The battlefield blurred into noise—the clash of glaive against steel, the ricochet of chakrams, the echo of boots pounding across metal. But for Hyunwoo, all of that dimmed.
His spear leveled forward, steady in his hands. Torchwick stood only a dozen meters away, bowler hat tilted, cane resting like a lazy challenge across his shoulder.
"Come on then, country boy," Torchwick drawled, his smirk curling like smoke. "Let's see what you've got."
Hyunwoo's aura pulsed faintly, wrapping his arms and spear with a quiet, controlled shimmer. He didn't rush. He knew better than to play into Torchwick's rhythm—flashy, unpredictable, designed to bait hot-headed opponents.
Jiwon shifted behind him, twin blades ready, eyes unfocused in that eerie way his Echo Sense demanded.
"I'll cover your blind spots," he murmured, voice as calm as if they weren't standing in the middle of a warzone.
Hyunwoo gave a small nod. "Torchwick's mine."
The criminal laughed, flicking his cane into firing position. "Oh-ho, the tall one's got bite. Alright then—catch."
The cane barked with a Dust-charged blast. Hyunwoo sidestepped, spear flashing up to deflect the burning shot. Sparks flared, illuminating his narrowed eyes.
In the same breath, he lunged. His spear darted forward like a striking viper, aura propelling the thrust faster than Torchwick expected. The bowler-hatted thief barely twisted aside, coat tails whipping as the spear's tip sliced the air inches from his chest.
Torchwick laughed breathlessly, spinning his cane to fire a second blast point-blank.
"Close—very close. But you'll need more than sticks and sparks, sweetheart."
Hyunwoo twisted his spear, aura surging down its shaft. Instead of blocking, he redirected, sliding the Dust blast off the blade's curve so it scorched harmlessly into the night. The motion was controlled, practiced—something he'd been refining these past days in secret.
His counter came immediately. Hyunwoo stepped in, aura reinforcing his arms as he struck with the spear's butt. Torchwick caught it with his cane, the impact cracking like thunder.
For a heartbeat, they locked—Torchwick grinning through clenched teeth, Hyunwoo's eyes cold and unblinking.
"You've got good form," Torchwick admitted, pushing back with surprising strength. "But I've danced with Huntsmen twice your age. You're nothing special."
Hyunwoo shoved forward, breaking the lock, and swung again.
"I don't need to be special," he said flatly. "I just need to stop you."
The fight snapped open again—Torchwick firing, Hyunwoo deflecting, their clash sparking across the rooftop like flint and steel.
And still, deep inside, Hyunwoo measured his strikes, his eyes sharp. This wasn't just about stopping a thief.
It was about proving something—about testing the control he'd been honing, about standing in front of one of the story's pivotal villains and not faltering.
The future depended on fighters like Ruby. On people like Blake. But tonight—
Hyunwoo's spear thrummed with aura as he thrust again—
—it depended on him.
Torchwick's cane cracked like a whip, spitting Dust rounds that exploded in short bursts across the rooftop. Hyunwoo slid low, aura skimming off his shoulders as he deflected another shot with the spear's haft. The recoil jolted through his arms, but he didn't falter—his movements were sharper than a month ago, tighter, more precise.
He dashed in, spear snapping forward. Torchwick twisted his cane in a flourish, catching the strike before spinning into a counter-swing. Hyunwoo pivoted, aura flashing across his forearm as the cane scraped sparks off his guard.
"Not bad, kid!" Torchwick barked, smirking even as sweat dotted his brow. "But you'll need a few years before you can hope to—"
Hyunwoo surged aura into his spear and shoved. The sudden burst sent Torchwick stumbling, forcing him to brace against the rooftop rail.
Hyunwoo didn't chase. He held his weapon steady, breathing controlled, eyes narrowing. "You talk too much."
Torchwick chuckled, cane resting across his shoulders again. "And you're too serious. Huntsmen aren't supposed to look like they're attending a funeral."
He flicked his cane, firing a smoke round that burst into a dark cloud between them. Footsteps darted left, then right—his figure vanishing in the haze.
Hyunwoo closed his eyes for a moment, listening. His grip on the spear loosened just slightly, letting the weapon guide him like an extension of his senses. A faint disturbance—the scrape of leather on steel, the whisper of cloth shifting—
Hyunwoo spun, thrusting into the smoke.
A metallic clang! Torchwick barely deflected in time, the force driving him a half-step back. His smirk faltered for the first time.
"Tch. You're sharper than I thought."
Before Hyunwoo could press, a sharp voice rang across the rooftop.
"Roman!"
Blake darted into view, Gambol Shroud drawn, eyes blazing. Beside her, Sun landed smoothly, staff resting across his shoulders, tail flicking behind him.
"Blake?" Jaemin's eyes widened, his tonfa lowering just slightly.
"Team NOVA?" Blake's steps faltered as her gaze swept across Hyunwoo and the others. "What are you guys doing here?"
Jisoo spun her chakram idly, her expression annoyed but serious. "The same question goes to you, Blake."
