Hina's Perspective
The wind howled in my ears as I descended toward the highway.
The closer I got, the worse the destruction looked.
Smoke curled into the sky in thick black waves. Flames flickered from several crushed vehicles scattered across the road like discarded toys. The sharp scent of burning metal filled the air.
Police cars had formed a defensive barrier, their red and blue lights flashing wildly across the chaos.
Officers crouched behind their vehicles with rifles raised.
But even from above, I could tell something was wrong.
Their shots weren't working.
Gunfire echoed across the highway.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Each bullet struck the monster's body—
And bounced away harmlessly.
Razorblade stood in the center of the ruined highway like an unstoppable titan.
The creature's massive frame glinted under the emergency lights. His body was covered in jagged metallic scales, each one reflecting the flashing lights like shards of broken mirrors.
The long spikes along his back glowed faintly red.
And clutched in his massive claw—
Was a girl.
She struggled weakly, her legs kicking as she tried to escape.
Even from the sky, I could see the fear in her movements.
My chest tightened painfully.
"I have to hurry."
Ryuna flew beside me, her glowing wings beating softly against the wind.
"Stay calm, Hina. Your power responds to your emotions."
I nodded slowly.
But the sight below made it difficult to stay calm.
Police officers were already retreating.
One of them shouted into his radio.
"Command, we need immediate evacuation! The creature is breaking containment!"
Another officer yelled to the civilians still fleeing the scene.
"Get back! Everyone move away from the highway!"
Then Razorblade roared.
The sound shook the air like thunder.
Several officers flinched.
One of them fired again in panic.
The bullet struck one of the glowing spikes along the monster's back.
For a moment—
Everything froze.
Then the spike suddenly launched forward like a blade.
SHINK.
The projectile sliced through the air and struck a nearby police car.
The vehicle exploded in sparks and metal fragments.
The officers scattered in panic.
"This thing is adapting!" someone shouted.
My fists clenched.
"That's enough."
I angled my body downward.
Then I dropped.
The air screamed past my ears as I accelerated.
Ryuna followed close behind.
"Be careful!"
The ground rushed toward me.
Then—
BOOM.
My landing cracked the asphalt.
A shockwave blasted dust and debris outward in a wide circle.
The nearby police officers jumped in shock.
Several rifles immediately turned toward me.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Hold your fire!" another officer shouted. "We don't know what that is!"
I stood slowly.
The glowing armor around my body reflected the flashing police lights.
My cape drifted gently behind me like flowing moonlight.
I didn't answer them.
My eyes were locked on the monster.
Razorblade slowly turned his massive head.
The grinding sound of metal scales scraping together echoed across the ruined highway.
His glowing red eyes focused on me.
Then he roared.
The sound was deafening.
Wind from the roar rippled across my cape.
Ryuna floated beside my shoulder.
"This is the a monster born from Chaos."
I steadied myself.
"Yeah… I can see that."
The spikes on Razorblade's back suddenly began glowing brighter.
Ryuna's voice sharpened.
"Hina, move!"
A spike launched toward me like a missile.
I jumped upward.
The blade slammed into the asphalt where I had been standing.
BOOM.
Concrete exploded into the air.
My heart pounded.
"That thing shoots its own spikes?!"
Razorblade roared again.
More spikes began glowing.
"Alright," I muttered.
"I guess it's my turn."
I raised my hands.
Warm light began gathering between my palms.
The energy felt alive.
It flowed through my arms like sunlight spreading through my body.
A glowing sphere slowly formed between my hands.
Police officers stared in disbelief.
"What is she doing…?"
I pushed my hands forward.
"Go!"
The sphere exploded into a beam of blinding light.
BOOM.
The blast struck Razorblade's chest.
The monster staggered backward, metal scales screeching as he slid across the highway.
Gasps erupted from the police line.
"It actually pushed it back!"
But the monster didn't fall.
Instead—
He growled.
A low, angry sound.
Then suddenly…
I felt something else.
A strange energy.
Cold.
Dark.
Completely different from the monster.
My head turned instinctively toward the shadow beneath the highway overpass.
Something moved there.
Someone stepped out of the darkness.
Hanato's Perspective
The chaos of the battlefield was louder than I expected.
Sirens screamed.
Helicopters thundered overhead.
Police shouted orders across the highway.
And standing in the center of the destruction—
Was the monster.
Even from this distance, Razorblade looked dangerous.
Metal spikes.
Jagged scales.
Massive claws.
"Definitely not something the police can handle," I muttered.
Ryuhou hovered beside me.
"We need to do something about the monster."
