As the trio left the smoking ruins of the factory, the air still thick with dust and burnt metal, Ethan muttered, "That was a full-fledged Black Level…"
He wiped his face with his sleeve, eyes sharp but tired.
"If I'd been alone, I could've died. So that's what the Black H face alone?"
Rael glanced sideways, blinking. "They fight that strong… by themselves?"
Seth nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah. Black H are on another level. If it wasn't the three of us together? We'd be toast. Split us up—we're corpses."
Ethan added, "It's not even protocol to send two Red H and an Orange on a Black Level mission. Especially not a age 15 like us. That guy with the gas mask… he had to be someone way higher than he let on. Being able to send us into a mission like that—"
"Means he's strong," Seth finished. "Maybe even one of the real top dogs."
Ethan nodded. "Some Harbingers take a year—or even two—before they're trusted with their first Black Level."
Seth smirked. "How many of these Black Level freaks do you think we gotta beat to become Black H ourselves?"
Ethan shrugged. "No clue. But… I think it's more than just body count."
As they walked back through the overcast wasteland, a beat-up light green car zoomed toward them at ridiculous speed, skidding slightly as it stopped. The door flung open.
A frail-looking but spry old man yelled out with a grin, "Oiii! You brats are alive—get in!"
Seth muttered, "Cool driver, but man, your color choices suck…"
The moment the doors shut, the car bolted off like a missile, headed back toward HQ.
---
Elsewhere…
Deep beneath an abandoned city structure, something monstrous unfolded.
A grotesque Remnant—bloated like a human balloon, its entire body sewn together by black stitches—squirmed on the ground, face twisted in terror. Its voice quivered, begging:
"P-please… end it… just kill me…"
Above it stood another Remnant—towering, monstrous, tree-tall. Its body was carved with glowing lines, muscles rippling beneath semi-translucent skin. It wore nothing but a white cloth around its waist. Its face was a perfect, featureless circle—except for the massive antler-like horns and a grotesquely wide human smile, red with blood.
It held the fat Remnant like a baby… and was slowly squashing it.
The smaller Remnant cried and begged to die, but the tall one—Solros—only chuckled. His disturbing grin widened as if to say: "Not yet."
Blood splattered. Bones cracked.
Beneath them stood Dominic—the man in the gas mask, wearing his a black suit, hands in his pockets. He observed with eerie calm.
Behind him, a man in a weathered leather coat arrived—Ris.
"You enjoying this, Dominic?" he asked, eyeing the torture.
He chuckled lightly. "Not me. That's all Solros. He doesn't just kill—he makes them beg for death first."
Ris smirked. "You say that, but your eyes seem to enjoy it too."
Dominic tilted his head. "Can you even see my eyes, Ris?"
Suddenly—
SPLAAAT.
Blood sprayed everywhere as the fat Remnant was finally crushed like a melon. Solros gave a satisfied giggle, like a child who broke his favorite toy.
Ris stared up at the monster. "I wonder… what did you sacrifice to make that Psycho Creepy thing contract with you?"
Dominic's laugh was soft, but cold. "That's a secret."
Ris rolled her eyes. "You won't tell me yours, and I won't tell you mine."
He stepped closer. "Anyway, the kids did it. They beat the target. Leveled the whole damn factory too."
Dominic nodded. "Good. I'll send them to another Black Level next, but the next one will be twice Strong as they last fought"
Ris frowned. "Already? And you said it'll be twice as strong?"
Dominic didn't answer at first… then turned his gaze toward Solros, who was still grinning like a maniac.
"We need him to awaken," he said.
Ris narrowed her eyes. "So you're really doing this…"
"He will back again after centuries of sealing him, and we dont know when"
Dominic nodded. "We don't know when he will awaken. But when he does, we'll need more than just normal Harbingers."
---
Back at Base…
The trio stepped out of the green car and stretched their limbs.
"Yaaawn," Seth muttered. "I wanna eat…"
Ethan laughed. "Eat or sleep?"
"Both."
As they walked down the metallic stairs back into the underground base, the lights buzzed dimly. Just as they turned the corner—
"YOU DAMN BRATS!!"
Their old instructor stood waiting.
Seth grinned. "Yow, old man!"
The teacher's veins popped. "WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS, YOU LITTLE—!"
But Ethan walked right past him. "Let's get pork. I'm craving pork."
Seth followed, hands behind his head like nothing happened.
Rael paused and bowed slightly to the teacher. "Sorry, sir. They're just tired."
The teacher grumbled. "Tired? More like spoiled. This generation… hopeless!"
Rael smiled sheepishly and followed the two into the cafeteria.
As they sat down to eat, laughter filled the air, but beneath it all… something darker stirred.