The dimming light of Death's Alley cast long shadows over the narrow, winding streets, filled with the endless hum of quiet but intense activity. Ryuk Kyung reappeared just outside Filippo's Place, his boots scraping against the cold, wet stones beneath him. His expression remained unreadable, despite the weight of the information he'd just received. The Serpent King—an enigma, a force, and now, a target.
Ryuk's gaze swept the alley, and his senses tightened. The usual buzz of the marketplace surrounded him. The echo of low voices bartering, the clink of cursed coins, the subtle hisses of trading in black market goods—all interspersed with the occasional shout. Vendors hawked their wares: strange, jagged weapons that could tear through a man's soul, enchanted trinkets, and at times, slaves themselves. Here, the line between crime and business blurred, indistinguishable to the untrained eye.
As Ryuk began walking towards the entrance, his hand brushing the rough stone wall, something in the air shifted. A child, barely old enough to stand on their own, darted into his path. Ryuk stopped short.
He blinked, surprise flickering across his face. A child? What was a child doing here?
The child, hooded and trembling, stumbled backward. Their small form was almost lost in the dark surroundings, but Ryuk's sharp eyes caught the glint of pale skin under the hood.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright, little one?" Ryuk's voice softened, an unusual flicker of concern in his tone. He crouched down, offering a hand to steady the child.
The girl didn't look up immediately. Her small, trembling fingers brushed against his, and that's when it happened.
A sickening crack echoed through the alley. From the ground, a jagged spike of pure concrete shot upward, embedding itself just below Ryuk's ribs. The sudden pain tore through him, sharp and brutal. Blood sprayed from his lips, splattering across the cold pavement.
The child's eyes, hidden beneath the hood, remained empty—cold, almost as though she were an unwilling participant.
Before Ryuk could react, the spike shifted, locking in place, pinning him to the ground. But his instincts kicked in just as quickly as the pain. With a controlled exhale, he activated Spatial Travel—a flash of light, and then he was gone, standing several meters away, clutching the wound where the spike had once been.
His hands trembled with blood, but the gash was gone. He watched the ground, but there was no sign of the spike, only an eerie silence where the concrete had once erupted.
"Get up, Abel," a voice echoed from the shadows. It was low, commanding. The voice of someone who expected obedience.
A young boy stood beside the girl, pulling her up to her feet with a hand that seemed too steady for his age. His hood fell back, revealing the same pair of dark, hollow eyes.
"Sorry, big brother," the girl said quietly, her voice filled with strange regret. "I'll be more careful next time."
Their appearance seemed almost too perfect, like a mirrored reflection, with matching dark green jackets embroidered with a serpent-like insignia across the back.
Ryuk's heart hammered in his chest as he struggled to steady himself. There was no mistaking the power that lingered in their presence. It was cold, unyielding—unlike anything he had felt before.
These children—no, these beings—were not what they appeared to be.
"Who the hell are you two?" Ryuk's voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and growing dread. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining his lips as he staggered to his feet.
The boy's face remained impassive, as though he hadn't even noticed the brutality of his actions. "Finish this, sister. He's waiting for us." His eyes never left Ryuk's, the calmness in his gaze unsettling.
The girl—Abel—nodded without a word. Her foot came down with a heavy stomp on the ground. A moment later, the very earth beneath Ryuk began to tremble. Concrete spikes, each more menacing than the last, rose from the ground, streaking toward him with terrifying speed.
Ryuk's eyes widened. He wasn't sure if he could outrun them this time. His pulse quickened, and for a moment, he thought he might actually be undone by these children.
Back at the Stygian Order's facility, a large, pitch-black creature shifted in its slumber. Its eyes glowed, bright and menacing, as it awakened from the depths of its containment.
A deafening roar shook the air around Ryuk. The ground vibrated with the intensity of it, sending ripples through the concrete spikes. They shattered in mid-flight, scattering in all directions—some hitting the nearby buildings, others embedding themselves in the walls of the market stalls. Merchants shrieked in terror, diving for cover, as the alley descended into chaos.
Ryuk's mouth fell open in disbelief. His head snapped up to see the cause of the explosion—the massive, pitch-black figure now standing before him.
It was Atramentis.
The creature towered over him, a nightmare of black and white spatial fragments twisting together, held in a large beastly terrifying, incomprehensible form. Ink-like tendrils writhed around its body as if reality itself bent and stretched under its presence.
