Kai stood frozen, staring at the image on the screen. His breathing was steady, but inside, his mind was spiraling.
The beetle symbol. The frozen battlefield. The fact that the thing he had spent years trapped in ice trying to forget was still out there.
And now they were saying he had something to do with it.
Evelyn Cross—President of the United States, the most powerful woman in the country—watched him carefully, her piercing eyes scanning him like he was a puzzle she had almost solved.
"You're going to help us hunt it down," she had said.
Kai swallowed. His mouth was dry. He wanted to argue, to deny it all. But deep down, he already knew there was no point.
"…What is this thing?" Kai finally asked, his voice quiet.
Evelyn tapped on the table, and the image on the screen changed again.
It was a diagram.
A diagram of ten monstrous silhouettes.
Some were humanoid, others were more beast-like. One had multiple wings, another had what looked like long, jagged limbs. Each one radiated a sense of dread, even just as a shadow on a screen.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"What am I looking at?"
Evelyn folded her arms. "The end of the world."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "That's dramatic."
"No," Evelyn said simply. "It's history."
She pressed another button, and the screen shifted again, this time showing an ancient, aged manuscript. The text was worn, but the images were clear—illustrations of massive creatures towering over civilizations.
"This is the Prophecy of the Ten Apocalypses," Evelyn explained. "Ancient texts found across multiple cultures all describe the same event: Ten great beings will descend upon the world. One every hundred years. Each will bring an era of destruction, and each will push humanity to the brink."
Kai frowned. "And?"
Evelyn met his gaze.
"The first one is here."
A cold weight settled in Kai's stomach.
He looked back at the screen. The frozen battlefield. The symbol.
The monster that had haunted him, that had taken everything from him.
"…You're saying that the beetle monster was one of these Apocalypses?"
Evelyn nodded.
"And it wasn't fully destroyed."
Kai let out a slow breath. His thoughts were racing.
If what she was saying was true, then that meant—
He clenched his fists.
That meant the fight from three years ago wasn't over.
That meant Akio Kita's battle wasn't over.
"That village," Kai said, nodding toward the frozen battlefield image. "You said this happened three weeks ago?"
"Yes."
"And you said it matched my energy signature?"
"Yes."
Kai exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. He had felt something in that training room. Something awaken inside him.
He had been trapped in ice for three years. What if something else had been trapped with him?
"What's the plan?" Kai finally asked, opening his eyes.
Evelyn smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
She turned back to the screen and pulled up another file.
"Right now, the remnants of this creature—what we're calling the First Apocalypse—are still moving. We believe it's regenerating. Which means we have a limited window before it reaches its full strength again."
Kai's grip tightened. "And when it does?"
Evelyn's expression darkened.
"Then we may not be able to stop it."
A tense silence filled the room.
Kai took a slow breath, steadying himself.
Three years ago, he had fought a monster with everything he had. He had saved people. He had been frozen in time because of it.
Now he was back.
And the fight wasn't over.
Kai looked up, his blue eyes burning with determination.
"Then let's stop it before that happens."
Kai stood frozen, staring at the image on the screen. His breathing was steady, but inside, his mind was spiraling.
The beetle symbol. The frozen battlefield. The fact that the thing he had spent years trapped in ice trying to forget was still out there.
And now they were saying he had something to do with it.
Evelyn Cross—President of the United States, the most powerful woman in the country—watched him carefully, her piercing eyes scanning him like he was a puzzle she had almost solved.
"You're going to help us hunt it down," she had said.
Kai swallowed. His mouth was dry. He wanted to argue, to deny it all. But deep down, he already knew there was no point.
"…What is this thing?" Kai finally asked, his voice quiet.
Evelyn tapped on the table, and the image on the screen changed again.
It was a diagram.
A diagram of ten monstrous silhouettes.
Some were humanoid, others were more beast-like. One had multiple wings, another had what looked like long, jagged limbs. Each one radiated a sense of dread, even just as a shadow on a screen.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
"What am I looking at?"
Evelyn folded her arms. "The end of the world."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "That's dramatic."
"No," Evelyn said simply. "It's history."
She pressed another button, and the screen shifted again, this time showing an ancient, aged manuscript. The text was worn, but the images were clear—illustrations of massive creatures towering over civilizations.
"This is the Prophecy of the Ten Apocalypses," Evelyn explained. "Ancient texts found across multiple cultures all describe the same event: Ten great beings will descend upon the world. One every hundred years. Each will bring an era of destruction, and each will push humanity to the brink."
Kai frowned. "And?"
Evelyn met his gaze.
"The first one is here."
A cold weight settled in Kai's stomach.
He looked back at the screen. The frozen battlefield. The symbol.
The monster that had haunted him, that had taken everything from him.
"…You're saying that the beetle monster was one of these Apocalypses?"
Evelyn nodded.
"And it wasn't fully destroyed."
Kai let out a slow breath. His thoughts were racing.
If what she was saying was true, then that meant—
He clenched his fists.
That meant the fight from three years ago wasn't over.
That meant Akio Kita's battle wasn't over.
"That village," Kai said, nodding toward the frozen battlefield image. "You said this happened three weeks ago?"
"Yes."
"And you said it matched my energy signature?"
"Yes."
Kai exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. He had felt something in that training room. Something awaken inside him.
He had been trapped in ice for three years. What if something else had been trapped with him?
"What's the plan?" Kai finally asked, opening his eyes.
Evelyn smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
She turned back to the screen and pulled up another file.
"Right now, the remnants of this creature—what we're calling the First Apocalypse—are still moving. We believe it's regenerating. Which means we have a limited window before it reaches its full strength again."
Kai's grip tightened. "And when it does?"
Evelyn's expression darkened.
"Then we may not be able to stop it."
A tense silence filled the room.
Kai took a slow breath, steadying himself.
Three years ago, he had fought a monster with everything he had. He had saved people. He had been frozen in time because of it.
Now he was back.
And the fight wasn't over.
Kai looked up, his blue eyes burning with determination.
"Then let's stop it before that happens."