Kichu was determined to try again. But the world was already breaking apart. He ran for cover, searching for a safe spot. She followed him like a lost puppy—because deep inside, she knew only he could end her misery.
"What did you mean by that? Hey... talk to me," Kichu called out, trying to communicate with his sword. But it didn't respond.
"Ah, fuck... Think, Kichu..." he muttered, pacing until he stopped behind a supermarket and turned to face her.
"I'm not sure if this will work... but let me try," he said, raising his sword toward her.
"Touch it," he instructed.
"Are you sure?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes," Kichu nodded.
She closed her eyes and reached out. The moment her fingers met the blade, a brilliant light burst from the sword—and the trembling world came to a halt.
She slowly opened her eyes and found herself standing in a vast lake, stretching as far as she could see. The skies glowed with a gentle blue light, as if the world had finally accepted her. Kichu was nowhere in sight. But it didn't take her long to realize... her suffering was over.
Back in the crumbling world, Kichu called out, "Hey... where are you?" There was no answer.
"What just happened? I didn't kill her by accident, did I?" he asked aloud, desperate for understanding.
"I'm indebted to you," a voice echoed from the sky.
"Witch girl? Is that you?" he asked.
"Yes... it's me," she replied softly.
"Where are you?"
"I don't know. But I know one thing—I'm happy here. This place is better. I can't use my Sin anymore... No, I don't have to use my Sin anymore. Thank you, Kichu... for fulfilling my wish."
Her voice faded into the wind.
"I'm glad you're feeling better!" he shouted back, but she was already gone.
Kichu stared at the sky for answers. "Now that's a relief," he said, sitting down on the empty road. The world around him began to dissolve into white.
"I think it's time to go back," he whispered and turned around. Mike and the gang were still battling the police, but everything was slowly fading.
"Now what?"
Darkness.
Total, absolute darkness.
He wandered through it—lost—until a familiar voice sliced through the silence.
"Hmm... I really thought you'd cut her in half. Pathetic."
Kichu looked at his sword. A shadowy figure emerged from the black void, its red eyes glowing.
"If you'd cut her, you would've realized it. I tried too. I guess... I still can't control you," the figure said.
"Who are you?" Kichu asked.
"Same questions every time. That's why you never get anywhere, Kichu," it said with a smirk in its voice.
"Are you trapped inside my sword?"
"I'm not quite trapped, you see. It's complicated. Let's skip the small talk. Why didn't you cut her?"
"Because I didn't want to."
"That's not a real answer. You're the only one who's ever wielded me after him. And frankly, I don't think anyone else can bear my wrath. Yet... I still can't understand you, Kichu."
"So you are my sword after all. I want to—"
"Ah, I know. You have a lot of questions. But I'm not interested in answering them all," the figure interrupted.
"Then how am I supposed to figure things out?"
"In time, you will. But there's one thing you need to do," it said.
"What is it?" Kichu asked, curiosity sparked.
"You need to find my other half."
"Other half? I don't understand."
"The Sword of Death—that's what you call it. But for me, it's more than a weapon. It's me. My alter self."
"Alter self? Okay... You really need to answer some questions."
"No need. I already know what you're thinking. 'Where do I find it?' Right?"
"Yeah, that's one of them. But more importantly—why do you want me to find it?"
"Because it's about to fall into the wrong hands. And only you can stop that."
"I've already got somewhere to be," Kichu replied.
"It lies along your path. Don't worry—I'll let you know when you're close," the figure said, its form beginning to fade.
"I'll speak with you more often now, Kichu. It's my duty to protect you."
And then it was gone.
"This is a lot to take in..." Kichu whispered.
In the blink of an eye, he was back aboard the spaceship.
He walked into the hallway and saw Roco and Fizz lying unconscious.
"Hey, wake up," Kichu tried to shake them. No luck.
"Ah, jeez..." he muttered and walked over to the control panel.
"Texa... where are we?" he asked the AI.
"Ru—RUru... Good morning, Kichu. We are on Planet Alpha-38. It belongs to the Vastros Dominion Empire," Texa replied.
"Ah, just where the hell did that wormhole take us?"
"Do not worry. We are not far from the destination: Hedaxipotomous. Calculating distance... Rururu... We can reach it in three days."
"Good. That gives me time to stretch my legs. New planet, after all. Should I wait for them to wake up?" He paused. "Ah... screw it. I'm going."
He scribbled something on a piece of paper and jumped out of the ship.
Kichu walked through a dense jungle and emerged at the edge of a cliff. Below, he saw a small city shimmering in the distance.
He made his way down the rocky path.
"New adventure... I'm coming," he said with a grin and leapt down.
Back on the spaceship...
Roco slowly opened his eyes.
"Mother..." he gasped, jolting upright in a panic.
"What the hell was that?" he asked no one in particular and grabbed some water.
Fizz was still snoring on the floor.
"Ugh... I can't take this," Roco muttered. He splashed water on Fizz's face.
"Ahh! Let me show you my speed—" Fizz shouted as he woke up.
"Where's the girl?" he asked.
"Which girl? Forget that. That bastard is missing," Roco said, throwing on a shirt.
"You mean Kichu? He'll be around somewhere," Fizz said, lying back down.
"WAKE THE HELL UP!" Roco shouted.
"Yeah yeah..." Fizz groaned and got up.
Roco spotted a piece of paper on the table.
"What's this?" he picked it up and read it.
"That asshole. I swear I'm gonna shoot him."
"What is it?" Fizz asked.
"Read it for yourself," Roco said, tossing the note to him.
"We are now at a planet called Alpha-38. I'm going to explore. Don't come after me—I'll be back soon.
– Your lifesaver, Kichu."
Fizz read it out loud.
