The smoke from the Cyclops’s eye still lingered in the air as Katsuo and Serena stood in stunned silence, their eyes locked on the mysterious man who had just saved them from the beast’s laser. The forest around them was in chaos—the towering trees cracked and broken, the ground scorched from the Cyclops’s rampage. And yet, Silas Evergreen stood calmly, spinning a card between his fingers, completely unfazed by the destruction around him.

His eyes gleamed with amusement as he met their bewildered gazes. "You two seem like you’ve been having quite the time," Silas said, his voice carrying a cocky edge. "But don’t worry. We’ve got this handled."

Before either Katsuo or Serena could respond, the Cyclops let out another enraged roar, its red eye glowing once more, the gem at its center pulsing as it prepared to fire another devastating laser.

"Watch out!" Serena shouted, raising her tonfas. "That laser’s no joke!"

Katsuo tensed, preparing to dodge. "Get ready—"

But Silas didn’t move. He stood in place, the faintest of smirks playing on his lips. "Relax," he said, his voice maddeningly calm. "We’ve got this."

"You’re going to get yourself killed!" Katsuo snapped, taking a step forward to pull Silas back.

Just as the Cyclops was about to unleash its laser, a blur shot through the trees—a girl, her short green hair whipping in the wind as she dashed toward the beast with incredible speed. She was wearing a black Vanguard uniform, different from the traditional colors Katsuo and Serena had seen before, and her face was half-hidden behind a black mask.

In one swift motion, the girl drew her blade and slashed through the Cyclops’s leg, cutting deep into the stone-like skin behind its knee. The Cyclops let out a deafening roar as it stumbled, falling to one knee as it clutched its injured leg.

The girl didn’t stop. With precision that spoke of years of training, she pulled a kunai from her belt and hurled it toward the Cyclops’s chest. The kunai embedded itself in the beast’s stone skin, and for a split second, nothing happened.

Then, with a flash, the kunai exploded, sending chunks of stone and dust flying into the air. The Cyclops staggered, howling in pain as it clutched its chest.

Katsuo and Serena stared in disbelief as the girl landed gracefully a few feet away from them, her movements fluid and controlled.

"Looks like I made it just in time," she said, her voice cool and measured. She straightened up, the mask covering the lower half of her face not quite hiding the glint of satisfaction in her eyes.

"Venom," Silas called over casually, still twirling the card between his fingers. "You always know how to make an entrance."

The girl—Venom—gave a slight nod but didn’t take her eyes off the Cyclops, which was now writhing in agony from the damage to its knee and chest.

"Another Vanguard?" Serena asked, her tone a mix of relief and confusion. "What the hell is going on here?"

Katsuo shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. "Who are these people?"

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The Cyclops roared once more, its eye glowing even brighter as it prepared another attack. The red gem pulsed, but the damage from Venom’s kunai had weakened it. Sparks crackled across the Cyclops’s body as it struggled to rise, its eye flickering dangerously.

Silas finally stopped twirling his card, a grin spreading across his face. "I suppose it’s time to end this little show."

He reached into his coat, pulling out his deck of cards with a flourish. With practiced ease, he drew a single card from the top of the deck. His eyes flickered with excitement as he glanced at the card.

"The Ace of Spades," he said softly, his grin widening. "Perfect."

Venom stepped back, her eyes narrowing as she watched Silas intently.

Katsuo and Serena exchanged a brief glance, both unsure of what to expect.

With a dramatic flourish, Silas held the card between his fingers, his voice lowering into a soft chant. "By the power of fortune and fate, let the Ace of Spades guide my hand."

The air around Silas seemed to hum with energy as the card began to glow with an intense, dark light. The Cyclops, still thrashing and trying to focus its laser, locked its massive eye on Silas. The red gem pulsed one final time, but before it could fire, Silas flicked the glowing Ace of Spades through the air.

The card flew like a razor-sharp blade, spinning toward the Cyclops’s eye with deadly precision. It struck the gem at the center of the Cyclops’s eye, and the moment it made contact, the gem exploded with a blinding flash of light.

The Cyclops let out a final, earth-shattering roar as the energy from the gem surged through its body. Its massive head cracked and shattered, the glowing red gem disintegrating into dust. The Cyclops swayed for a moment before collapsing with a thunderous crash, its massive body hitting the ground, sending tremors through the forest.

Katsuo and Serena stood frozen in place, their hearts pounding as the dust settled. The forest fell eerily silent, the only sound being the distant crackle of flames from the destruction the Cyclops had caused.

They had won.

Serena let out a long, relieved breath, lowering her tonfas as she turned to Katsuo. "Well... that was insane."

Katsuo nodded, sheathing his odachi. "Yeah... but we did it."

Silas sauntered over to them, that same cocky grin on his face as he tucked his deck of cards back into his coat. "Not bad, huh? Told you we had it handled."

Serena raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with sarcasm. "You just love showing off, don’t you?"

Silas shrugged, tipping his fedora slightly. "Can’t help it if I’m good at what I do."

Venom approached them as well, her demeanor calm and composed, though her eyes held a spark of amusement. She removed her mask, revealing sharp features and intense green eyes. "I’m Venom, by the way. Vanguard, same as Silas. We were sent to Gosapor to assist with the recent... issues. Looks like we arrived just in time."

"Silas Evergreen," Silas introduced himself with a flourish, giving a mock bow. "The one and only. Expert in luck, charm, and taking down oversized monsters." He winked.

Katsuo and Serena exchanged glances, still trying to process the whirlwind of events. Katsuo was the first to speak. "Katsuo. And this is Serena. We’re both Vanguards, too, but… we didn’t exactly expect to run into you two here."

Venom’s expression softened slightly. "We were ordered to provide backup. The higher-ups at the Aegis Guild didn’t think you should face these threats alone."

"Nice to meet you both," Serena said, her voice a mix of gratitude and curiosity. "But I have to ask... what's with the card tricks?"

Silas grinned. "I like to keep things interesting. Why fight like everyone else when you can leave a bit of flair in your wake?"

Venom rolled her eyes. "He’s always like this. Ignore the theatrics."

Katsuo gave a small, weary smile. "I guess we’re just lucky you two showed up when you did."

Silas chuckled, pulling another card from his deck and tossing it lazily into the air. "Well, luck has a funny way of showing up when I’m around."

The card spun in the air before landing neatly in Silas’s hand. He glanced at it, then flashed them a wide grin. "But now that the real fun's about to start… what do you say we see what else this world has in store for us?"

With that, Silas tipped his hat and walked past them, his eyes scanning the destruction left by the Cyclops. Katsuo and Serena exchanged one last look, both of them realizing that their adventure had just gotten a lot more unpredictable.

And with Silas and Venom now by their side, they were in for a wild ride.