The rooftop of the school basked beneath the fading glow of sunset, painted in shades of gold and amber as the day slowly surrendered to evening. A gentle breeze drifted across the open space, carrying with it the distant sounds of students heading home and the faint scent of summer flowers from the campus gardens below. For the first time in days, the atmosphere felt light.
Airi Tachibana sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket surrounded by snacks, notebooks, and several completely absurd sketches of what she insisted were "portal-detection devices." Every few seconds she dissolved into giggles at her own ideas. Beside her, Daichi Kurogane was enthusiastically demolishing a bag of chips while offering increasingly ridiculous suggestions for what he called "Operation Leon."
Across from them, Haruto Minase watched the scene with a quiet smile, his usual reserved demeanor softening in the warmth of the moment.
And among them sat Shiori Aizawa.
The silver-haired girl held a small patch between her fingers, tracing its worn edges absentmindedly. It was something Leon Mercer had accidentally left behind during one of his previous appearances. To anyone else it would have been a meaningless scrap of fabric.
To her, it had become a promise.
Proof that the mysterious young man from another world was real.
Proof that he had existed beyond those brief encounters.
Most importantly, proof that he would come back.
Her lips curved into a small smile.
A genuine one.
Not the careful smile she wore at school.
Not the gentle mask she showed everyone else.
A real smile born from hope.
"I hope he's safe..." she whispered quietly.
The words had barely left her mouth.
Reality shattered.
A deafening explosion ripped across the rooftop.
The sky itself seemed to tear apart.
A jagged crimson fracture appeared in midair, spreading like broken glass across existence itself. Blood-red light erupted outward as violent glitches distorted the surrounding space. The peaceful evening atmosphere vanished instantly beneath a wave of unnatural energy.
Everyone jumped to their feet.
The portal widened.
Twisted.
Screamed.
Then something came flying through.
A body crashed onto the concrete with enough force to crack the surface.
Shiori's eyes widened.
"Leon!"
Leon Mercer rolled across the rooftop before finally stopping near the center of the open space.
For a brief moment, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The sight before them stole every word from their throats.
Blood.
There was blood everywhere.
Fresh blood covered Leon's clothes from head to toe. Dark crimson stains soaked his jacket and arms while fragments of blackened flesh clung to his boots. Deep scratches marked his exposed skin, and several fresh wounds were still bleeding.
His machete remained clenched tightly in one hand.
Blood dripped steadily from its edge.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Then the portal behind him flickered.
For only a fraction of a second, the group caught a glimpse of the world on the other side.
Burning streets.
Collapsed buildings.
Screaming civilians.
And towering monsters moving through the chaos.
Nightmares.
Then the portal snapped shut.
Silence consumed the rooftop.
Leon remained kneeling on the ground.
His entire body trembled.
Not from fear.
Not from pain.
From rage.
A terrifying rage.
Inside his mind, the memories replayed over and over again.
A terrified mother.
A crying little girl.
His hand reaching toward them.
Their desperate screams.
The Nightmares closing in.
He had been seconds away.
Seconds.
One more moment and they would have escaped.
One more moment and they would have lived.
Then the portal activated.
Just like always.
The familiar pull had seized him.
The impossible force had dragged him away.
And their screams had followed him into the darkness.
His fist slammed into the rooftop.
BOOM!
Concrete exploded beneath the impact.
"FUCK!"
The roar echoed across the school grounds.
Birds scattered into the sky.
The group flinched.
Leon rose to his feet.
His breathing sounded ragged.
Animalistic.
His eyes burned with fury and grief.
"I WAS THERE!"
His voice cracked.
Blood splattered from his clothes as his body shook.
"I HAD THEM!"
Another punch struck the ground.
More cracks spread through the concrete.
"The mother..."
His throat tightened.
"The little girl..."
For a moment, his voice nearly failed him.
Then the grief transformed back into rage.
"I WAS PROTECTING THEM!"
The words exploded from him.
"They were alive!"
His hand clenched so tightly around the machete that his knuckles turned white.
"They trusted me!"
The memory stabbed through his chest.
The little girl's terrified eyes.
The way she had grabbed his hand.
The way she had begged him not to leave.
And then—
The portal.
Always the portal.
Always ripping him away.
Always deciding who lived and who died.
"This cursed thing dragged me away!"
His voice became a roar.
"I heard them screaming!"
The rooftop seemed to freeze around him.
"I HEARD THEM DIE!"
Silence followed.
Not a single person knew what to say.
The grief pouring from him was too raw.
Too real.
Too painful.
Shiori felt her chest tighten painfully.
Looking at him now, she realized something.
Every time Leon appeared before them, he arrived carrying scars they couldn't see.
Every smile he forced.
Every joke he made.
Every calm response.
All of it had hidden this.
A young man trapped in an endless nightmare.
A survivor carrying more guilt than anyone should ever bear.
Without hesitation, she moved.
Ignoring the blood.
Ignoring the danger.
Ignoring the fear.
She rushed forward and dropped to her knees beside him.
