The first clash had barely ended before Akari moved again.
The Imperial Saber and the sealed Narukami Tenrai separated with a violent shower of sparks. The force of their collision had sent both girls sliding several meters across the sandy ground, leaving deep trails behind them.
Rio's boots dug into the desert floor as she forced herself to stop. Sand sprayed around her ankles before settling back onto the ground.
Across from her, Akari steadied herself.
The white scarf wrapped around Narukami Tenrai remained perfectly intact. The weapon was still sealed within its scabbard. There was no brilliant flash of divine lightning, no thunderous roar, and no overwhelming aura pouring from the legendary weapon.
There was nothing supernatural about the attack Akari had just made.
It had been pure physical strength.
That realization caused Rio's expression to change.
That was her strength without Narukami.
Rio slowly tightened her grip around the Imperial Saber.
She had expected Akari to be strong. After seeing her Unique Skill and learning that Narukami Tenrai was a legendary weapon, it would have been foolish not to expect it.
But she had assumed most of Akari's strength would come from her Unique Skill.
Instead, the girl standing in front of her was already capable of producing this much power without drawing the blade.
Akari was still a beginner.
She had only recently entered Evermount. She had barely accumulated enough combat experience to properly understand the game's deeper mechanics, yet the force behind her attacks had already been strong enough to make Rio's arms ache.
A small smile slowly appeared on Rio's face.
"So that's how strong you are..."
Akari didn't answer.
She simply lowered her body.
Then she rushed forward.
The sand beneath her feet exploded.
Rio immediately raised her Imperial Saber.
CLANG!
Their weapons collided.
The impact shook the surrounding ground, sending a ring of sand outward from their feet. A small crater formed beneath them.
Akari twisted her body and struck again.
Rio shifted her blade.
CLANG!
Another collision.
Another burst of sparks.
Another fracture appeared beneath their feet.
The two swords crashed together again and again, each impact sending vibrations through the desert.
Akari's movements were still rough compared to Rio's. Her footwork lacked the refinement of someone who had spent years fighting at the highest level of Evermount, and some of her transitions were noticeably inefficient.
But her instincts were remarkable.
Whenever Rio changed the angle of her sword, Akari adjusted.
Whenever Rio stepped backward, Akari followed.
Whenever Rio attempted to control the rhythm of the battle, Akari disrupted it with another sudden burst of acceleration.
She's learning while we're fighting.
Rio's eyes narrowed.
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Most beginners needed time to understand what an opponent was doing. They would usually make the same mistake several times before realizing what had gone wrong.
Akari wasn't doing that.
She was observing.
Adapting.
Learning.
Another clash shook the ground.
Akari's sealed sword slammed against Rio's Imperial Saber, and the resulting impact created a crater beneath them nearly twice as deep as the previous ones.
Rio slid backward.
Akari immediately pursued.
Rio smiled.
"Good."
This time, Rio stepped forward.
Her Imperial Saber swept toward Akari's left side.
It was a deliberate strike aimed at the opening beneath Akari's arm. Rio wasn't trying to injure her. She was testing her reactions, deliberately presenting an opening that an experienced player would immediately recognize.
Akari's eyes followed the incoming blade.
Her expression changed.
Her stance shifted.
Then—
[Sword Skill: Hangeki]
The skill activated.
Akari moved before Rio's Imperial Saber could reach her.
The sealed Narukami Tenrai snapped upward with extraordinary speed.
CLANG!
Rio's blade was violently deflected.
Her eyes widened.
"What—?"
Hangeki was a defensive counter skill designed to intercept an incoming attack and redirect its momentum. It required timing, awareness, and enough precision to meet an opponent's attack at the correct point.
Akari had executed it almost perfectly.
The Imperial Saber was pushed several centimeters away from its intended trajectory.
For an experienced player, the opening created by such a counter was small.
For Akari, it was enough.
Her body immediately shifted forward.
[Sword Skill: Retsugeki]
The next movement became a concentrated physical strike.
There was no lightning.
No divine energy.
No supernatural explosion.
Only acceleration.
Only precision.
Only raw physical force.
Akari stepped forward and slashed.
Rio's eyes widened.
The attack came much faster than she expected.
She barely managed to twist her body away.
The sealed blade passed within centimeters of her torso, and Rio felt the pressure of the attack tear across her clothing.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
The attack struck the rocky formation behind her.
The stone split apart.
A massive crack raced through the rock from the point of impact, branching outward like a spiderweb.
A heartbeat later, the entire formation separated cleanly in two.
The upper half slid sideways before crashing heavily into the sand.
Silence followed.
