Snow and ice blanketed the landscape.
An elderly man in a leather jacket trudged through the snow.
He saw a large block of ice, containing a frozen man with blue hair.
The old man tapped the ice. Crack! Countless fissures appeared.
The old man retreated as the ice exploded, and the frozen man opened his eyes!
"Cold, so cold!"
The blue-haired man rubbed his hands, shivering.
He looked around at the snow.
"Where the hell am I? Is this still the country?"
The old man seemed to understand. He spoke, but the blue-haired man didn't understand.
"What?"
The old man gesticulated, pulling a cup from his backpack.
It bore the hammer and sickle.
The old man spoke again, but the blue-haired man shook his head. The old man spoke Russian.
The blue-haired man understood one word.
"товарищ?"
"Comrade?"
The old man nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
"I thought I was somewhere else… Turns out it's Russia… Damn, it's cold!"
The blue-haired man shivered.
Still, it was odd. Why were there survivors?
"Is this thousands of years after the nuclear explosion?"
"That can't be right…"
The White Walker had frozen himself during the cobalt bomb detonation. He didn't know how long he'd been frozen.
Ironically, the White Walker, a master of ice, feared the cold.
He was only immune to the cold when his powers were active.
Normally, he was no different from anyone else.
Seeing him shiver, the old man spoke and gestured.
His gestures implied he wanted him to come along.
The White Walker was too cold. He followed the old man, and they arrived at a small wooden cabin.
The old man lit the fireplace and offered the White Walker a blanket.
The White Walker nodded gratefully and warmed his hands by the fire.
"Finally… I'm alive. But what's going on?"
The old man approached with a mobile phone and activated voice translation.
"There's even a phone?"
The White Walker was a bit confused.
Then, the old man introduced himself using the translation app.
He said he was a Soviet cosmonaut. Upon returning from space, the Soviet Union had dissolved.
With nowhere to go, he stayed there.
The White Walker asked what year it was.
The reply further confused him.
"Not only is this not the future, but time has reversed?"
The White Walker scratched his head. "What happened while I was frozen?" He asked about the situation in Asia.
The old man shook his head, appearing unaware of anything amiss.
The White Walker asked about monsters, and the old man seemed oblivious.
Then, the old man asked about the White Walker's situation, why he was frozen.
The White Walker sighed. "How do I explain... I was basically involved in a third World War, and I froze myself to escape the nuclear bombs."
The old man found his explanation incomprehensible.
The White Walker didn't elaborate, warming himself until evening.
The old man offered him two bottles of liquor, but the alcohol content was too high. He declined.
"What's the difference between this and straight ethanol?"
The White Walker refused, so the old man drank alone.
Using the translator, they spoke sparingly.
Then, a scream echoed from outside.
The old man paused, grabbed a bolt-action rifle from the table, and rushed outside.
According to the old man, wolves frequently roamed the area. Someone must have been attacked.
Logically, he should have gone to investigate.
The old man had offered shelter and warmth. It was only right to show concern.
But the White Walker was too comfortable. The fire was too warm.
Then, a girl ran into the cabin.
The White Walker turned, his eyes widening.
The girl's cheeks were flushed. She appeared to have Asian heritage and was beautiful.
At least, the White Walker thought she was beautiful. He was about to say something when she spoke.
She used a word.
"дедушк?"
The White Walker grabbed a greatsword and rushed out!
"Don't worry! I am here!"
Under the girl's shocked gaze, the White Walker charged into the snow.
The old man was firing at the wolves.
The White Walker thrust his greatsword into a wolf!
Splash!
The greatsword passed through the wolf. The White Walker withdrew the sword, driving off the wolf pack.
"Easy."
The White Walker turned, seeing the old man give him a thumbs-up.
The old man pulled him towards the cabin, asking if he knew kung fu.
The White Walker nodded but was focused on the girl.
"What should we name our child?"
...
Inside the United Nations, at GPA headquarters.
A sweeping reform was underway.
Kitsune special forces followed Zero as he stormed the GPA meeting hall.
