The first thing Renge Akihana remembered was falling.
Not physically.
In his dream.
He was standing on the edge of the gigantic ancient gate, surrounded by darkness. There was no battlefield anymore. No alien army. No screaming. No explosions.
Only silence.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
"Little brother."
Renge froze.
He turned around.
His older brother was standing behind him.
The same face.
The same eyes.
The same calm smile he had seen before his brother disappeared beneath the gate.
Renge's hands trembled.
"Brother…"
His older brother smiled.
"You still haven't reached your full potential."
Renge looked down.
His hands were covered in blood.
"I can't do it."
His voice shook.
"I couldn't even protect you."
"You protected me."
"I killed you!"
Renge shouted.
His brother remained calm.
"You defeated me."
"That's different."
"No."
His brother stepped closer.
"You were strong enough to defeat me. That means you are strong enough to protect the people still standing behind you."
Renge lowered his head.
"I can't control these eyes."
His fingers touched the side of his face.
"The Eye of Laligros…"
His expression twisted with fear.
"Everyone is afraid of me because of them."
His brother shook his head.
"You're afraid of yourself."
Renge looked up.
His brother's expression became serious.
"The Eye of Laligros is the strongest eye among our bloodline. That's exactly why it is dangerous."
A red glow appeared in the darkness.
"The longer you use it, the more it changes you."
Renge stared.
"If you force its power beyond your limits, you may lose consciousness. You may lose your eyesight permanently."
His brother paused.
"Or worse…"
Renge's eyes widened.
"You could become a Blood Devil."
The darkness around them began to ripple.
"A Blood Devil doesn't simply possess stronger eyes. Their entire body changes. Their blood becomes their weapon."
His brother continued.
"They can manipulate blood around them. They can control the blood of living beings, shape it, move it, and use it as an extension of their own body."
Renge swallowed.
"And once someone completely becomes a Blood Devil…"
His brother looked directly into his eyes.
"They may never return to being human."
Renge clenched his fists.
"Then why would you give me the Eye of Lotus?"
His brother smiled.
"Because I believed in you."
Renge stared at him.
"You gave me your eye… even after everything."
"Because you're my little brother."
His brother placed a hand on Renge's shoulder.
"If becoming something terrifying is the only way to protect the people you love…"
His smile returned.
"Then become terrifying."
Renge's eyes widened.
"But don't lose yourself."
The dream began to disappear.
His brother's voice echoed through the darkness.
"Remember their faces."
"Remember the people you're protecting."
"Hold those memories tighter than your fear."
The darkness swallowed him.
"Then…"
"Even if you become a monster…"
"…you'll still be you."
Renge opened his eyes.
But the battlefield was nowhere near him.
He was still unconscious on the massive gate.
His breathing was slow.
His wounds were partially healed.
And the memory of his brother remained inside his mind.
---
Far away from the gate, the battlefield had become something beyond a battlefield.
It was a disaster zone.
The heroes stood together, staring upward.
The five gigantic Guardians towered over everything.
Kaguya.
Sahara.
Mizuna.
Raika.
And the Guardian of the Wind Temple.
Their transformed demi-goddess bodies were enormous, their divine forms casting shadows across the ruined city.
Leo looked upward.
Then upward again.
Then even farther upward.
"…We're not fighting them here."
Chenwei looked at him.
"You just realized that?"
Leo pointed toward the Guardians.
"Look at the size of them!"
Chenwei stared.
"Yes, I'm looking."
Then he smirked.
"I also noticed exactly what you're looking at."
Leo's expression became serious.
"I'm talking about the situation!"
"Sure you are."
"Chenwei!"
"I didn't say anything."
Leo sighed.
"We need to separate them."
The surviving Martial Artist General stepped forward.
Leo handed him a small device.
"Use this."
The General examined it.
"A teleportation device?"
"Exactly."
Leo pointed toward the five Guardians.
"We can't fight all five together. We'll separate them and move each battle to an area where their own powers become useful."
The General understood.
"So we're dividing the battlefield."
"Yeah."
Leo looked at Chenwei.
"You take Raika."
Chenwei's face immediately changed.
"Wait. Me?"
"You have the Water Dragon Spirit Beast."
Chenwei pointed at himself.
"And she controls lightning!"
Leo nodded.
"Exactly."
Chenwei stared at him.
"Electricity travels through water!"
Leo smiled.
"If you don't put yourself in danger, what's the fun?"
Chenwei slowly smiled.
"…Fair enough."
Leo turned toward Lily and Yuna.
"You two take Sahara and the Wind Temple Guardian."
Lily nodded.
Yuna tightened her grip.
Then Leo looked toward Kaguya.
"And I'll handle Kaguya."
The surviving General activated the teleportation device.
A brilliant light spread across the battlefield.
One by one—
they disappeared.
The enormous Guardians moved after them.
The battlefield split into multiple distant arenas.
But there was still one person who hadn't left.
One person who had decided to fight the entire alien army alone.
