"Hm? Looks like I found the right place," a male voice cut through the darkness, abrupt and clear.
Fubuki and Psyko simultaneously whipped their heads toward the sound.
Gaio emerged from the shadows of the cave, his left hand gripping the Enma Blade, its scabbard glowing faintly with blue runes in the dim light. His right hand rested casually in his trench coat pocket, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"You… Nero?!" Psyko's voice spiked, her pupils shrinking behind her glasses.
She instinctively took half a step back, her body tensing under her tight outfit.
As the founder of the Monster Association, she knew all too well how terrifying the man before her was. The earth-shaking battle in A-City was still burned into her mind.
Gaio ignored Psyko's outburst, his gaze sliding past her to Fubuki, who was dangling in midair, bound by ropes.
"Miss Fubuki," he said with a slight nod, his tone as casual as if they'd bumped into each other on the street, "need a hand?"
Fubuki froze. Her red lips parted slightly, her legs—clad in black stockings—swaying unconsciously in the air.
Nero? The guy who even intimidated her sister? Why was he here? And why was he offering to save her?
Questions exploded in her mind, leaving her too stunned to respond.
Psyko's nails suddenly shot out, elongating into sharp claws. She yanked Fubuki in front of her like a shield. "Stay back! Or I'll—"
Shing!
A flash of blue light cut through the air.
Psyko's words died in her throat. She stared down in disbelief as her mutated arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder, the cut as smooth as glass.
A second later, the pain hit.
"Argh—!!!" She stumbled back, purple-black blood spraying from the stump.
Gaio was already at Fubuki's side, the Enma Blade still sheathed. He'd merely flicked the scabbard to make the cut.
With one hand, he caught Fubuki as she fell, his other hand casually waving to slice through the specialized ropes binding her, snapping them like threads.
"You…" Fubuki, cradled in his arms, caught a faint whiff of his scent.
She instinctively grabbed the front of his trench coat, her black leather boots clicking softly as her heels brushed together.
"Steady now," Gaio said, setting her down gently before turning his attention to Psyko, who was writhing in pain.
Fubuki stumbled but caught herself, hurriedly smoothing her disheveled dress. She stole a glance at Gaio's profile, her heart racing for reasons she couldn't quite pin down.
Psyko's severed arm was already regenerating, fleshy tendrils wriggling visibly. She glared at Gaio, teeth gritted. "Nero… why are you getting involved? This has nothing to do with you!"
Gaio tilted his head slightly at her words. "Yeah, you're right. It doesn't. But who I choose to save? That's none of your business either."
As he spoke, his thumb nudged the Enma Blade half an inch out of its scabbard.
Psyko's regenerating arm was sliced off again.
This time, no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't grow back.
Her face went pale, sweat beading on her forehead. Biting her lip, she turned to flee.
But Gaio's voice stopped her cold. "Don't run. You'll end up in pieces."
Psyko froze. She suddenly noticed the air around her felt wrong—like countless invisible cracks were woven through the space.
She was trapped in the middle, too terrified to move, knowing one wrong step could shred her into countless fragments.
Her eyes locked onto the half-inch of blade Gaio had unsheathed, its blue glow like the breath of death itself.
"The space… it's been cut?" Her voice was hoarse, barely her own.
Gaio didn't answer, just held his casual stance.
Fubuki covered her mouth instinctively.
She could see Psyko's tight outfit soaked with sweat, clinging to her trembling spine.
Invisible cracks surrounded Psyko like a spiderweb. Even a falling pebble split into neat fragments when it crossed a certain point.
"Nero…" Psyko's teeth chattered. "We can talk…"
"Talk? Sure, we can talk." Gaio's offhand remark lit a spark of hope in Psyko's eyes.
"Whatever you want, I can give it to you!" Psyko's voice was shrill with desperation. "How about Fubuki? I can break her, make her your servant! Or me! I'll do it!"
"You!" Fubuki's face flushed red with anger.
She glanced at Gaio, only to catch him giving her a playful, almost teasing look.
Her heart skipped a beat, a chill running down her spine.
"Not a bad offer," Gaio said, his gaze shifting back to Psyko as his thumb brushed the hilt of the Enma Blade. "But I'll pass."
Psyko's pupils shook violently.
She scrambled to sweeten the deal. "I can help you take this island! Or conquer the world! The Monster Association's power is yours to command!"
Silence.
Only the dripping of water from the cave's ceiling echoed.
Gaio's faint smile never wavered. Psyko's breathing grew ragged, sweat dripping from her delicate chin.
She tensed, calculating her chances of fighting her way out.
Just as she was about to make a move—
"Where's the [Seed] of the God?"
Gaio's soft voice hit like a sledgehammer. Psyko's expression froze, her breath catching in her throat.
