The rooftop was silent after the kill. The body of the other aware being lay still, erased before it had even realized what had happened. A thrill surged through him — raw, intoxicating, dangerous. Power. Absolute, untouchable power. He could feel it thrumming beneath his skin.
And yet… movement.
Across the skyline, on another rooftop, a figure crouched. Calm. Observant. Too still to be natural. Too deliberate to be harmless.
His instincts screamed. World Observation skill activated. Every anomaly, every possibility, every threat flashed before his eyes.
This one… it wasn't like the first. This one was aware. From outside. Like him.
The Codex pulsed faintly at his feet, as if to signal the gravity of this being's presence.
Threat assessment complete. Option: eliminate. Insta-Kill.
The power surged. He struck — and the figure collapsed. Erased.
The city trembled. Haruto laughed, maniacally, echoing across rooftops.
> "Hahaha! I am the absolute! No one can stop me! I am untouchable! I am the protagonist of this world!"
Even as his confidence soared, a faint unease lingered. The Codex glowed softly, hinting at forces he had yet to understand. Someone had noticed him. Someone powerful.
-------