"Hokushin-Itto-ryu: First Step..."
Mei surged forward like lightning, her feet barely making a sound as she crossed the space between them.
Reina remained motionless—completely still, not a single muscle twitching, her Shinai held steady at her side.
Mei no longer held back like she had in the earlier match. From the start, she had chosen to unleash her Raiden clan's kenjutsu.
The First Step.
A lightning-fast opening technique meant to strike before the opponent could even react. It was often used to catch enemies off-guard and end the fight before it began.
With her speed, she closed the distance in an instant—her Shinai already poised at Reina's chest.
She was certain of the hit.
Until—
"[You lose.]"
The voice echoed suddenly in her mind, her other self breaking through like a thunderclap.
And that's when everything shifted.
Everything happened in a blur.
Just a split second before Mei's Shinai could touch Reina's chest, Reina moved.
With one precise twist of her wrist and a sidestep that seemed too fast for the eye, Reina's Shinai swept upward, parrying Mei's thrust cleanly.
Clack!
The sound echoed as Mei's Shinai was violently knocked from her grip, spinning mid-air before crashing to the floor a few meters away.
Before Mei could even register what had happened, Reina's foot hooked behind her ankle, and with a swift pull—
She's fell.
Her back hit the dojo floor with a sharp thud, the breath escaping her lungs.
And in that exact moment—
Reina's Shinai was already at her neck, its tip lightly pressing against the protective gear.
Everything was quiet. No one spoke. Only the faint fluttering of that strange purple butterfly drifted near them in the air.
Mei lay frozen on the dojo floor, her eyes locked on Reina.
From the corner of her right eye, she could see Reina's face. Her head was tilted slightly, her expression unreadable beneath the shadows of her helmet. But those red ruby eyes glowed faintly—ominous, and cold. Not like the usual warm that she's see for the entire day.
The pressure radiating from her was overwhelming. It wasn't killing intent, but it was something heavier—like standing before a storm waiting to be unleashed.
Mei shuddered for a moment.
But then—
It vanished.
Like fog swept away by wind, Reina's presence returned to normal. The weight in the air lifted. Her eyes dimmed back to their usual soft red, and the atmosphere that made Mei's heartbeat spike disappeared like it was never there.
Reina blinked once, then smiled warmly, gently pulling her Shinai away from Mei's neck.
She extended a hand toward Mei. "Good fight."
Mei stared at that hand for a moment... then let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"...Yeah," she said quietly, reaching up to take it. "Good fight."
"What just happened?"
"I can't see anything! One moment they were just standing there, and now Raiden-san is on the ground while the transfer student won?"
"Me too. I couldn't see a thing—it all happened so fast."
The kendo club members began murmuring among themselves, confused and clearly shaken by what they had just witnessed. No one could explain how Mei, known as the strongest among them, was suddenly defeated. The most shocking part? Mei was the one lying on the ground.
With Reina's help, Mei managed to get back on her feet.
"Fufufu... Looks like everyone's really surprised, huh? Let's get changed and head out," Reina suggested with a light smile, brushing her bangs back as if nothing had happened.
Still dazed because of the match, Mei could only nod silently, her mind struggling to process what had just occurred.
Before she realized it, three of them had already left the club, leaving behind a room full of club members still murmuring in disbelief and trying to make sense of what they saw.
Time passed quickly after the spar, and the club time was already drawing to a close. With the sun beginning to set, it was time for Kiana and Reina to return home.
Mei, who usually had a driver waiting for her, only accompanied them until they reached the school gate. That was where the three of them parted ways.
"That's not fun at all. I was expecting something exciting where you'd actually beat that woman down," a voice teased with a dramatic sigh.
"But you didn't even hit her once. You just won like without doing anything to her. Yet when you fight me, you beat me mercilessly!"
The one speaking was Kiana—but it wasn't quite her. Her golden eyes glimmered unnaturally as she walked beside Reina, revealing the presence of the Herrscher of Void who had taken over her body.
"Also, I'm sure you noticed it too. That woman from before—she has my Core, The Gem of Conquest. It belongs to me!"
The Herrscher continued ranting about her missing Gem, the one from the Second Eruption.
Reina didn't said anything. She knew Kiana was right.
