The misty morning air carried the scent of pine and damp earth as the Tri-Warriors rode into the Ironwood Basin.
This was a quiet, secluded region of the Underward territory, known for its towering, ancient trees and the humble lumber villages that supplied timber to Master Brados’s stronghold.
Today, however, the logging village of Oakhaven was completely silent.
The massive iron axes of the woodcutters lay abandoned in the dirt, and the wooden doors of the cottages were barred shut.
Kenshin pulled the reins of his black steed, bringing the horse to a gentle halt in the center of the village square.
He wore his dark, comfortable armor, the deep purple-edged katana and parrying dagger resting securely at his waist.
To his left rode Asami, her long midnight-blue hair tied back, her double-bladed polearm strapped across her back.
To his right, Horuto sat tall on his mount, his thick jade broadswords resting in their scabbards.
“The villagers are terrified,” Horuto noted, his glowing olive-green eyes scanning the closed shutters of the surrounding homes.
“They have not cut a single tree in over a week.”
Asami gracefully dismounted her horse.
She walked toward the largest cottage in the square and knocked firmly on the heavy wooden door.
“We are the disciples of Master Brados!” Asami called out, her voice clear and authoritative.
“The Tri-Warriors have answered your petition! Open your doors!”
A long moment passed before the heavy wooden bar inside was lifted.
The door creaked open, revealing an elderly man with a long, braided beard.
He trembled, leaning heavily on a wooden cane as he looked up at the three imposing warriors.
“Praise the Underward,” the village elder breathed, stepping aside to let them in.
“We sent our fastest rider to the Master’s stronghold days ago. We feared you would not arrive in time.”
Kenshin stepped into the dim cottage, followed by Horuto.
“What is hunting your people, elder? Your petition mentioned a beast in the deep woods.”
The old man ushered them toward a wooden table, gesturing for them to sit.
“It is a nightmare born of the deep forests, young master. A Scythe-Claw Mantis. Usually, they stay in the deep canyons and hunt wild boars, but this one… this one has grown unnaturally large. It is the size of a cottage. It ambushed my woodcutters five days ago. It sliced through their iron shields as if they were made of parchment.”
Kenshin’s dark green eyes narrowed.
He remembered the name of the creature.
It was one of the many terrifying insects recorded in the ancient bestiaries of the realm.
A creature of pure predatory instinct, armed with forelimbs as sharp as enchanted swords.
“Where was it last seen?” Horuto asked, crossing his powerful arms.
“In the Weeping Hollow, just three leagues north of here,” the elder replied, his hands shaking.
“Please, warriors. If that beast is not slain, our village will starve. We cannot harvest the timber, and we cannot safely travel the roads.”
“You have nothing more to fear,” Asami said, her voice softening into a polite, reassuring tone.
“Bar your doors and keep your fires low. By the time the moons rise tonight, the beast will be dead.”
-Break-
The Weeping Hollow earned its name from the thick, glowing blue moss that hung from the branches of the towering Ironwood trees.
The dense canopy blocked out the sunlight, casting the entire forest in a ghostly, mystical twilight.
The Tri-Warriors moved on foot, leaving their horses at the edge of the woods.
The heavy silence of the forest was unnatural; there were no birds singing, and no small animals scurrying through the underbrush.
The absolute quiet was the undeniable mark of an apex predator.
Kenshin walked with a fluid, silent grace.
His hands rested naturally on the hilts of his weapons.
He took a deep breath, reaching inward to the magical core resting within his chest.
Blandcourus.
The magical energy heightened his senses, allowing him to feel the faint vibrations of the earth beneath his boots.
“The tracks are massive,” Horuto whispered, kneeling near a patch of disturbed soil.
He traced the deep, jagged indentations in the mud.
“Three toes. Deep gouges. The beast is heavy, but it moves lightly.”
Asami stood a few paces away, her icy blue eyes scanning the thick canopy above.
The electric-blue and purple energy of her Plandacorus aura crackled faintly around the edges of her polearm.
“Mantises are ambush hunters. It will not meet us in an open clearing. It will wait until we are surrounded by obstacles, and then it will strike from the shadows.”
“Then we will give it a target,” Kenshin stated calmly.
He stepped directly into the center of a small, moss-covered clearing, leaving his back completely exposed to the dense trees.
“Kenshin, do not be reckless,” Horuto warned, stepping out of the brush, his hands gripping the hilts of his heavy jade broadswords.
“I am not,” Kenshin replied softly, a confident smile touching his lips.
“We are bound by the Partnership System. I trust you to watch my back.”
Before Horuto could reply, the trees above them violently shook.
A deafening, clicking screech echoed through the hollow.
From the darkness of the canopy, a colossal shadow plummeted directly toward Kenshin.
It was the Scythe-Claw Mantis.
The beast was terrifyingly huge, its dark green exoskeleton glistening with a foul, magical residue.
Its massive, serrated forelimbs swung downward like a pair of deadly executioner’s blades, aiming to cleave Kenshin in half.
Kenshin did not move.
He did not flinch.
