"I was hoping I was wrong."
Metsuri's hand moved as steel whispered from its sheath.
A blade, slightly shorter than a katana, slid free in one smooth motion. It was built to kill without excess.
The black-wrapped hilt settled naturally into her grip. At her side, the matte sheath hung empty.
"And you already know where we are…" she said quietly. Her black eyes locked onto the Vulcan, cold and unwavering.
"Vulcan." Metsuri tilted the blade slightly. "You die today."
The Vulcan's grin stretched even wider.
Using its tail, it lowered Albion onto the ground behind it, carefully, almost mockingly so.
"Let's see how long you last," it growled. Its glowing, pupil-less eyes fixed onto Metsuri.
They stood several feet apart, but it didn't matter.
The beast crouched low, then launched.
The ground cracked beneath its feet as it shot into the air. Mid-flight, its massive arms came together, fingers interlocking into a single crushing hammer.
Then, It dropped. Not like a fall, but more like a missile. The impact hit like the earth itself had been struck.
But Metsuri was already gone.
She stepped back at the last possible moment, the force tearing past her as the ground where she stood collapsed inward.
The stone shattered.
The cave floor spider-webbed into a jagged crater as a violent shockwave tore through the space.
'Vulcans are a kind of magic beasts.' Metsuri thought, calm even as debris scattered around her.
'Not only do they possess superhuman physical strength…'
The Vulcan didn't stop.
Using the momentum of its strike, it twisted, its locked arms swinging upward in a brutal follow-up.
Metsuri shifted, taking a small step.
The attack missed her by inches.
'But, unlike most beasts, they are able to talk just like humans.'
The Vulcan separated its arms and swung wildly, a massive limb cutting through the air toward her.
This time, she ducked low, letting the strike howled past her head.
In that instant, she moved. Using this as an opening, Metsuri blade shot forward.
The ninjatō drove clean into the Vulcan's side.
"GRRRAAAOOOHH!!" It roared.
Unfortunately for the Vulcan, Metsuri didn't hesitate. Her wrist turned, moving her weapon upwards.
The blade carved upward in a clean vertical slash, splitting through flesh as she stepped through the motion.
Another roar tore from its throat.
Taking her chance, she pushed off the ground. Performing a Jump.
Turning her body she delivered a kick. Her heel slammed into the Vulcan's face with a sharp, snapping impact.
The force sent the massive creature skidding backward. But Metsuri was already there.
In the air, in front of it, with her Ninjatō in hand.
"Die." Her voice slipped through the cloth mask, cold and final.
"Vulcan." She brought the blade down, assuming the battle would be over.
only for steel to scream against something solid.
"What?" Her eyes widened, just slightly.
The strike had been stopped. No…it had been blocked.
She disengaged instantly, flipping back and sliding across the fractured ground before coming to a halt.
Her gaze snapped forward. The Vulcan stood there, its tail raised.
The edge of her blade had been caught against it. "…So that's it," Metsuri muttered, her expression settling once more.
"You use that tail like a weapon."
Magical beasts, often called magical creatures, are lifeforms that exist in direct alignment with Mahō.
Their bodies are naturally aligned with it—making their strength and abilities far superior to ordinary lifeforms.
They aren't unnatural, nor are they separate from the world. Magical Beasts are animals that evolved under the influence of Mahō.
Compared to ordinary animals, they exhibit enhanced physical capabilities. They can even manifest abilities that resemble structured magic.
Yet they don't learn these powers, they're born with them. Each species possesses its own inherent form of Mahō.
It was their natural weapon.
The Vulcan moved, it brought both hands to its mouth then spat.
A mass of white substance shot outward, roughly the size of a basketball.
It hovered for a split second. Then shifted, Morphing. Flowing along its arm before hardening into its hand.
The Vulcan grinned wide. It gave a wide toothy grin.
Throwing it arm forward, it threw it at full speed. The projectile tore through the air like a bullet.
It collided with Metsuri's blade.
The sound exploded through the cave, sharp, violent, like a gunshot. Though she blocked it, the force lifted her clean off her feet.
The ground beneath her shattered into loose rubble and dust as she was driven back.
