"ARGHH! HELP!"
Luxe turned sharply. At the end of a narrow alley stood Yorke, the ramen shop cook, cornered. A Rogue Slayer with a vicious face and tattered armor stepped forward, his sword gleaming, ready to strike.
"Chef Yorke!" Luxe shouted reflexively.
Without thinking, Luxe raised his hand. Prism Ward's barrier flashed into existence, a shimmering translucent wall encasing Yorke.
CLANG!
The Rogue's blade crashed into the prism shield. Cracks of light spread like fractured glass, but it held—enough to stop the fatal blow.
The Rogue Slayer snarled, stepping back. "A shield? So you're… a Beast Slayer?"
Luxe didn't answer. His hand pulsed with dark energy, and Shadow Chains erupted, wrapping around the Rogue Slayer's body, binding him tight until he stumbled.
Yorke froze, face pale. "L-Luxe… you…?"
But the captured Rogue only laughed, baring his yellowed teeth.
"Hahaha! So the skinny brat's an Association dog after all!"
Luxe's jaw clenched, his eyes sharp. "Shut up. You almost killed an innocent man."
"Innocent?!" the Rogue spat at the ground. "Open your eyes, boy! That rotten Association is corruption itself!"
Yorke flinched at the words. Luxe's grip on the shadow chains faltered for an instant, the man's accusation cutting deeper than he expected.
"Don't play hero, kid," the Rogue sneered. "One day you'll know. They'll rip your beast from you… then kill you for it!"
Luxe's chains quivered, then tightened for a moment—but he let out a heavy breath. With a wave of his hand, the shadows dissolved, releasing the Rogue Slayer.
The man stumbled free, then smirked. "Heh… smart choice. You're young, still naïve. Someday you'll learn who the real monsters in this world are."
He backed away into the smoke-filled alley and vanished in seconds.
Yorke still stood frozen, pale and trembling. "Luxe… those were shadow chains…? You're really a Beast Slayer…?"
Luxe exhaled, lowering his trembling hand. "…Yeah. I am."
Yorke stepped closer, adjusting his quivering apron with shaky hands. "If not for you… I'd be dead. I… I'm sorry, Luxe. I've treated you harshly all this time."
Luxe glanced sideways, forcing a faint smile. "Haah—don't worry about it, Chef."
They returned together to the ramen shop, Ra-Eat. The rolling door was half-shut, leaving only a gap wide enough to slip inside.
Behind the counter stood Bruce, his face stern. "Why are you two here? I called and sent messages telling you not to come! There's chaos in the city nearby! Thank God you made it back alive!" His eyes narrowed as he studied Luxe. "But something's off. Why did you two arrive together?"
Yorke looked at Bruce, inhaled deeply, and confessed, "Boss… Luxe is a Beast Slayer."
Silence blanketed the room. Bruce stared long at Luxe, then clicked his tongue. "So that's why you've been looking so odd lately."
He folded his arms. "Well then, Luxe… what's it going to be? Are you staying here, or focusing on being a Slayer?"
Luxe lowered his head for a moment, then spoke firmly. "Sir, thank you for giving me this job. But from now on… I want to quit. I'll focus on being a Beast Slayer."
Bruce paused, then clapped him hard on the shoulder. "In that case… just don't die a fool's death out there. That's all I'll say."
Luxe nodded, left the shop, and stepped into the street.
The image of Ivy and Rodge's battle burned in his mind. He hissed under his breath, "I… will catch up to them!"
Back at his apartment, he was met by Grandma Lam's worried gaze. Every TV channel still blasted news about the Rogue Slayer assault.
"Don't worry, Grandma. I'm safe. I was far from where it happened," Luxe said, trying to reassure her.
"Thank goodness, Luxe. Now come, eat before night falls. I made your favorite chicken soup," Grandma Lam replied with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Grandma. I should've cooked for you instead, so you could rest," Luxe said softly.
