They hovered in the air. The girl, the man with her, and Alpha. In front of them was the large crater left by the explosion.
The girl looked at the crater and said clearly,
"Did you die that fast… my third brother?!"
The man beside her narrowed his eyes and answered calmly,
"What a powerful strike."
Alpha stood silently, his eyes fixed on the crater without expression.
The atmosphere was quiet; no one moved.
Alpha remained steady in the air, moving toward the girl and the man standing before him.
Step by step, he approached them, his eyes watching them intently.
Then, in a firm voice, he said,
"Who are you?"
He stood still, waiting for an answer, his body tense and ready for any reaction.
At the city's edge, the mercenary leader stood among his men, all focused on the events unfolding in the forest.
Suddenly, a roar erupted from deep within the trees.
A group of monsters appeared — large but not excessively huge — with sharp claws and teeth, their skin covered in a dark coating.
The monsters began advancing quickly toward the mercenaries.
The mercenary leader raised his sword and signaled his squad to prepare.
The mercenaries charged forward, forming organized ranks.
They clashed directly with the monsters.
The battle was fierce. Sword strikes met claws, and some archers fired arrows from behind.
But the monsters were not easy opponents; they struck hard and tried to break through the mercenary lines.
One mercenary fell after being hit in the shoulder but kept fighting.
The mercenary leader fought with focus, calmly giving orders amid the clashing sounds.
As time passed, the monsters began to retreat, some fleeing back into the forest.
The mercenaries did not pursue them but regrouped and prepared for any new attack.
The fight was brutal but not a devastating massacre — mostly organized back-and-forth strikes.
In the royal palace, the king sat in the grand meeting hall, staring out the window at the horizon.
Beside him stood the advisor, following the latest news from the city's borders.
The king spoke in a calm but serious tone,
"The energy we saw above the city… it's not normal. Do you think it's connected to the dragons?"
The advisor responded after a moment of thought,
"Yes, Your Majesty. That is unmistakably dragon energy. It's very rare. This means Alpha or a similar creature is moving near our borders."
The king sighed,
"The mercenaries have also reported monster attacks from the forest. It seems the situation is escalating quickly."
The advisor looked concerned,
"We must plan wisely. We can't risk sending the entire army without knowing the enemy's true strength."
The king said,
"I want immediate reports on any unusual movements inside or outside the city. And order a special reconnaissance team to monitor the forest."
The advisor agreed,
"I will start preparing the orders right away, Your Majesty."
The two exchanged a silent look, each aware of the looming danger.
Alpha remained suspended in the air, staring at the man and the girl before him.
Alpha said firmly,
"Who are you?"
The man replied calmly,
"You can call me X890."
Then the girl looked at Alpha with the same calm tone,
"And I am X891."
Alpha gave a small smile, then quietly said,
"Greetings."
X890 smiled widely, then burst out laughing — a strange mix of madness and confidence.
He looked directly at Alpha and said loudly,
"Why don't you join us, Alpha?"
His voice rose as he shouted like a madman, raising his arms to the sky,
"Join Yana! Let's rule this world together!"
Alpha looked at them steadily and said,
"And what if I refuse to join you?"
X890's smile vanished instantly, his face turning serious. He replied with one word,
"We will kill you."
Alpha slowly raised his hand and covered his face, without responding.
X891 began pacing around him, moving from right to left, repeating clearly,
"Join us… join…"
She kept moving, endlessly repeating the phrase.
Alpha didn't move. He stayed in place, hand on his face. After a moment, a slight smile appeared beneath his hand, but he said nothing.
Alpha lifted his head toward the sky, breathed slowly, and said quietly,
"What a gloomy day…"
X891 swayed lightly as she approached, circling him like she was watching his reactions.
She spoke softly,
"What are you looking at?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he slowly raised his right fist and clenched it tightly.
Suddenly, he lunged forward with a strike. The air trembled for a moment, and the blow was about to smash her head — but she quickly stepped back before his hand could touch her.
Immediately after, she moved and stood in front of X890.
She said firmly,
"That was close, brother."
When X891 finished speaking, she felt something warm trickle from her nose. She slowly raised her hand and touched the blood that dripped lightly.
She stared at it for a moment, then whispered to herself,
"He didn't touch me… not at all. He pulled back before his fist even reached me."
She studied the blood on her finger, then turned her gaze to Alpha, who still stood in place, unmoved since the strike.
His eyes remained fixed on her, his face expressionless.
It disturbed her—not because of the strike, but because she didn't understand how it happened. She felt nothing. No wind, no pressure… just a retreat, then blood.
X890 noticed what happened. He said nothing but stepped forward, his eyes shifting between his sister and Alpha.
This time, he spoke quietly,
"Didn't I tell you? Don't mess with him."
Alpha advanced calmly toward them, raising his head to look at X890 and X891 with deadly calm eyes.
He said low and steady,
"You think you are the strongest in this world? That makes me laugh."
He paused for a moment, then continued,
"Give me one reason… one reason to convince me not to kill you both, to kill each one of you here and now."
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating. No one dared to respond.
He smiled faintly and whispered,
"Nothing? I thought so."
Suddenly, Alpha lunged at X890 with a powerful strike to his chest. The impact shook the air, leaving a gust swirling around X890's back.
At the same time, Alpha raised his foot swiftly and aimed a strong kick directly at X891's head. She staggered from the blow and fell hard to the ground.
After X891 fell, X890 quickly stood up, his fist tightening and hardening in a clear display of anger and focus. He charged toward Alpha, shouting sharply,
"You bastard!"
With a strong, precise strike, X890 hit Alpha, forcing him to step back.
Alpha couldn't maintain his balance and slammed into a building wall a little distance from the fight, the impact marking the spot.
Before he could recover, X891 pounced on him from the side, delivering a powerful kick while smiling coldly,
"How fun."
Her strike landed directly, causing Alpha to fall again, but his face remained calm despite the repeated blows.
Alpha lay stretched on the ground, his body moving slowly with each breath, his eyes carefully watching X890 and X891 standing over him.
X890 slowly raised his sword and said coldly,
"At first, I thought I wouldn't use this sword, but I guess I will now."
X891 smiled lightly, silently observing the scene, while X890 prepared for a new strike.
X890 slowly descended toward Alpha, his eyes shining with unyielding determination. He raised the sword high and began swinging it with all his strength toward Alpha's head.
The air around them crackled sharply with the sword's power.
The sword came down toward Alpha's head.