The air inside WHU's command hall felt heavier than usual.
Sebastian stood at the center, calm but sharp.
"Team A — move."
Asher, Vincent, Julia, and Julian left immediately.
Energy disturbances were spreading across the edge of the city.
This time…
It felt denser.
More oppressive.
The Battlefield
When they arrived, the destruction had already begun.
Buildings cracked. Asphalt fractured.
Freya stood in the middle of it all.
Her blue hair moved gently in the wind.
She looked… composed.
Vincent stepped forward.
"It's been a while."
Freya smiled faintly.
"This will be our last meeting."
A moment of silence.
Then—
The air shifted.
Behind Vincent—
A presence.
The ground suddenly grew heavy.
Alpha.
Dressed in black. Expressionless.
He simply lowered his hand.
And the world pressed down.
Vincent's knees slammed into the cracked pavement.
Gravity Spike.
The ground shattered beneath him.
Asher's eyes widened.
"What—?!"
Alpha's voice was calm.
"Did the world always feel this light to you?"
Vincent gritted his teeth.
Muscles tensed.
He forced himself upward.
"You're heavier than I expected."
Alpha didn't blink.
"This is only the beginning."
Data Stream
Inside WHU, Vale's eyes moved rapidly across holographic displays.
"Sebastian… it's gravitational manipulation."
"Radius?"
"Variable. He's focusing on single points — but he can expand it."
Sebastian activated the comms.
"Alpha — gravity control. Don't cluster. Break formation. Stay mobile."
The Shift
Julian launched first.
High-speed strike.
Alpha lifted his hand slightly.
The air compressed.
Julian froze mid-motion — then slammed into the ground.
"Too fragile."
Julia and Asher exchanged a glance.
They moved simultaneously.
Julia fired a concentrated energy wave from the side.
Asher activated Pressure Core.
The ground trembled.
Freya extended her blue field.
Everything slowed.
Asher felt his body grow heavy.
Alpha redirected gravity sideways.
Julia was pulled violently into a concrete wall.
Asher dropped to one knee.
Freya approached calmly.
"Teamwork? Adorable."
Vincent lunged again — but the earlier impact had done damage.
Freya sensed the weakness.
Her field narrowed.
Vincent's movements slowed further.
One precise strike.
A burst of energy.
Vincent collapsed.
This time—
He didn't get up.
Escalation
Inside WHU, Sebastian's expression changed.
"This is no longer contained."
He moved.
Seconds later—
He was there.
The Difference in Level
Sebastian stepped forward calmly.
For the first time—
Freya and Alpha looked alert.
Alpha intensified gravity.
The ground cracked deeper.
Sebastian kept walking.
Unaffected.
Freya expanded her slow field.
Sebastian's pace didn't change.
Asher watched in stunned silence.
"SSS Rank…"
Sebastian vanished.
Reappeared behind Alpha.
Shockwaves exploded outward.
Gravity compressed.
Energy shattered air itself.
But Sebastian moved with perfect rhythm.
He cut through Freya's field.
Alpha slid back for the first time.
Sebastian touched his communicator.
"Vale. Prepare medical support."
Silence.
"…Vale?"
No response.
Sebastian's eyes sharpened.
Freya locked eyes with Alpha.
"It's time."
Alpha released a concentrated gravitational burst.
The ground ruptured.
Dust swallowed the battlefield.
When it cleared—
They were gone.
Aftermath
Sebastian immediately turned to the team.
Vincent was critically injured.
Julian barely conscious.
Julia struggling to stand.
Asher still upright—
But shaken.
"Vale isn't responding," Sebastian said quietly.
They returned to WHU.
The headquarters was operational.
Screens active.
Systems running.
But—
Vale was gone.
No sign of forced entry.
No sign of struggle.
Just absence.
Asher felt something sink inside his chest.
This wasn't just an attack.
It was a message.