The battlefield was no longer a battlefield.
It was a ruin.
The ground was torn apart, cracked like shattered glass.
Smoke rose endlessly into the sky, carrying the scent of burning flesh and lingering death.
The air itself felt heavy—thick with killing intent that refused to dissipate.
At the center of it all stood Veera.
Her expression was calm… too calm.
Dark energy swirled around her like a living storm, gathering into her palm.
The mana twisted violently, forming a sphere so dense that even the surrounding space seemed to distort.
“You’ve struggled long enough,” she said softly.
Then, her eyes turned cold.
“Die.”
The attack fell.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion ripped through the battlefield like a collapsing star.
The shockwave tore apart everything in its path—
And a small figure was sent flying.
Ut’s younger sibling.
Their body hit the ground, rolled helplessly, and finally came to a stop—motionless.
“…No…”
Ut 2’s voice trembled.
Her vision blurred.
“NO—!!”
She rushed forward, her heart pounding violently against her chest.
But before she could reach them—
A shadow descended.
“MORTALS… KNOW YOUR PLACE!”
The sky split open with a roar.
Maloch descended like a god of destruction.
His wings spread wide, blotting out the light.
Flames ignited along his massive blade, burning so intensely that the air screamed in protest.
“This world… ends for you here.”
He raised his weapon slowly.
Too slowly.
Because the pressure behind it—
Was absolute.
Ut 2 froze.
Her body refused to move.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Her instincts screamed.
Run.
Run now.
You cannot survive this.
But she didn’t move.
Behind her—
Her sibling lay on the ground.
Broken.
Defenseless.
“…If I run…”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“…they die.”
Her fingers tightened.
Her nails dug into her palms.
Blood seeped out.
But she didn’t care.
“I won’t run.”
She stepped forward.
One step.
The pressure intensified.
The air grew heavier.
Her bones creaked under the weight of Maloch’s power.
Another step.
Her breathing grew ragged.
Her vision darkened.
Her body screamed in pain.
But she stood.
“…Come.”
Maloch’s lips curled into a cruel smile.
“Foolish.”
His blade fell.
And then—
Silence.
Everything stopped.
The flames froze.
The wind ceased.
Even the sound of destruction… disappeared.
Something had arrived.
“…What is this…?”
Veera’s pupils shrank.
Maloch’s expression changed for the first time.
Confusion.
No one saw her appear.
No one sensed her presence.
But suddenly—
She was there.
A figure in purple.
Standing between Ut 2… and death.
Her long hair moved gently, untouched by the chaos.
Her expression was calm.
Unbothered.
As if none of this mattered.
Her hand rested lightly on the hilt of a katana.
“…Who are you?” Maloch growled.
No answer.
Only a single step forward.
Step.
The ground didn’t shake.
The air didn’t move.
Yet—
It felt as if the world itself shifted.
Her fingers tightened.
Draw.
“Keng…”
A soft sound.
Clear. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Almost gentle.
Yet it echoed across the battlefield like the ringing of fate itself.
Then—
Her voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Unquestionable.
“One Sword… Opens the Heavens.”
Light.
Just one flash.
But in that instant—
Everything split.
The sky.
The air.
The battlefield.
Time itself seemed to fracture under that single strike.
Then—
Silence.
Maloch stood still.
His eyes widened slowly.
“…Impossible…”
A thin line appeared across his body.
So thin it was almost invisible.
Then—
It expanded.
SPLIT.
His body separated cleanly in half.
No resistance.
No struggle.
Only death.
BOOOOOOM!!!
His massive body crashed to the ground.
The flames extinguished instantly.
The pressure vanished.
Gone.
Just like that.
The battlefield fell into complete silence.
Veera stood frozen.
Her mind refused to process what she had just seen.
“That… wasn’t power…”
Her lips trembled.
“…That was… absolute.”
Her gaze slowly lifted.
The purple figure stood there.
Unmoving.
Unharmed.
Untouchable.
“…Monster…”
Fear overtook her completely.
Without hesitation—
She turned and ran.
No pride.
No dignity.
No second thought.
Only survival.
Silence returned.
Ut 2 stood there.
Breathing heavily.
Her heart pounded violently.
“…Who… are you?”
The girl turned.
Her purple eyes met Ut 2’s.
Sharp.
Cold.
Endless.
“…Butterfly.”
Ut 2 froze.
Behind her—
A weak sob could be heard.
“I… I thought… I was going to die…”
Her younger sibling trembled on the ground, tears streaming down their face.
Butterfly glanced at them briefly.
Then looked away.
“I was just passing by.”
