The next day, a small girl in a green dress resembling a raincoat with two bunny ears on the hood was seen being chased and shot at by AST members in the rainy city of Tengu.
Elsewhere, Kaito was relaxing in his apartment when he heard the system's voice in his mind.
[Ding! Main mission has been released.
Mission: Confront the Hermit
Status: Unfinished
Reward: Armament Haki (Perfection) (S), 1x rare ticket, 5000 XP, 1000 PS]
Seeing the system's mission, Kaito immediately stretched his body, muttering, "Finally, a mission... I've been bored waiting." Indeed, Kaito had been very bored these past few days, and although he could have moved directly, what was the point if he wouldn't gain anything from it?
Kaito swiftly changed into his Vergil suit and the Captain Kaizo mask, then vanished from the apartment using Omnicore.
Back to the girl being chased by the AST team—she was the Hermit, whose real name was Yoshino Himekawa. She had just fallen onto the city street after being hit by one of the rockets fired by the AST team.
From behind the rainy mist and battle smoke, a loud sound—not from an explosion, but from something hitting the ground—was heard.
CRACK!
A small arm slammed onto the asphalt with impossible strength for a child. The ground cracked, the fissures spreading like a spiderweb. From the center of the cracks, the air suddenly froze, turning into a sharp, icy mist that spread rapidly.
Yoshino stood in the center of the icy vortex, her tiny body protected by the green, bunny-eared raincoat. Her hand was extended forward, and from the ice cracks, a large creature resembling a giant rabbit, yet clearly not an ordinary toy, emerged.
It was Zadkiel, Yoshino's Guardian Angel.
With a body like an armored golem and glowing blue eyes, Zadkiel stood towering, lifting Yoshino onto its back. The girl tightly gripped its soft fur, her body trembling but her eyes shining with conviction.
"Don't come near me... Don't hurt him again!" she cried, and Zadkiel let out a mechanical roar.
Instantly, a wave of ice shot from Zadkiel's body, sweeping an area a hundred meters ahead. The streets froze, buildings were coated with glistening ice crystals, and the AST members in the area were instantly knocked back by the instantaneous arctic storm.
On a rooftop not far away, Shido stood with his hands cupped over his mouth, shouting a name very familiar to Yoshino.
"Yoshino! I... I found Yoshinon! He's fine!"
The little girl was stunned. Her eyes widened. However, Zadkiel did not stop. Its icy blast was now aimed directly at Shido. Whether it was protecting or losing control, the Angel deemed Shido a threat.
"Yoshino, stop! That's not the enemy!" Shido yelled, but it was unheard.
Just before the wave of ice hit—
SRAKK!
A purple shadow appeared from the air, splitting the ice storm with a blinding light.
"Tohka...?" Shido mumbled as he saw the figure of the long-haired girl, wearing purple spiritual armor with small glowing wings on her back.
Despite having her powers sealed, the Princess was still strong.
"Tohka, look out!" Shido shouted, but the girl ignored him.
"I will protect you...!"
She swung Sandalphon, the giant key-shaped sword, deflecting a large chunk of ice hurtling toward Shido. Her body was thrown back by the impact, but she remained standing.
Yoshino looked at her with a confused gaze. "T-Tohka..."
But before the tension could subside, everyone at the location froze, not because of the ice... but because of a strange pressure in the air.
The sky over Tengu city hung low, overcast clouds rolling like an ash-gray ocean pressing down on the earth. A thin rain fell slowly, barely noticeable, yet enough to add to the cold in the air already chilled by Zadkiel's previous ice wave.
The remnants of the battle were still clearly visible on the streets. Cracks and pillars of ice jutted out from the shattered asphalt, and the body of Zadkiel, the giant white armored rabbit angel, stood firm as a protective shield before Yoshino, who was still trembling on its back.
In the distance, atop one of the high-rise buildings, stood an unfamiliar figure that had riveted everyone's attention. A masked figure, wrapped in a long, dark-blue coat that fluttered in the wind, stood calmly... as if undisturbed by the rain, the cold, or the vigilant gazes from all directions.
Noir Blade.
Tohka slowly lifted her gaze. Her fingers clenched the hilt of Sandalphon tightly, her eyes narrowing. That aura... though calm and non-aggressive, still exerted tremendous pressure. It was like standing before something inexplicable by logic or instinct.
