Remembering the first time I saw this attack, I wasn’t able to counter it. But with prior knowledge, I was able to just barely leap out of the way of the ball of fire.

Jumping to the right and falling onto my side, the flames expanded onto the ground and fizzed out.

Rising to my feet, I gripped the handles of my swords and dashed forward. The beast prepared for my attack and blocked itself off by wrapping its wings around its body. As my blades collided with their wings, sparks flew into the air.

Taking a step back, it was evident getting through their defense would be difficult. One strike with my blades made a decent carve into their wings but didn’t expose anything.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, breathed out, and opened them. Positioning both swords parallel to each other in front of me, performing the start-up for the sword skill, Watergate.

Running forward with the sword skill Watergate, I slashed both blades dead center of all four wings, creating a much larger wound than before.

This seemed to anger them. As I was going in for a second attack with Watergate, their wings expanded, and its long worm-like neck lashed forward, trying to bite me.

With their mouth exposed, I jammed one of my swords into its mouth. Shrieking in pain, they tried biting down onto my arm. As I backed away, I was not fatally injured, but my forearm was soaked in blood and covered in razor marks from its mouth.

I began running down the streets of the city and took a left into an alleyway. Taking a breather, I lifted my hand to my forehead as it ached in pain.

Winning this fight is going to be difficult. I can hardly think straight because of my head injury. Regardless, I have to keep at it.

A shadow peered above me. As I stared up, a literal fiery rain began to fall. As I ran back into the open street, the alley behind me was ablaze. Patting down the fire on my sleeve, I kept running as the beast continued to follow me from above.

Seeing running wasn’t going to work forever. I grounded my feet and positioned my left blade in front of me and my right behind me, the start-up position for the sword skill Ripple. Ripple was an airborne sword skill, perfect for this battle.

Leaping as high as I could into the air, I struck the beast three times in one swift three-sixty motion. Unfortunately, I didn’t escape unscathed. The talons of their feet slashed across my chest, and blood gushed from me like a sprinkler. Further complicating matters, I didn’t have a smooth landing and crashed atop a car.

I can’t feel anything. But I have to keep going. After all, I’m ranked Aleph, the highest rank in the Front Lines. I can’t give out now.

The Original dove down to the floor, hovering just a few feet above me. I could barely move my fingertips, let alone grip my swords. The numbness flowed throughout my body, and I felt as heavy as a sack of bricks.

My body was telling me to stay down. Regardless, I fought through the paralysis and felt my fingers slightly twitch.

Not yet, come on! My fingers continued to wiggle. Little by little, my fingers gripped the handle of my blade.

As Teras Skoros dove forward, its razor-sharp teeth began spinning like the blades inside a blender. Things looked scarce. Until finally, I could feel the paralysis wavering, and I could feel my body once again. 

Gripping my sword, I drove it forward, slicing at its throat. Rising to my feet, I sprinted towards the beast before they could escape again.

“Graaa!” I scream at the top of my lungs.

Impaling the beast in the lower abdomen, I pulled them to the ground. Releasing a rain of sword swings and puncturing its wings from flight, victory seemed within palms reach. That is until my body reached its peak and began giving out.

My right arm dropped, and my sword clanged against the ground. Then my left arm. And eventually, I was on my knees, unable to stand again.

“Why?” I cried out.

With victory just in reach, why did I give out now? I felt like I could handle more. But ultimately, we all have our limits.

The beast began limping away, and I shed a single tear.

Yet, someone I never thought I would be so happy to see appeared to lend a hand.

The spiky pink-haired Sakura dove from the rooftop of a building with his massive two-handed sword and landed onto Teras Skoros with enough force to decapitate them.

I smiled in relief. “It’s finally over. If you didn’t come any sooner, I’m not sure what I would’ve done.” I struggled to say.

“Yeesh, you look like crap.”

“Kande! Kanade! Sorry, it took so long to get Sakura here. Are you alright? Do you need help getting up? Kanade?” The hyperactive Eiji worried.

“He’s clearly not fine! Look at him! Come on, help me take him to Sora!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Thanks, Eiji, all that matters is you brought Sakura here,” Again, struggling to speak.

He laughed awkwardly with a grin.

“As soon as we get him to Sora, we’re calling Kiriya. Tell him mission success. As well as telling him we need the Underworld crew to take care of cleaning up the city and accounting for all the dead bodies.”

The two grabbed me by arms and walked me forward.

“Ohh, wait!” Eiji placed me down. Running back to grab my dual blades. “Can’t forget these.”

Picking me up again, we continued to walk. Leaning my head back, I gazed down the street of the blazing city and sighed in relief.

It’s over for now.