?Blade walked through the bustling crowd of Ossivar. His steps slowed as he glanced at the ruined ground floor of the market. The carcass of the rampaging vampire monster was already beginning to fade. Its giant, grotesque body crumbled into black dust, emitting a dim light before being swept away by the market's dirty wind.

  ?Blade clenched his jaw, haunted by his own helplessness. When that monster appeared, he could only stand frozen, silently witnessing a power far beyond his current reach. Brushing his frustration aside, he quickened his pace toward the Cephalopod alien's antique shop, tightly gripping the Aether Crystal he had obtained during the chaos.

  ?Arriving at the cramped and dusty shop, Blade immediately placed the rare, purple-glowing crystal onto the counter.

  ?"The deal," Blade said briefly.

  ?With one of its tentacles, the Cephalopod alien scooped up the crystal, bringing it close to its largest eye. The alien's pupil dilated in sheer amazement. While continuously muttering praises and gratitude, its other tentacle reached to the top shelf, retrieving the weapon they had discussed earlier.

  ?The alien placed it on the table. The Katana was named Yami-Kiri. Its blade was forged from the meteorite of a dead star, while its hilt and sheath were pitch black, seemingly absorbing the surrounding light.

  ?"You really favor Katanas, huh?" chuckled the alien with a wet, raspy voice, handing the weapon over. "Usually, humans who master Katanas rely on pure talent. Take the legendary Radagon, for example. But then you have Lord Reinhard... an unarmed fighter who sits at the absolute pinnacle as the Strongest Human. Funny how the universe works, isn't it?"

  ?Blade turned his head sharply, his eyes cold. "Why are you babbling about this to me?"

  ?"Oh, it's nothing, Kid," the alien raised two tentacles defensively. "Just trying to motivate a young warrior."

  ?Blade snorted softly. Uninterested in prolonging the conversation, he secured his new Katana to his waist and walked away, disappearing into the market crowd.

  ?At the docking area, Lucas and Niko had been waiting anxiously near the ship's hull.

  ?"Hey Niko, you know what?" Lucas muttered, his expression unusually serious. "I think I've met that black-cloaked man before. My gut tells me so, but the memory is completely foggy."

  ?Niko rolled his eyes behind his goggles. "Even if you do remember him, so what? Maybe he was just a customer at the market. You used to sell fish with Uncle Garp every day, remember?"

  ?"But this is different, Niko. His aura..." Lucas insisted. "That man... it felt like he stepped right out of a dream."

  ?Before Niko could argue, Blade emerged from the shadows of the cargo containers. The air around him felt noticeably different. The pitch-black sheath of Yami-Kiri rested menacingly at his waist.

  ?Niko and Lucas's eyes instantly lit up.

  ?"Is that your new Katana? Whoa, that looks sick!" Lucas exclaimed.

  ?Blade smiled faintly—a rare, slightly arrogant smirk. "Of course it is. I could split two ROTs in half with a single swing of this blade."

  ?Hearing that, ROT immediately beeped in sheer panic, zooming behind Lucas's legs for cover.

  ?"Haha! Relax, ROT. He's just joking," Lucas laughed, patting the trembling small robot. With their business in Ossivar concluded, the three of them boarded the Project X ship, completely unaware of the storm brewing lightyears away.

  ?Far from the hustle and bustle of Ossivar, an incredibly massive fortress hovered silently in space, surrounded by interconnected orbital structures. This was the UCO Headquarters.

  ?Inside the central chamber sat a giant round table with ten majestic seats, reserved exclusively for the ten Grand Generals of the UCO. Currently, only four seats were occupied.

  ?In the center of the table, a hologram projector replayed the chaotic incident in Ossivar, showing the mutated Vampire indiscriminately tearing through the market.

  ?Glacius stood tall beside an empty seat, delivering his report. "A Vampire in Ossivar went completely rogue. He transformed into his Demon Soul form and attacked the citizens."

  ?At one of the seats, a pale-skinned man with an overwhelmingly dark aura intertwined his fingers. This was [Grand General : Iscara Thorne], the King of the Vampire race.

