As she walked deeper into the forest, heading toward the hidden base, a cold sensation suddenly ran through Ishiko.
It felt as though someone was watching her from behind.
Ishiko abruptly turned her head and scanned the surrounding trees, carefully searching for any possible threat.
But there was no one.
"Maybe I'm just too exhausted... I need some rest," she thought.
After several more minutes of walking, she finally reached the same abandoned warehouse where the other members of the revolutionaries stayed.
The front gate was broken, its metal surface coated with layers of rust. The warehouse itself looked as though it had been forgotten by everyone, left behind for years without anyone caring about its existence.
Inside was a large, empty space.
The only noticeable object was a single container resting near the corner of one wall. From each corner of the warehouse, staircases extended upward toward the upper floors.
Behind the doors, there wasn't a single sign of light.
The entire place was silent and lifeless.
Yet this forgotten warehouse was where the revolutionaries called home.
"What an unusual sight... Ishiko, beaten up like this? How long has it been since you've had to work this hard just to defeat someone?"
A sinister voice filled with excitement—and an unsettling lust for violence—echoed through the abandoned warehouse.
It was Jester.
"Will you shut up? I'm already exhausted," Ishiko replied, her voice filled with irritation.
Jester came down the staircase slowly, his footsteps breaking the suffocating silence of the warehouse as his figure gradually emerged from the shadows.
Ishiko barely glanced at him, her exhausted expression making it clear that she had no patience for his teasing.
Jester slowly walked toward her, each step echoing through the abandoned warehouse. His posture was relaxed, yet there was something deeply unsettling about the way he carried himself.
A sinister grin crept across his face, his excitement barely restrained as his eyes remained fixed on Ishiko.
"What do you think... did you actually defeat Kio?"
He tilted his head slightly, his grin widening.
"Or did he simply let you win?"
The words hung in the silence, carrying a quiet threat beneath Jester's playful tone.
Jester finally reached Ishiko.
"I didn't know you brought a guest with you, Ishiko."
The moment those words left his mouth, Ishiko felt the same cold, chilling sensation she had experienced moments earlier.
She abruptly turned toward the main gate.
A teenage figure was walking toward them.
Slow.
Steady.
His footsteps echoed through the abandoned warehouse, each step carrying an eerie calmness—as if a hunter had just entered a cave filled with prey.
He wore an all-black jacket, its raised collar covering almost the entirety of his lower jaw. Black cargo pants and slippers completed his simple appearance. His hair was tied into a small ponytail, while deep dark circles surrounded his eyes, making him look as though he had gone days without proper sleep.
It was Ghost.
Jester wrapped one arm around Ishiko, both of them watching the approaching figure.
"It's an honor to see one of the council members with my own eyes," Jester said, his voice cutting through the eerie silence.
"I'll fucking kill this—"
Before Ishiko could finish, Ghost vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he had already crossed the distance between them.
SHOOSH!
His chokutō swept downward in a vertical slash, aimed directly at Ishiko.
But the blade struck nothing but empty air.
Jester had already leaped away with Ishiko, landing several meters from where they had stood.
Ishiko stared at Ghost in disbelief.
'What was that?'
'When did he move? He was so far away just a moment ago...'
'What the hell is he? Is he even human?'
Her thoughts raced as Jester released his grip and allowed her to stand on her own.
"Hey... where are the other members?" Ishiko asked, her voice shaky with fear. "Why aren't they coming? The two of us can't fight this man alone! Are they sleeping upstairs?"
Jester glanced toward the upper floors before looking back at Ghost.
"Are you fucking crazy?" he said with a teasing edge. "Do you actually want to get every other member killed? A place like this is an advantage for him."
Poofffff!
A thick wave of smoke suddenly burst from Jester's mouth and rushed toward Ghost, rapidly filling the space between them.
His voice remained excited, but there was now a noticeable urgency beneath it.
"This is our chance. Let's run. Mike will handle him for now."
Jester grabbed Ishiko and prepared to move.
Then—
They felt it.
An enormous killing intent had appeared directly behind them.
Jester's expression changed.
Ghost was already there.
SHINGG!