Himiko left Yoshino Town behind without so much as a glance over her shoulder. The crown of black shards spun lazily above her head as she began the long climb into the northern mountains.
The path was rough and winding. Hours passed as she walked, her elegant porcelain form gliding over jagged rocks and steep trails with unnatural grace. The air grew colder and thinner with every step. Trees became sparse, replaced by moss-covered boulders and low-hanging mist.
At one point she passed a small mountain shrine, long abandoned. A crumbling stone fox statue lay toppled beside the path. Himiko paused for a moment, studying the faded carvings of protective wards that had clearly failed long ago. She let out a soft, arrogant chuckle.
"Even the gods abandon their posts when they grow weak."
She continued onward without another thought.
Further up, she came across a narrow wooden bridge spanning a deep ravine. The planks were old and rotting. As she stepped onto it, the wood groaned dangerously under her weight. Halfway across, one plank snapped. Himiko didn't flinch. She simply kept walking, porcelain feet stepping lightly over the broken gaps as if the bridge itself had no choice but to hold her.
The higher she climbed, the stronger the buzzing presence grew. She could feel it now — a heavy, hungry cursed energy pulsing from the ruins ahead. Not as refined as hers, but unmistakably special-grade.
By the time the sun began to set, the abandoned temple complex finally came into view through the thinning trees. Crumbling stone walls, collapsed torii gates, and a large central hall that still stood defiantly against time.
Himiko stopped at the base of the cracked stone steps, head held high, crown spinning slowly.
She could feel him inside — the Fly King. Surviving. Feeding. Waiting for no one.
"Come out," she called, voice smooth and commanding, echoing through the ruins. "I have a proposal for you, little king."
The buzzing inside the temple grew louder. A deep, rasping, insect-like voice rumbled from the darkness.
"…Who dares call me that?"
From the shadows of the crumbling hall, the Fly King slowly emerged — tall, imposing, with a massive fly head and compound eyes that reflected her image a thousand times over.
Himiko smiled, cold and imperious.
"I do."
Meanwhile, hidden on the ridge above…
The four observers watched in stunned silence as the two special grades finally stood face to face.
The Fly King slowly emerged — tall, imposing, with a massive fly head and compound eyes that reflected her image a thousand times over.
His chitin-covered body clicked and shifted as he stepped into the fading daylight. Two pairs of translucent wings twitched behind his back, and a low, constant buzzing surrounded him like a living cloak. He tilted his head, compound eyes narrowing.
"You… are no normal curse," he rasped, voice layered with the sound of hundreds of wings. "Your energy is too refined. Too… personal."
He took another heavy step forward, studying her with those thousand tiny mirrored eyes.
"Hatred. Regret. A soul that was human once. You're a vengeful spirit, aren't you? One that clawed its way back from death."
Himiko remained perfectly still at the bottom of the steps, crown spinning slowly above her head. Her crimson and silver-black eyes watched him with calm, regal arrogance.
"Very perceptive for an insect," she replied, voice smooth and commanding. "I am Himiko. And I have come to offer you a place in my court. A general. You already command swarms. Serve me, and you will command something far greater."
The Fly King let out a harsh, buzzing laugh that echoed through the ruined temple.
"Serve you?" His wings flared slightly. "I take what I want. I answer to no one. Why would I kneel to a walking grave?"
Himiko's lips curved into a small, cold smile.
"Because I am stronger than you. And unlike you, I am building something that will last. You can either join me willingly… or become another shard in my collection."
The Fly King's wings snapped open with an angry buzz. The air around him thickened as dozens of flying insects suddenly swarmed out from the temple ruins, circling him protectively.
"Bold words for a dead woman," he growled. "Let's see how long that pretty porcelain holds up."
The Fly King thrust both arms forward with a violent buzz.
"Insect Manipulation: Swarm Torrent!"
A black hurricane of flies erupted from the temple, thousands upon thousands screaming toward Himiko in a living wall of wings and teeth. The sound was deafening, the sky itself turning dark.
Himiko didn't flinch.
She raised one porcelain hand, and a single black grudge shard floated in front of her like a shield. The moment the swarm collided with it —
CRACK—BOOM—CRACK—BOOM—CRACK—BOOM!
A chain of soul ruptures tore through the front ranks like a meat grinder. Flies exploded in mid-air, black ichor and shattered wings raining down in a gruesome storm. The rest of the swarm panicked and broke formation, scattering wildly around her.
The Fly King snarled and charged.
He was fast — far faster than his size suggested. His clawed hand slashed down at her head like a guillotine.
Himiko slipped aside with regal grace, but his wing slammed into her ribs with a loud CRACK. The impact sent her sliding across the stone courtyard, a visible fracture spiderwebbing across her porcelain torso.
She looked down at the crack, then back up at him, voice still calm and aristocratic.
"Interesting. You hit harder than you look."
The Fly King roared and thrust both palms forward.
"Insect Manipulation: Blade Flies!"
Hundreds of massive, razor-winged flies shot toward her like living daggers, wings humming like chainsaws.
Himiko smiled.
"Harvest."
A dozen black grudge shards violently ripped out of the incoming flies and flew straight into her body. The Blade Flies lost control instantly, spiraling into the ground and shattering on impact.
The Fly King's compound eyes widened in shock.
Before he could react, Himiko was on him.
She moved like liquid porcelain — one moment she was across the courtyard, the next she was in his face. Her hand drove into his chest with brutal force, porcelain fingers punching straight through his chitin armor. Black ichor sprayed across her white dress.
