"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"HELP ME!!"
"WAHH-WAHHHHH!!"
The cries tore through the air, shattering what had been a silent afternoon on Itoshima's west coast.
Within seconds, the beach was no longer just salt and sand-it was a battlefield.
Jagged arms of stone clawed out from beneath the dunes. Earth-type Seele surged forward without hesitation, their movements erratic yet brutal-uncaring, unthinking.
They didn't need a reason. Only targets.
Smoke and static danced in the wind, mixing with the panicked screams of the front line.
A field man staggered back-missing half a leg, blood trailing like spilled ink on the broken sand. Another had fallen beside a wrecked drone, his comms unit crushed beneath the weight of his own gear.
Yet through it all, one man stood tall.
The commander.
Gun in hand. Teeth gritted. Blood dripping down the side of his face.
He screamed into his mic, voice hoarse.
"WHEN ARE THE SQUADS COMING?!"
His hands trembled. But he didn't fall.
The nearest Seele turned toward him-its back arching unnaturally as if sniffing for fear. Its claws dug into the ground as it dragged itself forward, stone grinding against bone.
The commander fired. Once. Twice. Useless.
Still he stood.
"DAMMIT! ANSWER ME!!"
The commander's voice echoed into static.
No response.
No backup.
Only the wind and the slow, crunching advance of monsters that felt nothing.
One of the field men slipped on the sand, falling flat as an Earth-Seele loomed above him-its face featureless, its arms split into jagged wedges of compressed stone.
A single swipe tore through a drone beside him, cleaving metal and wire like paper.
"We can't stop them! Our bullets aren't doing anything!"
Another shriek came from behind as a second Seele burst from beneath the shallow waters. A squad of five field men turned to engage-tight formation, clean tactics.
They were crushed in under six seconds.
The shoreline reeked of sweat, fear, and salt.
The silence between each scream was more terrifying than the sounds themselves.
And this wasn't just Itoshima. This was everywhere.
The screen inside the commander's helmet flickered-displays cycling between live drone feeds from across the nation.
-A field men squad in Osaka being wiped out by Seele's.
-Panic in the ruins of Shikoku.
-Signals lost in Nagasaki.
-A town swallowed whole near the base of Mount Aso.
Each window was the same. Screams. Dust. Silence.
99%.
That's what the reports always said.
Ninety-nine percent of the human population... remained helpless.
Guns barely kill them. Drones couldn't hold them. Bombs barely slowed them.
Without a strong gifted, without breath, without power-most humans stood on the wrong side of the food chain.
The commander gritted his teeth as another Seele rose-its shoulders dragging half a boat behind it.
He was shaking now.
"...We were never meant to win these fights."
And still, he raised his gun again.
~~~15:44H - July 7, 2169~~~
By the time Squad Segment 663 arrived, the chaos already ended.
The ocean looked calm. But the earth told a different story.
Blood stained the sand. Broken gear and crushed helmets littered the shoreline. Limbs twisted where they fell. No Seele in sight.
Ryujin was the first to step out of the SUV.
He didn't speak at first-just stared at the beach.
The stench of iron soaked the breeze.
Field men... who had fought till the end.
Some with their backs against the sea. Others face-first in the dirt, weapons still clutched in hand.
A faint static buzzed in his ear.
He tapped his comms.
"Hello? Fukuoka to Squad Segment 663... Do you copy?"
It was Miss Gigi's voice-sharp but calm, trying to cut through the static.
Ryujin's lip curled.
"How the fuck did it get this bad?"
He tapped his comms again, irritated. His eyes swept over the field-taking in the full scope of the loss.
Miss Gigi replied evenly.
"Language, Leader. Communications between the units were... horrible. The wind blowers capable of holding the tide never arrived. Meanwhile, the expected pressure down south? Not as bad as we assumed."
Ryujin clicked his tongue.
"Tsk... Useless deaths."
The words slipped under his breath. Not meant for her. But she heard anyway.
"How are the massive horde by the sea doing?"
A pause.
Then she responded again.
"The massive horde by sea continues to push north.. They're expected to make landfall in Saga in Five days."
"These are the results of your baiting, Ryujin."
His answer came without hesitation-flat, direct, with the weight of the bodies on the beach buried behind it.
"Don't worry. I won't let this happen again."
His gaze shifted back to the SUV. Eyes sharp. Brows tight.
"Itoshi! Come!"
The door slammed open.
Itoshi sprinted across the gravel and sand, the ocean wind pushing against his scarecrow outfit.
"I'm here!"
He reached Ryujin's side, breath heavy, one hand wiping the sweat from his forehead. His long blue hair trailed behind him, tied and wind-worn.
