Lin Hua was a frightening storm. She launched off the stall with a flying knee, striking the closest monster and dislocating its neck completely. Without pause, she charged the other three as they shook off the effects of Ezekiel's lightning. She slid low, sweeping the second monster's leg clean from under it, and as it fell to one knee, she spun and drove her fan through its neck. The third charged, she simply kicked the second one into it, sending them both flying. The fourth flailed at her wildly, but she wove through each strike with her hands clasped behind her back, an embarrassed look on her face as if bored. When she'd had enough, she sliced off its right hand, then its left arm, then shattered its left knee. It crumpled. She took its head.
It was gruesome, however none of them could look away.
She leapt onto a rooftop, waiting as the bodies began to regenerate. Above, the koi fish began some sort of lap across the sky, setting a trail of faint golden light behind it.
"Beautiful..." Saphy whispered in awe.
Ester agreed breathlessly.
"W-what's happening?" Ezekiel muttered weakly. They all turned to him, exchanging worried glances.
"She's summoned a Flo beast," Kris said.
Ezekiel somehow managed a scoff. "Show off..."
They suddenly became acutely aware of his condition. Between their shared nervousness and the fact that the veins on his neck and wrists glowed faintly blue, something was clearly wrong. He managed a cough and a weak nod.
"Just a little tired..." he said, slurring his words. Saphy began supporting him. Ester turned back toward the battlefield.
"She knows they regenerate... what is she doing?" Ester muttered.
Kris was silent for a moment, thinking. "If a Synchrite can manifest their own Flo beast, it comes with a unique ability. Depending on the Synchrite's potential and the Flo beast's rank.. the abilities can vary wildly."
Ester remembered Instructor Lillia—her lion made of glass, the eagle-like bird with glowing eyes. She wasn't wrong when she'd felt that sense of danger.
"So her ability is something that can deal with regenerating opponents?" Ester asked.
Kris pursed his lips, scrunching his face.
Below, Lin Hua was a blur. Slicing and evading, slicing and evading. The monsters multiplied before their eyes, four became eight, eight became twenty, twenty became fifty. The odds were overwhelming now. Lin Hua's breathing grew heavier, but there was no fear in her expression. No worry. Instead, she wore a predatory smile... as if she wasn't taking this seriously.
"She said all she needed was a minute, right?" Saphy whispered, glancing at both of them. "Anyone know how long it's been?"
"About fifty seconds," Kris replied. Saphy and Ester looked at him with puzzled expressions. "Give or take."
They turned back to the battle. Ester began counting down from ten as the monsters slowly closed in around Lin Hua.
*Nine.* The circle tightened.
*Eight.* She began slowing down.
*Seven.* She lost her footing.
*Six.* One caught her arm. She sliced it off.
*Five.* She tried jumping to another rooftop, but one grabbed her leg, dragging her back down.
*Four.* Saphy screamed as they began their assault on Lin Hua while she was in a defensive position.
*Three.* A majestic cry echoed above. They all looked up.
*Two.* Lin Hua smiled.
*One...*
Utahime burst into radiant light, raining down into the marketplace like beautiful fireworks. The light coalesced around Lin Hua, encasing her in a blinding white glow. In an instant, the army of monsters surrounding her were blown back as if a bomb had detonated. They crashed into every corner of the marketplace, slamming into rooftops, smashing through stalls. One's head cracked against a stone well with a deafening 'SPLAT'.
The survivors scrambled to their feet, looking toward the epicentre.
Lin Hua stood with golden light faintly exuding from her, eyes blazing gold. She fished something from her blazer pocket. a scrunchie, and tied her hair up, taking a slow, deep breath.
Ester blinked. Lin Hua was gone. The next thing Ester knew, she was standing on a rooftop. She spun around, finding Saphy and Kris beside her, both wearing intense expressions before realising the change in scenery. Ezekiel groaned weakly.
"Uh...What?" Saphy muttered, looking around.
