Killa approached Kaito, who slowly got up from the ground.
"Looks like you're still alive," she said with a faint smirk.
Once he stood, Kaito was covered in bruises, his clothes torn and dirty.
"Seems like it… So, who are you?" he asked, still breathing heavily.
"Just call me Haukeye, a hero from Nexus."
"Well, I kind of figured that out when you manifested that weapon… What I want to know is what are you after? I'm pretty sure you didn't save me just because you saw me in trouble."
"Indeed, I'm not that kind of person. What I want is for you to become my exis."
When Kaito heard her, his eyes widened in surprise.
"I saw the fight between Drastei and Irina, and how he was eliminated. So I thought maybe you'd want revenge on her, am I right?" Killa continued.
"Yes, you're right. But it still doesn't make sense, what do you gain from all of this?"
"What do I get, huh… well, I get a pretext to eliminate her."
"A pretext?"
Her answer only made Kaito more confused.
"To be blunt, my real target isn't Irina, it's her exis. But without a strong enough motive I can't take her out without him hating me afterwards. That's why I need your desire for revenge. So… what do you say?"
Kaito thought for a while, trying to process everything she had said.
"So you want to use me to get to Sato. But by doing this, you'll eliminate Irina for me."
"That's the point. I can even help you train a bit so you can handle those bullies, if revenge isn't enough."
"Now that's tempting… but how do you know Sato will accept you after something like that?"
"Think about it. Irina is not the type of person who cares about others. He told me himself that she isn't the best person to be around. Just imagine when someone comes and frees you from the person you can hardly get along with. He will thank me."
"I see, so then, at that point why do you need me as well? You could do this without helping me." Kaito couldn't help but wonder.
"It still wouldn't be so easy, Sato is smart, that is why I need at least a small reason to do all of this. So it doesn't seem like I do everything only for myself.
So she wants Sato. I don't really care about that, but as long as that bitch is eliminated, it doesn't matter what she's after.
"One last thing."
"Ask away. I've got all night if needed."
"Can you take her down?"
Killa manifested her sniper and shouldered it, calm as ever.
"She won't even know what hit her."
At that moment, a green light appeared on the street—a clear sign that Killa had formed a new temporary contract with Kaito. Just like that, a new alliance was made.
A day filled with unexpected events came to an end. The city fell silent as everyone went to bed, preparing themselves for the grand event.
At Megumi's apartment, Butterfly once again pulled the curtains aside, letting the sunlight flood the room.
Lazily, Megumi got up.
"Morning…"
"Morning. Now that you're no longer the council president, you seem a lot more relaxed, you know that?" Butterfly chuckled, bringing it up.
"I won't deny that, but 'relaxed' doesn't seem like the right word…"
"Indeed, relaxed doesn't quite cover your behavior…how about 'lazy'?"
The moment Butterfly said that, a pillow flew straight into her face.
"I am not lazy!" Megumi shouted, her hand still raised after throwing the pillow.
"Right, right. Breakfast is ready. Get changed and come when you're ready."
Butterfly left Megumi's room, letting her change out of her pajamas with a small smile on her face.
A few minutes later, Megumi walked out, finding Butterfly sitting at the table with a serious expression, her eyes fixed on the TV.
"Did something happen?" Megumi asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"It's begun."
On the TV, news about a hero who had gone out of control was being broadcast. A helicopter camera showed a park where an explosion of black mana had erupted, zooming in on several heroes. Four of them were fighting against a single black knight.
"That's insane! Who is that black knight, and why haven't the arbiters restrained him yet?" Megumi said, furious.
"I fear it's not that simple. For arbiters to interfere, they need clear proof that he violated a rule. As long as that doesn't happen, even in that berserk state, he's free to do whatever he wants."
"So what should we do…?"
"What do you want to do?" Butterfly asked quickly.
Megumi looked up from her lap, her fist clenched in frustration.
"You already know how things are. We'll decide together what to do next."
For a moment Megumi thought about what she truly wanted, then stood up from the chair.
"I want us to go and deal with that black knight, too. If he hasn't violated any rule for the arbiters to intervene, that means he hasn't killed any humans yet. But if things don't change, inevitably someone will die. I don't want that to happen."
Butterfly looked at Megumi with admiration and a warm smile.
You've grown up, Megumi.
"Very well then."
Before leaving, Butterfly grabbed a piece of toast from the plate and handed it to Megumi, who looked a bit confused about why she did that.
"You can't go on an empty stomach."
With that, the two of them went down the stairs of the apartment building and out onto the street, Megumi munching on the toast the entire time.
Heading toward the park, they noticed people hurrying to evacuate. After making their way about four streets away from the park, they could already see the aftermath of the battle.
The streets were crumbling, debris covered the ground, houses were destroyed, and fallen trees were scattered everywhere. The closer they got, the worse it became.
At an intersection, a child and her mother were rushing to safety when an explosion echoed from the park, launching a pile of shattered rocks in their direction.
Hearing the blast, both turned to see what had happened—only to find the debris hurtling straight toward them. They froze in place, instinctively bracing for the worst.
Seeing this, Butterfly quickened her pace in a swift move, manifesting her daggers as she ran. With a single jump, she landed in front of the mother and child, slashing through every piece of incoming debris. When everything finally hit the ground, only dust remained.
When they opened their eyes, the mother and child were stunned, then slowly realized what had just happened. The child slipped from her mother's arms and ran toward Butterfly.
"Thank you, mysterious lady!" the child said happily, hugging her.
Butterfly crouched down to be at the same level as the little one, gently caressing her hair.
"You're welcome. Now go with your mother, it's dangerous here."
The child quickly ran back to her mother, waving to Butterfly as they hurried down the road together.
"Good luck, mysterious lady!" the child shouted.
Megumi caught up to Butterfly, who had rushed ahead to save the mother and child, and now stood beside her.
"You really are amazing," Megumi said, slightly out of breath.
"This was nothing. The hard part begins now," Butterfly replied, her eyes fixed on the park.
The two of them stood at the entrance, ready for what was to come.