Ryujin spoke back into the comms without missing a beat.
"Where are they? How many?"
Miss Gigi answered calmly.
"A quick job for your team. Twelve Earth-types. Größer als Männer-class. Right now they're scattered throughout the mountains of Itoshima."
"Ok..."
Ryujin muttered, raising his right hand as if about to give an order.
But before he could continue, Miss Gigi's voice cut in through the comms.
"Ryujin-kun, you've read his regulations, right? We're still not sure how far his range actually is."
Her tone was low, almost a whisper.
Ryujin's eyes narrowed as he glanced toward Itoshi.
"We want this operation done as fast as possible."
He nodded sharply at Itoshi and turned, walking back toward the SUV.
Beneath his scarecrow mask, Itoshi took a deep breath-slow, steady. His eyes closed briefly as he centered himself.
Ryujin leaned his back against the SUV, silently watching him.
After a heavy pause, Itoshi's eyes snapped open-glowing crimson beneath the mask.
In perfect rhythm, he hovered in the air for two seconds, flames crackling softly beneath him.
Then he dropped, landing on one knee, chest heaving as he caught his breath.
Without hesitation, Itoshi rose and sprinted back toward Ryujin and the others.
Suddenly, a piercing screech echoed through the mountains surrounding them-a chilling call from the black beasts.
As soon as the beast screeched, gray smoke curled over the top of the SUV. A trail rose upward, and Ryujin remained leaning back against the vehicle, watching.
Suddenly, a piece of the roof fell-landing squarely on Itoshi as he ran toward Ryujin.
It was Kirashi making his entrance, Itoshi still squashed between the lightweight but bulletproof roof of the electric vehicle.
With one eye closed, Kirashi muttered,
"I thought they were attacking Itoshi... I was about to cheer the seele's."
Itoshi. Itoshima.
Still in his scarecrow disguise, Itoshi pushed off the roof crushing him and shouted,
"Oi! You hit me!"
Kirashi crossed his arms, looking at Itoshi with a smug smile. He scoffed,
"Huh... skill issue."
Itoshi snapped,
"Grrr! Damn you!"
As Itoshi stood up, his eyes flicked toward Ryujin. The look he caught was serious-no trace of humor.
Itoshi tapped Kirashi's shoulder, nodding toward Ryujin's rare seriousness.
Kirashi caught it quickly. He glanced at Ryujin with a knowing smile before turning back to Itoshi.
"He's pissed you got squashed by that roof."
Kirashi started walking forward, toward the open beach below.
Itoshi let out an annoyed growl behind him.
But Kirashi's humor quickly faded as his gaze dropped to the horror waiting just below.
His heart sank. His eyes widened.
The flies buzzed-but there was no stench.
It was fresh flesh, lying raw and exposed on the sand.
Kirashi covered his mouth, shock turning to nausea as he sank to his knees.
"Eh?.. What the hell?.."
Itoshi muttered quietly, standing beside Ryujin as they both watched Kirashi.
Itoshi took a step forward.
Ryujin's hand shot out, grabbing his shoulder firmly.
Itoshi looked back at Ryujin.
A long pause stretched between them.
Then Ryujin slowly shook his head from side to side.
Itoshi didn't understand, but he didn't take another step.
Their silence was broken by Miss Gigi's voice crackling in their ears.
"Three incoming. Boys, get ready."
Kirashi, still covering his mouth, slowly rose to his feet and spat onto the empty sand.
"Copy."
They all said it in unison-but each tone was different. Confused. Woken. Disturbed.
From the mountain behind them, the first three Earth-type Seele emerged-crawling low on all fours.
Each one stood at nearly three meters tall, their limbs elongated and jagged. Claws scraped against the dirt, and their soulless eyes locked onto the squad with eerie stillness.
On Miss Gigi's end, the readings sharpened. Multiple targets converging.
"Behind you... coming fast."
Her voice came through, quick and clear.
Kirashi, still coughing, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I'm ready."
He muttered, steadying his breath.
He broke into a sprint-circling behind the SUV and turning to face the oncoming creatures.
"We got visuals on the targets."
Ryujin muttered as his eyes locked onto the crawling beasts from a distance.
"Come face me, you dull creatures."
Kirashi said, stopping in place. His feet planted firm, his body low and ready.
Itoshi and Ryujin stood still on the other side of the SUV, watching.
Kirashi's hand gripped his katana tight-knuckles white, breath unsteady. His face still reflected what he had seen just minutes earlier.
"Shit... is that how it's always been?"
Kirashi thought to himself.
