Meanwhile, down below—
Noxis remained standing amid the shadows of shattered cubes. He did not move an inch, only tilting his head upward as the red lens of his mask glimmered faintly.
His four ruined arms trembled softly, metal creaking in protest, before finally melting away into fragments of blood-red dust that scattered, dissolving into the air.
"I underestimated him, didn't I?" Noxis murmured, as if speaking only to himself.
His head dipped slightly. When his voice emerged again, it was heavy—dry, echoing, as though it rose from a bottomless void.
"Well… that's nothing unusual."
He let out a short breath.
"It is a little surprising, though. Four of my children… shaken by him."
His shoulders quivered faintly, the tone almost resembling a bitter chuckle.
"And to think they were born of pure rage. Of hatred without limit."
Slowly, he lifted his head.
"And you—"
The crimson lens fixed itself squarely on Kael.
"—you made it crack."
A faint smile curled beneath the mask. Poisonous.
"You truly are different from the others, Kael Vieron."
He raised one of his hands, shaping his fingers into a tilted U, pointing toward the floating cubes above. Through the gaps in the metallic casing of his hand, his gaze seemed drawn to the dark fissures beyond.
"But you know… rage will never disappear. You only mar its surface. Its core… always remains. And every crack you make—" his fingers closed gently, metal screeching as the sound echoed throughout the chamber, "—only drives my fury deeper."
The atmosphere froze in an instant. Only faint ripples of energy shivered through the air.
Then—
From the white sky filled with cubes, a red-silver projectile shot downward.
FWUUSSHHH!
The shrill whine tore through the air, moving at a speed no ordinary human eye could follow.
"…Hm?" Noxis looked up, his body tensing for a split second as the red lens behind his mask narrowed.
The bullet plunged straight toward him. Instead of dodging, he opened his palm.
With a sharp impact, he caught it just before it reached his head. Energy detonated within his grasp.
For a brief moment, he stood still—then slowly lowered his hand. His palm opened, revealing a small object between his fingers.
"…A bullet?" His voice was flat and low, yet cold—grating against the ear like metal scraped raw.
And as the word echoed, rapid footsteps hissed behind him.
"—Huh?"
In that instant, Kael was already there, moving so fast it was as if the bullet had been nothing more than a teleportation anchor. This time, Astra was not in his hand, but Fiyn—its aura reflecting a cold, golden flash of lightning.
Without hesitation, he struck. Fiyn sliced forward in a blinding arc, aimed at the left side of Noxis's neck—a blow meant to end everything in a single cut.
But...
CLANG!
The slash collided with something unseen. A thin, red holographic flare ignited—nearly invisible, yet more than enough to stop Fiyn dead.
Kael's eyes widened. His breath caught.
What… is this?!
Noxis lowered his head, and from behind the mask came laughter. Long, echoing, cold—laughter devoid of life.
"Ahahahahaha! Ahahahhhahahahha…! You really are something else."
He slowly turned toward Kael, the red lenses of his eyes burning hot.
"So that's your method, Assassin? Clever. Fast. Devious. You truly aimed for my most vulnerable point. Entertaining—truly. But it won't be that easy."
"Tch…."
Failed. Kael immediately retreated several steps, eyes narrowing sharply as his breathing grew heavy. He raised Astron toward Noxis, his stance wary.
Noxis continued, his voice resonating with a cold, piercing edge.
"Unfortunately… you still don't understand."
"This rage—" he pressed a finger to his own chest, as if pointing to something far deeper than flesh alone, "—cannot be pierced by blades, bullets, or even your courage."
He stepped closer, his laughter fading into a low tone that was somehow even more terrifying.
"…Do you know what it feels like… to swallow your anger alone, with no one who cares?"
Kael's gaze remained frozen.
"To feel it gnaw at you every second, burning, consuming you from within—while the world sees you as nothing but a monster? Do you know what it's like when everything you protected is reduced to ruin, and all that remains… is wrath?"
Kael's breathing remained steady, though his jaw was tight. His gaze was unwavering, his weapon still raised.
Noxis let out a low chuckle. "That's the truth you're hiding. You can pretend to be calm, pretend to be cold—but I can see it in your eyes. You have rage. You just haven't let it out yet. And the moment you surrender to it… you'll become just like me. An emptiness filled with fury—invincible, eternal!"
Kael's eyes sharpened. His voice came out cold, without a hint of fear.
"Shut up. Or I'll blow your head apart."
"Blow my head apart?" Noxis replied lightly, almost dismissively. "Go ahead. I don't care. Because I know this—immortality will always give birth to me again. Stronger. More real."
He let out a soft chuckle, then added. "Why so quiet now? Hesitating? My, my… fine. I won't do anything like that barrier again. In return, I'll give you—"
DAR!
Without a single word, Kael pulled the trigger.
A single Astron round tore through the air like a black-silver bolt of lightning, slamming straight into Noxis's forehead.
Blood and shattered metal exploded outward, spraying violently into the air. Noxis's head was obliterated—reduced to nothing in an instant, cutting his words short as though no trace of life could possibly remain.
And yet—
Noxis was still standing.
His body remained upright. He didn't fall. He didn't even tremble.
Silence crept in, leaving behind only faint ripples of energy in the air. Then, slowly… Noxis raised both hands before his chest.
PLAK. PLAK. PLAK.
Applause.
Not merely a sound, but a mockery that echoed clearly through the empty space. Each clap was uneven, cold—slicing through the silence like an invisible blade.
