Rei was approaching Akito with quick, confident steps. Her presence seemed to compress the very air around her; passersby instinctively moved aside, sensing the tension radiating from her.
"Well, mister ghoster?" she said with a serious face, stopping just a step away from him.
"Rei…" Akito gave a faint smile. "I really couldn't call you. Things were urgent."
He paused, then added:
"And actually… I wanted you to come with me — to see an apartment. I'm thinking of buying it… and I'd like your help choosing."
"What do you even need me for? You're the one who's going to live there," she said, looking away.
"What if I won't be living there… alone? What if, let's say, you were there too?" Akito said calmly, looking straight into her eyes.
Her face flushed instantly, like a sudden fire. She opened her mouth to answer, but the words stuck. Only one thought was spinning in her head:
"He… what? Live with me? Together… as a couple?"
The blush deepened. The next moment, Akito took her hand.
"Let's go for a walk," he said simply.
They melted into the stream of rushing people, as if the rest of the world had been left behind.
—
Meanwhile, far from the city's noise, silence reigned inside a hall with a marble table. At the head sat Karmas — a tall man with silver hair and eyes reflecting cold resolve.
Around him stood three other Guardians — those who shared his views on absolute justice.
"Soon the violators of order will be destroyed," Karmas said coldly, staring at a golden card hovering above his palm.
One of the Guardians — his bright-blue eyes barely visible beneath a hood — smirked.
"Karmas… you do realize you can't beat Kronoran? Even if we all join forces, he'll erase us in minutes."
Karmas slowly lifted his gaze.
"I don't need to defeat him. He can be sealed… into an artifact."
The Guardians exchanged glances.
"So you're planning to go after Akito Kurosawa? He's the main… violator now?"
"Exactly," Karmas confirmed. "To eliminate him."
One of the Guardians stepped forward hesitantly.
"But he's… the Creator's favorite. Aren't you afraid of defying his will?"
Karmas answered without hesitation.
"Even so — he breaks the order. The Creator made us to maintain balance… and destroy those who oppose it."
A moment later, Karmas vanished, dissolving into a stream of golden sparks. The remaining three looked at each other.
"Good thing that idiot Karmas is going against the Creator's will," one of them sneered. "If this works, one of us will take his place."
"All that matters is that Akito plays his part," added another, hiding a smile under his hood.
Their voices faded into the void of the hall, where decisions shaped the fate of entire worlds.
—
The human world. City center.
Among the crowd, surrounded by shops, street musicians, and people holding ice cream, Rei and Akito walked side by side, talking almost as if their lives were ordinary.
"So you really want me to help you choose an apartment?" Rei asked teasingly, adjusting her hair.
"Yes," Akito nodded, looking at her almost seriously.
"And when are you planning to view it?"
"Tomorrow… probably."
"Fine. But I can only do it after work. I already took today off for you," she said, slightly puffing her cheeks.
"Rei…"
He was about to add something, but at that moment the system flickered before his eyes:
[Threat Detected]
[Rank: Unknown]
[Recommendation: Retreat]
"Again?" Akito thought. "This isn't Kronoran… the system went crazy when he appeared. This must be… something new."
"Well? What did you want to say?" Rei asked curiously, noticing his distraction.
Akito focused sharply on her. His face grew serious.
"Rei… please, listen. I have to go. Tomorrow… I'll tell you everything. The whole truth. I promise. Just… trust me."
Rei narrowed her eyes.
"Running away again, like last time? Do what you want."
She turned and walked off quickly, disappearing into the crowd.
Akito hesitated: go after her… or follow the marker.
Then — he bolted forward, at full speed. The interface marker showed: 20,000 kilometers above the Earth.
He stopped.
Right in front of him stood a man. Tall. With silver eyes. The man silently placed a hand on his own chest — and both of them vanished.
They appeared in a completely different place — a lifeless desert with no cities, no trees, not even animal tracks. The sand was oddly soft, a pale rose-gold color, almost unreal. Above them stretched a normal, cloudless sky — bright blue, calm… but deceptively peaceful.
Akito looked up — directly ahead stood a tall man in a long white cloak adorned with crimson streaks, like blood trails running down the fabric.
"You are a violator of order," the man said in a cold, clear voice. "You act unjustly. You should have died. Because of you, Akito Kurosawa, the others became violators as well."
Akito narrowed his eyes, ready to reply — but the next moment the stranger vanished and reappeared right in front of him. A lightning-fast strike crashed into Akito's block with such force that it hurled him into a sand dune.
"What… insane speed…" flashed through Akito's mind as his body disappeared in a swirl of sand. "If it weren't for the Eye of Truth, this fight would already be over."
Through the dust cloud raised by his fall, he glimpsed the approaching silhouette. He rolled back instantly, summoning the Blades of Chaos and pointing them at the enemy. Compressed sand erupted outward, some of the projectiles striking the man's white cloak, forcing a brief pause.
"He's strong…" Akito noted inwardly. "But if I summon the Guardians, we can—"
The man's voice suddenly filled the air, like a judge's verdict echoing under the heavens.
"Violator," it rang out, even and crushing, like hammer strikes. "You cannot summon anyone. That would be unjust. And I… am Justice."
[Noxveil]
Hey there, reader!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much. I'm writing this story in Russian and translating it into English — so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Even one small comment gives me huge motivation 💬💙
Let me know who your favorite character is so far!