Cipher hadn't realized it before, but he now had both his arms again. The skin was seamless, unscarred, as if his limb had never been severed in the first place. Flexing his fingers, he held his hands out to the side and spoke the words the Goddess of the Void had given him:
"Return Now."
A flicker of energy pulsed through his body as the Twin Stars shimmered into existence, returning to his grip as if they had never left. He could feel their weight, their power humming beneath his fingertips. Looking at Tank, who was staring at him in shock, Cipher exhaled.
"I appreciate the effort, but I'm fine now." His voice was steady, carrying an undertone of newfound certainty.
Then he turned his gaze back toward the ruined building. The Nightmare was gone. That meant it had moved—and worse, it had likely found new victims. The realization sat heavy in his chest, but it didn't crush him. Instead, it lit a fire inside him.
Before, he had fought like a human—calculating, hesitant, holding himself back. But he wasn't just a human anymore. He was a Counter. A Knight of Light.
He looked at Tank one last time before muttering two words the man wouldn't understand.
"B.R.B."
And with that, Cipher vanished in a blur.
He stormed through the first floor, sweeping through each room with precision. Empty. Moving to the second floor, he encountered only silence, the eerie stillness of death lingering in the air. He tightened his grip on the Twin Stars as he pushed upward to the third floor—and then, he found them.
Two researchers. Mutilated.
Their bodies lay twisted, limbs scattered, their blood still pooling on the floor. Cipher clenched his teeth. He had hesitated before. If he had understood his true capabilities sooner, they might still be alive.
"Next time, I won't hesitate."
This world didn't need a hesitant knight. It needed someone willing to end the threat before it could strike again.
Pushing forward, Cipher sprinted up to the fourth floor—and there, just a door away, was the Nightmare.
The grotesque creature was lumbering down the hallway, its body morphing, shifting with new grotesque appendages. It had Classed up—a Nightmare A-Class.
Cipher narrowed his eyes. No more games.
Raising his blades, he thought of fire. Immediately, flames burst to life, rolling down the length of the Twin Stars, their silver edges engulfed in flickering orange and blue. The heat rippled in the air.
The Nightmare turned. That same vile grin stretched across its face—the same one it wore before throwing him out the window.
"Yeah, I'm gonna have nightmares about that ugly thing."
This time, he didn't wait. Cipher attacked first.
The Nightmare reacted, protrusions sprouting from its body like needle-like spines, launching toward Cipher in deadly precision. Its metallic arms snapped out like razor-sharp yo-yos, the tips glinting like blades.
Cipher twisted, dodging the first wave of projectiles. Another shot toward his chest. He pivoted, barely grazing past it, heat from his own flames licking his skin.
Then he saw it—
A gap.
Cipher lunged, slashing with his left blade, cutting clean through the Nightmare's right arm. The creature shrieked, a sound that pierced the air like scraping metal. But almost instantly, another arm formed, this one sharper, silver, as if evolving mid-fight.
Now, it had six limbs, each one whipping like bladed chains.
Cipher inhaled sharply. This reminds me of some anime I watched back on Earth… He couldn't remember the name, but he remembered one thing—
Cut off the head. The fight ends.
Cipher clenched his fists. Alright. Let's end this.
He charged—
Straight at the Nightmare.
The Nightmare laughed—a shrill, grating sound—as it whipped its arms forward, six deadly blades flying toward Cipher at once.
Cipher lowered one of his Twin Stars, free hand glowing with light.
Then—
A blade of pure energy formed in his palm.
The Nightmare hesitated.
Cipher threw the Blade of Light directly at the Nightmare's face—
The creature instinctively raised its six arms to block—
And that was its fatal mistake.
Cipher was already beneath it.
With one explosive leap, he launched himself upward, both Twin Stars raised high—
And brought them down, severing the Nightmare's head from its shoulders.
The creature didn't even have time to scream.
A burst of black mist erupted from its body as it collapsed, the head rolling across the floor. The Nightmare's body twitched once—then stilled.
Cipher landed softly, his blades still ablaze.
"It's over."
A familiar system notification flashed before him.
[System Display]
Name: Cipher Starlight
Age: 17
Role: Knight of Light - Counter (Immortal)
Strength: B-Class (20 → 30%)
Magic: B-Class (4 → 25%)
Endurance: B-Class (15 → 25%)
Intelligence: A-Class (32 → 30%)
Agility: B-Class (15 → 35%)
Weapons: Twin Stars {Mastery Level 30 → 40%}
Blade Skills:
• (Extradict Blades) - Uses Twin Stars as a medium for the Extradict spell, allowing the user to attack and Extradict Nightmares simultaneously.
• (Return Blades) - Allows the user to recall weapons no matter the distance. Requirements: Must verbally say "Return Now."
• (Blades of Flame) - Engulfs weapons in fire, dealing both physical and flame-based damage.
⚠️ Warning: Fire may persist even after the spell ends.
• (Blade of Light) - Infuses weapons with light energy for additional damage. Also allows Photokinesis users to materialize a pure light weapon.
Learned Magic:
• Amplification {Mastery Level 100%}
• Sound Manipulation {Mastery Level 60%}
• Reinforcement Magic {Mastery Level 75%}
• Sound Magic {Mastery Level 100%}
• Dimensional Magic {Mastery Level 7%}
• Void Magic ????????
Abilities:
⭐ Extradict {Mastery Level 100%}
⭐ Regenerate {Mastery Level 20%} – Allows the user to regenerate lost limbs and body parts.
⭐ Photokinesis {Mastery Level 15%}
⭐ Poison Immunity {Mastery Level 20%} – Immune to poisons/toxins of D-Class or lower.
Dream Credits: 25,525
Cipher exhaled, rolling his shoulders.
"Guess I leveled up."
The flames on his blades flickered before dying out.
The Nightmare was dead.
And for the first time, Cipher felt like he was truly beginning to understand what he was.
A Knight of Light. A Counter. And this was only the beginning.