The Beginning of the Legend

(Move...)

In the heart of the chaos, time ceased to exist for Yumemaru.

(KRA-ZINGGGGG—!!)

There was no past or future, only the eternal and violent "now."

(LUB-DUB, LUB-DUB, LUB-DUB!)

His mind had retreated into a dark corner of his consciousness, a space of forced introspection where every heartbeat resonated like a war drum.

(Move, move...!)

He knew that if he allowed a single mundane thought—a memory, a fear, a desire—to cross his mind for even a fraction of a second, Sirael’s blade would find its mark.

(GRRR-ZINK!!)

He was operating at the absolute limit of human capacity, in that liminal space where life and death merge into a single movement.

(Damn it... I can't... I can't even blink...)

Every time he tried to take a breath, a new, perfect trajectory forced him to twist his body into angles that made his vertebrae creak.

(SHING-CLANG-SHIN-CLANG!!!)

In contrast to his situation, Sirael moved like a silver lightning bolt, laughing dementedly and without any restraint.

"GYA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!"

There was no weight in her feet as she leapt from one falling gear to another, yet every time her sword clashed with Yumemaru’s, the impact vibrated through to the very marrow of his bones.

(KRRR-ACK-BOOM!!!)

Nevertheless, Yumemaru blocked the lateral slashes that were pulverizing stone beams behind him.

"Pick up the pace~!!"

With no time to stabilize himself, he felt the tip of Sirael’s sword seeking his throat in a thrust that looked like a solid line of light.

(SSSHHH-IIINGG!!)

He intercepted it by spinning on his heel, the steel of Split Moon scraping against hers in a friction that released a rain of burning sparks over his face.

(TZIN-TZIN-SHAK-SHAK-SHAK!!!)

He did not respond with words, but with a lethal mimicry.

(VREEEEEE!!)

In mid-air, as both fell alongside the wreckage of the tower, Yumemaru replicated the footwork she had used seconds before, releasing immense pressure.

(SHING-CLANG-SHING-CLANG-KRR-SHAK!!!)

His movements, previously heavy from the damage, took on an unnatural elegance—a fluidity that stole Sirael’s very essence.

"This is what it means to fight...!!"

Unfortunately, Sirael twisted in the air, her skirt and cloak billowing like wings of crow and blood.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Her laughter grew sharper, more excited, as she saw Yumemaru returning her attacks with a refinement that was no longer human.

"This is... LIVING!!"

Their swords became a silver blur, an exchange so fast that the sound of the clashes merged into a single continuous roar that tore through the air.

(VZ-VZ-VZ-VZ-VZ-VZ-VZ-VZ-VZ-VZ-SHATTER!!!)

In the midst of the fall, a ten-meter-wide gear blocked their path; however, both tore through it simultaneously—not from the impact of their bodies, but from the pressure of the slashes they were exchanging.

(KRA-SHHH-ZZZZ-GRRRRR-SHATTER-HAA-HA-HA-BA-DUM-BA-DUM-BA-DUM!!)

The metal disintegrated into shimmering shavings as they continued to descend, enveloped in a storm of sparks and manic laughter, where Yumemaru, his eyes bloodshot, devoured every millimeter of his enemy's technique just to stay alive for one second longer.

"Hajajajaja! HAA-HAHAHAHAHA!"

The air became a kill zone.

"...."

In the middle of the fall, Sirael let out a burst of laughter that was drowned out by the roar of the collapse, and suddenly, her body spun violently on its horizontal axis.

(SLASH!!)

She didn't use her sword; instead, she unleashed an upward kick that traced an invisible arc of pressure.

(VZ-SHAAAAA!!!)

The air-slash generated by her foot was so sharp it split an office building five hundred meters away, causing the structure of metal and glass to slide apart like butter cut by a hot wire.

"!!"

In response, Yumemaru, his eyes bloodshot, did not back down. His mind, operating at a divine frequency of assimilation, processed the technique instantly as he dodged Sirael's next leg-axe by mere millimeters.

(SHING-SHING-SHING-VREEE-BOOOM-GRRR-KRRRA-SHHH!!)

That attack split a nearby tower of gears in two...

"....."

In a counterattack, Yumemaru extended the fingers of his left hand, charging them with a strand of energy so fine it was almost imperceptible.

(SHING-SHING-SHING!!!)

He unleashed a flurry of slashes with a fluid motion of his fingers, clashing against Sirael's kicks in a burst of sparks and shockwaves that shook the atmosphere.

"...."

"...."

Then, they exchanged a wordless gaze before propelling themselves through the void, using the floating debris and the pressure of their own attacks to leap and change direction in mid-air.

(BOOM... CRASH... RUMBLE!!!)

In turn, the city below was a game board disintegrating beneath them as Sirael unleashed a flurry of roundhouse kicks, sending multiple horizontal slashes that reaped the tops of surrounding buildings like weeds.

(CLANG! SHIN-SHIN-SHING! KRA-TAK! CLING! FWOOSH! SHAK! CLANG! CLANG! BOOM! TZIN! KRRRR-SHAK! SHING! SHING! BANG! CLANG!)

