A massive cloud of dust erupted in front of Hiro, swallowing his vision whole.
For a moment, all he could see was swirling gray and fragments of shattered asphalt drifting through the air. His ears rang from the impact, and the scent of burnt Aether mixed with concrete filled his lungs.
As the dust slowly began to settle, a silhouette emerged from within the haze.
At first, it was just a vague outline—tall, upright, unmistakably humanoid. Then, as the air cleared further, the figure straightened fully.
A beautiful girl stepped forward. She had long pink hair that flowed past her shoulders like strands of silk, and sharp crimson eyes that glowed faintly with residual Aether. She wore an Imperial Army combat uniform—sleek black with gold trimming, reinforced at the joints. In her right hand was a massive spear nearly twice her height, its blade shimmering with condensed light.
However, her beauty was not untouched. Small cuts marked her cheek. Bruises shadowed her jaw. Blood trickled from the corner of her rosy lips, staining her pale skin.
And yet—
She looked even more unreal because of it.
Hiro immediately recognized her.
She was the girl he had briefly seen that morning on his way to school—the one who had stepped out of a military transport near the academy gates.
He never expected to see her again.
Especially not during a Gate breach.
"I honestly didn't expect that thing to send me flying," the girl muttered, wiping blood from her lip as she stepped fully out of what remained of the Abyssal's corpse, the same creature that had been seconds away from devouring him.
The spider-like monster lay split in half behind her, its grotesque body leaking black ichor that evaporated into smoke.
"Who… who are you?" Hiro managed to ask, his voice hoarse as he forced the words out.
She finally seemed to notice me.
Her crimson eyes snapped in his direction.
"Why the hell are you not in a bunker?" she demanded sharply.
Instead of answering his question, she rebuked me.
"My..... name is Yukishima Hiro, I—I was heading there," he replied quickly. "But then the Abyssal appeared."
She stared at him for a second longer before clicking her tongue.
"You must have seriously terrible luck Mr Kirishima."
As if summoned by her words, loud shrieking sounds echoed throughout the area. The ground trembled again, not from a localized impact, but from distant explosions and movement.
His stomach dropped. From the surrounding streets and rooftops, massive shapes began to emerge.
A group of Abyssals—no, a swarm crawled into view.
Dozens of spider-like creatures skittered forward, their red eyes glowing in the dimming light. Their bodies scraped against buildings as they descended from walls and lampposts, forming a tightening circle around us.
It seemed the earlier crash had attracted every nearby Abyssal to our location.
"Shit…" the girl muttered under her breath, lowering her head slightly as she assessed the situation. "At this point, all the bunkers will be sealed. And I can't leave a civilian alone."
For a split second, Hiro thought she might abandon him. Instead, she lifted her head and looked straight at him.
"Okay. This is what we're going to do," she said firmly. "Stay behind me at all times. I'm going to protect you."
Her spear began to glow brighter, white light gathering at its tip.
A wave of relief flooded through his body so quickly it almost made his knees give out.
He was going to survive.
"Hopefully my unit members will arrive soon and take you to safety," she added quietly. "Before that thing finds us."
"Wait!!!—what thing?" I asked, his pulse spiking again.
But before she could respond, the Abyssals surrounding us made their move.
With an ear-piercing shriek, a giant spider Abyssal leapt forward, its massive body soaring through the air. Its poison-coated fangs gleamed under the flickering city lights as it descended toward us.
"Pierce!!" the girl shouted.
She thrust her spear forward with explosive speed.
A concentrated beam of white energy erupted from the spear's tip like a laser, tearing through the air and piercing straight through the Abyssal's lower body.
The creature let out a distorted screech before its momentum died mid-air. It crashed heavily onto the ground in front of us—dead before it even hit the pavement.
But the kill did nothing to discourage the others.
As if triggered by the death of their kin, the remaining spider Abyssals launched themselves at us all at once.
They came from every direction—rooftops, walls, the ground trying to bury us beneath a writhing mountain of chitin and fangs before tearing us apart.
'Shit, Is this how I'm going to die?'
That thought flashed through Hiro's mind as the descending shadows grew larger. Their bodies blocked out the sky, their screeches merging into one horrific chorus.
He glanced at the girl standing in front of me.Despite the situation, a ridiculous thought crossed his mind.
At least I'm going to die next to such a hot girl.Even if she's an Imperial soldier, I doubt she can—
Before I could finish the thought, she shouted again.
"Longinus Spear Art: Piercing the Heavens!"
Her entire body erupted with Aether.
She stepped forward and unleashed a flurry of spear thrusts so fast they blurred into streaks of light. Each thrust released a beam identical to the one before, but this time, there were dozens of them.
The beams shot upward, meeting the descending Abyssals head-on.
Then, they merged.
All the individual beams fused into a single colossal pillar of white light that tore straight into the sky.
The impact was instantaneous.Every Abyssal caught within its radius disintegrated mid-air. Their bodies turned to ash before they could even scream, scattering like black snow against the brilliant glow.
The ground trembled as the beam pierced the clouds, illuminating the entire district in blinding radiance.
And then—
Silence.
Where there had once been a swarm, there was nothing.
Only drifting dust.
The girl's aura intensified.And for the first time in his life, Hiro witnessed the true power of a Blessing unleashed.
The girl slowly lowered her spear. The light around it dimmed, though faint sparks of Aether still crackled along its blade.
She glanced over her shoulder at me.
"I told you I was going to protect you, right?" she said coolly.
Even with blood on her lips and exhaustion faintly visible in her eyes, she carried herself with undeniable authority.
"I am Princess Yurei Skyfall," she continued, her voice steady. "Captain of the Thirteenth Royal Unit."
She straightened fully, spear planted against the cracked pavement.
"And I never go back on my word."
The name hit him harder than the explosion earlier.
Princess.
Royal Unit.
This wasn't just any Imperial soldier.
She was one of the elite.
And somehow—
He had been saved by her.