A Broken Resolve, Reforged

The day the Sun Sword first cut a living creature. His resolve had broken once, only to be forged anew. He had shattered his limits and achieved revolutionary growth.

Those cherry blossom-colored eyes had knocked on the door of his heart, which had been trapped in the past. In a sense, it was a turning point in Yujin's life. And Yujin had been constantly pondering the culprit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind all those events.

Astaroth. Who on earth was that girl? Where did she grow up, and how did she train to acquire such immense strength at such a young age? What was the meaning behind her mask, and why did she attack the research institute?

His questions were endless. There was only one thing he knew for certain: that girl was a calamity that could never be left to her own devices. That was why Yujin resolved to turn the current situation to his advantage.

It might be incredibly reckless—no, it was downright suicidal. But it was better than being dragged around helplessly.

"Is that your real name?"

"Hmm? What is?"

"Astaroth. It sounds too much like an alias."

Unfortunately, Yujin was terrible at beating around the bush. For someone as straightforward as him, trying to slyly manipulate an opponent with words to extract information was next to impossible.

"Oho?"

Naturally, the true snake caught on to Yujin's intentions instantly and smirked. Yujin was shielding a trembling Aris with his body, glaring at her. Thinking he looked exactly like an older brother protecting his little sister, Astaroth spoke with a chuckle in her voice.

"I don't mind telling you... but wouldn't that be unfair? There has to be some give-and-take. Me sharing everything unilaterally doesn't benefit me at all, does it?"

"Fine. Then if I ask a question, you get to ask me one too. That makes it fair, right?"

It wasn't fair at all. What Yujin knew amounted to practically nothing. No matter how talented, he was still just a student. The information in his possession was bound to be trivial. Common knowledge held no value. In contrast, everything about Astaroth was shrouded in mystery. Every single casual word she uttered was a priceless clue. It was like offering to trade a common pebble for pure gold.

"Sure! But no lying, okay?"

Yet, Astaroth readily agreed. Nodding without a second thought, the girl in the Red Fox Mask spoke in an excited tone.

"Then shall I answer Big Brother's question first? The answer is, of course, 'yes.' I do have other names... but the name I go by now is indeed Astaroth."

"Other names...?"

"Ah-ah, no. Big Brother, only one question at a time, remember? Hehe, but I'll give you a special service just this once. I'll answer. I have several names. Ishtar. Inanna. Astarte. Yu... no, never mind that one."

Was it the truth, or was she lying? Yujin couldn't tell. Even if Astaroth lied, he had no way of verifying it. Thus, Yujin decided to take her words with a grain of salt. Believing an enemy unconditionally was foolish to begin with.

"Now, my turn."

"Go ahead. I'll answer anything."

"Are you two dating by any chance?"

"What?!"

Yujin glared at Astaroth in utter disbelief. Regardless, Astaroth smiled brightly and said, "Viewing cherry blossoms with just the two of you... how romantic."

"N-No, we're not!"

Aris was the one who answered, waving her hands frantically with a look of sheer dismay. Dating Yujin...? Aris was certainly interested in Yujin, but that interest was definitely not romantic. It was vigilance rather than affection. To Aris, Yujin was someone to keep a close eye on.

"No? How surprising. You look quite good together. I mean, you two somehow resemble each other, don't you? It made my heart flutter, thinking it was like some forbidden love between a brother and sister."

"...It's my turn to ask again."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why did you come here?"

Astaroth was supposed to be under relentless pursuit by Cheonmyeongdae. After what she had done, she should have been lying low for the time being—no, for the rest of her life. Yet here she was, showing herself so openly. Yujin found her actions impossible to comprehend. He knew all too well how strong Astaroth was. Still, one person cannot block ten hands. Unless she had something up her sleeve, this behavior made no sense.

"Ah, nothing much. Just to look at the cherry blossoms, and maybe meet up with a comrade. Two birds with one stone, really."

"A comrade...?"

"Why? Do I look like a lonely loser with no friends? I'm a bit hurt, you know. I pride myself on being quite sociable."

So she really belonged to some organization. Where? The Family? Or some other group of supernatural ability users?

"Then are you..."

"One question at a time. I already gave you a freebie, didn't I?"

For some reason, a commotion could be heard from the far edges of the park, but no one paid it any mind. Astaroth genuinely didn't care, and Yujin and Aris were too focused on the person in front of them to spare any attention elsewhere. Though she was conversing normally for now, the girl in the Red Fox Mask was like a loaded gun that could go off at any second. They couldn't let their guard down for even a moment.

