Thud!
In a forest surrounded by blooming trees, a waterfall's site brings a refreshing atmosphere.
The sound of a wooden sword striking comes from a vast clearing within the forest. Two men
are battling fiercely with wooden swords, illuminated by the light of a full moon.
In one corner, an old blind man sits cross-legged on a large rock, observing the fight. A
young woman, dressed in all black and beautiful, stands beside him. They are surrounded
by dozens of others, all observing the battle from around the clearing.
"Harghh!" One of the fighters swings his sword with all his strength, repeatedly.
The powerful attack is easily parried and dodged by his opponent, who wears a blindfold.
The light from the crescent-shaped hairpin on the right side of his head, reflecting the
moonlight, blinds his opponent's view.
"Are you only planning to defend, Shin?" The attack continues.
There's no response. Shin remains steadfast in evading and blocking the strikes.
"Fight me seriously!" Another slash is aimed at the young man called Shin.
Thud! The two wooden swords clash.
"Ariki, if I fought seriously, wouldn't the match be over quickly? Where's the fun in that, huh?"
Shin says.
Ariki, hearing this, is provoked. What a cocky guy, he thinks. "You think I can't dodge your
attacks, hah?! Do you really think I have no chance of winning?"
Shin breaks off from the clash, jumping back slightly. At that moment, he gestures with his
fingers, making a mocking expression with his mouth.
A vein pops up on Ariki's forehead. "Let's prove it, then!" Ariki responds with fiery
determination.
"You asked for it, I'm not responsible for what happens next. Prepare to cry," Shin stands tall,
pointing his sword downward.
"Bring it on!" Ariki charges forward.
Just before his sword reaches Shin, the latter vanishes from view, moving too fast for Ariki to
keep up.
Everyone around the clearing gasps in amazement at Shin's speed.
Ariki spins around, searching for Shin. Suddenly, Shin emerges from the darkness behind
him and swings his wooden sword forcefully toward Ariki's waist. "Don't blame me if you
break a bone."
"Urghh!" The strike causes Ariki to tumble sideways. He struggles to rise, but the blow isn't
too serious, as he's back on his feet almost immediately.
"Tuihhh!" Ariki spits out saliva mixed with blood. "Now, this is more like it," he mutters, now
advancing toward Shin again, but with even greater speed. He grips his sword with both
hands.
Once again, just as Ariki is about to strike Shin, the latter vanishes, using the night's
shadows as cover to strike from an ambush.
Ariki pauses. He takes a deep breath, slowly attuning himself to the surrounding sounds of
nature. He prepares, lifting his sword to his right.
Thud! His choice is proven correct. Shin reappears from his right side, aiming a strike at his
head.
Ariki sighs in relief. "This is Ariki you know ! This is nothing to me ! ."
The clash results in a brief standoff. Shin cleverly twists his body and delivers a powerful
kick to Ariki's stomach.
Ariki is thrown back several meters.
The previously silent atmosphere erupts into cheers from the spectators, excited by the
increasingly thrilling battle.
Ariki quickly gets back on his feet, ready. At that same moment, Shin charges at him with
lightning speed, launching rapid attacks. Ariki tries to parry each strike. He also attempts to
counterattack, but Shin gives him no openings.
Shin's attacks are so fast that not all of them are able to be blocked. When one of Shin's
strikes lands on him, Ariki grits his teeth and fights through the pain, trying to stay strong and
avoid further damage.
Everyone watching is in awe, witnessing the intense battle unfolding before them.
The old man simply smiles, watching the match unfold.
—-----------------------------------------------------
In a magnificent room adorned with silver and gold decorations, a chair made of crystal
fragments stood proudly in the center. From beyond the balcony doors, a vast green field
stretched endlessly, with grass swaying gently in the breeze. Occasionally, the calls of birds
echoed, their songs weaving together as if serenading one another in love.
Suddenly, the door to the room creaked open. A mysterious figure with pale white skin
entered the room, humming softly, "Haaa~~Huu~." The delicate melody of her voice was so
enchanting that several birds flew in and perched on the balcony railing. Only her feet were
visible—smooth and flawless, adorned with golden patterns that swirled gracefully along her
white skin.
She moved effortlessly toward the grand crystal chair, lowering herself onto it with a tired
sigh. "Huuhhh..." Her voice was soft, almost like a whisper. "What's he doing, hmm?" she
murmured to herself, her tone curious.
She raised her right hand slightly, which was also embellished with golden patterns and
black streaks. Her arm was encased in a bracelet adorned with emerald gemstones,
covering the length of her forearm. With a small flick of her index finger to the left, several
glowing screens suddenly appeared, each displaying scenes of a bustling city.
