When she was young, Rui had no way of understanding that most of the violence in this world had reasons behind it.
But now…now, she knew.
They had been afraid.
Afraid of a girl born with the blood of the next-generation Conqueror.
Afraid of what she would become if she ever reached her full potential.
The sky roared.
From a cloudless heavens, a blue-white bolt of lightning split through the air,
A tree-branched pillar of thunder piercing the earth below.
At the center of the strike, azure flames erupted outward, surging as a ring of scorching wind.
The gusts tore at Akari’s hair, whipping it violently behind her.
But when that wind touched the soldiers, it turned savage, baring its fangs.
The sheer force sent the armored men flying.
The azure flames caught on their armor, and they writhed, screams silenced within the steel that encased them.
Lightning struck again and again, each bolt hammering the earth, each explosion of heat and wind toppling soldiers and overturning vehicles.
Even those whose armor hadn’t ignited were struck down by the sheer current, the circuitry of their suits overloaded and rendered useless.
They were pierced by thunder, burned by azure flame.
Some fell unconscious.
Others gave up, their will broken.
Their armor dissolved into light, leaving behind the small, fragile humans within.
Those spared further punishment from flame and lightning scrambled to their feet, swatting away the cinders clinging to them, screaming as they fled into the streets.
Rui’s body burned.
Now that the poisonous chains that had rendered all her efforts meaningless were gone, power surged into her unchecked.
And the body that had endured through relentless effort accepted it all, without fail.
White breath escaped Rui’s lips like the exhalation of a dragon opening its jaws.
No one could raise their spear now, not in the face of this swelling force.
Her heightened hearing picked up reinforcements advancing from all sides of the boulevard.
But she didn’t so much as glance toward them.
Instead, she stayed focused, gauging the rhythm and flow of the power coursing through her.
Then, a colossal bolt of lightning struck the pavement directly in front of her.
Akari covered her ears, wincing.
It no longer looked like lightning, it was a solid column of blinding light.
From that glowing tower erupted flame.
No longer just hot wind, but something greater.
Something with weight.
A wall of roaring fire thundered forward, engulfing the vanguard of the reinforcements in an instant, leaping from soldier to structure, setting the city alight.
Then, something changed.
The lightning, which had looked like it would vanish, instead pulsed,
It rippled. It twisted.
It moved.
Like a dragon.
No, it was a dragon now.
The front of the lightning bolt split into two arcs, forming a gaping maw.
It roared with a sound that shook the heavens.
The dragon, its body forged of storm and light, coiled like a serpent in midair.
Its snakelike form undulated, its long torso writhing as it swelled the thunder within its jaws,
「Waaah!!」
Overwhelmed by the intensity, Akari tried to stand but collapsed to the ground.
At the same time, the expanding blue flames began to writhe. The spreading fire started to converge behind Rui.
The flames formed the shape of a dragon.
With massive wings, it stomped the earth on two legs, its belly exposed. Another roar pierced the sky, causing the soldiers to hesitate in their advance.
The dragon opened its jaws and began forming a fireball.
And then.
The twin roars exploded, and destructive power was unleashed from their mouths.
Above Rui, a massive beam of light and the fireball clashed. Their fangs met in midair, colliding, merging, and finally exploding.
The burst of flame and lightning melted the dragons’ forms and surged forward, engulfing the soldiers on the boulevard.
The thunderous roar announcing the rebirth of the Supreme King split the city wide open.
「I’m going」
Rui murmured as her vision was consumed by the flash. She felt a faint stir in Akari’s presence.
（Sazanami, wait for me）
She felt the power filling her, all the way to her fingertips, even the ends of her hair.
（With the wings you gave me, I’ll save you for sure）
She gripped the sword that formed in her palm and launched herself from the ground.
《《Welcome to Fiona Server》》
☆
Habataki Meika tilted her head.
Shugou standing across from her furrowed his brows in confusion.
She immediately understood why. A vivid blue wave passed through Meika and surged toward Shugou.
Without taking a defensive stance, Shugou was swallowed by the blaze of lightning. Cars and neon signs scattered throughout the city were crushed like toys.
「Seriously」
But a sigh-laced voice came from Shugou right after. She had withstood such a high-output attack without even defending. Even so, a scorched mark remained on her cheek.
With resentment in her tone, and a hint of barely contained excitement, the oni spoke.
「Lilia… your failure will cost you dearly」
☆
Kotone let out a deep breath.
The intense focus she had pushed to its limit felt oddly pleasant. The necessary sounds soaked naturally into her mind.