"He... that person again..." she murmured softly, almost a whisper to herself.
Shido, who was on the opposite rooftop with Tohka, narrowed his eyes, his breath held. Rain soaked his hair and face, but his body remained still.
He knew that man. The mysterious figure who appeared when Tohka lost control before. The masked man whom no one recognized, yet his power... was enough to put all Spirits on edge without saying a word.
On the other side, Origami Tobiichi stared intently in the same direction from a different building's rooftop. One hand gripped her digital tracker, which now displayed only one status:
Identity unknown.
Energy undetected.
Threat potential: maximum.
"Target 'Noir Blade'... has reappeared," she murmured flatly.
In the Fraxinus command center, all monitor screens displayed a blurred image from surveillance cameras. The masked figure was visible in silhouette from various angles, standing tall without moving.
Kotori stared at the screen with sharp eyes. The lollipop in her mouth was slowly removed.
"What are you going to do this time...?" she hissed softly.
Meanwhile, Yoshino was still unable to comprehend. On Zadkiel's back, she could only stare at the figure with confusion. The foreign aura was unfamiliar to her. Not like other Spirits... or humans. But her gentle eyes caught one thing:
Zadkiel... was trembling.
The Angel that always stood proudly by her side was now slightly bowed. The mechanical sensors on its body flickered erratically, and its metal legs shifted position, as if preparing to withstand an invisible pressure.
"Zadkiel...? Why... are you like that...?" Yoshino asked softly.
Noir Blade did not move.
He just raised his head slightly, looking down from behind his mask. Utter silence.
But in the next second—
CREEEK—
The air fractured.
There was no sound of a slash, no shout, no change in Noir Blade's posture... but suddenly...
"KA-BRAAANG!!"
Zadkiel, which had just been about to raise its ice shield, suddenly staggered.
The giant rabbit's head flew into the air, spewing sparks of energy and spiritual cracks from the neck, which was severed so cleanly, so quickly, that no one saw when the slash occurred.
Yoshino was thrown from Zadkiel's back and fell onto the icy, snowy ground. She looked up, her eyes wide, her body frozen. "Z... Zadkiel...?"
The giant body of the Angel slowly collapsed, hitting the ground with a heavy thud that echoed throughout the city block.
Tohka was stunned. Sandalphon was still tightly gripped, but her hand was trembling. Not from the cold... but because her instinct screamed that whatever that man had just done... was not from this world.
Shido stepped back, his eyes shifted behind Zadkiel... and froze.
Three tall buildings stood aligned behind where Zadkiel fell, showing a subtle, straight horizontal crack across the middle. Silent. Quiet.
But in the next three seconds...
"KRRRAAAAK—KRAAAAANG!!!"
The entire upper sections of those buildings began to slide slowly, perfectly severed. Concrete walls and steel shifted outward like toys, then collapsed in the opposite direction in a destructive collision.
The sound of the collapse and debris echoed in the sky. The ground shook. Dust billowed upwards. The AST's barrier walls and protective layers immediately activated, but they couldn't contain the lethal visual effect.
"Tohka..." Shido mumbled with a choked voice. "When did he... swing his sword...?"
Tohka didn't answer. Her purple eyes widened, filled with shock.
In the Fraxinus, Reine stared at the screen which now showed images of the collapsing buildings, and Zadkiel lying lifelessly in the middle of the street. She leaned against the table, her breathing slowing.
"There was no... no delay... no attack signal..." she whispered. "That wasn't teleportation, it wasn't a laser... That was... pure physical technique."
Kotori slowly sat down in the command chair. Her face showed no surprise, but her eyes stared at the monitor as if looking at an ancient monster.
"...He is not human. He is not a Spirit. He is something... else."
Meanwhile, on the ground, Yoshino clutched her chest. She sat amidst the ice, unable to move. Her eyes were fixed on Zadkiel, which had lost its head. Her Angel... destroyed. In one attack.
"I-I... I didn't see it..."
The trembling in her body was no longer because of the weather.
Tohka turned to Shido. "He... can cut something from that distance. Three buildings. Zadkiel. In one movement. But no one could see..."
Shido looked down. "He just... stood there."
When everyone turned back to the rooftop where Noir Blade stood—
He was already gone