Her tone was indifferent.
As if this entire battle…
Meant nothing.
Then—
She looked back at Ut 2.
A short pause.
“…I didn’t expect you to be this weak.”
“…!”
Ut 2’s face flushed red instantly.
Anger surged.
“You—!”
But she stopped.
She inhaled.
Slowly.
Deeply.
Exhaled.
Forced herself to calm down.
“…That technique…”
Her voice steadied.
“…What was it?”
Butterfly turned her back.
The wind picked up slightly.
“After breaking through my limit…”
“I unlocked… my own path.”
She raised her katana slightly.
The blade reflected a faint, cold light.
“…and realized the truth.”
Silence.
Ut 2 stood there.
Her fists clenched tightly.
Her heart pounded.
But from something else.
Determination.
Her eyes slowly changed.
Ut 2 stood silently for a moment, still staring at Butterfly’s back as the purple-clad swordswoman turned away as if nothing extraordinary had just happened.
“Wait!” Ut 2 called out.
Butterfly paused, slightly turning her head.
“What now?”
Ut 2 hesitated, then clenched her fists.
“I… I want to go with you.”
Butterfly raised an eyebrow.
“To where?”
“To your server.”
A brief silence passed.
The wind gently rustled through the broken battlefield, still stained with the aftermath of the fight.
Maloch’s presence had completely vanished, as if erased from existence itself.
Butterfly let out a small sigh.
“You’re serious?”
Ut 2 nodded firmly.
“Yes.”
Butterfly smirked faintly.
“Fine. Don’t slow me down.”
The journey back was faster than Ut 2 expected.
Butterfly moved like a shadow—swift, silent, almost unreal.
Even when she slowed down for Ut 2, it still felt like chasing a blur.
Ut 2 gritted her teeth, pushing herself to keep up.
She’s… on a completely different level, Ut 2 thought.
At some point, Butterfly glanced back.
“You’re still here. Not bad.”
Ut 2 frowned.
“Don’t underestimate me.”
Butterfly chuckled.
“I’m not. I just didn’t expect you to last this long.”
Arrival at the Server
When they finally arrived, Ut 2 froze.
“…This is… your server?”
Before her stretched a massive domain—far larger than anything she had imagined.
Towers, energy pillars, floating platforms, and countless structures filled the space.
It wasn’t just big.
It was alive.
Energy flowed through the ground like veins.
People moved around—fighters, workers, strategists—all with purpose.
Ut 2 whispered, “It’s… way bigger than I thought…”
Butterfly didn’t look impressed.
“This is just one section.”
Ut 2 blinked.
“Just… one?”
Not far ahead, a group was already waiting.
Tru stood at the front, arms crossed—but the moment he saw them, his expression lit up instantly.
“UT 2!”
He broke into a wide grin and waved enthusiastically.
Behind him stood a small child—clearly a worker—and Ki, who gave a calm nod.
Ut 2 stopped walking.
For a second, she didn’t move.
Then she smiled.
“…I’m back.”
Tru ran up.
“You took forever! What happened? And who—”
He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Butterfly.
“…Whoa.”
Ki narrowed his eyes slightly.
“That aura… she’s not ordinary.”
The worker child hid slightly behind Tru, peeking out nervously.
First Impressions
Butterfly glanced at them casually.
“So these are your people?”
Ut 2 nodded.
“Yeah.”
Tru stepped forward, still smiling but more cautious now.
“I’m Tru. And you are…?”
“Butterfly.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s enough.”
Tru laughed awkwardly.
“Right… okay.”
Ki stepped forward next.
“Thank you… for helping her.”
Butterfly shrugged.
“I didn’t help. I just passed by.”
Ut 2 rolled her eyes slightly.
“You literally saved us.”
Butterfly smirked.
“Details.”
The Shift
Tru suddenly leaned closer to Ut 2 and whispered, “She’s kinda scary…”
Ut 2 whispered back, “Yeah. But also… really strong.”
Butterfly glanced at them.
“I can hear you.”
Both of them froze.
“…Oops.”
Tru clapped his hands.
“Alright! Since everyone’s here, let’s head inside!”
He turned back, still smiling brightly.
“No matter what happened… you made it back. That’s what matters.”
Ut 2 looked around again—at the massive server, her friends, and the mysterious Butterfly standing nearby.
Something inside her shifted.
She wasn’t the same person who had left.
And this place…
…was only the beginning.
As they walked deeper into the server, Butterfly stayed slightly behind.
She glanced at Ut 2.
A late bloomer… but interesting.
Then she smiled faintly.
“Let’s see how far you can go.”
~End~