"Mom?
Dad?
Is that you…?"
A boy stood in a dream-like haze, eyes wide with fragile hope.
"I missed you two so much… It was so hard living without you. But now… thanks to Master Saidy, I can see you again. From now on, we'll always be together…"
In the corner of the room, Saidy Pandrit watched with a smirk.
"That boy… did better than I expected," he said calmly. "Look at him. He even looks handsome in this form."
A subordinate beside him added, "He's still dreaming, sir. As per your orders, he'll be the one to kill those two boys from earlier. No one gets away with insulting you."
"Huhu… what a shame," Saidy chuckled. "He trusted me so much. I could've used him for… better things. But oh well."
He knelt near the boy's ear.
"Hey boy… It was those two kids who forced me to turn you into this. Blame them. If you still can."
Meanwhile, Kosei had made up his mind.
"I'm going to tell you everything," he said to his best friend, Hayashi.
Hayashi frowned. "This sounds insane. You've watched way too many anime. Go home, get some rest. You've lost your damn mind."
"I knew you wouldn't believe me…" Kosei replied, reaching into his pocket. "That's why I brought proof."
He held up a small device and played a video—John I Tzimiske, effortlessly bending steel and walking through fire like a ghost.
Hayashi's skepticism slowly gave way to disbelief, then silence. Eventually, he whispered, "…Okay. I believe you."
"We have to save Soske. Who knows what Saidy might be doing to him?" Kosei said urgently.
"We can't just rush in," Hayashi replied. "Saidy has more than ten elite warriors. John is planning a surprise attack—he'll wipe them all out in one go."
"We can't even create simple barriers yet," Kosei muttered bitterly. "We're useless."
"Not useless," Hayashi said, forcing a grin. "Decoys. That's what John needs us to be."
The plan was set. Kosei and Hayashi would march straight into Saidy's palace, acting like they knew his secret—that he was an Eternal. While they distracted the guards, John would strike from the shadows, making it seem like the boys were the ones attacking.
"If we draw out the guards," Kosei said, "John can eliminate them without revealing himself. Once Saidy shows up, John will get involved directly."
Later that evening—
"You're late," John said with a nod. "Hello, Hayashi. I assume Kosei has already explained everything."
"Yeah. No need to repeat."
"Saidy's palace is at the mountain. The gateway's guarded by two low-tier guards. They'll think you're just kids."
"Got it," Kosei smirked. "We'll handle it."
"Just don't get us killed," Hayashi muttered. "Saving Soske is our top priority."
"If we manage to thin the numbers," John added, "I'll open a path for you two to escape with… Soske."
At the palace gate:
"Hey! No visitors today. Scram, kids," one of the guards barked.
"Scram?" Kosei grinned darkly. "You smelly donkey—mind your own damn business. We're here to kill that rat-faced freak called Saidy."
"Bring him out, or we'll exterminate every one of you."
"…What did you just say?"
"Oww, and you behind him—you look like someone who got gangbanged by pigs," Hayashi laughed.
"Tell Saidy we know his secret. We know he's an Eternal. Tell him to come out and get his immortal ass kicked."
The guards were stunned. Then they snapped.
"You brats have big mouths. We don't need Lord Saidy to handle you. One of us is enough!"
"Bring it," Kosei said coldly. "But don't cry when you lose."
One guard lunged at Hayashi—but stopped mid-punch. A transparent barrier had blocked him.
"What?! Why aren't my punches landing?" he shouted.
"Sudu, blast them—just don't make too much noise. We can't break the palace's anti-sound barrier."
Sudu nodded and fired a silent energy blast toward the boys. Smoke filled the air—but when it cleared, both Kosei and Hayashi stood unscathed.
"Hey Kosei," Hayashi said, "Wanna wrap this up?"
"Gladly."
"You two shall—ARGHHHH!"
The guards collapsed—simultaneously obliterated.
The remaining eight elite guards arrived seconds later, horrified.
"How… How could they defeat them?"
"Stay alert! Those two might be A-tier Eternals. We're B-tier. If we attack together, we can take them down."
They launched a full-force group attack—but were knocked out before they could even touch the boys.
"No way! How can we get taken down like this?! There are only three S-tier Eternals in all of Japan! Those two aren't one of them!"
"Calm down. Maybe they used everything they had for that one hit."
"Something's not right… I think the attack came from somewhere else."
"What do you mean?"
"I watched closely—the blast came from that direction. Someone's using those two as puppets. The real attacker is far away… probably an S-rank Eternal."
"If that's true—we're screwed."
"Should we run?"
"Master will punish us if we're wrong."
"No, we have to retreat. Look at the others—they might be dead!"
"Call Master. Now!"
Three of the guards turned to flee inside the palace. The last one charged up a massive energy attack—
Then stopped. His eyes widened.
His three comrades were already dead.
He looked up at the sky and wept.
"I've seen so much death… why do I feel nothing?" Kosei asked.
"Because they deserved it," Hayashi said. "Bastards like them don't belong on this planet."
"…Let's go inside."
As the boys stepped forward, they froze.
A terrifying presence filled the air—so heavy it was suffocating. They couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Could barely breathe.
Someone was approaching.
A man stepped out of the palace, his body wrapped in a monstrous aura. His eyes gleamed with unnatural light.
Kosei and Hayashi were paralyzed in fear.
"What… have you done… to my pets?" the man asked.
It was him.
Saidy Pandrit.
He was nothing like before. Stronger. Darker. Something inhuman.
Kosei remembered something.
When he was a child, five rabid dogs had cornered him in an alley. They were vicious. He thought he would die. No one could help him. Then, miraculously, someone did. He was saved. That was the most terrified he had ever been.
But this—
This presence—
It was worse.
Much worse.
Death Himself Had Visited.