Hina's Perspective
The air felt heavier than before.
Not just from the darkness swallowing the sky—
But from the presence in front of us.
The creature stood in the center of the ruined school grounds, its body shifting like wet paint dragged across a canvas.
Colors bled into each other—red melting into blue, yellow twisting into black—never settling, never stable.
"…This one feels different," I murmured.
Ryuna's voice was tense.
"It is."
The monster raised one of its elongated arms.
But instead of striking—
It paused.
Then slowly—
It drew.
My eyes widened.
"…What is it doing?"
Its fingers moved through the air like a brush across an invisible surface.
A glowing outline formed—
Then—
Ignited.
Flames burst into existence.
Not summoned.
Not created through energy.
But drawn into reality.
"…That's not normal."
"No," Ryuna said sharply. "It is creating elements through manifestation."
The monster tilted its head—
And swung its arm.
Hanato's Perspective
"…Fire, huh."
I barely had time to react.
The flames surged forward—
Not like a natural fire.
Too fast.
Too controlled.
"…Tch—"
I shifted—
But the attack curved.
Adjusted mid-flight.
"…Seriously?!"
The flames slammed into me.
BOOM.
Heat exploded across my body as the force launched me backward—no, upward.
The world flipped.
The ground vanished beneath me.
"…—!"
I was airborne.
High.
Higher than expected.
The sky above twisted with dark clouds as I was thrown into it.
"…That actually hurt."
You were careless, Ryuhou stated.
"…I noticed."
I twisted midair, regaining control as shadows gathered beneath my feet.
"…Not happening again."
Hina's Perspective
"Hirito—!"
I didn't mean to say his name.
But it slipped out.
There was no time to think about it.
Because the monster had already turned toward me.
Its fingers moved again.
This time—
Dragging downward.
"…No—"
The ground beneath me cracked.
Then exploded upward.
EARTH surged from below like jagged spears.
I leapt back—
Too slow.
One of the spikes caught my side—
CRASH.
The impact sent me flying across the ground, rolling hard before skidding to a stop.
"…Ah—!"
Pain shot through my body.
"…Earth… too?"
"Yes," Ryuna said. "It can manifest multiple elements."
I pushed myself up, breathing hard.
"…This is unfair."
The monster tilted its head again.
Almost… curiously.
Like it was studying us.
Then—
It moved its hand once more.
Water formed this time.
A swirling mass—
Floating—
Waiting.
"…It can do everything…"
"No," Ryuna corrected.
"It can draw anything."
Hanato's Perspective
I landed hard.
But controlled.
Shadows softened the impact as I dropped back onto the battlefield.
"…Alright."
I cracked my neck slightly.
"…Now I'm annoyed."
The monster didn't hesitate.
It drew again.
Water surged toward me like a crashing wave.
"…Persistent."
I stepped forward—
Then vanished.
The wave passed through empty space.
I reappeared behind it.
"…Let's try something."
Shadow energy gathered in my hand—
Then I struck.
BOOM.
My attack hit its side—
But—
Something was off.
The impact landed.
But the body—
Shifted.
Like paint being disturbed.
"…No solid structure?"
It is unstable, Ryuhou said.
"…That makes it harder to hit."
The creature didn't react like Razorblade had.
No roar.
No anger.
Just—
Movement.
Constant.
Fluid.
Hina's Perspective
I steadied myself.
"…I need to counter."
"You must strike with precision," Ryuna advised.
"…Yeah."
I lifted my hand.
Light gathered instantly.
But I didn't release it yet.
"…If it can draw anything…"
Then I needed to disrupt it before it finished.
The monster raised its hand again—
Beginning another motion.
"…Now."
I thrust my hand forward.
Light condensed—
Then fired.
A concentrated sphere of radiant energy shot across the battlefield.
The creature didn't dodge.
Didn't move.
It simply—
Watched.
Then—
The sphere hit.
BOOM.
Light exploded outward, dispersing the shifting paint across its body.
For the first time—
The creature reacted.
Its form destabilized.
Colors separating.
Distorting.
"…That worked!"
"Yes," Ryuna said. "You disrupted its form."
