The elevator door hissed open with a cold click, revealing the dimly lit interior of S.I.N HQ—walls lined with quiet tech, shelves filled with restricted grimoires, and a faint hum of arcane machinery powering the base beneath the ruins of Argent City.
Fang stepped in behind Agent L, arms crossed, still skeptical despite everything she'd seen.
Shin stood waiting.
As always: calm, suited, unreadable.
Fang narrowed her eyes. "You're the boss?"
He nodded once. "Shin Kurozaki. Founder of S.I.N. Welcome to the only place in this world where broken things become dangerous again."
She snorted. "I don't do speeches."
"Good," Shin replied. "We do results."
He snapped his fingers. A wall slid open behind him with a whisper of gears.
Inside was a full-body suit suspended in magitek stasis—midnight black, reinforced with armored mesh woven from anti-magic fibers and beastkin muscle memory responsiveness. Sleek, sleeveless upper torso to allow claw movement, and flexible armored boots for acrobatics.
Two curved hilts floated at the center of the suit—twin magi-blades. Slightly translucent, the weapons pulsed softly with kinetic energy and embedded mana conductors.
A visor mask sat on a nearby pedestal—black as obsidian with a sharp glowing line across the eyes, fanged at the edges, and rune-synced to her heartbeat.
"Your body's your weapon," Shin said. "Your suit should feel like your second skin."
Fang walked forward, slowly reaching out. The suit flickered in response, syncing to her unique mana. She pulled it on piece by piece—no struggle, no stiffness.
When the mask slid into place, a faint pulse of energy surrounded her.
Her claws slid smoothly from her gauntlets. Her twin blades snapped to her hips magnetically.
"...I feel like a predator again," she whispered.
Shin's eyes narrowed with approval.
"That's because you are."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Agent F: Full Synchronization Achieved ]
Gear: Custom S.I.N Suit - Type F
Mask: Black Visor Unit – Stealth Variant
Weapons: Twin Magi-Blades "Snapfang"
Skill Unlocked: [Pack Instinct] – Increased coordination and combat awareness with bonded allies
Lio walked up beside her, arms crossed with a grin.
"Told you we had options."
Fang flexed her fingers, claws glinting. "You're lucky I like this."
Shin stepped forward.
"From now on, you're not a fighter for the crowd. You're a hunter for the forgotten.
You don't chase glory. You end corruption in silence."
She bowed slightly—more out of mutual respect than submission.
"Understood... Commander."
Elsewhere, deep beneath the city's noble district, a masked mage whispered into a crystal:
"The Beast joins the Blade.
The Black Suit grows teeth."
A dozen bounty orders were signed in blood.
Deep within the subterranean gym of S.I.N HQ—an arena reinforced with shock-absorbing plates and energy-nullifying walls—Shin stood alone at the center of a black-ringed circle.
In one hand: a small, steaming porcelain teacup.
In the other: nothing.
Across from him stood the three agents in full uniform—
Agent Y, petite and precise, dagger already drawn.
Agent L, calm and coiled, sword humming on his back.
Agent F, arms crossed, tail flicking, claws ready.
"Training starts now," Shin said softly, blowing on his tea.
"Wait, are you not gonna draw a weapon?" Lio asked.
"No."
"Not even… stand properly?"
Shin sipped.
"You'll learn something from this."
Fang growled. "So what? We try to land a hit?"
"Try," Shin echoed. "All at once. Do your best."
The room fell silent. Then—
They moved.
Yuzu blinked out of view, darting in low.
Fang launched forward in a pouncing sprint.
Lio swung down in a vertical arc from above.
And Shin…
Didn't move.
He simply tilted his head, sidestepped with no wasted motion, and gently twisted his foot to pivot—all while sipping his tea.
Fang's claw slashed air.
Lio's sword struck the floor with a clang.
Yuzu's dagger passed through the spot Shin had just stood.
"Again," he said calmly.
They attacked again. Harder. Smarter.
But he was already gone—weaving between them like water given form. Not flashy. Not fast. Just precise.
His suit shimmered faintly as Auto-Dodge activated with every subtle shift.
— SYSTEM INTERFACE —
[ SHIN KUROZAKI – STATUS SCREEN ]
LV: 07
TITLE: Founder of S.I.N, Gentle Blade, Shadow Sovereign
STATS:
STR: 12
AGI: 29
INT: 21
CHA: 24
LUCK: ???
FEAR: OFF
DODGE: AUTO [Enhanced AI Prediction Mode ON]
SKILLS:
– Magic Rewrite
– Authority Suppression Aura
– Leadership Pulse
– Disengage Protocol
– Reaper Calm
– [LOCKED: Divine Rewrite Core]
Yuzu panted, sliding to a stop. "It's like he sees us before we move!"
Fang hissed. "He's not dodging. He's just… not there when we hit."
Lio smiled, sweat dripping down his chin. "This is what the enemy sees before they lose."
"Correct," Shin said, finally setting his teacup down. "I'm not teaching you how to win."
He stepped toward them, finally stopping.
