Silence hung in the room.
Broken walls. Unconscious agents. Dust still drifting in the air, catching the faint light.
Yoru and Sairi stood in the middle of the wreckage, their eyes locked on the figure by the door.
The man in the black coat was easy to see now. He had a calm face, almost bored, but his presence was heavy. It felt dangerous even from across the room.
"Impressive..." he said, his voice smooth. A faint smile touched his lips. "For a first time, that's actually quite good."
Yoru glared at him, his knuckles still covered in dark smoke.
"Who are you?"
The man stepped into the room. His movements were relaxed, careless—as if he were taking a walk in a park rather than standing in a warzone.
He had all the time in the world.
"Me?" he repeated.
He paused, looking Yoru in the eye.
"I am your problem."
Sairi's expression sharpened instantly. Her hands began to glow with a faint, icy blue light.
"Yoru..." she whispered, "be careful. This guy... he isn't like the others."
Yoru didn't pull back. He gave a small, dark smirk.
"Good. Because I'm not normal either."
The man tilted his head slightly, as if amused by a child's joke.
Then, he released his aura.
The pressure in the room shifted in an instant. The air grew heavy, thick like lead. Even breathing became a struggle.
Yoru's body tensed on instinct. His heart hammered against his ribs.
"What... is this...?"
Sairi's voice was low and deadly serious.
"He's on a completely different level."
The man slipped one hand into his coat pocket.
"There's no need to remember my name..."
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"But even so... you can call me Rei."
Yoru repeated the name slowly, tasting the word.
"Rei..."
Then, without a single warning—Rei vanished.
One second he was there, the next—
THUD.
A massive force hit Yoru's chest. He didn't even see the movement. He was launched backward, his body slamming into the concrete wall with a sickening crack.
"Fast—!" Yoru coughed, the air escaping his lungs.
Sairi reacted immediately. An ice spike shot forward, sharp as a spear.
Rei simply raised a hand.
CRACK.
The ice shattered into dust. Effortlessly.
"Too slow," Rei said calmly.
Yoru forced himself back onto his feet, his ribs screaming in pain.
"This guy... he's a monster..."
Rei looked at him with mild interest, as if observing an interesting insect.
"You two are interesting..."
Then his expression cooled.
"But still weak."
The word hit Yoru harder than the punch. His eyes flared a violent red.
Aura burst.
"Go ahead and try me," Yoru growled through clenched teeth.
He rushed at Rei at full speed. He poured everything into one strike.
Punch—
Rei caught it with one hand. Effortlessly.
Silence.
Yoru stared in disbelief. His fist was frozen in Rei's grip. He couldn't move it an inch.
"Is that all?" Rei asked quietly.
The next second—
BOOM.
Yoru was slammed into the wall again. Harder this time. He hit the ground heavily, his vision spinning.
"Sairi!" Yoru tried to shout, but it came out as a gasp.
He was breathing fast, his body shaking. "I... I can't even touch him..."
Rei walked toward him at a slow, measured pace. He looked down at Yoru.
"Your power..."
"It's interesting."
"That is why..."
"I won't kill you just yet."
He turned away and started walking toward the door. He didn't even bother to check if they were going to attack again.
"Grow stronger..."
Without looking back, his voice echoed through the ruined room.
"We'll meet again."
And then, he simply vanished into the shadows.
Silence returned. The crushing pressure was gone, but the cold feeling remained. Sairi helped Yoru to his feet.
"Are you okay?"
Yoru stared at the empty doorway for a long moment. He clenched his fist so hard his nails dug into his skin.
"That... wasn't a fight."
His voice was a low whisper.
"That was a warning."