It's the early hours of the morning. The streets and avenues that were bustling with people earlier are now empty and cold, save for the occasional vagabond sleeping here and there. Few cars pass by, and most of the city lights are off.
There, in the middle of the main avenue, stand Geal and Uruta, regretting not having found a place to stay earlier.
"I didn't think about where we'd spend the night in the capital! Now we're stuck on the streets," Geal mutters, shivering. "Brrr–! It's so cold!"
With no other choice, Geal hugs herself, trying to think of a solution.
"I wish I had enough money for an inn…" she laments.
"You should've thought of that before coming to the capital. You could've asked your parents for some cash," Uruta says, also trembling as he nestles into his friend's hair.
"Hey! You're here with me too, you know. You could've asked them yourself, dummy," Geal retorts, defending herself.
"Hah? Why would I do that?"
Unbeknownst to them, someone is approaching, leaping from rooftop to rooftop across the buildings. A short, dark silhouette moves nimbly, like a cat. This person stops abruptly, fixing their gaze on Geal and Uruta below on the street.
"Target identified," the figure whispers.
Back with our heroes, the girl and the bird are caught up in a heated debate about what they should do. But their conversation is abruptly interrupted when a black energy blast struck the pavement nearby, shattering it. Geal and Uruta steps back, startled by the sudden explosion.
"What was that?!" exclaims Geal, whipping her head around, trying to locate the source.
"Someone's attacking us!!" Uruta screams.
Moments later, more black blasts rain down on them. The pair dodges as best they can, with no time to process what's happening. One of the attacks grazes Geal's left arm, leaving a small cut on her shoulder—a close call.
"Watch out! The attacks are coming from above," Uruta warns.
Looking up, they find the culprit: the girl who have been stalking them now reveals herself, standing confidently, gripping her scythe.
"She's the one attacking us?" Geal thinks.
In the moonlight, her silhouette become clearer. She have short, very dark hair and seemed to be wearing a trench coat. Without a word, the mysterious attacker leap from the rooftop to the street below, landing gracefully despite the height.
"She jumped from that high and landed without a scratch…!" Geal think, unable to hide her amazement.
"You must be that Geal, right? I've been looking for you."
Without showing any fear, the scythe-wielding girl walks toward her prey. Under the night's darkness, her glowing eyes make her look like some kind of ghost. Geal and Uruta tensed, readying themselves.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?" Geal demands, stepping back nervously.
"That wasn't an attack—I just wanted to let you know I was here. You're lucky I've been ordered not to kill you," the woman states, her voice cold and sharp.
She released a Black Crystal, though it had an unusual appearance—mechanical modifications were clearly visible. Her skin is pale, her height barely over 1.50 meters, and her gothic attire accentuates her unsettling aura. Her orange eyes glints predatorily, and instead of regular teeth, she have sharp fangs.
"My name is Bredgy. I'm here to capture you. Don't resist, or it'll end badly for you," the attacker declares.
"Capture me? For what?" Geal asks impulsively.
"I don't know. I just follow orders. I'm here to do my job," Bredgy replies curtly.
"Her Crystal isn't normal. We have to be careful," Uruta whispers, cautioning Geal.
Adopting a more defensive stance, Geal readies herself for the confrontation.
"Well, I won't let you capture me!" she declares, releasing her Crystal.
"Let's get this over with…"
Bredgy slashes the air with her scythe, releasing a ferocious, sharp black wave. Geal can't react in time, but Uruta yankes her hair with his talons, pulling her out of harm's way. The attack slices through the spot where she'd been standing.
"She says she won't kill me, but that could've taken off an arm—or a leg!" Geal think, alarmed.
"I work for the largest criminal organization in the country. The boss is interested in your Crystal. I don't want to waste time with you. Hand it over, and I'll leave you alone," Bredgy orders, her voice turning menacing. "Of course, if you resist, I'll take it by force."
Determined to fight back, Geal quickly pulls a potion from her bag. It is bright blue, frothing at the mouth of the bottle.
"Looks like I'll have to kick some butt here too," she says resolutely.
She downed the potion in one gulp, grimacing at its foul taste.
"Ugh! Disgusting!" she splutters.
Without hesitation, Bredgy lunges, shouting, "HALLOWEEN SCYTHE!"
In the blink of an eye, the attacker drive the blade of her scythe squarely into Geal's back, but it don't cut through. The scythe's blade quivers upon impact with the girl's skin, as if it were striking steel. Bredgy steps back, puzzled.
"Enhanced Resistance Potion! No matter how strong your weapon is, none attack can harm me now," Geal declares proudly.
"What good will that do you...!?"
Bredgy attacks again, but Geal jumps back several times and retaliates by pulling random items from her backpack and throwing them.
