Location: ???
Silence dominated everything.
Only the sound of wind could be heard dry gusts sweeping across the land, dragging grains of sand along with them. Broken buildings stood half-buried beneath dust. Abandoned cars lay overturned, rusted and forgotten. Debris scattered endlessly across the horizon.
The place looked like the Wild West itself.
A dead land abandoned by time.
Yet one structure remained untouched.
A single building still stood intact.
Above its entrance hung a worn wooden sign:
Saloon
Inside, dim candlelight illuminated the interior. The faint crackling of flames echoed softly as wax slowly melted down the sides of the candles. A chandelier above swayed gently, creaking with each movement as if responding to an unseen breeze.
At the far end of the saloon stood the counter.
And seated there-
A mysterious man quietly drank alone.
Suddenly, he spoke.
- - - : Ooh… Lenny!
He was not merely someone singing drunkenly to himself.
That man was Revenant.
Revenant: My cigarette's finished… Damn it. That bastard still hasn't arrived.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the darkness.
- - - : Greetings, Revenant.
Revenant slightly turned his head.
Revenant: I was beginning to worry.
The man in the shadows walked forward slowly.
It almost seemed as if twilight itself followed him wherever he stepped.
He pulled a chair beside Revenant. The wood scraped against the floor with a soft creak before he sat down. His index finger tapped lightly yet deliberately on the table.
A clear message:
Did you bring what I asked for?
Revenant took another sip of his beer, then calmly closed the bottle and placed it on the table.
Revenant: Let's see what you brought.
- - - : As you wish.
The mysterious man suddenly threw a punch into empty air.
At first, it looked insane.
Then-
CRACK.
Space itself fractured.
The air split open where his fist landed, spreading like broken glass.
Revenant: …What strange tricks.
The crack widened completely.
From within the shattered space, three bags emerged.
The man deliberately positioned them so Revenant could clearly see their contents.
He opened them one by one.
Two of the bags contained ten million Sacred Gold each.
Enough wealth to purchase four entire cities with money left over.
Inside the third bag lay an ancient relic weapon.
A sniper rifle once wielded by a legendary marksman who had fought beside the First Guardian himself.
- - - : The relic. Where is it?
Revenant: You're a strange one… but I must admit, you prepared a fair trade.
Revenant placed a dusty bag onto the table.
He opened it.
Inside rested a forbidden artifact
The Book of the Fallen Angel.
The mysterious man immediately rose from his chair.
Anyone who assimilated that book could evolve their technique to a higher level not merely strengthening it, but forcing it through true evolution.
The man reached for the book instantly.
Revenant pulled it away.
Revenant: My goods first. Then yours.
- - - : You may take everything already. Just hand over the book.
Both moved at the same time.
Revenant closed the money bags and lifted them effortlessly.
The mysterious figure seized the book the moment it was released, raising it into the air.
He inhaled deeply.
Then laughed.
- - - : At last… the first relic is mine! Hahaha!
Revenant (thinking): Even when I'm drunk, I'm not that crazy… or stupid.
Well… can't insult a customer. He paid well.
- - - : If you ever require assistance… come find me.
Revenant: Sure. If the winds blow in my favor, I might. By the way… what are you planning to do with someone named Jack?
- - - : Bring him to me alive… and I will pay you double what you just received.
Revenant understood instantly.
He had just found a living source of income.
A golden goose.
But he still didn't know the client's identity. Some customers hid their names for a reason either distrust or pure whim.
So Revenant asked.
Revenant: Would my client be so generous as to grant me his name?
The mysterious man paused in thought before answering.
- - - : You completed my request quickly enough. My name is Lucifer Deadman.
He removed his hood completely.
His face became visible.
Lucifer Deadman.
No known past.
No confirmed allegiance.
Almost no information existed about him finding even the smallest detail was nearly impossible.
Appearance:
Black hair.
Crimson eyes.
A scar ran across his face like a line dividing it into two halves.
His clothing was almost entirely black, decorated with faint red stripes.
Height: 1.95 meters.
Age: Unknown though he appeared young.
Revenant: Thank you. Have a pleasant evening.
Lucifer turned and walked into the darkness.
Then vanished.
Revenant sat back down at the table and began counting his money.
Location: Sacred Temple Main Hall
The hall was empty now.
Not a single person remained.
Only two figures stood there:
Arthur.
And Rick.
Rick's expression was unusually serious.
Rick: There's something I need to tell you, Arthur.
Arthur responded calmly, hiding his surprise.
Arthur: What is it?
Rick: We discovered an island.
Arthur frowned.
Arthur: …What?
A thousand years ago, Liberty and his army of creatures slaughtered ninety-six percent of humanity. Entire nations collapsed. Monsters flooded the world, devouring what remained of civilization.
After Liberty was defeated by the First Guardian and his companions, a master of earth manipulation created a massive supercontinent between the North and South Poles humanity's last refuge.
All other continents had already vanished.
Nations ceased to exist.
Nationalities became nearly extinct.
Most lands had sunk beneath the oceans or were completely erased from existence.
Arthur: Impossible. Weren't all continents destroyed?
Rick: That's what we believed too. But one still remains… and it's releasing an extremely powerful energy signature.
Arthur's eyes widened.
Arthur: Don't tell me…!
Rick nodded.
Rick: Yes. We believe one of Liberty's relics the God-Cursing Eyes is located on that island.
Arthur fell into thought.
The survival of an entire continent was nothing short of a miracle.
But he already had priorities.
Arthur: Send a letter to the Absolute Detectives. Order them to investigate the island.
He turned slightly.
Arthur: I have a student I must deal with personally.
Rick: As you wish.