"I'm teaching you that winning isn't enough. You must control the rhythm of every battlefield.
No wasted emotion. No wasted motion.
And above all…"
He snapped his fingers.
A replay of the spar played in holographic frames above them—every mistake highlighted in red, every movement analyzed in real time.
"...Know yourself better than the enemy ever could."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Bond Increase – All Agents ]
Group Skill Unlocked: Pack Flow – Slight speed boost when fighting together in harmony
Training Milestone: [S.I.N Formation Initiation – 3/6 Agents Activated]
As the agents collapsed onto the floor, groaning and exhausted, Shin sat back down, poured himself another cup of tea, and finally cracked the faintest hint of a smile.
"Better. Next time, don't hold back."
Fang coughed. "We weren't."
Night fell across Argent's Eastern Sector, and with it came silence—uneasy, unnatural.
In the distance, magitek rail lines pulsed with violet energy. A sleek, reinforced royal transport convoy made its way down the private line, guarded by elite palace enforcers clad in gold trim and arcane shielding.
Inside the second car—twenty magical children, unconscious and chained, each with glowing collars sealed by experimentation glyphs. Demi-humans, hybrids, lowborn mages. Labeled as "noncompliant magical anomalies."
Cargo.
Inside S.I.N HQ, the lights dimmed.
The agents stood before Shin at the mission table. A hologram of the convoy spun in the air—highlighted weak points glowing in red.
"This is not a training drill," Shin said calmly, coat pristine, mask on. "This is your first field mission."
He gestured to the map.
"The palace is moving these children to a classified underground facility called Vault 6. Once inside, their identities are erased. You have one shot to intercept. After that… they're gone."
Agent L's hand clenched.
Agent F snarled. "When do we hit?"
"Now."
— MISSION OBJECTIVE —
Operation: Silent Rescue
Intercept Target: Royal Magi Transport #774
Threat Level: High
Enemy Type: Palace Enforcers (Anti-Mage Shields, Standard Armaments)
Bonus: No casualties. Maintain stealth.
Scene: Rooftop of Rail Crossing Terminal 17
Rain poured down in sheets as the convoy entered view.
Shin crouched, observing through a reflective visor while sipping from a thermal flask.
"Y, disable their rear relay beacon. F, take the front car—slice tires, keep the lead guards busy. L… with me. The cages are in the middle."
Yuzu vanished into the shadows, silent as a whisper.
Fang leapt rooftop to rooftop, claws glowing with silent fury.
Lio followed Shin, both moving like coiled storms.
One by one, the guards fell—non-lethally, cleanly.
Yuzu reprogrammed the convoy beacon to loop its location.
Fang disabled the lead magi-engine with one slice, skidding sparks across the road.
The train lurched to a stop.
Shin and Lio dropped into the center car.
The children were chained in arcane pods, heads tilted forward. Monitoring glyphs beeped. A Royal Enforcer turned, startled—only to be met with Shin's hand slicing through the air.
"Rewrite Magic: Nullify Command Protocol."
The glyphs fizzled.
"Cut the chains," Shin said.
Lio's sword hummed, slicing through bindings with ease. The children began to stir.
One girl whimpered. "A-Are you angels?"
Lio smiled faintly beneath his mask.
"No. We're something scarier… to the bad guys."
But then—
An emergency beacon pulsed.
Shin's eyes narrowed.
"Palace reinforcements inbound."
Fang's voice crackled in: "Five flying knights. Enchanted plate. ETA two minutes."
Shin turned to the agents. His voice was calm but sharp.
"Protect the children. I'll deal with the sky."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Special Condition Unlocked: Solo Confrontation – Aerial Elite Unit vs. Shin ]
Bonus: +Reputation | +Fear Suppression Record
Hidden Title Possible: King Without a Crown
As the agents circled the children protectively, Shin walked to the top of the train and looked up at the approaching figures—golden armor, radiant wings, glowing blades.
He finished his tea.
"No kings in the shadows," he said softly.
Then he vanished.
The sky split with movement—one man, in a black suit, dancing among gods.
— MISSION STATUS —
Children Rescued
Convoy Disabled
Combat Engagement Active
Palace Awareness: Partial
Shadow Network: Whisper Spread Growing
The sky above Argent was painted in electric gray, clouds rolling like thunder as five elite Royal Sky Knights descended from their magi-gliders—each clad in radiant gold armor etched with royal seals and pulsing enchantments.
Their wings—woven from crystalized mana—flared behind them like angelic blades. Each held weapons forged for dragon-hunting.
And standing on the roof of a disabled transport train…
Was a man in a black suit.
Unarmed.
Wind whipped his coat. Steam rose from the small white cup in his gloved hand.
"Target located," one knight said. "You are ordered to surrender under Article 9 of Magical Interference Doctrine."
Shin took a sip of his tea.
"Children in chains. Experimentation wards. All under the Royal Crest…"
He exhaled softly, the wind carrying his words.
"Savages like you don't need a doctrine. You need educating."
The lead knight flinched. "Final warning, traitor—!"
