Crow barely had nightmares.
Sweat rolled down his forehead. His curly hair was matted into a damp mess. His body was restless, never staying in one position for long. The bedsheets were soaked, dark patches spreading beneath him.
Tonight, he had the worst dream he had ever experienced.
His heart pounded violently.
It felt like hours.
Until morning finally came.
He sat up and headed to the mirror. A droplet of sweat traveled slowly down his back.
His hair was a disaster. Crow let out a long yawn and collapsed back onto the bed. Sometimes, he couldn't tell the difference between nightmares and reality. If he saw his smug face in the mirror, he knew he was awake.
But what he had seen in his dream terrified him.
Lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, only one thought filled his mind.
The Angel in the City of Gold.
He finally got up, ready to start the day.
The Knighterror team would be back soon from their mission. For now, only Crow and Daisy remained at HQ.
Her room was next to his. This was usually the time she went to sleep, which made her unreliable.
To wake her, Crow played loud rock music. It wasn't his taste, but it got the job done.
"Why all the ruckus, Crow? It's 10 a.m. in the morning," Daisy said as she entered his room. It had become routine for him to wake her like this.
Usually, it involved candy bribery.
"We're going on a mission, ourselves," Crow said, still shirtless.
"Put on some clothes first," Daisy yawned, even bigger than Crow had earlier. "What's the mission about?"
"I have a bag of candy I'm willing to share."
Daisy sprinted back to her room, the door slamming shut.
"Where are you going?" Crow called.
He grabbed his phone from the bedside table.
"I woke up late today," he muttered, checking the time.
Daisy burst out of her room.
"I'm ready for the mission now!!
"Her eyes locked onto the candy Crow pulled from the drawer.
"Just give me a moment to get dressed."
Two hours later…
Crow and Daisy walked through the streets, crossing Shibuya Crossing.
"So, what's the mission about?" Daisy asked.
"I want to see someone."
"The girl from the café? Alice, right?"
"Yes. As you know, I only have twelve hours left to live. Alice knows a temple that allows me to reclaim my Blood Moon Arts."
"Does Ace know?" Daisy asked.
"I haven't had any contact with him since they left."
…
They heard a scream.
First came the scream. Then a crash—something heavy being destroyed. A monstrous roar echoed from a few blocks away. A group of people rushed past Crow and Daisy, fleeing in panic.
"Mark… I mean, Crow… we should help them," Daisy said, fear in her voice.
"We should leave it to the Artists," Crow replied, focused on their mission.
"But you know they never come on time. Someone could die."
Crow knew death was inevitable. Whether today or in fifty years, death always claimed its due. He had already given it too much. Still, something inside him hated abandoning the helpless. He knew how it felt.
To be abandoned.
Without another word, he ran toward the noise. Daisy followed.
"Wait for me!!"
…
They arrived at the scene.
A giant centipede-like monster with glowing green skin was attacking civilians.
One… two… three casualties already. Chaos erupted as people fled, only angering the creature more as it crashed into anything in its path.
"Help us, please!!" a civilian screamed while running past them.
Crow sprinted toward a man trapped beneath the centipede's massive body.
"Daisy! Stop it from attacking any more civilians!"
Daisy saw blood dripping from the creature's mouth. Bodies were torn apart by its forcipules, venom injected before it devoured its victims.
Crow grabbed the trapped man and pulled. The body didn't move. Only a scream escaped the man's lips.
"It's okay, sir," Crow said, trying to calm him.
"My body is crushed… There's nothing you can do."
There is one thing.
Daisy stood before the centipede, firm and unshaken, preparing her Art.
Neptune Art – Gusto Hurricane
She held her arms forward, palms facing out.
"Hold it… hold it… Shoot!"
A massive blast of wind erupted from her hands. Some said her wind could reach over two hundred knots—far beyond any natural storm. It surged forward like water fired from a high-pressure hose.
"Daisy!!"
The centipede struggled, its claws scraping into the ground as it tried to anchor itself.
"It's not working!!" Daisy shouted.
Crow realized she could only focus her wind on a small area. It was controlled, but limited.
"I'll evacuate the civilians," Crow said. He looked down at the man. "I'll come back for you as soon as it lets go."
Crow ran, helping people who were stumbling and injured.
"Where is the Artist Association?" he muttered angrily. "Even Daisy isn't this late."
By the time the last civilian was safe, the centipede still struggled against the wind.
A thunderous roar echoed.
"Daisy! Do it!!"
She closed her eyes. Instead of concentrating her wind into one point, she widened its range.
She inhaled deeply through her nose.
Then exhaled slowly.
The blast exploded outward.
The centipede was launched into the air at tremendous speed, disappearing into the sky.
"Where's it going to land, Daisy?!"
"Hopefully in the ocean," she replied.
Its armor was too hard to penetrate. Without Knighterror or the Artists, destroying it directly was impossible.
Crow rushed back to the man he had tried to save earlier. He was still alive.
Thankfully.
For the man's sake.
And for his own.
Crow felt useless. Without his Blood Moon Arts, he was powerless.
His phone began to ring.
A woman's voice came through. "Crow… remember the temple I told you about? It's gone."
"What do you mean, gone?"
"It disappeared. No trace of it ever being there," Alice said, confusion in her voice.
Crow froze.
"Hello? Crow, are you there?"
It was the only temple in the country capable of reclamation.
Numbness washed over him. He had already accepted his fate, but this…
"Crow?"
"…Yeah. I'm here."
"Don't give up so easily. How long do you have left?"
Crow swallowed.
Ten hours.