A thick, oppressive silence followed as the figure roared again. Waves of sound distorted the air, sending shockwaves throughout the alleyway. The force of it left Ryuk breathless, but the children—Cain and Abel—remained untouched, standing with an eerie calmness in the chaos.
"Great, another one," Cain muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.
Abel, however, looked up at the towering creature in fear. "Big brother… what is that?" Her voice was thin, shaken by the sheer monstrosity before them.
From behind Ryuk, a voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Classic Atramentis," it said, dripping with a mocking tone. "Supposedly mute, but the bastard can still roar like a damn hurricane."
Ryuk turned to see Ravok Veylan standing next to him, his lips curled into a wide, dangerous grin. His eyes gleamed with manic excitement, ready for a fight.
Atramentis—one of the most dangerous members of Section Reaper—stood at an impressive ten feet seven inches, a towering, beefy and muscular figure made entirely of shifting spatial fragments. It exuded a horrific, eldritch energy that seemed to distort the very air around it. A being whose ability to shape reality itself made even the most hardened warriors tremble.
Ravok's presence was no less unnerving. His insanity was as palpable as his power, and the gleam in his eyes spoke of one thing: chaos.
"Well, business man," Ravok teased, his voice dripping with amusement, "or should I say, donut? You gonna teleport yourself back to the Stygian Order to patch up that hole in your stomach, or are you just going to stand there and bleed?"
With a chuckle, Ravok strode forward, moving to stand beside Atramentis. The immense creature loomed before the twins, Ryuk vanishes without a word—his body flickering out of existence as the air around him twisted and bent.
Ravok leaned forward slightly, standing beside Atramentis, who was breathing heavily—like a dragon on the verge of unleashing its fury. Ravok's hands remained in his pockets, his crimson eyes locked onto Cain and Abel, brimming with anticipation.
"So, Atramentis… how should we handle these two brats? Wanna be ruthless and slaughter them off rip? Or how about we just toy with them and jump 'em?" Ravok asked, grinning wickedly, his fingers twitching with the urge to fight.
Atramentis didn't respond.
He simply moved.
In an instant, faster than the eye could process, he surged forward with terrifying speed, seizing Abel in his massive grip and tearing her away from Cain.
"Abel! No!" Cain's voice cracked with desperation as he watched Atramentis vanish into the bright sky, carrying his sister high into the sky—far beyond his reach.
Ravok took advantage of the distraction.
"Now that's what I wanna see! Slaughter her, Atramentis! Rip her apart!" he shouted gleefully, dashing toward Cain with a sudden burst of speed.
Cain barely had time to react. His instincts took over. With a fierce swing of his right arm, he tore a concrete wall from the alley's floor and hurled it directly at Ravok.
The maniacal warrior didn't flinch.
With a single devastating kick, Ravok shattered the incoming mass, tearing through the debris as if it were nothing. Before Cain could fully recover, Ravok was already upon him, launching a vicious spinning kick. Cain barely managed to block, bracing himself as the force sent tremors up his arms.
"That's right… Keep blocking! Let's see just how far you can go against me!" Ravok cackled, eyes wild with excitement.
Then, like a flicker of static in the air—he was gone.
The world shifted.
Before Cain could comprehend what had happened, they were no longer on the ground. Ravok had used his Pandemonium power to teleport them both high above the city skyline.
And then they began to fall.
Ravok, grinning like a devil, hurled entire buildings downward, sending a deadly cascade of destruction straight toward Cain. Cain twisted midair, his mind racing, summoning a floating platform of concrete beneath his feet to catch himself.
"What the hell is your power!?" he shouted, launching a barrage of jagged stone spikes toward Ravok.
Ravok only laughed. "Why do you care!? Focus on surviving, you dunce!"
He dove through the onslaught, weaving past the debris with unnatural agility. Then, in one ruthless motion, he closed the distance, seized Cain by the face, and drove him into the crumbling building below.
The impact sent shockwaves through the collapsing cityscape.
Meanwhile, far below, Atramentis slammed Abel into the ground with bone-shattering force, then hurled her like a ragdoll.
Abel skidded across the pavement, coughing up blood, but she forced herself to her feet, her hands pressing into the ground.
"Take this, you damn creature! Concrete Domain!"
With a defiant scream, the earth trembled, and a forest of colossal concrete spires erupted around her, massive structures rising like jagged fangs.