"You misunderstand," Shin cut in. Calm. Precise. "I'm not warning you."
They struck.
Five spears of light descended.
Shin vanished.
One knight's blade hit only roof metal. Another lunged and found his target gone mid-swing.
Then—
Crack.
One fell. A single pressure strike to the wing harness.
Another spun mid-air, only to be swept from the sky with a smooth pivoting kick.
No magic. No wasted motion. Just absolute control.
The third screamed and fired a beam. Shin stepped aside gently—letting it pass—then disarmed him with one flick of a teacup, the porcelain edge slapping into the knight's jaw and dropping him unconscious.
"Lesson one," Shin muttered, still sipping. "If you need armor to feel brave, you were never brave to begin with."
Only two remained.
The fourth knight charged, desperate—
Shin crouched, gliding through the air using the force of the knight's own weight.
A brief sound—pressure point. The knight dropped like a puppet with strings cut.
One left.
He hovered, blade trembling. "W-who are you?"
Shin stood midair—on nothing, coat drifting as if caught in its own storm.
"I'm what the world becomes… when children cry and no one listens."
The knight dropped his weapon.
And fled.
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Aerial Combat Victory – No Magic Used ]
Skill: [Fear OFF] – Activated
Reputation: Urban Myths – Gained
Title Unlocked: "The Tea Reaper"
Passive Bonus: All enemy morale reduced on battlefield entry
Back atop the train, Shin set his now-empty cup on the metal rail.
Not a scratch on him. Not a drop spilled.
The wind carried only silence.
Meanwhile, far below, the rescued children stared out a window.
One whispered, "He flies… without wings."
Another: "That's not a man. That's what angels fear."
And back at HQ, Lio muttered, "I don't care what the palace calls him…"
"He's our Commander."
The slums of Draken Row were quiet at night—but not the peaceful kind. The streets reeked of smoke, sweat, and coin. Hidden behind glamor wards and falsified permits, Slaver Market D27 pulsed beneath the streets—its cages full of chained men, women, and children labeled "illegal bloodlines," "wild mages," or "beastkin property."
In the center cell, a woman sat on her knees.
Skin scraped. Hair tangled.
But her eyes… burned.
She had refused to speak for three days, even when shocked.
And then—
The lights shut off.
The guards looked around, startled.
One reached for a blade. Another grabbed a mana rod.
"What the hell's—"
Then, the first guard collapsed. The second flew into a wall.
No alarms. No blasts.
Just silence.
From the shadows, a figure stepped into the torchlight.
A black suit. A white teacup. A storm behind the eyes.
Shin looked around at the cages. Slavers panicked and drew weapons.
"Selling people," he said softly. "Bartering chains."
He took a sip of tea, unfazed.
"You must be tired of breathing."
They charged.
They never touched him.
One slaver blinked and Shin was already behind him.
Crack. Down.
Another pulled a spell-stone—
Shin flicked a coin through the air. It shattered the stone mid-cast.
He caught the coin again.
"Toys shouldn't decide fates."
Within seconds, the entire ring was down.
The caged woman looked up slowly.
He approached, eyes meeting hers through the bars.
"You're not afraid," he noted.
"Fear's for those who expect mercy," she rasped.
Shin smiled faintly.
"Good answer."
He crushed the cell's lock between two fingers. The bars fell open.
She stepped out—still defiant despite the pain.
"Why save me?"
"Because no one else would."
She stared. "...Who are you?"
He turned.
"Follow me."
In the alley outside, he raised his hand.
A pulse of shadow-forged mana shimmered. From the air formed a sleek black uniform tailored to her frame—combat-oriented, flexible, holster-ready.
Two twin black pistols materialized next—suppressor tips, mana-etched chambers, grip-linked to her aura.
And then—a mask. Smooth, fanged, and pink, with white sigil markings.
He held them out without a word.
She took the suit.
"What's this?"
"Your choice."
She put it on.
The coat clicked to her shoulders. The pistols slid into her hands like they'd waited for her.
When the pink mask locked into place—
She exhaled for the first time.
"Name?"
"You'll be Agent V," Shin said.
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Agent Registered: Code Name – Agent V ]
Role: Close Quarters Ranged Unit
Weapons: Twin Magi-Pistols "Rosehowl"
Mask: Pink Visor Mask – Flare Variant
Skill Acquired: [Lock-On Requiem] – Unerring dual-aim shot sequence
Loyalty Status: Absolute – Rescued from slavery by founder
As the freed captives gathered behind her, Shin addressed them with no grandeur.
"You're free. Do with it what you will."
One man asked, "But… where should we go?"
Shin pointed to a nearby wall. A black coin was embedded in the stone like a beacon.
"Those who want revenge… stay angry.
Those who want justice… find us."
He turned, coat fluttering.
Agent V followed without hesitation.
In the heart of Argent's royal quarter, beneath the mirrored spires and watchful magitek towers, two shadows moved with unnatural grace—leaping across rooftops, barely stirring the air.