'That wasn't a spell.' she realized, teeth gritting as she stabilized her landing. 'That was raw Mahō, compressed and fired!'
Her feet touched the ground, but she didn't have time to recover.
For the moment she landed, the Vulcan was in front of her. Its massive fist pulled back, then launched forward.
The punch slammed into the side of her head.
"GRAAAHHH!! BREAK YOU!!"
The force sent her flying. Her body crashed into the cave ceiling, then dropped. Slamming hard against the ground below.
A heavy thud echoed through the cave.
"HUMAN DOWN!! VULCAN KING!!"
The beast pounded its chest, jumping in place like a triumphant brute.
"ROOOOHH!!" It roared, voices booming through the cave.
When its fist had connected, it had heard it. That satisfying, cracking sound.
For most prey, that was the end.
That was enough.
But…this wasn't prey.
Laying on the ground….
Was a kunoichi.
"—Ughhhh…!" The groan echoed through the cave, loud, drawn-out, almost annoyed.
The Vulcan turned toward the sound, confusion flickering across its glowing eyes.
From the settling dust, Metsuri stood up. Like nothing had happened.
"…Damn. That hurt like a bitch…" she muttered, rolling her neck slowly, both hands rubbing at it as if working out a minor inconvenience.
The Vulcan stared in a state of confusion.
"…Oh," Metsuri sighed, catching the look on its face. "You're wondering how I'm still alive, right?"
She straightened, exhaling lightly. "There's something you should understand."
"I'm a female shinobi or a kunoichi." She tilted her head slightly, as if stretching.
"I've been trained since I was a kid. Dislocating something like my neck is nothing."
What the Vulcan didn't realize was it wasn't just her neck. There wasn't a single mark or bruise on her body.
That's just how durable Mesturi's body was, even against superhuman levels of strength.
"But don't get it twisted." She slid her ninjatō back into its sheath with a soft click.
"I don't need a weapon to kill you." A faint, mocking curve touched her lips.
"You're kinda weak."
"GRAAAAHH!! YOU CHEAT!!" the Vulcan shouted, stomping in place like a child throwing a tantrum. It pointed a massive finger at her. "CHEAT HUMAN!!"
"I ALREADY WON!! YOU JUST DON'T STAY DOWN!!"
Despite being as strong as it was, Vulcan were rather immature creatures. This is especially true for their intellect.
"Mm… mmm… slrp… slrp…"
A soft sound cut through the tension. It was small yet eager.
The Vulcan froze.
"…shluuup…"
hearing the noise again, it turned its head in the direction of the sound. What it saw was an Albion leaning against a basket of fruit.
Drinking from the bottle of milk.
"…mmh… mm…" He hummed softly, tilting his head in contentment.
The Vulcan stared at that sight confused.
Although it didn't know much about human customs, it knew that small young prey like that would have probably cried in this situation
"…bup."A tiny, polite burp escaped him.
Followed by a soft, satisfied sigh.
"…?" The Vulcan blinked again, still not understanding.
While this happened Metsuri continued. "I gotta admit… I'm actually impressed, Vulcan."
Her hand rose, pulling down the matte black cloth mask from her face. At the same time, her hood slipped back, revealing her fully.
The Vulcan stopped looking at Albion and turned back to Metsuri.
Metsuri stood there, head slightly tilted.
Looking down at her opponent. Her lips parted slightly, as if what she was seeing barely deserved a reaction.
"…I'm actually shocked," she said flatly, "that you ever thought you could beat me…"
Her eyes sharpened, cold and cutting. "…with this weak, loser shit."
"NO ONE STRONG!! ONLY VULCAN!!"
The beast roared, rage overtaking what little sense it had left.
Its massive hands came together, White Mahō began to gather, swelling into that same compressed sphere.
But, It never finished.
For a white streak cut through the air. It was fast, too fast for the beast to even react.
"I don't need a weapon to kill you." Metsuri's voice came from behind it.
Her hands were raised, both in a precise chopping form. White energy clung to them, condensed, and razor-thin.
And then, a second later, a thin perfect line appeared across the Vulcan's body.
"For I am the weapon that will kill you."
—SHHKK—!
Its arm separated in a clean effortless slash.