Rio stared at the destroyed rock.
Ryota stared.
Memory stared.
Even Akari herself looked slightly surprised by the result.
Rio slowly turned back toward her.
"...You did that with a physical skill?"
Akari blinked.
"I think so."
Ryota let out a laugh of disbelief.
"That's ridiculous."
Rio's smile widened.
This time, she wasn't smiling because she was amused.
She was genuinely impressed.
She hasn't even used Narukami yet.
Akari's Unique Skill could convert her sword attacks into lightning-based strikes. Her exclusive weapon possessed divine power, and the skill itself was considered one of the most devastating offensive abilities Rio had ever encountered.
Yet Akari was deliberately fighting without using any of it.
Everything Rio had seen so far had come from physical strength and basic sword techniques.
Hangeki.
Retsugeki.
Skills that weren't considered particularly extraordinary by themselves.
Skills that could theoretically be learned by countless swordsmen simply by purchasing them from the skill stores found throughout Evermount.
And yet Akari was using them at a level that made Rio take her seriously.
Rio barely had time to process the thought before Akari disappeared again.
The silver-haired girl accelerated forward.
Rio raised her Imperial Saber.
But Akari wasn't attacking from the front.
She passed by Rio.
Then, in the blink of an eye, she appeared behind her.
[Sword Skill: Shinkeki]
The skill concentrated almost all of its power into a single devastating slash.
Normally, Shinkeki was difficult to use effectively. Its overwhelming strength came with a serious drawback: the attack sacrificed mobility, making it considerably harder to use against experienced opponents.
But Akari had found a solution.
She didn't need Shinkeki itself to be fast.
She only needed to eliminate the distance before activating it.
Her own physical speed carried her directly to the target.
Point-blank.
No warning.
No distance.
Almost no time to react.
Akari raised Narukami Tenrai.
Then swung.
Rio's instincts screamed.
She turned.
The sealed weapon descended.
Rio brought the Imperial Saber upward just in time.
CLANG!
The impact was monstrous.
A violent vibration traveled through Rio's arms.
Then came a sharp metallic crack.
Her eyes widened.
The Imperial Saber shattered.
Fragments of metal exploded outward, scattering across the sand.
For a brief moment, Rio simply stared at the broken weapon in her hand.
Akari froze.
"...Rio?"
Rio looked down at the shattered Imperial Saber.
Then she looked back at Akari.
A grin slowly appeared on her face.
"You really are strong."
Akari didn't have time to respond.
Rio kicked forward.
BOOM!
Her foot struck Akari directly in the stomach.
Akari's body was launched backward.
She rolled several meters through the sand before finally digging her hands into the ground and stopping herself.
Rio immediately understood what had happened.
Shinkeki had delivered overwhelming power, but its drawback remained.
For approximately three seconds after executing the attack, Akari's mobility was severely restricted.
She had traded everything for that single strike.
It had destroyed Rio's weapon.
But now she couldn't immediately pursue her.
Rio exhaled.
"Three seconds."
She smiled.
"That's all I need."
Before Rio could move, however—
"Rio!"
Memory's voice came from behind her.
Rio turned.
Golden light exploded around the tamer.
The surrounding sand began glowing as several magic circles appeared beneath Memory's feet.
[Tamer Skill: Terracotta Commission]
Mana Cost: 150
Cooldown: 8 Minutes
Effect: Summons four Terracotta Spearmen to fight alongside the user.
Stats scale based on user level and skill level.
Maximum Active Summons: 4
Duration: 10 Minutes
Memory raised both hands.
"Go, my Bubble Army!"
The ground erupted.
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
Four figures emerged from beneath the sand.
Three heavily armored Terracotta warriors rose with long spears in their hands, while the fourth emerged carrying a massive bow.
Their armor was decorated with Japanese-inspired designs.
And, perhaps most strangely of all, each warrior carried the same tiny slime emblem.
Rio's eyes widened.
She recognized them immediately.
"...Terracotta Warriors?"
Memory smiled proudly.
"Yep!"
Rio stared at the summons.
Then at Memory.
Then back at the summons.
Her expression slowly became thoughtful.
Those aren't ordinary Terracotta Warriors.
She recognized their appearance.
They came from the hidden dungeon beneath Floor One.
The dungeon ruled by the Terracotta Warden.
The same hidden dungeon where Memory and Akari had encountered Necrocotta.
The same place where the two girls had fought the hidden boss.
Rio slowly connected the pieces.
"You two already cleared that dungeon..."
Memory nodded.
"Yeah."
Ryota's eyes widened.
"Wait."
He looked between the two girls.