A high-ranking official was about to speak when Zero threw him into another dimension.
The GPA officials who ordered the cobalt bomb detonation were known to Zero.
Those he recognized were banished to other dimensions.
Those he didn't know were spared.
He assumed those he didn't recognize fell into two categories: those who opposed the bombs and were executed, or those who'd gone insane.
In troubled times, swift justice was necessary; traitors deserved no mercy.
Zero seized control of the GPA, merging it with Kitsune to gain true transnational law enforcement power.
The reorganization took roughly two months.
While the world lacked powerful monsters, all sorts of problems arose.
First, the Serpent's Hand rose rapidly, their influence spreading across nations.
Then, Chaos Insurgency . 009 began splitting himself with abandon, creating things he couldn't control.
He took the useful parts, but he carelessly abandoned the troublesome things around the world.
Zero's first task at the GPA was cleaning up his mess.
Facing those dangerous, uncontrollable splinters, 009 didn't care. Zero's people had to risk their lives to contain them!
But ultimately, 009 had to be dealt with.
Zero couldn't previously touch him, but he could now.
Given the chance, he could throw that troublemaker into another world!
Besides containing the Chaos Insurgency's creations, Zero planned to destroy the organization and the extremist Serpent's Hand.
They were the biggest problems.
During the containment process, a team found a metal mannequin in a European cave.
The Kitsune squad leader recognized it.
They brought it to the new Kitsune headquarters, before Zero.
Some might not know what it was, but Zero knew who it was.
"Long time."
"Gluttony."
They had found the Metalized Gluttony.
After scientific research, they woke the dormant Gluttony with bioelectrical waves.
He faced the radiation damage.
Gluttony was taken for treatment, but there was no solution to the nickel-60 radiation.
Kitsune returned him to Metalization to preserve his body, awaiting future treatments.
While Gluttony retained his memories and powers, his radiation remained.
Unlike the White Walker, who had frozen himself before the detonation, he Metalized after exposure.
He sealed 005 with his body, a commendable action.
...
Asia, atop a skyscraper.
Reinhard, in a black robe, lay on the roof, the Serpent's Hand tattoo on his right hand.
Two months ago, he was coerced into becoming one of the Serpent's Hand's three heads.
Responsible for Asia.
Reinhard didn't care about that.
He cared about why he couldn't access the game space.
Next to him lay gold bars; gifts from Serpent's Hand members.
But he couldn't enter the 079 game space, despite holding the gold. Why?
"It's been about ten days. Did 079 die?"
Reinhard dropped the gold. The runes on his hand faded.
The game space was closed for an unknown reason.
This was worse than being a Serpent's Hand leader!
He held the 079 game space access, yet he hadn't entered it once!
He lacked money before; now he had money, but the game was closed!
"This was my only shortcut to becoming a monster!"
Reinhard was unfortunate because Mei had recently taken the other half of the Time Origin from the game space.
The accompanying consciousness had died.
Although 079's consciousness died, its essence remained; the game space persisted.
The reason people couldn't enter was the lack of a guiding consciousness.
Mei was attempting to reboot 079, but the process was unsuccessful.
In the end, Mei chose a compromise: personally controlling the game space.
But it was still undergoing repairs.
What she found problematic was that the game's monster AI was controlled by 079.
Like a tabletop game, the moderator played the monsters.
Without the moderator, the monsters were inanimate.
Mei didn't want to micromanage the monsters, so the game space was under renovation.
There was also the issue of the 079's consciousness being dead; calculating rewards and balancing values was difficult.
079 was a supercomputer that could autonomously balance calculations.
For these issues, Mei devised a simple solution.
First, alter the game rules. Replace AI-controlled monsters with player-controlled ones.
Second, remove the so-called treasure box rewards. Only potions remained for redemption in the store.
Third, game victories only provided stat rewards. Monster rewards were calculated per kill, and human rewards were divided among survivors.
Fourth, outside powers were prohibited. Everyone started equally.
Fifth, more temporary items were added to combat monsters.
The broad strokes were in place, but the execution would take time.
...
