The morning sun was hidden behind a shroud of thick clouds, casting the land in a dull, lifeless gray. The capital of Aikyo stood silent, its people watching in tense anticipation as the black banners of Zankoku stretched across the horizon like an approaching storm.

  From the palace balcony, Hana stood motionless, golden eyes locked on the vast army assembling beyond the gates.

  They had come.

  She had known this moment would arrive. The moment she shattered the chains of fate, the moment she returned to Aikyo unbroken, it had begun.

  Zankoku had waited. They had observed. They had calculated.

  And now—Raiga had come to finish what he started.

  On the warpath, atop a black warhorse, Raiga’s presence was like an iron spike driven into the heart of the battlefield.

  A seasoned warlord, built from battle and hardened through years of conquest.

  Hana could almost hear his thoughts.

  Hana Sato has broken her curse, but she has paid the price in strength.

  She is weak. Aikyo is weak.

  Now is the time to strike.

  He was wrong.

  ---

  The Battle Begins

  The first war horn split the air.

  Then the second.

  Then the third.

  The ground trembled beneath the sheer weight of Zankoku’s march.

  Thousands of boots pounded against the earth in unison, swords glinting in the dim light. Shields locked into formation, a vast wave of steel, flesh, and fury surging toward the capital’s walls like a tidal wave.

  The city braced itself.

  Then—the gates opened. And stepping forward to meet them—three lone figures.

  Hana. Hime. Haruka.

  They did not run. They did not flinch.

  They simply stood.

  Waiting.

  The Zankoku warriors slowed, the front lines hesitating at the sight. This was not what they had expected.

  Hana, clad in black and crimson, stood at the center. Her golden eyes burned, unyielding, the wind whipping through her long hair.

  To her left, Hime, her dark hair gleaming in the cold light, stood with arms crossed, her stance composed yet unreadable.

  To her right, Haruka, her black hair streaked with crimson at the ends, cracked her knuckles, twin blades glinting in her grip. A smirk ghosted her lips, but her stance was anything but relaxed.

  They did not speak.

  They did not need to.

  The battlefield itself seemed to hold its breath.

  Then, Hana took a step forward. The ground groaned beneath her footfall. The air around her distorted, warping as if space itself bent to her presence.

  “You should have stayed home,” she murmured.

  Raiga, watching from the ridgeline, narrowed his eyes.

  "Kill them."

  The charge was deafening. Zankoku’s front lines surged forward, war cries tearing through the sky, blades raised high.

  Hana exhaled.

  Then, she moved. "Tōketsu" (Time Lock). With a single swipe of her hand, the very air itself collapsed.

  The first row of soldiers froze mid-stride, their movements locking as if an unseen force had seized them. Their weapons hung in the air, their eyes wide with confusion.

  A heartbeat later—they were blasted back, sent flying like ragdolls across the field.

  Hana lowered her hand.

  And then—Haruka was already among them. she dashed towards them with inhuman speed. she clenched and swung her sword. "Jigoku – Shura no Mai" (Dance of Carnage). Jigoku gleaming with a crimson color around its edges. Her twin blades carved through the chaos like wildfire, each strike a seamless arc of death.

  One soldier lunged—she twisted, sidestepped, and drove her knee into his ribs before slicing clean through his armor.

  Another tried to flank her—she dropped low, sliding under his strike before slashing upward, cutting his sword hand from his wrist.

  The ground beneath her became slick with blood.

  And yet, she moved faster.

  Hime Unleashes the Storm "Tenpū (Celestial Tempest) – Raging Wind Prison".

  Hime raised her hands. A howling gust erupted, spiraling into a massive vortex. The wind shrieked, slamming into the charging soldiers with the force of a tidal wave.

  Armor plates screeched against one another as bodies were hurled backward, the storm lifting them off their feet before slamming them into the ground like discarded dolls. An archer raised his bow toward her—but before his fingers could release the arrow, the wind itself shifted. A sudden burst of air pressure cracked the bow in half, sending the splintered wood spiraling from his hands.

  Hime lowered her arms.

  The wind obeyed.

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  ---

  The battlefield had collapsed into chaos. The Zankoku front lines had broken. The Sato sisters stood unyielding.

  But Raiga had planned for this.

  From the second wave—Zankoku’s Elite Guard emerged. Clad in obsidian armor, each warrior a master in their own right, battle-hardened and unshaken.

  This was not a reckless charge.

  This was a calculated strike.

  They came for Hana.

  Four moved at once—one from the left, one from the right, two from behind.

  "Enkan – Kekkai no Hikari" (The Barrier of Light).

  Hana twisted, her palm slamming against the air—

  A golden ring exploded outward, forming a barrier around her. The first assassin’s blade met the light and shattered on impact. The second was thrown backward as if he had struck an invisible wall. The remaining two adjusted instantly, pivoting mid-air—but Hana was already inside their defenses.

  She stepped through the barrier, her form a blur—

  "Kiero" (Vanish). A whisper of a motion. A flicker of movement.

  And in the next instant—both assassins collapsed into the dirt, unmoving.

  Hana lowered her hand. Her golden eyes lifted—locking onto the warlord who watched from the distance.

  Raiga.

  He was already moving. A massive greatsword gleamed in the light as he dismounted, striding forward.