"Leon-kun..."
Her voice trembled.
Not from fear.
From heartbreak.
Up close, the damage looked even worse.
Fresh cuts.
Bruises.
Exhaustion etched into every line of his face.
He looked less like a person and more like someone who had spent years fighting against the end of the world itself.
Her hand hesitated for only a second before gently resting on his shoulder.
The simple touch seemed to surprise him.
His body stiffened.
Then slowly relaxed.
Just slightly.
"What happened to you...?"
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"You don't have to carry this alone."
Behind them, Airi stared with wide eyes while Daichi struggled to process the sheer intensity of Leon's arrival.
Even Haruto, who usually remained calm in every situation, looked troubled.
Because they all understood one thing.
Leon wasn't angry because he had fought monsters.
He was angry because he had failed to save people.
That realization made everything hurt even more.
Haruto stepped forward first.
"The portal took you before you could finish."
Leon looked up.
Haruto met his gaze steadily.
No pity.
No judgment.
Only understanding.
"You lost them."
For several seconds, Leon simply stared at him.
Then his shoulders sagged.
The fight seemed to leave him all at once.
"Yeah."
The single word sounded exhausted.
Broken.
"I almost got them out."
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"They would've made it."
His eyes drifted toward the horizon.
"But the portal activated."
His voice grew quieter.
"The Nightmares got them."
The image flashed through his mind again.
The screams.
The blood.
The helplessness.
Shiori felt tears gathering in her eyes.
Without thinking, she reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water along with the lunch she had prepared earlier.
She carefully offered them to him.
Not because food could solve his pain.
Not because water could wash away his guilt.
But because sometimes the smallest acts of kindness mattered most.
For a long moment, Leon simply stared.
Then his eyes lowered.
Something inside him cracked.
Not from anger.
From exhaustion.
From the overwhelming realization that someone cared enough to try.
And as the sun continued sinking beneath the horizon, the group slowly gathered around him.
Not as spectators.
Not as curious classmates.
But as friends determined to share the burden he had carried alone for far too long.
For the first time since arriving from the nightmare consumed world beyond the Barrier Ring, Leon Mercer found himself surrounded by something he had almost forgotten existed.
A place that felt like home.
The rooftop fell silent after Shiori's words.
The golden light of sunset stretched across the city skyline, painting the buildings in warm shades of orange and crimson. Yet despite the beauty surrounding them, Leon Mercer couldn't bring himself to enjoy it.
His gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
On a world nobody else could see.
A world consumed by REV X-99.
A world where people screamed every night.
A world where heroes died without recognition.
Even now, surrounded by warmth and friendship, a part of him felt detached.
Like he was standing behind invisible glass.
Watching everyone else live normal lives while he remained trapped in a nightmare.
"...I don't belong here."
The words left him quietly.
Not angry.
Not bitter.
Just tired.
Painfully tired.
Nobody answered immediately.
Shiori's expression tightened.
Daichi clenched his fists.
Airi looked ready to argue.
Even Haruto seemed troubled.
Then—
A scream pierced the air.
Everyone froze.
Another scream followed.
Then another.
Leon moved first.
His head snapped toward the street below.
The others rushed to the rooftop edge.
The scene beneath them was chaos.
More than twenty men had flooded the intersection below.
They carried bats.
Chains.
Knives.
Improvised weapons.
Pedestrians were running in every direction.
An elderly man had been shoved onto the pavement.
A young mother struggled as one of the thugs grabbed her arm.
Several children stood frozen in terror near a convenience store entrance.
The sound of crying echoed through the street.
Fear spread like wildfire.
The police hadn't arrived yet.
No one was stopping it.
The rooftop atmosphere vanished instantly.
Something changed inside Leon.
The exhaustion disappeared.
The grief disappeared.
The self-pity disappeared.
Because none of that mattered anymore.
People were in danger.
His body moved before his mind could catch up.
Years of survival.
Years of instinct.
Years of protecting strangers in impossible situations.
The response was automatic.
Without saying a single word, Leon sprinted.
Shiori barely had time to blink.
One second he stood beside them.
The next he was running full speed toward the rooftop edge.
"Leon!"
He didn't stop.
The world seemed to slow.
His foot struck the railing.
His body launched into open air.
Gasps erupted behind him.
For a moment, Leon appeared suspended against the crimson sunset.
Then gravity reclaimed him.
Instead of falling, he moved.
Controlled.
Precise.
A perfect aerial rotation.
A flip.
Another twist.
A seamless adjustment of momentum.
And then—
THUD.
He landed in the middle of the street.
Perfectly balanced.
Perfectly silent.
The nearest thug turned.
"What the hell—"
Too slow.
Leon moved.
A baseball bat swung toward his head.
His body dipped beneath it effortlessly.
The attack sliced through empty air.
Before the thug could react, Leon pivoted.
A precise strike hit the attacker's knee.
The man's leg buckled instantly.
He collapsed with a cry.
Two more charged from opposite directions.
Knives flashed.
Leon exploded into motion.
