Shina's Perspective
The painted creatures surrounded me from every direction.
Their bodies were crude and strangely proportioned, as though someone had taken sketches from a notebook and somehow given them life. Their limbs twisted unnaturally as they moved, leaving streaks of colorful paint across the pavement with every step.
I kept my eyes on them while listening carefully to the sounds behind me.
Footsteps.
Running.
The civilians were getting farther away.
Good.
That was all I needed.
"Keep running!" I shouted toward the end of the street. "Don't look back!"
A man's voice called from somewhere in the distance.
"We're almost there!"
I exhaled in relief.
At least they were listening.
I turned my attention back toward the monsters.
Five of them remained.
The first creature charged.
I immediately jumped backward as its painted fist slammed into the pavement.
The impact sent colorful splatters across the street.
"Whoa!"
I jumped over another attack and landed on the roof of a parked car.
The creature looked up at me.
I smiled nervously.
"Okay... you're definitely stronger than you look."
It roared.
"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't appreciate that."
The creature lunged again.
This time, I didn't retreat.
I stepped forward.
My fist connected with its chest.
A burst of white light exploded from the point of impact.
The monster flew backward and crashed into a wall.
Its body broke apart into chunks of colorful paint.
I stared at it.
"One down."
Ryuna's voice echoed inside my mind.
"Don't become overconfident, Hina."
"I know."
I barely finished speaking when another creature came rushing toward me.
I ducked beneath its attack.
Then I spun around and kicked it directly in the side.
The creature flew across the street.
It crashed into a streetlight before sliding down the metal pole.
"Two."
Another one approached from behind.
I sensed it just in time.
I turned around and blocked its attack with both arms.
The force pushed me backward.
My boots scraped across the pavement.
"You're strong!"
The creature pushed harder.
I gritted my teeth.
Then I remembered something Ryuna had told me.
My Essence Form didn't simply give me powers.
It enhanced my physical abilities as well.
I gathered my strength and pushed back.
The creature staggered.
That opening was all I needed.
I stepped forward and struck it with a powerful kick.
The monster was launched into the air.
It landed several meters away and collapsed into a pile of paint.
I looked around.
"Three."
The remaining creatures growled.
They began moving toward me together.
I slowly lowered myself into a fighting stance.
"Come on, then."
They charged simultaneously.
I rushed forward.
The first creature swung its arm.
I ducked.
The second attempted to grab me.
I jumped over it.
The third came from the side.
I twisted in midair and struck it with my foot.
It spun through the air.
I landed and immediately sprinted toward the other two.
One attacked from the front.
I blocked.
The other attacked from behind.
I jumped.
The two creatures collided with each other.
I landed behind them.
"Perfect."
I raised my hand.
A small sphere of white light formed above my palm.
My third ability.
Celestial Light Manipulation.
I still couldn't perform anything too complicated with it, but I had learned how to produce concentrated light orbs.
"Here!"
I released the orb.
It struck one of the creatures directly in the chest.
A burst of light exploded across its painted body.
The creature staggered.
I rushed forward and delivered one final strike.
It collapsed.
The last remaining creature stood alone.
I stared at it.
It stared back.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then it suddenly began glowing.
I blinked.
"Wait..."
Ryuna's voice immediately became serious.
"Hina!"
"What is it?"
"Something is happening!"
The creature's body began radiating a strange light.
The other defeated monsters started moving.
Paint that had been scattered across the pavement began flowing toward them.
I took a step backward.
"What?"
The puddles of paint crawled across the street as if they were alive.
The destroyed creatures began reforming.
Their bodies twisted.
Their limbs stretched.
Then—
They began merging.
I stared in disbelief.
"No way..."
The five creatures collided into one another.
Their painted bodies melted together, forming a single enormous mass.
The colors mixed together without losing their individual shades.
Red.
Blue.
Yellow.
Purple.
Green.
The mass continued growing.
Its body expanded upward.
Its arms became enormous.
Its legs thickened.
A gigantic head formed above its shoulders.
Finally, the paint hardened.
A massive creature stood in the middle of the street.
It looked like a golem constructed from living paint.
Its body was several times larger than the creatures I had fought.
I slowly raised my head.
"That's..."
Ryuna finished my thought.
"A Paint Golem."
