Prologue
"Uaaah… uaaah!"
The cries of a young girl echoed loudly among the ruins of collapsed buildings.
"Uaaah… uaaah!"
Her sobs grew louder, yet no one was there to hear her.
Except...
From within a pile of rubble, a hand emerged. At first glance, it looked like that of an animal, but its form was unnatural—large and terrifying.
Then, the creature revealed itself.
A monster resembling a praying mantis appeared. It was massive, roughly the size of a grown man.
The creature began walking slowly toward the frightened girl, each step causing the ground to tremble faintly.
It raised its left leg, long and sharp like a scythe, ready to deliver a deadly strike toward the helpless child.
And then...
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
In an instant, the monster's body was shredded—sliced into pieces by something so fast the eye couldn't follow. Blood splattered everywhere, staining the ground.
A man stood tall before the dismembered monster. In his hand, he firmly gripped a dagger, its blade dripping with blood.
He turned around and walked slowly toward the crying girl. The blood stains on his dagger glistened under the light, making the terrified child tremble even more.
"Hic... hic... uaaah... please... don't!"
The girl collapsed, her small body shaking in fear. With trembling hands, she wiped away her tears, begging the man not to hurt her.
The man stopped, standing right before the frightened child.
He raised his hand—not to strike, not to kill—but to gently place it on her head, softly patting her hair.
"Don't be afraid. Everything's all right now."
Her crying began to fade, though tears still streamed down her cheeks. Slowly, she lifted her head to look at the man who was gently patting her.
"I'm a hero. Everything will be fine now. I've already taken care of the monster. So it's okay... stop crying."
The girl stared at the man in awe.
Though she couldn't see his face clearly—because the sunlight behind him shone too brightly—she knew the person before her was her savior.