"Hmm, what should I ask this time..."

As if she had too many questions to easily choose one, Astaroth playfully spun her parasol. After pausing for a long moment, she finally voiced her carefully selected question.

"You're not dating, yet you're viewing flowers together... but you don't seem to be in that sweet, heart-fluttering pre-relationship stage either... Ah, did you come here with other people? Who did you come with?"

"That's..."

Should he tell her? That Lucia was here? That was far too dangerous. Lucia would end up captured by Astaroth as well. But Yujin's hesitation was futile. As if reading something from his wavering expression, Astaroth giggled.

"Lucia."

"...!"

"Wow, it really is true. I just threw that out there. Both of your poker faces are terrible. If you want to hide something, you should start by controlling your expressions."

Leaving the panicked Yujin and Aris aside, Astaroth nodded as if she had just acquired some excellent information. So Lucia is here too? Did Lucia bring Yujin here? Of all days. Of all places. What a bizarre coincidence.

The very day Murmur invaded to open a Rift in Space under Agares's orders, the 'Chosen One' showed up? It's too perfect to be a mere coincidence.

Sensing danger from the way she stroked her chin in deep thought, Yujin hastily spoke up to divert Astaroth's attention.

"It's my turn to ask again. Right?"

"You didn't technically answer, but since you basically did... yes, I suppose so?"

"If you came to meet a comrade, that means they're here, right? What is your comrade doing here? Don't tell me they came to look at the flowers too."

"They're planning to do what I did at the research institute."

"...What?"

What Astaroth had done at the research institute...? If so, wait, could it be—!

"Well, actually, that's just a secondary goal, and the real objective is different... but either way, a lot of people are going to die as a result, so it's not entirely wrong, is it?"

"...!"

Yujin reflexively gripped the dagger inside his school uniform pocket. If Aris hadn't grabbed his sleeve, he would have drawn it. Though Aris had stopped him in a panic, her own red eyes were burning hot.

"D-Don't... get... ex-excited... P-Please... hold back..."

"..."

Aris was right. They weren't the only ones here. There were so many ordinary citizens without the ability to fight that they practically tripped over them. Unless he could fight while protecting every single one of them, antagonizing Astaroth recklessly was foolish. Moreover, Astaroth was clearly far stronger than Yujin. This was not the time to be swayed by emotion. For his own sake. For Aris's sake. And for the sake of everyone present.

"Ahahaha, how passionate! Do you really want to protect people that badly?"

"Shut up..."

"It's a question. It's Big Brother's turn to answer, isn't it?"

"..."

That was the agreement. Suppressing his resentment, Yujin looked at Astaroth. To ask his next question, he had to answer hers. Yujin took a shallow breath. Clenching his fists, which were faintly sparking with embers, he spoke.

"...Because I swore an oath."

From the moment Yui died. From the day he became able to wield fire.

"To protect people... from monsters, and from ability users like you who abuse their powers."

"Even if Big Brother dies doing so?"

"Even if I die."

"Hmm... how admirable. I think I'm falling for you."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not. I mean it."

As if. Not after she had slaughtered so many people at the research institute. Furthermore, Astaroth had decapitated Lucia. It was only because Lucia's supernatural ability was Super Regeneration that she had survived; if it had been any other ability... he didn't even want to imagine it.

Yujin felt relieved that Lucia wasn't here. At least she wouldn't have to face Astaroth, who must be a source of horrific trauma for her. Wherever she was, she would be safer than here.

Since he had answered, it was his turn to ask again. The mysterious girl named Astaroth held many secrets, and he had many questions. An opportunity to ask her directly like this wouldn't come twice. Today might be his first and last chance. Before Astaroth's whim ended, Yujin parted his dry lips to squeeze out at least one more question.

"Why on earth do you people kill—"

"..."

Before Yujin could finish his sentence, Astaroth tilted her head sharply. Tilting her parasol, she murmured in a low voice, "We have a little rat."

A rat? Who was she talking about? Yujin turned his gaze in the direction she was looking, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Aside from the crowd viewing the cherry blossoms, there was nothing that should have caught Astaroth's attention.

"Well, whatever. I don't care if they make a phone call or not. Murmur will take care of it."

Astaroth relaxed her tense tone, speaking with a hint of amusement.

"The timing is perfect, actually. Are they finally starting? They're awfully late."

