Above a building in the middle of the city square in Paris.

A man stood at the edge while playing a violin.

A beautiful and soothing melody echoed through the chaotic battlefield.

The sky was dyed crimson, like the end of the world itself.

The man wore a red suit along with a red fedora hat.

He continued playing the violin masterfully.

The screams of civilians could still be heard everywhere, yet he paid no attention to them and remained focused solely on his violin.

The melody he produced was truly a masterpiece.

He moved as if he were dancing with someone while playing the violin.

At that moment, a bright light suddenly approached him.

It was Lightnova.

The light was so brilliant that the man in the crimson suit noticed it from afar.

"Ah... the disturbance has arrived..."

he muttered as he stopped playing the violin.

He released the violin, and instantly, it burst into flames before vanishing into the air.

He was wearing a jester mask.

Just as the light drew closer to him, the man slowly extended his right hand toward it.

The moment Lightnova arrived directly before him at the speed of light—

thin crimson threads suddenly appeared.

Realizing this instantly, Lightnova abruptly changed the direction of her flight.

After altering her course, she could no longer stop herself and ultimately crashed through several nearby buildings.

"Oh? She can change directions within a fraction of a second like that... what a ridiculously unfair power."

said the man wearing the jester mask.

On the other side, Lightnova lay buried beneath the rubble of the destroyed buildings.

She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain from the impact.

"K-kugh... what was that...? Why did threads suddenly appear...? If I hadn’t changed directions earlier... my body would’ve been shredded to pieces..."

With that, Lightnova tried to stand up again.

But just as she was about to rise—

she noticed someone standing before her.

Lightnova slowly looked upward.

A man.

Dressed entirely in red, wearing a red fedora and a jester mask.

"Hello, miss."

the man said in a deep voice.

’W-what is this...? How is he already standing right in front of me!?’

Lightnova tried to move her body, but she couldn’t.

’W-why won’t my body move!?’

The man raised his index finger.

Crimson threads could now be seen connected all over Lightnova’s body.

Instantly, her body rose on its own.

As though she were being controlled by something.

"If I’m not mistaken, your name is Lightnova, correct?"

"That’s none of your business..."

Lightnova replied while glaring sharply at him.

"Ho~ how cruel~ Allow me to introduce myself. I am Smile, one of the three main powers of The Overseer."

---

In Moscow, Russia.

The hideout of The Hive.

Inside Boris’s office.

The door to the room opened.

Alea slowly entered while carrying a sheet of paper.

She saw Boris staring out the window with both hands clasped behind his back.

Alea walked closer toward Boris.

"Your Excellency... we’ve obtained the information regarding The Overseer, just as you requested..."

she said while handing him the paper.

Boris opened his mouth and spoke without turning around.

"Place it on my desk."

"Yes, Your Excellency..."

Afterward, Alea walked toward Boris’s desk and placed the document on top of it.

Just as Alea was about to leave the room—

Boris spoke once more.

"Alea."

Hearing Boris call her directly, Alea immediately turned around.

Boris continued gazing out the window, where his subordinates were busy handling their own affairs.

"I have never told you about my life before I met you."

Alea remained silent as she listened to Boris speak.

"Long ago, I was a Hero. I was known by the title ’One Fist.’ I became a protector for all the people here. People began trusting me because I constantly fought to protect them."

Boris took a deep breath before continuing.

"I believed that I was truly destined to become a hero, and I had immense confidence in myself. But the world said otherwise."

"During the great attack on the city of Chernobyl thirty years ago, I was only twenty-three years old. Naive. Easily provoked. Full of emotions."

"At that time... I couldn’t save a single life."

"I could only stare at the sky filled with crimson threads, and hanging from those threads were hundreds— no... thousands of human bodies, all bound and lifeless."

"I felt overwhelming guilt because I couldn’t save any of them."

"Their blood continued pouring down until it became a rain of blood."

"It didn’t matter whether they were children, elderly people, teenagers, or even newborn babies. They all died helplessly."

"I... trembled when I witnessed it. That scene looked like hell itself, merely giving me a small performance."

"And I also heard someone’s laughter."

"A laugh so disgusting to my ears."

"A laugh that mocked me for my inability to save them all."

"I saw a man wearing a crimson suit, a red fedora, and a jester mask."

"He spread both arms wide as if he were admiring the scenery before him."

"At that moment, I became certain of one thing."

"He was the villain responsible for all of it."

"I tried to fight him, but I couldn’t even land a single punch."

"He was unbelievably powerful."

"But for some reason, he allowed me to live with that guilt."

"I tried reporting him to the Hero Association, hoping they would send many Heroes to defeat that villain."

"But the only thing I received was this."

’Shut your mouth. He is an SVIP guest.’

"From that moment onward, I realized one thing."

"The Hero Association had been rotten from the very beginning."

"Their goal was never to protect powerless civilians."

"It was politics."

"They cared more about money and power."

"They appeared wise and righteous on the outside, yet inside they were like venomous snakes waiting to kill."

"From that day forward, I left the Hero Association and eventually met you."

"We formed the anti-Hero organization known as Hive together."

"We built everything from nothing and learned from my mistakes..."

Boris slowly lowered his gaze.

"I still remember that villain’s name even now."

"Because they called him ’SVIP,’ meaning he was a highly honored guest."

"’Smile.’"

"A devil disguised as a human."

"I realized I could never fight him alone."

"That is why I formed an alliance with Indigo."

"From what I have seen, Indigo possesses truly extraordinary potential."

"Not only that..."

"For some reason, I feel extremely certain that he and I are very similar."

"People who have endured countless hardships."

Boris finally turned toward Alea.

"So no matter what happens, treat every member of The Darkest Alliance as if they are equal to me."

"I do not want Indigo to feel disappointed."

Alea, who had been trembling ever since hearing Boris’s story, slowly nodded her head before leaving the room.

’That... was truly a horrifying story...’

Alea thought with trembling hands.