The city streets were unrecognizable. Smoke and flames billowed from shattered buildings, their skeletal remains casting long shadows against the night sky. Helicopters hovered above, their spotlights cutting through the chaos, but even they couldn't fully capture the scale of destruction. Soji's bluish-black eyes scanned the battlefield with unnerving precision. Each movement, each flicker of debris, was accounted for by the fragments of his White Camera spirit. The metallic bowl split into countless pieces, embedding itself across rooftops, crumbling walls, and shattered streets, acting as both shield and scout.
Finn's flaming skeleton emerged with a roar, a cruciform blaze of red and gold. Though imperfect in its hastily summoned state, it was already filling a ten-block radius, monitoring the monsters' movements and holding the battlefield. Rye's five luminous swords hovered in a circle, each humming with light, ready to strike at any opening. The air itself seemed to vibrate with tension as the team prepared for the unknown.
From the shadows, the first Black Dash emerged. Its presence was unnerving: two arms, two legs, no eyes, only a dark exoskeletal mass over its face. The creature's speed was unnatural, its movements chaotic yet calculated. It swept forward, destroying walls and scattering debris like mere paper.
"Soji… prepare," Rye warned. "We need to summon fully now."
Soji didn't respond verbally; his hands moved in the ritual, calling forth White Camera. Metallic fragments lifted, scattering like swarming insects, embedding themselves across the cityscape. Each fragment acted as an eye, capturing every micro-fluctuation of the approaching Black Dash.
Finn shouted, the flame skeleton erupting from the cracked pavement. Its massive frame radiated heat, every motion capable of annihilating reinforced steel. Though only a single fragment appeared, it formed a mobile viewing circle, giving Finn both vision and offensive capability. Rye finalized his circle of five swords, hand signs perfectly executed. Light shimmered, each sword imbued with raw, concentrated energy, ready to strike at the slightest opening.
The first Black Dash attacked, moving faster than human reflexes could comprehend. Soji activated his mini-domain, amplifying his awareness, movement, and blade control. He struck with calculated precision, negative discharge weaving into his katana swings to twist the monster's attacks against itself. Each strike was carefully timed, forcing the creature back.
Then a flicker. Another shadow.
Rye froze. "Soji… it's not alone."
A second Black Dash emerged, moving in perfect synchronization with the first. The team realized—too late—that they were facing twins, operating as a single combat unit. Every movement multiplied the effect of the other; their synergy was a predator's instinct turned lethal.
Rye adjusted immediately. "Split them! Finn, take the faster one. Soji, you and I handle the slower!"
Finn nodded, his flaming skeleton moving as a living anchor. Soji's camera fragments moved in tighter coordination, mapping both twins' positions. Rye's swords intersected light, binding the slower twin. Soji unleashed his burning devotion, bluish-black flames spiraling in sync with his blade, striking the slower twin repeatedly. Its movements staggered, but not broken.
The slower twin faltered. Soji twisted, striking spirally, his katana cutting a path of scorched concrete. Rye's swords pinioned the creature, Finn's flames holding its attention, preventing synchronization.
But the faster twin reacted with lightning speed. It crashed through walls, demolished debris mid-flight, and closed distance before anyone could blink. Finn's skeleton rose fully, locking it in place, but it was a struggle. The monster's speed was extraordinary, and even flames could not hold it entirely.
"Soji… now!" Rye shouted.
Soji adjusted, calculating the twin's next move. He swung spirally, channeling burning devotion and mini-domain amplification, driving the katana into the slower twin's head. Sparks flew, exoskeleton cracking under the force. The slower twin collapsed, restrained by flames and swords.
The faster twin went berserk, its movements becoming unpredictable, throwing debris, smashing vehicles, and demolishing barricades. Its rage seemed to override caution—it would not stop. Finn reacted instinctively, sweeping flames upward in a cruciform arc, while Rye's light swords sliced across its path, forcing it into temporary hesitation.
Soji's White Camera fragments split further, spinning across buildings and streets, capturing every micro-fluctuation. He realized that the faster twin's movements weren't linear—they were an intricate pattern of attack and misdirection. His dragonfly-eye ability tried to calculate, but the twin's coordination was near-perfect.
"We need full summoning!" Rye cried. He traced additional glyphs in the ground, five swords vibrating with light. Finn's skeleton grew in size, radiating heat, its multiple flames acting as both shield and offense. The team's coordination became a living entity.
The faster twin lunged with an impossible combination of speed and strength. Soji dodged, his blade slicing into the air as White Camera fragments intercepted the incoming debris. Sparks erupted, flames roared, and the twin's strike met the combined force of light and fire. Its head slammed into a wall, staggering—but still moving.
Soji knew they couldn't out-speed it forever. He activated negative discharge, twisting the twin's momentum and amplifying every attack with precision. Rye's swords pierced its limbs, binding them briefly. Finn's flames roared, blasting upward with enough force to break reinforced concrete.
Finally, the moment arrived. Soji combined burning devotion with a spiral strike, katana slicing in a precise circular arc. Flames and light fused, striking the twin's head. Rye's swords amplified the energy, Finn's flames anchoring it in place. The faster twin's movements slowed, its body finally succumbing.
Silence fell. The city smoldered around them. White Camera retracted to Soji's back. Finn's skeleton faded into sparks. Rye gathered his swords, exhausted.
Soji's eyes blinked off from dragonfly mode, energy drained but awareness heightened. Both twins were gone. The city was quiet, temporarily at least.
Yet the victory was bittersweet. They had survived, yes—but these twins were only the beginning. If monsters of this caliber existed, what horrors still awaited them? And more importantly, what price would they pay when the next threat arrived?