Atramentis did not stop.
Space distorted.
A blink, a breath—he was beside her.
His blow struck like a hammer, sending Abel hurtling through her own stone fortress.
She barely caught herself, summoning a pillar to break her fall, her vision swimming. Looking down, she saw Atramentis standing amid the ruins, utterly unfazed.
"Not even my strongest move can put you down?!" she shouted, her fear turning to rage.
Atramentis's lone, black-and-white eye flickered erratically. A low, guttural chant rumbled from deep within him, a sound so ancient and unnatural it sent chills up Abel's spine.
"Distort… Maul… Victory…"
The words grew in intensity, warping the very air around him.
"DISTORT… MAUL… VICTORY!!"
With a monstrous roar, Atramentis launched himself skyward, his very presence bending the laws of reality.
Abel gritted her teeth and summoned another massive barrage of concrete pillars, sending them plummeting toward him.
But it didn't matter.
His eye ignited, a searing, glitching light consuming him.
A beam of raw gamma radiation erupted upward, slicing through her defenses like paper, obliterating everything in its path.
Abel felt the pillar beneath her shatter, her body plummeting toward Atramentis like prey falling into a predator's jaws.
In desperation, she created another platform mid-air and launched herself downward, slamming into Atramentis with all the force she could muster. The impact was immense, sending both of them crashing through layers of concrete and steel.
The world blurred as Atramentis's laser flickered out, leaving him blind for a fleeting moment.
Cain, meanwhile, was losing.
Inside a ruined building, he and Ravok clashed in a brutal dance of fists and kicks, their movements so precise, so perfectly synchronized, that neither could land a decisive blow.
Ravok grinned, savoring every second.
Then he saw an opening.
Ducking beneath Cain's swing, he twisted and drove his fist straight into Cain's liver.
Cain gasped—a sharp, guttural sound. Pain exploded through his body.
"You're weak. YOU'RE WIDE OPEN!"
Ravok grabbed him by the face and slammed him into the ground with unrelenting force.
Cain was defeated.
Ravok straightened, brushing off his coat, then tapped the side of his head, activating his Stygian Convoy.
"Yo, Atra! You done yet? Quit playing with your food."
Atramentis stood over Abel's bruised, battered form, holding her up by the hair like a discarded doll.
Abel writhed weakly in his grasp, her breaths shallow. But she still had fire in her eyes.
"L-let go of me, you wretched beast! Once my big brother wakes up… y-you'll be begging for mercy!"
Atramentis frowned. What was she talking about?
Cain and Abel had once been noble children—wealthy, powerful, untouchable. Their lives had been paved with gold. Until the night they were stolen.
Kidnapped. Torn from their palace.
Dragged into darkness.
Their captors were warlocks, obsessed with forbidden rituals. They sought to forge a god by merging Cain and Abel into a single, divine being, fusing their souls with Prime Essence—the force that governed all magic and science.
The ritual failed.
Instead, they were cursed.
A whisper stirred in the silence.
"Abel… it's time…"
Cain's voice.
A spark of light bloomed over his unmoving body.
Abel's struggles ceased.
She began to dissolve.
Atramentis's grip closed on empty air. "What the—?"
Ravok watched, eyes narrowing as a glow pulsed from Cain's chest. "What the hell…?"
If one of them died, the other was reborn.
An eternal cycle of death and resurrection.
They had no choice but to live like this. No choice but to embrace what they had become.
The Serpent King had given them a purpose:
Death was not a curse.
It was the key to evolution.
Abel rose from Cain's body, reborn anew.
No longer the child she once was.
Her frame grew taller, her muscles coiling with raw strength. Her very presence was different—heavier, deadlier.
Atramentis looked to his right and his singular eye widened, sensing a new pulsating deadly presence. He, beginning to run at full speed towards the new presence in both worry and anger, where Ravok was located, Atramentis appeared suddenly beside Rovak. Ravok's smirk faltered.
Before either could react, she was already moving.
In a flash, Abel was beside them.
And then they were flying—crashing through the remains of the shattered building, sent soaring towards a forest.
Abel turned, gazing down at her brother, whose eyes flickered open.
"C'mon, big brother," she murmured, offering him a hand. "It's time we end this."
Cain reached up, grasping her fingers. Energy surged through him.
She had taken his strength.
And he had taken her speed.
They had become something more.
