"Jumba finish, final two."

  The massive, round figure's eerie, childlike giggle echoed through the empty Shibuya streets, bouncing off abandoned storefronts and vacant buildings. His stubby hands clapped together rhythmically, producing a sound too loud for flesh hitting flesh—more like boulders colliding. His propeller hat spun lazily atop his head as if he were playing a game rather than engaging in combat.

  Rei felt that creeping dread again, the sensation crawling up his spine like icy fingers. The casual way Jumba had eliminated Hiro and Raiden, the absolute silence with which entire buildings had disappeared—it all pointed to a power beyond anything he'd encountered before.

  That fear.

  It settled in his chest, a cold weight pressing against his lungs, making each breath more difficult than the last. His fingers twitched as he looked around, assessing their dire situation. Hiro's body was still beneath the wreckage of the car, completely unmoving, no sign of life amid the twisted metal and shattered glass. Raiden had vanished into whatever dimension lay beyond those portals, perhaps never to return.

  He then turned his gaze to Kage—

  Kage, as expected, didn't look concerned in the slightest.

  Instead, he formed a shadow-made chair, sat down, and crossed his legs with the casual arrogance of someone attending a boring business meeting rather than facing a life-threatening situation. His Cartier shades glinted under the neon glow of the city lights, hiding whatever thoughts might be passing behind his eyes.

  "Well, Vessel... I already figured this fight out." Kage leaned back in his makeshift throne, resting his chin on his knuckles with theatrical nonchalance.

  "Now show me something—and entertain me."

  The words weren't spoken with malice or even indifference. There was something else beneath them—expectation. Kage was pushing him, testing him, wanting to see how he'd respond under pressure. It was the calculated prod of a trainer forcing growth through adversity.

  Rei's chest tightened. His teeth clenched so hard they might crack, jaw muscles jumping beneath his skin. Anger flashed through his fear, hot and clarifying.

  Entertain him?

  Was that all this was? Some twisted training exercise where Kage risked their lives just to see what Rei was capable of?

  The thought of simply being tested again while his life was on the line burned at the back of his mind, fueling a resentment that had been building since their first encounter. But despite his anger—what was he supposed to do?

  If he rushed Jumba head-on, he'd vanish into a portal like Raiden, swallowed by that starry void with no guarantee of return.

  If he tried to dodge and counterattack, where would he even hit him? Jumba's gargantuan body likely had immense durability, making hand-to-hand combat almost useless against that mountain of flesh. And with portals that could open anywhere, nowhere was safe to stand.

  He needed information. Strategy. Something beyond brute force.

  So instead of attacking, Rei walked forward, his face blank—no hostility, no fear, just curiosity. Each step was deliberate, measured, his hands held loose at his sides in a non-threatening posture.

  "...What do you want with Shibuya?"

  The question hung in the air, simple and direct. Not an attack, not a threat—just a quest for understanding.

  Jumba stopped clapping.

  His tiny eyes blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting conversation instead of combat. The propeller on his hat slowed momentarily.

  Then—he giggled, the sound bubbling up from deep within his massive form. His entire body began rolling in wild circles on the pavement like a child throwing a tantrum of joy, concrete cracking beneath his impossible weight as he moved with unexpected agility for something so large.

  "Jumba wants to destroy!" His voice was giddy with childish glee, the words punctuated by breathless laughter. "And Jumba wants to make evil man happy!"

  Rei's brows furrowed, mind racing to process this new information. "Evil man?"

  Jumba spun faster in excitement, his massive form somehow maintaining perfect balance as he twirled on a single point of contact with the ground. "Evil man talk Jumba! Evil man makes chaos, and people scream! Evil man tell Jumba destroy, and maybe Jumba make people scream too!"

  Rei's eyes sharpened, trying to make sense of the childish explanation. What the hell does that mean? Was someone directing Jumba? Using him as a weapon? The mention of screams sent a chill through him—had there been casualties after all? People trapped in those vanished buildings?

  From his chair of shadows, Kage's expression shifted almost imperceptibly at the mention of "evil man." A slight tightening around his mouth, a momentary stillness—recognition? Concern? It vanished too quickly for Rei to interpret.

