"Hm?" Olivia murmurs, glancing at Charlotte, slightly confused by the term.
Krieger forms a faint smile.
Charlotte shakes his head slightly.
"I once treated him not long after they confronted Dante. Almost all of them were covered in injuries."
Krieger exhales.
"Hey, hey, that's not the point. Besides, I took part in bringing him down—and the government as well, didn't I?" he replies.
Charlotte raises an eyebrow.
"As you wish. I assume you have just completed a long journey. How far did you travel, Krieger?" he asks.
Rose looks at her father more closely.
Dust still clings to his face. His lips are dry and cracked. Several minor wounds mark his face and neck. Bandages cover parts of his body.
Krieger takes a breath.
"Johan," he says slowly, "Lovren's son—the high authority behind the previous generation. His son has taken his place."
Silence fills the room.
Olivia immediately raises her head.
She recognizes the name.
Her expression changes.
More serious.
Deeper.
Only she fully understands.
"He imprisoned me for a week," Krieger continues. "Kept me unconscious and killed the mage within my subconscious… to merge it into his magic sphere."
Aunt Anne covers her mouth.
Rose remains silent, her eyes fixed on him.
"I know what Johan is going to do…" he adds.
Everyone waits.
No one interrupts.
The wind enters again through the window. The curtain sways gently.
Olivia bites her lip, beginning to understand.
Krieger continues.
"…As I had expected. I heard his plan as he explained it to someone else in the room. He has already resurrected the members of the Vanguard organization who died in the previous generation, and has sent them to eliminate the current generation of Vanguard," Krieger explains.
He lowers his head, drawing in and releasing a short, heavy breath.
He then raises his head again, his expression mixed, both brows slightly lifted as he looks at each of them in turn.
"After that, there will be no one left capable of opposing them. Only the Covenant organization under the current Vanguard generation will remain. Johan will personally go after the Covenant members. If all of his plans proceed as intended, he will take complete control of the world," he adds.
Silence falls.
Heavier than before.
"The government… is that cruel…" Rose says softly.
Aunt Anne slowly stands.
Her steps are unsteady.
"We have truly lost the key figures who once stood against them. The Mad Fighter and his son… both fell because of him," she says.
Her voice trembles.
"I misunderstood Oliver's explanation. I thought it was just a story. I thought they only wanted chaos…"
She lowers her head.
Tears fall.
"Forgive me… for leaving you both, my child, Olivia."
Olivia does not respond immediately.
She stands still for a moment.
Then steps forward.
DUK.
She embraces her mother tightly.
"I understand, Mother. I understand…" she says softly.
Aunt Anne returns the embrace, her hands trembling.
The room fills once more with quiet breaths and soft sobs.
---
CKHWAAAAAAHM!
The wall shatters.
Dust and wooden fragments burst outward.
Loki's body is hurled through the wall, crashing into the backyard ground.
SKHSHHH—
His body drags across the surface for several meters before stopping.
He groans.
"Ukh… damn it," he mutters.
His body hunches slightly. His breathing is heavy.
He slowly lifts his face.
In front of him—
A cloaked figure stands among the ruins of the wall.
Still.
Unmoving.
Footsteps approach.
DUK… DAK…
The figure walks forward slowly.
Loki pulls both hands out of his pockets.
His eyes narrow.
He begins to recognize something.
"So, what kind of person are you?" he says quietly.
His breathing steadies.
"You fight me without giving me time to prepare—before I even eat!"
He moves instantly.
SPHAAAAHM—
Loki charges.
His body bursts forward at high speed.
In a single breath, he is already in front of his opponent.
His leg rises.
CPKHAAAAAAAHM—
The kick strikes the figure's shoulder.
No movement.
Loki frowns.
His attack has no effect.
HLASH—
Wind surges upward.
His eyes widen.
His opponent's leg is already beneath his jaw.
SPKHAAAAAAHM—
The kick lands hard.
His head snaps upward.
HLUSH—
His body is launched into the air before crashing down at a distance.
Blood spills from his mouth.
The figure does not stop.
SPKAAAAASH—
It leaps.
Its body rises briefly.
Its leg draws back.
Loki, off guard—
The strike comes directly toward his abdomen.
KPHAAAAAAHM—
The kick lands fully.
Dust erupts.
BRAK—
Loki lands again.
His gaze sharpens.
As he steps forward—
"I'm interested in you," he says.
A faint smile appears.
BRUK— The figure lands on the ground, slightly hunched, breathing heavily.
"I want to know who you are… because there are only a few fighters in this world who use their legs like this."
He keeps approaching.
"I know all of them… except you!"
The figure lowers its head slightly.
Its body leans forward.
Loki charges again.
"And you alone… are equal to me like this!"
---
"HUH?!"
He recognizes the figure before him—
One of the previous generation's Vanguard members, Albrecht Zell.
A cane-sword fighter just like himself—none other than his father standing before him.
And yet—
—his father has been dead since he was a child.
SWIIIING—
A sword is drawn.
The figure immediately charges.
SKHAAAAHS—
CLAAAAANG!
A heavy clash.
Albert's staff blocks the blade.
Sparks burst.
SKHWAAAHM—
The sword presses down.
The strap on Albert's staff tears.
SSHAAAANG—
The blades grind.
Both step back slightly.
The figure prepares to attack again.
Albert frowns.
His breathing is heavy.
"Wake up… FATHER!"
Silence.
No response.
SHHHHH—
The figure drags forward—
—CKSH— then stops.
A foot plants forward.
Albert is stunned.
The body lowers.
The head bows.
Albert falls silent.
His eyes close.
He takes his stance.
His expression changes.
Conflicted.
"I don't know… Father," he says softly.
He lowers his body as well.
Gripping his staff tighter.
"Even if this battle will end with one of us losing our life…"
The wind blows.
Leaves fall between them.
"…I will take it as one final exchange before your departure…"
His eyes lock forward.
"…as a battle between the two of us."
He pulls his staff back.
Ready to strike.
"At this moment…"
He holds his breath.
"…that exchange begins now."