The thought would not leave Nozu alone.
Ever since the meeting with the officers, something kept circling back in his mind.
Unstable mana reinforcement.
Artificial amplification.
And the line that refused to fade.
“We’ve seen something like this a few times before.”
A few times.
That meant it was happening repeatedly.
Not an accident.
Not isolated.
Nozu stood on a rooftop overlooking the quiet street below.
Evening wind brushed across the buildings.
Traffic lights shifted from red to green.
People walked home.
Everything looked normal.
But his eyes were fixed on one person.
Miro.
Walking calmly along the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.
Nozu frowned slightly.
The robbery incident replayed in his head.
Miro had been there.
Watching.
And then he had disappeared too easily.
Another thought followed immediately.
How did Miro know I was injured that day?
Nozu had never told him.
Yet Miro spoke as if he already knew.
Nozu exhaled slowly.
“I’m just watching,” he murmured to himself.
“Nothing else.”
He moved across the rooftop carefully, keeping distance while following Miro’s path.
The city noise masked his footsteps.
Below, Miro continued walking at an unhurried pace.
Nozu stayed above him.
Careful.
Quiet.
Then Miro turned a corner.
Nozu moved immediately.
He dropped from the rooftop and slipped around the building.
The street was empty.
No footsteps.
No mana.
Nothing.
Nozu stopped.
His eyes scanned every direction.
“How…?”
He had not looked away.
There was no way Miro could vanish that fast.
Unless…
Nozu pushed the thought away.
For now.
High above the street, I watched him.
He checked the rooftops again.
Careful.
Focused.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Suspicious.
Better than before.
Still obvious.
Still loud.
But improving.
I almost laughed.
“Cheeky brat.”
My voice stayed low.
“You think you’re sneaky.”
Nozu scanned the street again, frustration flickering across his face.
I leaned slightly against the rooftop railing.
“Well think again.”
The wind moved softly across the city.
Nozu finally turned away.
Good.
Too early.
The sirens began minutes later.
Sharp and urgent.
Nozu turned toward the sound immediately.
Smoke was already rising several blocks away.
He ran.
The bank entrance had been destroyed.
Glass covered the pavement.
People rushed out in panic while police tried to form a perimeter.
Inside, three masked men shouted at the remaining hostages.
Their mana signatures burned wildly.
Too wildly.
Nozu stepped through the broken doorway.
“Everyone move away from them.”
One attacker rushed him immediately.
Mana exploded through his arm as he swung.
Nozu blocked the strike.
The impact cracked the floor beneath them.
The second attacker hurled a small device.
A mana bomb.
Nozu kicked it aside just before it detonated.
The explosion tore through a pillar instead of the crowd.
Dust and debris filled the air.
But something was wrong.
Nozu could feel it clearly.
Their mana was unstable.
Spiking too high.
Then collapsing.
Then surging again.
As if their cores were being forced past their limits.
Artificial amplification.
Just like the officers described.
Nozu’s jaw tightened.
So it wasn’t just one incident.
Someone was doing this on purpose.
The first attacker fell quickly.
The second collapsed moments later.
But the third staggered backward.
His breathing became erratic.
Mana leaked violently from his skin.
“No… too much…”
The air twisted around him.
His core was breaking.
Nozu’s eyes widened.
“Everyone get down!”
The man’s body convulsed.
Then his core ruptured.
The explosion was not normal.
Mana burst outward in a violent wave.
A raw detonation of magical energy.
The world went white.
When the sound returned, it came as a crushing roar.
Concrete cracked.
Glass vaporized.
Flames surged outward.
Near the entrance, a small girl stood frozen.
She had not escaped with the others.
Nozu moved instantly.
He reached her just as the explosion expanded.
Turning his body around hers.
Shielding her completely.
The blast swallowed them.
Heat.
Shock.
Violence.
Then silence.
The world went white.
When the sound returned, it was muffled by the ringing in his ears.
Nozu was on one knee, the smell of burnt fabric and ozone filling his lungs.
Blood ran down his arm.
But the girl in his arms was alive.
Shaking.
Crying.
His recovery magic activated immediately.
Warm light spread across his body.
Burns closed slowly.
Broken tissue repaired itself.
But the damage was heavy.
His mana strained to keep up.
Still he forced more power into the spell.
The girl’s breathing steadied.
Paramedics rushed forward seconds later.
They gently pulled her from his arms.
One medic stared at Nozu in disbelief.
“You took the entire blast.”
Nozu pushed himself back to his feet.
His healing magic still flickered faintly across his skin.
“I’m fine.”
Even if his body felt otherwise.
Two hours later, the adrenaline had faded into a dull ache.
But the city was still buzzing.
News alerts spread across every screen.
Inside a small convenience store, fluorescent lights hummed softly.
Akary sat near the window with a drink in her hands.
I had just finished training her.
So we stopped here for a quick snack before sending her back.
She watched the street outside quietly while I leaned near the counter.
Several people nearby were talking.
Phones in their hands.
News already spreading.
“That hero kid showed up again.”
“The one from the robbery last week?”
“Yeah. Nozu.”
A man near the refrigerator shrugged.
“He’s strong.”
“But he’s still just a student.”
Someone else laughed.
“At least the Doom user is gone.”
“That monster used to flatten entire cities.”
Another voice chimed in.
“Honestly people exaggerated him.”
“If he was alive we would know.”
The store hummed softly.
Refrigerators buzzed.
The door chimed as someone entered.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Comfort.
Confidence.
Forgetfulness.
Akary looked up at me.
“Something wrong?”
I opened my eyes slowly.
“You seem to have forgotten.”
My voice was barely above a whisper.
“What true power capable of destruction means.”
Akary blinked.
“What do you mean?”
I straightened slightly.
“Finish your drink.”
“We’re leaving.”
She nodded, though confusion still lingered in her eyes.
Across the world, mana sensors spiked.
Mages froze mid step.
Something ancient stirred.
The sky darkened.
Clouds twisted slowly.
Then the air changed.
Temperature dropped suddenly.
Cold enough to sting the lungs.
At the same time, heat spread through the atmosphere like an invisible furnace.
Breath turned heavy.
Each inhale thick.
Dense.
As if the air itself had weight.
People clutched their throats instinctively.
The pressure continued building.
Mana bent unnaturally.
The sky above began to glow.
Red.
A deep, bleeding crimson that spread across the clouds.
Then the moon appeared.
Massive.
Too close.
A colossal red sphere hanging above the world.
The air became almost impossible to breathe.
Not because oxygen vanished.
Because something heavier filled the space instead.
A presence.
Ancient.
Oppressive.
Terrifying.
Across cities and continents, mages dropped to one knee.
Sensors screamed.
Satellites malfunctioned.
The crimson moon pulsed once.
A wave of pressure rolled across the entire planet.
Cold and heat collided violently in the atmosphere.
Then suddenly
It disappeared.
The sky returned to normal.
The air lightened.
Breathing became possible again.
But the message had already been delivered.
The world didn't need a news report.
The weight in their lungs and the red stain on the clouds said what the history books wouldn't: The Doom User hadn't just survived. He was waiting."
High above the city, I stood on a rooftop.
Wind moved quietly across the skyline.
Below, sirens began again.
Fear spread quickly.
People whispered.
Phones lit up everywhere.
Akary stood beside me, staring up at the sky.
I looked over the city one last time.
Lights.
Traffic.
Tiny lives continuing as if the world had not just trembled.
Then I stepped forward.
Space folded slightly.
And the two of us crossed back into the normal world.
Leaving the city behind.
