On top of a towering skyscraper, Empedocles, Mona Lisa, and Leonidas were standing there.
"He just sent us all the way here like it's nothing, and where's Simuna? Why isn't she here with us?" said Empedocles, a little annoyed.
"Calm yourself! Maybe Simuna has her own plan to catch them. What we're doing here is simply bringing them to the location Democritus decided," replied Leonidas.
"I hope she's not just being lazy! Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and open the gate!"
Mona Lisa gave a slight nod and looked at Empedocles with a puzzled expression.
"Why… don't you go down… first?"
"What!!! Aren't you the one who can create a portal? Then what's the point of your power if you're not going to use it properly!"
"If I… open a portal now… it would… stand out too much…"
"You're such a strange woman! Why don't you use your powers at times like this!"
Leonidas took a seat beside Mona Lisa, and suddenly a cup of tea appeared right in front of him.
Empedocles looked at the two of them, confused, as they calmly enjoyed their tea.
"Hey!!! Don't ignore me! And why are you going along with her, Leonidas?"
"Come to think of it, there's no harm in relaxing for a bit," said Leonidas, sipping his tea.
"Damn it!!! Why are you all always like this! You never take your missions seriously!"
"You're the one who takes things too seriously," Leonidas replied flatly.
"Where's… Marie…?" asked Mona Lisa while sipping the tea in her hand.
"Ah! That woman disappeared without a trace. Even at the last meeting, she barely said a word. Not like her at all."
Empedocles sat down beside the two of them.
"Who cares about that chatterbox anyway, she's so noisy. I really can't stand her," said Empedocles as he took a sip from the tea in front of him.
At least take a look around!
"Any moment now… they… will come out…"
"Come out? From where?"
"Now… come on… let's go!!!"
A portal suddenly appeared in front of the three of them.
Without saying a word, Mona Lisa and Leonidas entered the portal. Empedocles, still wearing a confused expression, finished the tea in his hand and followed them in—trailing behind Leonidas and Mona Lisa.
"Hey wait!!!"
The three of them entered the portal, and in an instant, it shrank and vanished.
– –
I stepped out of the station and hurried toward the place Nico had told me about earlier.
He'd asked me to meet him at one of the city's well-known gyms. He's got quite a few friends there, and he even said a professional trainer would help me out during practice.
As I was walking past a women's clothing store, suddenly a girl came out of the shop.
It was Sylvia. She was wearing a red scarf and holding a black handkerchief—matching the color of her uniform.
"Sylvia? What are you doing here?"
"Andri!? Oh, nothing special. I was just tagging along with my friend. She said she wanted to buy some clothes for Christmas next month."
It's hard to believe Christmas is already around the corner.
"Did you buy Christmas clothes too?"
"Me? No-no, besides, my family only wears formal clothes during special occasions."
Rich people and their traditions, huh?
While I was talking with Sylvia, one of her friends came out of the store.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sylvia, eh!"
She was one of Sylvia's friends who forced me to join that karaoke night before. Nothing too special about her—just a cheerful girl who's always by Sylvia's side.
Her jet-black hair and slightly pointy teeth really stood out.
She was just as popular as Sylvia.
"You're… Sylvia's friend from karaoke!!!" she shouted while pointing at me.
"Yeah… I'm Andri. We didn't really get a chance to introduce ourselves, did we?"
"Right! I'm Linette. My close friends call me Lina—ah! But don't worry, no need for you to follow along, hehe."
Damn! What is this blinding light!? The sheer force of this extrovert aura is insane.
"What are you doing here? This isn't your way home, is it?" Sylvia asked as she stepped a little closer to me.
"Nothing special, I'm just… taking a walk, hehe…"
What a dumb excuse! They're totally going to laugh at me for walking around alone like a weirdo.
But I can't tell them I'm going to meet Nico. I still can't let Sylvia know about my training.
"A walk? Alone? Weirdo!" Linette pushed.
I know! So stop saying it out loud!
"Well… sometimes I go out with classmates too, but lately they've been kinda busy."
"Is that what people without friends usually say?"
This girl is really annoying!
"That's not nice, Linette!" Sylvia said, lightly hitting Linette on the head.
"Ow!... Sorry, hehe. I was just messing around with him. Hey, why don't you come with us!"
"Huh? Me?"
"Eh! Wait, Linette!—" Sylvia tried to stop her.
"It's fine, right? We're going to the movies. One of Sylvia's favorite films is showing today."
Suddenly Linette stepped closer and whispered to me.
"How about it? I'll help you get closer to her. You might even see a different side of Sylvia…"
This girl's got the wrong idea. But… a different side of Sylvia… doesn't sound so bad.
I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts. This might be a golden opportunity, but I don't have time for that right now. I need to meet Nico!
