Warning:
Abnormal status detected—
Confirmed source: mental hypnosis—
Attempting to purge… purge failed—
Activating defensive protocol… activating switch [Yan Armor · Yin]—
Switch activated—
[Yan Armor · Yin] will not disappear until the abnormality is cleared—
Attempting to clear abnormality… 0%—
[Yan Armor · Yin] — Temporary Switch · Locked Skill — Continuous attack judgment surrounds you; you enter a super-armor state; you absorb 90% of all damage taken and release it outward as Netherflame.
Origin: Finally found it! With those dragons accompanying me, I found it! This suit of armor, radiating nothing but dull, hazy Netherflame from head to toe! Wearing it won’t make you truly invincible, but at least it’ll protect me…
She leaned against the wall. The armor on her body was perfectly intact, yet she herself was covered in wounds. Around her, Netherflame raged and burned, while in the distance, a dark, pressing mass—the enemy—stretched as far as the eye could see…
She never expected to be worn down like this…
Name: Hazuki Toomi
Age: 12
Status: [Mental Domination · Hypnosis] [Wanted — Mission] [Wanted — Missing Person Notice]
Social Status: The wanted
[Viewing]
Attack: ??
Defense: EX
Agility: ??
Magic: ∞
Physical Strength: EX
Growth Potential: ∞
Precision: A
Mental Strength: A+
Airheadedness: F / Intelligence: A
Mode Enhancement Attributes: [Permanent · Beyond Boundaries · I — Serious Mode] [Spatial Will · I — Serious Mode] [Mystic Secrets · Impression Fracture · I — Serious Mode]
Time: 7/5, 20:25
Location: [Feltro]
Event: Orc Legion Invasion
…
It was a pitch-black basement, so dark you couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face.
As a detention facility, the place was fairly well-hidden for the guards on duty, and it wasn’t too bad to stay in—just a bit too damp.
Most of the guards were members of the Royal Guard under Cartelam’s command. Though they weren’t very familiar with Cartelam himself, they were utterly obedient to their captain. They never questioned his orders, and so they stood eagerly at the basement door and along the corridor.
As for Cartelam—he was actually a duke who had been granted territory by the [Cloverft] royal family. He’d simply given up his land, choosing instead to live quietly with his family. Nothing special. He just happened to be staying in this “City of Beastfolk” for now.
At this point, people probably saw him as just “a man who lost his family and everything, and now wants to take it all back.” Pretty ordinary, right?
“What an uneasy night. First the fireworks, and now an orc raid? Hah~ I’m so tired.” One guard yawned, rubbed his eyes, and muttered to himself.
As much as it angered him to watch the orcs ravage his hometown, he still didn’t want to go die out there. Better to just do his captain’s bidding and stay safe.
“Sigh, I get it. It sucks. But that’s just how it is—even the knights can’t beat them, so what makes you think we can?” The guard beside him placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a bitter laugh.
Relief shifts came every two days, and to keep things efficient, there were checks and swaps at all hours of the day.
Normally, the next shift should have arrived by now—but they were nowhere to be seen.
“I know. That’s exactly why I don’t want to go die out there. If those guys haven’t shown up, they’ve probably already run for their lives. Only us few idiots are still standing here, staring at this basement.” The first guard sighed, propped his longsword against the ground, and leaned on the hilt to kill time.
The other guard, seeing him like this, seemed to catch on. He reached into his coat and pulled out a bottle of liquor, waving it in front of his companion’s eyes.
“Huh? What are you up to now—whoa?! Isn’t that rum?! You bastard, you’ve been hoarding booze and didn’t tell me!” The guard snatched the rum eagerly, popped the cork without a second thought, and started chugging until the bottle was empty.
“I know you’re a hopeless drunk. So I secretly saved this from yesterday’s banquet.”
“You son of a gun, you really know how to surprise me. Hahaha! At this rate, I can stand here for five hours easy!”
“Save the flattery. Heheh… hey, did you hear that?”
“Huh? What? Are you trying to pull another—? Oh. Looks like someone’s coming to give us a little entertainment.”
Both guards raised their longswords into a proper stance, ears perked and alert, quickly honing in on a certain tap-tap-tap of footsteps.
It was already an emergency—most residents had taken shelter. No ordinary civilian would be out at this hour, and even if they were, they wouldn’t wander into this gloomy alley.
