Iron's master stepped forward from the ranks, his posture regal yet predatory. The candlelight memory of chess flashed in Iron's head as he bowed slightly.
Captain Prudehomme Shepherd.
Unlike Iron's burning discipline, his presence was void-black, suffocating. A black feather gleamed on his arm, darker than night, as though it drank in the light around it. He exhaled "The higher ups won't be happy that we left the ceremony."
His eyes were fixed on Matsu.
"And I assume you are the 'Gravedigger' I've been hearing reports of. Then you also too will be arrested here."
Matsu froze, words caught in his throat. His gaze locked on that feather, his heart pounding.
Black…?
Shock numbed him, but Lin's trembling voice snapped him back.
"Matsu—we need to get out of here!"
He wanted to. He tried. But his body wouldn't move. His legs were dead weight, his arms leaden.
Knife also was trying to move his body, but his legs were wobbling
Iron's eyes sharpened, his soldiers tensing, weapons drawn in perfect unison. The air thickened, suffocating. One word from Iron, and a storm of steel would fall.
But then—
Steps could be heard, coming from the forest.
All heads turned to the edge of the battlefield.
The wind shifted, carrying dust and smoke. From the shadows emerged a man in a long beige coat, its hem fluttering. A wide-brimmed beige hat covered his eyes, casting his face in shadow—save for one thing.
A striking, confident smile.
Iron stiffened. Prudehomme's gaze narrowed, his composure faltering for the first time.
"…It's you."
The knights whispered, their fear bleeding through their discipline.
"The world's most wanted man…Markman Cooper" Prudehomme said grimly.
Matsu's heart thundered. His battered body surged with warmth, and his eyes shone as though a light had returned.
"That smile…"
"It's him," Matsu whispered, voice trembling with awe.
"It's the strange man!"
"Hello," Markman Cooper said lightly, giving a lazy wave, as if greeting old friends at a festival rather than a battlefield. His smile never wavered, the corners of his mouth curling higher in the dying light.
Iron's hand twitched toward the sword hilt jutting from his skull, eyes narrowing. His voice was low, firm.
"I'll take him out."
"STOP IT, Wally!" Prudehomme's voice thundered, sharper than a blade. A bead of sweat slid down his wrinkled forehead.
Iron froze, confused, looking at his master.
"You cannot draw that out."
Cooper tilted his head, amused, his voice dripping with mock delight.
"Oooh, if it isn't Captain Iron—and his famous artifact."
The words rippled through the soldiers. Murmurs broke out.
"Artifact? What's he talking about?" one knight whispered, pale.
Prudehomme exhaled, grim. "Yes. Captain Iron wields the Excalibur Artifact. A legendary relic, said to rend nations apart with its power. But its rule is absolute: it must be drawn out from the wielder's body. In this case… from Captain Iron's skull."
Gasps cut through the ranks.
"But won't that—kill him?" a soldier blurted.
Prudehomme's silence stretched before he finally answered. "Yes. It grants him five minutes of Excalibur's full might… at the cost of his life."
The entire battalion stiffened, eyes wide with awe. Iron's jaw clenched, his fists trembling.
"Please, Master! Let me use it! This is our chance to end this man once and for all!"
"And we will defeat him," Prudehomme barked back. "But not that way." He placed a firm hand on Iron's shoulder. His tone softened, low and resolute.
"Wally… you will take over for me someday. You will be the Gatekeeper of Level 2. That is your position on the chess board.
Iron closed his eyes. His breath steadied.
"…Yes, Master."
"LOOK!" a soldier shouted suddenly. "Cooper—he's talking to the criminals!"
All eyes turned.
Cooper had crouched down before Matsu, his long coat brushing the grass. His smile softened, though his shadowed eyes remained unreadable.
"Well, well," Cooper said, almost cheerfully. "Looks like we meet again"
Knife scoffed, sweat dripping down his chin.
"The world's most wanted man… who the hell is this guy?"
Lin clutched her chest, staring wide-eyed, not in fear but in awe.
But Matsu… Matsu's breath hitched. His voice cracked as the words spilled out.
"It's you. There's so much I want to ask you—so much I want to tell you. After that day, so much happened… My grandpa… my whole village… everyone… is gone. Then I was imprisoned, chained. But I escaped!. And since then, I've just been running, and running… from bounty hunters, from soldiers, from everything!"
He clenched his fists, shoulders trembling.
"And all I want… is to accomplish my grandpa's dream."
For the first time, Cooper's smile faltered. His shadowed eyes locked onto Matsu's. His voice cut in, sharp and sudden.
"So?"
Matsu blinked. "…Huh?"
"So after all that," Cooper pressed, his smile curling again, "after all the suffering, after everything ripped from you… at the end of the day—what kind of man do you choose to be?"
The battlefield went silent.
Matsu froze, staring at the dirt beneath him. The words rang in his head, too heavy to ignore. He thought of the cell. Of the ring. Of the seed. Of his grandpa's laughter. Of every bruise, scar, and tear.
His lips trembled.
He lifted his head, eyes burning with revelation
"I choose…to be me."
First there was silence-
Then Cooper's smile stretched wider, until it broke into booming laughter.
"HAHAHA! What a great answer!"
The soldiers shifted uneasily, some exchanging glances.
"What the hell are they laughing at…?" one muttered under his breath.
Cooper wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still chuckling. Then, with his back still turned to Matsu, his tone grew steady, commanding.
"It seems I was right to bet my money on you, Matsu."
Matsu's chest tightened, but his smile didn't fade.
Across the clearing, Prudehomme's voice broke the quiet like a blade.
"Be ready Wally, this man is not one to toy with."
Captain Iron's grip on his hip sword hilt whitened, every muscle tensing.
Cooper tilted his head, that grin never leaving his face.
"You want to reach Level 3, right?" he asked without turning back.
Matsu blinked. "…Yes."
"I'll open a passage for you." Cooper's coat flared as he stepped forward, loose dirt trembling with the weight of his presence.
Knife's eyes widened, for once breaking his usual smirk.
"He's going to fight two Captains at once…?" He shook his head, almost in disbelief. "That's… insane."
But when Knife glanced sideways, he froze.
Matsu was smiling—confident, calm, certain.
"…If it's him," Matsu said softly, "He'll do it"
Cooper crouched low, muscles coiling like a beast ready to pounce.
Matsu's smile widened. His voice rang out, clear and unwavering:
"After all—he's the man who's going to change the world!"
And then Cooper moved.
The ground shattered beneath him as he launched forward like a cannon shot. His coat snapped like a banner in the wind, his smile glinting beneath the brim of his hat.
The front line of soldiers surged, but before their boots even pounded forward—
"STOP!" Prudehomme's voice cracked like a whip.
The ranks froze mid-step, armor rattling as they halted.
"You're no match for him," Prudehomme ordered sharply, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Fan out. Stop the fugitives."
A thunderous roar followed as steel and force collided, sparks exploding outward in wild arcs. The ground trembled beneath them. Knife and Matsu could only stare, stunned by the sheer strength on display.