"You already beat a hidden boss?"
Memory laughed awkwardly.
"...Kind of?"
Akari raised a hand.
"It was mostly luck."
Ryota stared at them.
"You two are ridiculous."
The Terracotta Army suddenly charged.
Rio's attention immediately returned to the battlefield.
Three spear warriors surrounded her from different directions while the archer remained farther back, preparing to fire.
Rio had no weapon.
Her Imperial Saber had been destroyed.
She could have retreated.
Instead, she smiled.
"Interesting."
The first spear thrust toward her.
Rio sidestepped.
The second swung horizontally.
She ducked beneath it.
The third attacked from behind.
Rio jumped.
The spear passed beneath her feet.
She landed directly on the shaft of the first warrior's weapon.
Using it as a platform, Rio launched herself into the air.
The Terracotta archer immediately released its arrow.
FWOOOSH!
The projectile tore through the air.
Rio twisted in midair.
The arrow passed beside her.
Then something familiar appeared.
[Sword Skill: Butterfly Dance]
Small glowing butterflies materialized around Akari.
They fluttered through the air for a moment before suddenly accelerating toward Rio.
Rio's eyes widened.
"...Butterfly Dance?"
She smiled.
Of all the skills.
That one.
The seemingly useless skill that most players treated as little more than a novelty.
Akari had chosen it.
Rio laughed softly.
"Of course."
She raised one hand.
The system responded.
[Sword Skill: Butterfly Dance]
Another swarm of glowing butterflies appeared around Rio.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"Wait."
Rio released them.
The two swarms collided in midair.
Glowing butterflies crashed against one another, scattering sparks of light throughout the desert.
Several continued past their collision while others struck the Terracotta Warriors.
The summoned warriors staggered as the small projectiles exploded against their armor.
Memory stared.
"Rio has Butterfly Dance too?!"
Akari's eyes widened.
Rio smiled.
"I learned it a long time ago."
The two swarms collided again.
For a brief moment, the battlefield became strangely beautiful.
Hundreds of luminous butterflies drifted through the desert air, their glowing bodies weaving between swords, spears, and arrows.
But Rio knew better than to be distracted by appearances.
She needed a weapon.
A real weapon.
Her hand moved toward her inventory.
A crimson glow formed around her fingers.
Ryota immediately recognized it.
"She's using it."
The light intensified.
Then the weapon materialized in Rio's hand.
Crimson Bloodmoon.
The massive crimson blade appeared with a low metallic hum.
Its dark-red surface seemed to absorb the surrounding light, giving the weapon an ominous presence that immediately changed the atmosphere.
The moment Rio closed her fingers around its hilt—
everything felt different.
Akari's expression became serious.
Memory swallowed.
Even the Terracotta Warriors seemed to hesitate for the briefest moment.
Rio stepped forward.
"Alright."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Let's stop playing around."
The battlefield seemed to tighten around her.
Rio's gaze settled on one of the Terracotta Spearmen.
[Unique Skill: Chronos Eye]
Time distortion spread through the battlefield.
The Terracotta warrior was caught inside the effect.
Its movements immediately slowed.
The spear that had been moving toward Rio's body suddenly dragged through the air as though it were traveling through thick water.
Memory's eyes widened.
"...What?"
Akari stared.
Rio's Lost Skill had activated.
The effect was unmistakable.
The Terracotta warrior's movements had been dramatically reduced.
Akari looked toward Memory.
Memory looked back.
Neither girl fully understood what they were seeing.
Rio didn't give them time to think.
She spun Crimson Bloodmoon.
[Sword Skill: Moonlight Melody]
A crimson arc tore across the battlefield.
The slash passed through two Terracotta Spearmen.
CRASH!
Their bodies split apart.
The summoned warriors collapsed into fragments of glowing golden particles.
The Terracotta archer immediately fired.
Rio turned.
The arrow screamed toward her.
She moved her head slightly.
The projectile passed beside her.
Akari charged from the opposite direction.
Her sealed Narukami Tenrai swung toward Rio.
Rio brought Crimson Bloodmoon upward.
CLANG!
The attack was stopped.
But then—
Memory disappeared.
Rio's eyes narrowed.
The pink-haired tamer had moved behind her.
Water gathered around Memory's arms, forming into sharp blades.
Maiden of Blue.
Her body became partially fluid.
Then she attacked from behind.
Rio twisted.
Memory's watery blade sliced through the space where Rio's shoulder had been.
Rio jumped backward.
"You're learning quickly."
Memory smiled.
"Thanks!"
Rio raised Crimson Bloodmoon.