"W-What seed? I don't know what you're talking about…" Psyko tried to play it cool, but her trembling voice betrayed her.
Click.
The Enma Blade slid out another half-inch.
The air around Psyko warped, invisible spatial cracks closing in like hungry sharks.
A strand of her hair snapped silently, falling in dozens of tiny segments.
"Wait!!!" Psyko's scream echoed, her chest heaving like a fish out of water.
In that moment, the icy breath of death had sunk into her bones.
Her eyes darted, still trying to stall.
"You've got five seconds," Gaio said calmly, his thumb sliding along the scabbard.
The invisible cracks around Psyko hummed, the faint sound of tearing air ringing in her ears.
Purple-black sweat rolled down her pale forehead. "I'll take you to it!" she roared, her voice cracking.
The suffocating aura of death vanished instantly. Gaio flashed a genuine smile. "See? That wasn't so hard. After all," he nodded slightly, "I'm not some demon, right? Sorry to put you through that, Miss Psyko."
Psyko's chest tightened, a metallic taste rising in her throat that she forced back down. Fubuki's lips twitched—his words could probably bring the dead back just to strangle him.
"Shall we, Miss Psyko?" Gaio tilted his chin.
Psyko, clutching her bleeding stump, struggled to her feet and staggered deeper into the cave without a word.
Gaio turned to Fubuki, his smile softening. "Miss Fubuki, what's your call? Come with me to see what's up, or should I send you somewhere safe?"
Fubuki's brows furrowed. The Seed of the God? The temptation made her pulse quicken.
She took a deep breath, her red lips parting to say, "I'll come with—"
Whoosh!
A blue flash streaked past her feet.
A spinning portal, glowing with blue runes that seemed to swallow light itself, opened beneath her.
"I think," Gaio said with a mischievous grin, "you'd be better off somewhere safe. The next part might not be great for spectators."
"What?!" Fubuki's wide eyes locked onto him, her expression frozen.
Seriously, dude? You're making my choice for me and acting like I had a say?!
Before the thought could fully form, a powerful pull yanked her down.
She let out a short yelp as the blue vortex swallowed her whole, and she vanished.
The portal snapped shut, leaving only the dripping water and Gaio's easy smile in the cave.
He glanced at Psyko, who had turned slightly at the noise. "Lead the way. Don't keep the 'God' waiting."
Soon, they reached a rock wall. Psyko fumbled at it, revealing an iris scanner. After it scanned her eye, the wall slid open to reveal an elevator.
They stepped inside, descending into the depths.
The cold metal walls reflected Psyko's ashen face. Her severed arm had crusted over with eerie purple-black blood.
"Not gonna fix that?" Gaio asked suddenly.
Psyko flinched, her scalp prickling as she met his curious gaze.
Fix it? You think I'd dare move with you around?! Who knows when you'll slice me again, you psycho! she screamed internally, though her face stayed blank.
"Go ahead, fix it," Gaio said, as if reading her mind. "I'm always patient with beautiful women."
Psyko nearly choked.
Patient?! You cut off my arm and call that patient?!
Her lips twitched, her teeth practically grinding.
But her body was more honest than her mind. The flesh at her stump began to writhe, pale tendrils knitting together painfully to reform her arm.
The process was slow and agonizing, sweat beading on her forehead. She avoided Gaio's gaze, terrified of that "gentle" smile.
Ding—
The elevator's cold electronic chime sounded as the doors slid open.
The sight beyond was nothing like the dim cave above.
A wide, impossibly sleek white alloy corridor stretched forward, its walls smooth and cold, reeking of disinfectant and metal.
The LED lights overhead were blinding, casting everything in stark clarity with an almost eerie, holy glow.
Psyko took a deep breath, suppressing the pain of her regenerating arm and the humiliation burning inside her, and stepped out.
Her high heels clicked sharply on the polished floor, the sound jarring in the oppressive silence.
Gaio followed at a leisurely pace.
The corridor opened into a vast chamber.
A massive observation window, like the eye of a beast, was embedded in the curved wall.
Beyond it, a grotesque, indescribable mass dominated the view—a writhing black mountain of flesh, at least fifty meters tall, floating in the center of the space.
Its surface wasn't smooth but covered in thick, gnarled, blood-red veins that pulsed like a dragon's arteries beneath its semi-transparent black skin. They throbbed and contracted rhythmically, like a giant heart, each pulse sending viscous, dark liquid surging through the network.
The mass itself pulsed slowly, heavily.
Sticky, unidentifiable black liquid oozed from its base, radiating an overwhelming sense of malice even through the thick barrier.
Psyko stopped in front of the window, her newly regenerated arm still trembling.
She pointed at the nauseating monstrosity, her voice dry and tinged with a mix of awe and fear. "That… is the Seed."