The night wind howled wildly before the Gates of Sena.
From afar, black mist rolled like a living ocean.
Amid the scent of blood and iron, a man in a blue cloak stood firm in the silent field — Sai.
His cloak billowed violently, as though even the wind itself bowed before his presence.
His eyes were sharp yet calm, like the still surface of water hiding a bottomless abyss.
He lowered his gaze slightly, staring at his sword — its blue blade glimmering faintly beneath the moonlight.
"Looks like I'll get tired tonight,"
he muttered, his voice flat but heavy.
"Jake… I didn't expect I'd have to step in like this…"
Then his eyes lifted — straight toward the tide of monsters emerging from the fog.
Hundreds of fanged creatures, red-eyed and crawling over shattered ground.
The air trembled with their roars, shaking the hearts of every human who heard them.
A small smile curved Sai's lips.
"Alright then…"
He raised his sword slowly, blue light flaring along his body.
"Let's have some fun, monsters."
And then—
BLARRR!
His body shot forward like lightning ripping through the night.
A streak of blue carved across the darkness, slashing through the horde of shrieking beasts.
One swing.
One line of blue light that divided the world.
Silence.
Then — black blood began to drip from the sky like slow rain.
Hundreds of monsters froze, their bodies neatly split in half… before collapsing.
But before the dust could settle, Sai's eyes widened in horror.
The corpses began to twitch — then rejoin.
Torn flesh pulled together, bones regrew, and their eyes flared even redder.
Sai stepped back, breath trembling.
"No… that's impossible…"
He glanced at his hand, then at his trembling sword.
"How can they regenerate after being cleaved apart…?"
Footsteps and panicked voices echoed behind him.
"Run!!" shouted one of the soldiers.
The Indosvara troops scattered, slamming helmets shut, pulling the great chains to close the city gate.
"Close the gates, now!"
The heavy doors groaned, the grinding of steel echoing like the sound of the world being buried.
Sai turned, seeing his comrades retreat in fear.
But his legs did not move.
His eyes remained fixed ahead — on the monsters advancing toward him.
"Wh… what should I do…" he whispered.
Cold sweat dripped from his temples.
"If my full strength can't kill them… how am I supposed to defeat them?"
He forced himself to stay calm.
"There must be a weakness… think, Sai…"
His eyes tracked the beasts' every movement.
Then — one of them stepped forward, its chest glowing red.
A throbbing organ pulsed visibly there — like a heart, dark crimson.
"Is that… its life core?"
He clenched his sword.
"If so, then destroying that will end them for good."
"HEY! Sai! Get inside! The gate's closing!!"
The soldiers behind the gate screamed.
Their faces were pale, drenched in fear.
Sai turned briefly — and smiled.
"Don't underestimate me. You all hide. Let me take care of this."
"He's insane! He's sacrificing himself!" someone shouted.
"Those things are invincible! We can't win!"
Sai chuckled, voice cold but resolute.
"You'll never know… unless you try."
He dashed forward — even faster than before.
The air around him crackled as his sword struck straight into the monster's left chest.
CLANG!
The creature's metal claws caught the blade, sparks scattering.
It roared and countered, claws slashing like blades.
Dozens of monsters leapt from all sides, trying to tear him apart.
Sai flipped backward, landing atop a pile of ruins.
From midair, he swung in rapid arcs, cutting through the waves of attacks.
"Damn it… they're cornering me."
He gritted his teeth, blocking the bite of a lunging beast.
CLANG! His blue sword met its fangs.
Channeling his aura, he kicked straight into the creature's red core.
DUAKK!
The monster screamed — its chest exploded in a flash, and its body dissolved into black dust.
Sai smirked.
"So it's true. Their weakness is the red core."
He spun his blade, facing the furious horde.
Archers on the wall loosed their arrows, but they only grazed the monsters' skin.
"Hey! Don't shoot randomly!" Sai shouted.
"Aim for the red core on the left chest! That's their heart!"
The commander atop the wall nodded.
"So that's the secret… Jake was right — this kid's a genius."
He turned to his men.
"Follow Sai's lead! Aim for the vital point!"
