The narrow sideway of Yunara had become silent.
Thirty soldiers of the Sun Tyrants, Leon's brutal army, stood in a wide circle.
Steel armor clinked softly as they moved into position.
In the center stood only two figures.
Rin.
Haru.
Both breathing slowly.
Both covered in dust and blood.
The soldiers stared at them like hunters surrounding prey.
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
One of the soldiers tightened his grip on his spear.
"Thirty against two…" he muttered under his breath.
Yet the unease in his chest would not disappear.
Rin slowly lifted her katana.
Her arms felt heavy.
Too many…
Her breathing was uneven. The earlier fights had drained most of her strength.
But her eyes remained sharp.
Beside her, Haru rolled his shoulders slightly.
He looked almost relaxed.
Too relaxed.
"Thirty soldiers…" Haru said quietly.
A crooked grin appeared on his face.
"…This is going to be annoying."
One soldier shouted.
"Kill them!"
The alley exploded into movement.
Six soldiers rushed first, charging with spears and curved blades.
Rin stepped forward.
Her body moved like flowing water.
CLANG!
Her katana met the first spear, sliding along its shaft before slicing upward.
Blood sprayed across the wall.
The soldier collapsed instantly.
But two more blades came from her blind side.
She twisted her body.
A thin arrow flashed from her sleeve.
Thk.
The arrow buried itself into a soldier's throat.
Poison began working immediately.
The man dropped, choking violently.
But Rin staggered slightly.
Her legs trembled.
Damn…
She was already reaching her limit.
Meanwhile—
On the other side of the alley…
A soldier swung a sword toward Haru.
The blade cut through empty air.
"Huh?"
The soldier blinked.
Haru was gone.
Then—
A flash of silver.
A knife appeared from the darkness behind him.
SHKT.
The blade buried itself deep into the soldier's spine.
Haru caught the falling body casually.
"Too slow," he whispered.
Another soldier rushed him from the front.
Haru stepped sideways—
Then disappeared again.
The soldier froze.
"Where did he—"
A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"Behind you."
Too late.
The short blade slid across his throat.
Blood spilled onto the stone ground.
Nearby soldiers felt their spines grow cold.
"What the hell…?!"
"They vanish…!"
"Min clan…!"
Fear began creeping into their voices.
They could see them…
But sometimes they couldn't.
Like shadows slipping between their senses.
The Min style.
Movement that blurred perception.
Meanwhile Rin was surrounded again.
Four soldiers attacked together this time.
Unlike before, they moved carefully.
Two attacked from the front.
Two circled behind her.
They're learning, Rin thought.
Her katana clashed with one blade.
Another soldier kicked toward her ribs.
She blocked—
But the impact pushed her backward.
Pain shot through her side.
The third soldier lunged.
His spear rushed straight toward her chest.
Rin barely twisted her body.
The blade grazed her shoulder.
Blood spilled.
But at that same moment—
Two knives flashed from the darkness.
THK.
THK.
Both soldiers behind her dropped instantly.
Rin exhaled slowly.
"Haru…"
"Don't die on me yet," Haru said from somewhere in the shadows.
A moment later he appeared beside her again.
The soldiers tightened their formation.
Now only twenty remained.
Their commander shouted angrily.
"Don't let them separate! Attack together!"
The soldiers rushed again.
This time as a group.
Spears thrust forward.
Swords slashed from multiple directions.
The alley erupted into chaos.
Rin stepped forward first.
Her katana spun in a sharp arc.
CLANG!
Steel collided violently.
Haru moved beside her like a ghost.
One moment visible—
Next moment gone.
Knives flashed.
Soldiers fell.
But the Sun Tyrants were not weak.
One soldier slammed his shield into Haru's side.
The impact threw him backward.
Another soldier lunged toward Rin.
She blocked—
But the force pushed her to one knee.
The soldier raised his sword for a finishing blow.
Suddenly—
A knife pierced through his eye.
He collapsed instantly.
Haru stood behind him, breathing heavier now.
Blood ran down his arm.
"You okay?" he asked.
Rin stood slowly.
"…Still alive."
They stood back to back now.
Ten soldiers remained.
But none of them rushed forward anymore.
Fear had spread among them.
One soldier whispered.
"They're monsters…"
Another soldier tightened his grip on his sword.
"We can still kill them!"
They charged again.
But the battle ended quickly.
Steel flashed.
Bodies fell.
The alley filled with the smell of blood.
Minutes later—
Silence returned.
The ground was covered in corpses.
Blood flowed between the stones like a dark river.
Rin leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
Her katana trembled in her hand.
Haru wiped blood from his face.
His chest rose and fell slowly.
They had won.
Out of thirty soldiers…
Only three remained alive.
Those three stood frozen.
Their weapons shaking.
They looked at the two fighters like men staring at death itself.
One soldier dropped his sword.
"P-please…"
Haru slowly walked toward them.
Blood covered his clothes.
His eyes were cold.
"Now…" he said quietly.
"You guys are going to die."
Suddenly—
One soldier turned and ran.
He ran with everything he had.
Boots slammed against the stone road.
He didn't even look back.
"I don't want to die!"
His voice echoed through the alley.
But then—
A flash.
Something moved through the moonlight.
The soldier's body kept running…
But his head separated cleanly from his neck.
Blood exploded into the air.
His head rolled across the ground.
Rin's eyes widened.
Haru stopped walking.
The two remaining soldiers froze.
Slowly…
They all looked toward the darkness ahead.
A figure stepped forward.
The full moon revealed him.
A tall warrior.
Bare chest marked with red war paint.
Tiger-skin mantle resting on his shoulders.
Feather tassels swaying softly.
And a psychotic smile.
His half-broken tooth visible under the moonlight.
The man looked at the corpses around him.
Then laughed softly.
"What weaklings…"
His eyes slowly moved toward Rin and Haru.
Predatory.
Excited.
"For soldiers of Yunara… this is embarrassing."
Haru's grip tightened around his knife.
Rin forced herself to stand straight.
The man stepped forward fully now.
Two curved blades rested at his sides.
The air itself felt heavier.
Then he spoke.
"The man himself has finally arrived."
His smile widened.
Kaizo.
The Broken Fang.
⸻
To Be Continued…