MAMI SHALLOW'S RESIDENCE - CENTRE CITY

  Satan and Daisy engage in a direct duel.

  Mami and Salion stand back, watching.

  The speed of the fighters is a high, rhythmic pulse.

  Satan transforms into a rotating gale, a small cyclone rushing directly toward Daisy.

  Daisy dissolves into a transparent blur, slipping through Satan’s attack like a ghost.

  She reappears inches to the side.

  Satan solidifies, lunging with a fist.

  Daisy rotates mid-air and shoots a foot out.

  Crack.

  The heel of her boot lands hard on Satan's cheek.

  Satan curls her lips. "Impressive..."

  In a heartbeat, Daisy’s knee flies toward Satan's forehead.

  Satan shoots a palm out to block.

  Daisy is gone again.

  Flickering back into view inches away.

  Satan closes in.

  Daisy’s legs shoot high as her head drops low.

  Boots catch Satan’s chest.

  The impact sending the her crashing to the dirt.

  Satan rolls and stands.

  She rushes forward, her fist a blur reaching for Daisy’s face.

  Daisy weaves, but Satan grabs her sleeve, dragging her close.

  Daisy doesn't panic; she climbs Satan's body and rotates upside down.

  Her sleeve twists free from Satan's grip.

  She throws a snap kick.

  Satan fades into a shadow, and the foot meets only air.

  Satan reaches her face.

  Daisy leaps back, but Satan flickers to her side while she is still mid-air.

  Daisy teleports to a wall inches away.

  Satan fades into nothingness, but Daisy jumps high and throws a double kick into the empty space.

  Her foot connecting with Satan's chest.

  The impact shatters Satan's invisibility, sending her crashing to the ground, solid and visible.

  Daisy advances, her boots pounding the pavement.

  Satan’s form vanishes.

  A silent thrum.

  Daisy tries to leap backward, but Satan's invisible fists meet her stomach first.

  Daisy hits the ground, coughing as the breath leaves her lungs.

  Satan’s form solidifies into view.

  Mami signals.

  Salion nods once, and walks out of the room.

  Mami claps once and steps into the arena. Dust settles around her boots.

  She kneels beside Daisy.

  “Kid… you’re growing.”

  Daisy slams her fist into the ground.

  “I lost.”

  Her voice cracks.

  Mami tilts her head. “Did you?”

  “I was on the floor.”

  “You saw her.”

  Daisy looks up, anger flaring. “Seeing doesn’t matter if I can’t move.”

  A small nod.

  “Exactly.”

  That stops her.

  Satan steps forward, offering a hand.

  “You caught me twice. And when I vanished… you still tracked me.” A faint grin. “That’s not normal.”

  Daisy takes the hand and stands. “Still wasn’t enough.”

  Mami taps her forehead.

  “Focus.”

  Daisy swats her away. “You keep saying that like it fixes everything.”

  “It does.”

  “That’s too simple.”

  A faint smile curves Mami’s lips.

  “Prediction is simple.”

  Daisy folds her arms. “And perception?”

  Mami’s eyes sharpen.

  “Perception doesn’t guess.”

  A pause.

  “It knows.”

  Silence hangs.

  “You felt Satan’s rhythm,” Mami continues. “When she disappeared, you didn’t panic. You adjusted.”

  Daisy exhales. “Too slow.”

  “Too late,” Mami corrects. “Not slow. Late.”

  Satan nods once. “You braced before my punch landed. I felt it.”

  Daisy’s jaw tightens. “So what do I fix?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Mami studies her for a long moment.

  “Impatience.”

  Daisy frowns.

  “You want the result before the alignment.”

  Daisy looks away.

  “…Am I actually improving?”

  Mami doesn’t answer immediately.

  “You saw what you weren’t meant to see.”

  Beat.

  “That’s growth.”

  Daisy swallows it quietly.

  Then—

  “How long until I master Reality Swapping?”

  A short laugh escapes Satan.

  “Master?”

  Daisy shoots her a look. “What?”

  Satan glances at Mami. “Reality Swapping doesn’t make you legend-class.”

  Mami nods once.

  Daisy’s brows knit. “It breaks natural law.”

  “So does fire,” Mami replies evenly. “So does poison.”

  She steps closer.

  “Breaking rules isn’t rare. Plenty of level 1 fighters bend reality.”

  A pause.

  “Very few can fully control and stabilise a weapon that could flatten Centre City — and beyond."

  Daisy studies her. “So legends are just… stable?”

  Mami’s voice lowers. A menacing tone.

  “Legends hold greater threats, yet they don’t leak.”

  Silence.

  Daisy catches the shift.

  “Leak?”

  Mami’s gaze moves to Satan.

  The air tightens.

