Shibuya had been running as usual — its pulse fast, vibrant, alive.
That is... until today.
Inside a quiet café, a storm was building.
Knightmare stood still for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, rubbing the side of his neck with a hand wrapped in black gloves.
"Great," he muttered. "The enemies took the kid… the innocent one."
His calm broke. The rage boiled over.
"But eventually..."
His voice cracked with fury.
"They shall not avoid my brutal heroism — once I get my hands on them… ALL OF THEM! ALL OF THEM!"
Across the room, SpeechLynn stood silent, watching him.
She hated this — not the desire to save the kid, but the thought of having to work with someone like him. She said nothing, just turned and walked away.
The Next Morning…
In a modest apartment, Henryduc sat quietly on his couch, fingers laced together, mind deep in thought.
His eyes were focused — planning, calculating, digging into every shred of information he had.
Who took the kid? Who am I dealing with?
"I bet they hired someone... someone like an assassin, to keep me from getting to the truth," he murmured.
Knock. Knock.
A knock at the door.
Henryduc froze. His instincts kicked in. He stood quickly, slipping into his vigilante gear without hesitation.
As he approached the door — drip — a single droplet of water splashed onto the floor in front of him.
His eyes widened.
"THAT'S SUSPICIOUS!"
He dove to the side just as—
BOOM.
The entire apartment exploded, shattering everything into ash and ruin.
The shockwave flung him across the hallway, but Knightmare rose from the rubble, coughing, battered… furious.
His eyes locked onto the only thing left standing: the doorframe, still slightly open.
From the shadows, someone stepped forward.
They wore a long yellow raincoat, thick and strange — buttoned in the center with seven dull brown buttons. The fur-lined hood cast a shadow over their entire face. Baggy yellow pants and lace-up boots completed the odd, eerie outfit.
Knightmare growled.
"You're gonna pay for that. And I mean that literally — you'll pay for my place."
His voice dropped, his tone shifted into the deeper accent he used in his vigilante persona.
The figure in yellow chuckled.
"Aww, man… this place is a bummer. Too bad you didn't satisfy your guest."
Knightmare took a step forward. His eyes gleamed beneath the mask.
"I'm not your typical hero. And you have no idea how deep your debt is."
The assassin's smile faltered.
"Now wait, don't say that to your gues—"
SMASH.
Knightmare lunged.
In a blink, he grabbed them by the neck and the two crashed through the roof, falling like a meteor.
"WHAT THE—!? YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!" the assassin yelled in panic.
Knightmare's grip tightened mid-air.
"We'll go down together… but I'll make sure I'm the one who walks away."
CRACK.
They crashed into the sidewalk below — a violent collision that sent chunks of concrete flying and left a crater behind.
Knightmare stood slowly, dusting debris off himself.
"...They got out of my grip," he thought grimly.
Flashback: Earlier From Yesterday
The assassin sat on a bench, lazily swinging their legs. A man in a sharp black suit approached.
Without a word, he tossed a file onto the bench beside them.
"Alright, newbie," the man said coldly. "Here's your first job."
The assassin picked up the folder, flipping it open.
"Huh. Knightmare, eh? Sounds more like a villain than a vigilante."
The man adjusted his tie, gaze sharp as a blade.
"One thing you should know — you're a newbie, and this is no average bounty. Take this seriously. We don't underestimate people like him."
The assassin scoffed.
"Yeah, yeah. Lemme guess — some edgy freak with powers or something?"
The man's tone darkened.
"No powers. None."
He leaned in.
"But combat? That man is a nightmare in human skin. And he's worth… 1,594,792,276 yen."
The assassin choked.
"You're JOKING! That much!? For one guy!?"
The man straightened and turned to leave.
"I've wasted enough time. Complete the job, and maybe you'll see that reward. Good luck with your impossible task."
And just like that — he vanished into the crowd.