Isaac Wescott stared at the masked man who had just emerged from the darkness with calm eyes. Ellen, meanwhile, remained at attention, holding her energy sword and leaning slightly forward, ready to attack at any moment's suspicious movement. However, Isaac was different. There wasn't a hint of nervousness on his face. Instead, his lips curved into a faint smile, as if the arrival of this mysterious being was something he had anticipated.
Isaac's steps forward were light, in contrast to the terrifying aura emanating from Noir Blade, a man in a dark coat and a futuristic mask that hid most of his face, revealing only a pair of cold blue eyes that glinted like icy light. The atmosphere inside the ruined building grew tense, even the distant roar of Tohka's battle still lingering in the air, drowned out by the presence of this single figure.
"So... you are the one they call Noir Blade." Isaac's voice was low, calm, and unhurried. "I've heard many stories about you. A human, or rather, something resembling a human, capable of transcending spirits. I wonder... who exactly are you?"
Noir Blade didn't answer immediately. He stood still, staring straight at Isaac. The air around them seemed to freeze. With just his gaze, the masked man exerted enough pressure to make anyone feel suffocated. Ellen, standing beside Isaac, could feel it clearly. It was as if a mountain was pressing down on his chest. But Isaac remained upright, calm, and even smiling.
Finally, Noir Blade spoke. His voice was low, cold, and full of determination.
"That's none of your business." The voice echoed through the cracked room. "All you need to know… is that I will kill you."
Ellen immediately tensed, her hand gripping her sword tightly. She knew those words were no mere empty threat. This masked figure had demonstrated his strength on numerous occasions in other fields. If he said he would kill someone, it wouldn't be a lie.
However, Isaac remained unwavering. His smile widened slightly.
"Kill me? Hm… that's natural. Many would want to try. But before that… let me make you an offer."
Ellen turned quickly, her brow furrowed. "Master Isaac…" she murmured, as if warning.
Isaac raised his hand slightly, urging Ellen to silence. His eyes returned to Noir Blade.
"I know you've been targeting the spirits. They've been overwhelmed by your actions. But what if… we work together?"
Isaac's tone was casual, as if he were offering a businesslike proposition. "You're strong, perhaps too strong to be human. And I have resources, technology, and a vast network. Just imagine, if you stand by my side, hunting those spirits will be much easier. We can complement each other. You get what you want, and I get what I seek."
Ellen remained silent. The offer made sense from a strategic standpoint. But she knew their opponent wasn't someone who could be convinced with such simple words. Noir Blade's aura had been too firm from the start, too unwavering.
And indeed, the masked man let out a short, almost inaudible sigh.
"…You talk too much."
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted drastically. In a split second, Noir Blade moved his hand. His thumb pressed against the hilt of the Yamato sword at his left waist, a legendary sword tucked into a simple black sheath. With one smooth motion, he opened the sheath slightly.
Cling!
A sharp flash of light cut through the air. So fast, so subtle, it was almost invisible to the human eye.
Isaac stood upright, but his eyes widened for a moment. His left arm suddenly dropped. And before he knew it, blood dripped. His left hand… had been cut off.
Ellen was shocked. "Master Isaac!" she exclaimed reflexively. Without thinking, she darted toward Isaac and caught him before he could stumble. In an instant, Ellen activated her personal teleportation system. Blue light enveloped them both.
Noir Blade didn't give chase. He simply stood there, letting Isaac and Ellen disappear in the flash of light. He showed no expression, no sign of wanting to stop them. To him, they were no more than a minor nuisance he could eliminate at any moment.
Once the light disappeared, the room fell silent again. Dust fell from the hole in the roof, while the night breeze carried a chilly scent. The Noir Blade retracted the Yamato into its sheath with a quiet click, as if nothing had happened.
Slowly, his head lifted. His eyes, gleaming blue behind his mask, stared up at Tohka, who was still floating in the air. The girl, in inversion mode, looked like a black shadow embodied by anger. The moonlight filtering through the collapsed ceiling illuminated her figure, making her look even more terrifying.
But Noir Blade didn't budge. He simply stared. Silently. Assessing. As if what had just been the prologue, and the real show was just about to begin.
On the other side of the partially destroyed building, behind the ruins of a wall that still stood tilted, Shido and Miku hid silently. Their breaths were labored, not only from the pain of Shido's recent injuries, but also from the overwhelming tension of what they had just witnessed.
Shido was still pale, his body still not fully recovered from Ellen's stabbing moments earlier. However, his eyes were wide open, filled with shock. His trembling hands gently pressed against the wall, trying to maintain his balance as his body teetered on the edge of the wall.
Miku, who was right beside him, covered her mouth with her palm. Her purple eyes trembled, fixated on the figure of Noir Blade standing in the middle of the building, his coat swaying calmly. They both saw with their own eyes how with just the slightest movement of his thumb to unsheathe his sword, Isaac lost his left hand, so quickly, so utterly, so unavoidably.
"...That… That's crazy…" Miku whispered in a choked voice. Her breath was labored, as if her chest was being squeezed by the mere proximity of the figure's aura. She turned to Shido, her gaze searching for answers. "Shido… who exactly is he?!"
Shido swallowed hard, unable to imagine that Noir Blade was aiming for the head instead of the hand. A mix of fear and wariness was clearly visible on his face. Slowly, he looked away from Noir Blade, trying to calm Miku down, though he himself was barely able to do so.
"Miku… what I said before… about him… was all nonsense." His voice was hoarse, yet firm. "He… Noir Blade… is not someone an ordinary spirit can compare to. Even Kurumi, even all of them, are nothing before him."
