Hina's Perspective
They were climbing.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of miniature Razorblades crawled up the massive body like a living wave of steel. Their claws dug into the monster's scales, sparks flying as they climbed with terrifying speed.
All of them were heading straight toward me.
My grip tightened.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Ryuna's voice rang beside me, urgent.
"They are protecting the curse mark!"
Yeah.
I could see that.
The twisted red symbol beneath the metal plates pulsed faster now, like it was reacting to my presence. The closer I got, the more violent the energy became.
The monster let out a deafening roar, its entire body shaking as it tried to throw me off.
I crouched low, gripping onto the jagged surface of its shoulder.
The first of the swarm reached me.
One of the creatures lunged forward, its blade-like claws slashing toward my face.
I reacted instantly.
Light burst from my hand.
BOOM.
The creature was blown apart midair, fragments of corrupted metal scattering down the monster's back.
But more replaced it.
Three.
Five.
Ten.
They came from every direction.
I pushed off the monster's shoulder and flipped backward as multiple claws slashed through the air where I had been.
I landed again, barely steadying myself on the uneven surface.
"They're too many!" I shouted.
Ryuna hovered beside me.
"You must reach the mark!"
"I'm trying!"
Another wave attacked.
I spun, releasing a burst of light around my body.
A circular shockwave erupted outward.
BOOM.
Several creatures were blasted off the monster's back, falling toward the highway below.
But the rest kept coming.
Climbing.
Relentless.
The mark pulsed again.
Brighter.
More unstable.
I could feel it now.
The pain inside it.
The chaos wasn't just power.
It was emotion.
Rage.
Despair.
Something cracked.
Something broken.
My chest tightened.
"…Reno…"
For a split second—
I hesitated.
And that was enough.
A creature slipped past my guard.
Its claws slashed across my side.
"Ah—!"
Pain shot through my body as I stumbled backward.
The glowing fabric of my suit flickered where the attack landed, the light dimming slightly before stabilizing again.
Ryuna gasped.
"Young miss!"
I gritted my teeth.
"I'm fine!"
But I wasn't.
If those things kept hitting me—
I wouldn't last long.
The swarm closed in again.
Claws raised.
Red eyes glowing.
Then—
The shadows below shifted.
A ripple of darkness spread across the monster's body.
The swarm paused.
For just a second.
Then—
CRASH.
A massive burst of shadow energy erupted from below, blasting a large section of the climbing creatures off the monster's back.
Several miniature Razorblades were sent flying into the air, their bodies spinning as they fell.
A familiar voice echoed upward.
"Hey."
I looked down.
The shadow fighter stood on the highway below, one hand raised slightly as dark energy curled around his arm.
"…Try not to die up there."
I blinked.
"…Took you long enough."
He smirked faintly.
"I was busy."
More shadow energy surged around him.
Then he moved.
He vanished.
A second later—
He reappeared halfway up the monster's body.
Then again.
And again.
Each movement brought him closer in rapid bursts of darkness.
The swarm reacted instantly.
Several creatures turned and leapt toward him.
He didn't stop.
Dark energy wrapped around his arm as he struck one aside mid-jump.
CRACK.
Another lunged at his back.
He vanished again.
Reappearing higher.
Closer to me.
Within seconds, he landed beside me on the monster's shoulder.
"…That's the mark?" he asked, glancing at the glowing symbol.
I nodded.
"Yeah."
Another wave of creatures surged toward us.
He sighed.
"Of course it is."
The swarm attacked again.
This time—
We moved together.
I raised my hand.
Light gathered instantly.
He stepped forward.
Shadow wrapped around his arm.
The creatures lunged.
We struck at the same time.
"Now!"
Light exploded outward.
Darkness surged forward.
BOOM.
The combined blast tore through the front line of the swarm, sending dozens of creatures flying off the monster's body.
The remaining ones hesitated for a fraction of a second.
Just enough.
He stepped in front of me slightly.
"I'll hold them."
I stared at him.
"…Can you?"
He smirked.
"Don't worry about me."
Another wave charged.
Shadow energy erupted around him as he met them head-on.
His movements were fast.
Precise.
Every strike sent a creature flying.
Every step placed him exactly where he needed to be.
But even so—
They kept coming.
Endless.
Relentless.
Behind him, I turned back toward the curse mark.
The symbol pulsed violently now.
Almost like it knew what I was about to do.
Ryuna floated beside me.
"You must purify it now!"
I raised my hand slowly.
Light gathered again.
Stronger than before.
Brighter.
Warmer.
But also—
Heavier.
The energy felt different this time.
Not just power.
Emotion.
Hope.
Resolve.
I placed my hand against the glowing symbol.
The moment I touched it—
The world changed.
A violent surge of energy exploded outward.
My vision went white.
Then—
Darkness.
I wasn't on the battlefield anymore.
I was standing somewhere else.
A quiet space.
Empty.
Cold.
And in front of me—
A figure.
A boy.
He stood with his back turned to me.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
"…Why…"
His voice was weak.
Broken.
"…Why did this happen…"
My chest tightened.
"…Reno…"
He didn't turn.
Dark energy flickered around him like smoke.
"I didn't want this…"
His voice cracked.
"I just wanted it to stop…"
The darkness around him grew thicker.
More violent.
"I was angry…"
"…hurt…"
"…alone…"
The shadow surged.
Swallowing him.
I stepped forward.
"You're not alone."
He froze.
The darkness hesitated.
"…What?"
I reached out slowly.
Light gathered around my hand.
Warm.
Gentle.
"I'm here."
The darkness lashed out suddenly.
Violent.
Unstable.
"You don't understand!"
The energy surged toward me like a wave.
But I didn't move.
"I do."
The light around me grew brighter.
Stronger.
"You're in pain."
The darkness faltered.
"You're scared."
It weakened.
"You're not a monster."
I stepped closer.
"You're just hurting."
The darkness shattered.
Light burst outward.
Back on the battlefield—
A massive pillar of radiant energy erupted from Razorblade's body.
The monster roared in agony.
The red glow of the curse mark flickered violently beneath my hand.
Cracks of pure white light spread across it.
Behind me, the shadow fighter shielded his eyes slightly.
"…Guess you found it."
The entire highway shook.
The swarm of miniature Razorblades froze.
Then—
They began to fall.
One by one.
Their bodies collapsing into lifeless fragments of metal.
The red glow faded from their eyes.
Razorblade let out one final, earth-shaking roar.
The curse mark shattered.
And the light consumed everything.