The severed limb spun high into the air, blood trailing behind it in a violent arc.
"URRRAAAAGH!!"
The Vulcan staggered, a broken roar tearing from its throat as it clutched at the empty space where its arm had been.
Pain crashed into it all at once.
It buckled backwards as its eyes squeezed shut, trying to process the damage.
Turning fully around, Metsuri hands, which were still engulfed in magical energy, performed a downward chop motion.
A crescent of white Mahō peeled off her hand and tore forward.
The Vulcan couldn't react, it still hasn't recovered from her earlier blow.
—SLASH—!
The arc carved straight across its torso as a deep, horizontal wound split open.
Blood erupted outward in a violent spray.
"GRRRAAAOOOHH!!"
Another roar, More desperate.
Its body trembled, overwhelmed by the sheer speed of the attacks. It was still recovering from the first attack, feeling too much pain seconds apart.
Ethernal Infusion. The process of concentrating Mahō into a specific target to enhance one's physical capabilities.
When applied to the body, Mahō is directed into the muscles, and limbs. Resulting in increased strength, speed, and overall physical performance.
It doesn't change the body's nature. Instead, it reinforces it, allowing it to withstand greater force and produce stronger results
Pushing it beyond its limits.
Unlike others, Metsuri Ebonveil did not possess an innate magic. Nor was she trained by a dragon.
Yet, ironically her version of Ethernal Infusion gave her a unique power. One that allowed her to cut things with her bare hands.
Her mastery had reached a point where her body itself became a weapon.
"I would've loved to fight you," Metsuri said, a faint, predatory grin forming. "If you were fully grown."
She purposely gave her opponent time to recover.
"A real fight," she continued, voice low, almost amused. "Where we both go all out… and the loser ends up as nothing but ashes."
She was currently standing over the Vulcan. It was on its knees, panting heavily while clutching serious wounds.
Metsuri stepped forward, standing over it.
"I'll tell you a little secret before you die."
She tilted her head, gesturing lightly with her thumb behind her, toward Albion.
How the baby was calmly drinking from his bottle.
"He's a bit special you see. Part of an ancient bloodline. One that traces back to the age of dragons and humans"
A distant era, a time that was 400 years ago.
One even she didn't fully understand.
"Grr… not right…" the Vulcan muttered, trembling. "Not right…"
It wasn't listening, it didn't care what Metsuri was saying.
"Do you understand what that means?" Metsuri continued anyway. ""His kind… shouldn't exist in this era."
"But that's not all." Her voice lowered. "His race is known by another name—"
"ROOOAAARR—!! VULCAN WIN!!"
The beast snapped. refusing to accept its defeat at the hands of a human.
Its remaining arm flared with white Mahō as it lashed out in desperation, throwing a final, all-or-nothing punch.
Only for Metsuri to stop the punch with one hand. Without any struggle no less.
"They're called…" she said quietly. Her arm began to glow, brighter, denser.
"…the natural enemies of God."
In that instant, she moved, swinging her arm down, in one final hand chop motion.
—SHHKK—!
A blade of white energy cleaved through the Vulcan, splitting it cleanly in two.
Then, flames erupted from the severed body consuming it, reducing it to nothing.
Metsuri watched, with her cold black eyes.
'That's right, Burn. Burn until nothing remains.'
Leaving the shattered remains of the battlefield behind, Metsuri turned without a second glance.
The flames continued to devour what was left of the Vulcan.
However, she didn't care. Her steps were calm as she made her way back toward Albion.
The cave, once filled with violence, had gone quiet again.
When she reached him, she crouched down and picked up the basket of fruit first, like nothing had happened.
Then her eyes shifted. Albion was still there.
Still drinking his milk..
"…So even that didn't scare you, hm?" she murmured. A faint, almost amused smile touched her lips.
Reaching out, she lifted him into her arms.
He did not understand fear. He did not understand death. And so… he simply drank.
Metsuri stood up and turned around. Together, they walked out of the cave.
Leaving behind blood, flames and silence.
Because what rested in Metsuri's arms was something this era of wizards had never seen before.
It was the beginning. A quiet, inevitable reckoning.
One that would, one day… bring the entire world to its knees.