Beside the man, a golden portal opened — a swirling vortex of radiant light.
From within, the stranger drew a sword with a long, crimson, elegant blade.
In a fluid, precise motion, he twisted his wrist — the blade slicing through the air.
In the blink of an eye, every energy sphere was cleaved in half, bursting into bright sparks that vanished before they could even reach him.
A2's eyes widened. That reaction… that technique… it was unlike anything she had ever seen, even among the elite YoRHa units.
The blond didn't stop.
With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed toward the enemies, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
Every movement was lethal and deliberate — a perfect balance of absurd speed and brute strength.
The sound of his slashes merged with the distant echo of the wind, and within seconds, the mechanical lifeforms surrounding him had been reduced to smoldering scrap.
But the battle was far from over.
From her vantage point, A2 could see over fifty more enemies approaching, marching in formation through the streets.
Drones, bipedal units — an entire swarm was converging on the man.
"Should I help him?" she thought for an instant.
Even without knowing who he was, something about his presence stirred an unsettling curiosity within her.
But before she could decide, the answer came on its own.
In less than a minute, the new wave of enemies was annihilated.
A2 watched in silence, the blue glow of her eyes reflecting the chaos below.
The man moved like a veteran of countless wars.
Every foe that tried to react was destroyed before it could even comprehend what was happening.
In the midst of the storm, he seemed to dance — a deadly, precise, and strangely beautiful dance.
---xXx---
A damaged drone struggled to rise, sparks flickering from its split frame.
Its lower half was completely exposed, revealing a pulsating core on the verge of overloading.
Before it could take flight again, the blond man struck once more — a clean, cutting arc that split the robot in two.
The core detonated instantly.
The explosion shook the nearby buildings, hurling debris in every direction.
The shockwave swept through the silent streets, collapsing what little remained of the worn-down structures.
The echo of the blast lingered for several seconds — and then silence reclaimed the ruins.
Amid the drifting dust and shattered metal, the man stood motionless, sword still in hand.
His red eyes glimmered faintly, and then he let out a weary sigh.
"Where the hell did I end up…?" he muttered, voice hoarse and irritated.
He ran a hand through his hair, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "Damn it, Saeko… you could've warned me first."
Not far from where Arthur had landed — or rather, crashed — stretched an ancient, silent forest.
The wind whispered through the dead trees, and the distant creak of decaying metal structures formed a mournful symphony. He was still on Earth — that much he was sure of — but something was terribly wrong. Everything around him was a world in ruins, a planet broken and forgotten.
The surrounding buildings were covered in moss, cracked and strangled by roots that seemed eager to devour the concrete. Judging by the erosion of the stone and the rust devouring the steel, centuries — perhaps millennia — had passed since a human last walked there.
Arthur scanned the horizon thoughtfully. The sky was gray, heavy with thick clouds, and a cold breeze carried the damp scent of the forest.
If he wanted to survive, food and water would be his first priority — and judging by the surroundings, the forest ahead seemed his best chance. Even amidst decay, nature endured.
With no other option, he began walking toward the trees, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the debris.
When he finally reached the edge of the forest, he leaned against the trunk of an ancient tree and slowly slid down to the ground. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled heavily, trying to make sense of what had happened since the golden portal swallowed him.
But peace never lasts long.
His body tensed in an instant — every instinct flaring awake.
He felt it… a gaze.
Something was watching him from within the forest's depths.
Without hesitation, Arthur gripped Koryuga's hilt and launched himself into the shadows between the trees. His boots barely touched the ground as he sprinted. The wind lashed his face, and the sound of breaking leaves followed his furious pace.
Then he saw her.
Through the slivers of light piercing the canopy, a figure moved with panther-like agility — a woman with long, pale yellow-white hair that shimmered faintly under the filtered sunlight.
Her movements were precise, calculated — the gait of a hunter.
She carried a sword larger than her own body on her back, yet it didn't seem to weigh her down in the slightest.
As he closed the distance, her form became clearer. Her clothes — or what remained of them — were torn and covered in dust. Large sections of her synthetic skin had peeled away, revealing the black underlayer of her mechanical structure.
She was an android.
And even in her damaged state, she radiated a cold, lethal beauty.
Parts of her body were exposed not by intent, but by destruction. The material mimicking skin flaked like old wax, especially along her arms and legs. Her torso revealed the metallic contours of her internal frame, laced with fragments of black fabric.
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"...She's not human."
Suddenly, two golden portals burst open beside him with a resonant hum.
From the glowing rifts, slender magical wands emerged, floating midair — unleashing beams of condensed energy like bolts of lightning.
The explosions tore through the forest, shattering the silence.
Two massive trees splintered and fell before the woman, cutting off her escape route.
Arthur surged forward, leaping over roots and rocks. At his current speed, he knew he'd reach her within seconds.
But then—
"Huh?"
Something snagged his foot.
He glanced down — a nearly invisible wire glinted faintly beneath the leaves.
Before he could react, it yanked him upward violently. The world spun — the ground vanished — and suddenly, he was dangling upside down several meters above the ground.
"What the hell…?" he muttered, both shocked and annoyed. "A trap?"
With a swift slash, he cut through the steel wire, landing lightly on his feet.
But when he looked up again, the woman was gone — vanished as if she'd melted into the forest itself.
Arthur frowned, keeping his guard up.
The forest had gone eerily still — only the rustling of leaves and the whisper of the wind remained — yet he knew she was still there.
Then, a woman's voice echoed around him.
"Who are you? And what are you? Where did you come from?"
Arthur spun around, sword raised, trying to locate the source. But there was no one there.
The voice came from something hanging off a nearby tree — a small metallic device, impossibly old yet still functioning.
"Answer immediately," the voice continued. "Or I'll consider you a threat… and I will hunt you down."
(End of Chapter)