Somewhere in China…
Far away from the headquarters of the heroes…
A massive underground facility stood beneath the earth.
No sunlight.
No sound of civilization.
Only cold metal walls, enormous machines, and hundreds of masked soldiers.
At the center of the facility stood ten Mask Men.
Each of them had a completely different appearance.
Raizen Kuro — tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a black armored coat and a cracked white mask.
Shirogane Rei — slim, silver-haired, wearing a long black robe and a smooth porcelain mask.
Vega — a muscular woman with short dark hair, heavy combat armor, and a horn-shaped mask.
Akane Tsukishiro — a quiet woman with long crimson hair, a dark cloak, and a mask covering only the upper half of her face.
Jinro — a huge man carrying two enormous weapons across his back, wearing a metallic wolf mask.
Mika — a short, energetic-looking girl with twin ponytails, a black tactical outfit, and a smiling mask.
Raven — a mysterious figure dressed entirely in black, with a bird-like mask and a long coat.
Darius — an extremely tall man with golden armor and a heavy black mask.
Noir — a silent woman with violet hair, wearing a dark battle dress and a completely expressionless mask.
Kurohane — the youngest-looking member, wearing a hooded coat and a mask decorated with thin black markings.
And standing in front of all ten…
Was their leader.
His identity remained hidden.
His mask concealed his entire face.
He slowly walked into the chamber.
Everyone turned toward him.
The leader spoke calmly.
"I've just returned from meeting the Alien Queen."
The atmosphere immediately became serious.
---
The Alien Queen's Chamber
The enormous doors opened.
BOOOOM.
Beyond them was a gigantic chamber.
Hundreds of alien soldiers stood in perfect formation.
At the end of the room sat the Alien Queen.
She smiled.
"Ah…"
"So you've finally returned."
The Mask Man leader stopped before her.
"My Lady."
The Queen leaned forward.
"Give me your report."
The leader remained silent for a moment.
Then he looked toward the scientist's empty laboratory.
"You killed that scientist."
The Queen smiled.
"He had already served his purpose."
"He helped with the Eye of Lotus implantation."
The leader's eyes narrowed behind his mask.
"And the Poison Girl?"
The Queen laughed softly.
"I believe I killed her."
"Although…"
Her smile disappeared.
"She may still be alive."
The leader became silent.
"She was stronger than expected."
"She could become a problem."
The leader looked toward her.
"And the summoning ritual?"
"The temple in China's largest city?"
The Queen smiled again.
"Everything is proceeding perfectly."
"We have already prepared the ritual site."
"And Kaguya?"
The leader's voice became colder.
"The Weapon Master's Guardian?"
"She has been completely manipulated."
The Queen nodded.
"Excellent."
The leader looked toward her.
"You promised me something."
"When will she awaken?"
The Queen pointed toward another chamber.
"Soon."
The leader turned around.
"Then I'll see her."
---
The Chamber
The doors opened.
Inside was a gigantic cylindrical chamber filled with glowing liquid.
A human figure floated peacefully inside.
A girl.
Her body was completely covered by a specially designed medical immersion suit, with only her face visible beneath the surface.
Long dark hair floated around her.
She appeared to be sleeping.
The Mask Man leader slowly approached the chamber.
For the first time…
His voice became emotional.
"Finally…"
"You're here."
He placed his hand against the glass.
"I don't care about anything anymore."
"This time…"
"I'll protect you."
"Even if I have to give my life."
His voice trembled.
"Last time…"
"I couldn't save you."
His hand slowly tightened.
"I was only a child."
"I couldn't protect you."
"I couldn't stop what happened to you."
"I've regretted it ever since."
His voice almost broke.
"I'm sorry…"
"I'm so sorry."
The girl suddenly moved.
The leader froze.
Her eyes slowly opened.
She looked through the liquid.
"…Is that you?"
The leader didn't move.
The girl stared at his mask.
"Kaito… Jin?"
Silence.
The entire chamber seemed to stop.
The leader slowly raised his hand.
A dark aura began surrounding him.
A faint dragon-like presence appeared behind him.
BOOOOOOM!
The glass chamber shattered.
The liquid flooded across the floor.
The girl fell forward.
