Kiren shot up to his feet.That attack hadn't even tickled him.
He glanced around — completely surrounded. What he couldn't understand was why they were attacking him.
One of the soldiers charged with his sword held high, determined to cut him down.Slash! Kiren dodged with ease. The movements seemed slow… far too slow. It was as if everything around him moved in slow motion.
More knights joined the assault, and within seconds the street became a dance of flashing steel.Clang! Clang! Clang!Not a single strike touched him.Not a cut. Not a scratch.
He leapt to the opposite sidewalk and sprinted down the cracked street.
— I'll go faster! —he said with a euphoric grin.
Whoosh!
It didn't take long for a young woman with a crimson sword to catch up. She swung her weapon with a determined look, scarlet light spilling from its edge once again.
— No… not this time —muttered Kiren, vaulting into an impossibly high jump.
Boom!
He landed in the thick of the forest.
He kept running. The woman wasn't far behind — she skimmed through the air on what looked like a floating board that matched his speed.
Zzzzhhh!
When she was close enough, she dove forward and landed right in front of him.Thud!
— This is where you stop! —she declared, jubilant.
Kiren stared at her up close. She was slender, with a face that bordered on angelic. He stood gawking like an idiot.
She noticed his gaze and frowned in disgust.
— Don't look at me like that! —she slashed at him.
Slash! Slash!
But Kiren dodged again and again; her attacks couldn't touch him.
— Why are you attacking me? —he asked, his voice distorted and inhuman.
The blonde froze.
— You… can talk?
— Of course I can talk… why wouldn't I?
— Impossible… what kind of creature are you?
— I'm—
A deafening roar cut him off.BOOOOM!
From the bushes came a massive reverberation, followed by shouts and the pounding of racing hearts.
— Attack! —several army voices yelled in unison.
Kiren bolted, soldiers pounding after him. The girl stayed where she was, deep in thought. She couldn't understand how this creature could speak… or why his humanoid appearance was so different from the monsters that plagued the kingdom. The question "Why are you attacking me?" kept echoing in her mind.
Suddenly, another explosion.KABOOOM!
Kiren was launched skyward like a missile, crashing back down into the city streets.CRASH! CRACK!
— That one actually hurt —he groaned, pushing himself up.
Standing before him was a young man with orange hair and a white cape, wielding a serrated sword. Above his head floated a glowing number: 50.
— Monster, you'd better surrender —he said in a friendly tone, though his stance made it clear he'd kill him without hesitation.
— Don't screw with me.
The young man looked as stunned as the blonde.
— You can talk?
— Don't you think that's a… —he scratched his head with a claw— stupid question? Of course I can talk.
— I don't know what kind of monster you are, but under the king's orders… you must die.
Fwoosh!
The orange-haired knight charged with a powerful strike. Kiren dodged and, when the sword came back, he caught its hooked teeth in his claws.
Clang!
They locked eyes for a few tense seconds. Kiren released the weapon and stepped back—
BANG!
A blow sent him smashing through several walls.CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
He landed in what looked like a crowded shopping center. A thick cloud of dust filled the air.
— I can't deal with this… —Kiren muttered.
Then, a voice echoed in his head:
— To change your appearance, say "Zero Transformation." That will activate your human avatar.
— Zero Transformation.
Swoosh…
It felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. He stood, coughing through the dust. Soldiers poured in, searching through the rubble.
— He got away! —one shouted.
— What do you mean he got away? Search everywhere! —the blonde ordered.
— He couldn't have gone far —added the orange-haired knight.
Kiren watched them, now in human form, his gaze locked on her with love-struck eyes.
— You're… beautiful —he murmured, the words almost dragging from his mouth.
She ignored him and kept scanning the area.
— Hey, you… the guy with the stupid face.
— Me…?
— Did you see a huge creature come through here?
— I only see you.
— He must be in shock —the orange-haired knight remarked—. He's bleeding from the head.
Kiren touched his scalp and felt something wet. He looked at his hand.
— No way… —he whispered. Then thud, he collapsed unconscious.