Slam—!
The door to the Last Round swung open violently, the small bell above it jingling madly.
Startled by the loud sound, Mira turned her head.
"What is it?"
Standing at the door was Nia, completely out of breath.
She gasped for air, clinging to the doorframe.
Mira's eyes widened at the sight.
"Nia? Aren't you off today...?"
"Rio..."
Her voice trembled.
Kael turned his gaze toward her.
Nia forced down her breath and spoke again.
"Rio is gone."
Mira's expression hardened.
"What?"
Nia gripped the doorframe even tighter, until her fingertips turned pale white.
"He... he was supposed to be at home, but he wasn't there. His wheelchair was gone, and his books were scattered on the floor..."
Her voice wavered more and more.
"The door was left wide open, and..."
Mira stepped out from behind the bar.
"W-Wait, calm down. Is it possible Rio just went out on his own?"
Nia shook her head.
"No. Rio can't go outside on his own. He can't even release the wheel locks on his wheelchair by himself."
"Then..."
Nia's reddened eyes turned toward Kael.
"I think he's been kidnapped."
Silence fell over the Last Round.
Kael slowly rose from his seat.
"When?"
His tone was unusually serious.
Nia hurriedly replied.
"When I went out for groceries... and came back. It hasn't been long. Thirty minutes at most... no, maybe even less..."
"The state of the house?"
"It was ransacked. The bookshelf was knocked down, and Rio's cherished books were torn..."
Nia's lips quivered violently, and she couldn't string her words together properly.
"And..."
Kael asked.
"And?"
Nia pulled a crumpled piece of paper from inside her clothes and handed it to Kael with trembling hands.
Kael took the paper and unfolded it.
"..."
Red ink was smeared across it, as if written with a bloody finger.
[Tell the Hero.]
[If you want the kid back, come alone to the Eastern Logistics Center.]
[Wearing your trademark black mask, of course.]
[Lord Toph is waiting.]
Mira gritted her teeth.
"Black Ring..."
Nia's body trembled slightly.
"I-I... I should have kept a closer eye on Rio..."
"Nia."
Mira grabbed her by the shoulders.
"It's not your fault."
"But..."
"I said it's not your fault."
Without a word, Kael folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.
"..."
His eyes had turned ice-cold.
Watching Kael, Mira spoke up.
"W-Wait, Kael, where are you going right now?"
"For a walk."
"What? Don't tell me you're..."
Nia snapped her head up.
"I-I'm coming too!"
Her voice was still trembling.
Kael looked at her and answered firmly.
"No."
"Rio is my brother!"
"That's why you can't."
Nia's eyes wavered at his words, but Kael spoke calmly.
"If you get caught too, Rio will be in even greater danger."
"But..."
"I'll bring him back."
"Please... I beg of you."
***
The headquarters of the Black Ring.
The interior of the shuttered logistics center was far more chaotic than usual.
And right in the center of it, Toph was leaning back in a massive iron chair.
Toph looked down at the child dragged before him.
A yellow-haired beastman boy tied to a wheelchair.
Rio Goldentail.
Rio looked around with a frightened face, but strangely enough, the fire in his eyes had not died.
Resting his chin on his hand, Toph asked.
"Why the hell did you bring a brat?"
At those words, one of the lackeys hurriedly bowed his head.
"Well, Boss. Someone saw this kid with that black-masked bastard."
"Together?"
"Yes. They said he was with this brat and his noona. That black-masked bastard walked them home personally."
The corners of Toph's lips curled up.
"Is that so?"
He looked back at Rio.
Rio bit his lip, then yelled with all his might.
"Let me go!"
At the kid's futile struggle, the surrounding syndicate members snickered.
Rio raised his voice even louder, as if shouting down his fear.
"The Hero will come! Hyung will come and save me!"
Laughter erupted all around at his words.
"A hero, he says."
"This kid's read way too many books."
"Hey, this is Graverock. Not some fairy tale."
Rio's face flushed red at their mockery, but he refused to hang his head.
"He really will come."
Hearing that, Toph clapped his hands once.
Clap.
"Then all the better."
Rio glared at him.
Toph chuckled and leaned forward.
"Because luring that Hero out is the exact reason I'm using you as bait."
Panic was clearly written across Rio's face.
Seeing that reaction, Toph grinned in satisfaction.
"I really do like kids. Their reactions are so honest."
"Coward."
Rio ground his teeth and spat.
At those words, the syndicate members in the room burst out laughing again.
"What?"
"I said you're a coward."
Rio forced the words out to the end, even with a trembling voice.
"A bastard like you will never beat the Hero."
Toph stared at Rio for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.
"Ha."
A short chuckle.
"Hahaha."