The footsteps grew closer, sharper with every step—
“Hey, do you hear that? Those footsteps…”
“Yeah, of course. They’re light—too light. Judging by the rhythm, it sounds like a child.”
“That can’t be right. Why would a child come here? If that’s really the case, let’s not bother arming ourselves. It’s just a kid—we can just give them a verbal warning.”
“Right, I know. But still… I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Hey, here they come. See?”
Following his companion’s gesture, the guard looked toward a nearby corner. A small figure emerged, stepping into the moonlight, revealing herself clearly…
A frail frame, hair like a waterfall of blue, fair and delicate skin, a face both innocent and striking, with golden eyes like the sun—moonlight wove them all together into this lovely little girl…
But no matter how much the guards warned her, she kept walking forward with that mechanical, expressionless face, showing no sign of stopping.
“This girl’s cute, but she’s suspicious as hell.”
“I figured that out already. She wouldn’t happen to be the girl the captain mentioned, would she? The one Cartelam put up on the wanted board!”
“What?! That extremely dangerous girl?! Damn it. Hey! Stop right there!”
The girl acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing and kept advancing.
The two guards finally realized she intended to force her way through, so they quickly drew their swords.
The girl finally acknowledged them, but she didn’t slow down. She merely raised her right hand toward the wall and clenched it suddenly.
By some unknown force, cracks began to spread across the wall. Then, moved by something unseen, a massive chunk of stone split away and floated before her.
“What is she—”
“…Could it be?! Ye! Get down!!”
The guard was shoved to the ground by his companion. Just as he was about to cry out in pain, he saw the man lying beside him, himself bathed in blood.
“No way… this is—how could I just—”
Another stone slab smashed into him, taking his upper body with it, while the rest collapsed in futile resistance.
The girl remained unmoved. She lowered her hand gently, walked up to the door, extended her palm—and after a few streaks of azure light, the door was inexplicably sliced to pieces. She continued forward.
Everything ended so cleanly, as if nothing had happened at all.
She descended the long staircase and entered a corridor. Before her stood another pair of guards…
She didn’t stop. This time, she didn’t even bother raising her hand.
…
…..
“Guh… just what… kind of monster is that…”
The guard struggled to his feet. His surroundings were already stained by an unknown black flame, yet the girl before him was completely unscathed, still advancing without pause.
It looked like the men ahead had been taken out by her too…
“Captain… to have served you this far… is my honor… So that absurd legend about tearing the sky apart… wasn’t a lie…..”
The guard fell backward, lifeless.
…..
…
“Hah!! Take this! Ku!”
The longsword the guard swung was snapped effortlessly by the girl. In his moment of hesitation, she countered—her foot striking his side like a full-force elephant charge, slamming his spine against the cold wall, his body chilling just as quickly.
“…What… in the world…”
The girl in his vision grew hazy, and then his eyelids closed forever.
…
…..
The torch that had been kicked over should have blazed fiercely, but instead it was devoured by the black flame and vanished without a trace. The once-bright depths of the basement grew dark and murky with the encroaching black fire…
The girl did not stop. She knew her goal was not yet achieved, and she could not halt now.
None of this was about whether it was worth it—it simply had to be done.
But still, the girl began to question the reason. The reason she was doing all this… why exactly…
“How’s this?!”
She caught the thrusting spear, snapped it without even lifting her head, and stomped her foot hard against the ground, infusing it with cerulean magic that sent deep-blue blades piercing through the guard before her.
“You… just what are you—”
She didn’t bother hearing the last words. She pressed forward, knowing she was close to her target. Following the guidance of the orb in her hand, she found it with ease…
But why was she doing this? What was the reason?
She began to question, began to waver—
She started firing fireballs and spells at random in every direction, unleashing everything she knew, everything that could threaten others.
“AHHHHHH!!!”
She grabbed the last guard in her sight, clenched his neck tightly, and hoisted him into the air—
In that instant—crimson flame, spiritual fire, ghostly blaze, Netherflame—they all engulfed them both, spiraling like a cyclone, forming a massive pillar of light…
Afterward, only the girl remained. She stared at her own hands, hesitating for a long moment. Seeing one more door ahead, she walked forward and pushed it open—
Inside, she could see nothing—because it was utterly pitch-black…
“Back again, are you? This old man has nothing left to say…”