Ryujin's eyes narrowed as he studied Kirashi's stance from behind.
"His form... it's unstable... he's not prepared for the sights?"
"Itoshi."
Ryujin muttered.
Itoshi glanced over.
"Yeah?.."
"Can you get in the SUV?"
Ryujin asked, more of a command than a question.
With no objection, Itoshi nodded and stepped back toward the vehicle, slipping inside quietly.
But even as the door shut, his eyes remained locked onto Kirashi's trembling frame.
"His form..."
Itoshi thought to himself.
"What did he see out there?.. What shook him that bad?"
His gaze slowly shifted toward the beach as he slowly removed his mask unable to get a glimpse of the horrors.
Meanwhile, from the outside, Kirashi's hands were still shaking.
His breath wavered. The beach blurred. And suddenly—
He was back at Shioizaki Park. Back where the field men screamed. Where they died.
"Shit... That's..."
Before he could finish the thought, Ryujin's voice broke through his comms, firm and low.
"Kirashi?.. Are you alright? Can you manage?"
Kirashi didn't answer right away.
"Yes."
Another voice followed—Miss Gigi, clear and calm.
"Five up north sensed it, Kirashi."
"Alright, alright!"
Kirashi snapped back.
He took a deep breath, eyes closing as he centered himself.
"Ok... focus. Calm down..."
He thought to himself.
"Those uglies killed those hard-working men... Gotta avenge them."
When he opened his eyes, they glowed—emerald irises with red pupils, catching the sunlight like flame on jade.
"RAAAAAAAGHHH!!!"
He charged forward, katana at his side.
Drawing in a deep breath, he shouted,
"Gust Slice!"
A wind surged forward with him, sharp and screaming.
In a single, flawless dash—he cut down the center Seele. The blade carved through with clean pressure, splitting its frame. The creature screeched, then evaporated in a burst of fading energy.
The remaining two beasts skidded to a halt, claws tearing into the sand to stabilize.
Kirashi, breath heavy, landed on one knee and sheathed his katana with a sharp click.
He exhaled hard, releasing a huge breath from his lungs.
"One out of twelve."
He thought to himself.
Kirashi stood up once again, steadying his breath.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
Then a deep inhale—long and controlled.
He faced the two remaining beasts before him. They stared back—fierce, sharp, and soulless. Neither side flinched.
"Die."
He muttered under his breath.
Then he shouted, lunging forward with everything he had.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH—!"
"Ahhh!"
Tomori let out a muffled sound—mouth full as she took another spoonful, eyes closed.
Kara sat at her bedside, gently feeding her.
Tomori raised her right palm to cover her mouth, cheeks puffed out. Eyes now open wide, she spoke awkwardly through the food.
"Yuur knowr.. Kawra-san.. I carn feed myselrf nowr..."
"Eh? What?.. What did you say?"
Kara teased, tilting her head.
"Ah... I should've swallowed before I spoke... She hates those..."
Tomori thought to herself, cheeks still stuffed before finally swallowing.
"You know... Kara-san... I can feed myself now. I can do it! You should relax a bit..."
But Kara, still smiling, repeated herself with perfect mimicry.
"Eh? What?.. What did you say?"
Tomori moaned, her mouth forming a confused expression.
"Eh—eh..."
Kara leaned forward playfully.
"Didn't Ryujin-sama say... 'If you've been offered something even you can't deny, never deny it.'"
Tomori blinked—then chuckled, her fingers softly covering her lips.
"Ehh hehe!"
On the side, Jayu sat quietly, listening to them. She watched Kara and Tomori with a smile stretched across her small cheeks.
"Is Tomori-nee feeling better now?"
Hoshi turned to Jayu and gently patted her head.
"Yes! Jayu-chan!.. Thank you!"
She then looked at both Kara and Jayu.
"You two! Thank you so much for looking after me!"
They giggled together, all sitting comfortably on Tomori's bed. The plate still rested in Kara's left hand.
Then—
a sudden knock came at their door.
They all looked toward it. A quiet pause. Then they glanced at one another with curious eyes.
Jayu perked up and smiled.
"I'll go open it!"
She exclaimed, hopping off the bed. Her small feet, covered in soft socks, made no sound as she dashed across the wooden floor.
She reached the door and opened it with a bright, polite smile.
"Oh! Hello!"
Then she blinked.
"Eh?.. Who are you?"
From Jayu's point of view, the man stood tall.
Black hair.
Black long coat—stamped with the U.W.D.S. insignia.
And striking cyan eyes.
The man leaned down slightly, greeting Jayu with a soft, warm smile.
"Oh, hello little girl!"
~~~To be Continued~~~