Kael's eyes flew wide open. They trembled violently, his breath caught in his throat, his body locking in disbelief at what he was seeing.
This… isn't possible. He's still moving—even after I destroyed his head like that?!
The clapping continued for a few more beats, slow but deliberate, before finally tapering off and stopping.
And then...
Noxis raised his right arm higher.
TICK!
His fingers snapped lightly in the air.
In that instant, Kael's pupils dilated. The world around him shifted. His vision was forcibly dragged, pulled into a nameless darkness—an inner space that tore open the sealed doors of his past.
The flashback struck without warning.
From within—
Small footsteps echoed faintly through a dim hallway. The sound repeated, soft and hollow, accompanying the stiff movements of a young Kael as he walked forward. The cold floor seeped into the soles of his feet, sending a chill up his spine, while his heart pounded wildly—out of control—as if something unseen were guiding him toward the basement door.
A door that was almost never opened.
When he reached it, young Kael stopped. He stared at it intently, suspicion filling his gaze as his breathing grew faster. Slowly, hesitantly, he began to extend his hand.
The doorknob was freezing to the touch.
And before he could pull it—
KREEK.
The door shifted… opening from the inside.
Dim light spilled out, illuminating a foreign figure.
Not human.
Its body was tall and slender, encased in layers of white-silver armor accented with gold along the shoulders and helmet. Lines of bluish light flowed through the gaps in its metallic frame, pulsing softly and steadily—like a system that never slept, never tired.
A helmet fully enclosed its head—sharp, symmetrical—adorned with golden protrusions along its sides and crown, resembling a silent mechanical diadem. Where a face should have been, a transparent visor glowed with a gentle blue light, reflecting something from within, yet revealing no eyes behind it.
That gaze—or something akin to it—was fixed directly on young Kael.
There was no expression. No sound.
Only a presence that was too perfect, too calm… until the silence itself felt oppressive, as though the world were holding its breath before it.
Several seconds passed—seconds that felt like an eternity. Young Kael stood frozen, unable to move.
Then, the unfamiliar figure took a step.
Its heavy footsteps passed by Kael, leaving behind a metallic chill that stabbed into his skin, like icy poison seeping straight into his bones.
And when Kael turned, his gaze pierced into the basement beyond.
Young Kael's eyes widened. His heart dropped into a hollow abyss.
His mother.
She sat stiffly on an old wooden chair. Her body sagged lifelessly, blood spilling from the corner of her lips, soaking her clothes, dripping down until it pooled darkly on the floor.
"Mom… mooom!!!" young Kael screamed, his voice breaking as hysterical sobs tore through the silent space.
But his cries changed nothing.
Before truly leaving, the unfamiliar figure stopped at the doorway. Its back remained straight—unyielding, like a wall that could never be shaken. Slowly, it turned its head to the side, and its voice emerged—flat, echoing, devoid of even a trace of human emotion.
"Congratulations. Now you are alone… and free to do everything your own way."
With those words finished, it walked on. Heavy footsteps echoed for a long time as they faded into the distance, leaving young Kael behind in a hysteria that could not be extinguished.
His screams tore through the darkness—and carved themselves into his soul forever.
…
The flashback ended.
Kael was pulled back into the white chamber. His breathing was ragged, his face trembling violently, his gaze frozen in disbelief, as if his soul had just been sliced wide open.
Before him, Noxis stood tall.
The head that had been destroyed moments ago was now whole again, complete with his tall hat and long-beaked mask. His towering figure appeared flawless—so perfect it was as though his earlier death had been nothing more than an illusion.
That cold voice echoed once more.
"Well? Did you enjoy the gift I gave you?"
Kael remained silent. His jaw tightened, both hands trembling slightly despite his desperate effort to suppress them.
But Noxis was not finished.
His heavy voice flowed again—slow and cold, as though each word were deliberately being driven into an open wound.
"That is the bitter memory your mother hid from you. You knew who she was… but you never knew what she concealed. You lived beneath her shadow, Kael Vieron, yet never truly understood the blood flowing within you."
Noxis stepped forward. The red glow of his lenses burned fiercely, locking onto Kael's eyes like shackles.
"Every wound, every secret… she hid them not to protect you, but to weaken you. So you would grow up hollow—never realizing just how fragile you were. And now—i am the one who has opened it. I am the one who shows you the truth your own family could not bring themselves to tell."
He lowered his head slightly, the crimson lenses glinting faintly.
"Your mother did not want you to grow strong… she wanted you to grow tame. You were raised in her shadow, not to become yourself, but to become the shadow she chose for you. Tell me, Kael… is that what you call love? Or merely chains wrapped in a false smile?"
Noxis slowly raised his hand, palm facing Kael, as if reaching for his face.
"You call me a monster… but look at who truly shaped you. Your mother left you with a rotting legacy, steeped in lies. And you, last Assassin… are you still trying to deny it?"
Noxis drew closer, his voice dropping low, piercing like a whisper in Kael's ear.
"There is no reason to resist your anger. Let it consume you. That is far more honest… than the lie you've spent your life calling family."
Kael finally snapped. Astron and Fiyn slipped from his grasp, clattering away.
"Shut your mouth!" His voice broke—raw, hoarse, overflowing with rejection.
Both hands clutched at his head, fingers digging into his skin as if trying to tear the whispering voices out from within. His jaw locked tight, his breathing fractured, his gaze trembling between fury and fear.
Noxis only watched him. The red lenses flickered once—and his cold voice rumbled again.
"Stubborn to the very end."
***