Smoke. Screams. Sirens.
The city was in chaos, and right in the middle of it—Haruto, Shin, and Toma stood their ground like a wall between the nightmare and the real world.
The first specter lunged.
Toma was faster.
With a flick of his fingers, three talismans flew forward, glowing bright yellow. "Bind!" he shouted.
The talismans wrapped around the creature's limbs mid-air and slammed it to the ground. It screeched—right before exploding into mist.
"They're weaker than the Warden," Toma muttered, sweat running down his temple. "But not by much."
Another came from the side—two, no, three. One jumped straight at Haruto.
Haruto ducked, slid under it, and threw his glowing fist upward. "Solar Break!"
The hit launched the creature into the sky like a firework. It burst apart in a flash of light.
More were coming.
Dozens.
They poured out of the Gate like ants from a nest—claws, fangs, misty bodies, glowing eyes. The night felt heavier with each second.
Shin's hands sparked again—this time with black flames curling around his fingers. "Blackfire Tempest."
He spun, releasing a spiral of dark flames that devoured the specters in its path. Their cries echoed as they vanished into smoke and ash.
"Save your stamina," Roku called from above, standing on a broken streetlamp like it was a throne. "Don't burn it all in one move."
Haruto glanced at the gate. "Sensei, we can't keep this up forever."
"You won't have to," Roku said, one eye glowing faintly purple. "Just hold on another minute. Reinforcements are on the way."
Haruto gritted his teeth. "A minute is long when everything wants to eat your face!"
Shin stepped beside him, eyes locked on the incoming wave. "Then don't let them touch your face."
Haruto laughed. "There's that personality again. Mr. Emo Lightning."
Toma cracked a grin. "Shut up and focus, both of you."
Then it happened.
The Gate pulsed.
And everything froze.
The specters stopped moving.
Time slowed. Even the sounds seemed to vanish.
From the center of the swirling mist, a tall figure stepped out. Cloaked in a long, dark coat, with hair like smoke and one glowing red eye.
Haruto felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"That's not a specter," Shin said slowly.
"No," Roku said, stepping down. "That's a Warden. A real one. Not a mimic. Not a copy."
The figure raised a hand. Its voice was smooth, almost bored. "So you're the new generation."
Its eye locked onto Haruto.
"You glow too brightly, boy. I don't like that."
Without warning, he snapped his fingers.
The ground cracked.
A massive claw shot out from beneath their feet. Haruto leapt back, barely avoiding it.
Toma went flying. Shin caught him mid-air with a surge of lightning. Haruto rolled, coughing from the shockwave.
When the dust cleared, a giant beast had emerged—a fusion of bones, mist, and shadow. Its roar shattered nearby windows.
"Change of plan!" Roku shouted. "You three hold the line! I'll take the big one!"
Roku leapt forward. Impact 5.
He punched the beast. The impact wave split the street in two.
The monster staggered, screeching.
Haruto stared in awe. "That was Impact five?!"
"I thought the city was gonna split open!" Toma yelled from behind a car.
But the beast wasn't down.
It roared again—and this time, it began absorbing the mist, growing larger, sharper, more monstrous by the second.
Haruto clenched his fists. "We've got to stop the specters from feeding it more mist."
"Then we cut off their flow," Shin said. "Right at the Gate."
The three exchanged glances.
No more hesitation.
No more waiting.
They ran.
Straight toward the Gate.
Blades of mist flew at them. Haruto deflected one with his arm, grunting as the energy burned through his jacket. Toma sent a blast of talismans forward, clearing a path.
Shin slashed through two more with a katana forged from black lightning.
They reached the base of the Gate.
It pulsed again—alive, hungry.
Haruto planted his feet. "Alright, time to shine. I'm gonna close this thing."
"You don't even know how!" Toma yelled.
"I don't," Haruto admitted, smiling. "But I'm still gonna try."
He raised both hands. Energy flowed through him—wild, golden, hot. His body screamed, but he didn't stop.
He focused on the Gate.
And then—
The Gate pulsed one more time.
Haruto stepped forward—
—and something reached through the Gate and grabbed his arm.
A hand.
Human. Pale. Familiar.
Haruto's eyes widened.
"Brother?"
The Gate screamed.
To be continued…