Yumemaru responded in mid-air, spinning upon himself while his fingers and his sword, Split Moon, created a web of counter-attacks that intercepted every one of the girl's slashes.

(CLANG-VZ-SHAK-CLANG-VZ-SHAK!!!)

At this, an ecstatic Sirael charged into the collision, only to be intercepted by Yumemaru as they clashed repeatedly among the falling steel beams. It was a choreography of total destruction where divided buildings, debris turned to dust, and the sky itself—seeming to tear under the intensity of their cuts—all collapsed.

"It's incredible! You're such an amusing mirror!"

And at the epicenter of the void, surrounded by a storm of broken glass and steel beams descending with them, Yumemaru and Sirael repositioned themselves.

"...."

Both stood face to face in mid-freefall, suspended in a moment of relative calm as gravity reclaimed their bodies.

"Tell me, swordsman... can you still dance?"

In the midst of the fall, Sirael—her platinum hair billowing like a silver halo and her cheek still marked by the thread of blood—widened her maniacal smile. Her eyes shone with a light of pure ecstasy.

"Pfh!"

Yumemaru did not answer with words. His body protested with a violent shudder, and a spray of blood erupted from his lips, staining his already tattered tunic.

"...."

But without looking away from the young girl, he wiped his mouth with the back of his bloodied hand—a fluid and defiant gesture that served as his only response: he was not finished yet.

"Hey~"

Several hundred meters below, the central plaza was a scene of absolute surrealism.

"How long will I be like this?"

There, Mirabellis remained suspended in the air, enveloped by the tangle of bronze pipes from her sister.

"...."

Her legs hung uselessly as she watched the massive destruction falling from the sky with a childish pout.

"Machinaaaaa?"

Beside her, Dea-Machina remained impassive.

"Gathering data. Processing data."

With a rhythmic movement of her fingers, the circuits on her dress pulsed in an intense blue, connecting with the city floor.

(WHIRRR-KRR-KLANK!!!)

In that manner, without even looking at the battle above, Machina was restoring the city in real-time.

"I’ve already accepted that Sirael is the one who gets the new toy... Are you going to let me down now? I'm hungry and my cloak is getting bored!"

The buildings that Sirael and Yumemaru had split seconds ago began to rewind; metal welded itself back together, glass recomposed, and debris flew back to its original position as if time were a mere suggestion, all while Mirabellis drawled, swaying slightly in her restraints.

"Negative."

Unfortunately for her, Machina—her copper eye adjusting as she processed cascades of data flowing from the aerial battle—did not even turn her head as she replied.

"Impact and regeneration data are still at sixty percent. Furthermore, according to my calculations, if I release you now, you will attempt to intercept Sirael’s fall just to 'give her a hug' in the middle of the impact, destroying forty percent of the infrastructure I have just repaired. Stay there."

In protest of those words, Mirabellis puffed out her cheeks, defeated, while above, the roar of a new clash of swords announced that the ground was drawing ever closer.

(BOOOOOOM-KRAAASH!!!)

At last, the descent came to a catastrophic end.

(FROOO-SHHHHH-HUUUUUUUUUUUU...!!)

The impact against the central plaza floor created a sonic crater so massive that the air itself seemed to be expelled from the city, generating a dome of dust and debris that rose toward the sky, obscuring everything for an eternal moment.

"Haaaa... Fuff..."

As the dust began to settle, Yumemaru’s figure emerged from the heart of the disaster. He stood in absolute silence, his body a web of scars and blood, but his feet were firmly planted on the ground as he took a low stance. His sword, Split Moon, was shrouded in an essence that distorted the light around it.

"YES!! GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!!"

Before him, Sirael showed not an ounce of exhaustion. Her manic smile widened as she raised her silver sword above her head, charging it with a spiritual pressure that made the very stones levitate.

(VROOOOOOOOOM!!!)

And so, both charged simultaneously.

(VROOOO-ZZZZZT-BWAMMMMMMM...!!!)

Before their blades even touched, the air pressure between them collapsed.

(KABOOM-ZIIINNNNG-G-G-G-VRAAA-SHHHHH!!!)

The resulting clash was not a metallic sound, but an explosion of shockwaves made of pure condensed will that split the clouds and shook the foundations of reality. The shockwaves expanded for kilometers, defying even the efforts of natural restoration.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"!!"

It would later be said among the forms of consciousness that inhabit and will inhabit this world, that this was the beginning of one of the greatest battles ever seen. A conflict of such magnitude that records indicate it lasted for entire days; an infinite loop of destruction, learning, and evolution where two mirrors devoured each other without rest.

"Agh... Ugh..."

But far from the epicenter of that legendary duel, the fate of the others continued its course.

"I... I..."

Shija, who with superhuman effort and Yumemaru’s help had managed to escape the trio's clutches, now lay unconscious on the ground. His body was at its limit; his breath was but a thread of life in the shadows.

(Tap... tap... tap...)

However, his safety was only a mirage, for he stood on the brink of a new encounter.