Kanasei and Gaku continued down the metallic corridors.
Kanasei walked with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, shoulders relaxed but his eyes constantly moving. The place still felt unreal to him.
Gaku, on the other hand, walked like he owned the entire building. His hands were folded behind his head, elbows stretched out as he strolled along casually.
"So yeah," Gaku continued, answering Kanasei's earlier question. "The facility's stacked in a few major levels."
He lifted one hand and pointed downward toward the floor beneath them.
"Each level's assigned to different hero tiers. Mostly based on overall capability and threat-response ranking."
He lightly tapped his boot against the floor.
"This one's kinda the sweet spot."
Kanasei glanced around the hallway again.
"What do you mean?"
Gaku shrugged.
"We're in the middle section. Not too high, not too low."
He grinned.
"The big names operate around here. The core response units, the specialists, the heroes that get sent out when things actually matter."
Kanasei nodded slowly. That explained the level of technology everywhere.
They walked a little further before Kanasei noticed a large set of double doors ahead.
As they approached, the doors slid open automatically with a quiet mechanical glide.
The space beyond opened into a wide cafeteria.
"And this..."
Gaku suddenly spread his arms out dramatically like he was presenting a stage.
"...is the cafeteria!"
His voice echoed lightly across the mostly empty room.
At the moment, it was surprisingly quiet.
Most of the long metal tables sat empty under the soft ceiling lights. A few vending stations hummed quietly along the walls.
Only one table was occupied.
Two people were sitting there.
The first had thick brown curly hair and a faint stubble goatee. He wore a baggy black hoodie with white lettering printed across the front. A white shirt stuck out from underneath it at the bottom.
His black streetwear jeans were slightly loose, and his sneakers matched the same casual style.
A silver watch rested loosely on his wrist.
He was sitting sideways on the bench with his knees drawn up casually, one arm draped over them.
Next to him sat another person.
His hair was long and tied back into a ponytail.
From the front to the tie, the hair was jet black. But the part that fell down behind the tie had turned completely white.
He wore thin, round silver glasses that rested lightly on his nose.
His outfit was neat but simple: a black short-sleeve shirt patterned with thin vertical white stripes, paired with black jeans and black sneakers.
Unlike the first man, he sat cross-legged on the bench with relaxed posture.
When he noticed them enter, his face lit up.
He raised his hand enthusiastically and waved.
"Yo!"
— — —
A few minutes later, Gaku and Kanasei were seated at the table with the two men.
Gaku leaned back casually on the bench, one leg crossed over the other, arms resting loosely along the backrest like he was completely at home.
Kanasei sat the way he usually did. Head leaning slightly forward. Hands still tucked inside the pockets of his jacket.
Across from them, the man with the tied hair adjusted his glasses slightly before speaking.
"My name's Mugen."
He pointed his thumb to the person beside him.
"And that's Ikari."
Ikari was in the middle of eating an energy bar. Without stopping his chewing, he lifted his free hand and gave a relaxed little wave.
Kanasei nodded politely, dipping his head slightly.
"Nice to meet y'all."
Mugen leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His fingers intertwined as he studied Kanasei with curious eyes.
"So…"
A small smile crept across his face.
"You're the young man who took down that creepy hands guy, huh?"
Kanasei shifted slightly in his seat. It was starting to sink in now. Gaku hadn't been exaggerating. People here really did know about the fight.
Mugen continued.
"And just so you know…"
He tapped the table lightly with one finger.
"He wasn't some random street villain."
Ikari swallowed the last bite of his energy bar, quietly listening.
Mugen leaned back in his seat.
"That guy was a pretty well-known killer."
His eyes flicked back toward Kanasei.
"And he was strong."
He pointed at Kanasei with his index finger.
"So don't go looking down on yourself."
A small grin appeared on his face.
"You're stronger than you think."
Gaku smiled and uncrossed his legs. He leaned forward across the table, clearly about to say something.
Then—
WOOO–WOOO–WOOO–WOOO
A piercing hi-lo siren tore through the cafeteria.
Everyone flinched.
The sound echoed across the metallic walls, vibrating through the floor.
It continued for a few seconds before abruptly cutting off.
A calm, mechanical voice replaced it, broadcasting from the speakers mounted in the corners of the room.
"A possible Phoenix-level threat, Level Three, has been detected five streets north of the facility on Chuo-dori Street."
"Rapid Response Team members are to respond immediately."
The moment the announcement ended—
Ikari moved. He stood up so fast the bench screeched against the floor.
And then—
He was gone.
Not running. Not jumping. Gone.
A streak of red and black lightning cracked across the cafeteria, leaving a fading electric trail where he had been standing a split second earlier.
Gaku smirked.
"Well, kid," he said as he stood up from the bench, stretching his shoulders slightly, "looks like I gotta go."
Kanasei instinctively looked toward the cafeteria doors—
And blinked.
Ikari was already standing there. Somehow.
His outfit had changed. The casual streetwear was gone.
Now he wore loose black harem pants and a tight black combat shirt that hugged his torso.
The red-black electricity still flickered faintly around him.
Gaku walked over to him casually. He gave Kanasei a quick wave.
"See ya, kid!"
The instant the words left his mouth—
CRACK.
Ikari vanished again along with Gaku.
The lightning trail snapped forward through the hallway as both of them disappeared.
Silence returned to the cafeteria. Kanasei leaned back in his seat and exhaled slowly.
He stared up at the ceiling lights for a moment. After a few seconds, he lowered his gaze. Mugen was still sitting across from him.
The man sighed quietly.