She could see her opponent so clearly, even the subtle movements of their fingertips, that she forgot to blink.
But the longer it went on, the more fatigue began to creep in between moments of concentration. Her body struggled to follow the path her mind was drawing.
Her opponent had the overwhelming upper hand from the start.
And if even a single drop of the venom touched her, it would mean death.
She couldn’t afford the luxury of blinking. She clung desperately to the superior movements of her foe, using up all her stamina just to avoid the poison. Her breathing grew shallow, as if air were leaking from an invisible tear.
Her rising and falling shoulders refused to accept any further movement.
It was then that it happened.
From right beside Kokujou, a burst of blue light came charging in.
Kokujou stomped hard against the ground. A fountain of venom surged upward to cancel out the thunderous blaze.
The vivid blue radiance, like a sky opening up, caused Kotone to freeze in place.
「What is this…!?」
Surprise flashed across her face.
But an even greater fear pierced through her, and Kotone felt her whole body break out in goosebumps.
「Heehee」
Kokujou was laughing. Her mouth opened unnaturally wide, exposing her white teeth.
Her light blue eyes narrowed, pupils contracting as she glared. It was not a face any normal person could make.
It was horrifying.
A grotesque expression, as if every dark desire had been distilled into a single egoistic, shameless, hedonistic beast.
She had likely found the finest prey.
「Fufu… Ahaha, ahahahahaha!!」
Her escalating laughter echoed through the city, making Kotone feel sick.
「Fufu, ufufufu!! Ahh, I’m so glad to be alive」
Spreading her arms wide in joy, Kokujou then abruptly erased her smile and kicked off the ground.
Kotone tried to follow her through the rising dust, but her body faltered. Once her concentration had broken, she could no longer move properly.
She had no wounds, but her stamina was almost completely gone.
She slammed the edge of her axe into the ground and leaned on it, forcing herself to breathe again.
The breath she had been holding burned in her lungs and mixed with the red winds swirling around her.
「Kotone!!」
As she narrowed her eyes, sensing the surroundings, she heard a familiar voice call her name. It sounded a little younger, but unmistakably familiar.
Leaping over rubble, a red-haired boy landed before her. It was Hayato.
His body already showed signs of having been through a fierce battle. If someone could push him to this point, then the opponent must have been an A-rank Toukatsu.
His green eyes were filled with concern as he stared blankly toward the direction Kokujou had run off to, his mouth slightly open in disbelief.
Still breathing heavily, Kotone raised her voice.
「You’re late!!」
「…!! S-Sorry, I was dealing with a monster, alright?」
The words came out instinctively, casual and blunt, like those they used to exchange long ago in a different world. Of course, the boy, unaware of any such history, looked taken aback.
Kotone pulled out the key and released her weapon, then immediately forced her tired body to run toward Hayato.
「More importantly, was that just now really Kok—whoa!?」
Hayato looked even more flustered now. It was no surprise, Kotone had suddenly jumped onto his back and clung to him.
He instinctively grabbed her thigh to support her. While Kotone realized she was being a bit forceful, she still pointed in the direction Kokujou had taken and shouted.
「Go after her!!」
Like a horse struck by a whip, Hayato charged forward as if shoved.
Though she could feel the unspoken demand for an explanation in the air, Kotone pressed her forehead against the back of Hayato’s head and tried to steady her breathing.
She had to recover as much strength as she could.
That blue flash of light had been a signal for counterattack. At a time like this, she couldn’t afford to fall out of the fight.
Mixed in with Hayato’s sweat, she thought she caught a faint whiff of familiar earth.
It made her lips relax into a small smile.
「Honestly, for someone who’s called the strongest at Seisetsu High School, you sure took your time with one Toukatsu」
「…Yeah, about that」
Hayato spoke hesitantly, clearly uncomfortable.
「It was crazy tough. I haven’t beaten it yet」
In that instant, something burst through the upper floors of the building behind them.
A butterfly? That was Kotone’s first impression.
It had to be at least thirty meters long. Some of its wings had likely been torn off by Hayato. The remaining ones flapped unevenly, desperately lifting its slick white body.
Where its face should have been, there was only a mouth split into five petal-like sections. Rancid breath and countless teeth peeked out.
It slammed its body into the buildings on both sides as it came after them.
This time, it was Kotone’s turn to be shocked. Forgetting her need to recover, she raised her voice.
「You really are unbelievable!! You always drag trouble right to us!!」
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