They were Vanguard S-Class Agents—the highest-tier elite of the global enforcement organization. Tasked with investigating rogue factions, classified threats, and one name recently whispered across too many levels:
S.I.N.
One was clad in storm-gray armor laced with static runes.
Name: Rheia Volt, codename Stormlace.
Specialty: Electromagnetic spatial rupture.
The other wore blood-red lightweight robes, twin daggers resting at her hips.
Name: Kael Iris, codename Crimson Vow.
Specialty: High-speed kinetic dismemberment.
They had been following the target for two hours.
No trail. No aura leak. No sound.
Until he stopped.
In the middle of a garden path lined with paper lanterns, Shin stood beneath a cherry blossom tree—suit flawless, tie straight, and holding a fresh cup of tea.
Rheia dropped first, boots crackling on the stone.
Kael landed a second later, crouched in ready stance.
"You sensed us?" Rheia asked.
"From the first building."
Shin's voice was polite. Almost warm.
He bowed at the waist like a royal servant, one hand behind his back, the other still holding tea.
"How may I help you two?"
There was no tension in his voice. No fear.
Only calm.
Kael narrowed her eyes. "You're the Founder of S.I.N."
Shin straightened. "I am."
Rheia raised a hand slightly. "You attacked a royal transport. You dismantled a slaver cell. And you've recruited former criminals into an illegal order."
"Incorrect," Shin replied smoothly. "I rescued children. I dismantled a marketplace built on chains. And I've recruited the forgotten into something greater than the law's neglect."
Kael flicked a dagger halfway from its sheath. "So you admit it."
Shin sipped his tea.
"I don't hide what I do. I only hide until it matters."
The air grew tense. The agents flared aura.
But Shin didn't flinch. Didn't blink.
"You're not here to fight," he said. "You're here to understand. Because deep down, you know the system's broken."
Rheia didn't answer—but she didn't attack either.
Kael lowered her dagger a millimeter.
"Why wear a suit?" she asked quietly.
"Because I'm not a warrior," Shin said, turning slowly toward the lantern light.
"I'm an answer."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Encounter: S-Class Agents Neutralized via Discourse ]
Passive Skill Triggered: Fear Suppression – Tier III
Charisma Check: SUCCESS
Reputation Adjusted: "Enigma" Level in Vanguard Black Files
Codename Given by Vanguard: "The Butler of Bloodless Wars"
Rheia finally spoke.
"You have seven agents."
Shin smiled faintly. "Eight, as of yesterday."
Kael asked, "Will you keep going?"
"Until there's nothing left to fix."
A pause.
Then the two S-Class agents stepped back into the shadows. No attack. No arrest.
Only the sound of a man sipping tea under a moonlit tree.
It arrived at midnight—delivered not through normal channels, but via black raven. The bird flew silently into S.I.N HQ's upper observation deck, landed without a sound, and dropped a sealed scroll on the table beside Shin's steaming teacup.
The wax bore the crest of House Velgrave—a once-honored noble family now whispered of only in scandal and suspicion.
The seal wasn't made from normal wax.
It was blood.
Shin broke it without a word.
To the one called Shin, Founder of S.I.N,
My name is Elira Velgrave, second daughter of House Velgrave.
I am writing to you in desperation.
I have been falsely accused of practicing forbidden dark magic. My family has disowned me. The Temple has declared me cursed. I have no one.
I did not summon demons. I did not harm anyone. But someone—someone powerful—is framing me.
I do not beg for pity. I beg only for protection.
If you believe me, I will surrender myself to your judgment.
Please. Save me before they come tonight.
I am hiding in the broken catacombs beneath Saint Verrin's Chapel.
Shin read the letter twice.
Then he stood. No flourish. No comment.
He simply turned to the mission board and updated the log.
— MISSION ADDED —
Operation: "Black Dove"
Objective: Locate and extract Elira Velgrave
Threat: Inquisitorial Strike Unit En Route
Time Limit: 90 Minutes
Status: Personal Response – Shin Only
Yuzu spotted him passing through the hall. "Commander—going alone?"
"Yes."
Lio frowned. "This feels like a trap."
Shin nodded. "That's why I'm going."
Scene: Saint Verrin's Ruins – 00:41 AM
The shattered chapel stood like a corpse—its steeple broken, its glass stained with soot. Beneath the altar, a cracked staircase led into the ancient catacombs.
Shin moved without sound, suit adapting to the chill.
In the depths, the air tasted of mildew and forgotten sorrow.
Then he found her.
Huddled beneath a crumbled archway, Elira clutched a torn cloak around her shoulders. Her eyes—violet and glowing faintly—met his.
"You… you came."
Shin looked at her silently for three seconds.
Then he removed his coat and gently draped it over her shoulders.
"You're not a threat," he said. "You're a target."
She trembled. "I didn't… I don't even know dark magic."
"That's irrelevant now," Shin said, standing. "You asked for protection. That means you trust me. So now…"
He raised his hand.
"I protect."
A thunderous boom shook the catacombs.
Six armored inquisitors descended the stairs—sigils glowing, weapons drawn.
