At Pier 11 in Hell's Kitchen, the afterglow of the setting sun cast a dull, golden sheen on the rust-covered shipping containers, lending a brief illusion of beauty to an otherwise rotting and forgotten corner of the city.
The hem of Rain Maiden's black Lolita skirt brushed gently against the grimy steel monoliths, her every step radiating an elegance completely at odds with the filth around her.
The heavy mist rising from the Hudson River mingled with the stench of sewage and decay. It wrapped around her like a foul hand, lightly pinching her nose. She wrinkled it in distaste, though the revulsion quickly faded—overshadowed by the twisted excitement of the "game" that was about to begin.
Thirty-seven homeless people—gaunt, ragged, and trembling—were trapped along the edge of the dock by a strange force: bubbles formed from condensed Rain Flame energy.
The bubbles shimmered like crystal, seemingly harmless. But they functioned as cages, locking in every cry, every whimper of despair. As the prisoners screamed silently, the bubbles twisted, splitting into dense strings of smaller spheres that floated upward and burst in silence—like vanishing souls.
"It's going to rain~" Rain Maiden giggled, rising on tiptoe and spinning across the oil-slicked concrete.
Her skirt fluttered around her like the petals of a pure flower blooming amid the filth.
And then it came—a sudden flare of energy beneath her skirt, bursting into a glowing blue halo, eerie and mesmerizing, like the ghost-light of a deep-sea specter.
Moments later, the entire Hudson River began to tremble, as if yanked by some invisible hand.
Ten thousand tons of water lifted from the riverbed, defying gravity, rising high above the city. Within seconds, a colossal cube of suspended water—two kilometers in diameter—hung in the night sky, drenching the entire western edge of Hell's Kitchen in aquatic dread.
The trapped vagrants screamed in silent horror, teetering on the brink of being swallowed by this impossible deluge.
Rain Maiden stood calmly at the center of the leviathan water cube, her eyes drinking in the chaos.
But then she frowned.
It wasn't enough.
This... this wasn't fun.
She shook her head and sighed. "Not nearly fun enough~"
With a flick of her fingers, tiny shells braided into her hair jingled. Water spiraled up her arm, congealing at her fingertips into jagged, three-edged thorns—glimmering with lethal potential.
Her pupils dilated with anticipation as she reminisced, voice trailing into manic glee: "It should be more like that time in Sicily. Remember that? The whole street twisted into a human juicer... oh, that was beautiful…"
Before she could lose herself further in the memory, a single droplet of water froze three centimeters in front of her forehead, suspended like a warning.
Her eyes narrowed.
Rain Maiden turned abruptly.
A man walked toward her, dressed in a blue-gray haori, his steps deliberate and powerful. Every footfall echoed like it had been rehearsed a thousand times over.
In his hand was a long katana. The intricate scabbard bore a sigil—Vongola.
His voice rang out, deep and unwavering, "Water is meant to nourish life."
The moment he finished, the blade in his hand flickered once—just once—and the 37 imprisoned souls were suddenly free. They slumped to the ground, gasping like drowning men brought back from the brink.
"Not to wring out their wails."
His eyes locked onto hers, piercing and sharp, as if trying to read her very soul.
Rain Maiden tilted her head and inspected the newcomer. The Vongola crest on his scabbard caught her eye.
And the face...
So familiar.
He resembled Yamamoto Takeshi, yet more mature. More resolute.
She gave a delighted grin. "You must be the Rain Guardian of the Vongola family. How fascinating."
Before the words fully left her lips, she stomped the puddle beneath her.
In an instant, the blood in a ten-meter radius ignited like fuel. Spires of water tore up from the ground, forming tornadoes that roared like beasts. They lashed out, stripping walls from buildings, bending steel support beams into spirals.
And then—he vanished.
Swallowed whole.
Rain Maiden exhaled, grinning wickedly.
But a voice cut through the chaos. Calm. Cold. Inevitable.
"Requiem. First bar."
Something sharp sliced past her cheek.
Pain flared in her earlobe. She screamed—not in agony, but exhilaration.
Her shell earring detonated, vaporized in the same moment a silver blur raced past her throat. A strand of her braid, its bell still chiming, drifted to the water below—cleanly severed.
Her spine arched involuntarily as if bent by shock. Eyes wide, pupils pinpricked.
"An Iai slash?" she gasped. "So fast. You're even stronger than Yamamoto Takeshi…"
The swordsman—Asari Ugetsu, Vongola's First Rain Guardian—stood amidst the ruins, blade sheathed.
He stared at her, calm but full of gravity, face framed by shafts of dying sunlight streaming through a shattered warehouse wall.
"Such cruelty in one so young..." he said. "It's not too late. End this now. If you don't, then I won't show mercy. And if Hell's Kitchen is slaughtered—"
He paused, the steel in his voice darkening.
"—then the wrath of Alex Ray and Vongola I will fall upon you. That is not something even I can protect you from."
Blood dripped from Rain Maiden's cheek, bright red in the fading light. Her expression twisted—not in fear, but exhilaration.
"Yes… yes! That's what I want!"
She trembled, giddy. "If I can kill you, then Lord Byakuran will finally see me. He'll smile at me, satisfied. That's all I want. I'll do anything for that!"
She screamed, ripping the velvet collar from her throat. It fell into the water like a discarded shackle.
A symbol—glowing with warped blue light—burned across her collarbone: the Mare Mark of Rain.
At the same time, the Rain Mare Ring on her chest pulsed to life.
The resonance spread instantly, echoing through the sewers beneath Hell's Kitchen.
The entire borough growled in response.
A deep, unnatural roar reverberated through concrete and bone.
Rain Maiden grinned and shouted, "The test is over—this is the real competition!"
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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