Chapter 1: The Nightfang Happens
Rensho stared at the worn, torn page in his hands and exhaled quietly.
"So… is it time to leave already?" he muttered. "Damn. Time passed way too fast."
Lishea glanced at him from across the room, irritation clear on her face.
"You barely go on missions," she said. "You just sit there all day, staring at that ripped page. What's so special about it?"
Rensho hesitated.
"Hm. This probably isn't useful for you. It's a map of a place that—"
Before he could finish, a presence slipped into the room.
Fast. Silent. So precise that none of them sensed it until he spoke.
"Alright. Is everyone ready?"
The voice belonged to Rax, leader of NIGHTFANG.
"We follow the plan exactly," Rax continued coldly. "Lishea. Kingolo. You two move first. Once Bizogle leaves his castle, you go straight in and engage the security. Your objective is not to kill them—just create chaos and divert attention."
Lishea frowned but stayed silent.
"After that," Rax said, "Hizek will use his hoop tri-pact to breach the castle interior with Clite. You two will relay the positions of all guards and civilians to me. Once the path is clear, Rensho and I will move in."
Lishea crossed her arms.
"Can you at least tell us how you plan to enter the castle?"
Rax's eyes shifted toward her, sharp and unforgiving.
"I make the plan," he replied. "I enter however I want. You don't have a role in that. So stay quiet."
Rensho let out a soft laugh, breaking the tension.
The city buzzed with excitement.
A news drone hovered above the streets as a reporter spoke enthusiastically.
"Today, the legendary tri-pacter Bizogle heads toward City Heriol to face the monster recently unleashed there! Oh—there he is! Flying on his signature paper-plane construct. Yes, viewers, that is his tri-pact in action!"
Bizogle stood calmly atop the construct, wind brushing past his cloak.
"Hmph," he muttered. "I may be old, but I won't lose to a mere contract-breaking beast."
With that, he vanished into the sky.
Not long after, Lishea and Kingolo arrived before Bizogle's castle.
Lishea glanced at the armed guards lining the walls.
"Kingolo… do you really think gun-wielding guards can stop us?"
Kingolo grinned, pulling out his tri-pact.
"I don't know," he replied. "But today, I feel like tasting blood."
In a flash, his sword ignited with power.
Kingolo had formed three separate contracts with his blade, each enhancing a different aspect of its lethality. He lunged forward, cutting through the guards with terrifying ease.
"I don't think you'll even force me to use one of my unique abilities," he laughed. "Hahaha."
On the other side of the battlefield, Lishea activated her own tri-pact.
She had formed a contract with her shadow.
For one minute, her physical body could be replaced with the durability of her shadow—rendering all direct physical attacks useless. However, if her shadow itself was struck, the pain and damage would still transfer to her.
She moved effortlessly through gunfire.
"Hey, Kingolo," she called out. "Should I kill them… or just knock them out?"
Kingolo didn't even turn back.
"I don't care," he said casually. "I'm enjoying this too much. Ahh… the smell and taste of blood—nothing compares."
Meanwhile, elsewhere along the castle walls—
Hizek hurled his metallic hoop forward.
The hoop embedded itself into the stone wall and expanded, forming a glowing portal.
"This portal lasts thirty seconds!" Hizek warned. "Move fast—once it closes, I'll need a thirty-minute cooldown!"
Clite cracked his knuckles.
"Relax. Even without it, my iron fists could break this wall."
Together, they stepped through the portal just before it vanished.
Inside the castle, Clite activated his second tri-pact.
"I'll need to use this," he said. "Stealth GPS trackers and micro-cameras. I can deploy and control them freely—and they're no bigger than flies."
Within seconds, the data streamed in.
"Confirmed," Clite reported. "Thirty-seven individuals inside the castle. Thirty of them are guards."
Rax's voice came through the communicator.
"Good. Rensho, we have the locations. It's time to move."
Moments later, Rax and Rensho arrived at the castle perimeter.
Rensho stepped forward and dragged his hand across the wall.
The razor blades embedded in his fingernails sliced cleanly through stone as if it were paper.
Rax turned to him.
"You stay outside. Keep watch. If anyone approaches—eliminate them."
"And once I'm done gathering the item," Rax continued, "I'll contact you."
Rensho nodded, eyes sharp.
"Understood."
The operation had begun.