Chapter 42: The CYCLONE
After the long and exhausting battles, the heroes gathered at the Thunder Center. The once-infected humans who had been cured were now safe in a separate area. The entire team was finally together, taking a moment to breathe after their hard-fought victory. The world still bore the scars of the war, but for the first time in a long while, there was hope.
As the heroes sat together, reminiscing and planning their next steps, Kuroshin suddenly spoke up. "Where's Luna and Santino?" His voice carried a hint of concern.
Ojjisan furrowed his brows. "Yeah, where are they? They should've been here by now."
Kaito, realizing they hadn't seen either of them since returning to Earth, stood up. "Wait here. I'll go look for them." Without another word, he vanished, teleporting to different locations, scanning the ruined cities for any sign of his missing comrades.
He searched through the abandoned streets, the ruins of once-thriving buildings, and even the remains of destroyed enemy camps. But there was no sign of Luna. Just when he was about to teleport back, something caught his eye—a body lying motionless in the dirt.
Kaito's heart sank. He rushed forward, flipping the body over, and his breath hitched in his throat. It was Santino. Lifeless.
"No… no way…" Kaito whispered, his hands trembling. His friend, his comrade, was dead. But how? There were no clear wounds, no traces of a battle nearby. It was as if he had simply been discarded.
Tears welled up in Kaito's eyes as he gently picked up Santino's body and teleported back to the Thunder Center. The moment he appeared, everyone turned toward him, and as soon as they saw what he was carrying, silence filled the air.
Kaito lowered Santino's lifeless body to the ground, his face filled with sorrow. "He's… gone." His voice broke.
Shock washed over the group. Emi covered her mouth in disbelief, while Aoi clenched his fists, struggling to hold back his emotions. Ojjisan's usual energetic expression darkened. Even Hikaru, who had faced countless enemies and seen so much death, felt a deep pit form in his stomach.
"What happened to him?" Ryo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't know," Kaito admitted. "I searched everywhere. No signs of a fight. No signs of Luna. He was just… there."
A moment of silence followed, the weight of Santino's death crushing them all. After everything they had been through, after all the sacrifices, another one of their own was gone.
The Thunder Center was now filled with every fighter willing to stand against the enemies of humanity. Hikaru, Kuroshin, Emi, Ojjisan, Aqua, Sandeep, Aoi, Daiki, Hiroshi, Kaito, Ryo, Toma, Asahi, Kiyoshi, Kenji, Carlos, Takeshi and his giant pet Cyclops, Leon, Violet Hojo, the rescued humans willing to fight, other sorcerers, Pepo, Fyodor, Muscle, Akito—every last one of them stood together.
But as they grieved, far away in the depths of Planet Z, a dark kingdom stood tall under the endless void of space. Inside, a menacing figure sat on a throne, cloaked in shadows, watching everything unfold. His eyes gleamed with cruelty.
He raised his hand, and his voice echoed through the hall. "Go. Finish them."
The room was filled with the presence of ancient beings—Greek gods, their eyes burning with divine fury.
One of them smirked. "Yes, my lord."
The dark figure leaned forward, his voice cold and merciless. "Not even an atom of their bodies should remain. Kill every last one of them."
The gods grinned, their overwhelming power shaking the very air around them. The real war was only beginning.