---
Days had bled into one another on the road, a grim monotony broken only by the System's constant, analytical chatter in her mind. Sarah's focus was a blade, honed solely on the path to power. Suddenly, the crunch of deliberate footsteps on the forest floor broke her concentration.
A young man emerged from the dense foliage. He was around her age, standing a head taller, with a cheerful smile that didn't quite reach the serious scar bisecting the bridge of his nose. His attire was that of a samurai, and at his hip rested a sheathed katana that seemed to swallow the light around it.
"Kenta Yazuru," he introduced himself, his voice bright. "Oi, you seem lost."
Sarah's expression remained a mask of stone. "Spill it out, stranger."
Kenta's smile didn't falter. "Honestly? I'm lost too. This is an S-Rank forest, crawling with monsters. Teaming up would be smarter than dying alone, don't you think?"
[Analysis: The male exhibits high combat readiness. His primary weapon is standard, but the secondary katana emits anomalous energy readings. Proceed with caution.]
Sarah weighed her options. The System's earlier "yapping" had confirmed the forest's lethality. She needed to survive to get stronger. A temporary alliance was a logical step.
"I'm Sarah Yamazaki. A warrior," she said, offering a small, cautious smile.
"Ho, that's a good name!" Kenta beamed. "I'm from Hiroko Village. Let's get along, buddy!"
[Information: Hiroko is a district within the Hono Ken Kingdom, ruled by the Flame Emperor, Hirogi. A human of extreme talent, known for his sword mastery and feats of single-handedly dismantling two rival kingdoms.]
They ventured deeper, a wary duo. Sarah watched Kenta closely. His style was fluid and precise, a familiar form she recognized from her past life as Nakamura-ryū Iaido. He was skilled, effortlessly dispatching monsters with his primary katana. But her eyes kept drifting back to the second, suspicious blade at his hip. He never once reached for it.
After a long stretch of fighting, they found respite in a shallow cave.
"Dang! That was quite a workout," Kenta exhaled, slumping against the wall, more visibly tired than Sarah. "You're stronger than you look, Sarah."
"Oh, thanks," she replied, her gaze fixed on the unused katana. "So, the one on your right hip... why didn't you use it?"
"You mean... Yami to Hikari?" A shadow of something somber crossed his face. "My master gave it to me before she died. she fell in battle against the Flame Emperor, Hirogi."
Sarah's posture straightened instantly. "An... Emperor?" Her voice was low, her glare intense. "Hirogi... tell me more about him."
Kenta flinched at her sudden intensity. "H-huh? Why?"
"Tell me." The command left no room for refusal.
"F-fine," he relented, his cheerful demeanor fading. "Well... he's a legendary samurai. They say he was a cursed child two centuries ago. When he was ten, a meteor struck his home, killing his parents. But at twenty, he forged a katana from that very meteor and named it 'Ryu Honō'—Dragon Flame." Kenta's voice held a grudging respect. "For sixty years, he fought over a hundred battles and conquered three kingdoms without a single scar. In the end, he reached a level... a plateau of power where no normal talented person, not even a prodigy, can become an Emperor. It has to be someone like him."
[Clarification: 'Emperor' is a title, not a rank. It is bestowed upon those who have achieved LR-Rank or higher and possess legendary feats. LR-Rank individuals possess power comparable to lesser gods.]
Sarah listened, her resolve hardening. Another name was added to her list.
---
The conversation about the Flame Emperor Hirogi hung heavily in the air as they left the cave.
"...Just how strong is he, exactly?" Sarah asked, her voice low.
Kenta's usual cheer was absent. "As far as I know," he said, his tone grim, "he is one of the strongest Emperors."
They traveled in silence until they reached the outskirts of Lavender Town. Outside the local Adventurer's Guild, Kenta stopped.
"So, I guess our teaming up ends here," he said, offering a faint smile.
"Pretty much," Sarah replied with a nod. They parted ways.
But that night, as Sarah wandered the quiet streets, she spotted a group of hooded, masked figures moving with suspicious purpose. Her instincts flared. She followed them, shadowing their path through back alleys until they descended into a hidden entrance leading beneath the town.
What she found was staggering: a massive underground base stretching far into the darkness. Dozens of slaves were bound and chained, guarded by a small army of five hundred masked soldiers.
"THERE'S AN INTRUDER!" a yell echoed.
Sarah fought valiantly, cutting down a dozen men with swift, System-guided strikes. But she was hopelessly outnumbered. Rough hands seized her, binding her arms as a muscular, middle-aged man with a scarred face stepped forward—their leader.
[EVALUATION COMPLETE.]
Status: Ryan
Strength:X+
Speed:S+
Endurance:SS+
Intelligence:B+
Potential:B
Ability:Adaptability
[ANALYSIS: 'Adaptability' allows the user to rapidly power-up a single skill or attribute for a short duration, making him unpredictable in combat.]
"Hmph. How dare a commoner interrupt our business," Ryan sneered, drawing a gleaming sword he called Excalibur. He lunged, the blade a silver flash aimed for her neck.
Time seemed to slow. Sarah's mind went blank, filled with only one bitter thought: ...Was I... a disappointment from the very start?
Steel met steel with a deafening clang.
But the sound didn't come from her neck. It came from Ryan's blade, which was now sheared clean in half.
Kenta stood between them, his own katana still vibrating from the impact. "Old man," he said, his voice dangerously calm. "Get away from my friend."
"Kenta!" Sarah gasped, surging with renewed hope. She summoned a controlled burst of pyro magic, burning through her ropes. "I'll lend you a hand. System, recommend skills!"
[COMBAT MODE ENGAGED. RECOMMENDING SKILL SYNERGY:]
- Pyro Magic (Mid-Grade)
- Sword Mastery (Low-Grade)
- Magic Shield (Mid-Grade)
As Kenta and Ryan clashed, the remaining 480 soldiers surged forward. Seeing her chance, Sarah unleashed a wave of fire, not at the soldiers, but at the slaves' bindings.
"Everyone!" she yelled. "Help us, and we'll grant you your freedom in return!"
With a collective roar of defiance, the freed slaves joined the fray, turning the cavern into a chaotic battlefield.
At the center, the duel between Kenta and Ryan intensified. Ryan's Adaptability ability made him a shifting foe—one moment his strength would surge, the next his speed.
"You've got skill, kid," Ryan grunted, parrying a flurry of strikes. "But being brave in front of a woman won't win you this fight!" He unleashed his ultimate technique: "Cryogenic Multiple Sword Shards!"
Hundreds of icy blades materialized and shot toward Kenta. He deflected most, but several shards found their mark, tearing through his clothes and flesh. He staggered, bleeding from multiple wounds.
"It's over," Ryan declared, raising his broken sword for a final blow.
"...No," Kenta whispered. His hand moved to the second, darker katana at his hip—the one he had never used. "It's just beginning."
He drew Yami to Hikari—the Blade of Dark. The band holding his hair snapped as an invisible wave of pressure erupted from him. His pupils glowed a hellish crimson.
[WARNING: MASSIVE ENERGY SURGE DETECTED.]
"...Dark Blade," he intoned, his voice now an otherworldly echo. "First Style: Night Mist."
A terrifying aura washed over the cavern. For the first time, Ryan's confidence shattered, replaced by pure, primal fear. He took an involuntary step back.
---