chapter 28: The gentleman and the clown
Chapter 28: The Gentleman and the Clown
A Month Before the Invasion
The underground lair was colder than Rin remembered.
It had been weeks since he discovered this place—his father's hidden sanctuary beneath the ruins of the old city. Even now, its walls whispered secrets, the scent of old parchment and metal filling the air.
Stacks of documents, maps of Sky City, and artifacts of unknown origin surrounded him. His father had left behind more than just memories.
Rin traced a finger over a half-burned note:
"The world's laws are rigged. Even death can be masked."
He exhaled.
He didn't have all the answers yet, but one thing was certain—someone was making sure the world believed he was still alive.
The question was why.
With that thought lingering, he left the lair behind and met up with Engine and Hoody.
They were waiting in an abandoned train yard, Engine lazily leaning against a rusted cargo container. His red thorny umbrella rested on his shoulder, as if the whole world was a joke to him.
"So," Engine said, tilting his head, "taking a one-month break, huh? What's with the sudden vacation, kid?"
Rin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Hoody, who was finishing up a cigarette, exhaling smoke into the cold night air.
"I have things to handle," Rin finally said. "I'll be back soon."
Engine didn't press further. He just gave that same knowing smirk.
"Fine, fine. Go play tourist. But don't die on us, kid."
With that, Rin disappeared into the shadows.
He had no idea that when he returned, he would find a warzone.
– Present
Smoke. Fire. Blood.
The Balotelli family's invasion had torn through the guild like a violent storm. The streets were wrecked, buildings cracked, bodies littered the ground.
And Rin, back from his one-month break, walked into the aftermath.
He barely had time to process it all before a voice slithered from the darkness.
"So, you're still alive."
Rin turned, his golden eyes narrowing. Emerging from the shadows was a man dressed in dark armor, a crest of the Balotelli family etched onto his shoulder.
A high-ranking knight.
One of Elsa's personal guards.
The man's gaze was calculating, assessing. "I see now. There's a law… an unwritten rule of this world." His lips curled into something resembling amusement. "Something is forcefully **blurring your death from the world's knowledge. Even 'The Wall' doesn't recognize your absence. Interesting."
Rin tilted his head. "And you are?"
The knight smirked. "Introduce yourself first, boy. Be a gentleman."
Rin's fingers twitched. He was right. This man knew something important about the laws of this world.
The knight continued, pacing slowly. "I trained Elsa myself. I am her shadow. And like all good shadows… I deal with nuisances like you."
His hand flicked, and suddenly, runes appeared in the air, drawn with a pen that moved as if writing on an invisible canvas.
"Magic?" Rin muttered.
"No. Science."
The knight's voice was cold as the air distorted. A shockwave blasted toward Rin. He dodged, but the very space around him seemed to bend, sucking him into a trap.
Before he could react—
Boom!
An explosion of energy crushed into him, sending him skidding across the battlefield.
The knight adjusted his grip, his runes glowing brighter. "You only rely on martial arts, don't you?"
He wrote another array in the air, and suddenly, a golem formed from the rubble, its massive fists descending on Rin.
Rin barely rolled away before another array activated—a series of sharp air slashes tearing toward him.
The knight's fighting style was a perfect blend of alchemy, technique, and strategy.
And Rin was losing.
Blow after blow rained down. The golem crushed his ribs. The air slashes cut his arms. The knight's calm, systematic approach ensured Rin had no room to counter.
Then—
The knight stood over his fallen opponent, blade raised for the kill.
It should have been over.
But then—
Rin smiled.
A slow, twisted smile.
The shadows around them twitched.
The knight froze.
For the first time—he felt something shift in the air.
And then, in a voice that wasn't entirely Rin's, a whisper slithered through the darkness.
"You've played enough with the gentleman… how about the clown?"
The knight stepped back instinctively.
Rin was gone.
Or rather—the presence before him was something else entirely it was like he was looking at a shadow curtain of Aura holding a sinister smile
A clown-masked figure stood in his place, a long scythe dragging across the ground, the blade carving deep scars into the earth.
The knight's instincts screamed danger.
Before he could react—
A small vial was thrown to the ground.
The moment it shattered—thick, viscous mud erupted, trapping one of the knight's men in place.
The knight turned, eyes widening—
The man's head was already missing.
A silent kill.
The other guards charged, but the clown moved like a specter, weaving between them with unnatural speed.
One tried to strike—but his weapon went through an afterimage.
Before he could process it, his throat was slashed open.
Another aimed a shot—but before he could pull the trigger, his own arm was severed.
The clown-masked figure laughed.
It was a chilling sound—inhuman, distorted, echoing like a nightmare.
The knight gritted his teeth.
He had faced countless opponents before. But this…?
This wasn't normal.
This thing was killing his men like they were insects.
With a desperate movement, the knight activated another array, sending a wave of concussive force.
The clown vanished before it could hit.
Then—
Pain.
His arms were gone.
His vocal cords were sliced open before he could scream.
His knees buckled.
His mind screamed at him to retreat.
He turned to run.
But then—
A forcefield sealed the area.
His body collided with the barrier, blood smearing against the energy wall as he pounded his fists against it.
He tried to shout for help—but his voice was ruined.
And behind him—
A slow, deliberate scraping sound.
The scythe dragging against stone.
He turned.
The clown-masked man was walking toward him, head tilted, whistling an eerie tune.
The knight's breath came in ragged gasps. His vision blurred.
Then—
The scythe fell.
The last thing he saw was that twisted, laughing face.