The morning commuters flowed like rivers between glass towers and underground stations. The air carried the faint sweetness of Sakura in bloom, and a light blizzard of cherry blossoms drifted through the streets in lazy spirals as screens were mounted to buildings, rotating advertisements in perfect rhythm.
On one of them, a petite redhead with emerald eyes smiled brightly beneath stage lights.
Toma.
And on the next, a silver-haired maiden stood poised in a sleek black outfit, gaze sharp and intelligent.
Higanbana Hikari.
Asol walked beneath their towering projections with a duffel slung over his shoulder, then he exhaled.
"…It's weird coming back to a world where Idols define the power system."
Then a petal landed on his metal knuckles, and he flicked it away gently. Tokyo felt normal, loud, and alive. Yet, it was imperfect in mundane ways. But there were just trains. Phones. Coffee shops.
For a brief moment, he allowed himself to breathe.
Maybe Blue Volt was wrong. Maybe I do get a break.
Then the sky tore open, revealing a circular rift spiraling into existence above a commercial plaza two blocks ahead with folding light inward like glass cracking in slow motion. The air howled as gravity distorted and passing pedestrians froze mid-step.
Then something massive pushed through. A dark blue and black hulking figure the size of a four-story building forced its way out of the tear. It was covered in extra-dimensional armor that protected its vulnerable areas. It was dinosaur-like, similar to a mega therapod. Its eyes glowed a sickly dark blue as it dropped into the plaza with a seismic impact.
Concrete shattered as cars flipped and people screamed.
The Kaiju inhaled once and bit down, causing the sound of crunching steel and something worse echoed through the air. Asol closed his eyes for half a second.
"…Of course."
He dropped his duffel.
"Can't even finish a walk."
The Kaiju roared with its jaws dripping debris and a red mist as it began lumbering toward a cluster of fleeing civilians.
Asol stepped forward and the world slowed as he just vanished. A shockwave cracked the asphalt where he had been standing and he reappeared midair in front of the Kaiju's skull as its jaws opened again. He cocked his right arm back. The sigils flared a dark blue.
[SHATTERED LEGACY]
His Adamantium fist connected with the Kaiju's forehead. Then fissures of a dark blue light spread across its body and armor-alike like broken porcelain and it detonated inward as it faded into pure nothingness. Then, silence fell over the plaza.
Asol landed lightly, dust drifting around his boots.
"…Nothing compared to Providence," he muttered.
Sirens wailed in the distance as drones descended.
And then—
"SIR, SIR!"
A young woman with short pink hair and lime-green eyes rushed toward him with a camera crew in tow. Her microphone was branded with a bold logo: Kana Mitsuki — KBC News, Channel 7.
She skidded to a stop in front of him, barely containing her excitement.
"You just eliminated a Kaiju with a single strike! Can you tell us how you were able to do that?"
Asol blinked.
"Uh. Hard work."
She stared.
"…Hard work."
"Yep"
The cameraman then zoomed in on his Adamantium arm. Kana's eyes sharpened.
"That arm… That's not standard KAC issue, is it?"
"Uh... Nope."
Her expression shifted as she remembered seeing his face somewhere.
"Wait. You're—"
Recognition dawned.
"You're Asol Ansaldo!"
He sighed.
"Unfortunately."
"The same Asol Ansaldo who defeated The Leader during the Shibuya Incident months ago?!"
The name hit like a cold hand around his spine.
The Leader, the battlefield, Fujiwara's body collapsing, her Aura siphoned, and her eyes going still.
It looked like they offered her Aura to the rock…
Asol's jaw tightened slightly.
Kana noticed.
"You— you were there when Fujiwara Kane was injured, weren't you?"
He swallowed once.
"…Yeah."
"And she's still in a coma, correct?"
The plaza noise faded behind him as he remembered the machines humming and her shallow breathing and his hand gripping hers as he thought the same thing:
I failed… again…
He forced his expression neutral.