Back with Reinhard, two robed figures approached.
"Lord Seth, it is time to act."
Reinhard rose; the wind was strong.
It whipped his robe as he donned a white crying-face mask.
"What is it this time?"
"Codename: Demon Blade."
"First discovered in the antique district of Dongchang Street. It appears to be a rusted cleaver. After being soaked in blood, the rust disappeared, and it became sharper."
"Known issue: All wielders go insane, indiscriminately attacking anyone in sight."
Reinhard's eyes glinted beneath the mask. "Is it necessary to contain this thing?"
"Lord Cain says he can suppress the Demon Blade. Please review this first."
A robed figure presented a photograph.
Reinhard glanced at it. The photo contained a sentence.
"I am unique, the world's best. Is this the most superior?"
"What does it mean?"
The robed figure said, "It's a memetic replica. Lord Cain calls it a unique will."
"Ask Lord Cain for details. His exact words were, 'With this, subduing the Demon Blade is no problem.'"
Reinhard pocketed the photo, prepared to leave.
Another robed figure stopped him. "Lord Seth, you forgot the slogan."
Reinhard's forehead furrowed. "The Serpent's Hand shall rebuild the world."
"Humanity."
Reinhard: "..."
Ignoring the robed figure, Reinhard leaped from the skyscraper!
Wind, carry me.
Whoosh!
Gusts of wind roared beneath Reinhard, carrying him into the sky!
Reinhard had cultivated spiritual power; this sensation of flying was unprecedented.
As he climbed higher, the city suddenly transformed into ruins!
Flames soared, a colossal sea creature blotted out the sky, a pair of lantern-like eyes gazing down at him, twisting into a grin!
Reinhard's pupils contracted. He plummeted!
Everything returned to normal.
He couldn't believe what he'd seen. That monster…
"Sea King?"
Whoosh!
A figure fell rapidly from the sky, and just before he hit the ground, a gust of wind rose, cushioning his fall.
Reinhard's descent slowed, then he landed gently.
He lay on the grass, staring at the sky.
For a moment, his spiritual power was erratic before gradually stabilizing.
Overall, his spiritual power had increased.
Strangely, it no longer seemed like pure spiritual power.
"Am I awakening?"
Awakening was a familiar term in the post-apocalyptic world.
Under the extreme conditions of the apocalypse, a portion of humanity underwent a process called awakening.
There was no clear standard or explanation for this awakening.
Awakened individuals shared one trait: During the process, their mental energy was highly unstable, fluctuating wildly.
During spikes, they would see hallucinations, like what Reinhard just experienced.
The most obvious change was that Reinhard could sense the energy flowing through the air.
He could even guide that energy into his body.
Reinhard could train his spiritual power without Zero's flower.
He could directly absorb energy from the air.
Reinhard remained dazed until a small head peeked at him.
Reinhard jolted, seeing a seven- or eight-year-old boy staring at him with curiosity.
The boy pointed to the sky, then the ground.
He made a "whoosh" sound, then clapped.
Bang.
Reinhard: "..."
The boy was describing his fall.
Reinhard reached out, but the boy stepped back.
Never mind.
Reinhard rose, brushed dust from his robe, and prepared to leave.
Then, the boy approached, rummaging in his pocket before offering Reinhard a crumpled bandage.
Reinhard froze.
He was speechless.
He knelt, accepting the bandage.
"Thank you."
The boy, pleased, pointed at his face, made a silly face, then waved his hands.
Reinhard didn't understand until he touched his own face, remembering his mask.
That was it.
The boy wanted to see his face.
But Reinhard didn't comply.
"Can't you talk?"
The boy drew an X over his mouth, then pulled out a sketchpad and wrote.
'My mom doesn't let me talk to strangers.'
Was he being obedient or disobedient?
Reinhard chuckled. "What's your name?"
The boy was about to write when a middle-aged woman appeared, slapping him!
Slap!
"I told you not to talk to strangers!"
"Why are you so disobedient? How many times have I told you?"
"Come home with me!"
The woman dragged the boy away.
