The dust in Kaiga Town refused to settle. It hung in the air, thick and metallic, reflecting the crimson glow of the setting sun. **Sai** lay sprawled on the fractured pavement, his lungs burning with every breath. He could feel the cold dampness of his own blood seeping through his shirt, but his eyes—sharp and defiant—never left the silhouette in front of him.
**Zero**, the phantom swordsman, stood amidst the rubble, his katana unsheathed. He wasn't just fast; he was a blur of lethal intent.
*"I have to... move,"* Sai gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the dirt. *"These guys aren't just mercenaries. They're predators."*
"**ZIXU! COORDINATE!**" a voice boomed. It was **Jai**, hovering slightly above the ground, his metallic wings expanding.
"**STEEL WINGS!**" Jai roared. A barrage of razor-sharp feathers launched toward Zero, cutting through the air with a high-pitched whistle. But Zero didn't even blink. With a movement so fluid it looked like water, he swung his katana, reflecting every single feather back toward Jai.
"Sai, he's reading our trajectories!" Zixu shouted, dodging a stray feather. "We need a distraction, or we're dead!"
Suddenly, a calm, rhythmic tapping sound echoed through the chaos. **Zay** emerged from the shadows of a collapsed tavern, twirling a metallic stick in his hand. "Distraction? You guys are making this way too complicated. Ron, Ouy... let's show them the rhythm of the hunt."
Two sleek, feline-like creatures—the **Avtaran**—materialized on either side of Zay. Their long, tufted ears began to glow with a pulsing, rhythmic light. This was the **Acoustic Shift**, a specialized frequency that only Zay and his Avtaran could master.
Zay reached behind his back and pulled out a second metallic stick. The *clack* of the two weapons locking into his grip sent a shiver through the battlefield.
"Oi!" Sai and Zixu yelled together. "Since when do you carry two sticks?!"
"Since I realized one wasn't enough to beat the ego out of people like him," Zay smirked. "Brace yourselves. The beat is about to drop."
### **The Duel of Echoes**
Zero vanished, reappearing instantly in front of Zay. His katana whistled toward Zay's neck, but Zay didn't move his head—he moved his stick. *CRACK!* The collision sent a shockwave through the street. Using the **Acoustic Shift** from the **Avtaran**, Zay was sensing the vibrations in the air before Zero's blade even reached him. It wasn't just speed; it was precognition through sound. Zay's second stick swung in a low arc, slamming into Zero's ribs.
Zero gasped, skidding back several meters. "That... that wasn't human reflex. It was those creatures..." His eyes narrowed at the two glowing **Avtaran**. "So, they provide the sensory data for your movements. A synchronized frequency... interesting."
Zero roared, his blade glowing with a dark, cursed aura. He lunged again, but **Jai** dropped from the sky like a meteor. "**SHIELD BASH!**" Jai's wings curled into a solid wall, absorbing the impact.
"Don't ignore the rest of us!" Jai grinned, pushing Zero back.
In the confusion, **Erina** tried to retreat toward the forest, but **Zixu** was already intercepting her. With a lightning-fast leg sweep, he sent her crashing down. "Sai! The enchanted rope! Now!"
Sai didn't waste a second. He lunged toward a nearby merchant's cart, grabbing a heavy-duty rope reinforced with mana. He tossed it to Zixu, and together they bound Erina in a specialized suppression knot.
"That's one," Sai panted, wiping grime from his face. "Now let's finish the swordsman."
### **The Phantom's Fall**
Zero was desperate now. He threw his katana with everything he had, a projectile meant to decapitate Zay. But Zay didn't flinch. He used his primary stick to parry the blade in a spinning motion, while his second stick—the secret weapon—extended like a whip.
"It's a **Shift-Weapon**!" Zero's eyes widened.
"Correct," Zay replied coldly. The metallic segments of the stick unraveled, wrapping around Zero's torso and limbs like a constrictor snake. The more Zero struggled, the tighter the grip became. He was pinned, his lethal speed neutralized by Zay's calculated rhythm.
Sai and Zixu ran over, their faces a mix of awe and exhaustion. "You actually caught him, Zay! An A-Tier member of the Phantom Troupe!"
"He was arrogant," Zay said, exhaling a long breath. "I've chased bounties in worse places than this. These guys are high-value. We can turn them in for a fortune."
Sai's eyes practically turned into gold coins. "A fortune? Like... fifty thousand? Maybe a lakh?!"
Zay laughed, wiping the blood from his lip. "A lakh? Sai, Zero has a bounty of **2 Million**. And their leader? The man they call the 'Phantom King'? He's 70 Million."
The world seemed to spin for Sai. 70 Million. He could buy a mansion, a fleet of carriages... a whole city. His knees gave out, and he sat down on the dirt, a dazed look on his face. "70... million... I'm going to be a billionaire..."
The tension of the battle finally broke as Jai and Zixu burst into laughter at Sai's reaction. Jai landed nearby, dragging the tied-up Erina. "Well, looks like we're rich, boys. But first, we need to secure them."
The townspeople of Kaiga began to emerge from their basements, tears of relief in their eyes. They gathered around the heroes, offering prayers and thanks. The Avtaran approached Sai, nudging his hand with their glowing ears. They seemed to recognize the purity of his spirit.
Zixu tried to pet one of them, but the Avtaran promptly kicked him in the shin with a soft *thud*.
"HEY! I fought too!" Zixu complained, rubbing his leg as the laughter echoed through the town square.
Naomi stepped forward, looking at the captured villains and then at Sai. "They really like you, Sai. The Avtaran don't just trust anyone. You have a bond with them."
As the moon rose over the horizon, Kaiga Town celebrated a victory they thought was impossible. But in the distance, a dark eagle watched from the skies, its eyes glowing with the same cold light as the Phantom Troupe's mark. This was only the beginning.