This was the Twin Cycle.
Ravok groaned as he extricated himself from a heap of splintered wood, his limbs aching from the unexpected flight through the forest canopy. Nearby, Atramentis emerged from a mound of rocks and debris, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"Agh… What in the seven hells was that?" Ravok muttered, brushing bark from his shoulders. "You're telling me that tiny girl transformed into a towering, muscle-bound juggernaut?"
Atramentis responded with a low growl, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. The transition from urban battlefield to dense woodland was jarring.
"From a building to a forest—quite the transition," Ravok mused aloud, attempting to regain his bearings.
Before he could finish his thought, Atramentis vanished from sight, snatched away by an unseen force.
"What the—Atramentis?!" Ravok shouted, spinning around just in time to see Cain materialize before him, his presence sudden and imposing.
Cain's fist was already en route to Ravok's face, but Ravok managed to raise his arms in defense, absorbing the blow.
"Fast one, aren't ya?" Ravok grunted, though Cain remained silent, his aura pulsing with newfound power.
"I'll make your death swift," Cain said in a low, menacing tone. He broke away from Ravok's guard and delivered a swift kick to his side, sending Ravok crashing through the trees. Cain pursued without hesitation.
Meanwhile, back at the kingdom above the underground facility, I—Kazuhiro—stood in the kitchen alongside Alisa Kuzmina and Uno Suzu, a member of Section Eagle.
While Ravok and Atramentis engaged the twins, I remained at the kingdom, overseeing operations. The members of the Stygian Order possessed unique talents, and one of my favorites to observe was cooking.
The aroma of freshly prepared food—be it meat, vegetables, or seafood—was a simple pleasure I cherished.
"So, uh, what is she cooking again?" I inquired, turning to Uno Suzu.
Uno Suzu, an operative of Section Eagle, was among the many children trained under my father's guidance. Her ability to manipulate the senses of others made her a valuable asset.
"Recently, Salida gave Alisa some special potions she concocted," Suzu explained with enthusiasm. "She insisted Alisa use them in her next dish!"
I crossed my arms, watching Alisa stir a large pot with considerable effort.
"So… why am I here?" I asked, observing the scene.
"To… try… the… food…!" Alisa replied between labored breaths, struggling to stir the contents.
"Salida suggested you try it after analyzing your power," Alisa continued. "Apparently, your abilities grant you incredible strength, stamina, and durability!"
I raised an eyebrow. "This isn't going to mess with my head, is it? I have a bad feeling Salida didn't think this through."
"I'm sure she did! Besides, I never turn down an opportunity to create something new!" Alisa exclaimed, still stirring.
It's worth noting that while I enjoy watching others cook, only a select few in the Stygian Order are truly skilled. Unfortunately, Alisa isn't among them.
She leaned over the pot, peering into its depths.
"Strange… why is it turning bla—AAACK!!" Alisa stumbled back as a black slime creature erupted from the pot, roaring and causing chaos in the kitchen.
Everything within the pot's vicinity was getting mauled and thrown around as the creature roared violently. Some of the objects even flying towards us as we ducked and dodged a few of the objects.
Acting swiftly, I snapped my fingers, and the creature vanished.
"W-what the… where did it go?" Suzu asked, recovering from the shock.
"MY POT! THAT WAS MY FAVORITE ONE!" Alisa wailed, slamming her fist on the ground in frustration.
"I'm not in the mood to deal with a black slime monster today," I said, hands on my hips. "I erased it from existence."
"Did my pot have to go with it?" Alisa asked, despair evident in her voice.
"Unfortunately," I sighed.
"NOOO!" Alisa cried, dropping to her knees in mourning.
The room fell silent until the kitchen doors burst open. Ryuk staggered in, bloodied and weak.
"L-leader!" he called out before collapsing.
Suzu, Alisa, and I rushed to his side.
The hole in his stomach continued to leak blood as he lied immobilized on the ground.
"You look like hell, Ryuk. What's the problem?" I asked, kneeling beside him.
He raised his head with effort. "W-we… encountered… Serpent King's warriors."
That's all I needed to hear.
The ground itself trembled beneath the fury of their battle.
Each time Atramentis and Abel exchanged blows, the earth shuddered. Fists collided with the force of colliding meteors, shockwaves rippling outward with every impact. Ravok and Cain fought nearby, their clash a dizzying dance of precision—blows narrowly dodged, strikes read and countered in a brutal yet almost elegant rhythm. Neither fighter had yet landed a decisive hit, but every movement was sharpened by deadly intent.
