CHAPTER 85: WAVE (PART-3)

The moon hung high above Voulton City, its silver brilliance draping the metropolis in a serene glow. From this height, the city looked calm, but River knew better.

Skyscrapers pierced the night sky like ancient titans. Some windows blazed with golden light, alive with laughter and music, while others slumbered in darkness, like beasts waiting for dawn.

Below, the streets thrummed with nocturnal life. Neon signs flickered in a riot of colors, painting reflections on wet pavement. Vehicles glided through the avenues, engines humming like a mechanical symphony. It was the kind of night that promised stories—some joyous, some tragic.

Yet, at the city’s heart, silence reclaimed the park where thousands had gathered just hours ago. The massive stage that pulsed with lights and music during the concert now stood as a hollow monument, stripped of its energy. Only paper cups and confetti whispered of the frenzy that had passed.

From the shadows of an alley overlooking the park, a lone figure emerged.

"She’s gone," River muttered, his voice swallowed by the quiet. He exhaled deeply, the weight in his chest refusing to lift.

For a moment, he simply stared at the empty park before turning back into the alley. His footsteps echoed faintly against the walls, the rhythm broken by the occasional squeak of rats scurrying along the damp ground. Above, the moon’s cold light slanted down through gaps in the rooftops, illuminating his silhouette like a lonely wraith.

River tilted his head back, gazing at that distant, indifferent moon. He didn’t linger on the beauty—it only reminded him how small he was compared to the vastness of fate. His mind churned with thoughts, each one pulling him deeper into the labyrinth he’d created with his own words.

Just hours ago, he had been standing in the heart of the ocean, inside a fragile bubble of air, facing a creature who could technically defeat him if all her monsters surrounded him. Wave—calm, a few dozen years old, and terrifying. Her presence was a tidal force pressing on the current. Her strength rivaled that of a C-Rank Dungeon Boss... maybe even B-Rank. And there he was, spinning lies so absurd they almost sounded true.

...

"He wanted... the plan to happen... in a week?" Wave’s voice had rolled toward him like a gentle tide, though the confusion in it betrayed the storm beneath. She didn’t even bother using telepathy—her disbelief bled into sound waves that trembled through the water.

"Yes," River replied without flinching, forcing steel into his tone. "He said he couldn’t wait anymore. The next election is coming up. If the city stays peaceful, the current Mayor remains in power." He leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp, voice low. "We don’t want that, right?"

Wave fell silent, the ocean itself holding its breath with her. He could almost hear the cogs of her mind turning.

River kept his expression calm, but inside, he felt slightly nervous. What if this doesn’t work? But from the looks of it, it’s unlikely.

In the original timeline, this incident—the chaos he was now trying to accelerate—wasn’t supposed to erupt for another month. Its shockwaves would rip through Voulton City, staining headlines with destruction and scandal. But that wasn’t the real danger. No... the real terror lay in why it would happen.

And now, River had just lit the fuse weeks early.

After the silence from Wave, a low chuckle slipped into River’s mind like an echo from the deep.

It started soft—almost like a faint ripple—but quickly grew louder, faster, until it rolled through his thoughts like crashing waves. The sound sent an involuntary shiver down his spine, and a deep frown carved its way across his face.

"Hahaha! This is... great!" Wave’s voice finally broke through, clear and sharp, her excitement brimming like a storm swelling on the horizon. "This is exactly what I wanted!"

River’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Of course it’s great. Who would refuse free human food? Monsters don’t even have the word restraint in their vocabulary. His jaw tightened, fingers curling into a fist inside the bubble. He could almost feel his anger bubbling to the surface, threatening to spill.

And why wouldn’t it? This entire mess wasn’t born out of some natural disaster, some accident, or even a desperate bid for survival. No. It was something far worse—deliberate, calculated, and utterly revolting.