  The Battlefield Falls Silent. The clash of steel. The roar of dying men. The storm of wind and blood. It all faded into the background as Raiga stepped forward.

  The battlefield parted for him.

  Zankoku warriors withdrew, forming a circle of death, watching in tense anticipation. Aikyo’s forces halted, their gazes shifting to Hana.

  Because in this moment, only two warriors mattered.

  Raiga. The war general who had conquered battlefields with nothing but raw power and ruthless cunning.

  And Hana Sato. The one who had defied fate itself.

  The warlord exhaled, tightening his grip on his colossal greatsword, the blade itself thick as a man’s torso. His stance was heavy, calculated, every step forward a challenge.

  Hana did not move.

  She simply stood, watching.

  Waiting.

  Then, Raiga spoke. His voice was a low growl, tempered by years of war. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”

  Hana tilted her head slightly, golden eyes unreadable. "Then let’s not waste time."

  ---

  The Clash of Titans

  Raiga moved first. The air shattered with the force of his swing, his greatsword cleaving down like a falling executioner’s blade.

  The ground beneath him split, dirt and stone ripping apart from the sheer weight of his strike.

  Hana was gone.

  She had moved in the blink of an eye, sidestepping without a sound.

  Raiga’s sword slammed into the earth, cratering the battlefield.

  But he was already pivoting, his weapon tearing free in a violent arc—aiming to cleave her in two. "Shippū – Kaze no Utsuwa" (Vessel of the Tempest). A whirlwind erupted, Hana’s form twisting like a phantom as she stepped into the storm, vanishing into the wind.

  The strike passed through nothing.

  Raiga’s eyes widened—and then Hana was behind him.

  Her palm lashed out. "Tōketsu” (Time Lock).

  Raiga’s body seized, his movements locking for the briefest instant.

  A heartbeat.

  A single moment—but against Hana Sato, a single moment was enough. Her fist slammed into his side, sending him skidding across the battlefield.

  Raiga dug his heels in, stopping himself before he could crash into his own men. His grip on his sword tightened, muscles coiling, rage flickering behind his cold gaze.

  "You think you’re fast?" he rumbled, rolling his shoulders. "I’ve fought faster."

  Hana arched a brow. "And yet, here you are."

  A muscle twitched in his jaw. Then, he moved again. His next strike was different. Not a blind charge. A test. A calculated feint.

  And Hana took the bait.

  She shifted—just as Raiga’s real attack came. He raised his greatsword high in the air "Rengoku – Tenchi Metsuzan" (Heaven and Earth Cleaving Slash).

  The air itself collapsed, his greatsword crashing downward like a judgment from the heavens.

  This time, Hana did not dodge.

  She caught the blade. The force ripped through her body, dirt exploding outward, the very air trembling. Hana’s knees bent slightly, absorbing the impact—but she did not fall.

  Raiga’s eyes widened.

  Then—Hana smirked. "Was that all?"

  With a sudden burst of force, she pushed his sword aside, twisting her body into a spinning counterattack.

  she swung her sword precisely. A single strike. A blur of motion.

  Raiga barely had time to react before pain tore through his side. Blood splattered across the dirt. The warlord gritted his teeth, staggering—but not falling.

  Instead, he laughed.

  Blood dripped from both of them. One deep gash on Raiga’s ribs. A shallow cut on Hana’s cheek. The air between them was suffocating.

  Neither spoke.

  They moved.

  Raiga lunged, sword swinging in a wide arc.

  Hana twisted, a step ahead, countering with a swung of her sword to his chest. He barely staggered, retaliating instantly, a brutal knee aimed for her ribs.

  She dodged at the last second, flipping backward, her hand slicing through the air. "Tomare" (Stop) The battlefield froze for a fraction of a second.

  Then, she struck. "Shinjū – Setsudan" (Fatal Severance).

  Raiga felt his strength drain in an instant. The force sent him reeling— He landed on his knees, breathing ragged, his sword slipping from his grip. For the first time, Raiga felt it.

  Defeat.

  Not at the hands of an army. Not by some god or curse. But by Hana Sato. By a woman who had been meant to die. A woman who had been thrown to fate—and had shattered it instead.

  He exhaled sharply, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Looks like…" he muttered, "I was wrong."

  Hana stepped forward. She did not gloat. She did not mock him. She simply met his gaze.

  "You should have known," she said, voice quiet but firm. "I am not someone who breaks."

  The warlord scoffed. "I see that now."

  Then, he lowered his head.

  And yielded.

  Silence fell over the battlefield. Zankoku warriors stood frozen.The warlord they had followed—defeated.

  Aikyo’s forces watched, breath held.

  Then—Raiga raised his hand. A signal. The black banners of Zankoku lowered.

  A retreat.

  The war was over.

  And Hana Sato had won.

  ---

  The Dawn of a New Era

  The sky was clear by the time Hana, Hime, and Haruka stood atop the capital’s walls, looking over the land they had fought to protect.

  Aikyo was still standing.

  And so were they.

  Haruka exhaled, stretching her arms with a tired grin. “So. We’re alive.”

  Hime nodded, her hair swaying in the breeze. “For now.”

  Hana closed her eyes for a moment.

  She had won. But this was not the end. This was only the beginning.

  Because one day—Aikyo would no longer be enough. One day, the world would need something greater.

  And when that day came, she would be ready.

  —

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