Alex lay in bed, the heavy silence around him weighing more than the grief inside. Days had passed since he heard the news of his grandfather's death. He hadn't eaten. He hadn't stepped outside. The light of the room was dim, shadows crawling across the walls like memories he didn't want to face.
Turning to the other side of his bed, Alex's eyes landed on a framed photo resting on the nightstand — a younger version of himself, no older than four, smiling beside Ranpo. That day was etched in his memory. It was the day he first learned to harness the energy fist, under Ranpo's patient guidance.
For a moment, a bittersweet smile flickered across Alex's lips. The past felt so distant now, yet painfully close.
Meanwhile, in Kojin's office, the atmosphere was tense. Fugaku and Kojin stood opposite each other, the weight of recent events pressing down on them.
"Lord Fugaku," Kojin began, voice heavy with concern, "how did it happen? Knowing Ranpo, he can't just lose so easily. He's not the kind to die in a fight just like that."
Fugaku's eyes darkened. "I know it was Olivia. There's no mistaking her. But now… she's going by the name Ukina. It's my fault, really. I wasn't there to guide her, to protect her as her teacher."
Kojin's gaze hardened. "Setting Olivia aside — what really happened? I've known Ranpo for years. He doesn't just disappear or die. Something else is at play."
Fugaku inhaled deeply. "I'll tell you everything. Just… stay calm."
Flashback — Three Months Ago
The sky was overcast, heavy with the promise of battle.
Ranpo and Fugaku stood ready, eyes steely and resolve unbroken.
"Ranpo boy, I'll handle the bird. You take Ukina," Fugaku said.
Ranpo smirked, a playful challenge in his tone. "Don't get yourself killed, sir. You're not as young as you used to be."
Fugaku chuckled, his voice full of quiet confidence. "Age means nothing. If anything, I'm stronger now than ever before."
Suddenly, Ukina's voice cut through the air. "Since you're all just chatting, I guess I'll have to kill you."
With that, a luminous arrow of pure light streaked toward them, accompanied by a divine beast that unleashed fierce wind slashes that moved at the speed of light. Fugaku swiftly cast Dispel, reversing the attack, before leaping into the sky to face the beast mid-air. The wind beast blasted huge bright wind slashes at Fugaku, Fugaku wad able to punch these wind slashes away and charged towards the monster at incredible speeds.
Their battle tore through the weather itself as they were blitzing around the sky— lightning crackled, winds howled.
High above, Ranpo faced Ukina. Beams of searing light shot at him, but his speed was unmatched. He weaved and dodged, energy crackling around him as his hair lengthened, shifting from black to blue.
"Still fearless as ever," Ukina taunted while sending powerful beams of light, her voice cold but tinged with sadness. "No wonder nations fear you, even as you grow old."
Ranpo grinned, punching her attacks with ease. "And you're still the same relentless powerhouse. Beating you won't be easy."
He performed a series of hand signs, summoning colossal energy hammers that hurtled at Ukina at lightning speeds. She narrowly dodged a few of them, and started firing massive beams to counter them. The explosion that followed lit the sky like a second sun, nuclear in scale as it was blasting mountains apart.
Meanwhile, Ukina unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of light beams toward Ranpo, laying waste to the surrounding wastelands.
"I never thought the day would come when we'd fight like this," Ukina said quietly, her voice trembling with emotion. "I shouldn't even be alive after what happened. After I kill you, I will destroy the city... then the world itself."
Ranpo dodged and sliced through the attacks with his blade of death on his arms "I can't let that happen. It's going to hurt, but I have no choice."
Ukina summoned a giant magic circle, charging a devastating blast. "We're both A-rank now. Why don't we see who's the stronger one? Don't worry — I won't use my full power."
The blast carved a massive scar across the wasteland as Ranpo summoned his sword, channeling energy into it.
"Sorry, Olivia," he said grimly, "but I have to stop you."
He sliced through the beam just as Fugaku and the divine beast clashed fiercely nearby.
The wind beast unleashed a barrage of gusts and slashes, but Fugaku held his ground, summoning a Thunder God Crash — a massive lightning strike infused with a magic circle. The divine beast met the attack head-on, charging its wings with raw energy.
The collision erupted into a brilliant, colorful explosion that rained lightning bolts across the sky. Fugaku crashed to the earth, battered and burning.
"We were high in the sky," he muttered, struggling to rise. "Its attack could've wiped out mountains... even Mount Law."
Back in the sky, Ukina shouted between rapid fire blasts, "I hate protecting something evil! The city, the world... it's built on corruption. They tried to kill me. Your own friend — and you fight me?"
Ranpo's voice was steady. "I understand your anger, but I can't let you destroy everything. The world fears what it can't control. But destruction isn't the answer."
Ukina's eyes filled with tears. "So that's how it is. I never wanted to kill you — not after all we've been through. But if you cast me aside... I have no choice."
A giant magic circle formed in her hand, charging a terrifying attack that seemed to be shaking everything around them. The grounds, the mountains, the wastelands and abandoned nearby cities.
Ranpo braced himself, he knew the full might of that attack just by looking at it. "If you launch that, you'll tear a hole in the planet.", Ranpo yelled.
Ukina's voice was cold but pained. "Oh don't worry about that. This power... the one I was discriminated for. Let's see how you survive."
She fired this powerfull beam of energy.
Ranpo charged his energy fist, flew into the air at near light speed and slamming it into the attack. For a moment, he held it back, but the attack overwhelmed him, crashing into the earth with a cataclysmic blast that shattered mountains. Ranpo let out a huge scream of struggle and pain as he was overpowered and injured by the powerful attack Ukina shot at him.
As smoke cleared, Ranpo lay on the ground, armor shattered, burns covering his body, and one arm missing.
Fugaku, regenerating nearby, looked over. "Are you okay?"
Ranpo's voice was weak. "I don't think I'm going to make it. That attack alone could've wiped half the world if I hadn't used a Heavenly Pact to boost my strength."
Fugaku shook his head. "Don't say that."
Ranpo's eyes softened. "Fugaku sensei… please. Teach Alex everything I couldn't. Tell him… what happened."
Fugaku nodded, choking back emotion. "Easy to give up the ghost huh? Dont worry, i will."
They both lay battered and drained, the earth beneath them scarred and broken.
Ukina's tears fell as she prepared one last attack. "Sorry, old friend. This is the end for you."
The explosion swallowed them in light and devastation — mountains crumbled, the land torn asunder.
End of flashback
Fugaku's voice was heavy with sorrow. "That's how he died. I'm lucky to have survived."
Kojin exhaled deeply. "So that's the truth."
End of Chapter.