I watched as the creature crushed a vehicle beneath its claw.
The metal folded like paper.
"Yeah," I said.
"I figured."
Then something interesting happened.
A streak of bright light descended from the sky.
A figure landed on the highway in an explosion of glowing energy.
Dust blasted outward.
Police officers shouted in confusion.
I narrowed my eyes.
"…What?"
The figure stood up.
White armor.
Glowing blue lines.
A cape made of light.
A small silver dragon hovered beside her.
Ryuhou chuckled.
"Well now."
"It seems the Essence of Light has awakened."
I crossed my arms.
"So I'm not the only one."
The girl fired a beam of light that pushed the monster backward.
Impressive.
She moved like someone who had never fought before…
But her power was strong.
I stepped forward slightly.
The shadows beneath my feet stretched across the ground like living ink.
"Well," I said.
"Guess I should introduce myself."
Ryuhou smirked.
"You rarely miss an opportunity for dramatic entrances."
I stepped into the darkness.
And vanished.
For a split second the world dissolved into shadow.
Then I emerged from another shadow—
Right onto the highway.
Police officers immediately pointed their rifles at me.
"ANOTHER ONE!"
"Stand down!" someone yelled.
I ignored them.
My eyes were on the monster.
The girl in white armor turned toward me.
Our eyes met.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
She studied me carefully.
I studied her.
Another Guardian.
Interesting.
Finally she said, "You're new."
I shrugged.
"So are you."
The two small dragons floated closer together.
Ryuhou and Ryuna recognized each other immediately.
Meanwhile the monster roared again.
The girl glanced back at Razorblade.
Then at me.
"You going to help?"
I cracked my knuckles.
"Sure."
The shadow beneath my feet exploded outward.
Then I vanished.
I reappeared behind Razorblade in a burst of darkness.
Shadow energy wrapped around my fist.
Then—
I punched.
BOOM.
The impact blasted the monster forward across the highway.
The road cracked beneath his weight.
Police officers stared in disbelief.
"What ARE these things?!"
The girl looked equally surprised.
"…Okay," she admitted quietly.
"That worked."
I rolled my shoulder.
Then glanced at her again.
"Try not to get in my way."
She frowned slightly.
"Same to you."
Razorblade slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
The spikes on his back glowed again.
Still holding the girl hostage.
The real fight was about to begin.
And standing in the middle of the ruined highway—
Two unknown warriors faced the monster.
Strangers.
Unrecognized.
But fighting the same enemy.
Hina's Perspective
The monster rose again.
Chunks of broken asphalt slid off Razorblade's metallic body as he slowly pushed himself back onto his feet. The massive creature towered over the ruined highway, its jagged scales grinding together with an awful scraping sound.
The red glow in its eyes burned brighter now.
Angrier.
More violent.
Smoke drifted through the air between us. Flames from the destroyed cars crackled in the background, casting flickering orange light across the battlefield.
For a moment, everything felt strangely quiet.
Then Razorblade roared.
The sound exploded across the highway like a shockwave. Police officers instinctively covered their ears as the roar rattled their vehicles.
My chest tightened.
The monster lifted its claw slightly.
The girl it held struggled weakly in its grip.
Her movements were getting slower.
"She's losing strength…" I whispered.
Ryuna floated beside me, her small wings glowing softly.
"The longer she remains close to the Vessel of Chaos, the more the corruption spreads."
I clenched my fists.
"So we need to get her away from him."
Ryuna nodded.
"Yes."
The problem was obvious.
Razorblade wasn't going to just let her go.
Behind me, I heard the faint sound of footsteps.
The other armored figure stepped closer.
The one surrounded by shadow.
His presence felt completely different from mine.
Where my power felt warm and radiant, his felt cold… quiet… like a deep darkness waiting patiently.
He crossed his arms as he looked up at the towering monster.
"That thing is still holding the hostage," he said calmly.
I glanced at him.
"Obviously."
He looked back at me.
"So blasting it again is probably a bad idea."
I frowned.
"…Yes."
"Good," he replied.
"At least we agree on something."
Before I could respond—
Razorblade moved.
The spikes along his back suddenly glowed brighter than before.
Ryuna's voice snapped urgently.
"Young miss, get back!"
Three spikes launched at once.
They shot through the air like missiles.
I leapt sideways just as one slammed into the road beside me.
BOOM.
The explosion shattered the asphalt and sent fragments flying everywhere.
The second spike tore through a police vehicle behind us.
Metal crumpled instantly.
The third spike streaked straight toward the shadow-armored stranger.
