— Reunion of Blood —
Butcher froze as he stared at the doorway.
He could hear the whispers of the other students behind him—
> "Oh my God… is that Kai?"
"No way, Kai?! I can't believe it… I heard he and a few others were trapped in the Abyss three years ago…"
Butcher's breath caught.
His footsteps echoed softly— thump… thump… —as he slowly walked toward Kai.
He reached out, his trembling hands brushing through Kai's grey-colored hair, then his cheek.
He whispered shakily,
> "Kai… is it really you?"
Kai chuckled, giving him a warm smile.
> "Yep. It's me. In the flesh and bone."
Butcher's lips trembled, tears spilling down his cheeks.
He threw his arms around Kai, hugging him tightly.
> "You dumb, crazy brother… how the hell did you get back? Damn, you don't know how Mom and Dad felt!"
Kai smiled softly, rubbing Butcher's hair.
> "Hey, I've told you. I'm Kai—your big bro. And the strongest. I'm not going to die so easily."
Butcher sniffed, wiping his eyes.
> "You dumbass… getting trapped in the Abyss and surviving isn't easy. How the hell did you even make it out?"
Kai laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head.
> "Yeah, well… it's a long story. But for now, I gotta say—you've grown soft. Crying and showing emotions?"
Butcher froze, quickly cleaning his face.
> "I'm not crying! Do I look like I'm crying?"
He turned to the stunned students watching the reunion.
His tone turned sharp—
> "Don't you guys have something better to do?"
The group instantly looked away.
Sophia, standing among them, sighed.
> "Hey, let's give Butcher space, okay?"
She nodded toward the door, motioning for everyone to leave.
The room soon emptied, leaving only Butcher and Kai.
---
— The Weight of Yesterday —
Kai sat on a bench, leaning forward.
> "So… how have things been? You look messed up."
Butcher dropped beside him.
> "Is that obvious, huh? Well… a lot happened. And yesterday—"
He paused, running a hand down his face.
"Yesterday went beyond anything I've ever experienced. And now… you're happening."
Kai chuckled.
> "C'mon, it can't be that bad, right? Start with yesterday's event—I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything."
Butcher exhaled deeply.
> "I don't even know where to start."
He thought for a moment before speaking again.
> "One month ago, CODE was exterminated. No survivors. No information. Just a ruined base filled with dead bodies."
Kai's eyes widened.
> "The CODE? No way. They were one of the best and most trusted military forces in the world! Based on their constant growth and—"
Butcher cut in sharply.
> "They all died. None lived to tell what happened."
He closed his eyes, his voice low and grim.
> "One thing was clear—the people who killed them had serious power and weaponry. They didn't just kill them… they dismantled them. Cut them to pieces. Burned them. Drugged them. Tortured them until death."
Kai's jaw tightened.
> "Did anyone figure out their goal—or who they might be?"
Butcher shook his head slowly.
> "Their goal? Nope. Who they are? We found out yesterday."
His head lowered. His tone darkened.
> "We called them The Unknown. They operate like ghosts. And yesterday… I got a taste of one of their members firsthand."
He looked directly at Kai.
> "You won't believe what we found out. This entire organization might be made up of teenagers."
Kai blinked, then laughed softly—then louder.
> "Teenagers took down CODE? Don't make me laugh! I was expecting some terrorist group, not a bunch of kids!"
Butcher grabbed Kai's shoulder, shaking him.
> "No! I'm telling you—these guys are serious threats. I went head-on with one of them. The guy goes by Demon or De. He's fast, strong, reads the battlefield perfectly, adapts fast, and endures pain like a monster!"
Butcher stood, pacing around, his voice rising.
> "I can't believe how good he was. He made me feel joy in battle for once! He took a Nullx and still stood—still fighting!"
He turned to Kai, tears returning to his eyes.
> "Do you believe that? A Nullx—strong enough to stop movement and suppress powers—and he took it like nothing! He made us look useless and pathetic!"
Butcher ruffled his hair, shouting,
> "I felt like a damn disappointment!"
---
— The Big Brother's Fist —
THUD!
Kai's fist drove straight into Butcher's stomach.
