The battle was over.
Kuroda was gone.
After the battle, Okada's forces wasted no time. They seized Kuroda's meteor fragment and merged it with their own. The moment the two fragments connected, the Safe Zone expanded, its barrier stretching twice as far.
Everything that had once been Kuroda's Safe Zone—the walls, the buildings, the streets—was swallowed by the Pink Fog.
The people who survived had no choice. Some joined Okada, pledging loyalty to Noah and his family. Others gathered what they could and left, disappearing into the fog to try their luck elsewhere.
Bob and his crew were invited into the Safe Zone as guests.
For the first time in days, there was no immediate threat. The fog stayed beyond the new, wider borders. The air was still.
Repairs had already begun. Fires were put out. Walls reinforced. Supplies shared.
That night, the survivors gathered in what was left of the market square. Okada's people, a few Kuroda defectors, and Bob's crew sat wherever they could find a spot, sharing what little food was left.
It wasn't much, but after everything they'd been through, it felt like a feast.
Bob stretched out on a bench near the edge of the square, arms folded across his chest, eyes closed.
Gabe sat perched on the roof of an old shop, staring down at them with that same unreadable look. "We shouldn't get comfortable. Places like this don't stay quiet for long."
"Dude, you're a real ray of sunshine," Sly called out, casually slipping another bread roll into his coat when he thought no one was looking. "Ever think about lightening up? Maybe crack a joke that doesn't make people rethink their life choices?"
"I saw that," Iris said without even looking.
"I'm keeping it safe for later," Sly shot back, grinning.
For a little while, it felt normal.
No Callers.
No battles.
No running.
Just quiet.
People talked in low voices. Someone even laughed. The fires burned low. Plates scraped clean.
Bob finally drifted off, the soft rise and fall of his breathing the only thing filling the silence on his side of the square.
And then the comms crackled to life.
A sharp burst of static tore through the air.
Every conversation stopped. Someone dropped a cup. Chairs scraped as people straightened up, listening.
Everyone in the Safe Zone turned toward the old speaker systems mounted along the walls.
The static cleared.
Then the voice came through, clear and steady, carrying weight and purpose.
"To all active Safe Zones and combat forces. This is a priority broadcast from central command. A general-class Fade has been confirmed near the old capital. Its nest is growing. If left unchecked, it will spread beyond containment."
A pause. The voice sharpened.
"This is a call to arms. All capable forces are ordered to mobilize. We cannot afford hesitation. We cannot afford retreat. Stand ready. Join the assault. For the safety of your Zones. For the future of us all... fight."
The transmission ended.
Silence rolled through the Safe Zone like a wave.
The old capital was too close.
And just like that, the brief peace was gone.
"We barely made it through two Callers," Iris said quietly from nearby, arms crossed as she leaned against the bench. "And now they want us to fight a General?"
Bob sat up slowly, rolling his shoulders with a tired grunt.
"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Iris gave him a sideways glance. "You worried?"
Bob yawned. "Nah. Just annoyed."
Sly, still sitting near the food table with crumbs on his shirt, glanced around the square.
"...Hey. What's a general-level Fade again?"
Gabe, still perched above them, eyes watching the distant fog, answered without looking down.
"A Boss."
---
Bob and Noah agreed to travel together, with Noah selecting a handful of his men while the rest remained behind to guard the base. At dawn, they set out, stepping into the dense pink fog, making their way toward the meeting point.
Noah Okada led the march, his Drake form as a Glint fully awakened. His body had taken on sleek, reptilian traits, his limbs lean and coiled with energy, built for speed and precision. The scaled skin along his arms and neck shimmered faintly, adapting seamlessly to his movements. Every step carried him forward with minimal effort, his body instinctively flowing through the terrain like it was second nature.
Beside him, Bob walked with zero urgency, his Goliath form making him a towering wall of unstoppable strength. His frame had hardened, his already-massive body covered in dense, stone-like muscle. He didn't try to move fast—he didn't need to. His sheer presence forced the ground to acknowledge him, each step pressing deep into the dirt as if he weighed more than he should.
Trailing just ahead, Sly moved differently than before. His Shadow Specter form made him fade in and out of sight, slipping through the fog like he wasn't bound to the same rules of movement as everyone else. But this time, it wasn't just stealth—he was shadow stepping.