"It's no trouble," she answered, settling at the table.
They ate in warm silence.
But later that night, Luxe's eyes fell on the black scythe in his grasp.
Maybe this weapon is safe enough to register with the Association… but Prism Ward must remain hidden. It's not time yet.
Under the moonlight, Luxe's determination burned. The memory of Ivy and Rodge clashing that afternoon replayed in his mind, igniting his resolve.
With a swift swing of his scythe, three Feral-tier beasts fell in one strike, blood splattering across the dirt.
Prism Ward emerged beside him, its movements fluid yet deadly. With a single cross-slash, it cleaved through a Forsaken Okapi—an Elite beast resembling a horse wreathed in lightning. The creature collapsed, sparks crackling from its corpse.
As the beasts died, their essence light surged into Luxe. His body trembled as raw energy coursed violently through him.
Suddenly, black aura erupted outward, denser than ever before. Shadows rippled as though ready to devour all light.
"What is this?!" Luxe stared at his hands, wreathed in dark haze. "Why is my aura erupting on its own? This power… it's wilder than ever!"
His gaze snapped to Prism Ward—and froze. The Duke Beast's aura had shifted too. Its white glow was veined with deep black, its pressure heavier, more suffocating.
Luxe panted. "Impossible… Prism Ward is reacting too? Did he level up alongside me?"
The black aura condensed, then seeped back into Luxe's body. He staggered, nearly falling to his knees, but caught himself with his scythe.
"Haah… damn… it feels like my body was ripped apart from the inside. But… now I feel lighter."
He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, his vision was sharper. A golden circle spun faintly in his irises.
Golden Sight—no, deeper than before. He now saw faint energy lines in nearby beasts, glowing veins that revealed their weak points.
"Weakpoint Trace… a fitting name for this skill," Luxe murmured, eyes locking on a hidden Feral beast beyond the rubble.
Beside him, Prism Ward trembled, its aura flaring. White light interlaced with thicker streaks of black across its armor. In its hand, light refracted into a small prism shield—denser, like translucent black glass.
Luxe's eyes widened. "A shield? So now, besides the barrier, he can form a portable prism shield too?"
Prism Ward drove the shield into the ground. White-and-black light rippled outward, forming a thin circle around Luxe. Not as strong as its full barrier, but enough to defend a small zone.
"Another new skill," Luxe muttered in awe. "Not fully developed… like an echo of its true form."
Suddenly, a Night Stalker Hound lunged from the shadows, fangs dripping blood.
Instinctively, Luxe triggered the shadows at his feet. His body vanished, reappearing instantly behind the beast.
"Shadow Blink…" he whispered, startled by the sudden teleport.
SWOOSH!
His black scythe swept down, green aura leaking from its cracked blade, mixing with shadow. The strike carved through the hound—yet at the same time, a phantom scythe mirrored his swing, slashing from another angle like a ghostly afterimage.
"Khraaagh!"
The hound's body split crosswise, blood spraying before it crumpled lifeless.
Luxe froze, breath ragged, eyes wide.
"That… that was another strike. A phantom swing, following mine…"
He looked at his scythe. The cracks along its blade pulsed faintly with green-black light. A crooked smile tugged at his lips.
"Phantom Sever… my new skill."
His gaze lingered on the scythe. The dead cracks now throbbed faintly, as though new energy coursed through them.
"Did the scythe itself level up too? Or… has the Core-Linked weapon finally awakened its true skill?"
Beside him, Prism Ward's prism shield flickered, its form shifting faintly. Luxe stood still, torn between awe and unease.
"…Both of us… we leveled up together. And this scythe… it evolved too? If that's the case… I'll need to master this power quickly."
That night, Luxe realized for the first time—every battle not only strengthened him, but deepened the mysterious, shadowed bond with Prism Ward.
Yet what he didn't know… was that the faint green aura seeping from his scythe pulsed like a living thing. Waiting… for the day it would awaken fully.