The Cleaner

The chains slithered from Ron's arms like serpents made of shadow and steel, wrapping around the two trapped girls as they struggled in vain. His voice was cold, distant—almost mechanical.

"Chain Lock. Cage Imprisonment."

With that command, the chains constricted tighter, locking them within an invisible prison of fear and pressure. The two girls gasped, their Nent flickering wildly as they tried to resist.

"Damn it—what is this pressure?!" the pink-haired girl hissed, her body trembling as her own Chase-type Nent failed to break free.

The dark-blue-haired girl's tired eyes narrowed, sweat trailing down her cheek. "This isn't just Cage-type… it's something deeper…"

Ron took a slow step forward, shadows veiling his face, his hollow gaze locked onto them like a predator over wounded prey. His arm lifted, chains coiling around his fist.

"You interfered… you judged me… now you'll be caged forever."

The chains around his arm sharpened into a jagged spear, pulsing with raw Nent energy.

"Stop—Ron—" the dark-blue-haired girl strained against the bindings, voice cracking.

He didn't stop. He wasn't Ron anymore.

He lunged.

And then—

"ENOUGH."

A gust of force slammed into the battlefield. The ground shattered beneath them as a figure appeared between Ron and the two trapped girls, standing tall in a long black coat, their presence suffocating.

Ron's chain-spear froze inches from the new figure's neck. Sparks flew from the invisible clash of energies.

The man raised his hand, and with a snap of his fingers, a surge of radiant energy erupted outward, dispersing the chains in an instant. The girls collapsed to the ground, coughing for air as the chains retracted into nothingness.

Ron stumbled back, his chest heaving, shadows writhing around his form. His sclera had darkened, and the whites of his eyes were scratched with chaotic lines of white. His Nent—once a manifestation of confinement—had begun to fuse with his body, turning him into a living nightmare.

The new arrival's eyes glowed faintly beneath his coat's hood. "Rampaging Nent… near critical collapse. I should've arrived sooner."

Ron let out a low, guttural laugh. "Another cleaner? You think you're stronger…?"

He raised both arms, and the sky above twisted—massive iron cages descended from the void, slamming into the battlefield like falling meteors. Buildings nearby crumbled under their weight. The air shimmered with an oppressive aura.

"Chain Lock: Domain of Endless Prison."

The entire area darkened, swallowed in an expanse of chains and cages stretching into infinity. The two girls watched in horror as they floated inside the void-like dimension, trapped again despite being freed moments ago.

The man sighed beneath his breath. "He's gone too far."

He unfastened his coat's clasp, revealing glowing sigils along his arms—his own Nent manifested as glowing runes of Order.

"Break. The. Chain."

In a flash, the man vanished, reappearing beside Ron in an instant. His fist collided with Ron's chest, releasing a shockwave of pure kinetic force that shattered multiple cages around them.

Ron coughed blood, stumbling backward, but chains regenerated instantly, wrapping his body tighter like thorns embedding into flesh.

"Why…" Ron whispered hoarsely. "Why won't you let me finish it…?!"

The man's fist glowed again, striking down another cage trying to seal him. "Because you're not their executioner, Ron."

Ron roared in frustration, summoning hundreds more chains from beneath his feet. They writhed, screaming as if alive, lunging at the man from every direction.

The man's eyes hardened. He extended both hands forward.

"Null Order: Rune Collapse."

A radiant circle exploded beneath his feet, erasing the approaching chains instantly. The shockwave cracked the very ground beneath them.

Ron staggered again. His vision blurred. His body trembled under the weight of his own power turning inward.

"Why… why can't I break free…?" he whispered, falling to his knees.

The man approached him slowly, his voice gentler now. "You never locked others in cages, Ron. You locked yourself. And now the key's buried under all this pain."

Ron's breathing slowed, exhaustion overtaking rage. His Nent flickered like a dying flame.

"…I…"

The man touched his shoulder. "Sleep."

With that final command, a rune pulsed softly against Ron's skin, and his eyes fluttered shut. The chains slithered back into the ground, vanishing. The domain crumbled, revealing the battered, half-destroyed school beneath the dissipating void.

The girls lay unconscious nearby, safe but shaken.

The man sighed deeply, lifting Ron's limp form into his arms.

"…You're stronger than you know, Ron."

Behind them, the sirens of the organization's backup forces approached, lights flashing across the ruined street.

And above them, the dark sky remained chained by faint silhouettes of unbroken cages… waiting.