The market buzzed with life—crowds filling every corner, chatter blending with footsteps, and vendors calling out to customers. Alex strolled through, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the liveliness around him.
"Man… it's more crowded than usual," he muttered with a sigh. "Guess that's what you get in a city that never sleeps."
He kept walking, weaving through the crowd with casual steps, unaware of the storm brewing in a quiet office elsewhere.
In Kojin's office, tension filled the air. Diablo leaned against the wall with arms crossed, while Levi and Tomoa stood facing Kojin, who had his back to them as he looked out the window.
"We've got a situation," Kojin finally said, turning to face them.
Levi raised an eyebrow. "What kind of situation?"
Kojin's tone turned serious. "The organization after Alex's power… they're making a move. They're coming here—to the city."
Diablo grinned. "Finally, something interesting."
Levi shot him a side glance. "Diablo, this isn't the time to mess around." Diablo replied jokingly "Awn. Come on. It's rare we get moments like these."
"The group calls themselves the Dark Sign Cult,", this caused levi and tomoa to be slightly shocked while diablo didn't seem fazed at all. Kojin continued "They seem to be rather dangerous. From a few nearby cities, they say that they've been killing other criminals but still causing some small problems. They seem to be doing some other crazy stuff."
Levi's eyes narrowed. "Sounds deadly."
"They're a dangerous group. Most members range from C to B-rank," Kojin explained. "But what concerns me the most are their top three elites. All of them young—and incredibly powerful."
He walked to his desk, laying out three photos.
"The first is 26 years old. He manipulates steel to enhance his physical strength and durability."
Diablo nodded, intrigued.
"The second… only 19. Wields destructive energy—purple destructive energy. Stronger than anything Tomoa or I can generate."
Tomoa's eyes widened. "I thought only you and I had that power."
"This one surpasses both of us," Kojin admitted. "He's dangerous. But yet, his output and scale is lower than mine when he's at base. But still, who knows what he's capable off?"
Levi folded his arms. "And the last?"
Kojin sighed deeply. "Shinki. A former member of our city. Once the brightest student the academy had ever seen… now a rogue assassin. His betrayal hit us hard, and his power is nothing to underestimate."
Diablo scoffed lightly. "So we've got a steel guy, a purple energy prodigy, and a rogue genius. And they're B-rank?"
Kojin nodded. "Not exactly. Well at full power, they should be. Given what we've heard and the few clips we've seem of their battles."
"So what's the plan?" Tomoa asked.
"They'll try to enter through the outskirts—either the hills or the forest. We'll intercept them there. Be ready. They know we're watching. They're expecting resistance."
Levi smiled. "Good. Then we won't disappoint them."
Diablo turned to leave. "Let's wrap this up quick."
Kojin nodded. "Mission starts tomorrow. Dismissed."
Later that day…
Alex was sprawled on his bed, eyes glued to the screen as the ending of the anime played. He finished his drink, then stretched with satisfaction.
"That was fire. No way I'm missing the next season," he said, grinning as he turned off the TV.
He stood up and wandered into the living room, only to stop and stare. Bowls, wrappers, manga volumes—all scattered across the place.
"…Yeah. This is a disaster," Alex muttered, scratching the back of his head with a funny and defeated look on his face.
A short while later, the room was spotless. He collapsed onto his bed with a sigh of relief, grabbing some snacks and a drink from the fridge before retreating to his room again "Its a good thing grandpa left me a shit ton of money. Not just that, but Kojin payed me 60 neriods last week"( 1 neroid is 20 dollars)
As he sat and enjoyed his food, he looked out the window, his expression turning serious.
"Something doesn't feel right," he murmured.
Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.
"If I'm gonna survive what's coming… I need to be stronger. Which means I have to resume my training." He sighed "Ahhhhh. Now I feel lazy. God dam it."
END OF EPISODE