The underground capital fell silent.
Even the damaged King's Gate seemed to stop moving.
The newcomer stood calmly beneath the shattered ceiling.
White coat.
Silver hair.
Golden eyes.
A faint smile.
Yet the moment he arrived—
The Royal Guardian reacted.
Golden energy erupted around the ancient soldier.
Its spear materialized instantly.
Every combat protocol activated.
"THREAT LEVEL: ABSOLUTE."
Everyone froze.
D U blinked.
"...Absolute?"
Hyung tightened his grip on his sword.
Eris immediately stepped backward.
Even Caelum's face changed.
The newcomer simply smiled.
"You still remember me."
The Guardian lowered its stance.
Ready to strike.
Ready to kill.
Zero, however, looked completely different.
For the first time since his appearance—
the joking attitude was gone.
The confidence was gone.
The smile was gone.
Only tension remained.
The newcomer looked directly at him.
"It's been a long time."
Zero answered quietly.
"Not long enough."
Null immediately noticed something.
Fear.
Zero was afraid.
Not nervous.
Not cautious.
Afraid.
The newcomer laughed softly.
"You always were dramatic."
D U looked between them.
"This is your brother?"
Zero sighed.
"Unfortunately."
The newcomer placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
"My apologies."
His smile widened.
"I forgot introductions."
His golden eyes shifted toward Null.
"My name is..."
A pause.
Then:
"One."
The station became silent.
Zero closed his eyes.
"Of course that's what you're calling yourself."
One shrugged.
"It fits."
Hyung frowned.
"One and Zero?"
Neither brother answered.
That alone was concerning.
Then Caelum suddenly stepped forward.
His expression had become serious.
Very serious.
"You aren't fragments."
One looked at him.
"No."
Caelum's eyes narrowed.
"You were prototypes."
Silence.
D U immediately pointed.
"Okay, somebody explain."
One smiled.
"The King created many experiments before Null."
The atmosphere darkened.
"The First Failure."
"The Fragments."
"The Heirs."
"The Vessels."
His golden eyes glowed faintly.
"And before all of them..."
He pointed toward himself.
"...there was us."
Then toward Zero.
"The First Twins."
Null felt something twist inside his chest.
A memory.
Not his.
The King's.
A laboratory.
Two children.
One dressed in white.
One dressed in black.
Standing before the Old King.
The vision vanished.
Null staggered slightly.
One noticed.
"Ah."
His smile widened.
"The inheritance is showing you."
Zero looked away.
As if he didn't want to remember.
One continued.
"The King wanted successors."
"The perfect heir."
"The perfect protector."
"The perfect future."
His smile slowly faded.
"He failed."
Those words hit differently now.
Because the First Failure had said the exact same thing.
The King failed.
The Guardian suddenly stepped forward.
Its spear pointed directly at One.
"HOSTILE SPEECH DETECTED."
One laughed.
"I missed you."
Then—
The Guardian attacked.
BOOOOOOM.
The spear crossed the battlefield instantly.
One vanished.
The strike missed.
A second later—
One appeared directly behind the Guardian.
Nobody saw him move.
Not even Hyung.
Not even D U.
The Guardian immediately spun.
Another strike.
Another miss.
One casually stepped aside.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The strongest soldier of the Old King couldn't touch him.
D U stared.
"...That's illegal."
Eris nodded.
"Agreed."
One suddenly stopped moving.
Then he flicked the Guardian's forehead.
A tiny movement.
Nothing more.
CRACK.
The Guardian flew across the entire station.
Through walls.
Through pillars.
Through ancient steel.
Gone.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Everyone stared.
Zero sighed.
"Yep."
D U looked at him.
"Yep?"
"That's why I ran away."
Nobody laughed.
One slowly turned toward Null.
His smile was gone now.
Only seriousness remained.
"You need to listen carefully."
Null's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
One looked toward the distant sky.
Toward something nobody else could see.
Then he answered.
"Because Aizeno already found the Fifth Fragment."
The entire station froze.
Caelum's face went pale.
Eris stepped forward.
"Impossible."
One shook his head.
"No."
Then he looked directly at Null.
"What's impossible..."
His golden eyes darkened.
"...is what the Fifth Fragment has become."
Far beyond reality—
A massive sealed chamber opened.
Chains broke.
Ancient locks shattered.
And deep within the darkness—
something laughed.
A voice echoed across the void.
A voice that sounded disturbingly similar to Null's.
TO BE CONTINUED...