Lin Hua turned her head. The moonlight caught her cape and hair as they billowed in the breeze. Her face had changed, her right eye closed now, a scar running down the side of her face. A familiar, unforgettable type of scar...
She blinked back to the ground below, landing softly.
The monsters were already regenerating, pulling themselves from wreckage, crawling out from beneath debris, stumbling to their feet with snarls and growls.
Lin Hua simply raised her left hand, fingers stretched like claws, nails painted purple, and twisted the air.
Every single monster jerked violently, ripped from where they stood. They flew through the air, tumbling and crashing across cobblestones as an invisible force yanked them forward. Twenty. Thirty. Fifty. They slammed together in a heap directly in front of her, like a mass of grey flesh.
She began walking casually, holding out her hand. Golden light flashed, and a massive Greatsword materialised, gold and purple, gleaming in the moonlight. She dragged it behind her, the blade sparking against cobblestone.
Huh... where had she seen a Greatsword that looked exactly like hers..?
Ester's mind raced. "
"No way..." Kris muttered, biting his nail, a small laugh escaping him. " How Interesting…"
Saphy whipped around, eyes wide with confusion. "That sword, and the scar... that's almost identical to Instructor Markos, isn't it?"
"Yes, but I'm talking about Lin Hua's ability," Kris said, voice tight with realisation. He paused. "That koi fish... Utahime, circled the sky before she changed." He stopped. "Like some kind of..."
"Requirement?" Ester continued. "A ritual maybe?"
Kris nodded, looking back at Lin Hua. "A one-minute requirement before she changes."
Saphy scratched her head. "One minute before changing into someone else..? I'm sorry, but that doesn't seem very strong...And why Instructor Markos?"
"Do you know the title he was given?"
"One-Eyed King," Ester murmured, recounting the same name her friend always told her about. "Between the scar and his accomplishments, he was a hero."
Kris nodded. "Not just that. His Resonance Arm... his weapon, Judgement's Yearn, is said to have the unique ability to cut through anything...The harder he swings, the more conceptual the damage becomes." He studied the regenerating monsters below. "She gained an ability that can bypass things that can't be killed normally."
"Sothat's why she chose Instructor Markos" Saphy concluded.
Ester thought for a moment. "I don't think she did." She looked at both of them. "I mean...when would she even have had the time to choose? She's been fighting this whole time."
Kris turned his head sharply. "The requirement…"
Ester nodded. Saphy was lost for a moment until it finally clicked. "The fish?!" Her eyes widened.
They both nodded. "So it wasn't random," Kris muttered. "Utahime gave her Markos's ability as a way to counter the opponent."
Ester looked back at Lin Hua, sword dragging behind her. The creatures looked at each other with something almost like apprehension. "That's…"
"Terrifying," Kris concluded.
Saphy made a sound of fascination, then froze and tilted her head. "But... what about the blinking? Or that thing—" She gestured, mimicking the twisted claw motion Lin Hua had used. "Where all the monsters just flew together...Can Markos do that as well?"
Kris frowned. "He can't..."
They all turned back to Lin Hua.
She stopped a few meters in front of the pile, then beckoned with her left hand.
*Come.*
The monsters shuffled backward, pressing against each other. They snarled and growled and hissed, but they didn't attack.
Realising they weren't going to move, Lin Hua put a hand on her hip and lurched backward in an exaggerated, exasperated motion. She regained her composure, raised her left hand, and curled one finger.
Immediately, one monster lurched forward, dragged by an invisible force, looking back in confusion. Another, seizing the opportunity, shoved it forward. The first monster snarled and whined even louder.
Lin Hua smirked.
It steeled its resolve and charged.
It didn't even get close.
One diagonal swing. The monster fell in two pieces, separated by a glowing white line, hitting the ground with a wet, meaty slap.
Silence.
They all waited, but nothing happened. The creature's glowing eyes faded as its body melted into grey sludge.
Lin Hua looked back at the others.
