The streets were unusually quiet for this late at night. The soft hum of distant traffic was the only sound accompanying Ryusei as she walked home.
As she turned the corner near a dimly lit street, she froze.
There, standing in the center of the road beneath a flickering streetlamp, was a man—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a long, dark overcoat. His black hair was short, and his red eyes glowed faintly with something that wasn't human.
"…Ryusei Okkotsu, right?"
Ryusei's eyes narrowed looking at the man. "Who's asking? Have we met before?"
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"No. We haven't."
She spun—but not fast enough.
CLANG!
Her Silverine sword was out in an instant, raised to defend herself only to shatter like glass.
"Wha—?!"
A moment later, a burning pain slashed across her chest. Her jacket split open as blood sprayed, painting the pavement. The attacker's weapon—a massive Japanese broadsword with a fur-wrapped tsuba.
Everything blurred. Her heartbeat slowed. Her legs gave out as she crashed to the ground, gasping.
The man stood over her, his blade lowered, watching her bleed out.
"Don't take this personally," he said, red eyes emotionless. "Blame the ones who reincarnated you in the first place."
He turned to leave.
The air around them thickened. Shadows began creeping outward from Ryusei's sprawled body, swallowing the bloodied pavement like ink.
"Arise."
The shadow exploded into a pool of blackened smoke, and from it rose Igris, Ryusei's first major Shadow Soldier.
The attacker turned just in time to block Igris' sword with his own. The clash of steel shook the air.
"What the hell…?" he muttered, his arm shaking from the force.
Ryusei's wounds glowed faintly. Her Silverine Physiology kicked in. She gasped and sat up, sweat dripping from her brow. "That was the only sword I had, asshole."
Igris surged forward once more, his greatsword raised, slashing down with tremendous force. The attacker met him head-on, his shaggy-handled blade ringing as it clashed against Igris's armor.
The shockwave of their impact rippled outward, cracking pavement and shaking nearby lampposts. Igris held his ground for a moment—but the stranger gritted his teeth, twisted, and knocked Igris back, the crimson knight sliding across the asphalt with sparks trailing his armored boots.
"Tch," Ryusei clicked her tongue, watching Igris recover. Even Igris got pushed back? Who is this guy...?
The man came again—this time, his killing intent fully unleashed.
His blade arced toward her, a horizontal slash that would have gutted anyone slower. But Ryusei ducked beneath it with a swift crouch, sliding under his arm in one fluid motion.
She flipped her dagger from her inventory, the curved fang-shaped blade of Kasaka's Venom Fang glinting ominously.
[Devouring Flames]
Black flames surged down her arm, coating the blade in black fire that hissed and licked the air. The venomous aura of the dagger warped around it, pulsing with cursed energy.
The man pivoted, his red eyes narrowing as she raised her other hand—shaping her fingers like a gun, index extended and thumb cocked back.
[Power of Destruction: Spiralling Bullet]
BOOM!
A sphere of condensed black-and-red energy shot from her fingertip like a railgun blast, hitting the man point-blank in the chest.
KA-THOOM!
The blast detonated with enough force to shatter the ground beneath them, the shockwave sending cracks spiderwebbing through nearby walls and shoving the attacker back several feet. He landed in a skid, feet grinding against the pavement as smoke coiled around him.
Ryusei was breathing hard now, sweat on her brow. Her dagger still burned in her grip. Igris stepped up beside her.
But to their shock—the man straightened. His coat smoldered, chest scorched, but he was still standing.
"…Haven't felt that kind of pain in a while," he muttered, brushing ash off his collar. "You're tougher than expected."
Ryusei scowled. "You really are trying to kill me. Why?"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he raised his blade again.
"This time, I won't hold back."