"By order of the Temple—hand over the girl!"
Shin stepped forward calmly, coat flaring like a whisper of shadow.
"You're late."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Mission Trigger: Black Dove – Hostile Engagement Begins ]
Threat Level: Inquisitor Rank – Elite
Status: Shin Engaged – Protective Mode
Bonus Objective: Zero Harm to Civilian Target
Aura Surge: Fear OFF – Tier IV
Shin raised no weapon.
But the first inquisitor's spell froze in midair, shattering before release.
"I rewrite magic," he said coldly. "And I'm rewriting this outcome."
The second inquisitor charged.
Shin didn't even step aside—he redirected the charge mid-run, twisting the man's balance with a flick of a pressure pulse to the foot.
Crash. Down.
Another raised a holy seal.
Shin simply pointed at it.
"Lesson one: Justice isn't loud."
The seal crumbled.
Within a minute, all six were down—non-lethal, but thoroughly disarmed and humiliated.
Shin turned back to Elira, who stared in stunned silence.
"...Are you real?"
He offered a hand.
"No. I'm better."
— SYSTEM UPDATE —
[ Elira Velgrave – Secured ]
Status: Under S.I.N Protection
Threat Level: Unknown (Potential latent magic anomaly)
Loyalty: Developing
Optional: Recruit? [Pending Shin's approval]
He led her out of the catacombs.
The moonlight touched her face. Her hands shook—but only from relief.
"Where are we going?"
Shin looked forward as the shadows closed behind them.
"To your new beginning."
The S.I.N headquarters training chamber flickered with soft blue lighting. Screens along the walls recorded mana signatures and bio-readouts. Floating drones spun silently overhead, ready to capture every move and fluctuation.
Elira Velgrave stood alone in the center of the room, eyes downcast, the oversized black coat Shin had lent her now folded beside the observation bench.
She wore a simple bodysuit, her silver hair tied back, hands trembling slightly.
The rest of the agents watched from the perimeter:
Agent L with his arms crossed.
Agent Y seated quietly beside her older brother.
Agent F crouched with her claws tapping the floor.
Agent V polishing her twin pistols but very much alert.
Shin entered the room, his steps silent, his presence undeniable.
"Today's a test," he said. "Not of power. But of self."
He tossed a black case onto the floor in front of Elira.
It opened with a hiss of compressed air.
Inside:
A refined black uniform tailored for flexibility and casting movement.
A pair of lightwoven gloves, embedded with mana-conductive thread.
And a mask unlike any other—smooth porcelain black with a silver veil etched into its design, where the eyes would be. No mouth opening. Silent. Elegant. Unreadable.
"This mask," Shin said, "is reserved for those whose magic does not align with any known school.
It's not a muzzle. It's a message."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"You are unknown. And that terrifies people."
"But not you?" Elira asked softly.
"I don't fear what's unknown," he said. "I give it purpose."
Elira suited up slowly, each piece fitting perfectly as if designed with her heartbeat in mind. When she placed the mask over her face, the entire room's lights dimmed.
The walls hummed.
The training chamber responded.
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Agent Registered: Code Name – Agent E ]
Name: Elira Velgrave
Role: Unknown-Class Caster / Special Threat Countermeasure
Gear: Silver-Veiled Mask – Reality Resonant
Perk Unlocked: [Lightless Zone] – Passive aura dampens external magical influence
Trait: Unknown Magic Signature – Adapts based on proximity to suppressed or damaged arcana
Shin raised one hand toward a drone. "Initiate basic weave drill."
A sequence of hex-orbs lit in the air.
"Create a mana strand. Stabilize it. Hold for five seconds."
Elira lifted her hand. Her magic flared—
—and the training orb short-circuited.
Another drone flew in. This time it adjusted. "Begin again."
Elira focused. Her magic curved—
The drone froze. Its spell-recognition failed.
Shin narrowed his eyes.
"Your magic isn't dark," he said. "It's non-classified. The system can't read it. You're using raw, adaptive arcana."
Agent L blinked. "That shouldn't be possible without overload damage—"
Agent Y added, "But it's stable. Like she's controlling it naturally."
Elira looked down at her hands.
"I've always felt it inside," she whispered. "It's… not like fire or ice. It's like breaking rules gently. Like music in a forbidden key."
Shin stepped forward.
"Then we make it your song."
He turned to the others.
"Agent E is now one of us. No questions. No fear."
Fang smirked. "I like her already."
Agent V tossed a spare magi-dagger toward Elira. "Welcome to the shadows."
She caught it. Smooth. Natural.
"Thank you… Commander."
Later, alone in the observation lounge, Shin stood before her dossier on the screen.
There was a blinking note at the bottom:
Velgrave Bloodline – Access Restricted.
Warning: High probability of celestial inheritance. Divine anomaly traits detected.
Shin sipped his tea.
"Interesting."
High above the shattered sectors of Argent City, in a marble tower lined with floating banners and crystal chandeliers, the Noble Assembly of Houses convened behind sealed doors. These were the unseen rulers—dukes, high lords, imperial priests, and shadow financiers—whose wealth shaped the world's policies more than any throne.