The creature opened its enormous mouth.
A deafening roar shook the surrounding buildings.
Windows rattled.
Cars trembled.
I instinctively covered my ears.
"Okay..."
I swallowed.
"This just became a lot more difficult."
The golem raised one massive arm.
I looked behind me.
The civilians had escaped.
That was what mattered.
I turned back toward the monster.
"I don't care how big you are."
I clenched my fists.
"You aren't hurting anyone else."
The golem roared again.
Then it charged.
I prepared myself.
But before the monster could reach me—
Somewhere across Tokyo, a phone vibrated.
Hanato's Perspective
I was walking home.
It had been an unusually long day.
The city seemed different lately.
Everywhere I went, I noticed more graffiti.
Walls.
Signs.
Buildings.
Even some of the sidewalks had strange paintings covering them.
At this point, Tokyo almost looked like one enormous art project.
Except nobody had volunteered for it.
I shoved my hands into my pockets and continued walking.
Ryuhou was resting quietly inside my mind.
"You've been unusually quiet," I said.
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
"The vandalism."
I frowned.
"Still?"
"It has continued for several days."
"Yeah."
I glanced at a nearby wall.
It was covered in colorful drawings.
"Something about it doesn't feel normal."
"Because it isn't."
I was about to respond when—
My phone vibrated.
I stopped walking.
"Hm?"
I pulled it from my pocket.
A notification appeared on the screen.
LIVE — SHINA SPOTTED FIGHTING UNKNOWN MONSTER IN TOKYO
My eyes widened.
"What?"
I immediately opened the notification.
A livestream appeared.
The footage was shaky, apparently being recorded from somewhere several streets away.
But there was no mistaking her.
White hair.
Blue eyes.
White and blue outfit.
Shina.
She was standing in the middle of a street.
And towering over her was a gigantic monster made entirely of paint.
My expression immediately changed.
"Shina..."
The video showed her dodging an enormous attack.
The monster's fist slammed into the street.
The camera shook violently.
People were screaming in the background.
I closed the livestream.
There was no reason to watch.
I already knew what I needed to do.
"Ryuhou."
"I'm ready."
I put my phone back into my pocket.
"Let's go."
I immediately changed direction.
Instead of continuing toward home, I ran toward the nearest building.
Ryuhou's voice echoed inside my mind.
"Do you think she can handle it alone?"
I shook my head.
"Maybe."
I accelerated.
"But I'm not going to find out."
I reached the side of a building and quickly looked around.
Nobody was watching.
Perfect.
I slipped into a narrow empty corner between two buildings.
Ryuhou appeared beside me.
The little black dragon looked exhausted from his previous transformation, but his eyes remained determined.
"You know what to do."
I nodded.
"Ryuhou..."
He floated toward me.
"Transform Me."
A black light immediately erupted from my chest.
The familiar black orb appeared at the center of my body.
Ryuhou transformed into a stream of shadow and merged with me.
Darkness spread across my body.
A black sphere surrounded me completely.
Power surged through my veins.
My civilian clothes disappeared.
The black leather suit formed around my body.
Gloves covered my hands.
Leather boots appeared around my feet.
A long black scarf wrapped around my neck.
My blue hair turned black.
My blue eyes transformed into glowing red.
The light disappeared.
I opened my eyes.
Hirito had returned.
I stepped out from the alley.
The city looked different from this height.
I jumped.
My feet landed on the roof of the nearest building.
Without slowing down, I jumped again.
Then again.
And again.
Building after building passed beneath me.
The wind whipped against my face.
My scarf fluttered behind me.
I could already hear distant sirens.
I could see flashes of emergency lights several streets ahead.
And above the buildings—
A massive cloud of colorful paint had risen into the air.
I stared at it.
"That's one big monster."
Ryuhou chuckled.
"Looks like Shina found herself a challenge."
I smirked.
"Then let's go help her."
I pushed off the rooftop.
My body soared through the air.
The next building came closer.
I landed on its roof and immediately jumped again.
Shina was somewhere ahead.
And for the first time since becoming Hirito, I wasn't heading toward danger alone.
I was heading toward my partner.
Whatever that paint monster was...
Whatever connection it had to the strange vandalism spreading throughout Tokyo...
We were going to find out.
Together.