"Weaken Strength Powder! Jar of cockroaches! Mouse traps!"
A flurry of bottles, odd insects, and other contraptions fly toward Bredgy. She is quick, slashing through each object as they came. One of them releases a smoke bomb upon impact, obscuring her vision and blinding her momentarily.
"Traps? What does she intend to do with those?" the villain wonders.
Immediately after, Geal burst out of the smoke and lands a punch on Bredgy with all her might. The attacker take just a couple of steps back, seemingly unfazed by the pain.
Geal is confused—no one had ever withstood one of her punches before. In the next moment, Bredgy floores the heroine with a powerful kick to the abdomen. Although the Enhanced Resistance Potion is still active, Geal can feel the impact.
"If you think you stand a chance against me, you're mistaken. This isn't arrogance—just look at your Crystal and look at mine," Bredgy says, pointing to her Crystal as its aura flares. "I have a Black Crystal enhanced with cutting-edge technology. I'm invincible. How do you plan to deal with that?"
"There's no Crystal I can't destroy!" Geal shouts as she rose to her feet with some effort and summons her Pearl Shield.
"Oh, really?"
Determined, Geal charges toward Bredgy, aiming a blow with her shield. However, Bredgy raises her scythe and let out a roar, releasing a slash that shatters Geal's shield in a single decisive strike. It crumbled into tiny fragments.
"M-My shield...!" Geal stammers, stunned to see her defense obliterated so effortlessly.
"Looks like your winning streak ends here, Geal," Bredgy states, her tone malicious.
With her shield destroyed, Geal have no choice but to endure the onslaught. Bredgy attacks relentlessly, trying to pierce her skin, which remain impenetrable thanks to the potion. Geal shields her head with her arms as blow after blow land across her body. She struggles to withstand the barrage.
"The stronger a Crystal, the more resilient and precise the weapon it wields. Even a fool knows that," Bredgy sneers as she attacked.
Overwhelmed, Geal slide backward, reeling from the relentless strikes.
"By now, you've realized you can't beat me. Why don't you give up?"
Timing her movements carefully, Geal musters her strength and grabs Bredgy's scythe handle with both hands, halting her attacks. The villain looks slightly surprised. Geal exhales heavily, exhausted, but her gaze remain icy.
"Because I'm going to be... the next Chosen One!" Geal declares.
For the first time, Bredgy smirks mockingly.
"I see. So, you're that kind of person. I hate people who chase impossible dreams. I'll make sure you get a reality check, dreamer!"
With a powerful pull, Bredgy yanks her weapon free from Geal's grip, resuming her flurry of attacks.
"She's not giving me a moment to breathe...!" Geal thinks as she defends herself. The strikes come so fast she can't find an opening to counter.
"How can you hope to be the Chosen One when your Crystal can't even change color?" Bredgy taunts. "Dreams like that are for children. Grow up and surrender!"
Geal fall to one knee, still unharmed but completely drained. Sweat soaks her shirt, dripping onto the pavement as she gasps for air. Coldly, Bredgy presses the blade of her scythe against Geal's neck while her head hang low.
"The only reason you cling to that dream is because you don't want to face reality. That's how all of you are. The world is a hostile, meaningless place—it's not meant for dreamers like you. If you want to waste your life chasing fantasies..." the villain tightens the scythe against Geal's throat. "Then prepare to face the consequences!"
Before anything could happen, Uruta springs into action, grabbing Bredgy's hair with his claws and pulling her backward as he flies. He hook her with all his might.
"Gahhh-! Let me go!" Bredgy snarls.
"Don't talk to my friend like that, you punk girl!!" Uruta yells, genuinely furious.
"Uruta! Let her go—you can't handle...!"
But Bredgy seizes Uruta with one hand, squeezing him tightly as she glares at him with hatred. The bird struggles but can't escape. Without mercy, Bredgy slams Uruta into the ground in front of his friend, leaving him writhing and injured.
"Uruta!" Geal screams in terror.
"What an annoying bird," Bredgy mutters, shaking her hand dismissively.
With effort, Geal got to her feet and walks over to check on her friend. Uruta's beak appeared to be injured. Seeing this, Geal breaths heavily, her fear morphing into anger.
Her gaze turns menacing as she locks eyes with Bredgy. Summoning her Pearl Shield once more, she stomps forward with determination. If she wasn't furious before, she certainly is now.
"You can do whatever you want to me... but I won't let you hurt Uruta, you bastard," Geal says with deadly seriousness.
Maintaining her stoic expression, Bredgy merely raises an eyebrow.
"Let's see if that fantasy of yours comes true."
Face to face, the two girls charges at each other, their weapons clashing once again.