Game of Higher Hands - He Didn’t Even Slow Down

6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRnoBZT6H0

I turn around.

The footsteps are real this time.

Not monsters.

Not echo.

People.

And then I see them.

Ethan.

Lily.

Ben.

Ryan.

Mia.

Ava.

All six of them.

Running toward me.

Fast.

Dust behind their feet.

I lean against a broken sand wall and watch them like I’m watching a show.

“…You guys are really good at showing up in bad timing.”

Ethan sees me first.

He slows slightly.

His eyes sharpen.

“Jax.”

The others also stop.

All six of them spread out a little.

Not attacking.

But not relaxed either.

I raise my hands slowly.

“Relax. I’m not here to fight you.”

Ben frowns.

“You said that last time.”

“Last time I also didn’t fight you.”

“That’s not the point.”

I shrug.

“Kind of feels like the point.”

Their eyes shift past me.

Toward the sand castle.

The battlefield.

The chaos inside.

Monsters’ bodies everywhere.

Broken sand walls.

Burning cracks in space.

And a figure moving through it all.

I point inside.

“Go look.”

Ethan narrows his eyes.

“…What?”

I smile.

“Trust me. You want to see this.”

They hesitate.

Then move past me.

Slow.

Careful.

I follow behind at a distance.

Because honestly?

This is getting interesting.

Inside the castle entrance—

they stop.

Silence.

Because everything is already dead.

Not recently.

Not barely.

Completely.

Monsters everywhere.

Cut clean.

No struggle left.

Just… results.

Ryan whispers.

“…Who did this?”

Nobody answers.

Then they see him.

A shadow moving deeper inside the castle.

Black hood.

Black scarf.

Sword in hand.

No hesitation.

No looking back.

He doesn’t even turn when he feels us.

He just keeps walking.

Like we are not even there.

I tilt my head.

“…Yeah. That guy again.”

Ethan takes a step forward.

“Wait—he’s going for the shard.”

We all start moving.

Chasing.

The castle is huge.

Too many rooms.

Too many paths.

But he doesn’t slow down.

He just cuts through everything.

And then—

he starts using space.

Black tears open.

Again and again.

He jumps through them like stairs.

Up.

Down.

Sideways.

I stop for half a second.

“…Okay, that’s cheating.”

Mia stares.

“That’s not normal.”

“No,” I say. “It’s not.”

We rush harder.

But he is faster.

Always faster.

Even I can barely keep up.

And I have speed ability.

We climb.

Higher and higher.

Until finally—

the top floor.

And there he is.

Standing in front of a giant room.

A creature.

Bigger than the others.

The boss.

The black scarf man doesn’t hesitate.

One move.

Just one.

Sword drops.

Clean line.

The monster’s head falls.

No sound.

No resistance.

Silence.

Ethan stops at the doorway.

“…He already killed it.”

The man doesn’t react.

He just steps forward.

Toward the floating shard.

Then Ethan speaks.

“Hey!”

Everyone freezes.

Even me.

Ethan raises his voice.

“Hey, kid!”

I almost laugh.

Kid.

Bad choice of words.

The man stops.

Just slightly.

Not turning fully.

Just a pause.

Ethan continues.

“We need to talk about that shard.”

Silence.

The man slowly raises his hand.

For the shard.

Ethan quickly adds:

“Wait! We can negotiate!”

For the first time—

the man stops completely.

Then slowly turns his head slightly.

Not facing us fully.

Just a glance.

Cold.

Sharp.

He takes the shard anyway.

No hesitation.

Ethan’s face changes.

“…You’re not listening.”

The man puts the shard away.

Then stands straight.

Still not fully facing us.

The scarf covers most of his face.

Only his lower face is visible.

Sharp jawline.

Cold expression.

Then he turns slightly toward us.

Not aggressive.

Not friendly.

Just… final.

And he walks.

Mia steps forward.

“Wait! We can help you understand the system—”

The man disappears.

Not escape.

Not speed.

Just space folding.

He reappears behind us.

Already moving past.

Already leaving.

We all turn instantly.

But he is already gone.

Ethan clenches his fist.

“…We can’t stop him.”

Ryan looks frustrated.

“So what now?”

Ethan lowers his head slightly.

“…We let him go.”

Ava whispers.

“But the shard—”

“We don’t have the strength,” Ethan says quietly.

Silence.

Then Ethan looks up.

One last question.

“To the man in black.”

The figure pauses far away.

Doesn’t turn fully.

Just stops walking.

Ethan asks:

“Who are you?”

The wind moves.

Dust rises.

A long silence.

Then—

one word.

“Charly.”

And then he leaves.

Completely.

I stand there.

Watching the empty space he disappeared from.

Then I slowly smile.

“…Yeah.”

I put my hands in my pockets.

“That guy is a problem.”

Behind me, Ethan clenches his teeth.

The team is silent.

For once.

No one has an answer.

And somewhere far away…

the next shard has already been taken.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wr1jnlXXU

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