Ash fell like snow as the enemy rose from the debris, its cloak smoldering but intact. Its eyes gleamed with something far more terrifying than rage—amusement.
"Haruto, Shin, Toma—fall back!" Sensei Roku ordered, his voice sharper now, no longer lazy and carefree. He stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "This one's different. It's not a specter. It's a Warden."
Haruto blinked, heart thudding. "Warden? As in… one of the sealed beings from the Arcane Realm?"
Roku didn't answer. He didn't have to.
The enemy vanished.
In a flash, it appeared behind Toma—silent, deadly. Toma's instincts kicked in. He rolled forward, the creature's claw just grazing the back of his shirt.
Shin was already moving, his hand sparking with black lightning. "Kuro Raijin: Volt Split!" he shouted.
A spear of pure black thunder crackled from his palm and crashed into the Warden. The explosion rocked the rooftop. Smoke clouded their vision.
Haruto coughed, shielding his face. "Did that hit it?"
"No," Roku said grimly. "It absorbed it."
Out of the fading smoke, the Warden stepped forward, now surrounded by lightning—Shin's lightning. Its smile stretched unnaturally wide.
Shin froze, eyes narrowing. "It's mimicking me…"
"Not mimicking," the Warden rasped, its voice like broken glass. "Evolving."
Without warning, it vanished again.
Roku acted fast. "Impact 3."
A pulse of compact energy burst from his palm and collided mid-air with the Warden, stopping it mid-strike just inches from Shin's chest. The force sent it crashing into a billboard below, which exploded in a shower of sparks.
Haruto didn't wait. His fists ignited with a golden glow. He dashed forward.
"Haruto, wait!" Roku shouted—but it was too late.
Haruto leapt from the rooftop, diving straight into the chaos.
He remembered Sensei's words. Don't engage.
He remembered the way Shin looked at him, always so damn serious.
He remembered the way the Warden smiled, like it had already won.
No way I'm letting that thing walk away.
Haruto spun mid-air, fist cocked. The glow around him condensed—his energy sharp, burning.
"Radiant Rush!"
His punch connected.
A wave of energy exploded through the Warden's chest, sending it flying across the street and through a building wall.
Haruto landed hard, knees cracking the pavement. Breathing fast. He didn't care. His body ached—but for the first time, his heart felt alive.
Toma and Shin landed beside him.
"Still showing off," Shin muttered, brushing dust off his sleeve.
Toma chuckled. "He's gonna die doing it one day."
Haruto smirked, ignoring the pain in his ribs. "Better than dying bored."
Then… silence.
The building where the Warden had crashed collapsed inward.
But no body came out.
No laughter. No counterattack.
Just… a low, humming sound.
Roku dropped down beside them, eyes scanning. "Get ready. It's not over."
And then—
The hum became a shriek.
Dark mist erupted from the building, spiraling into the sky and taking shape. A giant eye blinked open in the vortex.
Toma paled. "That's a Gate. It's opening another Gate!"
Haruto clenched his fists again, heart racing.
The city lights flickered.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
From the mist, dozens of smaller figures began to emerge—shadowy beings, hunched and snarling.
Specters.
Roku's voice cut through the fear.
"New mission. Containment. You three hold the line."
Haruto looked to his left—Shin, lightning already crackling at his fingertips.
Then to his right—Toma, eyes focused, talismans floating around his arms.
And finally ahead—toward the oncoming storm.
A grin tugged at Haruto's lips.
"Let's make them regret coming here."
To be continued...