A single name had begun appearing in hushed briefings and intercepted whispers:
S.I.N.
Sovereign Initiative Neutralizer.
Unauthorized. Untracked. Unyielding.
And at the center of it all:
Shin.
The nobles called him many things: a ghost, a demon, a mercenary dressed like a diplomat.
But no one knew his rank.
And that terrified them more than anything.
Seated at the head of the oval table, Lord Azrin Faelros, Duke of High Etheria, tapped a cane against the floor. His white robes shimmered with high mana threads.
"He intercepts royal convoys. Defeats inquisitors. Disarms S-Class agents without bloodshed. And yet… there is no record of him in any database."
"No academy. No military background. No faction origin," added Lady Kevria Soln, high archivist of the Mage Guild.
"And his agents?" asked Lord Mandrel, a stout dwarf with an emerald monocle. "Street rats and runaways dressed like nobility."
Kevria frowned. "Yes… but they win. Every time."
They turned to the seated noble cloaked in red—a watcher, the one who dealt in black intel from the Vanguard, Guilds, and Paladin Orders.
"We tried to classify him," the watcher rasped. "We ran simulations. We staged recon duels. We even fed him false intel. He responded faster than any known operator."
He laid a card on the table.
It shimmered to life, revealing Shin on a rooftop, sipping tea as five winged knights lay unconscious around him.
"We've begun calling him unofficially…"
"Rank Null."
The room fell silent.
"Rank Null?" Mandrel scowled. "That's not even a title. That's an insult."
"No," the watcher corrected. "It means he's unrankable.
He doesn't register on standard power tiers. The system fails to detect threat level or class markers. He is—"
The card flickered again. It showed Shin bowing politely to two S-Class Vanguard agents, calm as if greeting guests at a banquet.
"—a gentleman's ghost with a general's instincts.
And he's building something. Fast."
Duke Azrin tapped his fingers on the crystal desk.
"So the real question becomes… how dangerous is a man with no rank… and no fear?"
Meanwhile, in a quiet section of S.I.N HQ, Shin watched the same conversation unfold through a hacked crystal broadcast, unmoved.
He finished his tea.
"Let them speculate."
He stood, brushing off his coat.
"A number can't measure purpose."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ New Designation Unlocked ]
Title: Rank Null – A being unmeasurable by current world-tier systems
Perk: Immune to automatic threat scans; confuses enemy targeting protocols
Passive Bonus: Authority Overrider – You may operate in noble zones without alerting city alarms.
Inside the Celesthall Assembly Chamber, light filtered through stained-glass windows depicting ancient kings, fallen heroes, and divine wars long past. Rows of nobles, cloaked in shimmering silks and radiating mana-rich authority, sat in silence as the vote began.
The matter at hand: "Subject Null"
– No registered origin
– No factional allegiance
– Threat Level: Unrankable
– Known Actions: Disrupting royal convoys, dismantling slaver operations, defeating S-Class agents, liberating magical children.
"We are not voting on capture," declared Duke Azrin Faelros, rising from his golden chair. "We are voting to classify the entity known as Shin as a study subject. A living enigma. A phenomenon."
"Like a new law of nature," whispered Lady Kevria Soln, nervously sipping from a wine glass.
"His power must be understood. Lest it become a wildfire," muttered Lord Mandrel, already sweating beneath his armor.
Across the table, hands raised in hesitant unity.
"All in favor of placing the bounty: 'Study at All Costs'?"
Every hand rose.
"Unanimous."
And then—
The chamber doors opened.
No one had touched them.
No announcement. No footfall. Just presence.
He stepped in.
Shin.
Black suit. Silver tie. Steam rising from the porcelain teacup in his gloved hand.
He walked to the center of the room as if invited. Every noble went still.
Every heartbeat slowed.
And without a word…
He sat.
Right at the empty center seat of the round table—the Founder's Seat—reserved only for the one who formed the council centuries ago.
He crossed one leg over the other.
"I heard you wanted to study me," he said calmly.
His voice cut through the tension like silk over steel.
"Please… begin."
No one moved.
The nobles stared—some slack-jawed, some shaking.
Duke Azrin's cane nearly fell from his hand. "H-How did you get inside Celesthall? This chamber is sealed by divine glyphs—"
Shin took another sip.
"I rewrote the glyphs. They were outdated."
"You dare trespass into a holy seat of—!"
"Trespassing implies I acknowledge your walls," Shin said, unblinking. "I don't."
Kevria spoke, voice shaky. "We… we only wanted to understand. Your power. Your origin. Your classification."
Shin tilted his head slightly.
"You cannot classify a man who erased the part of himself that needed permission to exist."
"Then what are you?" Mandrel asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Shin stood, setting the teacup gently on the table. The entire room seemed to brace for violence—
But he only said:
"You call me 'Rank Null' as if that limits me."
He looked each noble in the eye.
"But I am the silence between ranks. The moment before the sword strikes.