Miku stared at Shido in disbelief. But as she looked back at the masked man, the memory of what had just happened stabbed her mind again. The fleeting movement that even her eyes could barely catch, the aura that made it hard to breathe, and the fact that Isaac Wescott, such an influential figure in DEM, was helpless even standing before her. All of it… concrete proof.
"…So… everything you said…" Miku's voice trailed off, almost trembling, "…is true?"
Shido nodded slowly, his face still tense. "Yes. I know it's hard to believe… but now you've seen it for yourself. He's real. Noir Blade… a being that stands beyond our common sense. Something I don't even know how to explain."
Miku bit her lip, looking down for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, trying to control her still-panic-filled self. When she looked back at Shido, a firmness slowly replaced her doubt. "Okay… I believe it. After seeing it with my own eyes… I can't deny it anymore."
Shido stared at her for a moment, then bowed slightly. "That's good then. But, Miku… don't be reckless. Don't approach him, don't try to talk, let alone fight him. We can only watch from afar."
Miku nodded, though her hands were still trembling. She knew that even her voice wouldn't be able to penetrate the silence surrounding Noir Blade. It was as if the figure were a dark abyss swallowing all light around it.
From their hiding place, the two could clearly see Noir Blade reattach his sword to its sheath with a calm movement, then raise his face toward Tohka, who was still floating in the moonlight. Shido swallowed hard once more. Deep in his heart, he knew that the battle that would follow was not something he could interfere with. Even if he tried, it would only be his end.
"Miku…" Shido whispered softly, his voice barely audible to the girl beside him. "Whatever happens… we can only pray that Tohka is safe. Because I'm not sure anyone can stop her."
Miku held Shido's hand tightly. "I understand…" she replied softly, though her voice trembled. "…but if Tohka falls… then no one can protect us from her."
Shido didn't answer. He simply stared at the sky beyond the hole in the roof, where the moonlight illuminated Tohka's inverted form, resembling a demonic shadow. Then he looked back at Noir Blade, standing firmly below him, like a calm challenger awaiting his turn.
And there, for the first time, Shido felt his insignificance in the face of the two forces squaring off against each other.
On the Fraxinus's main bridge, dozens of large screens illuminated the dark room with a bluish glow. Each monitor displayed visuals of the fierce battle unfolding around the DEM headquarters. Explosions, flashes of energy, and the shadows of Spirits battling Wizards and DEM forces filled the view. But all the crew's eyes were now fixated on a single screen: footage of a mysterious figure in a black coat and a futuristic mask.
Noir Blade.
When the figure appeared, the atmosphere in the room changed instantly. Even the sounds of machinery and communications devices seemed muffled, as if its presence was pressing down on everyone, making it difficult to breathe.
Kotori sat in the command chair, a red lollipop clutched to her lips. Normally, the candy was her way of calming herself under stress, but this time it tasted bland. Her eyes stared at the screen, filled with tension, though she tried to hide it behind the cold facade of a leader.
"Com-Commander…" one of the male crew members broke the silence with a trembling voice. "Just now… Isaac Wescott was injured… and Ellen… Ellen retreated."
Everyone had seen it. With just a slight shift of her sheathed sword, the Noir Blade sliced through Isaac's arm like cutting paper. Ellen, DEM's strongest Wizard, had no choice but to flee, dragging her commander along. That fact alone was enough to send shivers down everyone's spine.
Reine, standing to the right of Kotori's seat, stared at the screen with a blank expression. However, if you looked closely, her eyes held a deep shock. In a low voice, she commented,
"The power he displayed just now… surpasses even all the data we have. The Noir Blade's danger level must be reassessed. This… is no longer at the level of an ordinary human."
Kotori bit the candy in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out for a moment before she replied coldly, "That's obvious. No human could do something like that."
There was a moment of silence, only the faint sound of the communication system could be heard. The crew exchanged nervous glances.
"Commander…" one of the female crew members dared to speak. "If… if Tohka in that inversion state comes face to face with the Noir Blade… what should we do? Do we—"
"Don't," Kotori interrupted immediately. Her voice was firm, but her small hands gripped the back of the chair even tighter. "Don't make any rash moves. Fraxinus won't interfere."
"B… but, if Shido—"
"I know!" Kotori exclaimed involuntarily, sending the entire room into silence. She lowered her head, pressing the hand still holding the lollipop stick to her head, trying to control her emotions. In a quieter voice, she continued, "…I know Shido is there."
Reine stared at her for a moment, but didn't add anything. She knew those words weren't just an answer, but the cry of a worried younger sibling.
Kotori turned her gaze back to the screen. The image of Shido and Miku hiding in the rubble made her chest tighten. She knew her older sister's nature all too well—Shido wouldn't stand idly by when someone was in danger. And if she were to rashly confront the Noir Blade… Kotori swallowed, not wanting to imagine the worst.
"Shido… please don't be stupid this time," she muttered softly, barely audible.
The crew remained silent. Some of them had already realized that their Commander, despite her stern demeanor, was just a girl afraid of losing the person most important to her.
The screen zoomed in again on Noir Blade. His coat swayed gently in the night breeze, his futuristic mask glinting faintly in the moonlight.
Kotori felt her heart pound, though she forced a calm expression. A lollipop rolled around in her mouth, this time no longer tasting sweet.
One of the crew whispered softly, "…Monster."
The word made several people nod slightly. There was no other word to describe Noir Blade. He wasn't human, nor was he a spirit. He was something beyond logic.
Kotori clenched her fists on the chair, though the stick of candy was still tucked between her lips. "Whatever he is… the important thing is that Shido must not face him directly."
But deep down, she knew. Sooner or later, Shido and Noir Blade's paths would cross. And when that time came… she could only pray that her brother would be safe.