Butcher gasped, folding over in pain.
Kai's tone turned cold but firm.
> "Shut up. The world can call you a disappointment all it wants. But the moment you start believing it… that's when it's final."
He gripped Butcher's shoulder, speaking more softly now.
> "Listen. I know you're feeling worthless, but don't let it eat you up. There's always room to develop. That's why I'm going to train you—to get stronger."
Butcher looked up, eyes wide.
> "For real?"
Kai grinned, nodding.
> "Yeah. When I'm done with you, that Demon guy's gonna be begging for mercy."
---
— The SWAT Arrival —
BANG!
The door swung open—armed men in black SWAT combat suits stormed into the room. Their boots thundered across the floor.
> "Kai Aiden, you are to be brought back to the Hero Association by force! Stop escaping every time! You're a special case—we can't have you running around!"
Butcher blinked, muttering under his breath,
> "You ran from the base…"
Kai laughed softly, scratching his neck.
> "Sorry."
---
— In the Hero Association HQ —
Meanwhile, at the Hero Association headquarters—
The meeting room buzzed with tension. Papers flipped. Footsteps echoed.
Bayo walked around the table, tossing documents toward the gathered heroes.
> "What's this document? It's how The Unknown operated on their last mission."
She looked directly at K20, her tone sharp.
> "Their attack was coordinated, we all know that. But what was their goal? Guess you bloody turds for heroes wouldn't know that."
A few heroes clenched their jaws in annoyance.
Verek sighed.
> "Bayo, please…"
Bayo chuckled.
> "Come on, I'm not wrong, am I?"
Moon Knight crossed his arms.
> "Well, you've got one thing right—we don't know their goal."
Jaguar chimed in.
> "Isn't their goal to show how far from being kids they are? They act so clean in their attacks."
Bayo snapped her fingers.
> "Nope. The Hero Association wasn't their main objective."
She pointed at the large screen on the wall.
It flickered on—showing red dots across multiple regions.
Her grin widened.
> "They made you idiots set up an ambush in Bangalore… then immediately burst open a rift to distract the top heroes."
Lexy's eyes narrowed as the map shifted.
Her gaze landed on Korea.
> "Wait—Korea? But we didn't get any information—"
> "Shut up," Bayo cut in sharply. "You're interrupting my explanation, turd."
Lexy's fists tightened, her anger visible.
Bayo continued, pacing.
> "They opened a rift—the one locked down in Ukraine. They widened it as much as possible to buy time."
She chuckled darkly.
> "And you all fell for it. Why wouldn't you?"
The screen shifted again—showing Brickell.
> "At Brickell, they attacked Verek—but didn't kill him. Doesn't that tell you something? They didn't want to start a war with the heroes… not yet."
Her tone suddenly turned grave as the image switched to Korea.
> "They never wanted to fight you head-on. They wanted something else."
The room went dead silent.
The image now displayed the Korea Main Prison Base.
Gasps filled the hall.
Beatriz's voice cracked,
> "Don't tell me…"
K20's voice followed, shaking,
> "Dear God… don't tell me they did it."
Verek's head lowered.
> "Unfortunately… they did."
The silence was deafening.
Bayo finally broke it, her tone dark and sharp.
> "Those little pricks didn't just attack Jeju Island Prison Base—which holds the world's most dangerous villains and warlords—"
She slammed her hand on the table.
"—they killed almost every personnel posted there!"
Her voice dropped to a grim whisper.
> "And broke out nearly every prisoner… including Divenchy Pariso."
Every eye in the room widened.
> "K20's worst and most feared rival."
Bayo leaned forward, grinning.
> "So now you bloody turds get it. The government's tired of your failures. The military's taking over the destruction of The Unknown."
K20's eyes darkened, memories flashing—children's screams, fire, an airplane engulfed in flame.
His fists clenched as he muttered, trembling,
> "Divenchy…"
Even Seer, sitting nearby, could feel the pressure.
He thought quietly to himself:
> "Damn… these kids have gone farther than expected. How annoying."
His gaze fixed on the flat screen—
cold, analytical, watching the storm that had already begun.