I am what happens when your systems fail."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ World Event Triggered: "Null Walks Among Nobles" ]
Political Fear Status: MAX
Bounty Classification Changed:
"Study at All Costs"
"Do Not Engage – Observe from Distance"
Reputation Gained: "Living Equation"
World Alignment Shift: 3 Major Factions now question Vanguard loyalty
Shin turned toward the door.
"Next time you want to study me," he added, "bring better tea."
And then—
He vanished.
No spell. No sound. Just… gone.
The cup remained. Still warm.
Duke Azrin slumped into his seat. "Dear gods… he smiled."
Kevria wiped her brow. "We have no control."
Mandrel said nothing—he simply whispered a silent prayer.
Meanwhile, in S.I.N HQ, Agent Y looked up from her console.
"Commander just updated the intel feed."
Lio asked, "What's it say?"
She read it aloud:
"Celesthall Council has downgraded all bounty threats.
Requesting non-contact status with Shin Kurozaki until further notice."
Fang burst out laughing.
"They tried to study him… and he studied them instead."
In the cold light of morning, beneath the ancient cathedral ruins that served as one of S.I.N HQ's secured operation halls, Shin stood at the center of a glowing black-tiled floor surrounded by six dark-cloaked agents.
Each wore their custom gear.
Each had survived.
And now, for the first time—they stood as one unit.
Agent L, calm and resolute, blade resting at his back.
Agent Y, dagger sheathed, posture still but alert.
Agent F, crouched low, claws twitching in anticipation.
Agent V, spinning a magi-pistol around her finger.
Agent E, silver mask gleaming, arcane threads humming around her hands.
Shin, at their head, sipping a delicate cup of morning tea.
"A coalition of nobles," Shin began, "has signed off on a coordinated operation to 'remove' the Dravari Enclave, home to over twelve thousand demi-humans."
A display flickered above them—showing an isolated settlement hidden beneath forest cover, its walls made of grown stone, ancient and beautiful.
"They call it a tactical security operation."
He turned slightly, gaze cold and steady.
"What it actually is… is ethnic cleansing. Disguised as diplomacy."
No one spoke.
Yuzu clenched her fists.
Fang growled lowly. "Tell me who to bite."
Shin sipped his tea again.
"Why does civilized society always turn to violence against the defenseless?"
His voice was soft. Disappointed.
"We build laws. Cities. Thrones. But never restraint."
He turned to his team fully now.
"Your orders are simple. Stop the assault. Prevent civilian casualties. Make sure the message is clear—the shadows are watching."
He walked forward and placed a single black coin on the center platform. The room dimmed.
The mission had begun.
— SYSTEM UPDATE —
Operation: "Stoneveil" – Full-Team Deployment
Objective: Prevent the Noble Coalition from destroying Dravari Enclave
Threat Level: Critical
Enemy Forces: Mercenaries, hired mages, and Noble shock units
Bonus Objective: Expose key noble funders and smuggle out all high-risk non-combatants
Team Loadout:
Agent L – Frontline Disruption
Agent Y – Recon & Intel Relay
Agent F – Stealth Takedown / Perimeter Suppression
Agent V – Sniper Overwatch & Civilian Escort
Agent E – Arcane Containment / Wild Magic Interference
Shin – Field Commander / Threat Override
Scene: Outer Ridge Above Dravari
Wind howled through the broken trees as six shadows moved into formation across the cliffs. In the distance, mercenary squads were setting up siege pylons. War horns echoed faintly across the valley.
Fang whispered, "I count thirty at the north wall."
V's voice crackled in. "Snipers in the treeline. I can drop them before they get a shot off."
Yuzu: "Backline has a mobile ward generator. I'll sever the relay."
Lio: "Give me the front gate. I'll show them what a sword without fear looks like."
Elira: "I'm sensing an enchantment net across the refugees.
They're trying to collapse the whole city under a binding seal."
Shin stood alone on the ridge, coat billowing in the wind, hands behind his back.
"Execute formation 'Black Bloom.' Non-lethal where possible.
Burn the plan, not the pawns."
He took one final sip of tea.
Then dropped the cup.
"Let's remind the nobles what silence looks like… before the storm."
The moon hung low and heavy over the ridgelines surrounding the Dravari Enclave, its pale light casting twisted shadows across siege equipment, mercenary tents, and arcane pylons primed for detonation.
But that night…
The wind carried something sharper than steel.
Purpose.
Shin's voice echoed in each agent's ear through their S.I.N comm-links, cool and composed.
"Deploy. Three pairs. No alarms. No survivors with rank. Silence is our message."
He stood alone above the battlefield, cloak fluttering—
Not as a commander shouting orders.
But as a conductor… beginning a requiem.
Agent L + Agent F – Eastern Sabotage Sector
At the pylon control array, mercenaries stood lazily with rifles slung over shoulders, unaware of the two figures gliding like phantoms through the grass.
"Go high," Lio whispered.
Fang answered only with a growl and vanished into the shadows above the treetops.
