"We're too late," I said, my voice heavy with regret as I watched the remnants of the portal fade away. "It's already gone."
"Yeah, we can't just leave school like that..." IM replied, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
A sense of frustration and helplessness washed over me. We had been so close, yet we had failed to stop the whale before it could wreak havoc on the city. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.
"The thing I've been thinking about since the beginning... Why isn't the whale dead... when I actually killed it?" I asked, my voice filled with confusion and self-doubt.
IM nodded. "You definitely killed that whale last time by saying, 'dead'."
"But then... how...?" I trailed off, my mind racing to find an explanation. "Unless..."
A chilling realization dawned on me. "Unless it wasn't the same whale," I said, my voice barely a whisper.
IM's eyes widened. "You think there's more than one?"
I nodded slowly. "It's the only explanation that makes sense. The one we killed was definitely dead. But this one... it's different. It's stronger, more powerful."
A sense of dread settled over us. If there were multiple whales, each one more powerful than the last, then we were facing a threat far greater than we had initially anticipated.
"How about asking Kuro? He's lived much longer than us, right?" IM suggested, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"That's a good idea," I agreed, a sense of urgency returning. "We need to find out what we're dealing with."
***
"Kuro, wake up," I said gently, nudging him awake.
He stirred, his eyes slowly opening. "Hmm? What is it, kid?" he mumbled, his voice raspy with sleep.
"We need your help," IM explained. "We saw another whale today, just like the one we encountered before. But this one was different. It was stronger, more powerful."
Kuro's eyes snapped open, his ears perked up. "Another whale?" he repeated, his voice filled with surprise. "What do you mean? There's only one Sky Whale."
"But we saw it," I insisted. "It was huge, and it was shrouded in darkness. It looked just like the one we fought before."
"Yeah, of course, because that Sky Whale was never killed," he said matter-of-factly.
Silence...
This time, I started thinking about that day when I reversed time. Did that mean the whale wasn't killed because I reversed time, or is there something else going on? I wondered.
"Hey, didn't you notice that day... when the whale suddenly exploded...?" I started to ask.
Kuro shook his head, his expression unreadable.
"It disappeared," I continued, my voice filled with a mix of confusion and frustration. "It was like it never existed."
Kuro's eyes narrowed. "That's impossible," he said, his voice low. "The Sky Whale is an ancient and powerful being. It can't be killed so easily... Also, it was owned by a sorcerer. I don't know if the sorcerer is still alive or not."
A chill ran down my spine. The idea that the Sky Whale was still alive, and possibly even more powerful than before, was terrifying.
"So, what does this mean?" IM asked, his voice filled with apprehension. "Are we dealing with an immortal creature?"
Kuro shook his head. "No, the Sky Whale can be killed. But it requires immense power, and even then, it might not be permanent. You know, just like how Harbingers can come back to life, but with new memories."
"So, it's possible that the Sky Whale we encountered today is a resurrected version of the one we defeated before?" I asked, my mind racing with the implications.
Kuro nodded. "It's the most likely explanation. But the question is, who or what brought it back?"
A heavy silence fell over the room. We were facing an enemy that seemed to defy death itself, a creature of immense power and malice. The stakes had just been raised, and the future seemed more uncertain than ever before.
"I mean..." Kuro started, sitting down and swishing his tail thoughtfully. "That whale didn't do anything bad unless its master told it to. The whale only comes to this world because the master needs something. So earlier, the whale was called by its master."
"...Nyi Roro Kidul told me that the whale is something I should kill because it harms the underwater habitat, I think?" I recalled my encounter with the Queen of the Southern Sea.
"Nyi Roro Kidul? Are you sure?" Kuro's ears perked up. "If that's true, well... I don't know. I'm just a cat; I don't want to mess with a whale."
"The black cloak means its master is a Harbinger, right..." I said, piecing the information together.
IM and Kuro both nodded in agreement.
Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bed. "Well... I mean, the whale didn't attack anyone..."
"It didn't attack, but its presence alone is enough to cause chaos and fear," IM pointed out, his voice serious. "We can't just ignore it. We need to find its master and stop them before they use the whale for something even more destructive."
Kuro nodded in agreement. "I'll leave it to you guys. You can find the sorcerer."
I lay back on the bed, a sigh escaping my lips. "Let's just wait until tonight and do our thing..."
Night descended once more, cloaking the city in darkness. The four of us – Yolan, IM, Lili, and myself – arrived at the now-infamous gangster hangout, the scene of our previous encounter. The once-bustling warehouse district was now eerily quiet, the only sound the distant hum of the city.
We approached the small houses cautiously, our senses heightened, alert for any signs of danger. The door was slightly ajar, a sliver of light escaping from within.
"Looks like they're back in business," Yolan whispered, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Lili closed her phone. "The last brawl was yesterday, and one person died. Well... the police caught most of them, but some are still out there... so there they are..." she said, pointing towards the sliver of light.
IM, always eager for action, grinned beneath his mask. "Let's give them another taste of justice."
I nodded, my resolve firm. "We can't let them continue their criminal activities. It's time to put an end to this."
We cautiously approached the door, the sounds of muffled voices and laughter filtering through the cracks. Yolan, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, took the lead, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
With a swift movement, she pushed the door open, revealing a dimly lit room filled with smoke and the pungent smell of alcohol. A group of burly men, their faces hardened and scarred, were gathered around a table, playing cards and drinking.
Their laughter died abruptly as they spotted us standing in the doorway. A tense silence fell over the room.
"Time to follow your friends to jail," I said from beneath my mask, my voice echoing in the stillness.
The gangsters exchanged nervous glances, their bravado from the previous night replaced by a palpable fear. One of them, a particularly large man with a shaved head and a scar across his cheek, stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the concrete floor.
"Who the hell are you?" he growled, his voice thick with menace. "And what do you want?"
Yolan stepped forward, her imposing figure casting a long shadow in the dim light. "We're the Anti-Gangster," she declared, her voice ringing through the room. "And we're here to shut you down."
The gangsters shifted uneasily, their hands reaching for hidden weapons. But before they could react, IM vanished into the shadows, his presence disappearing without a trace.
A moment later, a series of muffled thuds and grunts echoed through the room. The gangsters, caught off guard, stumbled and fell, their weapons clattering to the floor. IM reappeared, a smug grin on his face, his hands empty but his work done.
"Disarmed and neutralized," he announced, his voice laced with amusement.
The remaining gangsters, now weaponless and outnumbered, looked at each other in desperation. They knew they were no match for us.
"You're making a big mistake," the scarred man warned, his voice trembling slightly. "You don't know who you're messing with."
Yolan stepped forward, a small steel object in her hand. She focused her power, manipulating it into a shield.
Thud! The shield flew through the air, striking the gangster's head with a resounding impact.
Meanwhile, Lili, invisible to the naked eye, moved swiftly through the room, collecting the discarded weapons.
As for me, I stood back, observing the scene unfold. Not because I didn't want to fight, but because I was using my powers to control everyone's movements, ensuring our victory.
Yolan's shield attack sent the scarred man reeling, his head throbbing from the impact. He stumbled back, clutching his forehead in pain. The other gangsters, seeing their leader incapacitated, hesitated, their resolve faltering.
IM, meanwhile, reappeared in the midst of the chaos, his shadowy form flickering in and out of existence. He landed a series of precise blows, his punches and kicks sending gangsters flying across the room. His laughter echoed through the warehouse, a chilling counterpoint to the groans and cries of his opponents.
Lili, still invisible, continued to collect the discarded weapons, ensuring that the gangsters remained powerless. She moved with a newfound confidence, her movements swift and decisive. It was clear that she was embracing her role as a member of the Unveiled.
< Chapter 156 > Fin.