  ?"As their King, I offer my apologies for this mess," Iscara stated, his voice soft yet chillingly firm. "However, a Hunter Vampire does not recklessly trigger the Demon Soul form. It is an act of suicide."

  ?A blue-skinned alien with sharp, snake-like eyes hissed from across the table. [Grand General : Ozh]. "Exactly. It drains their blood supply in minutes and permanently shatters their sanity. That form hasn't been seen since the ancient Vampire Wars. What could possibly drive a rogue Hunter to do such a thing, Lord Iscara?"

  ?"Obsession," Iscara answered coldly. "Hunter Vampires are slaves to their predatory instincts. They covet human blood because it can be converted into raw soul energy. To sacrifice their own life for a single hunt... they must have smelled something irresistible."

  ?Glacius nodded, adding to his report. "While rampaging, the Vampire was hysterical. The audio logs picked up him repeatedly muttering about 'Glowing Blood' and 'Special Blood'."

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  [?Grand General : Qirra], a female alien with pure white eyes and glowing red patterns on her skin, leaned forward. "Then there is your trigger. The question remains: who in Ossivar possesses blood so potent that a Vampire would throw away his soul just for a taste?"

  ?Iscara fell silent for a moment. "In all my years, I only know of one human whose blood differs so vastly from the billions of others... Lord Reinhard himself."

  ?Glacius shook his head slowly. "Lord Reinhard's dense Lux control is unmatched. Even my own Lux Energy is a mere shadow compared to his. Except, perhaps, for one other person..."

  ?"Radagon," Ozh cut in quickly, mentioning the taboo name. The blue alien narrowed his eyes. "So, someone with blood of that caliber was walking around Ossivar. As the Supreme Commander of UCO Defense, I am raising our threat level. I will deploy units to hunt down the remaining rogue Vampires immediately. Any objections, Lord Iscara?"

  ?"None," Iscara answered without hesitation. "They defied my laws. Let them face the consequences."

  ?Glacius approached the end of the table, stopping before an ancient, tortoise-like alien who rarely spoke—[Grand General : Dhal], Head of the Science Division. Glacius handed him a sealed titanium tube.

  ?"I secured a blood sample from the Vampire's remains. The mystery of Ossivar is now in your hands, Lord Dhal."

  ?After a grueling space journey, Project X finally pierced through the atmosphere of their destination planet. Niko had confirmed a disturbing fact on the navigation system: this planet fell directly within the territory of Thor, one of the Trinity of Sovereigns.

  ?They landed the ship in a hidden gorge. As soon as the hatch opened, a depressing wave of heat hit their faces. The air was a murky, sickly yellowish color. In the distance, rivers flowed with thick, toxic sludge.

  ?"Ugh, the air is horrible," Lucas coughed, covering his nose with his sleeve.

  ?"Let's move. The coordinates aren't far," Blade instructed, stepping forward into the thin smog.

  ?They trekked along a barren, cracked path. The hostile environment stripped away their usual jokes and laughter. There was only the crunch of gravel beneath their boots and the howling wind carrying toxic dust.

  ?After an hour, they arrived at a small village near a steep cliff, inhabited by Gorgonid aliens—muscular beings with rough, stone-like skin. Despite their intimidating appearance, the locals were quite polite. When Lucas asked about an "old human", they immediately pointed to the high hill behind the village. The old man, whom they respectfully called Master Jiren, was the only human crazy enough to live in this wasteland.

  ?Wasting no time, the trio climbed the steep hill. At the peak stood a simple, rickety wooden shack. Blade pushed the door open and peered inside. Empty. They searched the dusty backyard. Still no signs of life.

  ?Suddenly, a hoarse, booming voice echoed right behind them.

  ?"What business do you brats have in my yard?!"

  ?They spun around. An old man had appeared out of thin air. He was thin, but his muscles looked incredibly dense. He had long white hair, a thick mustache, and wore a shabby green cloak.

  ?Blade stepped forward, unfazed. "We were told you could make us strong."

  ?Master Jiren remained completely silent, his sharp eyes piercing through them. Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

  ?Before their brains could even process the movement, a flurry of dull punches and kicks landed squarely on all three of them. Lucas, Blade, and Niko staggered backward, gasping for air.

