The night slowly returned to silence after Natasha left.
Arata stood alone in the alley, staring at the dark energy flowing around his hand.
The power felt… alive.
Warm and cold at the same time.
Almost like it had a will of its own.
He slowly closed his fist.
The shadows vanished instantly.
'So this is Abyss Energy…'
The system interface appeared again.
Level: 2Abyss Energy: 10
Skills:
• Shadow Energy• Soul Devour• Demon Sense• Shadow Movement
Arata focused on the new skill.
A description appeared immediately.
Shadow Movement
Allows the user to move instantly between nearby shadows.
Consumes Abyss Energy.
A small smile appeared on his face.
'Teleportation through shadows…'
That ability alone was already extremely useful.
He looked at the wall beside him.
A deep shadow stretched across the bricks.
Perfect.
Arata focused his mind.
The shadow under his feet began to ripple like dark water.
'Shadow Movement.'
Suddenly—
His body dissolved into black mist.
In the next moment he appeared on the other side of the alley.
Ten meters away.
Arata blinked in surprise.
"That was… fast."
He looked back at the spot where he had been standing.
The movement had been almost instant.
A faint grin spread across his face.
'This ability is going to be very useful.'
But before he could test it again—
A loud alarm suddenly echoed through the street.
WEEEEEOOOOOO
Arata looked toward the source of the sound.
Police sirens.
Several cars rushed past the street nearby.
He frowned slightly.
'Already?'
But something else caught his attention.
Far ahead, on the rooftop of a tall building—
A figure was running across the edge.
Fast.
Very fast.
Arata narrowed his eyes.
The figure jumped from one building to another with incredible agility.
Moonlight briefly illuminated the person.
A woman.
Long silver hair.
Tight black suit.
A white mask.
And a long whip hanging at her side.
Arata recognized her instantly.
Felicia Hardy.
The future Black Cat.
'Interesting…'
He looked toward the building she had just left.
A museum.
The alarms were coming from inside.
Arata chuckled softly.
"A thief already working tonight."
Felicia suddenly turned her head.
For a split second, their eyes met across the street.
Even from that distance, her sharp gaze locked onto him.
She smirked slightly.
Then she waved.
"Bye bye!"
And jumped to the next rooftop.
Arata laughed quietly.
'A playful one.'
The police cars stopped near the museum.
Officers rushed out quickly.
Arata stepped back into the shadows.
He wasn't interested in dealing with the police.
Not tonight.
Instead, he looked toward the direction Felicia had escaped.
The wind blew gently through the city.
New York was alive.
Heroes.
Villains.
Mutants.
Aliens.
Gods.
This world was full of chaos.
And Arata had just entered the game.
A dark smile slowly appeared on his face.
'This city will become my playground.'
The shadows around him moved again.
Then—
He vanished.