During the Second Eruption, when the Will of the Honkai granted Sirin multiple Cores to augment her abilities—wind, death, thunder, fire—each one had made her a monster beyond comprehension.
And after Sirin's death, those Cores were taken. Otto Apocalpyse had stolen them all, using them for his experiments.
"I understand, I understand... but you know I need more time to replicate your Core. Even though I still have my Creation power, it's only half as strong as my original self. And with how complex a Herrscher Core is, I need more than just a few months..." Reina sighed, her voice tinged with frustration.
From the side, the Herrscher of the Void could clearly see the dejected look on Reina's face. Her expression was stiff—tight in a way that hinted the topic had touched something deeper, something painful.
Creation—the power granted to the Astrals in Granblue Fantasy. As the name suggested, it was the power to bring anything into existence, even higher-dimensional beings like Primal Beasts.
The Astrals were a race blessed by Astral God—a divine being born from the split of the Omnipotent Bahamut, who separated into two being: Destruction and Creation. The Astrals inherited the latter.
Thanks to that power, Reina had been able to conjure everything they needed during their time living in a secluded cabin deep within the forest. She'd created shelter, electronic stuff, clothing—everything.
She even used it now to generate money discreetly, allowing them to rent an apartment and live without suspicion.
Since both of them still appeared too young—especially Kiana—it wasn't like they could get normal jobs. Reina's power was practically a lifeline.
But even so, she had her limits. The power she held now was only half of what her original self wielded. Because of that, replicating something as intricate and uniquely powerful as a Herrscher Core was beyond her at the moment.
If the original were here... he could have done it without needing to wait this long just to replicate a core
"Well, whatever! I don't really care about that anymore. That woman can have it or whatever," Herrscher of Void muttered with a sharp turn of her head, her tone spiked with her usual tsundere flare. "So stop making that face already! It's annoying!"
After hearing that, Reina smiled warmly—then immediately pulled her into a hug.
Because Reina was taller than her, the hug ended up being a bit awkward.
"Ahhh, I knew you cared about me. Seems like all those months of getting pampered really changed you~" Reina teased, her voice playful.
"Hey, hey! It's heavy! Your fat chest's making it hard to breathe!" Herrscher of Void struggled, trying to wriggle out of her grasp, but to no avail. In the end, she had no choice but to endure the smothering embrace.
Eventually, the two continued walking side by side toward home.
The street was lively with the calm rhythm of evening life. People were returning from work, walking their dogs, or taking quiet strolls with their children. Some parents carried toddlers on their shoulders, others gently held their little ones' hands under the setting sun.
Then, out of the blue, Reina glanced at her and asked, "By the way, when are you gonna finally accept the name I gave you?"
"No way. I don't like having a name like you humans," the Herrscher replied, turning her head away defiantly.
"Ah, come on~ It's a beautiful name! You're not Kiana, so I can't keep calling you that all the time. And calling you 'Herrscher of Void' is way too long! So I'm just gonna stick with the name I gave you, alright?" Reina pouted, her lips jutting out in exaggernated cuteness as she tried to convince her.
"Tch..." Herrscher of Void glanced at Reina, clearly annoyed. But when her eyes met Reina's exaggerated pout—cheeks puffed out, lips trembling just a bit—she froze.
"...What kind of face is that?" she muttered, looking away with a click of her tongue.
Reina said nothing, only kept pouting like a spoiled child. Every few steps, she'd peek at her with the corner of her eye, as if saying, I won't stop until you say yes~
"you're so annoying," she finally mumbled, cheeks tinged faintly pink. "Fine, whatever... you can call me that stupid name."
Reina's eyes lit up.
"But only you, got it? If anyone else tries to call me that, I'll erase them off the face of the earth," she added quickly, folding her arms as her tone turned sharp again.
"Yes yes~ I promise. Only me!" Reina chirped happily, practically skipping now as she linked arms with her.
"Hmph. You're lucky I'm feeling generous today..." Despite the grumble, her voice was softer than usual.
Reina leaned her head gently on her with a smile. "See? You're actually really cute when you're honest~"
"D-Don't push it!" she hissed, looking away again. But she didn't shake Reina off.
After a few playful back-and-forth exchanges, Reina finally let go of her, stepping back with a warm smile. Then, she extended her right arm toward her.
"Let's go... Sora."
