Inside the LayBirth Kingdom, where the
sun shone as bright as diamonds across the cursed land, silence had finally
settled after hours of chaos. The once roaring skies had quieted, smoke curled
in lazy spirals above cracked towers, and the wind carried the scent of dust,
sweat, and blood. The sounds of war faded into faint echoes that lingered like
ghosts.
The time was 8:00 a.m.
Goro lay sprawled across the scorched
ground. His right leg and arm were gone, torn away in the battle that had just
ended. His body was covered in dirt and gashes, his clothes shredded, his eyes
open but unfocused. Yet, despite the pain, a faint smile crossed his lips. He
inhaled sharply, his chest trembling.
"Man… that was fun," Goro said weakly,
his voice raspy but calm. "And I can't feel my body at all."
He gave a tired chuckle, the kind that
mixed relief and madness. Then his head tilted back as the dust drifted around
him like ashes falling after a firework fades.
But the war wasn't over—not in the left
bottom side of the kingdom. There, everything was in ruins. Buildings were
reduced to rubble, trees snapped like bones, and the earth itself was scarred
from the brutal clash between the four spies of Jinkawa Village and the four
generals of LayBirth. Another battle was raging there, fierce and personal.
Two Hours Earlier — 6:00 a.m.
The moon still hung faintly in the
sky, a ghostly silver light bathing the battlefield in pale radiance. The air
shimmered with tension as two figures faced each other—two girls, both young
but already carrying the weight of warriors.
They stood in silence for a moment,
watching, measuring, daring the other to make the first move.
Saye smirked. "What's your name,
little girl?"
"Rei Sakitoma," Rei said firmly, her
eyes never leaving Saye's.
"Well then, Rei Sakitoma…" Saye's tone
turned sharp. "You're going to die at a young age."
Before Rei could react, Saye vanished.
Huh? Where did she go?! Rei thought,
eyes darting left and right, heart pounding. Suddenly, Saye reappeared right in
front of her—so close Rei could see the reflection of her own startled face in
Saye's eyes.
A gleam flashed. There was a blade
embedded in Saye's palm, and it came slashing toward Rei's throat.
Rei barely managed to dodge, but not
completely—she felt the sting as the blade sliced her cheek. Blood trickled
down her face.
Damn, she's fast… I'll have to watch
my back. Rei leapt backward, creating space.
Then she shouted, her voice echoing
through the broken ruins, "Dustling Arms—come out!"
The ground shuddered. From her back,
two jagged, rust-colored arms burst forth, twitching like living creatures,
their movements unnatural and wild. They gleamed under the moonlight—unnerving
and powerful.
"Ew! What's that nasty thing on your
back?" Saye said with disgust twisting her face.
"Pale Reach!" Rei yelled.
The two monstrous arms shot forward
like serpents.
"Ew! Don't come near me!" Saye
shouted, swinging her arm. The blade in her palm elongated and slashed
downward, cutting both arms in half.
Smoke and dust swirled between them.
Saye brushed her hair back and glared. "Don't you ever send those nasty things
toward me again."
Rei's lips twitched into a grin as the
severed Dustling arms twitched… and then regrew instantly.
Saye's eyes widened. I cut them
off—how are they back?!
She scowled. "No matter. I'll just cut
them off again." The blade in her palm grew ten times longer, gleaming silver
in the dark. She swung downward with tremendous force.
Rei didn't move. Her arms moved in a
zig-zag pattern, faster than lightning, deflecting Saye's strike. When they
touched the blade—half of it began to crumble into dust.
Saye's eyes went wide. What… the hell?
The rest of her weapon hit the ground with a metallic thud.
"I'm not tripping," Saye muttered,
"but once Rei's nasty arms touched my blade… it started disappearing."
Before she could finish processing,
Rei appeared behind her like a ghost.
"You're a little talkative," Rei
whispered. She swung, aiming for Saye's back, but Saye spun sideways just in
time.
"Close one, sneaky one," Saye said
with a playful smile.