Atramentis lunged for Abel's jaw, while Abel aimed for Atramentis' chest, their attacks so forceful they whipped the air into violent gusts. Their strikes grew fiercer, their swings faster, until it seemed even the trees surrounding them bent away in fear.
Far above and away from the chaos, standing atop a clean steel wall bathed in the golden light of the afternoon sun, a lone figure watched.
Kaia Zero. A cybernetic human, a member of Section Reaper, and one of the most fearsome operatives the Stygian Order had ever produced.
Her arms folded neatly across her chest, she gazed into the distance, her pupils shifting and twitching with microscopic precision, as if scanning, measuring, and calculating every particle in the air.
"Wind velocity: 8.6 meters per second, eastward. Atmospheric pressure: 103.2 kilopascals. Surface composition: approximately 87% sand, 13% debris and grass," Kaia reported to herself in a voice devoid of emotion.
Taking a single deliberate step backward, she crouched, her metallic limbs whirring softly as her fingers flexed. Bright blue flames flickered into existence in her palms, gathering intensity.
"Target distance: 1,389,450 kilometers, south-southwest. Latitude: -72.41 degrees. Longitude: 149.78 degrees. Altitude: 1,640 meters above sea level."
Her hands thrummed with barely contained energy as she reared back, her entire body calculating the exact moment, the exact force needed.
"Trajectory solution calculated. Margin of error: 0.002%."
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
"Executing Traversal: Instant Frame Shift."
Kaia vanished from the wall.
Within the fraction of a second, she reappeared directly between Atramentis and Abel mid-battle, her twin boots slamming squarely into Abel's chest with devastating precision.
"Traversal complete," she announced flatly, the world seemed to slow down as she still lies mid-air on Abel's chest, steam hissing from the vents along her joints. "Error margin increased to 0.052%. No corrective action necessary."
Abel flew backward, crashing through trees and boulders as though they were paper. She didn't stop until her unconscious body slammed into the side of a distant butte, leaving a crater in the rock.
Atramentis stood frozen for a moment, black shadow-aura leaking from his form like smoke. His anger, however, did not stay bottled for long.
"H-Hey! What the fuck?! She was my kill! And where the hell did you come from?!" he shouted, his voice transmitting directly into Kaia's mind through the Stygian Convoy, sharp and furious.
Kaia didn't so much as glance back. Instead, she rolled her shoulders nonchalantly, emitting another sharp hiss of steam as her body recalibrated from the high-speed traversal.
"She isn't dead," Kaia replied in her ever-monotone voice. "Traveling from the kingdom to this location required expert-level calculations and precise execution. A direct traversal across the planetary surface demanded that I exceed the speed of light by approximately 4.6 times, adjusted for planetary curvature and rotational velocity."
She flexed her fingers, almost lazily, as if sprinting at impossible speeds and delivering bone-shattering strikes were routine.
Atramentis twitched, the liquid shadows coating his arms rippling with irritation, but he said nothing.
Kaia's pupils shifted again, scanning the landscape for her next target.
"Tell me, Atramentis," she said without looking at him, "where is Ravok Veylan?"
Still simmering, Atramentis responded telepathically, "Just 30 klicks west of here. Why do yo—"
Before he could finish, there was a deafening crack as Kaia vanished once again, an instant thunderclap marking her departure. She was already gone, streaking across the battlefield with inhuman speed, the air itself tearing in her wake.
The battle raged on, a symphony of violence echoing through the desolate terrain.
Ravok's breath grew heavier. His movements—once calculated and nimble—had started to slow. Cain pressed the attack relentlessly, each blow like a hammer falling against stone. Ravok reeled back, absorbing more hits than he avoided now, his reflexes dulled by fatigue.
But then—an opening.
Cain overextended his next swing, and Ravok ducked beneath it with a grunt, driving his fist in a tight arc toward Cain's exposed side. The jab struck hard against his hip, making Cain stagger, stunned by the sharpness of the counter. Ravok didn't wait. He leapt backward, skidding to a halt several feet away, his chest heaving.
Blood ran from his lip, which he wiped with the back of a bruised hand, a crooked smile forming on his face.
"Damn… T-to think someone as simple as you could keep up with me," Ravok taunted, his voice strained but brimming with defiant glee.