In a blur of motion, Horuto stepped directly behind Kenshin.
Kratognus 1st Form: Emerald Vanguard!
Horuto’s body was instantly engulfed in a blinding, emerald-green aura.
He raised his massive jade broadswords, crossing them high above Kenshin’s head.
The mantis’s serrated claws slammed into the thick jade blades.
The magical impact rang like a massive bell, sending a powerful gust of wind blasting through the clearing, blowing the blue moss from the trees.
“Your armor is strong, beast!” Horuto roared, his boots sinking deep into the soil as he held back the crushing weight of the giant insect.
“But my blades are heavier!”
Horuto violently shoved his arms upward, throwing the colossal mantis off balance and forcing it to stagger backward onto its hind legs.
“Asami!” Kenshin shouted.
Violet Phantom Flurry!
Asami materialized from a streak of purple lightning directly beside the towering creature.
She moved with blinding speed, her double-bladed polearm spinning into a deadly, purple-glowing arc.
She did not aim for the creature’s thick armor.
She aimed for its joints.
The jagged upper blade of her polearm sliced cleanly through the unarmored joint of the mantis’s right leg.
The beast shrieked in agony, a spray of dark, foul blood erupting from the wound as it collapsed heavily onto its side.
“Now, Kenshin!” Asami commanded, gracefully leaping backward to avoid the creature’s thrashing claws.
Kenshin drew his dark katana and parrying dagger.
The black, wavy clouds of the Blandcourus instantly wrapped around the steel, turning the blades into instruments of absolute sharpness.
Dark Trail Step.
Kenshin dissolved into a plume of black smoke, completely bypassing the frantic, sweeping strikes of the downed beast.
He reappeared directly above the mantis’s head, suspended in mid-air.
He raised his katana high, the dark-purple gem on the crossguard glowing with intense magical brilliance.
Blandcourus Circle: Void Cleave.
The black wave sliced effortlessly through the beast’s thick, armored neck, severing the colossal head from its body in a single, flawless strike.
The massive body of the Scythe-Claw Mantis twitched once, then fell completely still.
Kenshin landed gracefully on the forest floor, flipping his katana to shake the dark blood from the steel before sliding it smoothly back into its sheath.
The dark aura faded from his arms, leaving only the quiet, peaceful silence of the woods.
-Break-
The sun was setting by the time the Tri-Warriors returned to Oakhaven.
They dragged the massive, severed head of the Scythe-Claw Mantis into the village square, dropping it heavily into the dirt.
The villagers slowly peeked out from their wooden windows.
When they saw the lifeless head of the nightmare that had terrorized them, doors flew open.
Men, women, and children poured into the square, weeping tears of relief and joy.
The village elder hobbled forward on his cane, falling to his knees before Kenshin, Asami, and Horuto.
“You have saved us,” the old man wept, bowing his head.
“The Underward is truly blessed to have protectors such as you. How can we ever repay this debt?”
Horuto stepped forward, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on the elder’s shoulder and guiding him back to his feet.
“You owe us no debt, elder. Master Brados demands only that you live in peace, and that you harvest the timber safely. Your safety is our duty.”
A young village girl, no older than seven, timidly approached Asami.
In her small hands, she held a crown woven from beautiful, glowing blue moss and wildflowers.
She nervously held it up to the fierce warrior.
Asami’s strict, battle-hardened expression melted entirely.
She knelt down, offering the little girl a warm, radiant smile, and allowed the child to place the flower crown upon her midnight-blue hair.
“Thank you, little one,” Asami whispered softly.
Kenshin watched the exchange from a few paces away.
His dark green eyes reflected a profound, quiet peace.
He thought back to the dark, blood-stained memories of his childhood.
The horrific pain of the subterranean vault, the crushing isolation, the belief that he was nothing more than a monster born of shadows.
But looking at Horuto organizing the villagers, and Asami smiling with a crown of flowers, Kenshin realized how far he had come.
He was not a monster.
He was a Tri-Warrior.
He was a protector of the realm.
“We make a good team,” Kenshin noted as Horuto and Asami walked back over to him.
“We make a flawless team,” Horuto corrected, a proud glint in his glowing olive-green eyes.
“Your Blandcourus aura has grown immensely, Kenshin. You did not hesitate today.”
“I have excellent teachers,” Kenshin replied, giving them a respectful nod.
Asami adjusted the flower crown on her head, her icy blue eyes sparkling with rare amusement.
“Do not let the praise inflate your ego, Kenshin. When we return to the stronghold, I expect you in the sparring ring. You still leave your left flank too open after a strike.”
Kenshin laughed, a genuine, lighthearted sound that echoed through the village square.
“I look forward to the lesson.”
The three warriors mounted their horses, riding out of the village as the villagers cheered their names.
The mission was small, a mere beast hunt in the grand scale of the realms, but it was another perfect victory for the Tri-Warriors.
Their legend was growing, and with every passing day, their souls grew stronger, preparing them for whatever challenges the vast, magical world of the Underward would throw at them next.
GET READY FOR THE BATTLE”
………RITSU