Chapter 80: Going Dark

A fiery tornado rose to the sky.

A massive flame erupted into the air, forming a blazing wall of heat in the middle of the street.

The searing temperature spread out like a force of destruction, reducing everything in its path to rubble.

“Boom—!!”

Glass facades on both sides of the street shattered under the heat, sending countless shards raining down onto the burning asphalt, refracting blinding light in the sun.

The flames gradually dissipated.

There was no longer any slime.

The blue ocean had been completely evaporated within seconds, leaving not even ash behind.

The street became scorched black earth.

The asphalt melted into a flowing swamp, bubbling and hissing.

The air reeked of acrid smoke, making everyone want to cover their noses.

“Even though I knew he was strong… this is the first time I’ve seen such overwhelming power.”

The containment team captain stood frozen, eyes wide.

The flamethrower mounted on the ground had stopped firing, its muzzle emitting gray smoke.

The team members behind him were stunned.

Someone still had a burning cigarette dangling from their lips.

The street that had been swarming with slime just moments ago was now a charred wasteland.

Those bouncing blue creatures didn’t even have a chance to scream.

Even though the slimes were cleared, the street was basically ruined.

The captain unconsciously swallowed.

Rebuilding and repairing this street would require a huge amount of time and money.

But this was probably the best outcome.

Time was life.

Every second those slimes existed meant one more person could be hurt.

Cutting through the knot quickly—even if the blade was a little dull…

“Clean up. When the ground dries, we’ll start…”

The captain turned around to instruct his team to get the equipment.

Suddenly, his gaze fell back on the center of the street, and his breath caught.

The steam was gradually clearing.

In the middle of the street, a figure stood silently.

Not the familiar silver-gray knight he knew, but a pitch-black one, like a pure void.

Every edge of the armor had become sharper.

The patterns on the armor were no longer blazing red, but a deep crimson like dried blood.

He hung his head low, arms hanging loosely at his sides, motionless like a statue.

“Hey… you…”

The captain reached out a hand and called out.

The black knight’s shoulder twitched slightly.

Then he raised his head, facing the sky.

“007—!!”

An ear-splitting roar erupted, carrying a massive pressure that surged toward the crowd.

Several team members were pushed back several steps by the blast.

One slammed into the fire truck behind him, another fell flat on his ass.

The warning tape flapped violently, banners tore, and flew into the sky.

The captain shielded his face with his arm, squinting.

“What the… is going on?”

The knight’s motorcycle behind him was knocked over by the blast, sliding nine meters across the ground.

The gas tank slammed into the curb with a dull metallic thud.

The motorcycle alarm went off, a sharp buzz screaming through the street.

“Rrrgh.”

The black knight turned abruptly and walked toward the fallen motorcycle.

He stopped in front of it, looking down at the thing making that piercing noise.

His red visor stared at the flashing warning light.

Then he clenched his fist and smashed it down hard.

“Bang—!!”

The headlight shattered.

The casing cracked into pieces.

The alarm let out a sharp shriek, then went silent.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

A few more punches.

The gas tank was punctured.

Gasoline and oil spurted out in a messy mixture.

The knight straightened up, looking down at the scrap metal that no longer resembled anything.

Heavy breathing came from behind the mask, like a wild beast catching its breath after tearing apart its prey.

Outside the cordon, the waiting citizens began to murmur.

Someone craned their neck to look.

Others raised their phones and snapped photos of the black figure.

“Is that… the Blazing Knight?”

“Feels like he’s a different person.”

“The color’s wrong… wasn’t he silver before?”

“No, it’s like… he’s gone berserk? Like in those animations?”

“Hurry, take a picture. If I post this online, it’ll definitely go viral.”

A boy in a school uniform held up his phone, lens aimed at the black knight.

But his fingers were trembling inexplicably, the footage too shaky to capture clearly.

A girl next to him had already put down her phone, covering her mouth with both hands, eyes full of terror.

“What do we do, Captain? Something’s not right.”

A nearby team member asked in a low voice.

The captain didn’t answer.

His gaze was locked on the knight, mind racing.

“Stay alert for now.”

He pulled out his communicator from his pocket, thumb over the call button.

“I need to report the situation.”

The communicator screen lit up.

He was about to press the button.

Suddenly, everything went black.

A black figure had appeared before him, like teleportation.

Then a hand grabbed his wrist, tightening like a steel vise.

An immense force came from that hand.

The captain felt like his arm was about to be twisted off.

The communicator slipped from his fingers, hit the ground, screen shattering.

“You…”

Then that large hand grabbed his neck.

“Ugh… ah…”

A muffled groan squeezed from the captain’s throat.

He felt like his neck was caught in a hydraulic press.

His windpipe was constricting.

Blood rushed to his head.

His vision began to blur.

He tried to pry the arm away, but his fingers scratched against the armor, unable to get a grip.

The knight stared coldly into his eyes and lifted him off the ground.

Nine team members rushed forward but dared not get too close.

“Captain!”

“Don’t move!”

They raised their weapons, aiming at the black knight, fingers on triggers.

But no one dared to fire.

The pressure emanating from that black figure made their bodies instinctively refuse the command to attack.

The black knight tilted his head slightly, his red visor scanning the guns aimed at him.

The captain’s vision was growing dark.

He remembered the day he first joined, what the instructor told him:

“In this line of work, there’s no retirement. Only death in the line of duty.”

He remembered the bento his wife made for him, always packed so full the lid barely closed.

He remembered the first day his daughter went to kindergarten, clinging to his leg, refusing to let go, crying until snot bubbles came out.

The captain’s eyelids grew heavier.

His fingers slid off the black knight’s armor and hung limply at his sides.

Just then—

A crisp voice came from above.

“That’s—enough—!”

Then a pink magic staff descended from midair.

Its tip tapped lightly on the top of the black knight’s helmet, making a soft sound.

Light as if tapping a dry twig.

The black knight’s body trembled violently.

His hand released the captain’s neck.

“Huff—huff—”

The captain collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, fingers touching his bruised neck.

He looked up and saw a girl in a pink and white dress floating in midair.

Her pink hair was braided into two pigtails.

Wings as thin as cicada wings fluttered gently behind her.

The knight’s body swayed, letting out a low growl like a trapped beast trying to break free.

Then, like a marionette with its strings cut, he fell stiffly backward.

“Thud.”

The pitch-black armor crashed onto the charred asphalt.

No more movement.

In the distance, several helicopters from the Bureau of Anomalies were flying toward this direction.

The roar of rotors grew closer, echoing between the city’s buildings.

The girl withdrew her staff, looked down at the knight lying on the ground, then at the captain kneeling and gasping.

She extended a hand in a silk glove.

“Are you all right?”