Lin was exhilarated for the battle ahead. He moved so fast it was as if he vanished from existence itself, the only sign of his presence being the sudden lightning flashes whenever he turned a sharp corner.
In mere moments, the distance between them was gone.
"Here he comes." The voice inside Monty spoke out.
Then, BOOM—he was there, blades drawn, the air crackling around him.
His sword arced toward Yuri's neck—only to be stopped mid-swing.
Monty's bare hand caught the blade.
The impact sent a shockwave through the ground. The dirt cracked beneath his feet, and a deep silence followed.
Lin's breath hitched. "With his bare fists"?
Monty's expression was unreadable, but his presence was suffocating. Lin felt sweat bead at his temple. His instincts screamed. Before he could be made an example, he retreated to a safer distance, now facing the two.
Yuri got startled by the sudden impact and turned to look at what it was. His eyes landed on the hooded figure, the Oni mask expressionless, yet somehow watching. Lin paced back and forth, slowly, like a predator sizing up prey.
"It should be about here, right? I know all about your little friend."
"He knows the striking range."
Monty cracked his knuckles. "We'll just have to close the distance then." He turned to Yuri.
"Do you mind holding this for a bit?" He handed Yuri his coat.
"And also... could you not ask about anything you're about to see?"
Before Yuri could even process anything-
POOF.
Monty disappeared.
Lin barely had time to register the movement before—
CRACK-
A devastating kick slammed into his abdomen, sending him rocketing through the trees. One, two, three—by the seventh, his body finally stopped.
Pain shot through his ribs. Before he could even breathe—
BOOM!
A fist collided with his skull, shattering the tree behind him.
Lin gasped, vision blurred. His body screamed in protest.
"You know the striking range, huh? Pathetic."
A low chuckle escaped Lin's lips, laced with pain. "Can't say I expected less from a Monarch. Now what? You gonna kill me?"
"I'm going to question you first."
Lin exhaled, placing a hand on his abdomen, dulling the pain.
"As long as you don't ask none of that confidential shit..."
"Why are you following me? Or is that too confidential for you?"
"No, its fine. Honestly? I was just in the area."
Monty scoffed. "So you're telling me you just happened to leave your Arca zone, wander across a random point in the entire fucking world, and bump into us?"
"The world is small, compadre."
"Bullshit."
Monty grabbed Lin's collar. His grip was like steel.
"Tell me why you're here, and I'll let you off easy. Depending on your answer, of course."
Lin hesitated. He weighed his options. Telling the truth wouldn't put his zone in danger. And Sardar needed him alive.
He sighed.
"We're here for a mission."
Monty narrowed his eyes. "What kind?"
"Removing and disarming a Zirud bomb... which, by the way, should've been YOUR job."
Monty blinked. Hm?
His mind flickered back to a conversation from long ago—one of his "disciples" had come to him, warning him about the bomb.
That was back when he was planning to run away.
"Ohhh, that. My bad. Completely forgot about that. He let go of Lin's collar.
Lin gave him a deadpan stare. "So you WERE informed."
"Look, if you're not here for me, could you just pretend you never saw me? That way, we both go on our merry ways."
Lin sighed. "Given the situation I'm in, that seems like the favorable option." He crossed his arms. "Let me ask you this, though—why?"
Monty raised a brow. "Hm? Why what?"
"Why would you leave all that you had and come live outside the Arca zones?"
Monty exhaled deeply, his expression darkening for just a moment.
"I have my reasons. Of course, I could tell you, but... you'd die."
Lin chuckled, slow and deliberate. "No, I'd rather live thank you very much."
"Good."
Monty cracked his knuckles, then suddenly grabbed Lin by the collar.
"Oi. What are you doing—"
"Getting you out of my sight."
Lin barely had time to react before—
WHOOSH.
Monty launched him into the sky at breakneck speed, sending him hurtling back in the direction he came from.
"WOAH, WOAH, WAI—"
His voice faded into the distance.
Yuri stood there, watching it all unfold. His mind raced.
What the hell just happened?
Questions flooded his thoughts, but one thing was certain—he was starting to realize just how much he didn't know about Monty.
For all he knew, he could be walking with a registered sex offender that went after little boys.
A creeping sense of distrust settled in. He even started to wonder if Monty was even his real name.
Moments later, Monty returned, his expression guilty. He knew there was no getting out of this without an interrogation. He had already made up his mind to answer what he could.
To his surprise though ,Yuri simply handed him back the coat and turned toward their path again. Not a single word.
