Meanwhile, down below—
Noxis stood amid the shadows of shattered cubes. He did not move, only tilting his head upward as the red lens of his mask glimmered faintly.
His four ruined arms trembled, metal creaking in protest, before dissolving into fragments of blood-red dust that scattered and vanished into the air.
"I underestimated him, didn't I?" Noxis murmured, as if to himself.
His head dipped slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was heavy—dry, echoing, as though rising from a bottomless void.
"Well… that's nothing unusual."
He exhaled softly.
"It is a little surprising, though. Four of my children… shaken by him."
His shoulders quivered, the sound almost like a bitter chuckle.
"And to think they were born of pure rage. Of hatred without limit."
Slowly, he lifted his head.
"And you—"
The crimson lens fixed on Kael.
"—you made it crack."
A faint smile curled beneath the mask. Poisonous.
"You truly are different from the others, Kael Vieron."
He raised one hand, shaping his fingers into a tilted U, pointing toward the floating cubes above. Through the gaps in the metal casing, his gaze seemed drawn to the dark fissures beyond.
"But you know… rage never disappears. You only mar its surface. Its core… always remains. And every crack you make—" his fingers closed slowly, metal screeching as the sound echoed through the chamber, "—only drives my fury deeper."
The atmosphere froze instantly. Only faint ripples of energy trembled in the air.
Then—
From the white sky filled with cubes, a red-silver projectile shot downward.
FWUUSSHHH!
A shrill whine tore through the air, too fast for any normal eye to follow.
"…Hm?" Noxis glanced up, his body tensing for a split second as the red lens narrowed.
The bullet plunged straight toward him. Instead of dodging, he opened his palm.
With a sharp impact, he caught it just before it reached his head. Energy burst within his grasp.
For a moment, he stood still—then slowly lowered his hand. His palm opened, revealing a small object between his fingers.
"…A bullet?" His voice was flat and low, cold—grating like raw metal scraped across steel.
As the word lingered, rapid footsteps hissed behind him.
"—Huh?"
In that instant, Kael was already there, moving so fast the bullet might as well have been a teleportation anchor. This time, Astra was not in his hand, but Fiyn—its aura flashing with cold, golden lightning.
Without hesitation, he struck. Fiyn carved forward in a blinding arc, aimed at the left side of Noxis's neck—a single, decisive cut meant to end it all.
But—
CLANG!
The strike collided with something unseen. A thin red holographic flare ignited—nearly invisible, yet enough to halt Fiyn completely.
Kael's eyes widened. His breath caught.
What… is this?!
Noxis lowered his head, and from behind the mask came laughter. Long, echoing, hollow—laughter devoid of life.
"Ahahahahaha! Ahahahhhahahahha…! You really are something else."
He slowly turned toward Kael, the red lenses burning hot.
"So that's your method, Assassin? Clever. Fast. Devious. You aimed straight for my most vulnerable point. Entertaining—truly. But it won't be that easy."
"Tch…."
Failed. Kael immediately stepped back, retreating several paces. His eyes narrowed, his breathing heavier. He raised Astron toward Noxis, stance guarded.
Noxis continued, his voice carrying a cold, piercing edge.
"Unfortunately… you still don't understand."
"This rage—" he pressed a finger to his chest, as if pointing far deeper than flesh, "—cannot be pierced by blades, bullets, or even your courage."
He stepped closer, his laughter fading into something lower—something far more unsettling.
"…Do you know what it feels like… to swallow your anger alone, with no one who cares?"
Kael's gaze did not waver.
"To feel it gnaw at you every second, burning you from within—while the world sees you as nothing but a monster? Do you know what it's like when everything you protected is reduced to ruin, and all that remains… is wrath?"
Kael's breathing stayed steady, though his jaw tightened. His weapon remained raised.
Noxis let out a quiet chuckle. "That's the truth you're hiding. You can pretend to be calm, pretend to be cold—but I can see it in your eyes. You have rage. You just haven't let it out yet. And the moment you surrender to it… you'll become just like me. An emptiness filled with fury—invincible, eternal."
Kael's eyes sharpened. His voice came out cold, without a trace of fear.
"Shut up. Or I'll blow your head apart."
"Blow my head apart?" Noxis replied lightly, almost dismissive. "Go ahead. I don't care. Because I know this—immortality will always give birth to me again. Stronger. More real."
He let out a soft chuckle, then added, "Why so quiet now? Hesitating? My, my… fine. I won't use that barrier again. In return, I'll give you—"
DAR!
Without a word, Kael pulled the trigger.
A single Astron round tore through the air like a black-silver bolt of lightning, slamming straight into Noxis's forehead.
Blood and shattered metal burst outward, spraying violently. Noxis's head was obliterated—reduced to nothing in an instant, cutting his words short as though no life could remain.
And yet—
Noxis was still standing.
His body stayed upright. He didn't fall. He didn't even tremble.
Silence crept in, leaving only faint ripples of energy in the air. Then, slowly… Noxis raised both hands before his chest.
PLAK. PLAK. PLAK.
Applause.