Cain straightened up, flexing his jaw and spitting a tooth onto the cracked earth with casual disdain. "And to think someone like you got tired. I've still got fight in me… maybe more than you ever had."
His tone was steady, but his knuckles were bleeding, his body bruised.
"How about I just finish you off!" Cain roared, launching himself forward, fist cocked, ready to end it.
Ravok raised his guard instinctively, heart pounding, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"Fucking hell… if this is how I die—so be it." He clenched his jaw and stood firm, eyes fixed on the blur racing toward him. "I'll go out swinging."
But just as they closed the distance—
—Cain vanished.
One instant he was charging forward, the next he was gone, swept away as if by an invisible force. A powerful whoosh cut the air, sending dust spiraling around Ravok's boots.
"W-what the…?" Ravok muttered aloud, eyes wide with disbelief.
A shockwave followed. Then silence.
He turned his head sharply, catching the faint sonic trail left in the wake of what could only have been her.
A crooked grin cracked across his face as he finally exhaled. "Well goddamn, Kazuhiro. Letting out the big guns already, huh?"
He chuckled breathlessly.
"Give 'em hell, Kaia."
Far above the treetops, the clouds parted as Kaia Zero rocketed through the sky like a burning arrow. Her metallic hand gripped Cain's neck with inhuman strength, her expression unmoved, unreadable. Cain flailed like a ragdoll, limbs thrashing wildly, his fists beating at her arm.
"L-let go of me! What the hell is this?!" he shouted, struggling like a man caught in a storm, unable to comprehend what had overtaken him.
Kaia's voice was calm. Cold.
"Target is resisting. Beginning countermeasures."
With no further warning, she dived downward at blinding speed. The air screamed around them. Her grip never loosened.
"You are a hazard. A threat and liability to the very existence of my leader… and my family," she said as the wind whipped past. "You will be punished accordingly."
And then she slammed him.
Cain's skull struck the ground with cataclysmic force, but they did not stop. Kaia dragged him across the terrain, grinding him through stone and steel, demolishing everything in their path as they tore into the edge of a sleeping city.
Concrete shattered beneath them. Cars were flung aside like toys. Screams erupted from civilians on the street, panic sweeping through the crowds as glass shattered and buildings trembled.
Kaia lifted Cain high into the sky once more, gripping him by his torn and bloodied shirt. They hovered now above a tall skyscraper, her arm extended, her body motionless as if floating mid-air were the most natural thing in the world.
She scanned him silently, the digital whir of her pupils rotating and shifting like clockwork gears.
"Are you done yet?" she asked coolly.
Cain, his face a mess of bruises and blood, coughed but grinned. Somehow, despite the brutal impact, the spirit in his eyes still burned.
"Hell… no…" he rasped, barely conscious, but still clinging to something—anger, pride, maybe both.
Kaia's scan halted.
She looked downward.
From the rubble below, stone pillars began to rise, jagged and sharp, rushing upward toward them like spears. The concrete cracked and split as Cain summoned the last of his strength.
"Interesting," Kaia noted, tilting her head slightly. "An earth manipulator. Durable… but weak."
The stone pillars came slower than expected, too slow to catch her off guard. Cain's confident smirk twitched—faltered.
"My job," Kaia said, tightening her grip, "was only to rough you up."
Her gaze turned sharp. Her next words were delivered not as a statement—but a sentence.
"But killing you is an option."
The moment the pillars reached them, Kaia pivoted mid-air, flipping Cain's body so that his back was aligned with the jagged stone below. The pillars struck home—his own creations impaled him through the shoulders, locking him in place with a scream of agony.
Kaia didn't stop.
Engines flared from her back, and in one devastating motion, she dove headlong into the skyscraper below, dragging Cain through steel and concrete. Floor after floor, level after level, she drove him downward with punishing speed, shattering everything in their path.
The city skyline trembled.
Glass rained down like glittering ash and concrete floor debris rained down like a meteor shower in their wake.
At last, Kaia reached the base of the ruined building, dust and glass settling around her like snow. Her metallic limbs hissed with built-up steam as she rose from the crater, Cain's limp body held effortlessly in her grip.
With a sudden surge of movement, she hurled him through the air. His body crashed through a fractured archway, bouncing and skidding across the blistering sand before rolling to a stop.
Cain groaned.