The light faded—
And something changed.
The paint stopped shifting.
Just for a moment.
Then—
It began to gather.
Pulling inward.
Condensing.
Forming something new.
The colors collapsed.
Layer by layer.
Until—
A figure stood where the monster had been.
Humanoid.
Slim.
Feminine.
Her body still coated in faint streaks of color, like unfinished brushstrokes across skin.
Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders, strands tinted with unnatural hues.
And her eyes—
Gold.
And violet.
"…You," I whispered.
Recognition hit instantly.
The vandal.
The masked girl.
But now—
There was no mask.
She smiled.
Softly.
Almost elegantly.
"…So you noticed."
Her voice was calm.
Clear.
No distortion.
Just human.
"…You're the one behind this," I said.
She tilted her head slightly.
"…Behind it?"
A faint laugh escaped her lips.
"…No."
She raised her hand slowly.
Paint gathered at her fingertips.
"…I am it."
My breath caught.
"…What?"
Across the battlefield, Hirito stepped closer, his voice low.
"…So you're the Vessel."
She turned her gaze toward him.
"…Vessel?"
She smiled again.
"…That's such an ugly word."
Her eyes gleamed faintly.
"…I prefer artist."
The air around her shifted.
Colors swirling once more.
"…My name…"
She placed a hand lightly over her chest.
"…is Artria."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Tense.
Then—
Her smile widened.
"…And this world…"
Paint began to form around her again.
"…is my canvas."
The sky darkened further.
Colors bled into the air itself.
Reality twisted slightly around her presence.
And standing before her—
Light.
And Shadow.
Once again.
Unaware of each other's true identities.
But fully aware—
That this battle would not be simple.
Because this time—
They weren't just fighting destruction.
They were fighting creation itself.
And the artist—
Had only just begun.
Hina's Perspective
Artria.
The name lingered in the air like wet paint that refused to dry.
She stood at the center of the battlefield—calm, composed, completely unlike the chaotic destruction surrounding her.
The shifting colors across her body pulsed faintly, as if responding to her thoughts.
"…An artist," I whispered.
Ryuna's voice was quiet, but tense.
"Be careful. Her ability is not simply creation… it is manifestation."
Artria smiled, as if she had heard us.
"Manifestation… such a dull way to describe it."
Her voice carried effortlessly through the ruined school grounds.
"I don't just create things."
She lifted her hand slowly.
"I bring imagination to life."
The air shimmered.
Then—
Something appeared.
The Palette
A paint palette formed in her hand.
It looked ordinary at first glance.
Wooden.
Smooth.
But the colors on it—
Moved.
Swirled.
Lived.
Each color pulsed with unnatural energy, shifting like liquid light under the darkened sky.
A thin brush formed between her fingers.
Elegant.
Sharp.
Deadly.
"…No way," I muttered.
Hanato—no, Hirito—stood a few meters away, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp.
"…So that's your weapon."
Artria tilted her head.
"Weapon?"
She smiled.
"This is my tool."
Hanato's Perspective
"…Great."
I exhaled slowly.
"…An artist with a god complex."
Do not underestimate her, Ryuhou warned.
"…I'm not."
My eyes locked onto the palette.
"…That thing is the problem."
Artria lifted her brush.
Then—
She began to move.
The First Stroke
The brush cut through the air.
Smooth.
Controlled.
Like a master painting on an invisible canvas.
A streak of red appeared.
Then blue.
Then black.
The colors didn't fall.
They stayed.
Hanging in the air.
"…What is she—"
Before I could finish—
The paint twisted.
Expanded.
And—
Took form.
The Monsters
They dropped from the air.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Dozens.
Each one different.
Each one unnatural.
A beast made of jagged crimson lines, its body sharp like broken glass.
Another formed from swirling blue currents, its limbs fluid like water but moving with predatory intent.
One shaped from thick black strokes, its body unstable, flickering between solid and liquid.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
They surrounded us instantly.
No hesitation.
No delay.
Just—
Existence.
Hina's Perspective
"…She's summoning them."
"No," Ryuna corrected.