"...Alright." There was a brief pause—a flicker of hesitation in her golden eyes—but eventually, she reached out and took Reina's hand. Their fingers intertwined naturally, and together, they continued their walk.
By the time they reached the front of their apartment building, the sky had turned a soft orange hue. Reina reached into her pocket, preparing to pull out the card key to enter the building. But before she could, her expression shifted.
Her body stopped moving, her gaze turning sharply to a specific direction across the street.
"again?"
Noticing the shift, Sora tilted her head slightly. "What happened? You only ever make that face when you see something that piques your interest."
But instead of answering directly, Reina only smiled—a quiet, knowing smile that seemed to stretch deeper than her lips. She leaned close to Sora's ear and whispered something in a low voice.
Whatever Reina said, it caused Sora's eyes to widen in surprise. A second later, her expression changed into a sly smirk that mirrored Reina's own.
With that strange moment between them, they finally stepped into the apartment building, disappearing into the lobby like nothing had happened.
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"Oh damn... that girl almost found me... I didn't expect her to actually sense me."
A low mutter escaped from a man peeking his head from behind the corner of a nearby building.
That man was none other than Siegfried Kaslana—Kiana's father.
"My baby doll's grown up so much... I hate how I couldn't be there with her through it all," he said to himself, eyes filled with a mixture of regret and affection as he recalled memories of his daughter.
After leaving her in the middle of forest fire for her own protection, Siegfried had undergone treatment for his worsening Honkai infection at an Anti-Entropy base in New Mexico. That treatment lasted for two full years after his fierce battle with the Herrscher of Void.
But eventually, Siegfried escaped the base, driven by nothing more than his longing to see Kiana again.
Yet, even with all the connections he had within Anti-Entropy, Kiana had seemingly vanished. They couldn't track her down, no matter how hard they tried. Not until about a month ago, when one of their agents finally reported something—
They'd found her.
But she wasn't alone.
There was another girl with her. Always with her. Wherever she went, Kiana was always by her side.
"I didn't know my baby doll swung that way... but as her father, I gotta support her choices," he said, trying to convince himself as he recalled the report describing their relationship.
Even though he accepted it, he couldn't ignore the mystery that surrounded this girl—Reina.
He spent the last month digging into her background, trying to uncover even the smallest clue about who she really was.
"But they can't find anything about her..."
Reina had no past. No records. Nothing to suggest she even existed before showing up next to Kiana. It was as if she had just appeared out of thin air.
That only made Siegfried more suspicious. Could Reina be the reason Kiana suddenly disappeared for nearly a year?
He had been watching the two from a distance, but there were places he couldn't follow—like inside their home, or at their school.
And with a school as prestigious as theirs, an unfamiliar old man lurking around would definitely set off alarms. He'd be lucky if they didn't call the cops on sight.
"Well, for now... I need to do more investigation," Siegfried muttered under his breath. "And more importantly, I need to make sure neither of them finds out I'm here."
He turned around, ready to quietly disappear from the area without leaving a trace—just like he always did.
But in that very moment—without him realizing it—a faint ripple formed in the air behind him.
A small, silent portal blinked into existence.
And before he could take even a single step, a slender hand shot out from within the portal and yanked him inside with incredible force.
"Wha—?!"
His startled cry was the only thing that echoed in the alley before the portal snapped shut like it had never been there.
And just like that, Siegfried Kaslana vanished from the street—leaving no trace behind.
Siegfried fell hard onto the ground with a thud, grunting from the impact. Dust scattered around him as he quickly rolled to his feet, already reaching for the weapon strapped behind his coat.
Whoever dragged him in—he was ready to fight.
But before he could even raise his guard, a voice echoed through the dimly lit room.
A voice far too familiar.
"Welcome home, shitty old man."
His body froze.
That voice... no way...
His eyes twitched slightly as he slowly—painfully slowly—turned his head toward the source of the voice, dread creeping up his spine like cold water down his back.
And there she was.
Standing with her arms crossed and a smug look plastered across her face was none other than—his baby doll.
But it wasn't just Kiana.
Her eyes are in different color blue and golden gleamed under the light, her posture oozing confidence and mischief.
Of all the people he didn't want finding out he was here... it was her.
"Crap..." Siegfried muttered under his breath, sweat already forming on the side of his face as his daughter's smirk widened.
She was definitely enjoying this.