Chapter 117: The Trap and the Cross
Midnight draped itself over Ringsted like a veil of silent tension. The old Water Park District—once a bustling family attraction—was now a broken relic, with cracked tiles, rusted fences, and ghostly remnants of laughter that had long since vanished. But tonight, it pulsed again with energy… the kind that comes before a strike.
Three figures stood poised on separate rooftops, shadows blending into steel and neon.
Madagascar knelt behind an old ventilation system, cloak rustling faintly in the wind. His fingers touched the icy edge of the rooftop beneath him, frost naturally forming around his gloves.
Across from him, Tito stood on the lip of a billboard. Sparks of black lightning crackled at his boots, pulsing like a heartbeat ready to move.
Higher up still, leaping from crane wire to antenna, was Chiro—her signature ribbon technique creating stepping points in midair as she danced through the shadows.
Beside Madagascar, hidden behind a rust-stained air duct, stood FBI Ben, the informant and strategist, his yellow hair slicked back, nerves pulsing beneath his leather gloves.
"They're in position," Madagascar murmured.
Ben gave a slight nod, eyes locked on the street below.
"Don't worry. The signal will come. Just watch the sergeants."
Street Level: The Bait Draws Near
Down below, three sergeants moved with calculated precision. Their armor was lightweight but reinforced, and their rifles were equipped with non-lethal tranquilizers. They pressed themselves against a cracked concrete wall, waiting for the signal.
From the distance, headlights pierced the dark.
The low, aggressive growl of an engine roared.
A Lamborghini Urus, windows down, speakers blaring music into the night, screeched around a corner. Inside, sunglasses on at midnight, a grin plastered across his face, was Rokky—the man they'd come to retrieve.
He looked like a man untouched by consequence.
Ben narrowed his eyes.
"That's our guy," he whispered. "Now."
Madagascar raised one gloved hand into the air, his breath turning white in the chill.
He flicked his fingers downward,A sudden hiss erupted from the pavement.
Mist and frost rose from the cracks of the road, encircling the speeding Lamborghini. In seconds, a shimmering circle of jagged ice erupted around the car—trapping it in a prison of frozen spires.
Inside, Rokky slammed his foot against the brake—screeching the car to a halt just inches from collision.
His fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly as his eyes narrowed.
"…Ice manipulation?"
The Convergence
Ben gestured downward. "Now!"
The three sergeants broke from cover, moving swiftly around the icy structure with weapons raised, forming a triangle formation. Rifles aimed and fingers ready, they prepared for containment.
From above, Chiro launched downward, stepping off her midair ribbon threads like stairs, descending with balletic precision.
Tito, encased in streaks of black lightning, vanished from the rooftop with a crackling boom—blurring through the air in a zigzag of power.
Madagascar and Ben descended on an ice ramp forming beneath their feet, gliding downward with precision.
As they landed, Ben called out to the frozen car.
"Rokky! You're under arrest for murder, false accusation, and national treason in connection to the Sakamoto Crisis. Step out of the vehicle now!"
Rokky leaned back in his seat and exhaled.
"Yoi… yoi… yoi…" he chuckled lazily. "I thought I could retire in peace out here. Guess I was wrong."
He tilted his head, amused.
"Mind if I step out? So you don't shoot the shit out of me "
Ben gave a short nod.
Madagascar lowered the ice gradually, the spikes shrinking and curling into the pavement. The temperature eased. The car was nearly grounded—
Suddenly, a crack of air broke the silence.
With a sonic burst, Rokky disappeared.
"He's running!" Madagascar shouted.
Ben barked to the officers.
"Fire! But don't kill him!"
Tranquilizer rounds zipped through the air, whistling toward their target—but Rokky, slippery and skilled, twisted and darted between bullets with the grace of a shadow.
"Tito! Intercept—use it!" Madagascar called.
Tito's eyes glowed with black sparks.
"…Kirin."
In a flash, a bolt of lightning erupted downward like a divine spear.
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, Tito stood behind Rokky—his foot firmly planted on the back of Rokky's head.
A loud thud echoed as Rokky slammed into the pavement, unconscious.
Madagascar moved forward, forming a block of ice around Rokky's body, freezing him mid-breath.
Ben issued the final order.
"Handcuff him."
The sergeants stepped in, locking silver cuffs around Rokky's wrists. They hissed softly with engraved inscriptions.
Chiro approached, eyeing the restraints.
"Those… aren't normal cuffs. What are they?"
Ben nodded proudly.
"Shen Restrict Handcuffs. Made by the S.U.H.A manufacturing labs. Completely shut off a person's Shen flow. They're the reason Alcatraz still holds the worst of the worst."
Madagascar whistled softly.
"I've heard of them. First time I've seen one in person."
Tito cracked his knuckles.
"So… we're heading back to Seoul now, yeah?"
Ben nodded.
"That's the plan. You all did great."
Meanwhile: Greenland, Payer Peak
Snow fell like ashes around the tent where Knight Óðr meditated.
He opened his stitched eyes and spoke softly to Cain.
"It's time."
They stepped out into the cold, and a black crow landed gently in Óðr's palm. Its eyes shimmered red.
Miles away, on the rooftop of a moving train—the same train carrying Sakamoto, Rajesh, and Jayesh—a crow blinked, its X-shaped pupils glowing.
Cathedral City: Train Station – Central Park Hub
Two trains arrived simultaneously at Central Park Station, their screeching brakes overlapping like dueling violins.
On the left platform, the door hissed open slowly. From the steam emerged a dark figure in a long hooded cloak.
The Black Pope.
He stepped onto the platform without a sound, the beads in his hands shifting slowly. His voice was a whisper, but it echoed like thunder in his mind.
"The Devil's Cross Technique never fails."
He leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed beneath his robe, eyes fixed on the train arriving across the station—the one housing Sakamoto.
Back in Greenland – A Final Moment
The crow in Knight Óðr's palm let out a sharp cry—and then burst into black smoke.
A wind rushed through the mountaintop.
In that same moment, both Óðr and Cain vanished, their bodies disintegrating into feathers and shadows.
End of Chapter 118
Next: "Crossroads of Fate"