The first man didn't even see her until the claws wrapped around his neck—silent, clean.
Below, Lio struck pressure points and moved like water, knocking three more unconscious with the flat of his blade.
Within sixty seconds—
The entire pylon team was out cold, the arcane array fried.
"Eastern array neutralized," Lio reported.
Agent Y + Agent V – Northern Overwatch Ridge
From her perch in the upper branches, Agent V sighted a team of sharpshooters with enchanted visors and disruptor bolts trained on the enclave.
"Five targets. One sweep," she murmured.
Yuzu was already moving through the underbrush, planting magi-jammers.
"Do it. On my signal… three, two…"
PFFT–PFFT–PFFT–PFFT–PFFT
Five silenced shots. Five silent falls.
The visors shattered. The weapons jammed.
Yuzu quietly emerged, collecting dropped mana tags and slipping into the shadows again.
"Northern snipers down. No trace," V said coolly.
Agent E + Shin – Core Ward Suppression Field
Elira's hands shimmered as she hovered near the edge of a carved ravine. Below them, the core enchantment generator pulsed like a heartbeat—its magic humming with the threat of a complete binding lockdown on every demi-human in the city.
"The net's layered," Elira murmured. "Trip one glyph, and the whole system detonates."
Shin stood behind her, hands calmly clasped behind his back.
"So… don't trip it."
She reached forward—bare fingers glowing with unstable, adaptive magic—and slid her energy between layers of the array like thread through a needle.
One glyph cracked. Then another. Then a cascade of disintegration spiraled out across the field.
Elira's eyes flared behind her mask.
"It's unraveling… it's listening to me."
The ward pulsed once—then collapsed in silence.
Shin turned his head slightly.
"South is clear. Dravari will wake up free."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Operation: Black Bloom – Phase I: COMPLETE ]
Strike Team Pair Success: 3/3
Detected: 0
Mercenary Command Network: Disabled
Civilian Casualties: 0
Morale Shift: The enemy doesn't know what hit them
Atop the ridge once more, all six agents regrouped beneath the stars.
Not a word spoken.
Only nods exchanged.
The wind carried no blood.
Only fear.
And from the stunned, scrambling mercenary commanders below—
came a single whispered phrase passed from throat to throat:
"The black-suits are here…"
Shin looked to the forest canopy. His voice was barely above a whisper.
"This is how you break cruelty. Quietly. Precisely. Without asking for applause."
At the heart of the mercenary siege camp, inside a lavish war tent draped in noble colors, three titled lords stood over a glowing battle map. Arcane runes tracked troop movements, ward pulses, and artillery charges around the Dravari Enclave.
"Once the net activates," one noble sneered, "the entire settlement will be helpless. They'll fall without lifting a blade."
"No witnesses," said another. "We control the record. The Vanguard won't intervene if they believe it was a riot."
A young assistant burst into the tent, pale and breathless.
"My lords! We—we've lost contact with the snipers! The pylons—shut down!"
Before they could reply—
He stepped in.
No guards stopped him.
No alarms were triggered.
The tent flaps opened gently… and Shin walked through as if entering a garden party.
Black suit flawless.
Silver tie.
A steaming cup of tea in one hand.
He did not rush.
He did not speak.
He simply walked to the map table and looked down at it with quiet detachment.
The nobles stood frozen. One reached slowly for the hilt at his side.
"You," one of them whispered. "You're—"
"Yes," Shin replied simply.
He took a sip.
"And this siege is over."
The temperature seemed to drop.
The nobles' mana surged out of instinct, but Shin didn't flinch. His eyes remained calm. Focused.
Unmoving.
"Your mercenaries are unconscious. Your mages disarmed. The wards unraveled."
He stepped closer, the tip of his shoe tapping the glowing map. It flickered.
"And the children you intended to slaughter?" he said softly, setting down his cup.
"They woke up this morning still breathing."
"We are nobles of the Celesthall Assembly," one barked. "You dare interrupt state-sanctioned—"
"I'm not here to argue," Shin cut in. "I'm here to end this."
He reached into his pocket and drew a single black coin, the emblem of S.I.N glowing like an eclipse.
He placed it gently on the table, the sound louder than thunder in the stillness.
"You will not return here. You will not rebuild this plan.
You will not even speak of Dravari again."
The third noble, red-faced and shaking, tried to shout, "Or what?!"
Shin smiled faintly.
"Then next time… I won't come to speak."
He vanished.
No light. No portal. No sound.
Just silence.
And a coin… still warm.
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Operation Black Bloom – Final Phase: COMPLETE ]
Noble Siege Plan: Terminated
Coin Mark Deployed: Noble Council will recognize this as a permanent S.I.N warning
Status Effect: All future incursions into refugee zones will be auto-flagged by S.I.N network
Message Delivered: "The shadows protect the forgotten."
That night, the nobles fled.
The siege camp burned quietly—set aflame not by S.I.N, but by terrified mercenaries deserting without orders.
The next day, not a single child in Dravari cried.
Only the wind whispered… and the coin remained.