But he didn't move.
For a split second I thought he was going to be hit.
Then—
He disappeared.
The spike passed through empty air and slammed into the concrete barrier behind him.
A ripple of darkness appeared several meters away.
He stepped out of the shadow like he had simply walked through a doorway.
My eyes widened slightly.
"…Teleportation?"
He shrugged casually.
"Something like that."
Another roar shook the highway.
Razorblade slammed his claw into the ground.
CRASH.
The entire road trembled.
Police officers were falling back now, dragging injured people away from the fight.
One officer shouted into his radio.
"Command! We have two unidentified combatants engaging the creature!"
Another voice crackled back through the radio.
"Do not interfere! Maintain distance!"
Helicopters above the scene adjusted their positions, keeping their cameras focused on us.
Every news station in the city was probably watching now.
But none of that mattered to me.
My eyes were locked on the girl in Razorblade's claw.
"We have to get her out first," I said.
The shadow-holder tilted his head slightly.
"That's the plan."
"Do you have one?"
He paused.
"…Working on it."
I stared at him.
"You're kidding."
He ignored me.
Instead, he studied the monster carefully.
Razorblade shifted his weight again.
The spikes on his back glowed faintly as if they were preparing to fire again.
The creature was watching us now.
Waiting.
Then the shadow fighter spoke again.
"You're faster in the air, right?"
I blinked.
"…Yes?"
"Good."
He pointed toward Razorblade.
"I distract it."
"You grab the hostage."
"That's your entire plan?" I asked.
He shrugged.
"It's simple."
I hesitated.
Simple plans were usually dangerous.
But we didn't have time for complicated ones.
Another spike began glowing.
"Fine," I said.
He nodded once.
"Try not to miss."
Then he vanished again.
Hanato's Perspective
The world dissolved into shadow.
Darkness wrapped around me as I slipped through the cracks of light beneath the highway.
When I emerged again—
I was already moving.
I reappeared directly in front of Razorblade.
The monster noticed instantly.
Its glowing eyes snapped toward me.
"Hey," I said.
"Over here."
The creature roared.
Good.
Its attention was on me now.
That meant the light girl had a chance.
Razorblade swung its massive claw.
The attack was fast for something that big.
But I had already moved.
I stepped sideways and vanished again.
The claw smashed into the road where I had been standing.
CRASH.
The highway cracked open like shattered glass.
I reappeared on top of a flipped police car.
"Too slow," I muttered.
Razorblade roared again.
This time the spikes on its back glowed violently.
Not good.
Six spikes launched at once.
They shot toward me from different angles like a storm of blades.
I vanished again.
The spikes tore through empty air and slammed into the surrounding wreckage.
Explosions erupted across the highway.
But the monster kept firing.
More spikes launched.
The creature had decided I was the biggest threat.
Perfect.
Because that meant the light girl should be—
Hina's Perspective
Now.
I shot into the air.
My cape flared behind me as light burst from my armor.
Razorblade was focused completely on the shadow fighter.
The moment I reached the monster's side, I could see the girl clearly.
Her face was pale.
Her breathing was weak.
But she was still conscious.
I landed lightly on Razorblade's arm.
The metal scales were cold beneath my boots.
The monster immediately noticed me.
Its head turned toward me with a snarl.
"Too late," I whispered.
Light gathered around my hands.
I slammed them down onto the creature's claw.
"Release!"
A burst of light exploded outward.
The monster howled as the energy forced its claw open.
The girl slipped free.
I caught her just before she fell.
Her eyes widened when she saw the glowing suit.
"…W–what…"
"It's okay," I said quickly.
"You're safe."
Razorblade roared in fury.
The creature raised its other arm.
Ryuna shouted.
"young miss!"
I leapt into the air just as the massive claw smashed down.
The impact shattered the section of highway where I had been standing.
Holding the girl carefully, I flew toward the police line.
Officers rushed forward immediately.
One of them shouted, "We've got her!"
I gently lowered her into their arms.
The moment she was safely on the ground, I turned back toward the battlefield.
Smoke filled the air.
The shadow fighter stood in the middle of the highway, facing Razorblade alone.
The monster looked even angrier now.
The spikes on its back glowed brighter than ever.
Ryuna spoke quietly beside me.
"The hostage is safe."
I nodded slowly.
"Good."
Light gathered around my hands again.
Across the battlefield, the shadow fighter cracked his knuckles.
For a moment our eyes met across the burning highway.
Neither of us spoke.
But we both understood the same thing.
Now we didn't have to hold back.
The real fight—
Was about to begin.