That laughter soon spread across the entire room, and the syndicate members laughed along.
It seemed they found the sight of a kid screaming his head off utterly ridiculous.
Toph stopped laughing and spoke.
"I like you, kid."
Rio didn't answer.
"Scared out of your mind, yet your mouth is still running."
At that moment, someone came running in urgently from outside.
"Boss!"
Toph turned his gaze.
Panting for breath, the lackey who had rushed in shouted.
"That bastard actually showed up!"
The corners of Toph's lips slowly curled upward.
"He really came."
He slowly stood up from his chair.
As Rio lifted his head, someone was walking out from the darkness near the logistics center's tall entrance.
A black mask and black clothes. It was the hyung Rio called a Hero.
His hands were empty.
He walked slowly through the ranks of armed syndicate members.
It was Kael.
The syndicate members aimed their muzzles at him all at once.
However, Kael did not stop and stepped closer toward him.
When Toph raised his hand, the syndicate members barely held back their movements.
Kael came to a stop a set distance away.
His gaze turned to Rio first.
Tied to the wheelchair, Rio was looking back at him.
"Hyung..."
After checking on Rio, Kael looked at Toph.
"Release the kid, as promised."
At those words, laughter burst out around them.
"'As promised,' he says."
"This bastard is really playing Hero."
"Coming all the way here and setting conditions?"
Though ridicule erupted from all sides, Toph didn't laugh, quietly watching Kael.
Then he turned his head to the side.
"Hey."
The subordinate holding Rio flinched.
"Yes?"
"Hand the kid over."
The room fell silent.
Wondering if he had misheard, the subordinate asked blankly once more.
"What?"
Toph's gaze turned fierce.
"I said hand him over. Didn't you hear me?"
The subordinate hurriedly bowed his head.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
In a fluster, he untied Rio's bound arms and pushed the wheelchair forward.
With a bewildered expression, Rio looked back and forth between Toph and Kael.
The syndicate members looked just as baffled.
It was something no one had anticipated.
Because none of them had imagined Toph would actually release the hostage.
As the wheelchair rolled toward him, Kael stepped forward quietly and untied the remaining cords from Rio's wrists.
Rio spoke in a small voice.
"Hyung..."
"Are you alright?"
Rio nodded.
"Yes."
Seeing Kael scan the surroundings, Toph cackled.
"Don't worry. I won't touch you right now."
Toph continued speaking as he inspected his own arm.
"You see, as for me."
His metal arm gleamed beneath the lights.
"I might not look it, but I'm quite the gentleman."
A few syndicate members in the room kept straight faces in nervous tension, unsure whether they were supposed to laugh or not.
"And a man among men, at that."
He tapped his chest with a metal finger.
"So if word got out that I fought using a hostage like some coward, it'd be utterly humiliating, wouldn't it?"
Kael didn't answer, but Toph went on regardless.
"Besides, you wouldn't be able to fight at full strength either."
The corners of his lips curved up further.
"And there'd be no fun in that."
Even more so.
"Yeah, absolutely."
Whirrrr.
His ACU began to react.
"Because there's nothing I hate more than things being boring."
Rio grabbed Kael's sleeve.
"Hyung..."
Without pulling Rio's hand away, Kael spoke quietly.
"Can you make it to the door?"
Rio was about to nod, but hesitated.
Then, taking hold of the back of the wheelchair, Kael slowly turned it around.
"Go."
"But what about you, Hyung...?"
"Go."
Kael left no room for refusal.
Seeing Rio bite his lip, Toph chuckled.
"Let him go."
When the syndicate members merely stared at him, Toph waved his hand in irritation.
"I said clear the way. Are you deaf?"
As the syndicate members reluctantly parted ways, Rio gripped the wheels of his wheelchair and moved forward slowly.
Kael watched him head toward the door.
Ready to move immediately if even one person raised a hand.
Near the door, Rio turned his head.
"Hyung!"
With a face on the verge of tears, he shouted.
"You have to win!"
Toph laughed.
"Look at that. You've even got someone cheering you on."
After Kael gave Rio a brief nod, Rio went out the door.
Watching this, Toph began to warm up, cracking his neck from side to side.
His metal joints popped and clicked.
"Now then."
He took a step forward and lightly shook his hands.
"Now that the obstacle is gone."
"..."
Toph sneered and provoked him.
"Black-masked Hero. Let's go a round."
When Kael reached into his inner pocket, cold metal brushed against his fingertips.
Pale's Tier 6 ACU.
Instead of that, he picked up the Tier 1 ACU first.
"As it happens."
"As it happens?"
Kael's voice was calm.
"I had something to test."
At those words, Toph's grin deepened slightly.
"Good."
A red light flared from the nape of his neck.
"Then let's test each other out."