Reinhard shook his head. Such education was terrible.
The boy was dragged away without a fuss, but his sketchpad and pen remained.
Reinhard picked up the sketchpad, flipping through it.
The child had no artistic talent; his drawings were distorted and abstract.
Then, Reinhard flipped to the first page. His smile vanished.
The first page showed his family—father, mother, and son. The drawing was clear, unlike the others.
Strangely, the father was obscured by red scribbles.
...
Across Eurasia, a snow-swept land.
The White Walker lay on the sofa, watching the girl knit by the fire. After some time, he learned she spoke English.
"I'll open a shop and earn money to support you. You can do laundry and cook."
The girl looked bewildered.
"What shop are you going to open?"
"A laundromat."
The girl rolled her eyes and continued knitting.
The White Walker rolled over. "I'll drive you to work in a BMW."
"I have a horse."
"I meant a car."
The girl: "…"
"You didn't become this big by sponging off others, did you?"
The White Walker sat up. "Of course not. I..."
Knock, knock, knock.
A rhythmic knock came from the door.
"Who is it?"
The girl looked puzzled as the old man rushed out, speaking gibberish.
He opened the door, and a gun was pressed against his head.
The old man's pupils contracted. He retreated.
A white-haired man in a black suit slowly entered, gun in hand.
"White Walker, you were hard to find."
Hearing that voice, the White Walker jolted!
009!
How did he find him?
009, gun in hand, pointed at the White Walker. "I searched the world for you. You're enjoying your little life."
"I'll come with you. Don't hurt them."
009 chuckled. "No, no, you misunderstand. I didn't come to take you back."
"I hate two types of people: deserters and traitors."
"Ain't that a fact?"
The White Walker grabbed the greatsword, kicking 009 out the door!
"Run!"
Hearing the White Walker, the girl told the old man.
But the old man grabbed his bolt-action rifle and fired at 009's head!
Bang!
The bullet hit 009, and a strange thing happened!
The bullet bounced off him! The old man ducked!
The bullet wound was gone!
"Hahaha, White Walker, long time no see! "
009 grabbed the White Walker's neck, slamming him back. "No one is leaving here today."
The White Walker's face reddened. His pupils turned white!
White mist, freezing!
Endless frost emanated from him, instantly freezing 009's body!
He kicked 009 away and grabbed the old man and the girl, preparing to leave!
Stepping outside, the snow-covered field was full of people!
They wore green combat gear and held weapons!
He recognized some of them!
The Clown, Celestial Beast, and members of Chaos Insurgency were outside!
"Damn, they're all here!"
This wasn't the post-nuclear world; it was the rebooted world.
The dead monsters had returned from Hell.
Celestial Beast.
The strongest 3rd Step. He appeared to be a hunchbacked man in underwear.
But to the White Walker, he was a bipedal wolf creature covered in red hair.
Celestial Beast licked his claws, revealing fangs. "I suggest you don't run, because I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
First strike!
The White Walker stomped. Chaos Insurgency soldiers raised their weapons and aimed.
"Fire!"
A hail of bullets erupted. The White Walker waved his hand, freezing the bullets!
Celestial Beast leaped at the White Walker!
The White Walker reacted, swinging his greatsword before him!
Celestial Beast's claws collided with the sword, and his strength sent the White Walker flying!
The White Walker adjusted mid-air, creating a wall of ice and rebounding!
Seeing the White Walker charge, Celestial Beast pounced. They met, and a blast of cold struck!
Crack!
Celestial Beast was instantly frozen solid!
The others were frozen, the White Walker releasing a temporal freeze.
But it only lasted 30 minutes.
The White Walker grabbed the others and ran!
...
Thirty minutes later.
Balance broke free of the ice. The Swordsmith had escaped earlier.
They exchanged glances. "You could have stopped him."
"Didn't react in time. You know, being old, I'm not as fast as the young ones."
"Haha, same here."
They understood each other perfectly.
It wasn't about age or reaction time; they didn't want to stop him.
The White Walker had been their teammate. Why kill him?
They weren't alone; others held back.
This angered 009.