Then, he reached down beside the bench, and lifted something.
Kanasei blinked.
A Biwa.
The traditional instrument rested comfortably in Mugen's hand like it had always been there.
Yet Kanasei was certain it hadn't been there before.
Mugen stood up.
He slung the instrument over his shoulder and began walking toward the cafeteria exit.
After a few steps, he paused.
He glanced back over his shoulder. His glasses caught the overhead lights.
"Follow me, young man."
Then he continued walking out of the room.
Kanasei sat there for half a second, then he pushed himself up from the bench and followed.
When Mugen reached outside the entrance of the cafeteria, he stepped forward and lowered himself to the ground.
He knelt on both knees, legs folded neatly beneath him. The Biwa rested gently across his lap.
He took a slow breath. His eyes closed.
Silence hung in the hallway for a moment.
Then—
Plink.
One string vibrated beneath his fingers.
The sound echoed softly.
A Shoji door appeared on the floor.
It formed out of thin air, wooden frame and rice paper panels sliding into existence like they had always been there.
The door slowly slid open.
Below it was darkness.
Not a room nor a tunnel, but an endless black abyss.
Mugen continued playing.
Plink.
Plink.
Plink.
Each note sent ripples through the air.
Finally, he stopped.
Mugen exhaled slowly and stood up.
The Biwa rested calmly at his side as he stared down at the open doorway. Then he turned. He extended his hand toward Kanasei.
Kanasei hesitated. A door to an abyss on the floor wasn't exactly comforting.
But after a moment, he took Mugen's hand.
Without warning, Mugen jumped straight into the darkness.
Kanasei's stomach dropped as he was pulled down with him. He squeezed his eyes shut.
.
.
.
.
.
Noise.
Loud and chaotic.
Kanasei opened his eyes. Light flooded his vision.
They were standing in the middle of the battlefield.
The exact street where Kanasei had fought earlier.
Except now it was much, much worse.
Multiple Shoji doors had opened across the ground like portals. Heroes stood beside them.
Kanasei immediately recognized a few.
Monochromatic.
Evergarden.
And...Brawler.
Further down the street, Gaku and Ikari were already fighting.
But their enemies weren't human.
They were…Toys. Plush toys. Dozens of them. None of them finished.
Some had only upper bodies, dragging themselves across the asphalt with stitched arms.
Some had missing limbs.
Others had stuffing spilling out of ripped seams.
Eyes dangling from loose threads.
Buttons rolling across the pavement.
"GET AWAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!"
Gaku's scream blasted through the street. A massive sonic shockwave erupted from him.
Several plush creatures simply disintegrated, their stitched bodies tearing apart into clouds of stuffing and dust.
Kanasei noticed something new.
Gaku was wearing a mask.
It covered his mouth and neck. The design resembled mechanical pipes that connected to a circular speaker embedded directly over his mouth.
Every scream he released became a weapon.
Meanwhile, red and black lightning exploded across the battlefield.
Ikari moved so fast he barely existed in one place for more than a fraction of a second.
Every flash of electricity meant another toy torn apart.
Another plush sliced in half.
But Kanasei quickly realized something. The toys kept coming. Endlessly.
Which meant, there had to be a source.
His eyes searched the battlefield. That's when he saw it.
A massive plush creature lunged toward Jikken.
Jikken dissolved instantly into glitching pixels and flickering numbers.
He reappeared behind the creature.
Two enormous glitching hands materialized behind him.
Jikken stood calmly. His right arm rested at his side, while his left arm remained folded behind his back.
With a slight gesture of his right hand, one of the hands appeared in front of the creature.
The other behind it. They slammed together.
CRUNCH.
The plush was crushed between them.
For a second, the hands remained clasped. Then they dissolved into scattered pixels.
But the creature didn't die. The torn sections of its body began stitching themselves back together. Thread moved on its own. Fabric pulled tight.
Kanasei finally saw the monster clearly.
It was absolutely grotesque.
A giant plush figure with a wide crooked smile made of pure darkness.
Its mouth was completely black.
Its eyes were no different. Thick black liquid dripped slowly from them.
It wore a torn gray sweatshirt and shredded black pants with black shoes.
A Christian cross had been smeared across its torso and back with the same dripping black liquid.
Its fingers were long and sharp.
The middle joints bent outward unnaturally. Black fluid coated it's fingers.
A crown of thorns rested on its head above a mess of black hair.
Jikken wasn't fazed by it. He lifted his palm upward.
Another gigantic glitch-hand formed beneath the monster.
It launched upward, lifting the creature with it.
Jikken clenched his fist.
The hand mirrored the motion.
The plush's legs crunched as they were crushed in the grip.
Then Jikken swung his arm violently downward.
The massive hand followed. It hurled the creature into the ground at incredible speed.
The impact blasted debris across the street. Concrete shattered. A crater formed beneath the monster's body. For a moment, everything went still.
Jikken lowered his arm.
Then the rubble shifted.
Thread moved again.
Fabric stitched itself.
The creature rose from the crater, its legs reforming as if nothing had happened.
Jikken turned. Even he looked surprised.
The monster stared down at him.
Its stitched grin widened.
"You will not defeat…"
Its voice twisted and cracked unnaturally.
Deep.
Then it became a child's innocent voice.
Then a woman's voice.
Then a terrified man's voice.
Then something completely distorted.
All within a single sentence.
"…The Toymaster."
The battlefield suddenly felt much colder.
As it finished speaking, The Toymaster slowly raised its arm toward Jikken.
Immediately, dozens of plush toys from across the battlefield began crawling and rushing toward him.