  But he didn't get time to think further.

  "Now, Jumba make YOU scream!"

  A portal opened directly beneath Rei, a perfect circle of darkness appearing without warning. The edges shimmered with an unnatural light, and through it, Rei could see that same strange void, stars twinkling in impossible patterns.

  Rei's instincts screamed at him to move—he narrowly flipped backward, pushing off with the balls of his feet just as the portal expanded. The void's gravity tugged at him, trying to draw him in, but his momentum carried him to safety by inches.

  Jumba suddenly picked up speed, his massive body rolling toward Rei at a terrifying pace. Like a wrecking ball given sentience, he barreled forward, the ground trembling with each rotation.

  Instead of running away—Rei dashed straight toward Kage.

  If he's not going to get himself involved in this, then I'll make him get involved.

  The thought crystallized in Rei's mind with perfect clarity. Kage had been sitting back, watching them struggle while treating it all like entertainment. Well, if that was his game, Rei would bring the danger right to his doorstep.

  Kage's smirk widened slightly under his shades, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his features before being hidden again. There was something like approval in his posture, as if Rei had passed some unspoken test by thinking outside conventional tactics.

  "Oh?"

  At the last second—Rei jumped, his body sailing over Kage's shadow-chair in a perfect arc.

  Jumba, unable to stop his momentum, continued rolling directly toward Kage—then suddenly halted.

  For a brief moment, Jumba's childish demeanor vanished entirely. His tiny eyes widened in what could only be described as primal fear as he sensed something emanating from Kage—a bloodlust so intense, so overwhelming that it seemed to distort the very air between them. It wasn't just the killing intent of a skilled fighter; it was something ancient and predatory, something that made Jumba's instincts scream in warning.

  What... what is he? The thought flashed through Jumba's mind as he frantically opened a portal beneath himself, preferring the unknown of his own dimension to whatever fate might await him if he collided with this terrifying being.

  Jumba vanished with a startled cry that cut off abruptly as the void swallowed him.

  Kage finally stood, stretched his arms overhead like a cat waking from a nap, and sarcastically said, "That was a really good idea, kid." But beneath the sarcasm, there was a note of genuine acknowledgment in his voice. Rei had shown initiative, had thought tactically rather than reacting with blind panic or rage.

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  "I think it was a really good idea too, Rei."

  A voice whispered directly behind him.

  Rei flinched, whipping around, heart rate spiking with surprise.

  Hiro.

  Completely unharmed.

  Smiling eerily.

  The axolotl-headed boy stood without a scratch, not even a tear in his clothing, despite having been crushed beneath tons of metal just minutes ago.

  Rei's eyes widened, disbelief written plainly across his usually stoic features. "HOW are you alive?! You were crushed under that car!"

  Hiro tilted his head, his gills twitching with what might have been amusement. "Easy."

  A flashback appeared—

  Hiro, pinned under the wreckage, his body flattened by the impact. Yet rather than dying, he simply severed his own arm.

  The dismembered limb, rather than bleeding out, began to pulse with unnatural life. His body regenerated from the detached limb, building outward like time-lapse footage of a growing plant. Bones, organs, skin, all forming a new version of himself, while his old body shrunk into nothing beneath the car, dissolving like sugar in water.

  The camera flashed back to the present.

  "Just don't die." Hiro grinned, the simple explanation offered with childlike pride.

  Rei shuddered, a newfound appreciation for how little he knew about his teammates washing over him. Hiro's regenerative abilities were beyond anything he'd imagined—not healing, but complete recreation.

  Kage rubbed his temple, clearly unimpressed despite the miraculous feat. "This guy is so damn weird."

  "But!" Hiro clapped his hands together, his demeanor shifting from eerie to enthusiastic in an instant. "This was actually smart, Rei."

  Rei blinked. "What?"

  "This gave us time—and showed the limitations of his portals." Hiro gestured toward the air, drawing invisible diagrams with his webbed fingers. The childlike exterior briefly fell away, revealing an analytical mind beneath the strange behavior.