One moment he was there. The next, he wasn't.
Noah barely had time to register it before Sly flickered forward, appearing several meters ahead in an instant.
Bob frowned. "Huh."
Sly turned back with a grin. "Took me long enough, but I got it. Stage 3. Shadow Step!"
Noah raised a brow. "What? You're already at Stage 3? You just used a fog skill, right? shadow step?!"
Sly's grin widened as he flickered forward again, reappearing effortlessly a few meters ahead. "Hell yeah. That's what I'm saying! I finally cracked it—boom, Shadow step."
Noah furrowed his brow, something in his chest tightening. He had only just reached Stage 1, struggling to get a feel for his own fog energy. But here was Sly—already at Stage 3?
For a split second, Sly considered correcting Noah, telling him that he still needed quite a bit before even reaching Stage 1—but why would he?
This was his moment, and he was damn proud of what he'd pulled off.
So instead, he nodded confidently. "Yeah, man. Crazy, right?"
Bob scratched his head, watching Sly skip around. "Internal fog energy, huh?"
Sly nodded. "Yeah, dude, that's the trick. You don't just move your body—you move your fog energy first, and your body follows. Simple."
Bob didn't reply. Instead, he lifted a hand and let fog condense into a massive club, shaping it like it was second nature. He gave it a few lazy swings before resting it on his shoulder.
Sly's grin vanished. "Wait—what?"
Bob nodded, satisfied. "Feels natural."
Sly groaned, throwing his arms up. "Oh, COME ON!"
Noah exhaled, shaking his head with a smirk. He was still processing his own breakthrough, and now two people around him were already skipping ahead—literally.
It was frustrating. But more than that… it was motivating.
Then, suddenly, the ground trembled.
A deep, gurgling hiss echoed through the fog.
Noah's body reacted instantly. His Drake form-enhanced reflexes kicked in before his mind could process the movement. He twisted mid-step just as a Fade burst from the mist, its grotesque, elongated body lunging with razor-sharp limbs.
Another six—no, seven of them appeared from the fog, surrounding the group.
Iris moved fast, her Valkyrie form enhancing her agility, allowing her to dodge as a creature swiped at her mid-air. Her golden wings flared, and she spun around with a downward kick, sending the monster sprawling.
Gabe took off into the sky, his Griffin form activating as his feet left the ground in a single burst of motion. His enhanced vision locked onto a Fade trying to flank Noah, and with one sharp dive, he crashed into it from above, knocking it flat before slashing its throat.
Bob wasn't even trying to dodge.
As one of the creatures lunged at him, he swung his fog club with devastating force, catching the Fade mid-air and sending it flying backward. The impact alone cracked the pavement beneath them, the monster's body crumpling like discarded paper.
Noah moved with precise, reptilian efficiency, his clawed hands tearing through another Fade's throat before spinning to avoid another's jagged bite.
Sly wasn't even standing still long enough for them to touch him.
He flickered in and out of existence, appearing just long enough to slash a weak point before vanishing into the mist again. The Fades swung wildly, missing every time, unable to track his movement.
One of them tried to flee—only to suddenly stop moving as a shadow loomed over it.
Bob swung his club one-handed, and the weapon stretched unnaturally mid-air, elongating as if made of living fog before slamming into the Fade's spine with a sickening crunch.
The battlefield went still.
Noah exhaled, shaking off the residual tension. "They're getting more aggressive."
Bob grabbed his weapon, letting the compressed fog dissipate into nothing. "Stronger, too."
Sly popped his neck. "No big deal. We're stronger."
Noah looked at him. "Are we?"
For once, Sly didn't have a quick answer.
---
It took them more than two hours to reach the designated meeting point, at the heart of the Oyster Bay Safe Zone.
The Oyster Bay Safe Zone had seen better days.
Once a thriving coastal city, now it was little more than a dying outpost, its buildings half-crumbling under the weight of time and the creeping fog that threatened to consume it. The center plaza, once meant for trade and community gatherings, had become a rallying point for something far graver.
This wasn't a marketplace anymore. It was a staging ground for war.
When Noah and his Okada Family arrived, the first thing he noticed was that they weren't the first ones here.
Two groups already stood waiting in the plaza, their presence still and unreadable.