Jiwon's tone was colder, more precise, his staff raised but not pointed at her. "This isn't a place for classmates to be wandering around. So why are you here?"
Sun glanced between them, eyebrows shooting up. "Wait—hold up. You guys know each other?"
"We're from the same Academy," Blake answered quickly, not taking her eyes off Torchwick. "Same year."
Hyunwoo's voice cut through before the tension could stretch further. His spear never wavered from Torchwick. "It doesn't matter why. What matters is Torchwick. That's our target tonight."
Blake looked like she wanted to argue, but Torchwick's mocking clap broke through the rooftop.
"Adorable. Beacon kids playing heroes again." He gestured lazily toward the Bullhead. "Boys, girls—remind them who they're dealing with."
The White Fang surged forward, weapons flashing in the moonlight.
Hyunwoo exhaled once, steady and sharp. "Jaemin, Jisoo, Jiwon." His voice carried no hesitation. "Form up."
White Fang soldiers poured out of the Bullhead, weapons clashing against NOVA's formation. Jaemin's glaive spun in arcs of steel, redirecting momentum with each strike. Jisoo blurred through openings with her burst steps, chakram slicing in quick succession, while Jiwon kept the formation steady, his echo sense mapping every hostile movement in their blind spots.
Blake and Sun slipped into the fray beside them, blades and staff cracking through the enemy line as if they had always fought together. For a moment, Beacon students and unexpected allies moved like a single tide, holding the White Fang at bay.
But Hyunwoo barely registered any of it.
His spear clashed against Torchwick's cane again, the metallic snap ringing loud in his ears. Torchwick smirked as their weapons locked.
"You're awfully serious for a kid playing huntsman," Torchwick drawled, twisting his cane free and firing off a dust round.
Hyunwoo's aura flared around his forearm as he deflected the shot, the force sliding him back an inch across the rooftop. He lowered into stance, eyes sharp, calm but unrelenting. "You talk too much."
With a burst forward, Hyunwoo's spear cut a vicious arc. Torchwick sidestepped, cane lashing out in a swift counter. Sparks scattered where aura met steel, but Hyunwoo pressed in close, leaving no room for Torchwick to pull distance.
"Persistent little brat, aren't you?" Torchwick grunted, parrying another thrust. He twirled his cane with practiced flair, dust chamber clicking as he loaded another round. "Don't tell me you think you can actually win."
Hyunwoo's grip tightened. His aura surged into the spear, coating it in faint light. "Winning isn't the point."
He lunged, spear jabbing straight for Torchwick's chest—forcing him to twist violently aside as the blow grazed his coat.
"It's stopping you."
Behind them, White Fang grunts fell one after another to NOVA and Blake's teamwork, but Torchwick only laughed, breathless yet still arrogant, cane swinging wide to deflect Hyunwoo's next strike.
"You kids really don't know when to quit."
Torchwick's cane fired again, dust rounds erupting in bursts of flame and sparks. Hyunwoo slipped through them, aura bristling as he closed the gap with relentless pressure. His spear moved like an extension of his will—thrust, slash, sweep—every attack sharper and faster than the last month had any right to allow.
Torchwick blocked another downward strike, teeth clenched. "Tch—! What the hell are you? You're not fighting like some rookie."
Hyunwoo's eyes narrowed, unreadable. His aura flared, reinforcing his arm as he twisted the spear free and swung with a brutal follow-through that knocked Torchwick back several steps. The criminal's boots scraped hard against the rooftop, balance barely holding.
From the corner of his eye, Hyunwoo saw NOVA keeping the White Fang occupied, their teamwork precise, each one covering the other. Blake and Sun had slipped into the fight, and their blades flashed beside Jaemin's glaive and Jisoo's spinning chakram. It was holding—but only barely.
He turned back to Torchwick. This fight had to end.
Hyunwoo stepped forward, spear lowering, aura climbing higher along the shaft until the weapon shimmered faintly. The rooftop air trembled. "You like running your mouth. But here—" he raised his spear, "—you're not going anywhere."
Torchwick swore under his breath, firing again, then again—explosions snapping inches from Hyunwoo's aura. But Hyunwoo didn't stop. He rushed in, slammed the cane aside, and drove his aura-empowered spear forward.
The blow struck square into Torchwick's chest, aura cracking under the impact. Torchwick coughed hard, the smirk finally wiped off his face. The force sent him sprawling against the edge of the rooftop, cane clattering across the concrete.
The fight around them seemed to dim for a moment. Even the White Fang hesitated at the sight of their "partner" pinned and gasping.
Hyunwoo kept the spear leveled at him. "You're done."
Torchwick's grin flickered back, strained but defiant. "H-heh... you think... catching me changes anything?" He spat blood onto the rooftop. "You don't have the faintest clue who you're really up against, kid."
But for the first time, there was no escape. The Bullhead roared overhead, engines straining as White Fang scrambled toward it, but Torchwick was still on the ground, trapped under Hyunwoo's weapon.
"I know enough."