PHASE 1 - THE SHRINE MAIDEN WHO BROKE MY NOSE

My name is Alaric Eisenhower, and I am the unluckiest man alive. Twenty minutes ago, I got my nose punched by a cute girl that I didn’t even know and my nose won’t stop menstruating. Now I have to fill my nose with cotton swabs to prevent myself from leaving a bloody crime scene.

Every day I have to walk from my school to the bus terminal, and that is just a normal thing… except that I have to walk for freaking four-hundred meters and wait for three traffic lights to turn green. And whenever I reach my destination, it’s already night time. That’s what happened for the past two weeks. Sure, the classes just have started, but this type of routine is tiring.

But for this particular day, it’s a lot more different.

It’s already five in the afternoon, but I the surroundings is dark already. The streetlamps are turned off. The moon...it’s impossibly round and big. It took one-fourth of the skies as if it is about to fall to the earth.

I looked around to see if there are somebody who is witnessing this strange phenomenon with me. But there’s none. I scanned the surroundings; the cafeteria, the fast food restaurant near it, and even the streets. There is no sign of everyone. I can’t even see any moving cars pass nearby.

No.

There’s no sign of life. Even the stoplights are not working. I checked on my phone but it’s frozen on its lock screen. My watch isn’t working either. What the heck is happening!?

Am I alone in this world?

I suddenly realized that I was completely wrong when I heard an eerie deep voice inside my head.

THIS IS YOUR END

I looked around once more to see if somebody’s pranking me, but it’s impossible. My mind has been consumed by fright, and my body resorted to run away. I dashed like there’s no tomorrow until I reached the bus terminal. I was drenched in sweat and panted hard in order to recover all the lost energy.

There’s still no one here. This city… is completely abandoned.

Suddenly, I heard the noise of a chainsaw. There’s a construction site nearby so it’s expected on a typical day. Normally I would be irritated by that noisy engine, but now, it brings hope to my heart. I know that there’s someone nearby!

I went to the site where the noise comes from. It’s from inside that dark, scary-looking building. Seeing that place makes my spider sense tingle, so I didn’t enter the establishment. I turned my back.

But when I was about to make my first step away, the chainsaw noise became louder. Not just that, but there were rapid footsteps approaching!

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“GYAOOOOOOHHH!!!”

I had a glimpse of my chaser before shifting to my speed mode. That creature is neither a man nor an animal! That thing is an abomination!

It is a three-meter humanoid robot that looks like it has been created with scrap metals. Its head is even an upside-down bucket with two holes, both glimmering with red lights. The Buckethead monster have these two chainsaws attached to its long gorilla-like arms!

“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!”

It continued to shout as it wrecks all obstacles against its way. That thing is determined to chop me! I sprinted back to the bus terminal, knowing that it is the perfect hiding place. I zigzagged through each of buses in order to lose him, and then I crouched in a faraway bus in order to catch my breath.

The noises do not disappear, instead, it’s getting close!

I peeked on the transparent window and witnessed the gigantic chainsaw maniac cut the buses into worthless pieces of metals. That beast wants to destroy all my possible hiding place!

Suddenly, the Buckethead turned to me, and his gleaming eyes pointed to mine, blinding me temporarily! I went down and tried to rub my eyes, but all I can see is pure white!

My vision completely recovered when it was already too late. The chainsaw robot has already made its way in front of me. He raised his left and right swing arm and screamed for the last time.

“GYAOOOOOOH!!!”

My body froze due to fear. I am no longer in control of my arms and legs. I won’t be able to escape, nor to fight…

Is this my end?

I closed my eyes, not wanting to perceive what happens next.

There was a sonic boom that blasted nearby. I heard a pair of footsteps landing in front of me. And there was a loud clunk of metallic noise for about twenty meters from here.

“Are you okay?”

The sweet voice of a lady compelled me to open my eyes. Although all I can see is her back, my heart raced for this scene of beauty.

Her long black hair danced as gusts of wind went through her. She was tall and white, and her cute face gave me a smile. Her golden brown eyes are purely affectionate. She even has this reddish cheeks, which makes me fall in love.

This woman is wearing a white kimono with detachable sleeves, but she’s also wearing a short red-pleated skirt and black leggings. The outfit on her lower part looks like a girl’s uniform in our school.

She looks like those lovely Japanese shrine maidens, the symbol of purity and beauty.

“Please stay put. I’ll finish this quickly!” She said, and then she dashed forward to the chainsaw robot who has been down in the center of the highway. She’s slender and athletic!

Now that I think of it, her cute voice and child-like face seem familiar.

The shrine maiden dashed forward with her boxing-guard stance. When the chainsaw maniac was about to stand up, the girl used her right to make an excellent uppercut! It was so strong that there was a small shockwave that blasted around her! The Buckethead was launched ten meters from the ground!

But the gorgeous girl did not stop there! She flew upward and used her fists to make a 3-hit jab and then smashed it back to the ground, creating a small crater!

The monstrous robot stood up one last time. Now it looks like a crumpled tin can that can barely stand up on its own. Both chainsaw arms are no longer functional; either broken or severely bent. ‘Please kill me’. I can read it on that poor monster’s face.

Meanwhile, the boxer girl has been charging her right fist with golden light. For every second pass, the light became more radiant.

After three seconds, the girl shouted with all her might!

“!!!”

She released all the energy she stored on her right fist to the standing piece of junk! A golden dragon head with the size of a compact car materialized from the energy she released!

The dragon roared as it surged forward with astounding speed and devoured the enemy! There was nothing left from the chainsaw massacre guy, not even its trails.

The golden dragon flew up in the sky as it was transformed into golden particles of light that danced in the atmosphere.

The girl in kimono walked to my side and lent me her soft-looking hand.

“Are you okay...Mister... Alaric?”

“Y-Yes.” That was all I could mutter.

I never thought that meeting her would change my world forever.

This girl.

Tiara Hikari.