  ?Jiren stood casually in his original spot. "You want to be trained? Try defeating me first."

  ?Blade smirked, his pride ignited. He smoothly drew Yami-Kiri from its sheath.

  ?Jiren chuckled faintly. "Oh, a Katana user." He casually bent down and picked up a long, dry tree branch from the dirt.

  ?Blade didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, swinging his Katana downward with lethal force.

  ?Clack!

  ?With a minimal flick of his wrist, Jiren parried the deadly steel blade using only the wooden twig. The precise impact sent a shocking vibration up Blade's arm, forcing the Katana out of his grip. Giving no room to breathe, Jiren thrust the tip of the twig into Blade's chest three times faster than the eye could follow. Blade collapsed to his knees, coughing violently. A light kick from Jiren sent him rolling into the dust.

  ?Seeing his friend go down, Lucas roared and charged blindly, throwing a massive right hook. But just as his fist was about to connect, Jiren simply sidestepped, appearing right behind him. A quick sweep to the legs sent Lucas crashing face-first into the ground.

  ?Left alone, Niko panicked. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he charged forward swinging his arms wildly like a windmill, with ROT aggressively flying beside him. Jiren sighed deeply. He scooped up two small pebbles and flicked his thumb.

  ?Thwack! Tink!

  ?The pebbles precisely nailed Niko's forehead and ROT's main sensor. Both of them immediately fell flat on their butts, groaning in pain.

  ?"One barely has a grasp on basic Lux," Jiren analyzed coldly, looking down at them. "And the other two are just weak, normal humans."

  ?Despite the overwhelming gap in power, the trio refused to stay down. They gritted their teeth, scrambled to their feet, and attacked again. This cycle of getting instantly floored and forcing themselves back up lasted for almost an hour. Not a single punch, kick, or slash managed to touch the hem of Master Jiren's cloak.

  ?Finally, as the three of them laid sprawled in the dirt, completely out of breath and unable to feel their limbs, Jiren lowered his twig.

  ?"Enough," Jiren stated firmly. "This past hour was a basic test. And throughout all this time, I haven't seen the slightest change in your movements."

  ?Jiren pointed the twig at them. "Your steps are heavy with doubt. Your resolve is fragile. People who don't believe in their own strikes will never cut through anything. Turn around, go back to your ship, and give up."

  ?A heavy silence fell upon the hill.

  ?Then, the sound of scraping dirt broke the quiet. Blade forced his Katana into the ground, using it as a crutch to drag himself up on trembling legs.

  ?"I didn't come this far..." Blade spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes locked on Jiren. "...just to be beaten by a dry twig. I know exactly why I'm here."

  ?Beside him, Niko groaned, adjusting his cracked goggles. His legs shook violently as he pushed himself up. "Progress is slow... but I'm not quitting. I have to protect my friends."

  ?Lucas planted his hands in the dust and pushed himself up, his chest heaving. His naive gaze was entirely gone, replaced by a burning, stubborn fire.

  ?"If we give up here..." Lucas grunted, standing tall despite his bruises. "...we won't be able to protect anyone out there. So hit us again, Old Man."

  ?Master Jiren fell silent, his piercing eyes evaluating the three battered young men who simply refused to stay down.

  ?This is what you call true resolve, Jiren muttered in his mind. A very faint smile formed beneath his thick white mustache.

  ?"Stand straight. Stop looking like a bunch of kicked puppies," Jiren said, his tone softening just a fraction. "Regardless of your pathetic skills... I will accept you."

  ?The trio jolted, their eyes widening in disbelief.

  ?"Then... why did you beat us to a pulp for an hour?!" Niko complained, rubbing his bruised forehead.

  ?Jiren didn't answer. He simply tossed his twig aside and walked casually toward his wooden shack.

  ?Even though their bodies felt like they had been run over by a freight train, an immense wave of relief washed over them. Master Jiren had finally accepted them as his students. Panting and limping, they followed the old man into the simple house, completely unaware that the training awaiting them tomorrow would be far more agonizing than any beating they took today.

  To be continue...