  "If Jumba reappears, there's a small window where he can't attack. And if he can reappear from his own realm, it is safe to assume his realm isn't immediately lethal. Raiden is probably fine and has already figured that out."

  A sudden rupture of energy filled the street.

  The air crackled, molecules charged with electricity. The scent of ozone filled the air, sharp and metallic.

  A portal appeared—

  And from it—

  A crackling, electric BOOM tore through the air.

  Raiden burst out, his entire body glowing with power. His arm completely infused with lightning mana, shaped into a bladed spear impaling Jumba's stomach as both figures emerged from the void. Jumba's massive form followed Raiden through the portal, his childish face contorted in pain and surprise.

  Before Jumba could react—

  Raiden continued driving his spear-infused fist directly into his massive stomach.

  The lightning-charged attack carved through flesh like a hot knife through butter, electricity arcing outward in beautiful, deadly patterns.

  "JUMBA HURT." Jumba screeched, his voice losing its playful tone, replaced by genuine pain. "JUMBA MAD!"

  Wasting no time—

  Rei and Hiro began hurling debris—pieces of wrecked cars, shattered glass, broken signs—anything they could throw. Their coordinated assault became a barrage of improvised projectiles, peppering Jumba from all angles.

  Kage frowned, watching their tactics with mounting curiosity. "The hell are they—"

  Then understanding dawned on his face.

  "His portal is unrefined."

  He can't target and open portals cleanly if he's distracted.

  With random objects constantly hitting him, Jumba couldn't focus—meaning he couldn't teleport Raiden away before the lightning-clad warrior struck him from every angle. Jumba rolled on his back, his round, mound-like shape preventing him from seeing where Raiden was attacking from next, leaving him at the mercy of the coordinated assault.

  Raiden moved like a ghost in a storm, his attacks crashing down relentlessly. Each strike was precise, flowing into the next with deadly elegance. Lightning arced between blows, the electricity leaving scorch marks on Jumba's pale flesh.

  Jumba clutched his stomach, groaning. His childish demeanor cracked, revealing something more primal beneath—fear.

  Then—

  A massive portal opened next to him, larger than any he'd created before.

  "Jumba no fun. Jumba LEAVE!"

  Rei instinctively ran forward. "We have him—!"

  A hand grabbed his collar.

  Kage.

  "What are you doing?" Rei snapped, trying to pull free, the momentum of their potential victory driving him forward.

  "We had him—he was running!"

  Kage adjusted his shades, his grip on Rei's collar unyielding. "And what did the job board say?"

  Rei froze.

  Kage continued, his voice maddeningly calm. "Did it say defeat the threat?"

  Silence.

  "No." Kage smirked.

  "It said, 'Find the cause and report back to higher-ups.'"

  Rei's stomach dropped, the realization hitting him like a physical blow. Their mission had never been to stop the disappearances—only to identify their source.

  "We don't work because we're nice people, Vessel."

  Kage turned, his coat swaying behind him as he walked toward the train station with casual confidence, as if they hadn't just been in a life-or-death battle.

  "We work because we like to get paid."

  Rei gritted his teeth, his fists clenching so hard his nails bit into his palms. The injustice of it burned—knowing that more buildings, potentially more people, would vanish while they simply reported back with information.

  "Learn how to play the game, Vessel."

  The sound of approaching sirens cut through the night air, growing louder by the second. Blue and red lights began to flash against the buildings at the end of the street as police vehicles converged on their location.

  "We should explain what happened," Raiden said, his expression grim as he watched the first officers exit their vehicles, weapons drawn as they surveyed the destruction. "They need to know about Jumba, about the portals."

  Hiro nodded eagerly. "I can show them how the buildings disappeared! I can even draw diagrams!"

  Rei stepped forward, ready to meet the officers, but Kage's shadow extended, wrapping around his ankle in warning.

  "No," Kage said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We report to the Academy, not to local authorities. That's protocol."

  A senior officer approached them, his hand resting cautiously on his holstered weapon. "You four! Stay where you are! We need to ask you some questions about what happened here."

