The rain had not slowed.
If anything, it had grown heavier.
Water flooded the broken streets of Yunara, rushing through cracks in stone and pooling in uneven ground. The sky roared above, thunder rolling like distant war drums. Visibility was poor. Shapes blurred. Movement dissolved into shadows.
In the center of it all—
The commander stood still.
His blade rested in his hand, angled slightly downward. His breathing was controlled. Slow. Measured.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
He wasn't underestimating them anymore.
They're here.
The rain masked everything. Sound. Presence. Intent.
Even so—
He waited.
Then—
A flicker.
A shift in pressure.
Front.
Steel moved instantly.
Clang!
Sparks burst in the rain as his blade met Rin's strike. She had appeared directly in front of him—silent, precise. Her movement was clean, her expression calm.
He blocked.
But—
Behind.
Too late.
A sharp pain tore across his back.
Haru.
The strike landed deep enough to draw blood, the impact forcing the commander slightly forward.
He clenched his teeth.
I didn't feel him…
Blood mixed with rain, sliding down his body.
He pivoted instantly, swinging his blade in a wide arc—
Nothing.
Empty.
They were already gone.
Then—
Left.
Another strike.
He turned—
Blocked.
Right.
Too slow—
A cut across his arm.
Front again—
Rin.
Back again—
Haru.
It didn't stop.
The attacks came like fragments of a storm—unpredictable, constant, overlapping.
He blocked one.
Another landed.
He countered.
They vanished.
Steel clashed. Water splashed. Blood scattered into the rain.
His breathing began to shift.
Too fast…
I can't read them.
Every instinct he had built through years of battle—every sense sharpened by war—
Was failing.
Where are they coming from…?
He swung again, wider this time—
Nothing.
Just rain.
Just darkness.
Then—
A deep cut across his side.
His body jerked slightly.
Damn it.
For the first time—
He was being pushed back.
Not by strength.
But by something far worse—
Control.
Across from him—
Rin moved low, her body gliding across the wet ground with precise control. Her breathing was uneven, but her eyes remained sharp.
Haru landed lightly behind another ruined wall, gripping his blade tighter.
He's still standing…
Blood dripped from his fingers.
His legs trembled slightly.
This guy… he's not normal.
They were both injured.
Badly.
Every movement cost them.
But they didn't stop.
They couldn't.
The commander steadied himself.
His grip tightened.
Focus.
Stop reacting. Start predicting.
He slowed his breathing.
Ignored the pain.
Ignored the blood.
Listened.
Rain hitting stone.
Water flowing.
Wind shifting—
There.
A faint disturbance.
Right side.
He turned—
This time—
His blade struck first.
Clang!
Rin's attack was intercepted mid-motion, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Got you.
He pushed forward—
But—
Haru appeared low from the side.
Too fast.
A strike landed across his ribs.
He grunted.
Blood spilled again.
The advantage slipped.
Damn…
The fight continued.
Fast.
Relentless.
The commander began landing small hits now—barely connecting, but enough.
Each time his blade touched them—
It mattered.
Haru staggered once.
Rin's movement slowed for a fraction of a second.
They were reaching their limits.
But so was he.
Then—
It changed.
Rin moved first.
Low.
Lower than before.
She dropped her body close to the ground, sliding through the water like a shadow.
The commander reacted—
Too late to understand.
Haru appeared.
Above.
Using her movement—
He launched himself forward—
A powerful kick slammed into the commander's chest.
The impact exploded through his body.
Air left his lungs.
His feet left the ground.
Before he could recover—
Rin rose.
Fast.
Precise.
Her blade flashed upward—
A clean strike.
Blood cut through the rain.
The commander was thrown back—
His body crashing into the flooded ground.
Water exploded around him as he hit.
Then—
Stillness.
The rain continued.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
The commander lay there.
Staring upward.
Breathing hard.
…Why…
Water hit his face.
Mixed with blood.
Ran into his eyes.
Why am I… here…?
His grip on the blade loosened slightly.
Why… am I losing…?
A pause.
Then—
Another thought.
My men…
A memory surfaced.
Uninvited.
Laughter.
A fire burning in the night.
His soldiers sitting around him—relaxed, unguarded.
One of them speaking loudly—
"Commander! If you die before us, we're not following you to the afterlife, alright?"
Laughter followed.
Another voice—
"He won't die. Not this man."
The commander had said nothing then.
Just watched them.
Quietly.
They trusted him.
Not because he was strongest.
But because he never fell.
Never broke.
The memory shattered.
His eyes sharpened.
…I couldn't protect them.
His jaw tightened.
They died…
His fingers clenched around the blade again.
And now…
His body trembled slightly—
Not from weakness.
From something deeper.
I'm lying here… like this?
Slowly—
He moved.
One arm pressed against the ground.
His body rose.
Heavy.
Painful.
But steady.
Across from him—
Rin stood on one knee.
Barely.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her grip on the blade shaky.
Haru stood beside her—
But just barely.
His legs were unstable.
His chest rising and falling rapidly.
They were finished.
Almost.
But not yet.
The commander stood fully now.
Blood ran from multiple wounds across his body.
Rain washed over them endlessly.
His breathing was heavy—
But controlled.
His eyes—
Clear.
Focused.
Alive.
I am their commander.
His grip tightened.
If I fall here…
He looked at them.
Two warriors.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Still standing.
…then everything they believed in… dies with me.
His stance lowered slightly.
Blade ready.
Rin steadied herself.
Haru adjusted his footing.
Neither spoke.
There was nothing left to say.
The rain fell harder.
The street drowned in silence.
Three figures stood.
Barely holding on.
But unwilling to fall.
And in that moment—
The fight was far from over.
To be continued…