So many people, yet they couldn't stop the White Walker?
They must have held back.
"Let's go. Keep chasing."
"His powers only last 30 minutes. I doubt he got far. I'll see if he can still run then."
009's words were pointed; he was saying, "I'll see who puts in the effort."
As 009 suspected, the White Walker hadn't gone far.
009 quickly caught up!
Faced with 009, the White Walker had no freeze power.
He told the old man and girl to run, staying behind with his greatsword.
He realized some didn't want to hurt him.
By staying, they might spare the old man and the girl.
"Why aren't you running, White Walker? Are you going to be a heroic last stand, or play possum?"
The White Walker sneered. "You kept chasing. It's boring! I was in the military what did you expect!
"Xiang Yu, defeated, was allowed to flee by Liu Bang, but he couldn't face his people. It makes a much better story when the hero doesn't escape. Don't you think?"
009 saw through him. "But you're not Xiang Yu, and I'm not Liu Bang."
"Besides, even if you stay, they won't get far!"
"Don't worry, I'll let you watch them die!"
009 whistled, and a flying blade appeared!
The Chaos Insurgency surrounded him!
The White Walker batted aside the blade, charging 009 and his troops!
"For once in my life, I care about someone! I will protect them!"
"Too bad, you're about to die!" 009 chuckled.
...
Ten days later.
A cramped underground bar.
The storefront was tiny; inside, there was only a bar.
A blue-haired young man sat at the bar.
The bald bartender, seeing him sit there all day without ordering a drink, took a bottle from under the counter.
"Are you Chinese?"
"Yes."
"That's funny. I lived there a few years."
The blue-haired man didn't reply. The bartender opened the bottle, poured a glass, and slid it across the counter.
"Here."
"I don't have money."
"It's on the house."
The bald bartender grinned.
The blue-haired man picked up the glass and downed it.
The liquor wasn't strong, but it was bittersweet.
Paulo, an experienced bartender, chose drinks to match a customer's mood.
"How is it?"
"Not good."
"Like love, right?"
Hearing Paulo, the White Walker hesitated. "Can I have another?"
"Sure, but it'll cost a story."
Paulo was trying to get the White Walker to open up.
People needed to vent. Keeping secrets was unhealthy.
"I like a girl…"
"Yes, and then?"
"She was killed. I'm thinking of how to avenge her."
Paulo's face changed. "Listen, kid, that kind of thinking is dangerous. An eye for an eye isn't the answer. This is a police matter."
The White Walker slid his glass forward. Paulo poured another.
"You're sitting here, not seeking revenge. You must understand the implications of revenge."
"If you kill a criminal, you become a criminal. A classic statement, right?"
The White Walker picked up the glass and drained it. "You're wrong."
"I'm not seeking revenge because of what you said. It's because I can't defeat my enemy."
"Then let the polic…"
"The police won't help."
"This is a difficult problem."
The White Walker held his head. He was lucky to be alive.
If it wasn't for Balance, he'd be dead.
Balance had banished him to a liminal space, seemingly to imprison him, but food and water occasionally fell.
The White Walker waited.
By luck, he exited through Kan-Sui's Gate.
009 and Chaos Insurgency were gone.
Why would 009, who couldn't kill the White Walker, come?
In a fit of rage, he killed the old man and the girl, dumping their bodies where the White Walker disappeared.
If the White Walker cared, he would come.
But the White Walker didn't go.
He ran.
He knew he couldn't defeat 009. Seeking revenge would be suicide.
...
The White Walker fled to this isolated underground tavern.
Two voices argued in his head. One condemned him, calling him a coward.
The other said he should be rational; facing 009 was suicide.
Both were right, and he was caught in the middle, spiraling into chaos.
009 was immortal. There was no way to kill him. No way to exact revenge.
The White Walker held his head, his face contorted in pain. Then, another customer arrived.
The White Walker punched him, but the newcomer effortlessly caught his fist.
"Calm down. I didn't come to kill you."
It was Nightmare.
Nightmare wasn't among those who attacked him.
