?"
Uhra exhaled.
> "Fast. Certain logics he can already alter without much trouble."
Anki ran a hand through his hair.
> "Sounds promising."
Shimura's voice followed.
> "Then he can start as a Regular Killer soon."
The leader stirred for the first time since Uhra entered. A faint tremor passed through his words.
> "No. Not as a Regular Killer."
The tall figure sounded surprised.
> "You're not thinking of making him an Excellence Killer already?"
Shimura frowned.
> "That would get the boy killed."
The leader shook his head slowly.
> "I have another plan."
Anki tilted his head.
> "Your Grace… you don't mean—"
> "Project Phantom."
The room fell silent.
> "Your faces and names are known across the entire supernatural world," the leader continued. "But this boy… no one knows him. That makes him perfect. Fresh talent. Hidden potential."
Shimura's silhouette nodded with approval.
> "A clever move, Master."
The leader returned the nod, then turned back to Uhra.
> "Train him. Be his mentor."
A pause.
> "And as for that A-Rank…" His voice grew colder. "Tell no one. No word of this leaves this room. Now go, Uhra."
---
Rain poured as Uhra stepped out of the crumbling building.
He pulled his hood over his head and hurried to his car. Sliding into the driver's seat, he let out a long, tired breath.
Those Four… they were always impressive.
And now, Ruigh was going to be part of a special project.
A grin spread across his face as he murmured to himself,
> "He's going to love this."