Chapter Eleven: Trust Cannot Be Granted

High above the pitch-black sky, a vast surge of azure energy burst forth. Under Seven X's full- power beam, it roared like a violent gale and lanced wildly toward the enormous flying vessel overhead. Wherever the beam passed, a blue pillar of light formed, endless power surging toward the craft and striking it in an instant.

"Boom!"

A thunderous sound exploded out of nowhere in the dark night sky.

The moment the beam slammed into the vessel, it released a frenzy of terrifying energy. At the point of contact, even space itself seemed to ripple faintly.

"Bang!"

In just an instant, beneath that thunder-like muffled detonation, the massive flying vessel vanished into nothingness.

On the ground, K stared in astonishment at the giant who had appeared so suddenly. Those swift movements, that overwhelming strength sweeping all before it—he was so stunned he did not know what to say.

And inside the DELPHI Club Bar, closed for business, the girl behind the counter with the high ponytail stood quietly watching the video projected onto the wall, her expression unreadable.

It was destined to be a night that no one could sleep through.

The drunkard gazed at the giant's crimson body and exclaimed in amazement, "He will bring us light!"

K snapped his head around and looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

With a strange smile on his face, the drunkard turned and ran off at once. There was not the slightest sign of drunkenness about him; his stride was so nimble he might have rivaled Bolt.

"Hey! Why are you running?" K cried in bafflement, watching the drunkard vanish before him. He could only feel utterly perplexed.

Yet there was no answer. The drunkard merely turned and left the street, disappearing swiftly into the city.

In but a moment, K was the only one left standing alone on the street. That eerie sensation sent a shiver down his spine.

How long had it been since he had last walked at night with his family along brightly lit streets?

And now, whenever night fell, the whole city seemed ghostlike. People hid inside buildings, while only the floating holographic screens in the air kept murmuring on and on, looking like wandering spirits themselves.

K suddenly realized that a life without night was indeed a miserable one.

He lifted his head slightly, only to find every resident staring at him with eyes of cold indifference. Those gazes looked as though he had become their sworn enemy. Before he could react, they all turned away, shut their windows, and disappeared from view.

K scratched his head in speechless exasperation. What in the world was this supposed to be...

Their eyes...

"It was you who watched over us, who caged us like birds. The fear that has spread through every corner of the city—wasn't that all your doing? You stripped away our freedom, drained our emotions, and numbed our souls!"

"The government—that's the government of your lapdogs, not ours!"

"Bah! If you don't believe it, then step onto the street yourself. Reveal who you are, and see the way everyone looks at you! Lapdog!!!"

K lowered his head in confusion, as though he had finally understood something.

"A... AAA..."

Seven X's immense and powerful body bent forward slightly, as if crouching upon the ground. Then his legs drove down with explosive force, and his giant form instantly broke past the speed of sound. Only a burst of sonic haze remained in his wake, while the giant had already vanished into the city, soaring toward the endless night sky.

At that moment, everyone looked up in unison.

Could this giant bring them light...

No one knew the answer, but all were willing to believe, and to hope.

Perhaps the most desperate thing of all is the loss of hope itself...

On a plaza by the riverbank, JIN held the Ultra glasses in his right hand. His body swayed, and he panted heavily, looking utterly exhausted.

And in truth, that was exactly the case. He still had no way to fully control such immense power; indeed, the power was so great that even he himself was somewhat astonished.

JIN lowered his head slightly and looked at the Ultra glasses in his hand. The lenses reflected a lovely sheen under the lights, while the frame was a vivid crimson, exuding a strong sense of power, much like the red of Seven X's body.

"I am the savior of this world..."

JIN murmured to himself, as if trying to bolster his own resolve. Those were the words the mysterious woman had always stressed to him. Yet for him, all of this felt like a dream. To possess such longed-for power, to fight in the form of a giant—everything was so effortless that even now he still felt shrouded in mist.

He had somehow become the savior. Somehow, he had to face everything before him.

And this... this incomprehensible world.

JIN looked around. Not a single soul was in sight; it was a dead city through and through.

All of this... was it perhaps all a dream?

As though by some unseen coincidence, an automated floating display came to rest not far before JIN.

Inside the screen, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses wore a bizarre smile and gesticulated wildly as he said:

"Do you feel lost? Do you feel weary? Do you feel as though you are living in a fog? Do you feel... as if you are not truly in the real world?"

"Come at once to our..."

"Hey!"

The vibration from the portable smart terminal drew JIN's attention away from the display. He lowered his gaze and opened the device on his left wrist.

"JIN, are you all right? Answer me!"

Then K's voice came through. JIN smiled faintly, a rare expression on his face, and said,

"Mm, I'm fine."

"Is that giant here to save us humans?"

By then, the holographic screen had floated above JIN's head, and the image on it had already changed to a man's face, broadcasting the newly released report, which was where those words had just come from.

Then the face of the female host appeared on the screen once more, still wearing that same cold expression that kept people at arm's length.

"Maybe he's just another alien creature coveting our Earth."

JIN stood in the center of the street, lowering his head slightly to look at the Ultra glasses in his hand. His black trench coat was lifted by the night wind, and his slightly long hair drifted back over his shoulders.

"Every person could be an alien, even myself."

"I can't trust anything... I can't even be sure whether this is a real world."

"But no matter what, I will use this power to defeat all the darkness before me!"

As he slipped the Ultra glasses into the chest pocket of his coat, JIN quickened his pace slightly. His steps were resolute, his expression unwavering.

And behind him, the dazzling light he had been blocking finally revealed its rays.