Ryder stood still, the night wind brushing against his face as he fixed his gaze on Scarlet. The silence between them weighed heavily, almost suffocating, until he finally broke it with a low, steady voice.
"Well… you helped me come back here in time." His tone carried both gratitude and regret. "But I still don't understand why you didn't want to come back with me."
Scarlet's crimson eyes glimmered with a mixture of suspicion and unease.
"So, join me, Scarlet," Ryder continued, taking a small step closer. "Our goals are the same. Join me, and together, we can annihilate every last Kaiju that walks this land." His words weren't just persuasion they carried the desperation of someone who had seen the end too many times.
He clenched his fists. "We, in the future, tried countless times to achieve this. Every attempt… every sacrifice ended in failure. But this time… this time we will make sure we triumph."
Scarlet tilted her head, intrigued despite herself. Ryder's voice wavered slightly as if recalling a painful memory.
"Oh, there was something else," Ryder said suddenly. "Something your future self asked me to do."
Scarlet narrowed her eyes. "And what is that?"
Without answering, Ryder stepped forward. Before Scarlet could react, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
Her eyes widened in shock. The world seemed to freeze in that instant.
"W-What… what did you just do?!" Scarlet stammered, her voice trembling.
Ryder opened his mouth to explain, but before he could utter a single word, a sharp crack rang out.
SLAP!
Her hand struck across his cheek, leaving a stinging mark. Ryder blinked in stunned silence.
"H-Huh?" he muttered, his hand instinctively rising to his cheek.
Scarlet's face burned crimson not from embarrassment, but from pure fury. "First, you call yourself a man… then you dare to call me a Kaiju… and now you steal my first kiss?!" Her voice cracked with anger, trembling with emotion. "You're completely insane!"
Ryder stood dumbfounded, struggling to process what had just happened. He wasn't even paying attention to her scolding.
At that moment, Sitri's voice called out from behind. "Ryder!"
She finally caught up, panting slightly.
"Oh… Si," Ryder said awkwardly, still rubbing his cheek where Scarlet had slapped him.
"Geez, you're too fast," Sitri muttered, giving him a worried glance before noticing the strange aura in the air. The ground itself seemed to wither. Trees curled into ash, rocks cracked, and the once vibrant landscape turned gray.
"Did you finish up the hint?" Sitri asked, stepping closer to Ryder.
Before he could answer, a deep, guttural voice roared across the battlefield.
"You lowly humans… worms!"
A colossal figure emerged from the shadows the Kaiju boss. His scales glistened like molten obsidian, and his eyes glowed with a malevolent golden hue. The ground trembled beneath each step he took.
"How dare mere humans slaughter my people!" the beast bellowed. His voice was enough to make the air quake.
Scarlet's eyes widened in horror. Without a word, she quickly darted away, retreating from the battlefield. Sitri braced herself, drawing her weapon, but Ryder didn't move. He stood with his back straight, facing the massive beast without an ounce of fear.
The Kaiju's wings spread wide, blotting out the sky. "I am Tenurou!" His voice thundered. "Eighth member of the Kaiju Royal Race. And you… you are the insolent insect who scarred my face!" His claw traced the jagged mark across his cheek, rage burning in his eyes.
Ryder's expression didn't change. He only tightened his grip on his blade.
"You dare wound me?! Then suffer!" Tenurou roared as he leapt into the air, his jaws opening wide, ready to devour Ryder and Sitri whole. His shadow swallowed them in darkness.
"I'll tear your body into a million pieces!"
Sitri braced herself, but Ryder calmly raised his hand.
"Aura Slaying Art…" His voice was cold, commanding. Energy surged through his body, silver light spiraling around his arm.
"Explosion."
A dazzling flash erupted, silver beams shooting out like countless spears. They tore through the air with a deafening roar, each one aiming straight for Tenurou.
The Kaiju tried to dodge, but the barrage was too overwhelming. Dozens of beams pierced his wings, his chest, his arms—until some burrowed deep into his body.
"W-What… what is this?!" Tenurou screamed in disbelief as the energy consumed him from within. His enormous body writhed in pain, scales cracking, glowing fissures splitting across his hide.
"Kaboom," Ryder whispered, his eyes glowing faintly.
BOOM!
Tenurou's body exploded in a blinding light, fragments scattering across the battlefield as shockwaves ripped through the earth. The air shook violently, the force enough to level what remained of the dying trees.
When the dust settled, nothing remained of Tenurou but ashes scattered on the wind.
Ryder staggered, clutching his head as the aftereffects of the skill surged through him. His vision blurred, his body trembling. "Haah… dammit… my head…"
"Ryder!" Sitri rushed to his side, catching his arm before he collapsed. Her eyes were filled with concern. "Hey are you okay?"
He forced a smile through his exhaustion. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."
Sitri frowned, clearly unconvinced. "Don't lie. That technique it drained you, didn't it?"
Ryder shook his head stubbornly. "It doesn't matter. What matters is… Tenurou's gone."
Sitri studied him for a moment, then softened. "You've really gotten a lot stronger than before, Ryder. I don't know how… but you're not the same as you used to be."
Ryder looked down, silent. His thoughts drifted to Scarlet, who had vanished the moment Tenurou appeared. She didn't know this Ryder the present him. To her, he was a stranger… reckless, unpredictable, and maybe even dangerous.
And yet, Ryder clenched his fists. He had no choice but to keep moving forward.