But Memory's body suddenly became completely liquid.
Rio changed her attack angle.
Then summoned another weapon.
The Silvermoon Musket appeared in her free hand.
She fired.
BANG!
The bullet passed directly through Memory's watery body.
Rio's eyes widened.
The projectile emerged from the other side without slowing.
Memory's body reformed.
Rio stared at her.
"Interesting."
A system window appeared.
[Tamer Skill: Maiden of Blue]
Passive Skill
Allows the user to inherit characteristics of a contracted water-based companion.
Effects:
Body can transform into water.
Immune to physical damage while transformed.
Vulnerable to magical attacks.
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"So that's how you survived."
Memory grinned.
"Pretty useful, right?"
"Very."
Rio fired again.
Another bullet passed through Memory harmlessly.
Memory immediately raised both arms.
Water gathered around her hands.
Then she attacked again.
At the same time—
Akari charged from the front.
Rio found herself trapped between them.
Akari in front.
Memory behind.
The Terracotta Warriors surrounding her.
And the rocky terrain restricting her movement.
Rio smiled.
They're actually coordinating.
Not perfectly.
Not yet.
But they were.
Akari was attacking from the front while Memory exploited openings from behind.
Neither girl had extensive combat experience.
Neither had spent years studying high-level PvP.
Yet their instincts were already beginning to complement each other.
Then Akari moved again.
She accelerated.
Her sealed sword rose.
[Sword Skill: Shinkeki]
Rio's eyes sharpened.
Again?
Akari vanished forward.
At the same time, Memory raised her hands.
Her expression became serious.
"Tamer Skill."
The air temperature suddenly changed.
[Tamer Skill: Snowflake]
Species: Frostbite Leonas
Mana Cost: 1500 Mana
Passive Effect: Upon Summoning Snowflake, the surrounding battlefield becomes a Snowy Terrain.
While Snowy Terrain is active:
Snowflake's Attack greatly increases.
Snowflake's Defense greatly increases.
The Summoner receives the same environmental combat enhancement.
Memory's mana dropped dramatically.
Then the desert disappeared beneath a sudden wave of frost.
Snow began falling from the sky.
The warm sand turned white.
Ice spread across the rocks.
A freezing wind swept across the battlefield, carrying countless snowflakes through the air.
Rio's eyes widened.
"Snow terrain?"
Something small appeared beside Memory.
A tiny white kitten.
For a moment, Rio almost wondered whether she had misunderstood the skill.
The creature was ridiculously cute.
Small paws.
Soft white fur.
Bright blue eyes.
A tiny tail curled behind its body.
It looked completely harmless.
Rio didn't underestimate it for even a second.
She knew what a Frostbite Leonas was.
She had encountered monsters from Dragon's Peak in her previous life.
This creature was only a baby.
But even a baby Frostbite Leonas possessed frightening potential.
The kitten looked toward Rio.
Its blue eyes narrowed.
Then—
the cute creature vanished.
Its body launched forward.
Snow exploded behind it as it charged.
Rio immediately raised Crimson Bloodmoon.
At the same time, Memory raised one hand.
The air condensed.
[Tamer Skill: Leonas Roar]
Mana Cost: 150
Memory channeled the Frostbite Leonas' power.
An icy beam erupted from the kitten's mouth.
The attack tore through the snowstorm.
Rio suddenly found herself surrounded.
Akari was attacking from the front.
Memory was behind her.
Snowflake was approaching from the side.
The Terracotta Warriors were closing in.
And the icy beam was racing toward her from behind.
For the first time—
Rio laughed.
Not because she thought the situation was funny.
She laughed because she was genuinely happy.
These two girls—
her sister and her sister's best friend—
were strong.
Much stronger than she had expected.
They had potential.
Real potential.
Enough to change the future.
Enough to change Evermount.
Rio tightened her grip around Crimson Bloodmoon.
"But..."
Her smile became sharper.
"...I'm still not losing."
The battlefield seemed to freeze around her.
Then Rio activated something she had only recently gained access to after the new patch update.
[Skill Synchronization]
A system window appeared.
Sword Skill: Moonlight Dance
Combination Technique
Moonlight Melody + Butterfly Dance
The two skills synchronized.
Crimson energy began swirling around Rio.
The crimson aura spiraled around her body, carrying countless glowing butterflies within it.
One became dozens.
Dozens became hundreds.
The butterflies filled the surrounding air, their wings flashing with crimson light as the energy continued to build.
Even Akari's expression changed.
Memory stared.
Ryota, watching from a safe distance, could only grin.
"Oh, they're in trouble now."
