In Shinobi's office, the computer screen played a slow-motion aerial recording. Frame by frame, the video captured the green tornado—Allen's storm—cutting through the mutated Category 3 monster, Strix Temporalis.
Inside the eye of the cyclone, Allen faced the creature as countless jade winds carved it apart until nothing remained.
"That alone qualifies him as a walking cataclysm."
Titan exhaled sharply as he watched. Shinobi, however, was beginning to understand why the Heroic Federation protected Allen's information with such religious zeal.
"You are mistaken, Titan. If this leaks to the public, ordinary humans will not call him a cataclysm. They will start calling him a monster."
Titan gave a shaky laugh and slumped back in his chair.
"What others think is the least of my concerns. What terrifies me is how the high-rankers will react. What do we do if an SX-Rank intervenes? Worse—what if Aegis himself demands answers? I swear I am one breath away from a heart attack."
Shinobi deleted the video file without hesitation.
"They cannot touch us without evidence. Regardless—tighten security tomorrow. I do not trust what Allen may do once Calibur arrives."
"Understood."
Titan stood and left, leaving Shinobi alone. The ninja lifted a segment of wall, revealing a sprawling investigative board.
"'Weapon.' 'Emotion.' 'Stone.'"
He connected the three words with red string leading to a single name: Allen.
"If we consider the gemstones he uses—the sapphire, the ruby—one part of the answer becomes clear. But 'emotion' and 'weapon'… converting emotions into an armament? No… it must be more intricate than that."
Beneath "Stone," Shinobi wrote five names in order of Allen's recorded use:
Emotion Prism
Ruby of Passion
Sapphire of Honesty
Topaz of Will
Emerald of Truth
"Elemental affinity fits their colors—except the prism. But why does he name them this way? And then there is Calibur… and Aegis."
Shinobi still did not know the precise history between Allen and Calibur, only that both were connected to Seira—the woman who became Gigax Leo.
Aegis, on the other hand, was the current president and founder of the Heroic Federation, which meant Shinobi knew only the surface: his power, his public story, nothing more.
With a long exhale, Shinobi lowered the wall panel and left the office. On his desk a paper lay partially exposed. In crimson letters it read:
"Project Perfection — Experimental Phase No. 1: Seira."
---
After a few hours of rest, Allen rose from the hotel bed and stretched. He glanced at the worn clothes tossed over a chair, then at the staff propped against the wall.
With a flick of his wrist, the staff flew neatly to his hand. He smiled faintly.
"Good… I have not lost my touch."
He set it aside and picked up the room's phone. After ordering a replacement set of clothes, he hung up and headed for the shower.
Allen had been relocated to one of the Federation-run hotels, just like the civilians who had lost their homes during the battle—whether to the tornado he created or the Strix Temporalis's rampage. At least one thing brought comfort: the Heroic Federation had no footage or record of his fight.
But today Calibur would appear.
That thought alone made Allen's blood simmer. He wondered whether he could restrain the urge to kill him on sight.
After showering, he dressed in blue jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. Lacing his shoes, he pocketed the stones, took up his staff, and stepped outside with a shadowed expression.
---
Titan and Shinobi stood before a man clad in royal-violet armor. His chestnut hair billowed gently in the wind, and his deep blue eyes carried a regal sharpness. Several lower-ranked heroes waited behind them.
Titan refused to meet the man's gaze; the tension in his clenched fists made his feelings clear. Shinobi, however, remained composed.
"Sir, we prepared an auditorium with full security mea—"
"Nonsense!"
Calibur cut him off. The interruption made Shinobi's eyelid twitch, but he swallowed the words he wanted to unleash.
"There is no safer place than wherever I stand!"
"Idiot…"
Titan voiced his thoughts aloud and turned away, followed by three junior heroes. Calibur's eyes gleamed, and he smiled. Titan froze in place—while the three heroes instantly collapsed.
"General Titan… did I just hear an insult toward your superior?"
Titan had no time to react before Calibur materialized before him and struck him in the stomach. Blood spilled from Titan's mouth as he staggered backward, vision blurring.
Calibur seized him by the throat.
"You are aware that insulting a superior carries an immediate death sentence… are you not?"
But Titan only gave a strangled laugh. He swung his massive fist—his arm swelling in size—but Calibur caught it with ease and twisted, snapping the bone and bending the limb into an unnatural angle.
"As a presidential candidate, I cannot kill you. But believe me… you will not live past the year."
"Lord Calibur, please… forgive Titan. His ability often makes him impulsive."
Shinobi dropped to one knee, bowing deeply. The plea worked. Calibur released Titan and walked off. Before he was out of earshot, he looked back at Shinobi.
"I shall overlook it this time… but you must improve your manners. And teach your dog some as well, unless you want him to disappear."
Calibur departed.
Shinobi remained kneeling, legs trembling. Titan lay on the ground, blood dripping from his arm.
"You should not have stepped in, spoiled ninja…"
"Now I finally understand how you feel whenever you visit the headquarters in City A… That thing is not even human. What were you planning? Dying? Becoming a cripple?"
Titan spat blood and glanced toward the tech vans in the distance.
"No. Just giving someone a few extra reasons to tear Calibur apart."
Shinobi followed his gaze.
Allen had been watching the entire time.
In his left hand he held both the topaz and the prism.
"And besides…" Titan stood, grinning despite the pain. "Calibur does not compare to what I feel at headquarters."
He wiped more blood from his lips.
"This will be interesting… Allen or Calibur. Either way, it will be difficult for civilians to survive what is coming—perhaps even for the heroes."