Shion Kisaragi.
Poison Girl.
---
Shion stood in the middle of the alien forces.
Her massive sword rested casually across her shoulder.
Her assassin-like stance was completely relaxed.
Around her waist were several poison grenades.
Her mask covered most of her face.
The alien generals surrounding her were already on their knees.
Shion looked at them with complete disappointment.
"I just recovered."
She rolled her shoulder.
"And this is what I get?"
She looked around.
"Millions of soldiers…"
Her fingers tightened around her sword.
"…and not a single strong opponent."
One of the alien generals attempted to stand.
Shion vanished.
WHOOSH!
She appeared behind him.
The general froze.
Shion's sword stopped beside him.
The other generals stared.
She slowly looked back at them.
"You're not warriors."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You're insects pretending to be soldiers."
She swung.
The generals were defeated almost instantly.
Shion rested the sword back on her shoulder.
"Now…"
She looked toward the endless army.
"…let's clean up the rest."
The alien soldiers charged.
Millions of them.
Shion smiled.
Then disappeared into the crowd.
Her sword moved.
Left.
Right.
Behind.
Above.
She never stayed in one position.
Every time the soldiers surrounded her, she slipped through the smallest opening.
An alien soldier attacked from behind.
Shion ducked.
Another swung from the side.
She stepped backward.
A third attacked.
She blocked with the flat of her sword and sent him flying.
Then she jumped.
Her body rotated through the air.
She landed in the middle of another group.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath her landing.
She continued moving.
One-handed.
Fast.
Precise.
Like an assassin who had memorized every possible escape route before entering the battlefield.
Then—
Shion reached toward her waist.
She pulled out one of her poison devices.
It resembled a compact inhaler.
She placed it against her mouth.
One breath.
Her eyes changed.
The veins around them became more visible as the poison circulated through her system.
Her senses sharpened.
The battlefield suddenly became clearer.
She could hear footsteps behind walls.
She could distinguish the movement of individual soldiers.
She could hear weapons being raised before they were fired.
Shion smiled beneath her mask.
"Now…"
Her grip tightened.
"I can hear everything."
She disappeared.
---
At another section of the battlefield, Chenwei's mother stepped out of the medical camp.
She looked toward the chaos.
"Keep treating the wounded."
The medical team nodded.
"I'll handle the battlefield."
She jumped.
Her combat suit moved with her.
Two pistols appeared in her hands.
She fired.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
She twisted through the air.
Another burst.
Then she landed on a ruined building.
She reloaded while moving.
Instead of stopping, she threw the empty magazines upward, pulled fresh ones from her tactical vest, and replaced them in mid-motion.
She fired again.
Then jumped from one ruined structure to another.
She wasn't fighting like a traditional martial artist.
She was fighting like someone who had turned the entire battlefield into a shooting range.
Every angle became an attack position.
Every wall became cover.
Every falling piece of debris became part of her movement.
She slid beneath an incoming strike.
Rolled.
Rose.
Fired.
Then immediately changed position.
The alien soldiers tried surrounding her.
She leaped over them.
Her boots touched the side of a broken building.
She pushed off.
Spin.
Fire.
Landing.
Reload.
Move.
Fire.
The rhythm never stopped.
Then she heard a familiar sound.
A sword cutting through the air.
She looked sideways.
Shion was there.
Back-to-back with her.
For a second, neither woman spoke.
Then Shion smiled.
"Looks like you can keep up."
Chenwei's mother smirked.
"Don't slow me down."
The two women turned toward the enormous alien army.
Shion raised her massive sword.
Chenwei's mother raised both pistols.
The army charged.
They moved together.
Sword.
Gunfire.
Poison.
Precision.
The battlefield became a storm.
Shion cut a path through the front line while Chenwei's mother covered her from behind.
When soldiers approached Shion's blind spot—
Bang!
When soldiers rushed Chenwei's mother—
SWOOSH!
Shion's sword intercepted them.
They didn't need to speak.
They understood each other's movements.
One attacked.
The other covered.
One moved forward.
The other protected the opening.
Slowly—
the alien army began losing ground.
Not because the two women were stronger than millions of soldiers individually.
But because they refused to allow the army to surround them.
The battlefield continued for what felt like hours.
The ruined streets became empty.
Broken machines covered the ground.
Smoke filled the air.
The once-great city had become almost unrecognizable.
And still—
Shion stood.
Her sword rested against her shoulder.
Chenwei's mother stood beside her.
Her pistols were still raised.
Both looked toward the enormous battlefield ahead.
There were still enemies remaining.
But far fewer than before.
Shion's eyes narrowed.
"So…"
She slowly lifted her sword.
"Where's the Demon Queen?"
Chenwei's mother looked toward the distant sky.
A massive shadow passed across the clouds.
Neither woman moved.
Shion smiled.
"Found her."
The wind suddenly became violent.
And somewhere above the ruined city—
the Demon Queen was watching.
The real battle had not even begun yet.
To Be Continued…