"This blade belongs to you alone."
"Do not let it control you—make it submit to you."
Since childhood, Hoshimi Miyabi had shown a natural inclination toward martial arts, and her parents had never opposed it.
She had handled countless weapons, yet only one blade...
She had once longed for it, yearned to wield it—but for various reasons, that desire had always been extinguished before it could take root.
Until that crisis, when she finally had the chance to grasp the blade.
But it wasn't what she had wanted. She would have rather never experienced it at all.
The first cut she made with that sharp blade... was against herself.
And just when everything seemed beyond salvation, the still-young girl encountered that somewhat lost man amid the flames.
Only recently had she come to understand where his confusion back then had come from.
In a world of monsters and fire, her master had granted her a new life—a storm of snow and rain, a moment of redemption.
Her mother recovered quickly, and what followed was a precious stretch of peaceful days.
Until the day her master suddenly disappeared without a word.
And this...
These were the words he had spoken when he placed the demon blade back into her hands.
Yes—she was the one trained by him.
She was the true master of this blade.
The power within the demon sword surged vividly the instant Hoshimi Miyabi's resolve solidified.
The blade trembled with excitement, its spirit flickering wildly, on the verge of losing control.
But the moment she tightened her grip around the hilt, the demon sword fell completely silent.
Hoshimi Miyabi's eyes gleamed with determination.
She wanted to help Zane. That meant—she could not stop here!
Amid the lingering glare of thunder and fire, Hoshimi Miyabi plummeted from the sky, her figure twisting gracefully as her hair streamed behind her. Her eyes were shut tight, hands gripping the blade firmly.
The moment the light was about to engulf her, a dark indigo radiance flared from before her chest, spreading outward at incredible speed.
In that instant, all lightning and fire energy—every trace of the explosion's glare, every shard of ice, even the drifting snowflakes—were forcefully repelled.
Within the blink of an eye, the simplified Hollow formed by her ice energy had already enveloped Zane completely.
Hoshimi Miyabi flipped midair and landed steadily on the scarred, battle-worn ice below.
She lifted her head, eyes following Zane as he descended from above, her expression grave.
The simplified Hollow wouldn't last long—she knew that. She had to make this moment count.
Before Zane even hit the ground, while there was still distance between him and the ice, Hoshimi Miyabi advanced, her blade raised, her movement ghostlike and swift.
In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance. This time, there were no omnipresent ether crystal shields, no erratic ether energy assaults—only Zane himself.
And that fragile longsword, now stripped of its ether's support.
Clang!
Their weapons collided once again.
But this time, it wasn't Hoshimi Miyabi who staggered back—it was Zane.
Caught off guard midair, Zane reeled from the impact. The force shuddered through his ether longsword, and without footing to anchor himself, he was forced backward to disperse her strike's momentum.
Screech—
As Zane retreated, Hoshimi Miyabi's blade scraped across the ice, sending out a sharp, piercing sound.
The ice split apart beneath her, though her sword didn't cleave it cleanly—it became embedded in the frozen surface.
She wrenched the blade free with force and looked toward Zane, standing not far away. His face remained calm and composed.
Yet for some reason, Hoshimi Miyabi thought the ruby hue in his eyes seemed fainter than before.
"Sir... wait for me."
She lifted the sword with both hands, whispering softly.
The demon blade rested by her side, its gleaming tip pointed forward. Her reflection shone on its smooth, mirror-like surface—her face, and her unwavering gaze.
In the next instant, Hoshimi Miyabi charged toward Zane. There was no hesitation, no testing of his defenses—only a powerful, direct leap followed by a mighty downward strike.
Clang!
Zane narrowly evaded. The blade smashed into the ice with tremendous force, and the shock sent a numbing tremor through Hoshimi Miyabi's arms.