  Kage barely glanced at the officer, flashing his Academy license with a flick of his wrist. "Talk to the Academy."

  The officer stepped closer, clearly not backing down. "Sir, I understand you're with the Academy, but we have a duty to secure this area. There's been significant property damage and reports of—"

  "Talk. To. The. Academy." Kage repeated, each word dripping with condescension.

  The officer's face reddened. "I'm afraid I must insist. We need statements now, not after some bureaucratic—"

  Kage slowly removed his designer shades, revealing eyes so cold and empty they seemed to absorb the light around them. The temperature of the air between them seemed to drop several degrees as he fixed the officer with a stare that had made hardened assassins tremble.

  "You really want to push this?" Kage's voice was soft, almost gentle, but carried an undercurrent of menace that made the officer involuntarily take a step back.

  The man's hand, which had been inching toward his weapon, suddenly went slack at his side. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool night air.

  "I... I'll inform my superiors to contact the Academy directly," he managed, his earlier confidence evaporating.

  Kage replaced his shades with deliberate slowness, the ghost of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Smart choice."

  He turned to his team, voice dropping to a command. "We're leaving. Now."

  Raiden hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the exchange they'd just witnessed. "But shouldn't we at least explain—"

  "The Academy doesn't pay us to hold the local police's hand," Kage cut him off with a dismissive wave. "They pay us to do a job. We did it. Now we report back."

  Rei caught Raiden's eye, sharing his frustration. It felt wrong to walk away, to leave these officers in the dark about a threat that could return at any moment. But Kage was already walking, and after a moment's hesitation, they followed.

  The walk back to the station was tense, filled with unspoken questions and lingering adrenaline. The neon lights of Shibuya washed over them in waves of color as they moved through streets now alive with the commotion of emergency responders.

  As they boarded the last train back to Osaka, Raiden, Hiro, and Rei found seats together, while Kage stood by the doors, looking out at the station platform as it began to slide away.

  Kage didn't say it out loud—

  But he was impressed.

  Their quick thinking had forced an opponent out of battle.

  That was more valuable than brute force.

  And Rei—he'd shown initiative, tactical thinking, the ability to adapt under pressure. It was growth, the kind Kage had been pushing for.

  The night hadn't just been about the mission. It had been about pushing Rei to his limits, forcing him to think beyond his usual parameters, to discover capabilities he might not have known he possessed. Kage's methods were harsh, perhaps even cruel, but they were producing results.

  As the train pulled away from Shibuya, carrying them back toward Osaka, Rei stared at Kage's reflection in the window. There was a new understanding forming in his mind about his so-called mentor—not trust, exactly, but recognition of the purpose behind his methods.

  Elsewhere...

  A portal opened in mid-air, its edges shimmering with the same strange light. Jumba landed from his portal, his massive form rolling into a dark, cavernous lair. The impact sent dust swirling upward, illuminated only by scattered candles that cast long shadows across ancient stone walls.

  Before him—

  A shadowy figure sat on a throne, his features obscured by darkness. Only his silhouette was visible, lean and imposing, and the glint of golden rings adorning his fingers, reflecting the dim candlelight as he drummed his fingers against the armrest.

  Jumba giggled nervously, his earlier confidence evaporated in the presence of his master.

  "Did Jumba make Boss happy? Jumba make people scream for Boss!"

  A deep, cold voice cut through the air.

  "Nobody screamed, Jumba."

  Silence fell, heavy and oppressive.

  "All four of them are still alive."

  Jumba flinched, his massive body trembling slightly.

  The voice lowered into a growl.

  "You didn't even graze Kage the Shadow."

  Jumba sulked, his fingers pressing together in a gesture reminiscent of a scolded child, his propeller hat spinning slower with his dejection.

  Then—

  The voice chuckled.

  It started low, almost imperceptible, then grew into something dark and satisfied.

  "But don't worry, Jumba."

  A shadowy hand tapped the armrest of the throne.

  "You helped me gather something far more valuable."

  A grin curled in the darkness, teeth gleaming white against the shadows.

  "Kage... and The Vessel."