The Collapse
BOOM!
The tunnel shook violently, stone and debris raining down as Rajiv and his team scrambled for cover. Dust filled the air, making it hard to breathe.
"Move!" Yokudo yelled, dragging a stunned teammate away from a falling boulder.
Rajiv gritted his teeth. His body ached. His golden energy flickered, struggling to stabilize. They had triggered something far worse than a simple trap.
A sharp pain shot through Soraya's leg as a stone grazed her. Liang Bai coughed, his vision blurry from the dust.
"The tunnel is collapsing!" one of the rival teams shouted.
In the chaos, the shadowed figure stepped forward, emerging from the dust like a ghost.
His glowing yellow eyes pierced through the darkness. His skin was pale, almost gray, with dark vein-like patterns running across his arms. His hair was messy, and his once-confident smirk now carried a twisted, eerie calmness.
Rajiv's heart stopped.
"…Jiro?"
Jiro's Transformation
The man—no, the thing—standing before them looked like Jiro, but something was horribly wrong.
His body had Stray-like mutations—his fingers were sharper, his veins pulsed with dark energy, and his stance was unnaturally stiff, as if he were forcing himself to remain human.
Jiro smirked. "Long time no see, Rajiv."
The air grew heavy, filled with an unnatural, suffocating presence. Rajiv and his team instinctively stepped back.
"Jiro…" Rajiv clenched his fists. "What the hell happened to you?!"
Jiro tilted his head, his distorted grin widening.
"I should be asking you, Rajiv. Do you want to help me defeat the Noble Family?"
Rajiv's breathing grew shallow. His hands trembled with rage.
"No!"
Jiro chuckled. "I thought you'd say that."
He lifted a hand, pointing upwards.
"You see… A1 City is under attack right now. Strays are devouring the Noble Family." His voice was eerily calm, yet his eyes burned with something wild.
Rajiv's eyes widened. "What…?"
Jiro stepped closer.
"That's right. The Noble Family is collapsing." His voice was filled with mockery. "Their bloodline, their power—it's all crumbling."
Rajiv's energy flared. "You think this is right?! You think destroying them makes you a hero?!"
Jiro laughed. "Destroying them? Oh, Rajiv, they deserve worse."
He leaned in slightly, his glowing eyes narrowing.
"The Noble Family isn't even linked to the World Government anymore. That means…" He smirked. "No one will protect them now."
Rajiv's fists clenched.
"THIS ISN'T REVENGE—IT'S SLAUGHTER!"
Jiro's face twitched for a moment. His smirk faltered.
For a split second… something human returned to his eyes.
But then—
His expression darkened again. His veins pulsed, and he muttered something under his breath.
"...No. This is right. I have to do this."
Rajiv took a step forward. "Jiro—"
Jiro shook his head violently, his hands grabbing his temples as if fighting something in his mind.
"You don't understand… I'm not the same anymore."
His aura flared, sending a powerful shockwave that pushed everyone back.
Yokudo barely managed to stand his ground. "Shit… his energy is insane!"
Jiro's smirk returned, but this time… it was lifeless.
"I've joined Dark Blue 67."
Silence.
Rajiv's stomach twisted.
Jiro chuckled, stepping back into the flickering shadows of the tunnel.
"And he gave me this power. You should be grateful."
The White Soldiers' Reaction
Outside the tunnel, the White Soldiers were already on high alert. The vibrations from the explosion had rattled the entire underground system.
One soldier, gripping his spear tightly, turned to his commander.
"Sir, the tunnel is unstable. The structure is failing."
The commander's face was grim.
"Prepare the emergency reinforcement seals!"
Several soldiers hurried to the ground, pressing their hands against the stone floor. Bright white symbols in Chinese script glowed, sending waves of energy through the tunnels.
The collapsing walls halted temporarily, stabilizing for a brief moment.
The commander exhaled. "That should buy them time… but we need to know what's going on down there."
Suddenly, a soldier near the tunnel's edge stumbled back, his face pale.
"Sir… I see something. Something's moving in the shadows…"
The commander narrowed his eyes.
"Strays?"
The soldier shook his head violently. "No. This feels… different."
Then, a deep voice echoed from within the tunnel.
A voice filled with both pain and madness.
"You all… are already too late."
The White Soldiers froze.
The commander's blood ran cold.
"...What?"
Then, his expression hardened.
"ALL SOLDIERS, PREPARE FOR ENGAGEMENT!"