Under the glow of the neon lights radiating from the street corners of The Whispering Ruins, a platoon moved in a tight, rigid formation. The swift, rhythmic thud of their boots echoed constantly, cutting through the bustling activity of the city's night.
"This is the first time someone has dared to make trouble in my territory. Who exactly is he?" asked a heavily built man. His short, cropped hair accentuated the boxy shape of his head. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, yet his cold aura was impossible to conceal. This was Regon.
"Someone with a giant physique, Lord Regon! He carries a massive battle-axe!" reported one of his subordinates beside him.
"How many of our soldiers have fallen?" Regon asked, his tone flat but piercing.
"Eight dead, My Lord. Two others are severely injured!"
"Damn it!" Regon growled, his jaw tightening.
However, just as the platoon was about to reach the outer gate of The Silent Stage, their movement abruptly ground to a halt. An old woman dressed in tattered animal hides was kneeling in the middle of the street, right in front of the gate.
"Lord Guardian, please... let me meet the Duke. I beg of you!" the old woman wailed in a trembling voice, prostrating herself against the cold concrete of the road.
"Scram, troublemaker! You're ruining the view!" barked one of the gate guards. Without an ounce of mercy, he shoved the frail body, sending her reeling backward.
Lina, who had just arrived at the area with Tiger, moved as fast as lightning. She instantly lunged forward and caught the old woman's body before it could smash against the concrete floor.
"Bastards! How dare you oppress the weak!" Lina hissed sharply. Beneath the tattered black cloak she wore as a disguise, her eyes glared furiously at the hurried soldiers.
"Are you looking for trouble here, huh?!" the soldier of The Whispering Ruins snapped, his hand reflexively gripping the weapon hilt at his waist.
"Stop. Do not waste time, let that garbage rot together," Regon interrupted coldly, casting a disdainful look completely devoid of conscience. He signaled his troops to keep moving.
Lina was about to step forward to confront them, but Tiger's muscular hand immediately caught her shoulder. Tiger shook his head slowly, signaling through his eyes that now was not the right time to trigger a massive commotion.
In an instant, the pride platoon of The Whispering Ruins vanished, carving through the wave of spectators who were beginning to scramble out of The Silent Stage stadium.
"It seems like there is a huge problem inside. I'm certain they must be targeting Black!" Lina said tensely while helping the old woman stand.
"Thank you, young girl... Can you help me?" the old woman whispered, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at Lina.
"What is it, Mother? What happened?"
"Please... save my child who was kidnapped by the iron soldiers... I beg of you!"
Lina instantly fell silent. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that the term "iron soldiers" used by the old woman referred directly to her own faction's forces—PETERUMMAN.
Realizing the situation was growing increasingly complicated, Lina immediately turned toward Tiger. "Tiger, go chase after Black now! I will stay here and accompany this mother."
"Are you sure about letting me go alone in a place like this?" Tiger asked purely out of courtesy, already getting into a running stance.
"Don't you dare run away, Tiger," Lina hissed sharply. "No matter how far you hide, I swear I will find you again."
"Hahaha! You're too confident," Tiger's laughter erupted softly. "Listen, I'm only letting you find me this time to open your eyes to the truth of what PETERUMMAN really is!"
WUSH!
With a single stomp of his foot, Tiger bolted as fast as lightning, leaving a thin vortex of dust behind Lina.
Tiger's words just now lingered and hung heavily in the air. Lina stood frozen, staring blankly at her palm, which had suddenly begun to tremble.
"Young girl... how about it? Can you help me?" the old woman wailed again, breaking Lina's daze.
The member of the Lion faction was completely frozen in her tracks. It felt as though the entire air supply around the stadium gate had suddenly solidified, locking her throat tight.
In front of The Silent Stage, the ocean of panicking spectators forced Tiger's steps to a halt. His eyes were immediately drawn to a massive hologram screen broadcasting a harrowing sight.
There, Han was seen kneeling in resignation, leaning on the remnants of his sword which had snapped into two. Meanwhile, Gepo hung helplessly in mid-air, his neck choked by a single muscular hand belonging to Gopis.
Gepo thrashed about, suffocating. Beneath him, the abnormally built creature burst into laughter, thoroughly enjoying the slaughter that was now more accurately described as a one-sided hunt.
The booming sound from the loudspeakers and the hysterical screams of the spectators merged into a deafening roar. Amidst the chaos, Tiger stared intently at the large, blinding screen, trying to track down the whereabouts of the figure who was his target.
Inside the arena of The Silent Stage, the place that should have been the witness to a sacred duel had now completely transformed into a slaughterhouse. However, the suffocating atmosphere was suddenly interrupted. Regon arrived there, and his unexpected presence instantly cut short Gopis's arrogant laughter.
In a split second, Gopis was tightly surrounded by a line of fully armed soldiers. Feeling his hunt interrupted, Gopis tossed Gepo's body aside onto the arena floor.
"Finally... the master of these sewer rats has arrived," Gopis smirked, looking down on the forces surrounding him.
"Stop right there, mindless monster! Prepare to meet your death!" Regon barked, his voice booming with absolute threat.
Meanwhile, outside the arena, Tiger kept scanning his surroundings, combing every corner to track Black's whereabouts. However, just before Tiger could take another step from there, the atmosphere around him drastically shifted. The air vibrated faintly, radiating a heavy, invisible pressure.
Before Tiger's consciousness could process what was happening, a distinct voice—deep, low, and commanding—suddenly cut through the space.
"Gravity Wall!"
The air pressure, which suddenly condensed, slammed directly into Tiger's body, as if the entire weight of the majestic structure of The Silent Stage had collapsed and crushed his shoulders instantly. All of his muscles tensed up rigidly, creaking under a gravitational load that was many times heavier than usual.
Around him, the situation erupted into mass chaos.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Tiger shouted with all his might, warning the sea of spectators who were now scattering in panic, rendered helpless like tufts of cotton blown away by a violent wind.
"Even a legend of PETERUMMAN won't be able to run from me."
The baritone voice echoed from the rooftop of The Silent Stage. There stood a handsome young man from The Abyss Glosum faction. He stood tall, flashing a gallant smile while letting out a low chuckle—a laugh that was far too dignified, too classy to be called an ordinary laugh.
Yet behind his charisma lay a lethal threat, ready to tear anyone to pieces.