"Sorry—but I really have to go!"
Just as I turned away and was about to hurry off, I accidentally bumped into a woman passing by.
"Ah! Sorry—"
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
The woman in front of me stared with cold, eerie eyes.
She slowly gave a strange smile and tried to say something.
"Found… Saint…"
As soon as she said that, I instinctively backed away and went on alert.
"What's wrong, Andri!" Sylvia yelled beside me.
"Hey, Andri. That's really rude. At least apologize properly."
Linette stepped closer to the woman.
"Sorry, ma'am—uh? Or… miss? Sorry, your face isn't very clear. Anyway, it was my friend's fault, so I'd like to apologize on his behalf."
I grabbed the talkative girl and pulled her back, forcefully.
"Hey, get away from her, she's—"
"Hey! Lisa! Where have you been!? Geez, don't just wander off like that!"
"Did you find them?"
Two strangers suddenly walked toward us.
One was a burly man with a beard covering his mouth and scars all over his face.
And the other… was he even human? I wasn't sure. His face was just a skull.
How could he even be alive like that?
"They're… here…"
The two odd people looked at the three of us, confused.
"Them? But they're… still in high school?" said the skull-faced guy.
Suddenly, the bearded man smacked him hard on the head.
"Idiot! Did you forget? Wasn't the intel from yesterday saying that the Saints they mentioned… were high schoolers!"
"Huh? Really? I don't remember."
Wait, did they just say "Saint"?
Are they Saints too, like me and Sylvia?
This is bad! We can't fight in a crowded place like this.
Sylvia slowly stepped closer to me and whispered.
"Andri. They're…"
"Yeah. They're Saints."
"Saints? What's that?" Linette chimed in.
Right. I forgot she was here.
This is bad! It'll be dangerous if she gets dragged into this.
And I can't involve the townspeople walking all around us either.
Wait! There are three clearly bizarre people here, and no one's reacting to it?
I could understand it for the two normal ones, but the guy with the skull face?
Why isn't anyone scared or even slightly weirded out?
Something's not right!
"Who are they? Are they your friends?" Linette asked, looking at me.
"No! I don't know them, but… they're dangerous!"
"Dangerous? Hmm…"
Linette slowly stepped forward toward the creepy woman.
"Excuse me, miss? I think my friend might've said something rude earlier. So once again, I'd like to sincerely apologize to you."
Suddenly, the woman smiled again, and her hand slowly reached out as if to grab Linette by force.
"Linette, watch out!"
Sylvia swiftly pulled her back and tossed her behind us.
"Get in…"
Time seemed to freeze.
I couldn't move my body.
Everything became blurry and distant.
Damn it! I didn't do anything! Sylvia… I have to save them!
Without realizing it, I activated my power, and suddenly, my body was wrapped in a golden light.
What's happening? This golden light… it's letting me move again!?
This is my chance!
Quickly, I touched Sylvia's hand, and the golden light surrounding me transferred to her body too.
Now she could move again.
"Andri! What happened?" Sylvia fell to the ground.
"I don't know. Everything lost its color, like time just stopped here."
"Was this the work of those three strangers?" Sylvia asked while trying to stand back up.
I reached out my hand and helped her get to her feet.
"Maybe… I'm not sure, but if I remember right, that woman was trying to grab Linette, wasn't she?"
Sylvia turned her head, looking for Linette. She was right behind me, half-collapsed. Sylvia let out a sigh of relief when she saw her friend was okay.
"Thank goodness…"
"Impressive you managed to escape my trap, Adam!"
That strange woman reappeared before us, followed by the two odd people behind her.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"You're the Saints, aren't you?" Sylvia added.
The woman smiled again and looked at us. Her eyes glowed red. All her hair stood up and waved wildly above her head.
"My name is Mona Lisa… and I'm here to steal your dreams…"
Huh? Mona Lisa?
"My name is Leonidas! The strongest warrior of Sparta!"
Leonidas? Sparta?
"Now it's my turn! I'm Empedocles. This world is made of four elements—fire, earth, water, and wind. And I control them all—Ah! Crap! I just revealed my powers too openly!"
He was just a talking skeleton.
"Hey! What's with that face? You looked surprised when those two introduced themselves, but when it's my turn, you just look blank and disappointed!"
"Who's this noisy skeleton?" Sylvia asked, confused.
"Noisy skeleton? Who are you calling a skeleton, you rude woman! I'm Empedocles! The master of all elements in this world!"
"You only control four elements! Don't lie and try to scare them," said the man beside him.
"Ha! Why are you butting in!? This is my business! Want me to burn off your dumb beard!?"
"Try me if you dare, hehe!"
Who are these people… could they be a Servant alliance like me, Sylvia, and Nico?
Damn! I need to stay on guard.
