The transport rolled to a halt in the dead heart of a ruined city.
Silence swallowed them immediately.
Cracked pavement stretched in every direction like spiderweb fractures beneath scorched tires. Buildings towered on both sides—charred skeletons with hollow windows like broken teeth yawning into darkness. Dust clung to everything. Even the wind seemed afraid to move.
The air felt… wrong.
Like the city was holding its breath.
Akira stepped out first.
He stretched lazily, arms above his head, then yawned.
"This place has bad energy," he muttered. "Like… 'last ten minutes of a horror movie' bad."
Jackson ignored the joke.
He knelt near a fractured curb and pressed his palm to the ground.
His eyes narrowed.
"No tremors. No vibration. No subterranean movement." He stood slowly. "This isn't just abandoned."
A pause.
"Guess the Yokai already left."
Akira exhaled through his nose. "Cool. Then I guess we can leave."
The engine behind them roared to life.
They turned.
The transport reversed violently, tires screeching against broken asphalt. It didn't slow. Didn't hesitate.
Within seconds, it vanished down the street—swallowed by dust and ruined concrete.
"What the hell?!" Akira spun. "HEY—HEY! GET BACK HERE!"
No answer.
Just silence.
Then—
A voice boomed through the empty street.
"You're late."
They turned as one.
At the far end of the road stood a mountain of a man.
Kaine — the 10th Asura. The 10th ranked Hunter in the world.
He rolled his neck once.
"Wow," he said, flashing golden teeth. "Two more than I expected."
He pointed at Gaku and Sora.
"You two can leave. I only need those."
His finger shifted.
To Akira.
His body was wrapped in tattered robes that clung to his monstrous frame like chains. Crimson tribal markings pulsed across his chest and arms, glowing with violent rhythm. His skin was carved with scars. His jaw was sharp. His golden eyes burned with divine fury.
But the most terrifying part—
The iron bands on his arms.
Three on each limb.
Thick cuffs the size of pillars, strung with beads as large as cannonballs. Each one pulsed with Tao. Each one weighed more than ten tons.
And yet—
He moved like a ghost.
He lunged.
The street cracked under the force of his step. His fist shot toward Gaku like artillery.
But—
A hand caught it.
The impact never landed.
The air froze.
Dust hung suspended midair.
A low hum rippled through the city.
Two men now stood between Gaku and the titan.
The first was tall and lean, violet eyes gleaming with playful malice. He smiled like danger amused him. Heat shimmered around his body, bending the air like rising steam.
The second stood behind him, shorter, composed, eyes like frozen steel. Shadows seemed to lean toward him, as if obeying an unspoken gravity.
Both dressed plainly.
But the air recognized power.
Akira felt it instantly.
"You two…" he breathed. "You're top-ranked targets on the Hunter Organization's kill list."
Sora stepped forward carefully. "The one blessed by the Sun… and the one blessed by the Moon…"
Jackson's jaw tightened.
"Stone. Kingston."
He didn't look surprised.
He looked tense.
"Why are you here?"
Kingston glanced at him once.
"Because you were about to die."
Kaine bristled.
For a split second—
Dozens of glowing golden arms flickered behind him, shimmering like the wrath of a god.
Stone exhaled, heat rising.
"Kaine," he said lightly. "You wanna do this?"
But Kingston cut through it.
"Don't."
Stone blinked. "Huh?"
Kingston's gaze locked onto Kaine.
"He's not worth the weight."
The ground trembled as Kaine's golden arms flared—
Then dissolved into sparks.
He stepped back.
"Tch."
Stone smirked. "Smart. You wouldn't win."
Kingston added calmly, "Leave. Before we change our minds."
A long second passed.
Then Kaine turned.
Each step echoed like falling stone.
"Next time," he said without looking back, "I won't hold back."
Stone laughed softly.
"You won't get one."
Then Kaine disappeared into shadow.
The pressure lifted.