She spun around with a roundhouse
kick, her right leg glinting as she coated it in blades. Rei jumped back,
realizing just how deadly that kick would've been.
Those blades… one wrong move and I'm
done, Rei thought, eyes narrowed.
"You're quick," Saye said, standing
tall again. "But your spiritual force feels weak. How are you keeping up with
me?"
Rei smirked, sweat dripping from her
chin. "Well, I know you're stronger than me. But as for my ability—ha! Figure
it out yourself."
"Fine by me." Saye dashed forward, her
movements blindingly fast, blades gleaming on her palms and feet.
She leapt high, then came crashing
down, creating a shockwave. Smoke and dirt blasted outward. Rei stepped back,
covering her eyes.
Out of the haze, Saye slashed. Rei
dodged—barely. One of Rei's Dustling arms lunged at Saye, but Saye cut it
midair. The other arm zigzagged and managed to brush Saye's shoulder.
"Ew! That nasty thing touched me!"
Saye shrieked.
Rei seized the opening and kicked Saye
in the stomach, sending her flying. Saye flipped and landed gracefully, but
then froze—her arm was slowly turning to dust.
"What the hell?! What's going on with
my arm?"
Rei walked forward, each step heavy
with purpose. "You asked what my ability was," she said coldly. "There's your
answer. Anything my Dustling arms or me touch… turns to dust."
Within seconds, Saye's arm
disintegrated completely, scattering like ash on the wind.
Then Saye… smiled.
"This just got interesting!" she
shouted, eyes wild.
"Bring it on," Rei answered, fists
tightening.
Saye dashed again, blades flashing.
Rei moved too—fast, desperate. Saye's kick missed by inches, and Rei countered,
trying to grab her leg.
Checkmate, Rei thought, smirking—
—but before her fingers touched Saye's
skin, long blades shot out of Saye's leg, piercing Rei's hand.
Rei screamed and jumped back, blood
dripping.
"This environment's weird," Saye said
calmly, glancing around. "I don't sense any other spiritual forces. No
civilians… where are they?"
Rei panted heavily, clutching her
wounded hand. "We evacuated everyone. Can't have them getting hurt."
Saye chuckled. "Oh? Let's see if we're
on TV."
"What?" Rei asked, confused.
Saye pulled out her phone. "We're
live. Mr. Lo, the famous interviewer, might be talking about this soon."
Rei frowned. "What are you even
talking about?"
Saye sighed dramatically. "You must be
behind on technology." Then—she vanished again.
Suddenly, she appeared beside Rei,
smiling. "Smile for the camera, okay?"
Click!
"What the hell—?" Rei shouted, but
before she could finish, Saye kicked her hard in the ribs, sending her flying
into a destroyed house.
Rei coughed, groaning. "Damn it, that
hurt." She forced herself up, eyes blazing. "Forget the pain—I'm ready now!"
She rushed forward, but Saye met her
halfway with another kick that sent her crashing into a wall. The ground
cracked.
Rei stood, blood dripping from her
chin. "Bring it!"
Saye slashed with her palm-blade, but
Rei flipped over her. Her Dustling arms lashed toward Saye's head. Saye dodged,
rolled, and struck back. Rei countered with a roundhouse, missed, then narrowly
avoided a stab aimed at her leg—her arm took the hit instead, turning Saye's
blade to dust.
Damn those arms! Saye thought
furiously.
Rei pressed forward, relentless. Saye
flipped her over with a burst of speed. Rei hit the ground hard, pain shooting
up her spine, but she got up instantly.
Saye swung again—a backhand strike—but
Rei dodged and went for her stomach. At the last second, Saye summoned another
blade. Rei didn't stop—she punched straight through it. The blade pierced her
fist, but Rei roared through the pain.
"She's still going?!" Saye thought in
disbelief.
"Take thisssss!" Rei screamed,
punching with everything she had. Saye flew backward, crashing into another
destroyed house, splintering through a kitchen table.