Monty blinked. Huh?
No questions? No accusations? Just silence?
He could feel the invisible wall Yuri had placed between them. And he didn't like it.
After a few minutes of walking, Monty finally broke the silence.
"Don't you wanna know who that was?"
"I do." Yuri's voice was flat, emotionless.
Monty sighed. "Look, I can tell you don't trust me. So fine. Ask. I'll tell you what you want to know."
Yuri stopped.
Turning to face him, he locked eyes with Monty, his expression unreadable.
"For starters, you could tell me who the fuck you really are."
Monty exhaled sharply and clicked his tongue. "Of course."
He ran a hand through his hair before muttering, "I'm not your... ordinary person."
"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock."
"Stop the coldness. It's not helping."
"Fine, I apologize." Yuri crossed his arms. "But can you blame me? You told me to not ask you anything before you just pulled off one of the most brutal movements I have ever seen." Yuri went on a fit.
"For all I know you could be a criminal and you just did that to the police. Do you really think i wanna be close with someone like that?"
"I understand your frustration." Monty met his gaze. "How about we find a place to rest? I'll try to explain everything."
"Try? No i want you to explain everything to me. Not just try.
"Fine, fine. I'll tell you everything you want to know.
---
Meanwhile, far above the ground—Lin was still soaring through the sky.
Embarrassing.
But he was close to his destination now. There was just one problem though, his reputation.
"I'll be damned if I let anyone see me like this."
Through the sheer force of a man's dignity, Lin managed to stabilize himself mid-air. Just in time to make a cool-ass entrance.
Down below, Naotori was about to contact headquarters when—
BOOM.
The ground behind him exploded from Lin's impact. Lightning surged, dust filled the air, and the shockwave cracked the the ground.
Perfect. No one would ever know how humiliating the past few minutes had been for him.
By the time the dust settled, Lin had already wiped away any visible signs of injury. Even as pain screamed through his body, he stood tall—composed. As the supreme leader he was.
None of the operation's members questioned his absence. He rarely disappointed, after all.
But Naotori? Naotori knew everything that had just gone down.
As soon as Lin stepped inside the Ozark to catch his breath, Naotori was on him.
"Running off like that like we don't have protocol, huh?" His voice was sharp, irritated. "And here I thought you were more calm and collected than Ryo. Guess you're both just power-hungry maniacs who smile ear to ear whenever you meet someone stronger than you."
Lin's eye twitched. "Don't lump me in with that arrogant bastard. And also i did receive orders."
"Pretty sure those orders didn't say to go and engage with a fucking Monarch. Uzoth, of all people. Are you insane?"
Lin pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling. "I don't have the time for this."
Lin stood up and headed over to the Captain's chambers.
"Show yourself out once you're done rambling."
Naotori scoffed. "Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want. Don't care about us at all. You got that, dumbass?"
Lin didn't reply.
With a frustrated sigh, Naotori stormed away.
But Lin wasn't focused on him anymore.
Something was bothering him.
Something important.
At first, he thought he was just replaying the fight in his head, but no—there was a detail. A tiny, crucial detail that didn't add up.
When he first struck—when he should have sliced Yuri's head clean off—Uzoth's hand had stopped him.
Except it didn't.
Now that he thought about it...
Uzoth had been a second late.
In that single second, his blade should have sliced through Yuri's neck.
But it didn't.
Something else had stopped him before Uzoth even moved.
A slow, sinking realization formed in his mind.
"Who the hell is that kid?"
Because in that instant—
The power that had revealed itself...
Was one he had seen before.
A power that belonged to someone he knew all too well.
And if his assumptions were true...
The world was about to be faced... with another Tachibana.
---------
A few moments later, Yuri and Monty came across a river and decided to stop there for a bit, taking the chance to rest and have a snack.
Yuri kept glancing at Monty who had just removed his top clothes due to the heat. At first, Monty ignored it, but after a while, he sighed and finally spoke up.
"What do you want to ask?"
"Are you in the military?"
Monty raised an eyebrow. "Something like that. Why?"
Yuri nodded toward him. "That body. You're way too fit for your age."
Monty let out a small laugh, clearly pleased by the compliment.
Then, the real interrogation began.
"That guy back there—he called you a Monarch. What does that mean?"
Monty stiffened for a split second, then forced himself to relax. "Already with the spicy questions huh?" He sighed before continuing, "Alright, you know the Arca zones, right?"
"Yeah."
