After that intense battle between Kura and Humaitá, the boy once again heard that strange voice calling him—the same voice he had heard after his fight against the immortal miraijin.
— "You make too much noise, you annoying brat!"
He heard the voice, but unlike the first time, it now felt as if he had been transported to a kind of "dimension" or place he had never seen before. It had a wooden floor and a small fireplace nearby.
— "Where the hell am I?"
Kura said this while looking around, trying to find the source of the voice calling him.
— "Are you blind or what? Turn around, you dumb kid!"
The voice barked, making the boy quickly spin around—only to witness something that would make any normal person question their eyesight. He saw a giant dog bed, easily thirty meters long, and lying on it was an enormous canine creature. It looked like either a wolfdog or a Siberian Husky—he couldn't quite tell the difference. The beast had snow-white fur and heterochromatic eyes: one black, the other icy blue.
— "Uh… What the heck is that? Your pet or something?"
This comment made the creature in front of him grow furious, even swiping at the boy with its massive claws. Kura barely dodged in time, hearing the voice once more.
— "I am the animal in front of you, idiot!"
This revelation shocked Kura—not only was the voice coming from the gigantic dog, but the fact that this beast had a better house than he did was the most surprising thing of all.
— "Oh… my bad. So, what do you want, dog?"
Kura asked casually, staring at the white-furred being. The creature yawned lazily, twisted in its luxurious bed, and only after that did it bother answering.
— "I just came to ask you to be quieter. You're disturbing my sleep and—"
Before it could finish, it noticed the wounds all over the boy's body from his battle with the indigenous warrior. The sight made the beast panic.
— "What the hell?! How the fuck did you end up more wrecked than a glass dropped from a skyscraper, you little shit?!"
Kura had two thoughts in that moment: "Is this thing blind?" and "Wait… is it worried about me?"
— "Huh… does it matter? Relax, it doesn't even hurt that much anymore."
Despite the soldier's reassurances, the entity didn't calm down at all—if anything, it got more worked up.
— "Don't give me that crap, you son of a bitch! If you die, I'll lose all this luxury!"
The giant dog slapped the boy lightly, and a healing aura began to mend his serious wounds. Kura was startled and suddenly felt heavy, drowsy.
— "What the… What the hell was that? Why am I sleepy?"
Seeing the boy regenerate, the being relaxed again and drifted back into its colossal slumber.
— "Must've passed on my sleepiness by accident… well, go ahead and nap."
The boy passed out right there, ending his part in the mission. Meanwhile, at the edge of the now-occupied city, the group led by Captain Held was patrolling the streets, staying alert.
— "Held, stay sharp. One slip-up could cost us our lives, got it?"
This was said by the woman known as the Moon Lady, sister of Shams. She turned to look at their captain—only to realize he wasn't with them. He was nowhere in sight.
The only thing she could think was: "That bastard's already split off from us… what the hell!"
That's exactly what happened. Held had heard a scream for help and ran off to investigate. It seemed to be a woman in absolute distress.
— "Please, I beg you! Don't kill my daughter!"
The woman cried as she clutched a baby, barely six months old, in her arms. She pleaded with a tall man—around two meters and ten centimeters—standing before her.
He had a slim yet athletic build and held a giant pair of pliers, nearly 1.2 meters long, with a crushing head about 45 centimeters wide. He wore a pitch-black cloak, a dated 90s-style hat, subtle sunglasses, and clothes reminiscent of musicians from centuries ago. His hair was short and blond, matched by a thick mustache.
— "And why exactly shouldn't I kill you? Who's going to stop me?"
He said it with a deep, powerful voice laced with sadistic glee and a twisted, arrogant smile.
But that was interrupted by a loud crash—something heavy hitting the ground hard—and the sound of concrete cracking.
— "I will stop you!"
The suited man turned slowly to the voice. He saw someone even taller than himself—standing nearly 2.9 meters. The man was a mountain of muscle and strength, his long hair flowing in the cold night wind. His military uniform left no doubt: it was Captain Held. He stood in an imposing pose, gripping his steel club with both hands.
— "Oh? That's an interesting declaration!"
The suited man turned his full attention to Held, allowing the woman and her baby to flee. The killer only sighed when he noticed, looking mildly disappointed.
— "You made me lose two great toys… I hope you can entertain me—with that face of fear and terror—when I kill you."
Held's expression darkened further with fury. He assessed the man carefully and realized he was facing a member of the terrorist group: The Night Killer, Lume.
— "So people's lives are just toys to you, Night Killer, Lume?!"
The veins in Held's face bulged with pure rage. His eyes burned with hatred and disgust.
Lume grinned wide—gleeful, psychotic—and began spinning his massive pliers in the air.
— "Of course, dear soldier. Everyone dies someday—why shouldn't I enjoy them while they live?"
He stepped toward a nearby streetlamp, the road paved with cobblestones. Held, disgusted to the core, nearly gagged at his words. His only desire was to destroy this creature standing before him as fast as possible.
— "People like you make me sick!"
Held kept his eyes on the killer's every move. Lume swung his massive tool, slicing straight through the metal post. It fell in two clean halves. More impressive than the act itself was how effortlessly he did it—like the post wasn't even there.
— "So this is the infamous power they speak of—your pliers that destroy everything?"
Lume smirked darkly, lifting the weapon with one hand. His black gloves made it look like the tool floated, especially with the streetlight behind him now extinguished.
With supreme arrogance, he shouted:
— "Exactly! This is my special power: the pliers that destroy everything they touch—no exceptions!"
Held, hearing this, actually became more confident. He now had a plan—if he could destroy the weapon, he could kill the man.
He raised his club with his right hand, his eyes blazing with determination.
— "Then I'll defeat you and put an end to your wickedness here and now, Night Killer, Lume!"
The battle was set. A clash between two opposites—two sides of the same human coin: good vs. evil, evil vs. good. Only one of them would walk away from this fight alive.