"So he'll come back. We should wait here," Fizz said.
"You have no idea. That moron's gonna bring us trouble any second now," Roco muttered and stormed outside.
"Whatever... I'll come with you," Fizz said, following him.
Meanwhile, in the city...
"Whoa... it's beautiful," Kichu said, walking through the bustling streets. The city wasn't too developed—slums stood beside broken neon lights.
"Not much development, huh?" he muttered, glancing around.
"Hey man, you got 50 Xe?" an old man asked.
Kichu ignored him and kept walking. That was the tenth person to ask for money.
"This city's dangerous... But I kind of love it," he grinned and stopped at a fruit shop. He bought an apple-like fruit and took a bite.
"Hmm... not bad," he said. Just then, a little kid snatched the fruit and took a bite.
"Ahh! Big bro, you said you'd buy this for me. Why are you eating it? That's not cool!" the kid said, munching the whole thing.
"Hey! What the fu—heck... I mean, why are you eating my stuff?" Kichu caught himself when he saw it was a kid.
"What's wrong, brother? Did you hit your head or something? I'm your little brother!" the kid said, holding Kichu's arm while eyeing a nearby shop nervously.
Kichu noticed. A group of shady men were watching the kid closely.
"Yeah, yeah... just playing with you, little bro," Kichu said and pulled him away from the crowd.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Marly. Thanks for earlier. Bye."
"Hey, where are you running off to?" Kichu grabbed his collar.
"Let me go! Ugh... you're like the others. You want money, right?"
"Yeah. How much do you have?" Kichu asked with a grin.
"I can't pay now, but I will later. If you give me your address."
"I'm a traveler. But if you tell me about those guys, I might forget about the money," Kichu said.
"It's okay. I'll pay."
"I forgot to mention—I might triple the amount."
Without hesitation, the kid began, "When I was younger, my parents died..."
Kichu laughed out of reflex.
The kid glared. "Is that how you react to a sad story?"
"I'm sorry. Go on," Kichu said.
"After they died, I lived in the slums. It's hard to survive here without money. I've worked dozens of jobs just to eat. Then I met them—the Leech gang. They suck the life out of everyone who works for them. I used to get 30% of the money, but even that was stolen from me. Today's the day I owe them their cut—and I don't have it."
The boy's voice cracked as tears welled up.
"Ah... don't cry." Kichu tried to calm him.
"They'll kill me."
"How old are you, kid?" Kichu asked.
"Eight..." he replied.
"I couldn't even sleep without my mother at that age. Okay... I'll help you." Kichu said, patting his head.
"Think of me as your big brother." Kichu smiled.
Just then, a guy with a lot of piercings came up behind him.
"Hey, you there. Hand over the kid."
The boy hid behind Kichu.
"Big bro..."
Another man stepped forward.
"If you walk away now without interfering, it'll be better for you."
"I'm saying the same thing." Kichu cracked his neck.
"You don't know anything. Leave the kid. Or we'll make you work for us too—as a beggar." The man laughed. The other joined in.
Kichu smiled back. In an instant, he punched the pierced guy, sending him flying into a tree.
"You were saying?" Kichu said, wiping his fist.
The second man quickly pulled out a device and called his gang.
"Don't think you'll get away with this!" he shouted, as a group of bikers roared up to the scene.
"Ha! You're done, asshole!" he said, running over to the bikers.
Kichu casually walked toward them.
"Hey, fucker. You did that?" A huge man pointed at the tree.
"Yeah. I just promoted him to a higher position. Want a promotion too?" Kichu smirked.
"Haha! I like this guy." The huge man grabbed a hammer from his bike.
"I'll promote you to hell!"
He charged at Kichu, swinging the hammer. Kichu dodged and landed a solid punch. The man hit the ground but got back up. Kichu swept his legs and struck again—this time in the stomach.
The man grunted and hurled the hammer at Kichu, who caught it mid-air and tossed it toward the bikes.
Boom! The bikes exploded.
"Get that asshole!" the bikers screamed and charged.
Kichu moved through them like a storm—punches, kicks, bodies dropping one after another. In minutes, everyone lay on the ground.
Kichu walked over to the huge man and sat beside him.
"This... this is a warning. Never trouble him again."
"What's your problem, man? We just want our money." the man panted.
"If he earned that money, it belongs to him. Don't you feel ashamed stealing from an eight-year-old just because he works for you?" Kichu shot back.
"What? Wait a second..." The man slowly sat up beside Kichu.
"What do you mean, 'works for us'? We're moneylenders. We gave him money at a fair interest. He ran off without paying. We just tracked him down. Then you showed up."
"Huh?... Moneylenders?" Kichu said, confused.
"What did the kid tell you?" the man asked.
"We're not criminals. We don't force anyone. The kid borrowed money. That's it."
Kichu turned around in shock. The kid was gone.
"Fuck... He tricked me." Kichu muttered, grabbing the man's hand.
"Haha... I'm sorry. I didn't know. We're good, right?" he said with a sheepish smile.
"Was that necessary though?" the man nodded toward the guy stuck in the tree.
"Bro, I thought he could see the city better from up there. No hard feelings." Kichu shouted,
"Hey! You good up there?"
No reply.
"So... I guess everything's settled. I should get going." Kichu laughed nervously and tried to walk away.
"Stop. You can't just walk away." the man said.
"You caused all this. Solve it—or I'll report you to the king."
"Fuck. Meeting that bastard again is the last thing I want." Kichu muttered.
The man smirked.
"And if you bring that kid back, you'll get a huge surprise."
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Kichu raised an eyebrow.
"What if it is? Our gang isn't this small, you know."
"I'll look forward to the surprise." Kichu grinned and walked toward the slums.
-To be Continued...