Every inch of him ached. His ribs screamed with every breath. Blood trickled from his scalp into his eyes. He tried to rise—once, twice—his arms trembling beneath the weight of his injuries.
He staggered to his knees, clutching at a limp, cut open arm that seemed like it was gonna come clean off with the slightest touch.
"D-Dammit…" he gasped, looking around wildly. "Sister! Abel! Where are you?!"
His voice cracked with desperation—less the roar of a warrior, more the cry of a child lost in the dark. The wind howled across the desert, carrying no reply.
His body was a broken map of pain. Blood pooled from wounds across his back and brow. Only his legs and skull remained mostly intact—the rest was barely holding together.
Kaia walked slowly towards him, regaining her stamina as steam ejected from her body.
"Abel!" he screamed again, louder this time. "اسمعني عندما أقول اسمك! Come to me! Dear sister!"
And then—impact.
A thunderous strike sent Kaia careening sideways, sand exploding in all directions. She caught herself mid-air, feet skidding across the earth like a machine rebalancing mid-failure.
Across the field, Abel emerged, breath ragged, blood trailing down the side of her face like war paint. Her once serene expression was gone, replaced by unrestrained fury.
"I'll kill you," she growled. "I WILL TEAR YOU APART!"
Her presence roared like a wildfire. Majesty, fury, love—all twisted into a wrathful titan. The desert seemed to shrink beneath her rage.
Kaia's glowing eyes flickered, scanning the new threat. "New entity identified. Hostile. Countermeasures… engaged."
There was no warning.
Kaia vanished—then reappeared in front of Abel in a flash of displaced air.
Her fist connected with Abel's chest, launching her backward with a grunt of pain. The sound of ribs cracking echoed sharply. Kaia pressed the assault, striking Abel's shin with a precise kick. Abel collapsed to one knee with a cry, clutching her leg, too stunned to counter.
Kaia seized her by the hair, pulling her upward and cocking a fist back, her mechanical frame whirring with pressure.
But before the strike could land—CRACK!
A stone pillar erupted from beneath the sand and impaled Kaia through the chest. It burst through her from front to back, jagged and wide, forcing her to release Abel with a hiss of air.
Kaia's body lurched.
Without hesitation, she launched herself skyward, tearing the pillar out of her chest with one swift motion before the pain could catch up. Circuits flickered, exposed beneath the torn plating. A sickly-blue glow pulsed from the open wound in her torso.
"Damage assessment: five percent of body mass eradicated," she said flatly. "No repair stations within range."
She hovered above the battlefield, surveying her broken foes below.
Cain was clutching his ribs. Abel kneeled beside him, dazed but alive. They were bleeding, beaten—and still breathing.
Kaia narrowed her eyes.
"I must retreat for repairs," she said coldly. "But Protocol Three must proceed. Not a second should be wasted."
Her right arm rose. The palm rotated open, revealing a glowing core of prismatic light. The colors swirled unnaturally—like starlight condensed into a single point.
Cain and Abel watched, eyes wide with horror.
A hum built in the air—low and violent.
"Light Cannon: Obliteration," Kaia announced.
The rainbow light bloomed to full intensity, crackling with power.
Abel's instincts took over.
She flung herself toward Cain, wrapping her arms around his body, pulling him close—shielding him with her own frame. The two clung together, embracing not victory or hope, but the finality of shared fate.
Then the beam fired.
A column of pure light engulfed them—blinding, searing, apocalyptic. The ground trembled. The skies flashed white. When it faded, nothing remained but a blackened crater etched deep into the sand.
Kaia turned away from the smoldering battlefield, the light fading from her palm. Her thrusters ignited with a hiss of pressure and flame.
She soared toward the horizon.
Returning home.
To the Stygian Order.
The Twin Cycle… had been eliminated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Far in the distance, standing atop a cragged ridge, two figures in white haori watched the final light fade.
One was a man—tall, quiet, his white hair flowing gently in the wind.
Beside him stood a little girl. Her hair, a soft pink, shimmered in the sunlight as she tugged lightly at his sleeve.
"Raizen…?" she asked softly. "What happened to them?"
The man didn't blink, though his eyes read 'This was destined to happen'.
"Reduced to atoms," he said. "That beam was pure cosmic light energy—a miniature gamma ray burst."
The girl frowned.
"Hm. How sad."
The wind blew again—and with it, they vanished.