The leader caught her.
He removed his mask.
For the first time…
The face hidden beneath it was revealed.
Kaito Jin.
The man everyone believed had died.
The man Leo was believed to have defeated.
The man whose story was supposed to have ended in Volume 1.
He held her tightly.
"I'm sorry."
"I couldn't protect you."
The girl gently placed both hands against his face.
"Look at me."
Kaito slowly raised his eyes.
"I'm here."
"I'm standing right in front of you."
"So please…"
"Don't cry."
Kaito closed his eyes.
The girl smiled weakly.
"My name is Aoi Hoshizora."
Her childhood name.
The person Kaito had loved since childhood.
The two had grown up together in poverty.
They had survived by stealing food simply to stay alive.
And when Aoi was still very young, she suffered a traumatic attack that left a scar on both her body and her life.
Kaito had been powerless to stop it.
That memory had never left him.
Now…
He had found her again.
Kaito gently stepped back.
He looked toward one of the female Mask Men.
"Get her clothes."
His voice was cold again.
"Dark colors."
The female Mask Man nodded.
"Yes."
Kaito put his mask back on.
The emotional expression disappeared.
The mysterious leader returned.
He turned toward the Alien Queen.
"My Lady."
"Our preparations are complete."
"Let's begin."
---
Kaguya
Elsewhere…
A single chamber remained completely dark.
Kaguya sat motionless.
Her eyes slowly opened.
Red.
Her pupils had changed.
The expression on her face was no longer the same.
Her aura began spreading through the room.
She whispered:
"…Destroy."
Her eyes became even brighter.
The Weapon Master's Guardian was ready.
---
The Broadcast
Every television screen in China suddenly turned black.
Then—
A masked face appeared.
The Mask Man leader.
Kaito Jin.
His voice echoed across the entire world.
"People of this world…"
"Prepare yourselves."
The screen flickered.
"This world is going to burn."
"I will destroy everything."
"You took my family."
"You took the people I loved."
"You destroyed my clan."
"The Black Dragon Clan was branded a cursed clan."
"And you watched them die."
His voice became colder.
"You thought my story had ended."
"You thought I was dead."
A long silence.
"You made one mistake."
"You left me alive."
The screen suddenly distorted.
"Now…"
"You will watch this world burn."
The broadcast ended.
For several seconds…
Nobody spoke.
---
World Martial Arts Organization — Emergency Command Room
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The broadcast appeared on a massive screen.
Several people immediately stood.
At the center of the room sat the Ten Super Generals of the World Martial Arts Organization.
They were among the strongest martial artists in the world.
The first was General Ryuken Arashi — an enormous man with silver hair, a scar across his eyebrow, and a dark military coat.
Beside him stood General Mei Lin — a calm woman with long black hair, a white combat uniform, and a jade-colored shoulder guard.
General Viktor Dragunov — heavily built, bald, with a thick beard and reinforced martial armor.
General Ayaka Shirogane — a sharp-eyed woman with short blue-black hair and a long white coat.
General Hassan Rahman — tall and athletic, wearing desert-colored combat robes and metal gauntlets.
General Marcus Vale — a muscular man with brown hair, a black sleeveless uniform, and a heavy scar running down his cheek.
General Sora Hayashi — a young-looking martial artist with messy silver hair and a dark hooded jacket.
General Elena Voss — a tall woman with golden-brown hair, wearing elegant black martial armor.
General Daichi Kurogane — an older warrior with long gray hair, a traditional dark robe, and a wooden staff.
And finally—
General Jian Long.
The quietest of them all.
Long black hair.
Dark red eyes.
A black-and-gold martial uniform.
He didn't react to the broadcast.
He simply stared at Kaito's face.
The room remained silent.
General Ryuken finally spoke.
"So…"
"The dead man has returned."
Jian Long slowly stood.
"This isn't simply revenge."
Everyone looked at him.
His expression hardened.
"He's preparing for war."
The screen suddenly flickered again.
Kaito's masked face appeared for one final second.
Then—
BLACK.
The Ten Super Generals stood together.
And for the first time…
The entire World Martial Arts Organization realized that the coming battle would not be another tournament.
It would be a war.
TO BE CONTINUED…