Doutside, the hooded man walked down the dark street. His cloak fluttered gently in the wind. As he passed a worker standing on a corner, the young man stopped, his eyes fixed on the man with a disconcerting yet unmoving expression. The worker didn't seem surprised to see the hooded man, but he still stared at him without saying anything.
"So? What are you doing here?" the hooded man's voice cut through the silence of the street. The tone was familiar, but there was something strange about it, something that suggested he recognized the man.
The alley that had been the scene of the massacre was now completely clean. No trace of blood, no bodies, no indication that a brutal crime had taken place there. Only a deathly silence filled the dense air, as the police and heroes searched the area, frustrated by the complete lack of evidence.
One of the investigators, a middle-aged police officer named Detective Park Hyun-soo, sighed as he surveyed the scene. "This doesn't make sense... we received an anonymous tip about a possible attack, but there's nothing here. Not a drop of blood. It's as if this place had been abandoned for years."
Beside him, one of the heroes assigned to the investigation, known as Thunderclap, crossed his arms, visibly irritated. "This can only be the work of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse... they're the only ones who have the precision to act and disappear without a trace. But if it was them, why would they kill a group of criminals and heroes together?"
"Maybe to send a message..." muttered a heroine with brown hair tied in a ponytail, named Silverveil. She scanned the room, sensing something was off, something that escaped common perception. "Whoever it is, they don't want to be found." And indeed, that someone was there... watching them from the shadows.
On top of an abandoned building near the site, two figures hid among the ruins. One of them, the same hooded man who had carried out the massacre, was watching the commotion below intently. Beside him was the unknown worker who had crossed his path moments before.
The hooded man tilted his head slightly and broke the silence: "I asked you before... but you still haven't answered. What were you doing there?"
The worker, instead of answering directly, sighed and crossed his arms, before giving an almost provocative smile. "You know... it was a bit rude of you not to even say good night to me before."
The hooded man remained still for a moment. Then, as if the provocation had been nothing serious, he simply replied: "Good night." His voice was firm, but devoid of any real emotion. "Now... answer."
The worker chuckled softly and shrugged. "I was just following that gang to the site. Coincidentally, I ended up bumping into you."
The hooded man observed the man for a few seconds, trying to detect any sign of a lie. Nothing. His expression remained neutral, but inside he was pondering. He could be lying... but if he was, what reason would he have?
For now, he decided that it was not worth prolonging the conversation. He took one last look at the movement of the heroes and police officers below before turning to leave. "If there is nothing else..."
But just as he took the first step away, the worker spoke again. His tone was different now—more serious, more firm. A sudden change that made the hooded man pause.
"In two days, a meeting will be held." The hooded man remained silent. "Your time to organize begins now," the worker continued. "So get ready… and be ready."
The shadow of the hood could not completely hide the man's eyes. And for the first time, they glowed a deep red, intense as the twilight of a lost day. He lifted his face slightly, allowing the moon to illuminate his snow-white hair.
The name that resonated in the depths of corrupt society… a name feared by those who knew the darkness. Elysian. A member of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, known as the Oblivion Sage. His answer came cold and sure. "Understood."
The city never slept. Between its narrow alleys, streets lit by neon signs and alleys filled with the smell of rust and damp concrete, chaos camouflaged itself in normality. Two days. That was all Elysian had before the meeting. He needed to make the most of every second.
On the first day, night was already falling when Elysian returned to one of his secondary bases, a hidden facility in the basement of an abandoned warehouse. The environment was cold and silent, with only the glow of holographic screens illuminating the metal walls.
Before him, a pile of data collected from the operation at the bar. Encrypted information, fragmented records, intercepted conversations. An incomplete puzzle, but one piece caught his attention.
"The information comes from one place… a name constantly mentioned in communications between the mobsters and the corrupt heroes." On the screen, the name appeared, flashing red: Dante Vasquez.
Known in the underworld as "The Debt Collector," Dante was not just a common informant. He brokered illicit deals, selling secrets and dirty profits to anyone willing to pay. More than that, he was a ghost – he never stayed in the same place for long, always changing his identity and location.
This explains why the heroes did not eliminate him. They depended on him as much as the criminals did. Elysian frowned. Now he knew who to hunt.
The next day, the night was damp and heavy when three shadows moved silently across the rooftops of the industrial zone. The sharp dawn wind carried the smell of oil and dust, but the trio did not care.
Elysian led the mission. His steps were light as a specter, the almost invisible wires on his fingers ready to attack at any moment. Behind him, two figures stood in the darkness.
To his right, a slender figure with a cloak that waved as if he were in another dimension. The edges of his suit shimmered faintly with blue tones, and, when he moved, his form seemed to dissolve into blurred lines, like an unfinished painting. Codename: "Immaterial Form".
To his left, a man of robust build, wearing a dark suit studded with pulsating microcircuits. His eyes glowed with a cybernetic tone. Codename: "Synthetic Oracle".
The three of them observed the building below – an old warehouse that seemed abandoned, but with intense activity underground. There was Dante Vasquez, the Debt Collector. Elysian broke the silence: "Are you sure he's there?"
The Synthetic Oracle smirked and activated a hologram. "He's there. Unusual movement, sign of heightened security. It seems he's selling information to another group." The Immaterial Figure tilted his head slightly. His voice sounded calm, but with an ethereal touch: "Should we go in and interrogate him or just observe?"
Elysian twisted his fingers slightly, feeling the tension of the graphene threads between his hands. "We observe first. If necessary..." He didn't need to finish the sentence. Both allies understood what he meant. If necessary, they would make Dante disappear from the face of the Earth.
The two days passed in the blink of an eye. The meeting was about to take place. Elysian was walking through the city like any other person, dressed in a discreet outfit, his presence dissolved in the flow of the crowd. He had left his hooded outfit behind, his posture more casual, less threatening. The attentive eyes that watched him saw nothing more than an ordinary man.
But there was something strange. He didn't look like a criminal. Or someone suspicious. He walked among the people without standing out, without attracting attention... as if he were just another young man returning from work.
With calculated steps, he entered an office building and got on the elevator. The sound of the bell announcing the floors echoed in the small, closed space. The mirror reflected his face... a face the public would never associate with a Horseman of the Apocalypse.
When the door opened on the top floor, he stepped out and walked through the pristine white corridors of a laboratory.
The staff greeted him respectfully. "Just another day of hard work, huh, Min-kyu?" one of the older scientists said with a smile.
Seo Min-kyu smiled back, a quiet, polite smile. "Yes... just another day." As he walked to his office, the truth unraveled like a veil.
Seo Min-kyu and Elysian were one and the same. The most brilliant mind in the laboratory was one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Oblivion Sage.