Sora exhaled shakily.
Akira ran a hand through his hair. "Well. That could've gone worse."
Gaku muttered, "That was worse. We just survived it."
Jackson said nothing.
His eyes remained fixed on the path Kaine had taken.
The Offer
Stone turned casually toward Jackson.
"You're on someone's kill list," he said. "Actually—more like the entire Sao Kingdom's."
Jackson didn't move.
"That monk?" Stone continued. "He was sent to assassinate you."
Jackson's eyes shifted slightly. "Because of me?"
Stone jerked a thumb toward Kingston.
"Because of him. Apparently being related to Kingston is enough these days."
Jackson frowned. "Why?"
Kingston raised a brow. "What'd I do?"
Silence.
Broken buildings loomed overhead.
Then Stone rocked back on his heels.
"So," he said, casual again, "you wanna join Scissors?"
Jackson blinked. "…What?"
"You've got skill," Stone said. "More importantly—I know you. And if you stay neutral? You're dead."
The air cooled.
Frost curled faintly from Kingston's breath.
Jackson hesitated.
Just for a moment.
"…I'm in."
Stone grinned. "Knew it. Welcome to Scissors—"
"Hold on."
Akira stepped forward.
"Let me join too."
Stone's eyebrow lifted.
"You serious? Got a reason?"
Akira didn't hesitate.
"I'm going to become the next King of Humanity. Someone who unites this fractured world. If joining Scissors gets me closer to that goal, then that's the path I'll walk."
Stone's smile faded.
"I see that scarf hanging from your belt," he said evenly. "You're from Yoru Kingdom."
Sora's stomach dropped.
What is he doing?Joining a terrorist organization?Is getting stronger really worth becoming the enemy?
Akira stepped forward.
"I'd sacrifice anything for my dream."
Stone stopped walking.
The air shifted.
"Jackson," Stone said without looking at Akira, "don't waste time on people who speak big without understanding the weight of their words."
Then he looked directly at Akira.
"You'd sacrifice everyone for your dream?"
Akira didn't waver.
"Yes."
Stone's eyes hardened.
"There's the flaw."
His voice lost its humor.
"I would risk myself. Only myself. Everything beyond that? I take responsibility for. If something breaks, I carry the consequences."
He stepped closer.
"But you? You'd throw others into the fire and call it ambition."
A pause.
"If I let you join like that, your mistakes become mine."
His jaw tightened.
"And I don't make mistakes with who I lead."
A flicker of memory crossed his eyes.
An older man. White-haired. Similar presence.
"I almost thought you were like him."
The wind cut between them.
Akira clenched his fists.
"Then prove me wrong," he shot back.
Jackson stepped forward suddenly.
"He's endangered too," Jackson said. "If the Kingdom's targeting me, they'll target anyone near me. Shouldn't we protect them?"
Kingston leaned close to Stone and whispered something quietly.
Stone paused.
Brows twitched.
Then he sighed.
"…We could use more numbers for this."
He looked back at Akira.
"Come with us."
Akira blinked.
Then Stone looked at Sora and Gaku.
"You two?"
They stiffened.
"Can we have a second?" Gaku asked.
Stone flopped onto a cracked bench.
"I was trying to leave," he muttered. Then glanced at Akira. "So how'd y'all meet anyway?"
While he distracted them, Sora stepped aside and called Ito.
"Ito," she whispered. "Akira and Jackson just joined Scissors."
"What?!" Ito shouted.
A calm woman's voice interrupted him.
"Join them," she ordered. "Blend in. Report back when we have a plan."
Sora froze.
Ito came back on, quieter now.
"Yeah… what she said. Just go with them."
A softer pause.
"Nothing bad will happen."
But he didn't sound convinced.
Sora lowered the phone.
She looked at Gaku.
Decision made.
She slapped his shoulder.
"We're joining."
Gaku nearly choked—but nodded.
Stone smirked.
"Good."