Hundreds of arrows rained down like death itself —
but the monsters, guided by primal instinct, shielded their chests with their arms.
They knew their weakness.
Sai narrowed his eyes.
"Of course… they're intelligent. Interesting."
He exhaled slowly, eyes closing.
"No other choice…"
He plunged his sword into the ground and looked to the heavens.
Lightning struck from above — KRRAAANG!! — hitting his sword in a burst of blinding blue.
The earth shook.
Blue aura enveloped his body, his eyes glowing like electric fire.
"Alright…" his voice echoed — layered, powerful.
"Let's end this."
He leapt.
In an instant, the world turned into streaks of light.
SRASSSHHHH!!
A single slash tore through the air — cutting the front lines like a thunderstorm.
Monsters screamed, black blood splattering.
Each strike shattered the ground, burning the air.
"If you guard your hearts— I'll destroy everything that gets in my way! AHHHHHH!"
SRASSHH!!
Colossal bodies exploded in arcs of blue light.
The city gate trembled, Indosvara soldiers staring wide-eyed, speechless.
It was like a dream:
Sai danced among monsters — every move precise, every slash a flash of brilliance tearing through the night.
Sweat and blood streaked his face, but his eyes still burned — alive with resolve.
But then—
as the last monster fell, Sai's body began to shake.
His energy drained, his aura dimmed.
He dropped to one knee, planting his sword to stay upright.
"Hah… hah… damn… my energy…"
Silence.
The remaining monsters didn't attack.
They just… stopped. Frozen.
The soldiers on the wall cheered.
"Look! They're scared! Hahaha!"
"They fear Sai's power!"
Sai looked at them — but his chest tightened.
The air around him felt… heavy.
"Why did they stop…?"
He stared into the darkness beyond the horde.
Something moved.
The commander squinted.
"No… they're not frozen in fear."
His eyes widened.
"Look behind them…"
From the depths of the black mist—
DUARRRRRR!!!
A violet light split the sky.
Purple lightning danced across the heavens, tearing the clouds, forming a vortex of pure energy.
Sai stared, stunned.
"W-what is that…"
Then—
"ARRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A roar shattered the world.
It wasn't just sound. It was the earth's fury made real.
The ground quaked, the air trembled, the heavens screamed.
Even distant Sena shook beneath its might.
Citizens screamed, some dropping to their knees in prayer.
Jake Hill — at the Monster Hunter rally point — turned toward the purple sky.
"Sai… what's happening out there?!"
Leon, Evelyn, Asta, and Ryu looked up.
Their faces were pale, eyes wide.
"W-what is that sound…" Evelyn whispered.
Ryu said nothing. His gaze was empty — but his hands trembled, filled with rage and fear.
A second roar echoed.
Louder. Deeper.
"ARRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Sai covered his ears, collapsing to his knees.
The Indosvara soldiers on the wall were thrown to the ground.
The tremors intensified.
Then… the earth cracked open.
A long fissure split the battlefield, crawling toward Sai.
Violet light seeped up like molten fire.
"W-what is this…"
Sai stared down, trembling.
From the darkness below — something emerged.
Each step shook the ground.
Every footfall sent waves of dust into the air.
The air grew cold, heavy — lifeless.
From the mist — a giant emerged.
Its body towered like a fortress, armored in black natural steel.
Two glowing violet eyes burned down at Sai like a god staring at an insect.
Metal fangs ground together, steam hissing from its body like breath from hell.
Sai stepped back, gripping his sword with shaking hands.
"Th-this is… the boss…"
The monster roared — the battlefield trembled.
Its massive fist slammed into the earth, creating a shockwave that hurled Sai through the air.
"ARGHHHHH!!"
His body crashed into a boulder — shattering it to dust.
The Gates of Sena quaked violently.
The soldiers above screamed in panic.
Jake — sprinting toward the battlefield — saw it from afar, eyes wide with horror.
"SAI!!!"
The monster straightened, towering higher, its roar shaking the heavens.
The violet light above blazed brighter, casting the reflection of ruin across every terrified face.
And that night—
something truly terrifying began.
ARRGHHHHHHHHHH!!!
To be continued…