"Ermmm~~ha! There you are!" she exclaimed, her tone shifting to one of amusement. She
tapped on one of the screens, enlarging it with a simple motion of her fingers.
"Attack again, more!" Ariki's enthusiastic shouts rang from the screen as it displayed Shin
and Ariki locked in a fierce battle.
In the battlefield shown, a peculiar sight appeared in the sky above—a crystalline object with
a glowing, iris-less eye floated silently, watching the fight below. It wasn't alone. Dozens of
similar objects hovered across the night sky, their cold, unblinking eyes monitoring the city
where Shin was located.
The figure tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. She seemed intrigued as she
focused intently on the screen. "Hmm... Got here just in time," she murmured.
The room grew silent once more, save for the occasional chirping of birds from the balcony.
Everything seemed to linger in quiet anticipation, as if awaiting the next move in a game that
had only just begun.
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Ariki tightened his grip on the sword, his breath still heavy. He stepped forward with determination, while Shin stood almost casually—yet his eyes never wavered, sharp like a wolf waiting for its prey.
The atmosphere froze. No cheers, only the pounding of hearts that felt loud enough to be heard.
Clang! Clang!
The two wooden blades collided in rapid succession, tiny splinters flying with every clash. Shin attacked mercilessly, his movements sharp and precise. Ariki held his ground, blocking with clenched teeth. His hands trembled, but he refused to yield.
"Arghhh!"
With a roar, Ariki shoved hard, twisting his sword and swinging toward Shin's shoulder. The strike nearly connected, but Shin bent back just in time—barely an inch to spare. He rolled, sprang back up, and slashed upward, almost knocking Ariki's weapon from his hands.
Ariki cursed under his breath, pain crawling through his body. Yet the fire in his eyes refused to die.
Shin pressed on, circling him, vanishing into the shadows and reappearing with sudden strikes. The attacks came from every angle. Ariki fought with everything he had, his blade ringing with each desperate parry, sweat dripping down his jaw. His breathing grew heavier, his legs trembled, but he planted his stance firmly, unwilling to retreat.
At last, Ariki unleashed a swing with all his strength. The air itself seemed to tear apart, forcing Shin to leap far back. Dust burst into the air at the impact, making the crowd gasp, some even stumbling backward.
But Shin only smirked faintly. He lowered himself slightly, his blade held low, eyes gleaming—not with anger, but with challenge.
Ariki wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth, a faint grin tugging at his lips despite the bruises already covering his body.
"Heh… you really think you can bring me down that easily, Shin?"
Shin said nothing. He slowly spun his wooden sword, the grain of the wood groaning as it cut through the night air. His smile was faint, but his eyes burned sharp and unblinking.
Ariki stepped forward again, his movements heavy but brimming with confidence.
"If you're serious about beating me, you'll have to do better than this."
In a flash, Shin lunged—fast as an arrow. Clang! Their swords clashed once more, the impact rippling through the ground beneath them. The crowd erupted again, some screaming Ariki's name, others chanting Shin's.
"Urghh!" Ariki blocked the strike, gritting his teeth as he shoved back, then threw a kick forward to drive Shin away. But Shin spun on his heel, blade sweeping from the side. Ariki barely caught it in time, the wooden swords screeching as splinters flew.
Shin leaned close, his voice low, almost taunting:
"You're too slow, Ariki. You think too much."
Ariki's eyes blazed as he pushed back.
"And you… you're too confident. That's your weakness."
With a furious roar, Ariki forced Shin off, then rushed him with a storm of strikes. Shin retreated step by step, parrying each blow with practiced precision, but the pressure was real this time.
The spectators were on fire, shouting, gasping, unable to look away. What had begun as a spar now burned with something far greater—a battle of wills, of pride.
Despite his heavy breaths, Shin smirked again, his chest rising and falling.
"Finally… you're taking this seriously."
Ariki tightened both hands on his sword, his arms trembling but steady.
"I won't let you steal this victory from me, Shin!"
They both lowered their stances, shoulders tense, blades ready. The night grew eerily silent, the only sound the whisper of the wind brushing past.
And then, in an instant, they charged together—wooden swords colliding in a crack that lit the night with sparks, fiercer than anything before.
this battle is far from over
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The eerie silence of space, vast and pitch-black, only heightened the existing sense of
dread. Massive asteroids floated aimlessly, occasionally colliding with one another with
deep, hollow echoes.