They all flinched.
They were scared.
She beckoned again.
Nothing.
Lin Hua sighed loudly, raised her hand, and curled her finger.
Another monster jerked forward. She swung again, and two pieces collapsed on the ground. She looked back up
Another curl. Another monster dragged forward, clawing at the ground for stability. She swung. Two pieces.
Again.
And again.
The sound of Judgement's Yearn singing through air. The wet thump of bodies hitting stone. The pile was shrinking.
Then one broke, scrambling toward the edge of the marketplace in a desperate attempt.
Lin Hua didn't even bother to look. She curled her finger. It froze in place instantly, then did an 180-degree turn and marched back into line.
Two more tried next. Different directions at the same time. She simply closed her palm, and they froze mid-air.
She casually swung the blade from where she stood—the first monster fell in two pieces. She swung again diagonally, and the second monster split down the middle. The bodies hit the ground instantly, turning to mush. She didn't even break her stride, not uttering a word.
The remaining creatures pressed closer together, trembling.
"She's... she's enjoying this," Saphy swallowed. "She's executing them. One by one... why?"
Ester swallowed. Saphy was right, between this Lin Hua and the creatures she was facing...who was the most depraved?
They even tried a different tactic, clawing at themselves, trying to spawn more copies. But Lin Hua was faster. One by one they began being pulled before she cut them down, faster than they could divide.
She got down to the last five.
Both the Greatsword and her eyes glowed an intense golden shade. She beckoned downward with one finger. All five dropped to their knees instantly, arms pinned behind their backs by invisible force. They tugged and writhed, but it was useless.
She walked toward them slowly, flexing the blade.
Then she stopped, the golden glow intensifying as she scanned each kneeling figure.
She turned and began slicing heads off one by one. Each thump made Ester's heart leap. Saphy winced with every strike. Four bodies slumped to the side, melting into paste before dissolving entirely.
The fifth remained kneeling, head intact.
Its eyes were brighter than the others. More... aware.
Lin Hua dismissed the blade, allowing it to dissolve into golden light, fading back into Flo. She stared at the creature as it looked up at her in snarling defiance.
"W-what's she doing?" Saphy asked nervously.
Lin Hua circled behind the kneeling creature. It tried to turn its head but couldn't move—Lin Hua wouldn't allow it. She raised her hand and chopped down hard on the side of its neck.
It slumped to the side, unconscious. It was over.
Lin Hua stood there for a moment, breathing hard. She staggered, catching herself against a broken stall and pressing a hand to her temple, her face twisted in anguish.
Just like she'd said, they'd witnessed a massacre. The enemies they'd thought had the upper hand had been nothing to her. This was the power of a Synchrite. No—this was the power of Second Star Lin Hua.
Even though she was terrified, Ester couldn't help but feel giddy, unable to suppress a smile as her breathing quickened. Maybe even I can...
Her trail of thought was cut short by the sound of Kris's voice.
"Zeek? ZEEK?!"
Ester spun around.
Kris was frantically shaking Ezekiel's body. Ezekiel was still. Eyes closed, a tiny smile frozen on his face. The blue markings near his neck dull, like a branding.
A horrible feeling crept over Ester.
Kris turned to both of them, pure terror in his eyes.
"I—he's not waking up... I don't..."
Saphy scrambled toward him, pressing her ear to his chest. Kris put two fingers on his neck, lightly slapping his face.
Nothing.
Ester couldn't breathe.
"What's happening?" Ester's voice came out hoarse. Neither of them answered. "This isn't funny..."
Ester tried to stay calm until she saw Saphy jump back, hand covering her mouth, eyes wide.
"H-he's not breathing." Saphy's voice cracked. "Ester... h-he's not breathing..."
Ester tried to move toward him. Surely they were joking. They had to be.
It was then Kris's hand fell from Ezekiel's neck to his side, dejected. He slumped backward, staring at nothing.
His voice was hollow.
"...He's dead."