"The Monarchs are the ones who run them. Think of them as kings or presidents of their own little nations."
Yuri crossed his arms. "And what does that have to do with you?"
Monty scratched the back of his head, looking away. "Well... I'm a Monarch."
Yuri blinked. "...Bullshit."
Monty smirked. "I get that a lot."
"No, seriously. There's no way a Monarch would just abandon their zone and come live out here."
"Yeah, well, I have my own personal reasons. And, to be honest, I never asked to be a Monarch in the first place."
Yuri's eyes narrowed. "Then how the hell did you end up as one?"
Monty exhaled, suddenly looking tired. "That's a long story."
"I have time."
"And I don't feel like telling it."
Yuri clicked his tongue but let it go—for now. "Fine. Who was that guy back there?"
"His name is Lin Chi. He's part of an organization under another Monarch. They call themselves the RELLs."
"What does RELLs stand for?"
Monty shrugged. "No clue. Some people think it's an acronym, others say it's just a name to sound intimidating. Either way, they're not people you would want to encounter."
Yuri frowned, processing the information. "So...how many Monarchs are there?"
"One per Arca zone. So six in total."
"And do all of them have groups like the RELLs?"
Monty leaned back on his hands. "I'm not sure about the others. But I do have one under me."
"What do they call themselves?"
Monty hesitated. "Is that… really important?"
Yuri smirked. "It's probably something stupid, isn't it?"
Monty let out a long, tired sigh. "The Disciples of Uzoth."
Yuri blinked. "The Disciples of Uzoth?"
Monty nodded.
Silence.
Then Yuri broke into laughter. "So what are you, like Jesus?"
Monty groaned. "I came up with that name when I was sixteen. Give me a break."
Yuri wiped a tear from his eye. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll drop it. But hold on—what do you mean, you came up with it at sixteen? Did you become a Monarch that young?"
"No, I had that group back then. They were just my friends, but they thought of me as their leader and wanted a name for the group. 'Disciples' seemed fitting since… well, there were twelve of them." Monty chuckled at the memory.
For the first time, Yuri saw something different in him. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.
But he had another question—one that had been eating at him since their fight with Lin.
"Alright, enough about that. Are you finally gonna tell me what that substance is? The one you always use in combat? I saw you coat your hand in it before fighting Lin and you used it against the great as well."
Monty exhaled sharply. "That, huh." He stared at the river for a moment before glancing at Yuri. "You're not going to stop asking about it until I just tell you, won't you?"
Yuri grinned. "Damn right."
Monty sighed again, then cracked his knuckles. "Alright then. Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Whatever happens in the next minute, don't piss your pants."
Yuri raised an eyebrow. He stared at Monty, trying to figure out what the hell could possibly be so terrifying. But curiosity won out.
" I promise?..."
Monty smirked. "Good. Saiken, do your thing."
In an instant, the bluish substance erupted from Monty's body, expanding and morphing at an alarming rate. His entire form twisted and reshaped until he towered over Yuri, now twice his size. The translucent, ever-shifting mass took the shape of a monstrous axolotl figure, with fins on top of its head that ran across the back its body that seemed like it was constantly in motion, as if made of liquid itself.
And then… the figure spoke...
"Receive my utmost greetings."
Yuri's breath hitched.
"Ho… ly… shit."
Monty—no, Saiken—chuckled. "Surprised?"
Yuri's eyes flickered across the massive figure in disbelief. "Very much so." His eyes continuing to widen due to the bizzare being.
It wasn't just its size. It wasn't just its form.
It was the fact that this thing—this thing—could talk like a damn person.
Suddenly, Saiken froze.
His entire form stiffened, his shifting mass momentarily still—too still. His gaze, once casual, turned to something else. Terror.
Then, he backed away. A full step. Then another. Putting distance between himself and Yuri.
Something was wrong.
Monty immediately noticed the shift. "Saiken, what's going on? Talk to me."
No response.
His gut tightened. He switched to their shared telepathic link.
"Saiken. What do you see?"
The translucent form of Saiken slowly began to retract, its goo-like substance peeling away and dissolving back into Monty's body. In mere moments, Monty stood alone, his partner now fully withdrawn.
Monty's pulse quickened. "Saiken, I'm not asking again, what the hell did you see?"
A long, unsettling silence followed.
Then, a whisper crept into Monty's mind.
"Uzoth… we have just associated ourselves with a very dangerous individual here."
Monty stiffened.
"I suggest we find a way to end this boy as soon as possible… before he...ends us."