The Author's POV

The aperture in the cell was so small that very little light could pass through it. It was eerily quiet and pitch black. He had no idea how long he had been locked up for. He had long stopped keeping track.

He just felt numb.

Thinking about his wife and daughter, he felt his heart get torn into pieces.

He was innocent. He didn't do anything, but for some reason, he was framed. It wasn't just him; Levisha and Gravar were put in the same circumstances as him.

… They had been wondering why, but the only response they got was a list of charges. Each worse than the other.

The looks of scorn and the contempt he received from the guards were something he'd never experienced in his whole life.

'Why are they doing this to me?'

Toshimoto's head slowly raised as he gazed up at the pitch-black ceiling above him with a blank expression on his face.

He felt so empty…

Rumble!

Suddenly, he heard a muffled rumbling sound coming from a distance, and he lowered his head to look in that direction.

"What's going on?"

He wondered, weakly raising himself and moving toward the door.

Rumble!

Another muffled rumble reverberated. This time, it was a lot closer, and Toshimoto was able to make it out clearly.

'Did something happen in the facility?'

He felt his heart beat quicker.

Rumble!

The rumbling was getting louder and louder with each passing second, and it wasn't long before it reached his direction; he could feel the entire room shaking as it happened.

"This power?"

It felt terrifying and oppressive.

"Mia?"

He was able to instantly recognize it due to the heaviness of it. What was more terrifying was the fact that it was getting weaker and weaker by the second.

'Is she fighting against someone?'

It soon became clear to him that something major was happening. An attack perhaps? He wasn't sure… but for it to require Mia's personal intervention... It had to be extremely serious.

Booom!

The terrifying sound of an explosion came from nowhere, and at the same time, the door of the cell was violently blown open.

Toshimoto had to quickly cover his eyes with his arm in order to protect himself from the sudden influx of light that filled the room.

"Argh!"

He still nonetheless felt his eyes sting.

"W,what is happening?"

forced himself to open his eyes and see what was

two deep blue eyes staring at him. With a smile on his face, he

very nice to meet

***

Master? Benefactor?

to address him? Technically speaking, he wasn't the same person

Or was he not?

this is

I still came to the decision that it was appropriate to

was a form of respect for everything that his martial manual had granted me. Without it, I wouldn't have been what I was

"Y,you, who are you?"

looked different from the

soul I had met back then, he looked much older and more malnourished. The skin on his

questions for later. Let me help you get

which he glanced

but to take my hand. It's either you take my hand or

before he eventually nodded

"You're right."

in dealing with the unexpected matter was rather surprising, but how should I put this...

point that I directed my mana into his body, and finally, his frail

posture began to

looked like a

"This…"

startled by the sudden changes, but

for

Rumble!

strong

"…How annoying."

figure slammed into the nearby

"Cough… Cough…"

found myself on the other end of

"I,impossible."

best to

eyes and turned to

"What's wrong?"

at me was akin to that of

"T,that… How?"

"Don't worry about it."

doors suddenly blasted open, revealing two elderly men in poor health. One's

'Grandmaster Levisha, Grandmaster Gravar.'

in my direction. When they arrived, I pressed my hand against each of

the two of them began to heal very quickly,

"What's going on?"

"What's happening?"

at themselves in disbelief for a moment before turning their attention back to me. As

an honor to

at each other before shifting their attention toward Grandmaster Keiki, who shook his

three of them were, I didn't

their situation, I'd have reacted the

"Ukh… Cough…"

had just finished speaking when I was startled by a series of coughs coming from behind me. Turning around, I saw Mia standing there. My eyes

'She's quite tenacious.'

are you

"Can't you see?"

was fairly obvious from the

step forward. Her hair was all over her face, and blood was dripping down the side of her mouth and

"D,don't you da-pftt"