The first was a large, disciplined force—silent, unmoving, their sheer presence heavy with authority. Noah's first thought was immediate: The Government.
The second was much smaller, yet somehow more unsettling. Two figures stood apart from the others, barely acknowledging the world around them.
Noah and his family approached carefully, their movements smooth, measured. Beside them, Bob's crew walked with a complete lack of tension, as if this was just another stop on an uneventful journey.
The silent force of soldiers turned toward them, their attention sharp but unreadable. One of them, a towering man built like an iron wall, stepped forward.
His voice was deep, controlled. "You must be Noah Okada."
Noah met his gaze evenly. "That's right."
The man nodded. "I am Marcus Hale. This is Selene Ward. We represent the Hounds—a force under the government."
The government. Noah's thoughts immediately sharpened. He had heard rumors—whispers of government remnants trying to rebuild order, reclaim control. He hadn't expected them to show up in force.
The woman beside Marcus, Selene, remained quiet, her expression unreadable. She radiated a cold, efficient deadliness, twin daggers strapped to her sides. Noah could tell that if a fight broke out right now, she'd be the first to move—and possibly the last one standing.
Marcus gestured to the two silent figures standing off to the side.
"They are Ren and Aya Hayashi of the Hayashi Family," Marcus continued. "I assume you've heard of them."
Noah had. The Hayashi twins.
The Hayashi Family was a name that carried weight long before the world fell into chaos. Once an influential clan with deep ties to business, politics, and even underground networks, they held power that stretched beyond borders. Even after the apocalypse, their legacy endured. Unlike other factions that scrambled for control, the twins had never sworn loyalty to anyone, nor had they ever taken orders from a higher power. They fought for their own reasons, and that alone made them unpredictable.
Neither of them spoke. They simply observed.
Noah exhaled, rolling his shoulders before giving Marcus a respectful nod. "Understood." He turned, motioning to his own people. "I'm Noah Okada. This is my family. We survived the Kuroda Safe Zone collapse and have been operating as an independent unit ever since."
Marcus gave a curt nod in return. He understood what wasn't being said. The Okada Family had experience. They weren't just another band of survivors.
Beside Noah, Gabe grinned. "And this is Bob," he added casually. "And, uh… we're his friends."
Bob gave a lazy wave. "Yo."
Sly leaned in toward Gabe. "Could've hyped us up a bit more, dude."
Gabe shrugged. "I mean… that is the most accurate description."
Marcus studied Bob for a moment, his gaze unreadable, but the tension in the air around the Hounds was unmistakable. They had heard the stories—how this man had single-handedly brought down an entire safe zone. Rumors painted him as a force of nature, an unstoppable wrecking ball that cared little for alliances or authority.
For the first time since their arrival, the Hounds weren't just assessing him—they were in awe.
Before anyone could speak further, the air changed.
Laughter.
It echoed through the plaza, loud and unrestrained, breaking the tense silence.
A wave of figures emerged through the ruined streets, walking with swaggering arrogance, their voices carrying easily over the still air.
"The DMW Gang had arrived!" someone shouted, their voice cutting through the tense silence.
Almost immediately, a chant followed, growing louder as the gang swaggered into the plaza.
"Deadman Walking! Gang! Deadman Walking! Gang!"
Their voices echoed through the safe zone, each repetition carrying an air of arrogance, as if they had already claimed victory before the battle had even begun.
At the front of them was Big Roz, his imposing frame exuding confidence as he strode forward with a wide grin. He took in the gathered forces with a look of amusement, then threw his arms wide.
"Well, well, well—look at all the little squads, huh?"
His gang fanned out behind him, twenty-seven members all walking with unearned confidence, as if they had already won a fight that hadn't even started yet.
"Four-man teams? Family squads?" Big Roz barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "Pfft! This is a war, people!" He gestured at the gang behind him, throwing his arms wide. "Look at us—we brought a whole damn army."
Noah said nothing.
Marcus remained expressionless.
The Hayashi Twins didn't even glance at them.
Bob cracked his knuckles. "Huh. That's a lot of dead guys."
Sly snorted. "Called it."
Sixty-seven warriors stood in the plaza, each carrying their own agendas, their own abilities, their own reasons for being here.