Suspended above Earth's atmosphere, a lone figure loomed. His silhouette was
monstrous—dark, towering, and grotesquely shaped. His massive body was wrapped in
thick, sinewy muscle, yet patches of rough, bristling fur protruded at irregular places, giving
him an unsettling, primal appearance.
He sat motionless atop a floating board, his clawed fingers tapping rhythmically against its
surface. Though his face was featureless—void of eyes, nose, or mouth—his presence
alone exuded an overwhelming sense of menace, as if an abyss itself had taken form.
Then, the silence was shattered.
"Phloxz, are you certain he is here?" His voice rumbled, low and guttural, as if multiple
voices spoke at once, layered with an unnatural resonance that sent vibrations through the
air.
"Y-yes, my lord. This is where his energy was detected," a trembling voice answered from
somewhere unseen.
The figure exhaled, though it sounded more like a deep, guttural snarl than a breath.
"Hurrh… Vora, you're still troublesome, even after she passed away."
A ripple of tension pulsed through the air as he slowly rose to his feet. His movement was
deliberate—unnervingly slow, yet carrying an undeniable weight, as though the universe
itself acknowledged his presence.
The moonlight finally revealed him in full. His head was angular, unnatural in shape, and
where a face should have been, there was only a void—an abyss of swirling darkness that
devoured all light. His spine bristled with jagged, needle-like spikes, running down his back
and extending into a segmented tail that coiled like a serpent, twitching with restrained
violence.
He lifted his left arm, his clawed hand curling into a tight fist. A dreadful sound followed—like
the crushing of bone and the grinding of rusted metal against stone. Then, with a flick of his
wrist, he hurled the 'object' toward Earth.
"Destroy everything… and find him."
The air itself seemed to distort as the objects plunged toward the planet, breaking through
the atmosphere like meteorites. The night sky was set ablaze, streaks of fire illuminating the
city below where Shin resided.
As they crashed onto rooftops, buildings, roads, and even farms, a loud explosion shook the
ground. The summer night, once peaceful, was now filled with blaring sirens, flickering
streetlights, and the distant echoes of chaos.
People turned their attention to the mysterious objects. Some dared to approach.
Upon closer inspection, the objects were oval, resembling giant eggs, their deep purple
shells covered in pulsating red spots.
"What… what are these?" someone muttered.
As they watched, the objects throbbed like living hearts. The red spots flickered and
multiplied, glowing brighter with each pulse. Unease spread among the crowd.
"Get a closer look!" an elderly man urged.
A young man hesitated before stepping forward, swallowing hard. He leaned in, peering at
one of the glowing red spots—only for his eyes to widen in terror.
"A-ARGH!" He stumbled backward, trembling violently.
"What is it?!" another man asked, bewildered by his reaction.
"Mon… monsters…!" the young man stuttered, pointing at the object.
Before he could explain further—
BOOF!
The red spots shattered like glass, exploding outward all at once.
And what emerged from within was far more terrifying than anyone could have imagined.
Suddenly, the air was filled with a sickening squelch as slimy appendages slithered out from
within the shattered eggs. A deep, guttural chittering echoed in the night as grotesque
creatures emerged, their bodies pulsating with an unnatural, eerie glow.
Each creature was different—some had elongated limbs ending in jagged claws, others had
rows of needle-like teeth protruding from twisted, malformed mouths. Their skin, slick and
translucent, revealed dark, pulsing veins underneath. The red spots that once covered their
eggs had now become part of their flesh, glowing ominously like molten embers.
The first scream rang out when one of the creatures lunged at a man who had stepped too
close.
SHLACK!
With a single swipe of its elongated claw, his torso was ripped open. His body convulsed
before crumpling lifelessly onto the pavement. Blood splattered onto the ground, dark and
steaming under the streetlights.
Panic erupted instantly.
People screamed, pushing and trampling over each other in their desperate attempts to flee.
Some fell, only to be seized by the monstrous creatures. Their cries of terror were cut short
by sickening crunches as fangs and claws tore through flesh.
Above, the faceless figure watched impassively from his floating board. He could hear the
chaos, the sound of buildings being torn apart, the wails of the dying.
But there was only one thing he wanted.
"Vora… Come out of your hiding place," he muttered, his clawed hand tightening into a fist.
His presence alone seemed to thrum through the air, a heavy pressure settling over the city
as if reality itself was bending to his will. His tail coiled and uncoiled slowly, the spikes on his
back bristling with anticipation.
The creatures continued their slaughter, their guttural screeches blending into the night.
Buildings collapsed under their rampage, the city slowly descending into ruin. The sky was
painted in fire and shadow, and beneath it, the streets were drenched in the screams of the
doomed.
The faceless figure remained still, waiting...
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