A nearby lamppost became a stepping stone.
His foot touched metal.
Then he was airborne.
Both legs shot outward simultaneously.
Two clean impacts.
Two attackers crashed backward.
Neither understood what happened.
The street transformed into a blur.
Leon ran.
Not away.
Through them.
Across parked cars.
Along walls.
Over railings.
Every obstacle became part of his movement.
Years of surviving rooftops beyond the Barrier Ring had turned motion itself into a weapon.
Another attacker swung a chain.
Leon vaulted over the strike.
The chain wrapped around a street sign.
Before the thug could recover, Leon landed behind him and swept his legs from beneath him.
Three more rushed forward.
Leon planted one hand on a vehicle hood.
His body rotated.
A spinning kick connected.
One fell.
Then another.
Then another.
The crowd's numerical advantage disappeared almost immediately.
The fight wasn't chaotic.
It wasn't messy.
It looked choreographed.
Like watching a storm move exactly where it intended.
Within moments, attackers were scattered across the street.
Some groaned.
Some struggled to stand.
Others simply stared at the sky in confusion.
Their weapons lay abandoned nearby.
The remaining thugs hesitated.
Fear replacing confidence.
The largest among them stepped forward.
Clearly the leader.
A heavy chain spun around his arm.
"Who the hell are you?"
Leon didn't answer.
The chain lashed forward.
Fast.
Dangerous.
Deadly.
Leon caught it.
Mid-swing.
The street collectively gasped.
The thug's eyes widened.
A sharp pull destroyed his balance.
The man stumbled forward.
One precise strike to the abdomen ended the fight.
The leader collapsed.
Silence followed.
Twenty seconds.
Maybe less.
The street looked completely different.
The terrified civilians remained unharmed.
The attackers were defeated.
And Leon stood alone in the center of the intersection.
Breathing steadily.
Calmly.
As if nothing extraordinary had happened.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then applause erupted.
A small clap.
Then another.
Then dozens.
People began cheering.
The elderly man he had saved struggled to his feet.
The mother pulled her children close.
Witnesses stared at Leon with expressions of disbelief and gratitude.
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Police vehicles arrived moments later.
Officers rushed out expecting a disaster.
Instead they found twenty criminals on the ground and dozens of witnesses pointing toward the same person.
Leon.
One officer blinked repeatedly.
Trying to understand the scene.
"What happened here?"
The answers came immediately.
Everyone spoke at once.
"He saved us!"
"He came out of nowhere!"
"He stopped them all by himself!"
"He protected everyone!"
The officer stared at Leon.
Then at the defeated gang.
Then back at Leon.
"...Seriously?"
Meanwhile, several floors above, the rooftop group remained frozen.
None of them had fully processed what they had witnessed.
Airi was the first to recover.
Her phone nearly slipped from her hands.
"THAT WAS INSANE!"
She pointed dramatically toward the street.
"Did you guys see that jump?!"
Her eyes sparkled.
"He looked like an action movie character!"
Daichi looked equally stunned.
Then a massive grin spread across his face.
"Hell yes!"
His fist shot into the air.
"That's our guy!"
The respect in his voice was unmistakable.
"Not a single innocent got hurt."
For someone who loved strength, the display had been unbelievable.
Not because Leon won.
Because of how he won.
Every movement had been controlled.
Every strike measured.
Every decision focused on protecting people.
Haruto quietly adjusted his glasses.
A faint smile appeared.
Small.
Rare.
Genuine.
"He didn't even think about it."
The others looked at him.
Haruto watched Leon below.
"When people needed help..."
His smile deepened slightly.
"He moved immediately."
Shiori said nothing.
She couldn't.
Her eyes remained fixed on Leon.
The young man who claimed he didn't belong here.
The young man who insisted death followed him.
The young man who believed he only brought suffering.
Yet when complete strangers were in danger, he had risked himself without hesitation.
Just as he always did.
Her chest tightened.
Not with sadness.
With pride.
A quiet, overwhelming pride.
Before anyone could stop her, she turned and ran toward the stairwell.
Toward him.
Toward the boy who still couldn't see what everyone else already had.
Leon Mercer wasn't a monster born from a broken world.
He wasn't a curse.
He wasn't a walking disaster.
He was a hero.
And for the first time, the city had witnessed it too.
Down below, the police finally approached him.
The lead officer studied him carefully.
Witness statements continued pouring in through radios and phones.
Every story sounded impossible.
Yet the evidence surrounded them.
The officer straightened.
"Sir."
Leon looked up.
The officer hesitated.
Then asked the obvious question.
"Witnesses say you appeared out of nowhere and saved this entire block."
A pause followed.
"What is your name?"
At that exact moment, Shiori arrived beside Leon, slightly breathless from running. Without a word, she offered him a bottle of water.
Then Daichi, Airi, and Haruto appeared behind her.
Not as spectators.
Not as strangers.
As his people.
As his squad.
As the friends who had chosen him.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Leon found himself standing among them while an entire street looked at him not with fear—
But with gratitude.