Rio spun.
Crimson Bloodmoon swept around her body.
The combined skill detonated.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive shockwave erupted outward.
The blast tore through the battlefield in every direction.
Akari's Shinkeki was interrupted instantly.
The force struck her directly.
Her body was launched backward, tumbling across the snow-covered sand before she finally crashed onto the ground.
Memory was thrown away from Rio.
Her body flew backward before crashing into a tree, sending a cloud of snow cascading from its branches.
The Terracotta Warriors were swept off their feet.
Their armored bodies tumbled across the frozen battlefield.
Snowflake was caught in the blast as well.
The tiny Frostbite Leonas was launched toward the edge of the rocky mountain wall.
It slammed against the stone with a heavy impact before dropping into the snow.
The icy beam disappeared.
The battlefield fell silent.
Snow drifted slowly through the air.
Dust and frost settled over the ruined ground.
Rio remained standing in the center of the battlefield.
Crimson Bloodmoon rested at her side.
Her silver hair moved gently in the cold wind.
She looked around.
Akari lay several meters away.
Memory was recovering beside the damaged tree.
Snowflake slowly pushed itself back onto its feet.
The remaining Terracotta Warriors were scattered across the snow.
Rio had defeated all three.
Akari.
Memory.
Snowflake.
With a single attack.
But there was no arrogance in Rio's expression.
There was only pride.
Because Rio wasn't thinking about the victory.
She was thinking about everything she had just witnessed.
They're incredible.
For years, Rio had lived in a world where strength was everything.
She had climbed Evermount one floor at a time.
She had watched players rise and fall.
She had memorized skills, bosses, dungeons, items, quests, hidden mechanics, and future events.
She had believed she understood the game better than anyone.
But now, standing in the middle of this frozen battlefield, she realized something that made her chest tighten.
The future she remembered wasn't simply being altered.
It was becoming something entirely different.
Ryota had appeared in this timeline with Scalar Impact.
Memory had awakened Monster Dominion, a Lost Skill that should have been extraordinarily difficult to obtain.
And Akari—
Akari had received Narukami Tenri.
A power that, in Rio's previous life, belonged to one of the most terrifying offensive forces she had ever encountered.
And yet Akari's greatest potential might not even come from the skill itself.
It might come from the girl wielding it.
Rio looked toward her sister.
Akari slowly pushed herself up from the snow.
Her breathing was heavy.
Her clothes were covered in dust and frost.
The white scarf around Narukami Tenrai remained tightly wrapped around the weapon.
Even after everything that had happened, Akari hadn't removed it.
Rio noticed.
Her smile softened.
Whatever happened to you...
She didn't know the answer yet.
And she wouldn't force Akari to tell her.
When you're ready, I'll listen.
Akari looked back at Rio.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Rio smiled.
Not the teasing smile she had used earlier.
Not the confident grin she wore during battle.
It was something warmer.
Something that quietly told Akari that she didn't have to be afraid.
Akari's expression softened slightly.
Then Memory's voice came from beside the ruined tree.
"Rio..."
Rio looked toward her.
Memory was sitting in the snow, covered from head to toe in frost.
Bubbles was bouncing weakly beside her.
"Pyu..."
Memory stared at Rio.
"That was..."
She paused.
"...really unfair."
Rio laughed.
"You asked if it would be unfair before the fight."
"Yeah!"
"And I told you I'd be fine."
"That's not what I meant!"
Ryota burst out laughing.
Akari couldn't help herself.
A small laugh escaped her as well.
Rio looked at the three of them.
Despite the destroyed terrain.
Despite the shattered weapon.
Despite the summons scattered across the snow.
Despite the overwhelming difference in strength between them—
Rio felt strangely satisfied.
She had come to test two beginners.
Instead, she had discovered two potential monsters.
And that excited her more than she wanted to admit.
The future was changing.
Every day, another piece of the future she remembered was being replaced.
Perhaps that was frightening.
Perhaps it should have made her cautious.
But Rio couldn't bring herself to fear it.
Because for the first time since returning to Evermount, she felt something she hadn't felt in years.
Excitement.
The excitement of not knowing what would happen next.
The excitement of seeing people she cared about grow stronger.
The excitement of watching a future that no longer belonged to the world she remembered.
Rio looked toward Akari.
Then Memory.
Then Ryota.
Her smile slowly widened.
Maybe this time...
I don't need to repeat the same future.
And perhaps that was the greatest change of all.
Evermount was no longer the game Rio remembered.
It was becoming something new.
And these two girls—
her sister and the tamer standing beside her—
were going to be among the biggest reasons why.