"She's stable as far as I know."
"That wasn't my question—"
"AHEM."
The voice cut cleanly through the moment. It was familiar and annoyingly theatrical. But, Asol didn't need to turn. The eccentric CEO of the Kaiju Annihilation Corps stepped into frame, impeccably dressed despite the chaos with his shades that perfectly covered his blindness and his suit that encompassed his perfect, but old posture and a faint smile that suggested he owned the city's skyline.
"Kana Mitsuki, correct?" he said smoothly.
She straightened instinctively.
"Yes, sir."
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but my employee has just returned months after what we're generously calling a 'vacation.'"
Asol raised an eyebrow.
The CEO continued.
"If you would kindly direct further inquiries through official KAC channels, I'll ensure you receive a full briefing within reason."
Kana hesitated, torn between journalistic instinct and corporate pressure.
"…Within reason?"
The CEO smiled brighter.
"Within reason."
He then placed a hand on Asol's shoulder and subtly nudged him toward a sleek black vehicle waiting nearby.
"Go. Before someone asks you about your skincare routine."
Asol muttered, "It's also hard work."
They slipped into the car as the city resumed its noise.
...
...
...
Sterile glass towers rose like disciplined sentinels as security doors parted automatically as they approached.
Asol stepped inside and the smell hit him first.
Antiseptic and filtered air.
Home.
The CEO walked beside him through the polished corridors of the medical wing as he looked through social media on his phone.
"Seems like you're trending," the CEO said casually.
"I just got back."
"Yes, and you eliminated a Kaiju in twelve seconds. That does things to analytics. Plus, our society revolves around media in case you forgot, or did the world of heroes cause you to forget some things?"
Asol rubbed the back of his neck.
"I was hoping for a quiet morning."
"You should know better. Also, Toma was on the way before you snatched her prey."
As they conversed, passing nurses, technicians, and patients behind reinforced glass, the CEO's tone shifted slightly.
"How was Aegis Prime?"
Asol exhaled.
"Complicated."
"I expected nothing less."
The CEO's eyes flickered briefly.
"And Providence?"
"Still chained up as far as I know."
"As he should be. After committing all those atrocities? He deserves it."
"But your people provided the means to chain him. How?"
The CEO nodded once.
"Let's just say, we have a knack of dealing with threats far more troublesome and more complex than a philosopher with a god complex."
Asol flexed his new arm that Bodhi had given him and The CEO noticed.
"Nice arm. What happened to the one I gave you?"
"Aoi blasted it."
"I see..."
They stopped in front of a door and the CEO rested his hand against it but didn't open it immediately.
"You know," he said softly, "she's been stable. She's stayed the same all these days you've been gone in Aegis Prime with the exception of her brain activity becoming peculiarly active."
Asol's throat tightened slightly.
"I see. So she might wake up soon then?"
The CEO looked at him sideways, then the door slid open.
Inside were white sheets, soft lighting, monitors humming, and Fujiwara Kane that lie in comatose peacefully. Her brown hair cascaded gently over the pillow with her skin pale but luminous. She seemed peaceful in a way that felt wrong as an unparalleled beauty trapped in stillness.
Asol stepped inside slowly towards her as The CEO remained near the doorway.
"She reacts sometimes," he said quietly. "Though very faintly. But, there is definitely something going on in her head right now."
Asol moved closer to the bed.
"…Is there now?"
"Yes."
Asol reached out with his flesh hand, not the Adamantium one, and gently took hers. It was warm and he let out a slow breath.
"Hey," he said softly.
Silence answered.
"I'm back. And you missed a lot."
The CEO quietly stepped back, giving space as Asol continued.
"Now, I said I'd only be gone a week, but it turned out to be a few months. But even then..."
A faint, humorless smile tugged at his lips.
"…I still can't catch a break."
He lowered his head slightly.
"But I'm back, Fujiwara."