For a long time the sky had been dyed an inky black without stars. Heavy storm clouds hung low like a black ceiling pressing down on the city. Rain poured violently; every drop seemed to leave a tiny trace of corrosion on this scorched land.
Boom!
Energy from all over the world gathered from every direction—so dense it was visible to the naked eye—then crashed together and surged desperately toward the two figures on the dome of sky above.
This was a battle between beasts. They fought for the right to define the land—no, even the very idea of a body.
The land's energy offered up its final sacrifice to the two beasts.
The dark curtain of rain had already been completely torn apart by the twin storms of light and darkness. The sky looked as if it were collapsing at the edges.
"Hehe… hehehe… What a boring encore."
Behind her, nine tails of light unfurled with elegant grace as though they carried divinity, each tail radiating a terrifying pressure. A smile that could enchant any living being rested on her exquisitely beautiful face, yet only undisguised mockery and cruelty lived in her eyes.
Compared to Light Koyanskaya, the Dark Koyanskaya had clearly begun to show cracks.
The black hole formed from the beast's shadow and resentment was being swallowed bit by bit by the beast of light. Defeat was approaching rapidly.
"Just as expected—this is the real 'way to enjoy things.'"
She raised her right hand with practiced elegance, continuing to devour the Dark Koyanskaya's energy as she praised the art she was creating.
"Humans should be kept as pets, used as tools—maximized for efficiency… That is the true path. A rude creature that can only rely on primitive, barbaric violence is fated to lose."
The Dark Koyanskaya did not answer—meaning she no longer had the spare capacity to speak so calmly.
Her body grew more and more ethereal. Her power was extracted little by little, eventually turning into pure energy that flowed into Koyanskaya's body.
Koyanskaya closed her eyes and drank in that final, most crucial energy as if starving for it.
She could clearly feel herself nearing the peak…
A complete throne of the Dark Koyanskaya—transcending everything, ruling everything.
"That's it… This power is…!"
Feeling her strength swell rapidly, the corners of her lips lifted, the pleasure deepening.
All the dissatisfaction of this land—its inhuman hatred—would be fully used by her, becoming the foundation of her dominion.
However…
Just as Koyanskaya was about to savor victory, she snapped her eyes open, disbelief on her face.
At this moment her power was stronger than ever before—yet she still could not reach the true realm of perfection and self-consistency.
…Why?
The energy had already been absorbed…
So why did it still feel so wrong?
Koyanskaya's suspicious gaze turned back to the nearly transparent Dark Koyanskaya.
And then—she saw it.
At the center of the Dark Koyanskaya's long-collapsed shell…
There remained a small something that stubbornly refused to be devoured.
It was neither energy nor matter.
It was compressed to an extreme—belonging to the Dark Koyanskaya's purest will.
It was the most primitive hatred of an abused wild animal—something that would not yield to civilization.
This was the Dark Koyanskaya's true core.
Clearly she had lost all power, all form—yet her will was nailed like a spike to the conceptual throne of Beast IV, refusing to be assimilated by Light Koyanskaya's civilized and systematic logic!
—She was still resisting, stubbornly, in some corner of the negation!
Light Koyanskaya's eyes grew colder each time she looked at the Dark Koyanskaya.
"Victory is the difference. Your path is wrong and inefficient. Hand over your core and become part of my perfect body… That will be your final value!"
Hearing that, the Dark Koyanskaya laughed with scorn.
"Perfect? Ridiculous."
"Even if I fail, don't think I'll assimilate into a body like yours—polluted by humans."
Light Koyanskaya's expression froze.
"You're obviously just a loser—"
At last, a cold voice—nearly emotionless—rang out.
"Wrong?"
The Dark Koyanskaya spoke with biting irony.
"The path you evolved is nothing more than imitation of the human system. Your so-called enjoyment is merely repeating human crimes… Your power, your heart, your body—everything is just a copy of a copy stolen from those primates."
Unlike Koyanskaya, the Dark Koyanskaya was hatred itself—an aggregate of all who refuse to yield to civilization.
How could she accept being swallowed by Koyanskaya?
Still… even if she didn't want to admit it, she had ultimately failed. It was a shame she had wasted his help recently…
But she still liked this woman, after all.
In the end, that was all it amounted to…
Compared to that cruel beast, this woman understood humans better.
The heavy rain continued to wash over this long-dead land, until it felt like the world held only the sound of rain and thunder.
The Dark Koyanskaya slowly closed her eyes. The final core of will within her body detonated with a dark glimmer.
"…You're going to self-destruct?!"
Light Koyanskaya's expression shifted slightly as she stepped forward to stop it.
But in that instant—
They both heard it at the same time.
A very faint sound of footsteps, almost impossible to catch within the downpour.
Snap…
Snap…
The footsteps mixed with the rain splashing into mud—slow, steady, unmistakable.
The light of self-destruction stalled for an instant. The Dark Koyanskaya unconsciously turned her face to look.
At the same time, Koyanskaya's gaze followed.
Her eyes pierced the curtain of rain, fixing on the ruined battlefield.
A black-haired man approached. One of his arms hung down weakly at an unnatural angle. He staggered as if burning the last of his strength.
This sea had long since turned into hatred, constantly rejecting outsiders who approached.
Yet when he stepped onto it, it became strangely excited—almost as if welcoming his arrival.
Finally he reached them, stood at the intersection of the two energy storms, and slowly raised his head.
He stared at the Dark Koyanskaya while breathing weakly… then at the dominant Light Koyanskaya.
A smile stained with blood and rain rose on his face.
"You two really can't let anyone relax."
…