The dark village was way too quiet.
Sayuri walked with light, almost lazy steps, the heavy sword on her back swaying as if it weighed nothing at all. Thick fog crawled across the ground, swallowing the remains of rotten wooden houses, broken posts, and torn flags that hung like they had given up centuries ago. Every structure looked as if it had melted under some ancient heat.
"Yeah… real cozy," Sayuri muttered, kicking a small stone that echoed far too loudly in the emptiness.
Burned-out lanterns hung from doors that didn't lead anywhere anymore. Some houses were scarred with long marks—scratches, claws, deep slashes—like fossilized memories of violence. The air was so still it felt like a weight on her skin.
She climbed a narrow slope, and at the top finally saw something that didn't belong among ruins:
A portal.
Not a normal one—this thing looked like a broken mirror stretched between crooked pillars, its surface groaning like rusted metal. The edges pulsed with a bluish glow, but the inside… the inside looked alive, vibrating like it was breathing.
"Let me guess… more monsters?" she said, crossing her arms.
As if annoyed by her sarcasm, the portal burst into a blazing red light hot enough to scorch the earth. The ground shook.
A colossal shadow spread across the hillside.
And then the creature stepped through.
Four meters tall.
Nine flaming tails fanning out like hell-made banners.
White-and-gold fur glowing like burning coal.
A long snout, crimson eyes.
A Nine-Tailed Kitsune.
It landed hard, cracking the ground beneath. The shockwave alone set surrounding houses on fire. Its roar was so powerful the hot wind shoved Sayuri back—
—and she simply raised an arm to shield her face, squinting like someone had turned a giant hair dryer on her.
"Well damn…" she said, unimpressed. "Premium fanservice."
The Kitsune took a few steps forward, studying her with cruel curiosity.
"Ah… the human world," its voice rumbled, like fire grinding against stone. "It has been… long…"
Sayuri gripped her sword's handle, pulled the chainsaw gear with a harsh metallic snap, and slammed the blade into the ground. Electricity erupted in a circle around her, lightning caged and snarling.
"How amusing…" the Kitsune murmured, tilting its head.
Sayuri rested the sword on her shoulder, looking at it with an expression of pure bored disrespect.
The creature spoke with venomous nostalgia. "When I first walked this land, eight hundred years ago, there were no humans like you."
Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "Want to try eight hundred more?"
The Kitsune bared its fangs.
"Silence!" it roared, smashing the ground with a fire-coated claw.
Sayuri dodged with a small hop, stepping back twice as a smirk tugged at her lips.
"Touchy."
Another roar, deeper, older, full of ancient fury.
"Worthless pest! Face the wrath of Uryu, the nine-tailed conqueror!"
Sayuri darted forward first, spinning her electric blade as it crackled like thunder. Uryu launched a devastating leap, his tails slamming into the ground like flaming whips. Shards of stone and waves of fire exploded everywhere.
Sayuri sprinted along his flank, sliding under one tail and slicing it as she passed, blue sparks mixing with red flames. Uryu howled, enraged, and countered instantly with a massive fire blast.
Sayuri kicked off the ground, twirling her sword like a helicopter blade and splitting the flames in half. She landed on a broken pillar and rushed back in, using ruined rooftops as stepping stones with supernatural speed.
Uryu tried to crush her with all nine tails at once, but Sayuri ran across them like they were solid ground, leaving trails of lightning behind her.
But the Kitsune was no lightweight.
With a sudden snap, two tails clamped together around her, forming a living trap, and crushed the space with burning force—
Sayuri appeared behind him a heartbeat later.
"That one was pretty good," she said, brushing dirt off her shoulder.
Now genuinely angry, Uryu roared so loud several houses collapsed.
Sayuri inhaled slowly.
And then her right eye lit up—a deep, piercing blue, sharp as celestial steel.
Suddenly she saw every vital point in Uryu's body—red and white lines crisscrossing him, pulsing like channels of living energy.
She smiled.
"So that's how it works, huh?"
With one explosive step, she moved so fast the ground cracked open. The electric blade carved through the air and struck the exact spot, right at the base of Uryu's neck.
White and red energy burst from her eye and sword, lighting up the entire ruined village.
Uryu collapsed onto one knee, burning and weakened.
"Your… eye…" he gasped. "You… you are not human!"
Sayuri twirled the sword onto her shoulder, smirking. "Yeah, no kidding. Trust me, I'm just as confused as you."
Uryu narrowed his eyes.
"You… look like him…"
Sayuri blinked. "And 'him' would be…?"
The monster's body began to tremble, flames curling in spiraling patterns.
"I am still weak…" Uryu growled, spreading his nine tails wide like a blazing sun. "I must restore my power!"
A pillar of fire erupted, and the creature was sucked back into the portal. The mirror slammed shut with a metallic boom.
Sayuri stood still. Quiet. Alert.
"Him who…?" she muttered.
No answer.
She kept moving.
After some searching, she found a small door hidden between two burned houses. She pushed it open.
Inside was a narrow tunnel. Which led to a curved staircase. Which led to a rocky passage.
And then—
She stepped out onto a mountain trail, cold wind sweeping down from above.
Up ahead, a cave glowing with a faint blue light pulsed like a heartbeat in the dark.
Sayuri adjusted her sword.
"Alright… let's see what the hell comes next."
And she walked inside.
To be continued…