Eight thunderous booms echoed across Kanagawa.
The force of the explosions sent birds scattering across the cloudy sky and caused the ground to tremble beneath their feet. The elite team snapped into formation without hesitation.
"Same teams," Riku commanded, already sprinting. "Split up and investigate. Report anything out of the ordinary."
Each pair nodded and vanished in different directions, expertly dispersing across the prefecture.
Toru Kurotaki and Daigo Shinoseki made their way toward the northeastern region where the fifth explosion had rung out.
Yumi Aoyama and Sora Tenmei darted southeast.
Reika Muro and Kaito Sorimachi took to the west.
Hajime Kenta and Hina Morikawa zipped north.
Naoko Ishigari and Amari Fuse leapt into the skies and headed southwest.
Zenji Takamura and Mikio Dazai moved south through the city ruins.
Arata Nojima and Kuro Emi followed a trail of flickering energy trails due east.
And Riku Hayashi… once again traveled alone—his energy flaring high, as if daring the enemy to come for him.
Meanwhile, Toru and Daigo landed near the remnants of a small residential area. Collapsed buildings and smoke filled the air—but what shocked them most were the civilians still alive, huddled in fear near a collapsed transit station.
Daigo moved toward them immediately, using his magnetic field to lift fallen steel debris, freeing a trapped couple.
"Are you alright?!" Toru called out.
The civilians pointed toward a shadowy figure standing silently near a half-crushed bench.
At first glance, the man seemed human.
But then…
He stepped forward—pale-skinned, skin marked by darkened tattoos and cryptic sigils that crawled across his chest and down both arms. His dark blue hair fell in wild, uneven strands over his eyes, which glowed faintly with indigo Essence.
The civilians around him seemed frozen with fear—not held by force, but by sheer instinct. There was something wrong about him.
Suddenly, the man opened his mouth—and something slithered out.
A squirming, translucent worm-like creature, lined with miniature runes, fell to the ground and began to twist… grow… melt, and reshape itself.
Moments later, it formed an exact copy of the man.
Daigo's eyes narrowed. "He replicated himself… what is that?!"
The original man smirked.
"I am called Veynos," he said calmly, his voice laced with a raspy echo. "Remember it—if you live long enough to matter."
Then he vanished in a blur—leaping to the rooftops with unnatural agility. The clone dissolved into purple vapor.
But that wasn't all.
A screech echoed—followed by hundreds of low growls.
Toru's gaze shifted as 150 purple-skinned beasts emerged from nearby alleys, craters, and the tops of shattered buildings—each one pulsing with high-tier Essence.
"...Those aren't scouts," Toru muttered, cracking his knuckles. "They're soldiers."
Daigo grinned beside him, aura sparking. "Hope the others are ready. This is war."
Toru activated his triple aura, signaling the others with a burst into the sky.Riku, Yumi, and the rest of the team felt the pulse immediately.
And with it came the silent realization:
The true enemy had just shown their face.
And his name was Veynos.