"Disgusting..."
Yuna muttered coldly as she looked down at the fallen Yami before her. He struggled to breathe after losing one of his arms, his blood mixing with the damp soil of the forest.
With a furious roar that shook the surrounding trees, Yami charged at her without the slightest regard for his wounds.
A faint smile appeared on Yuna's face as she raised her right hand. White, glowing bones began twisting and intertwining around it before taking the form of a long bone sword.
"Come at me, monster."
Yami closed the distance in the blink of an eye, but her figure suddenly vanished as if she had dissolved into thin air. His eyes widened in shock before an unbearable pain surged through his body.
Slash!
With a single strike, Yuna severed both of his legs, sending him crashing onto the ground. He began crawling toward her while letting out furious screams.
Standing before him calmly, disgust filled her eyes.
"Even in death... you're still disgusting."
Without the slightest hesitation, she plunged her bone sword into his head. His screams came to an abrupt end as silence once again engulfed the forest.
The bone sword slowly dissolved and returned to her body. Opening the palm of her hand, an eye-like object with a dark purple glow appeared before her.
The Eye of Valiana.
The moment she absorbed its power, the number engraved on the back of her hand began to shine, changing from 9 to 10.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Finally... Ten."
Slowly clenching her fist, she raised her head toward the sky.
"There isn't much left now."
Before she could finish speaking, however, a chill ran down her spine.
BOOOOM!!
The ground beneath her feet trembled as something unknown lunged toward her at an overwhelming speed. She barely managed to raise her arm and block the attack before the resulting shockwave uprooted nearby trees and sent clouds of dust flying into the air.
Yuna took several steps back, cautiously staring at the source of the attack.
(That speed...!)
Unable to see through the thick dust cloud, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"My beautiful moon... I've missed you so much."
Silence filled the air for a few moments before Yuna let out an annoyed sigh.
"Ah... it's you again."
The dust slowly dispersed, revealing a tall young man with long black hair and crimson-red eyes that resembled blood itself. His handsome appearance could easily deceive anyone meeting him for the first time, but his smile alone was enough to tell others that something was terribly wrong with him.
It was Kenji, one of the members of the Seventh Organization, Seirei no Honō, and the second most skilled swordsman after Levi.
Smiling as usual, he looked at her lovingly.
"Didn't you miss me even a little, my beautiful moon?"
Placing her hand on her forehead, Yuna replied indifferently,
"No. And I don't intend to, even if I live for a thousand years."
"Ooh! You're still as cold as ever. But that's exactly what makes me fall deeper in love with you every single time."
Narrowing her eyes in disgust, she asked,
"Are you still keeping Yami imprisoned in your basement, you freak?"
Suddenly, Kenji raised one finger as though he had remembered something important.
"Ah! I forgot to feed him yesterday."
Silence filled the air.
"..."
"..."
"You're even more terrifying than I thought."
Without warning, Yuna delivered a powerful kick to his face, sending him crashing through the trunk of a massive tree.
A few seconds later, Kenji stood back up while dusting off his clothes with an expression of utter dissatisfaction.
"Noooo! My new clothes are dirty!"
"And who cares about your stupid clothes, you psycho?! Are you going to fight or not?"
He laughed softly before answering,
"Fight you? Hahaha! Of course not, Yuna. You're my beautiful moon. How could I ever hurt you?"
Suddenly, he disappeared from her sight.
Yuna's eyes widened in surprise, yet before she could sense his presence, she heard him whisper beside her ear.
"But... there are other ways to fight you."
Before she could react, he grabbed both of her wrists and threw her onto the ground, positioning himself above her.
Blushing in anger, Yuna immediately summoned her bone sword and swung it toward his neck. However, Kenji simply smiled before drawing his own sword at blinding speed.
CLANG!
Her bone sword shattered into two pieces.
"Oh? A direct attack on my neck? Did you really think I'd let you hit me that easily?"
Slowly leaning closer to her face, he smiled wickedly.
"By the way... did you know your eyes become even more beautiful when you're angry?"
"You damned pervert!"
He leaned in even closer as if intending to kiss her, but in the very next moment—
BOOOOM!!!
A powerful strike sent him flying through the forest, destroying nearly ten trees before crashing into a massive boulder.
Yuna quickly turned around to find Gensou standing before her, his eyes filled with fury.
"You bastard! What the hell do you think you were doing?!"
After a moment, he turned toward her and gently extended his hand.
"Are you alright, Yuna?"
For several moments, she simply stared at him, forgetting to take his hand.
(Was Gensou always this handsome...?)
Tilting his head slightly in confusion, he asked,
"Yuna? Can you hear me?"
Startled, she hurriedly replied,
"Ah—Y-Yes! I'm fine!"
Taking his hand, she stood up while desperately trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Who is that?" Gensou asked.
"That's Kenji, one of the members of Seirei no Honō. He's a pervert who's obsessively in love with me and has been chasing me every time we meet."
A faint smile appeared on Gensou's face.
"Don't worry."
Taking a step forward, he was suddenly stopped as Yuna grabbed his hand.
"Be careful, Gensou! He may be a pervert, but he's incredibly strong. He was able to fight Levi on equal footing!"
Smiling confidently, he calmly replied,
"Don't worry... I've already defeated Levi."
Yuna froze for several moments.
"What?"
"I defeated him."
"No, that's not what I meant! When did that even happen?!"
Leaving her drowning in her own thoughts, Gensou slowly walked toward Kenji.
(He defeated Levi? I never noticed that before... but hasn't Gensou become much stronger than before? It's as if he's constantly evolving!)
Kenji stood up while dusting off his clothes before staring at both Gensou and Yuna for several moments. Soon, a mocking smile appeared on his face.
"And who might you be, stranger?"
"That's none of your concern."
Looking toward Yuna, Kenji said,
"Come here, Yuna. Stay away from that stranger."
Instead of obeying him, she quietly moved closer to Gensou and stood behind him.
Lowering his head slightly, Kenji's usual smile disappeared.
"Oh... I think I understand what's happening here, Yuna."
"Kenji, I've told you before—I don't love you. Can't you understand that?"
He burst into laughter while running his fingers through his long black hair.
"I've already told you that I would never hurt you, my beautiful moon... but..."
He suddenly disappeared from his spot.
In the next moment, he was standing behind Gensou with his hand resting upon his shoulder.
"...I will hurt anyone else who dares to get close to you."
Gensou's eyes widened instantly.
It felt as though an entire mountain had fallen upon his body. He tried to move his arm, yet he couldn't even move a single finger.
(What is this pressure?!)
A terrifying smile appeared upon Kenji's face as he whispered near his ear,
"Don't bother trying, stranger. You won't be able to move before me."
An overwhelming pressure spread across the area as the ground beneath their feet began to crack. Even Yuna, who wasn't the primary target of the skill, found it difficult to breathe.
"This skill is called..."
Silence engulfed the battlefield for a few moments before Kenji slowly opened his crimson eyes completely. At that instant, his entire presence changed.
"King's Domain."
For the very first time, Gensou felt as though he was standing before a true king—a mere insect daring to raise its head in the ruler's presence.
Kenji slowly leaned toward his face, his smile now devoid of the madness he usually displayed.
"No one moves before a king..."
His smile widened ever so slightly as he continued,
"...unless you're going to prove me wrong."