The vice mayor of Voulton City... an old, greedy fool choking on his own ambition. He wanted the city all to himself, hungering for the mayor’s seat like a starving dog eyeing a fresh bone. But the current mayor was too strong of a candidate to topple through legal means or even backroom politics. So what did the vice mayor do? He went crawling to the depths—literally—sending men out to sea like lambs to the slaughter, offering human prisoners as bargaining chips.

Just for power. Just to sit in a bigger chair and bark louder than the rest, he sold lives to the monsters of the abyss.

River’s stomach churned with disgust, the image of that bloated, power-drunk politician burning into his mind. If there were a chance to spit in that bastard’s face, he’d gladly do it—and then drive a blade straight through his skull for good measure.

But River wasn’t that kind of man. He wasn’t reckless. No, he was patient, and patience was the sharpest weapon in his arsenal. For now, he needed that fool. The vice mayor was the bait. And bait had its uses.

Wave’s voice sliced through his thoughts again, dripping with eagerness. "Great! Great! In a week! The ocean will come back!" Her words vibrated through the water like a proclamation of doom, and as if on cue, the creatures around them began to stir.

Grotesque silhouettes moved in the shadows—slithering shapes, twitching limbs, eyes that gleamed like shards of glass beneath the dark surface. The chorus of guttural noises that followed was enough to make River’s skin crawl. Some screeched like nails dragged against steel; others gurgled, their distorted tones vibrating through the walls of his protective bubble.

River held his ground. He stares through the murky water, to lock eyes with the lurking monstrosities surrounding him.

His gaze sharpened, his expression cold enough to freeze boiling water.

A humorless smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Let them laugh. Let them celebrate. In one week, the ocean would rise like a tide of nightmares—and he would be there, waiting. If they thought Voulton City was easy prey, then they had no idea what kind of hunter they had invited to the table.

River leaned forward slightly, his voice calm, almost conversational. "One week, huh?" he murmured under his breath, so quiet only the water could hear. "Then let’s make sure it’s unforgettable."

The bubble shuddered slightly, as if resonating with his unspoken promise.

...

As River strolled into the narrow alley, his thoughts lingered on the conversation he had with Wave. Her laughter still echoed faintly in his mind, a grating reminder of what was to come. He clenched his jaw, suppressing the bitter taste of the truth.

Just as he turned into a darker section of the alley, River suddenly froze. His instincts screamed, that primal sense honed from countless life-or-death encounters jolting him into caution. Slowly, he pivoted on his heel, eyes narrowing as his lips curled into a faint smile.

"Ha... I knew it. My gut has never been wrong." His voice was calm, but his gaze sharpened like a blade.

From the shadows, a chilling voice answered—a voice devoid of warmth, saturated with killing intent.

"You’re sharper than I expected."

The figure stepped forward, heels clicking softly against the damp pavement. The dim streetlights revealed a scrawny, almost skeletal man with pale, sunken cheeks and a prominent hook nose. His hair was slicked back with meticulous precision, the strands glinting like wet ink under the flickering light. His eyes were sharp and predatory, gleaming like the edge of a dagger as they locked onto River.

He wore a sleek battlesuit—high-end, military grade. The fabric shimmered faintly like a metallic second skin, black with streaks of cobalt blue tracing along the arms and legs like veins of lightning. At the center of his chest, a mana core pulsed rhythmically, glowing with an ominous cerulean light. Faint arcs of electricity danced across the suit’s surface, crackling softly in the silence. Every detail screamed lethal efficiency, a walking weapon designed for one purpose—destruction.

River’s smile widened slightly, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. "So... after the concert, you’ve been waiting in this place. You must be patient."

"Patience is a hunter’s virtue," the man replied smoothly, flexing his fingers. A faint hum filled the air as energy conduits along his arms activated, making his silhouette even more menacing.

River adjusted his stance subtly, ready to move at a moment’s notice. The tension in the alley thickened, sharp and suffocating. A predator had finally stepped out of the dark—and River was far from prey.

"Hey, are you even sure that you are staring at the right man?" River asked... just to be sure.