The White Walker hesitated, releasing his wrist. "Did 009 send you?"
"Think. If 009 knew where you were, he'd be here himself."
Nightmare signaled to Paulo.
The White Walker glared. "What do you want?"
"I heard the Chaos Insurgency was hunting you. Someone gave me your location, so I came."
The White Walker frowned. "Who gave you my location?"
"Not someone from Chaos Insurgency."
"Who?"
"What do you mean?"
"He can't trust you. We betrayed Zero," the White Walker protested.
"Trust isn't necessary. This is merely cooperation."
"Besides, I've always been on Commander Qin's side."
From the beginning, when Zero recruited him, he'd decided to betray Chaos Insurgency.
Even when 009 rebelled, he was on Zero's side, but he couldn't withstand 009's threats.
After the purge, Nightmare was with Kitsune.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. 009 is a mortal enemy. So is Kitsune. Why shouldn't we cooperate?"
The White Walker shook his head. "It's useless. 009 is immortal. Even if you capture him, he'll escape."
"There's never been a way to truly kill him."
"Perhaps."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Kitsune has a way to eliminate 009 for good."
"Can I take that seriously?"
"That's the truth."
"I'll ask you this: a chance to bring down 009. Do you take it?"
The White Walker was about to answer when the world twisted.
The bartender's face distorted into a vortex!
Time seemed to stop!
A hand emerged from Paulo's face, holding a potion.
A voice echoed.
"Reject him."
"I give you a chance for revenge."
What was this?
The White Walker understood.
Seeing the frozen Nightmare and the hand reaching from Paulo's face, he grabbed the potion.
"Potion name: Frost King."
The moment he took the potion, the distortions vanished.
Time resumed.
Faced with Nightmare's question, the White Walker replied:
"I refuse."
...
Elsewhere in Asia.
Night fell as a chase took place on a highway.
A vehicle drove against traffic. Other cars followed.
"Target's on the highway. Someone stop him ahead!"
"No need."
"Lord Seth is here."
The off-road vehicle drove against traffic, performing several maneuvers!
The driver, cigarette in mouth, frantically steered. "Shortcuts are the fastest! Come and get me if you want, but practice driving for thirty more years!"
A masked figure dropped from the sky!
Bang!
A robed figure with a white crying-face mask landed on the hood.
The driver slammed on the brakes!
Inertia sent him crashing into the windshield as the figure gracefully landed.
"What the hell!"
The driver covered his head, slamming the gas pedal. The wheels spun. The vehicle didn't move.
The tires were stuck in mud!
The asphalt had become a deep, muddy pit!
No matter how hard he pressed the gas pedal, the vehicle couldn't escape.
The black-robed figure approached!
The driver grabbed a blade covered in cloth and charged!
He ran onto the highway, where countless cars had crashed, blocking the road.
"Who are you?! Why are you chasing me?!"
The masked robed figure continued to approach.
"Leave the blade."
The driver gripped the blade. "So you're after the Demon Blade? What organization are you from? We can talk!"
"The blade can be yours. Let me go!"
The robed figure stopped, reaching out.
He wanted the driver to throw the blade.
The driver grinned, tearing away the cloth, revealing a crimson cleaver!
His eyes turned red!
His speed increased!
"Hahaha, I gave my life for this! I won't give it to you!!"
"Die!"
The driver attacked.
The robed figure ducked, kicking the driver.
The driver flew backward, crashing onto the car!
Bang!
The driver slammed into the hood. The Demon Blade fell.
The robed figure grabbed the Demon Blade. A sensation coursed through him!
An intense desire to kill!
The Demon Blade was affecting him! He quickly pulled out a photo.
His eyes scanned the words. The desire was suppressed!
"It actually works."
Reinhard returned the photo and attached the sheath.
"Demon Blade contained."
He adjusted his mask and flew away.
"Why do I have to do all the work?"
Reinhard wondered why the others could command their underlings from afar while he had to be on the front lines.
Suddenly, his hand throbbed.
He looked at his right hand, where the tri-circle mark had deepened.
"Did the game come back?"