Not just sound, but mockery that rang through the empty space. Each clap was uneven, cold—cutting through the silence like an invisible blade.
Kael's eyes flew wide. They trembled, his breath catching, his body locking in disbelief at what he was seeing.
This… isn't possible. He's still moving—even after I destroyed his head?!
The clapping continued for a few beats, slow and deliberate, before tapering off.
And then—
Noxis raised his right arm.
TICK!
His fingers snapped lightly.
In that instant, Kael's pupils dilated. The world shifted. His vision was yanked away—dragged into a nameless darkness, an inner space tearing open the sealed doors of his past.
The flashback came without warning.
From within—
Small footsteps echoed through a dim hallway. Soft. Hollow. They followed the stiff movements of a young Kael as he walked forward. The cold floor seeped into his feet, sending a chill up his spine, while his heart pounded wildly—as if something unseen were guiding him toward the basement door.
A door rarely opened.
When he reached it, young Kael stopped. He stared, suspicion filling his gaze as his breathing quickened. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out.
The doorknob was freezing.
And before he could turn it—
KREEK.
The door shifted… opening from within.
Dim light spilled out, revealing a figure.
Not human.
Tall. Slender. Encased in white-silver armor, with gold along the shoulders and helmet. Lines of bluish light flowed through the gaps in its metallic frame, pulsing steadily—like a system that never slept.
Its helmet fully enclosed its head—sharp, symmetrical—crowned with golden protrusions like a silent mechanical diadem. Where a face should be, a transparent visor glowed faint blue, reflecting something within—yet revealing no eyes.
That gaze—or something like it—fixed directly on young Kael.
No expression. No sound.
Only a presence too perfect, too calm… until the silence itself grew oppressive, as if the world held its breath.
Seconds passed—stretching into eternity. Young Kael stood frozen.
Then, the figure moved.
One step.
Its heavy footsteps passed him, leaving a metallic chill that pierced his skin—like ice seeping into bone.
And when Kael turned, his gaze fell into the basement beyond.
Young Kael's eyes widened. His heart dropped into a hollow abyss.
His mother.
She sat slumped in an old wooden chair. Her body hung lifeless, blood spilling from the corner of her lips, soaking her clothes, dripping down to pool darkly on the floor.
"Mom… mooom!!!" young Kael screamed, his voice breaking as hysterical sobs tore through the silence.
But his cries changed nothing.
Before leaving, the unfamiliar figure paused at the doorway. Its back remained straight—unyielding, like a wall that could never be shaken. Slowly, it turned its head, and its voice emerged—flat, echoing, devoid of any trace of human emotion.
"Congratulations. Now you are alone… and free to do everything your own way."
With that, it continued on. Heavy footsteps echoed, lingering as they faded into the distance, leaving young Kael behind in a hysteria that would not subside.
His screams tore through the darkness—and carved themselves into his soul forever.
…
The flashback ended.
Kael was dragged back into the white chamber. His breathing was ragged, his face trembling, his gaze frozen in disbelief—as if his soul had just been split open.
Before him, Noxis stood tall.
The head that had been destroyed moments ago was whole again, complete with his tall hat and long-beaked mask. His towering figure was flawless—so perfect it was as though his death had been nothing more than an illusion.
That cold voice echoed once more.
"Well? Did you enjoy the gift I gave you?"
Kael said nothing. His jaw tightened, both hands trembling despite his effort to suppress them.
But Noxis continued.
His voice flowed again—slow, cold, each word pressed deliberately into an open wound.
"That is the bitter memory your mother hid from you. You knew who she was… but never what she concealed. You lived beneath her shadow, Kael Vieron, yet never truly understood the blood within you."
Noxis stepped forward. The red glow of his lenses burned, locking onto Kael's eyes like shackles.
"Every wound, every secret… she hid them not to protect you, but to weaken you. So you would grow hollow—never realizing how fragile you were. And now—I am the one who has opened it. I am the one who shows you the truth your own family could not tell."
He lowered his head slightly, the crimson lenses glinting.
"Your mother did not want you to grow strong… she wanted you tame. You were raised in her shadow—not to become yourself, but the shadow she chose for you. Tell me, Kael… is that what you call love? Or merely chains wrapped in a false smile?"
Noxis slowly raised his hand, palm facing Kael, as if reaching for him.
"You call me a monster… but look at who shaped you. Your mother left you a rotting legacy, steeped in lies. And you, last Assassin… are you still trying to deny it?"
He drew closer, his voice dropping low—piercing, like a whisper against Kael's ear.
"There is no reason to resist your anger. Let it consume you. That is far more honest… than the lie you've spent your life calling family."
Kael finally snapped. Astron and Fiyn slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground.
"Shut your mouth!" His voice broke—raw, hoarse, overflowing with rejection.
Both hands clutched his head, fingers digging into his skin as if trying to tear the whispering voices out. His jaw locked, his breathing fractured, his gaze trembling between fury and fear.
Noxis only watched. The red lenses flickered once—and his cold voice rumbled again.
"Stubborn to the very end."
***