"She is drawing them."
The difference mattered.
Because these weren't mindless creations.
They moved—
Like they had intent.
Like they had purpose.
Artria spun her brush lightly between her fingers.
"…Do you like them?"
Her voice was soft.
Playful.
"They're my favorites."
My grip tightened.
"…You're using people's fear… turning it into this."
She blinked.
"…Fear?"
Then smiled.
"…No."
She gestured lightly.
"I'm using imagination."
The monsters shifted.
Closing in.
"…Let's see how well you handle a crowd."
Hanato's Perspective
"…Alright."
I rolled my shoulders slightly.
"…Now this is getting annoying."
The first one lunged.
Fast.
Too fast for something just created.
I stepped forward—
Then vanished.
It crashed into the ground where I had been.
I reappeared behind it.
"…Let's test something."
Shadow gathered in my hand—
Then I struck.
BOOM.
The monster shattered.
Exploding into paint.
But—
It didn't disappear.
The fragments hovered—
Then pulled back together.
Reforming instantly.
"…Regeneration."
Or reconstruction, Ryuhou said.
"…Same problem."
I clicked my tongue.
"…So brute force isn't enough."
Another creature attacked from the side.
I slipped into shadow again—
Dodging—
But they kept coming.
Relentless.
Hina's Perspective
I moved.
Light flared around me as I dodged the incoming attacks, weaving between the monsters as they closed in.
"…Too many!"
"You cannot fight them all directly," Ryuna said.
"I know!"
One lunged—
I countered.
A burst of light blasted it back.
But like Hirito's—
It reformed.
"…They don't stay down!"
"Because she continues to sustain them."
I glanced at Artria.
She hadn't moved.
Just watching.
Smiling.
"…Then I need to hit her."
"Yes."
"But—"
A monster slammed into me from behind.
CRASH.
I was thrown forward, barely catching myself as I skidded across the ground.
"…Tch—!"
They weren't just numerous.
They were coordinated.
Hanato's Perspective
"…She's controlling them."
Yes.
"…Not individually."
I ducked under a sweeping strike, shadows wrapping around my legs as I slid backward.
"…More like… directing them as a whole."
Correct.
"…Which means—"
I looked at Artria again.
"…She's the core."
Artria
She giggled softly.
Watching us struggle.
Watching the chaos unfold.
"…Dance."
She moved her brush again.
Adding more.
More colors.
More shapes.
More monsters.
"…This is what battle should look like."
Her eyes gleamed.
"…Beautiful."
Hina's Perspective
"…This won't work."
I pushed myself up, breathing harder now.
"…At this rate—"
"You will be overwhelmed," Ryuna said.
"…Yeah."
I looked toward Hirito.
He was still fighting.
Still holding his ground.
But even he—
Was being pushed back.
"…We need to break through."
"Yes."
"…Together."
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
I froze for a split second.
Then—
Ignored it.
Because there was no time.
"…Hey!"
I called out.
He glanced toward me briefly.
"…Got an idea?" he said.
"…Sort of!"
"…That's not reassuring."
"…Can you distract them?!"
He smirked slightly.
"…That I can do."
Hanato's Perspective
"…Guess we're doing this."
Shadow exploded outward.
"…Come on then."
The monsters shifted toward me.
All of them.
Good.
"…Eyes on me."
I moved.
Fast.
Pulling their attention.
Drawing them away.
Creating an opening.
Hina's Perspective
"…Now."
Light gathered in my hands.
Stronger.
Brighter.
Focused.
Artria watched.
Still smiling.
"…Trying something new?"
"…Yeah."
I took a step forward.
"…Something like that."
Because this time—
I wasn't aiming at the monsters.
I was aiming—
At the artist.
The battlefield shifted.
Light and shadow moving in tandem—
Not by trust.
Not by understanding.
But by necessity.
And at the center—
Artria stood.
Unshaken.
Unbothered.
Her brush still dancing through the air.
"…Yes…"
She whispered softly.
"…This is getting interesting."
Because for her—
This wasn't a fight.
It was a masterpiece in progress.
And she had no intention—
Of stopping halfway.