The Fly King howled in pain and swung wildly, his massive wings smashing into her like clubs. Another loud CRACK rang out as her left shoulder fractured.
They broke apart, both breathing heavily, staring at each other across the ruined courtyard.
Himiko's dress was now splattered with his black blood. A long crack ran from her collarbone down to her waist.
The Fly King clutched his bleeding chest, wings twitching erratically.
"You're more fragile than you act, vengeful bitch."
Himiko wiped a streak of ichor from her cheek, eyes burning with regal fury, The kind that refuses to stay dead.
She took one graceful step forward, crown of shards spinning violently above her head like a storm.
Himiko's mismatched eyes narrowed at his words, a cold, amused smile forming on her porcelain lips.
"Vengeful bitch?" she echoed, voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. "How crude. I expected better vocabulary from a king."
She tilted her head slightly, crown spinning even faster.
"But I'll take it as a compliment. At least you finally understand who you're dealing with."
Himiko stopped a few feet away from him, looking up at the much larger Fly King with absolute regal confidence.
"Now… have you had enough? Will you join me willingly and become my general? Or do I have to keep beating you into submission until you learn your place?"
The Fly King's wings buzzed aggressively, black ichor still dripping from the hole in his chest. His compound eyes glared down at her, clearly furious… but also wary.
For the first time since the fight began, he didn't immediately attack.
He was actually thinking about it.
The Fly King stood there, chest heaving, black ichor dripping from the hole Himiko had punched through his chitin. His compound eyes flicked rapidly between her cracked porcelain body and the violently spinning crown above her head.
For several long seconds, the only sound was the low, angry buzzing of his wings.
Then his rasping voice came again, slower this time.
"…You really think you can offer me something better than this?" He gestured with one clawed hand at the ruined temple around them. "I eat whoever wanders up here. I rule my own swarm. Why would I trade that to follow some dead noblewoman?"
Himiko's smile never wavered. She took another elegant step closer, completely fearless.
"Because you're wasting your potential here," she said, voice smooth and regal. "Hiding in an abandoned temple, picking off stray travelers. You were born special-grade. You were meant to command far more than this pathetic little swarm."
She spread her arms slightly, crown spinning like a dark halo.
"Join me, and I will give you purpose. An army. A court. A place at my side as my general. All you have to do… is kneel."
The Fly King stared at her for another long moment, wings still twitching aggressively. The indecision was clear in every rapid flicker of his compound eyes.
Finally, he clicked his mandibles in annoyance and let out a low, buzzing sigh.
"Fine. I'll join you… under one condition."
He pointed one clawed finger at her, compound eyes narrowing.
"You'd better find me something exciting to do. It's true I've grown bored of this birthplace. I was already planning to leave soon anyway — you just sped up my decision. But if at any moment I feel like you're wasting my time… or once I eventually surpass you, because that will happen… our battle will continue. And I will kill you."
He crossed his arms with a huff, wings buzzing louder like he was embarrassed to even be saying it.
"…Don't get cocky just because I agreed. This is a temporary alliance at best."
Himiko's lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. She looked thoroughly amused by his tsundere attitude.
"How adorable," she said softly, voice dripping with regal teasing. "A king throwing a tantrum because he doesn't want to admit he's interested."
She took one final graceful step forward and tilted her head.
"Very well. I accept your terms, little king. Welcome to my court."
The Fly King clicked his mandibles again, clearly flustered.
"Tch… don't call me that."
Himiko's smile stayed perfectly regal as she looked up at the towering fly-headed curse.
"Let's go. I will bring you to the place I stay at."
She turned elegantly on the broken temple steps and began walking back down the mountain path without waiting for him. Kuro clicked his mandibles in irritation but followed, wings buzzing behind her.
They walked side by side in silence for a while, the only sound being the crunch of their footsteps and the constant low buzzing of his wings.
Himiko finally spoke, voice smooth and curious.
"Fly King is merely a title the humans gave you, yes? What is your actual name?"
The Fly King was quiet for a few steps before answering, his voice carrying a slight buzz.
"…Kuro. That's what I call myself. When I first awakened, the fear that created me whispered that name. So I took it."
He glanced sideways at her, compound eyes reflecting her porcelain face in countless tiny mirrors.
"What about you? You said your name was Himiko. That your real name from when you were human?"
Himiko nodded once, her long black-and-white hair swaying gently.
"Yes. My full name is Himiko Higuruma. That is the name I was born with, and the name I kept even after death."
Kuro let out a low, buzzing chuckle.
"Higuruma… So the rumours were true. You really are the one who wiped out her own clan."
Himiko's smile didn't waver.
"I am."
They continued down the rocky trail. After another minute, Himiko asked another question, sounding genuinely interested.
"You seem to know quite a lot about the outside world for someone who lives in an abandoned temple. How do you get your information?"
Kuro's wings gave an irritated buzz.
"Simple. Every now and then some idiot traveler or mountain climber wanders too close. I don't kill them right away. I keep them alive for a few days… ask them questions. About the clans, about the big cities, about what's happening in the world. They talk fast when they're terrified. Then I eat them."
He shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Works well enough. That's how I knew about you. The last one I caught was babbling about 'the Porcelain Onryo' before I even asked."
Himiko let out a soft, amused laugh.
"Efficient. I approve."
Kuro shot her a sideways glance, still a little tsundere.
"…Don't get too cocky. I only agreed to follow you because I was bored here anyway."