"What do you want from us!" I shouted.
The two behind the woman looked back at me, and her hair slowly dropped down.
"We…" the woman began to speak, "Olosof… Servant Alliance…"
Olosof? Servant Alliance?
"We… want… Adam…"
As soon as she finished, a strong gust of wind blew violently toward us.
A massive tentacle, painted like a surreal artwork, shot up from underground and tried to attack us.
Sylvia and I quickly dodged it. Now we were separated from each other.
"Andri! Looks like we have no choice but to fight them!" Sylvia said—and now she had transformed into Jeanne d'Arc.
"You're right! There's no other way!"
I took a deep breath, and suddenly my heart started beating faster. A gentle wind circled me, and a warm light wrapped around my body.
I had transformed into Adam.
"Alright, let's fight them, Jeanne!"
– –
Adam and Jeanne d'Arc had appeared, ready to face whatever attack Mona Lisa, Leonidas, and Empedocles would throw their way.
"Wow! Amazing!" said Empedocles, fascinated. "So that's Adam!? Even better than I imagined!"
Empedocles hopped up and down like a child.
Meanwhile, Leonidas looked surprised as he stared at Jeanne d'Arc.
"Jeanne d'Arc… interesting! I'll take on the enemy!"
"Huh?" Jeanne d'Arc replied.
Mona Lisa slowly floated upward and spread her arms as her hair flowed wildly again.
"Rise!"
A beam of light shot out from her forehead.
Leonidas and Empedocles echoed the same words.
"Rise!"
A light burst from Leonidas' right arm, and another light from Empedocles' back.
Leonidas summoned a metal gauntlet that merged with his arm.
It could evolve into a massive shield. He also summoned a golden, shining Spartan helmet.
Empedocles removed the glove covering his hand, and suddenly flames burst from his body.
The fire spread over his entire body, right up to his head.
Mona Lisa gently descended from the air, and out of nowhere, a portal appeared above her.
From within it, an enormous horned blue whale emerged.
It slowly moved toward Adam and Jeanne d'Arc.
The whale got closer. Jeanne d'Arc looked panicked and readied her long sword.
Adam clenched his right hand tightly.
A golden crack ran through his right arm.
He leapt at an incredible speed and landed a powerful punch on the whale's horn.
BAMM!!!!
Adam's punch unleashed an unbelievable force.
The giant blue whale shattered into pieces, splattering all over the city.
Buildings, shops, and houses around them, once colorless, were now covered in a thick blue hue.
"What… is this…" Jeanne d'Arc said, stunned.
"Hey! Mona! Don't go jumping ahead! Let us have some fun too!" Empedocles shouted.
Leonidas suddenly charged forward and threw a punch toward Jeanne d'Arc.
BAMMM!!!
A massive punch struck Jeanne d'Arc directly.
"Hey! Damn you, Leonidas! How dare you get ahead of me!" Empedocles shouted from a distance.
"Screw you! I did it because I wanted to. Jeanne d'Arc, you're really tough!"
Jeanne d'Arc blocked the punch with her long sword, holding her ground.
Leonidas was impressed by her defense.
"This isn't hard at all!" Jeanne d'Arc said, flashing a smug smile at Leonidas.
Frustrated, Leonidas added more power to his blow and pushed Jeanne d'Arc back.
"Hehe, I like you! A little cocky, huh!"
Adam jumped toward Jeanne d'Arc.
"What's the plan?" Jeanne asked him.
"Nothing yet… this all happened too fast. We can't contact Nico either."
"You're right! They've got the advantage not just in strength but also in numbers. We're seriously outmatched here…"
"It's okay if you're scared. I'll protect you."
Jeanne d'Arc smiled warmly and looked at Adam with confidence.
"Oh please, don't think you can act cool now. I'm the one who'll take them down."
Mona Lisa, Leonidas, and Empedocles were surprised by how fearless the two were.
Not even a hint of fear. In fact, they looked even more fired up than their enemies—despite being outnumbered and outpowered.
"You two are really something… no wonder he wants to target you both first."
He?
Suddenly—without anyone noticing—Mona Lisa vanished from sight.
She reappeared right beside Jeanne d'Arc.
Adam and Jeanne jumped back, startled—but too late.
Mona Lisa touched Jeanne d'Arc's shoulder.
"You… fight… me…"
Jeanne d'Arc instantly disappeared along with Mona Lisa.
Adam stood stunned, unable to believe it.
Then—BAMMM!!!!
A crushing blow came straight at him.
Adam barely blocked it with both hands.
Leonidas' punch forced him back, but he still managed to move and leap away.
Mona Lisa had taken Jeanne d'Arc into another world, and she was now trapped there.
Meanwhile, Adam was left to face two enemies whose true strength he hadn't yet seen.