  “The wind inside you is starving.”

  Satan stiffens.

  “I’m fine.”

  Mami doesn’t blink.

  “No.”

  That single word sits between them.

  “You compress it. You smile through it. You pretend it’s obedient.”

  A faint current stirs the dust at Satan’s boots.

  “You think I don’t notice?”

  Satan’s jaw tightens.

  “You can’t feel it when it pushes back at night?”

  The arena goes still.

  Daisy looks between them, suddenly aware this isn’t about training anymore.

  Satan’s voice drops. “It’s under control.”

  “For now,” Mami says quietly.

  A beat.

  “But pressure that isn’t released… mutates into instability.”

  That lands.

  Satan swallows. “So what do I do?”

  “Go somewhere empty,” Mami says. Calm. Certain. “No civilians. No walls.”

  Her eyes hold Satan’s.

  “Let it out.”

  Daisy shifts. “Isn’t that reckless?”

  “It’s reckless not to.”

  Mami’s voice doesn’t rise.

  “Suppressed power rots. Released power learns.”

  Silence stretches again.

  Satan’s shoulders straighten.

  “And if I lose control?”

  Mami steps closer.

  “Then you’ll finally meet what you’ve been carrying.”

  No smile now.

  Just truth.

  Satan nods once.

  “I’ll handle it.”

  She turns and walks away — steady, but not light.

  Daisy watches her go.

  Then look at Mami.

  “…So focus first.”

  Mami’s expression softens slightly.

  “Always.”

  Salion walks in carrying a black twin-bladed axe.

  She grips it with both hands and lets it drop.

  The floor cracks.

  Dust jumps.

  Mami steps forward, grabs the handle. Her muscles flex as she lifts it.

  “Daisy. This is One-biskae.”

  Daisy blinks. “That thing weighs a ton.”

  Mami lets it slam back down.

  “Sixty kilograms.”

  The ground groans.

  “It’s a masterpiece,” Mami continues. “And it chooses.”

  “Chooses what?”

  “Perception.”

  A beat.

  “Even up till today, it still rejects me.”

  Daisy frowns. “But you’re a receiver.”

  “Yes."

  Silence.

  Daisy looks at the axe again. “So how am I supposed to swing it?”

  Mami drags the weapon toward her.

  “You don’t swing One-biskae with strength.”

  She meets Daisy’s eyes.

  “You swing it with connection.”

  A pause.

  “It’s heavy only to those it denies.”

  She releases the handle.

  “Grab it.”

  Daisy hesitates — then clamps her palm around the grip.

  Closes her eyes.

  Breath steadies.

  The axe rises.

  Effortless.

  Like air.

  Mami’s eyes widen.

  “Don’t lose it,” she says sharply. “Stay there. Don’t disconnect.”

  Daisy smiles—

  The axe slams back down.

  The impact rings through the courtyard.

  Dead weight.

  Mami claps once. Not loud. Precise.

  “Impressive.”

  She steps closer, places a hand on Daisy’s shoulder—

  And freezes.

  Her expression changes.

  “Daisy…”

  Daisy blinks. “What?”

  Mami studies her.

  “…It altered you.”

  A subtle shift runs through Daisy’s frame. Muscles tighten. Spine lengthens. Presence expands.

  Salion inhales sharply.

  “You’re taller.”

  Daisy looks at her hands. Flexes her fingers.

  “I don’t feel different.”

  “You don’t need to,” Mami replies quietly.

  She circles her once.

  “It didn’t drop because you lost focus.”

  Daisy looks up.

  “It dropped because your body wasn’t ready.”

  A beat.

  “So it made you ready.”

  Silence settles heavier than the axe.

  Daisy swallows. “It… changed my physique?”

  “Yes.”

  No smile now.

  “It adjusted you so you can hold it next time.”

  Salion steps closer, stunned. “Your muscle density— it’s different.”

  Mami stops in front of Daisy.

  “Welcome to Reality Swapping.”

  A pause.

  “Not the beginner’s version.”

  She gestures to the axe.

  “You just bonded with a Legend-class weapon.”

  The words land.

  Daisy’s breathing slows.

  “I didn’t even hold it for long.”

  “You held it long enough,” Mami replies.

  “Long enough for it to recognize you.”

  A small, dangerous smile.

  “You skipped the ladder.”

  Daisy looks at One-biskae again.

  “What’s left?”

  Mami’s gaze hardens.

  “Control.”

  A beat.

  “You’re holding something that could erase a district.”

  Silence.

  “And it liked you.”

  That lands heavier than everything before.

  OWEN'S TOWN - CENTRE CITY

  K.B.’s boots match the concrete.

  The afternoon sun beats down, harsh and unforgiving.

  He reaches a bar and pushes the door open.

