Drrr.
The device on the table buzzed like a rattlesnake.
All four heads turned.
A voice crackled through—clear, composed, unfamiliar... yet oddly charismatic.
"Hello. So you're my new comrades?"
A pause. "Name's Tian Yu."
Neo leaned forward, lips curled in interest. "Meet us at the Old Valley. Sector 6B."
Tian Yu didn't miss a beat.
"Four minutes. Don't be late."
Minutes later, the wind whispered across the broken fences of Sector 6B. The team stood under rusted streetlights flickering like dying stars. One by one, the shadows gathered.
When Tian Yu arrived, his steps were sharp—like sword strokes, cutting through silence. He gave a nod, smirked slightly, and joined them around a battered café booth where steam rose from chipped mugs of bitter coffee.
He eyed Shiro's suit.
"Yo. Why's your outfit look like it wrestled a meat grinder?"
Shiro sipped his coffee slowly, blood still drying on his collar.
"Finished a mission yesterday."
"That your first?"
Shiro nodded.
Tian Yu burst into laughter.
"Cute. That was your first? I've done seven in three days. Eighth starts now."
Before anyone could comment—
BOOM.
The air cracked like thunder. A figure emerged from thin air—a walking nightmare of shadows and bone-white light.
A Concept Wraith.
Its limbs twisted like fractured piano keys, its face a blur of shifting masks. Its very presence bent the light, the wind, the rules.
Tian Yu narrowed his eyes.
"Who the hell invited this ugly thing to our coffee break?"
He stood up, summoning his aura with a whisper.
"How dare you interrupt me. Concepto: Demonic Sword."
A blade of swirling ink and flame formed in his hand.
But just as he lunged—Neo caught his shoulder.
"Tian—wait. That thing's strong. Might be above D-Rank."
Tian Yu scoffed, brushing him off.
"Then I'll kill it beautifully."
The wraith let out a shriek like dying violins.
The battle had begun.