Surviving the Death Hunt

’Wait, what’s happening? Why am I still on the floor? I need to get up. I need to beat him. I can’t fail... not this time.

’Do I even deserve this Inheritance? What good is it if I can’t wield it properly?’

Haven attempted to stand, but her body had completely frozen, only her consciousness remained active.

Being an ice wielder offered no protection from the cold. Unlike the predecessors who’d commanded this power effortlessly, she’d always struggled with it. The strength was beyond her capacity.

She lay there in her Protector State, white wings folded protectively around her body, desperately trying to preserve warmth. But the cold was winning, her heart freezing, her bones becoming ice, and her very essence solidifying.

’I don’t have time to look pitiful. I will break through this, even if it costs me my life. I have to fight, this is the only way my dreams can be realized.’

She kept fighting it, but nothing worked. Deactivating her Protector State was the only solution. Much longer like this, and she’d be dead.

But the Gate God was just meters away. The Protector State was both her only hope of winning and her only defense, that invisible barrier was all that stood between her and death.

While she lay there, doing everything in her power to regain her strength, she felt something move through her barrier with ease. It moved slowly along the ground, like a mole tunneling beneath the surface.

She panicked, though she couldn’t move to defend herself. Anything that penetrated her barrier so effortlessly must lack hostile intent, that’s how the barrier worked. But that knowledge didn’t comfort her. She had an idea what this was, and she dreaded it.

When it touched her, confirming what she’d dreaded, something inside her gave up completely. But even broken as she was, her celestial eyes remained dry.

’This is all my fault. If I had been stronger, I could have defeated them myself... and the Supreme Council would never have resorted to such underhanded measures.

’Theo, Ally of Mankind, is being summoned. This means countless people have died... so many innocent souls, all for the sake of destroying a single evil.

’Only if... only if I were a little bit courageous.’

Flowers crawled across the ground until they blanketed her entirely, surrounding her with their beautiful warmth. The freezing grip on her body started to ease.

She wanted to take advantage of the warmth, to rise and fight again. But the flowers’ tender comfort was too much. She felt only peace now. Consciousness drifted away as her body gave in to overwhelming fatigue.

"I—I need to get stronger."

She muttered before finally giving in to rest.

Meanwhile, only meters from her and the Gate God, the Four Wings of the Kugo clan concealed themselves beneath debris and broken masonry.

Haste commanded the group, standing tall and proud, hand resting on his sword as he waited for his chance to attack.

"We’ve been betrayed, but we cannot retreat. They were meant to help V escape so we could eliminate him, yet that clearly isn’t what’s happening."

Haste frowned.

"This changes nothing. V will die by the blade of the Kugo clan. Even if we must take flight ourselves, we will make it happen."

Isa looked troubled, not nearly as ready as Kaito or Haste. She wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite get the words out.

"Haven’t we done enough? The others are already battling V’s allies, so we should join them. Theo will appear soon, and with Leonard and the rebel Kong holding V off, there’s no chance for us to break through."

That struck at Haste’s pride. His hand twitched toward his sword, he was tempted to silence Isa permanently.

"We are the Kugo clan. We do not yield. Mike died to forge this moment, and we will not disgrace his sacrifice. Any who think otherwise should hang their heads in shame. If you still object, preserve your honor and commit hara-kiri."

Isa clenched her jaw, irritated with herself. Getting through to someone as thick-headed as Haste was impossible. She wished she’d kept her mouth shut.

Kaito, though, maintained his lazy attitude as always. Awkwardly scratching the back of his head, he spoke:

"She isn’t wrong, Haste. Think about it. The only reason the elders decided to kill V this way was because we believed those bastards were planning to free him from the Supreme Academy. No one ever said he was going to start his massacre immediately.

"The Supreme Council has outplayed us as well. I never imagined they would sacrifice innocent human lives just to eliminate V. I believed they existed to protect humanity. Yet they deceived people into becoming sacrifices and harvested enough souls to summon Theo."

He sighed.

"We’d only stand in the way. Let us claim this small victory, as Purple Vey advised, and rebuild our forces. Your confidence is admirable... but even you cannot defeat enemies this powerful."

Haste’s heart might as well have been steel. Kaito was their senior, and Haste had anticipated some wisdom from him. Instead, this. Both Kaito and Isa were traitors to the clan.

The urge to kill them surged through him, but he held back. He needed his strength for V. Securing glory for the Kugo clan mattered more than anything, even if it cost him his life.

"Hear me well, I will not say this twice. Should your will stray from our orders, commit hara-kiri and escape dishonor."

Silence fell at his words, but he was staring upward now. White energy surrounded V, Kong, and Leonard in a barrier. He couldn’t penetrate it. He didn’t need to.

His expression darkened, depicting his devotion and determination.

"If you desire to restore the Kugo clan’s honor, come. Leonard’s barrier cannot hold forever. The instant it breaks, we strike V and finish this."

Isa and Kaito exchanged worried glances, but with their leader acting this way, there was no way they could talk sense into him, and they couldn’t go against his orders either. That would be the highest level of betrayal.

By now, flowers blanketed the entire terrain. When the transformation was completed, they felt something, a presence, gracious and magical. Its calm was so profound that it cleansed everyone’s darkest thoughts. Even Haste’s violent urges faded.

It didn’t need any introduction... It was Theo, Ally of Mankind.

...

Name: Theo, Ally of Mankind

Classification: Daywalker

Scarlet Kin – Savior

Threat Level: Catastrophe

...