  The bartender smiles.

  "K.B... welcome back. What brings you here?"

  "I’m looking for Master Black."

  "He’s inside, taking a nap."

  K.B. sits at the bar.

  His palm settles against the wood.

  "What brought you home? You’ve been gone for decades,"

  the bartender says, his brows furrowing.

  K.B. chuckles.

  "Need something from the Master."

  The bartender laughs.

  "Student always comes back."

  "Is that K.B.?"

  A voice breaks from the back.

  An old man emerges from a door behind the bar.

  K.B.’s eyes light up. "Master."

  The Master walks closer, moving past the taps.

  He shakes K.B.’s hand.

  "Kid... it’s been a long time. Why are you here?"

  K.B. opens his palm.

  Angel manifests, bleeding out of the shadows in his palm.

  "I came because of this."

  The Master narrows his eyes. "What happened?"

  "I need her second part."

  The Master's gaze sharpens.

  "You already knew Angel had a second part? That shows your perception is growing."

  He gestures toward the back. "Follow me."

  They enter a back room.

  Darkness creeps in from the corners.

  The only sound is the rhythmic thud of their feet.

  As they approach a heavy door, K.B.’s eyes narrow.

  "I can tell... something inside is giving me goosebumps."

  The Master smiles.

  "You’re feeling the connection. Angel’s second part is waiting."

  The door creaks open.

  Darkness floods the room.

  They walk toward a glass box sparkling blue light.

  Inside, black particles float like dust.

  K.B. frowns at the pieces.

  The Master touches the glass.

  "Tell me, are you really ready? Don't lie to me. Taking this into your body will break you if you aren't prepared."

  K.B. walks closer, determination etched into his face.

  "I’m ready."

  "Do you know what it does?" The master asks.

  "No."

  "These particles enter your skin. They synchronize into your left arm."

  K.B furrows. "How does it do?"

  The Master smiles.

  “Ancient science is a wonder. Angel’s second part is not. It grants interception. A cruel one. You don’t just sense attacks.”

  The master smirks.

  “You break them before they’re born.”

  "Put it on me now," K.B. says, his voice desperate.

  The Master shakes his head.

  "I might, if you give me the right answer. Why do you want to activate such deadly power?"

  "To protect the ones I love,"

  K.B. answers sharply.

  "And who are they?"

  K.B. lifts his palm.

  The Angel rifle shifts into a staff, then back into a rifle.

  He lets go, and the weapon floats, rotating in the air.

  The Master furrows his brow.

  "I see. You can change her shape. This is growth."

  K.B. glares.

  "I cannot bring light to this world. But I want to preserve stability. The world is ugly. Why let it crumble completely when we can fight to keep the building standing?"

  The Master nods slowly. "Tell me, boy. What is society?"

  "A realm where life thrives, blooming in beauty – flawed only by the human mind that dims its shine."

  The Master curls his lips into a smile.

  "I raised a moral kid. I am proud. Follow me."

  ANTARA'S TOWN - CENTRE CITY

  Fury’s Edge and his Elites walk with the tattooed man as they stride through the bright streets of Antara.

  "This town seems different. Why is it so peaceful?" the tattooed man asks.

  "They probably haven't encountered war yet," Fury’s Edge replies.

  The tattooed man raises his palm. A colossal, curved hook of blackened steel manifests. Its barbed head is a crescent of ruin, hanging heavy in his grasp.

  His lip curls. "Maybe killing these people will draw out the Alligator."

  Fury’s Edge walks closer. "Don’t. The Alligator doesn’t respond to killing. That’s not how you bring him out."

  The tattooed man narrows his eyes.

  "Shut your mouth, fool. Burning down the entire Centre City will definitely draw out the coward."

  He swings the colossal hook. Bodies hit the ground. Dead. Buildings crumble into jagged pieces.

  He steps forward, Fury’s Edge and his Elites following behind. Ahead of them lies the headquarters of the Blue Whale gang.

  MAMI SHALLOW’S RESIDENCE

  Mami’s eyes snap wide. Her body freezes in place.

  Daisy closes in. "Mami... what’s the matter?"

  "I can sense it in the air. Legends just entered Centre City. And they are committing genocide."

  She narrows her eyes in fury.

  "Salion, go get Satan Soul. She’s on A.J. Street. Both of you engage the enemies. Don't disappoint me. Be careful—tell Satan not to use her Reality Swapping yet. It is too unstable. The enemies will exploit her rhythm. Retreat if things go south."

  "Where are the enemies location?" Salion asks.

  "Antara's Town. They’re killing the Blue Whale members as we speak."

  Salion vanishes.

  Mami’s eyes burn.

  "We need them both to hold the line. Silas has chosen to strike again."