The air inside the dark corridor shattered as Night lunged forward, his shadow-blade cutting through the black fog with lethal intent.
Clang!
A sudden, translucent barrier flared to life between them, absorbing the impact. Shimei stood behind it, completely unbothered, a faint smirk visible beneath his mask.
"Welcome back, Night," Shimei said softly, adjusting his top hat.
"Don't talk to me you, Traitor!" Night replied, his voice heavy.
Then before Night could strike again, a heavy, crackling static cut through the intercom above. Then, a voice echoed into the chamber.
It wasn't loud, but the weight behind it felt like an anchor slamming onto Night's chest. The air grew impossibly heavy. Night's eyes widened in sheer horror, his shadow-blade dissolving instantly. Without a second thought, his knees buckled, slamming hard onto the cold floor as he trembled, paralyzed by the sheer presence behind the sound.
"That is enough, Shimei," the Master's voice boomed softly through the speaker, carrying an aura of absolute authority. "We have already achieved our objectives today. Not only have we confirmed the presence of a new Death Trigger, but we have also gathered vital data on the others. Our presence here is no longer required."
Shimei bowed toward the speaker. "As you wish, Master."
"Our plans may shift slightly," the Master continued, his tone dark and amused, "but the information we gained today is invaluable and Night I know you have lot to say but you can do that after you two leave, now Ash Valeheart has already arrived above."
Night's breath hitched. Ash Valeheart… is here?!
To perceive a Five-Star hero's arrival from miles away, through layers of concrete and thick fog—it was a terrifying testament to the Master's unfathomable power.
Above the facility, high in the open sky, Ash Valeheart hovered effortlessly.
His sharp eyes locked onto the ground below, where a massive, ocean-like expanse of pitch-black smoke covered the forest.
"So, someone activated a domain-type Trigger..." Ash muttered, his voice cold. "Only one person can do that. Looking at it pisses me off. Whoever takes that guy out bettee hope he's gone from this world.. Becuase if not, he dies tonight." He thought. (Then Ayato felt a sudden chill down his spine) Slowly, Ash raised both arms toward the earth.
BOOM!
The ground groaned. Deep subterranean cracks split the forest floor as a massive tectonic tremor shook the region. Millions of tons of earth, rock, and concrete—encompassing the entire underground facility—began to rip away from the crust, floating upward into the sky like a unnatural, inverted island.
Inside the shaking structure, chaos erupted.
"What the hell?! An earthquake all of a sudden?!" Yū yelled, bracing himself against a collapsing wall as he navigate throught the blinding fog looking for Mari ,and Kaito looking blindy still in the dark shouting Mari's name.
"I don't care what's happening... Mari where are you?!" Kaito roared, kicking open another metal door. "Mari! Where are you?!"
Elsewhere in the crumbling halls, Ren staggered forward, clutching his wounded chest while piggybacking the unconscious thirteen-year-old boy. "Hang on, kid... we're finding an exit whether the floor collapse under us or not!"
Meanwhile, Ayato sprinted through the tilting corridors, his eyes locked on the fading signatures ahead. "I'm not letting you get away that easily, Shimei!"
Outside, military vehicles screeched to a halt at the edge of the newly formed crater. Aria Valeheart stepped out, surrounded by armed troops, only to stop dead in her tracks as she looked up.
Floating hundreds of feet in the air was the shattered facility.
Above it, Ash Valeheart closed his fists.
The floating earth began to crumble piece by piece. Massive boulders and structural debris rained down like a controlled meteor shower, crushing the facility's outer shell. With surgical precision, Ash used his force to catch human energy signatures mid-air, gently separating Yū, Kaito, Ren, the child, a woman, Mari and the defeated people from the falling rubble, lowering them safely to the ground.
At the severed edge of the floating facility, Ayato burst through the dust, panting slightly.
"Stop right there!" Ayato shouted.
Shimei stood on the precipice alongside a furious, struggling Night. They were trapped—there was nothing behind them except a drop into empty air.