Saye groaned, holding her head. "Okay,
why am I playing with a C-rank?" she muttered, smirking. "Jinko and the boss
would kill me if they saw this. I still want to live long enough to see his
final plan."
Through the hole in the wall, Rei's
Dustling arms burst in, rushing at Saye.
"Huh?" Saye said, startled, then
sliced through the table and the arms instantly, turning everything into dust.
"Okay… time to go for real now," she
whispered.
"Twirling Slash of Speed!" Saye
screamed, vanishing into a blur. She moved in circles so fast that the dustling
arms shredded apart in a storm of motion.
She landed outside, her eyes locking
onto Rei again—whose arms were already regenerating.
"Sorry," Saye said with a grin, "but
fun's over. My priority is killing you. A C-rank isn't enough to stop me."
"Bring it on," Rei growled, taking her
stance.
In a flash, Saye was gone—and then
there was blood. The blade from Saye's foot had pierced Rei's stomach.
Rei gasped, coughing blood.
Saye kicked her through a window. Rei
crashed into a dark room, shards falling like rain.
"Damn it," Rei groaned, clutching her
wound. "How am I supposed to fight like this?"
One of her Dustling arms gently moved
her hand to cover the wound.
"Thank you… arm," Rei whispered
weakly, forcing a smile.
Then, suddenly, the air shifted. A
slash tore through the room. Everything—walls, floor, and her Dustling arm—was
reduced to pieces.
"What… what just happened?" Rei
stammered.
Saye stepped through the dust, blades
gleaming in her palms and on her feet. "You didn't get hit. Lucky you."
Rei's remaining arm regrew instantly.
She staggered to her feet, swung—and missed.
"Can you bring my arm back?" Saye
asked casually. "It's kind of uncomfortable fighting one-handed."
Rei smirked. "I like you better this
way. It's nerfing you."
Saye grabbed Rei's face and slammed
her into the ground. The earth cracked beneath the force. She hurled Rei
through a wall, debris exploding outward.
Saye landed on top of her, eyes cold.
"So, no plan to give my arm back?"
"No… not a single one," Rei hissed
through the pain.
"Then this is the end for you," Saye
said, winding her arm back, the blade gleaming inches from Rei's chest.
Rei's eyes flickered as a memory surfaced.
Sensei's words…
On the carriage, Sensei had told her, "Your main objective is to summon more Dustling Arms. In battle, true
strength is awakened."
Rei clenched her teeth, blood dripping down her
chin. I wonder how the others are doing… They're probably
out there, fighting with everything they've got—getting stronger—while I'm
here, barely holding on.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The thought of
falling behind burned hotter than the pain in her wound.
No… I can't die here. I won't. I have to win—at all
costs.
Her mind raced. If only… if only I
could summon more Dustling arms…
"Well, this is the end for you," Saye
said again, stepping forward.
Rei's eyes widened. "Dustling
Arms—come out! More Dustling Arms, come out!" she screamed.
"Bye-bye, little girl," Saye smirked,
thrusting her blade forward.
"Please… more… come out!" Rei thought
desperately.
The blade neared her face—then
suddenly, the ground erupted.
Dozens of Dustling arms shot out from
below, grabbing at everything.
"What the hell?!" Saye leapt back,
startled.
Rei's eyes widened in disbelief. The
arms—her arms—lifted her slowly into the air. Over four dozen twisted limbs
writhed around her, forming a halo of raw power.
"Yes…" Rei whispered, her voice
trembling with awe. "This is it. Me and my Dustling arms… we can win!"
Saye's expression hardened. What is
happening? Why is she stronger than me? She could feel Rei's power
rising—crushing, overwhelming.
Her energy reading flared. 76,000.
That's impossible! Saye thought. That's
stronger than all four generals and Jinko!
Rei smiled faintly through the pain.
"Okay… time to finish this."
The air grew still. The battlefield
trembled.
Current Time: 6:30 a.m.
To Be Continued.