CLANG!!
The sharp sound of steel tore through the air.
A massive blade traced a blinding arc and cleaved a metallic creature clean in half.
The strike was so precise that the machine — which had been moments away from lunging at its target — had its systems cut off before it even hit the ground. For a brief instant, sparks danced from its damaged circuits, glimmering like metallic fireflies, before its heavy frame exploded with a dry, echoing boom.
The impact lifted a fine cloud of dust that mingled with the acrid scent of burning oil and iron.
From within the haze, the wielder of the sword emerged — a woman.
Her hair, a pale shade between white and gold, swayed in the wind like strands of silk catching the sunlight. Her eyes, a piercing, glacial blue, reflected the same cold precision as her previous strike.
She was beautiful — with a beauty that transcended humanity, bordering on something mechanical in its perfection.
Her outfit could barely be called clothing; the only thing covering her body was a strip of velvet-like fabric wrapped loosely around her waist.
Large sections of her synthetic skin were missing, exposing the black protective underlayer beneath. The torn areas — a rubber-like material — were most prominent around her arms and legs, though portions of her torso and hips were also stripped away. The exposed sub-dermal frame gave her the appearance of wearing long gloves, a sleeveless shirt, and thigh-high boots made of living machinery.
She moved cautiously, her eyes scanning the surroundings like sensors, tracking every subtle shift in light or sound. Once she confirmed there were no more hostiles, she advanced toward a metallic object a few meters ahead.
At first glance, it looked like an old vending machine. But she knew better.
With another sharp sound — CLANK! — she drove her sword into the panel and pried it open. Sparks erupted, wires snapped, and the structure gave way. Inside were stored various materials and valuable components.
According to the intercepted data she had obtained, those materials could be used to construct new YoRHa units.
They might not be compatible with older models like hers — but even so, it was better to take them than leave them behind.
In just a few minutes, she gathered everything she could, her movements efficient and mechanical. When she was done, she sheathed her sword on her back and turned to leave.
She knew time was short. The destruction of the device had almost certainly triggered an alarm — and the YoRHa pursuit units would not take long to arrive.
Despite her human appearance, she could not be called a woman.
She was an android — a prototype of the YoRHa line, created long before the modern models that now dominated the battlefield.
Her combat data, along with that of her fallen comrades, had served as the foundation for the development of newer, deadlier, more obedient… and more disposable YoRHa units.
But there was a time when she had believed in them — in their command, in their orders, in their mission.
That time ended with the tragedy at Pearl Harbor Siege.
On that day, twelve experimental YoRHa units were deployed on a suicide mission: to destroy the enemy's central server deep within Mount Kaʻala, on the island of Oʻahu.
From the very beginning, everything went wrong. The enemy's anti-air defenses shot down nearly every transport during descent; only four androids survived the crash.
Even so, the survivors allied themselves with a small group from the local Resistance and, against all odds, decided to continue the mission.
The battle was brutal. The losses, immeasurable.
But at the climax of the operation, Unit No.4 overloaded her own fusion reactor and detonated the enemy server — accomplishing the mission at the cost of her life.
The mission was logged as a tactical success.
But the true purpose of the operation had never been victory.
The higher-ups merely wanted to observe, record, and analyze how the experimental models would react under extreme stress — so their data could be used to perfect the next generation of YoRHa.
She survived.
But what emerged from that hell was no longer just an android — it was a shadow filled with hatred and resentment.
She could never forgive them.
Her enemies were no longer just the mechanical lifeforms that had destroyed her sisters, but also YoRHa itself — the very organization that betrayed her, and now hunted her like a criminal.
After escaping, she made her way to her refuge: an ancient forest that surrounded the ruins of an old human city. There, she allowed herself a brief moment of rest.
She hid her salvaged materials in a makeshift shelter and climbed up a nearby tree.
Perched in silence, she gazed at the horizon.
The remnants of human civilization stretched before her, shrouded in mist and overgrown with vegetation. Collapsed towers, streets swallowed by time, and the faint whisper of wind moving through the ruins — as though the world itself mourned what had been lost.
For a fleeting moment, the icy blue of her eyes softened.
She exhaled — an unnecessary gesture, but one that felt… natural.
That was when A2 noticed it — a disturbance, faint yet unmistakable.
Something was happening not far from her position, somewhere beyond the thick line of forest and into the ruins of the ancient city.
A high-pitched sound, like air being torn apart, echoed through her auditory sensors.
She lifted her gaze, eyes narrowing. A2 wasn't one to ignore her instincts — and every single one of them screamed that something very wrong was happening there.
Without hesitation, she launched forward, leaping from branch to branch with superhuman agility. Leaves and twigs trembled in her wake as she propelled herself through the forest, until the greenery began to thin out and pale light replaced the dense shadows.
Reaching the forest's edge, A2 stepped onto the trunk of a tall tree and climbed swiftly upward until half of her body rose above the canopy. From there, she had a clear view of the ruined world before her.
And what she saw… defied logic.
In the middle of the shattered city, the very fabric of space seemed to twist.
Invisible waves rippled through the air, bending the light itself — as if reality were being torn apart.
"What… is that?" A2 muttered, frowning.
The sound grew louder. A sharp crack — like the shattering of a massive pane of glass — echoed between the dead buildings.
Fractures of light spread across the air, flickering with white and gold radiance.
Then, the space collapsed inward, forming a hole that pulsed like an open wound in the world itself.
Something was thrown out from within.
The body hit the ground hard, rolling until it came to rest in the middle of a ruined avenue.
A2 squinted — pale skin, blond hair, crimson eyes… an impossible combination.
No known android model possessed such features.
The figure stirred, slowly lifting its head and scanning the surroundings with visible confusion.
Before it could even comprehend where it was, the air blazed with the light of multiple energy projectiles.
Hidden mechanical lifeforms within the ruins had detected the intruder — and opened fire without hesitation.
A2 watched as the attack unfolded — dozens of plasma bolts converging on the mysterious figure.
What happened next left her completely speechless.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."