Ayato smirked, stepping forward. "Looks like you've run out of room to run."
Shimei merely snickered under his mask. "You're already too late, Boy."
Before Ayato could move, the shadows behind Shimei writhed. A tall, featureless figure draped completely in dark, living cloth emerged from the void between them. The figure wrapped its arms around Shimei and Night.
In a fraction of a second, all three vanished into thin air.
Ayato reached the edge a second too late. He looked over the drop, clicking his tongue in frustration as a deeply disappointed scowl crossed his face. "Tch."
On the ground, the dust finally settled.
Emergency medics rushed across the field. Near one of the ambulances, Mari ran forward, completely unharmed, and threw her arms around Kaito.
"Big brother!" she cried.
Kaito dropped his bat, collapsing to his knees as he hugged her tightly, tears cutting through the grime on his face. "Mari... thank God... you're safe."
Nearby, Yū, Ren, Kaito, and Ayato—all bruised, bloodied, and wrapped in heavy bandages—sat on the back of a transport vehicle. The remaining syndicate guards left behind in the rubble were dragged away in power-dampening handcuffs by Aria's troops including the kid. Ren glance a looked with worry.
Aria marched up to the four of them, her cheeks flushed with anger.
"Are you four completely out of your minds?!" Aria yelled, crossing her arms and glaring especially hard at Ayato. "Sneaking into an enemy facility without back-up?! Ayato, you're supposed to be my escort! You led them straight into a suicide mission!"
"Now, now, My Lady, we rescued the girl, didn't we?" Ayato offered a lazy, blood-stained grin. "Everything ended up—"
"Silence!" Aria snapped.
"That's enough, Aria."
A deep, commanding voice echoed behind her. Aria froze, her entire posture stiffening instantly before she stepped aside.
Ash Valeheart descended slowly from the sky, his feet touching the ground without making a sound. His piercing, stern gaze swept over the battered boys, lingering briefly on Yū's face before turning toward his daughter.
"You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment again, Aria," Ash said coldly, not an ounce of warmth in his tone. "Yelling at wounded subordinates in public is beneath someone of your standing."
Aria clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her jaw tightened, a flash of pure resentment burning in her eyes. But instead of arguing, she simply turned her head away, completely ignoring his presence.
"Aria. Look at me when I am speaking to you," Ash commanded, his voice dropping an octave as a heavy pressure settled over the clearing.
Without saying a word, Aria turned on her heel and walked away toward the military command vehicle, completely ignoring his presence. Ayato's lazy grin faded into a subtle, watchful stare, while Yū and the others looked on in tense silence.
Ash didn't move to stop her. He merely narrowed his eyes, shifting his stern gaze back toward the back of the transport truck. He took two slow steps forward, his boots crushing the loose gravel beneath him.
"You," Ash said, stopping directly in front of Yū. The raw weight of his aura made the air feel thin. "Do you know someone named Satoru?"
Yū blinked, wincing slightly as he adjusted his arm sling. He met the Five-Star hero's piercing eyes, feeling an intense chill run down his spine.
"Satoru?" Yū muttered, his voice raspy. "Yeah... that's my uncle."
Ash stared down at Yū in absolute silence. For a long, suffocating moment, nobody dared to breathe. Then, Ash's expression settled into an unreadable mask.
"I see..." Ash spoke softly.
He turned his back on Yū without another word, looking up at the smoke rising into the sky.
Holy crap... Yū's mind completely blew a fuse.
He sat frozen on the bumper of the truck, his mouth slightly agape despite his aching jaw. Pain and exhaustion instantly vanished into the back of his mind. He was actually looking at Ash Valeheart—a living legend, an actual Five-Star Hero—standing just inches away from him in the flesh.
The sheer, crushing aura he felt up close was nothing like seeing him on news broadcasts or posters. Yū's heart hammered against his ribs, a surge of genuine awe washing over him before he could even register how unnerving Ash's question about his uncle really was.
---End of Chapter 22---