"What do you mean..."

A chilling sensation shot through his entire body. Yujin shivered involuntarily as a jolt of electricity seemed to run down his spine. It was his instinct warning him. Not his reason, but his primal survival instinct screaming at him over and over. What was this? A cold dread so intense it was terrifying. Had Astaroth's whim come to an end? Was she finally going to kill them? Yet, he couldn't detect even a speck of hostility from the girl in the Red Fox Mask. Then where was this sense of crisis coming from...?

"Ah."

Aris, who had sensed the anomaly slightly after Yujin but witnessed the cause before him, let out a soft gasp. She was staring up at the sky as if possessed. Yujin followed her gaze. The blue sky. A clear, cool sky without a single cloud. The sunlight was warm, and the sun shone brightly in the center of the heavens.

"...Oh, my God."

A critical change ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had come to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sky that should have remained peaceful. Like a shattered mirror, the sky was warping. As if space itself were distorting or contracting, the formless void was visibly fracturing. Both Yujin and Aris knew exactly what this phenomenon was. As students of the academy, and as people living in this world.

"A Rift in Space!"

A gateway connecting to the other world. A declaration of war heralding the invasion of monsters.

"Of all places...!"

Astaroth alone was a walking disaster, and now a Rift in Space was opening! Today was cursed, without a doubt. It was still in its early stages, so no monsters had emerged yet, but that was only a matter of time. Five minutes—no, within three minutes, the invasion would begin. Could they evacuate the people before then?

...No matter how optimistically he looked at it, it was impossible. Cheonmyeongdae would detect the Rift and dispatch heroes, but whether they would arrive before casualties occurred was highly uncertain. Moreover, they now had the variables of Astaroth and her comrade.

"W-What is that...? Are you crazy...? Aaaaahhh!"

"Kyaaaaah!"

Suddenly, chaos erupted. Yujin, who had been pulling his phone out of his pocket regardless of Astaroth's gaze, froze at the sound of the screams. Had the people noticed the Rift in Space? If so, their reaction made sense, but that shouldn't be the case. Ordinary people couldn't see an incomplete Rift. Unless it had taken shape and monsters were right on the verge of pouring out, civilians couldn't detect its formation. This was one of the main reasons why civilian casualties were always so high, and why evacuations were always delayed.

The Rift in Space in the sky was not yet complete. It was only natural that the people should remain unaware of the death looming over their heads. Then what were these screams?

"What are you doing here?"

The reason became clear almost immediately.

A child came walking toward them with heavy, dragging steps. A child whose face was hidden behind a White Cloud Mask, appearing to be around ten years old based on height and build. Bundled up in a thick winter padding jacket completely unsuited for the season, the child approached, dragging something tightly gripped in both hands.

"Astaroth. Did you come to help, or did you come to get in the way?"

"I came to watch. But what is that in your hands?"

"Ah, this?"

A trail of crimson blood was left in the child's wake. Moving its short legs diligently to stand beside Astaroth, the child tossed what it was holding as if dumping trash.

Thud.

With every roll on the dirt ground, red blood splattered. Yujin gasped. It took him a moment to process that what the child had thrown was a human being. Was that really a person? It looked like nothing more than a sack of blood. It resembled a cheap doll stuffed with red liquid, the kind used in haunted houses or for Halloween.

Yet, it was a living person. That fact itself was miraculous. It was bizarre that they were even alive. Naturally, a human dies when cut in half. If the upper and lower halves of the body are severed, they would quickly pass away, whether from shock or excessive bleeding.

Blood-soaked honey-blonde hair. A tattered shirt stained so deeply red it had lost its original color. Focusless pink eyes. Everything was so familiar. Yet, because it was so utterly alien, Yujin couldn't utter a single word.

"Ah... Ah..."

Aris collapsed to the ground. She covered her mouth, trembling violently. Yujin couldn't bring himself to help her up. He simply didn't have the mental capacity to do so. Reflected in his blue eyes was the form of a girl he knew all too well. A severed waist. A girl spilling blood and organs, her body convulsing in intermittent spasms.

"She kept getting in the way and being annoying, so I half-killed her."

"Ahahaha!"

The child in the White Cloud Mask spoke. The girl in the Red Fox Mask burst into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠laughter.

"Lu... Luci... a... Miss Lucia..."

Aris's tearful voice whimpered.

With a sharp snap, something inside Yujin broke.

Flames erupted.