Rain swallowed Yunara.
It did not fall gently.
It crashed.
Relentless sheets of water poured from the sky, flooding the lower districts. The narrow streets were no longer paths but rivers. Broken wood, debris, and filth drifted through the current.
Vision was limited.
The world had turned gray.
Blurry.
Distant.
In that storm, a single figure walked forward.
Steady.
Unhurried.
The Commander.
His armored steps cut through the water, each movement heavy but controlled. His blade rested loosely in his hand, angled downward, as if he had no need to raise it.
No lights burned in the houses around him.
Doors were shut.
Windows sealed.
The city had already hidden itself.
But he kept walking.
"They ran this way…"
His voice was low, almost lost beneath the rain.
"Run as much as you want…"
Water splashed as he stepped forward.
"It doesn't matter."
A faint breath left him.
"Even if you run to the heavens… I will still kill you."
Silence followed.
Only rain.
For a brief moment, something shifted in his eyes.
A memory.
—
Laughter.
The sound echoed faintly in his mind.
Soldiers gathered around a fire.
One of them arguing loudly over food.
Another mocking him.
"You call that a swing, Commander? Even my grandmother hits harder."
A younger voice laughed.
"You should've seen his face when he missed—"
The memory blurred.
Then—
Screams.
Steel.
Blood.
—
His steps slowed slightly.
"…I was late."
The words barely left his mouth.
"I should have come earlier."
Rain ran down his face, mixing with something unseen.
"If I had…"
A pause.
"They wouldn't have died."
His grip tightened around the blade.
Then—
A sound.
Subtle.
Almost lost in the storm.
He stopped.
Completely still.
The rain continued.
But he did not move.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Scanning.
Nothing.
Darkness filled the street.
Too dark.
Too quiet.
Then—
A strike.
From behind.
Fast.
Precise.
The blade cut across his back.
For the first time—
He was hit.
His body moved forward slightly from the impact.
Before he could react—
Another strike.
From the left.
Sharp.
Clean.
Then another—
From the right.
Then above.
Then behind again.
His eyes narrowed.
"…What?"
His body turned, blade swinging in a wide arc—
Nothing.
Empty air.
Another strike landed.
Faster.
Deeper.
"What… is this…?"
He stepped back, water splashing violently beneath him.
His senses stretched outward.
Searching.
Nothing.
No presence.
No movement.
Only rain.
And yet—
The attacks continued.
Relentless.
From every direction.
His blade moved again—
A sharp horizontal cut.
Then a downward strike.
Then a thrust.
All precise.
All deadly.
All—
Missing.
Another hit.
His arm jerked slightly.
Too fast.
"I can't… sense it…"
Another strike.
This time across his side.
His breathing changed.
Not fear.
But realization.
"They're… fast…"
Another attack came—
From below.
He barely moved in time.
Still—
It landed.
His body staggered.
For the first time—
He lost balance.
His knee hit the flooded ground.
Water splashed upward.
He caught himself.
But only barely.
The attacks stopped.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Thick.
The Commander remained still, breathing controlled but deeper now.
Slowly—
He lifted his head.
Looked forward.
Through the rain—
Two figures stood.
Barely visible.
Blood mixed with the storm, running down their bodies.
Haru.
Rin.
Both wounded.
Both barely standing.
But still—
Standing.
The Commander watched them.
Then exhaled slowly.
"…So it's you two."
He placed one hand against the ground.
Pushed himself up.
Slow.
Steady.
He stood again.
Water streamed down his armor.
Then—
He reached for his helmet.
Paused.
And removed it.
The metal mask came free.
For the first time—
His face was revealed.
Young.
Too young for his rank.
No beard.
Clean features.
Long hair, soaked and clinging to his skin.
He looked no older than twenty-eight… maybe twenty-nine.
But his eyes—
Were older than both.
Calm.
Cold.
Sharp.
He dropped the mask into the water.
Then—
His hand moved to his armor.
The locks released.
One by one.
Heavy metal plates fell away.
Crashing into the flooded ground.
Chest.
Shoulders.
Arms.
All of it.
Gone.
The weight disappeared.
He rolled his neck slightly.
Loosening it.
"…You Min fighters…"
His voice was quieter now.
But clearer.
"You only know how to strike from the shadows."
A step forward.
Water rippled outward.
"Never from the front."
Another step.
"No matter."
He raised his blade.
This time—
Different.
Lighter.
Faster.
"I'll finish both of you here."
Haru tightened his grip.
Rin steadied her stance.
Neither spoke.
Rain intensified.
The world blurred further.
Then—
They vanished.
Both of them.
Gone.
The Commander's eyes sharpened.
His grip tightened.
And for the first time—
A faint smile touched his face.
—
The hunt had truly begun.
⸻
To be continued…