Looking back before the present, the lone erected paper factory was filled with resounding noises of footsteps with the blaring sounds of destruction inside. Inside resides two persons at the center of an open space which recognized as Rine, fending off the opponent's leech-augmented arm. Ryuunosuke, charged both of his arms in same sorts directed to Rine's eye which gave him a hard time to defend.

Their arms Clashed from each other, but unlike the Opposition, Rine's palms wasn't thick enough to be pierced by the Leeches' Fangs. At the middle of a no choice, Rine's festered palms released his grip from the hand of the Leeches, and so Bleed like an endless fountain of blood.

"Kk!" he groaned.

Ryuunosuke looked at him with a scornful grin. "What now? Are you already out of luck, Ishida?"

Inspite it constantly spitting out of his hand,

Rine took a detour from each floors, ignoring the mockery. He ran fast towards the staircases and arrived at the third and final floor which he used as a bait to spare some time recuperating from the pain.

Idled from the sudden trick, Ryuunosuke took an immediate chase. "Ignorance is futile! You're not getting away!"

While he was still taking the stairs from the first floor, Rine's sharp thinking ability never let's him down. Opening the door from the fourth room and sealing himself inside one of the remaining three spaces was the only decision he could make to divert the attention of the predator. That way, Ryuunosuke's attention will be hooked from the obvious spot, giving him a chance to take the stairs from the other side, hence completely run away.

Expecting the mentioned event, Ryuunosuke finally stepped at the last floor. The leeches at his arms looks hostile enough that it's slimy sounds intensifies as some falls down the floor, and oddly Holed up the spots they fell into.

He aimlessly yelled. "You can't hide forever! I'll find you eventually!"

His voice resounded to the halls as he checks every knobs of the following doors ahead of him. Soon he noticed the obvious trail of Rine, but on the contrary, he didn't fell from the trap amidst, and so anticipated stains of fault leading him the way.

Seeing bloodprints of hands, Ryuunosuke approached the 1st room and bashed his way into the door. "Found you!"

The door flung into a three lockers on sight. Ryuunosuke then smiled to foresee his victory assured in seconds after taking Rine's poor life for revenge.

Though before Opening everything He paused right into the middle, and started pointing the lockers each by sequence like a toddler

He chanted: "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe. Which of you should I break first~?" then soon stopped pointing at the middle locke, thus created a finger gun. "Bang!"

The thing suddenly got stabbed by a swarm of leeches that flicked from his hand. It moves in such a slow pace, but creates an unseemingly deep holes into the steel lockers. Deadly enough to be a Melee weapon, if you could say.

"Oh, Wrong one!"

Soon after dismantling the object, those leeches crawled and retracted back from his arms, hence Ryuunosuke proceeded for another round of the game.

"Hehe. Let's try again."

As he continue playing the same thing, the rear was not under surveillance anymore, and so little did he knew, that was Rine's plan all along. Back then, he intended to leave his blooded handprints on that door and slam it strong enough to arise the enemy's suspicions on that room. Rine then wiped off the blood with the scattered papers on the floor, afterwards opened the obvious door and hid at the room ahead of the Bloodstained door. The execution of the plan was smooth, similar to its outcome which appears to take effect long enough for him to flee.

"Great. My efforts wasn't in vain." then he sighed. "Whoo~ Now to the stairs."

Having his moment into a slow manner of descending, he took the stairs just behind Ryuunosuke's back. It isn't much distant from his spot, but since the creaks of lockers are deafening enough, his ears couldn't hear a single squeak behind. By crouching down while moving away, taking a step became less difficult from Rine, and so for half a minute, he successfully reached the ground floor without breaking a sweat.

Now standing firm, Rine proceed to saunter into the vast space of the factory. "No This place looks puzzling. Better run away before he notice."

As he have said, ahead appears to be like an endless maze which consists of stairs and engines that could lose one's sense of direction at some points. However, it is the exist which lies behind the big mechanisms blocking his way, hence fueled by certainty and clear assurance, he ventured from passage by passage until he arrives at the exit.

Explosions deafeaned his ears just by outside the walls of the factory. The screech could be heard nearby, together with the rumbling shakes of the ground. Even so despite the uproar, Rine never faltered, hence Reached the exit in no time.

Though he was about to open the door, and so he realized that something appears to be missed.

Rine reached the door, slowly with his right hand. "I gotta find those three before that guy gets them."

Thus he is almost near from push it open, not until a small living creature lunged and dug his cheek with its countless teeth.

"Ack! What is this!"

And soon as he noticed, that it was a leech Buried its mouth hanging into his face.

"Oh God! I didn't saw this coming!"

As in immediate response, Rine fastly held the thing in its body and forcibly tried to tore it away. The leech on the other hand was, flailing so hard while attached into his cheek that it won't stop hanging on into his face.

Still attempting to pull it in, Rine's left hand was almost there to throw away, however a sudden feeling of a drain struck his head, just enough to take him down to his knees.

"Kk! I should've payed more attention!" he groaned.

Meanwhile, in a distance which goes back from the second floor where he just left, a sensor popped the bubble and interrupted Ryuunosuke's excitement.

"What is this? Another enemy?"

Settling down as he assess the detection, there seems a person was caught by one of the roaming leeches he deployed just minutes ago.

"No wait, Something isn't right..."

Though, he couldn't clarify it due to the lack of power to do so, he had no choice to speed up his unnecessary work and splitted the last steel locker in half. Doing so prove something he never expected to happen.

"That little rat!"

Realizing his own carelessness, He slammed the floors by His Augmented hands. With the concrete floor, he plummeted down the ground, hence saw the objective paralyzed while lying down.

Due to the adrenaline, Ryuunosuke jumped as he drills his way against the engines blocking the path with the leeches on his arm fastly spinning like a real drill. In contact, those devices caught bursting down behind, and after landing, the immobile Rine was grabbed by the neck, hence smashed into a nearby wall.

Gritting his teeth, Rine's pain and regret could be seen forming into his expression. Inspite of that, his paralyzation still insist which prevented him from fighting back.

"Whew~ I thought I'd lost you. Guess I did the right choice to add security." Ryuunosuke sighed. "Now, Let's continued, shall we?"

Getting the momentum pumped up, He threw Rine midair and followed it with an abdominal straight. Rine once again launched against the ground; disabled. Continued his combination, Ryuunosuke at above pointed his ankle directly into his chest, and so crashed towards himweighed down by gravity. Still not satisfied with it, he mounted Rine at his downfall. His hands went back to normal as he festered his face with a series of Punches into his swollen face.

Blood spits out from his cheeks as Ryuunosuke knuckles lands. Rine could hardly move from the damage he took and the paralyzation inflicted. He is now struggling to breathe amidst the pressure just like his vision darkens.

Though still trying to recover while being damaged at the same time, Rine silently beared every strike into his body, until Ryuunosuke's arms felt numb from moving.

He then unmounted Rine as he wipes the sweat out of his forged."Whoo! I enjoyed that!" "Such satisfaction to see you fucked up like that."

Even so his left hand; strained. His right hand is still active to lift Rine above the ground by the neck. Strangled, and harshly beaten, Rine's cheeks and brows were bleeding severely to the point that it dripped into Ryuunosuke's palms until it hits the ground.

He is in the verge of unconsciousness when Ryuunosuke lifted her by his airways, which intensified the pain, and so Restrained his breathing.

Still keeping him hanging by the arms, He grunted. "Of all these years I have endured and lived into this world, I have never seen an unpowered like you, meddling against Holders. Is it just by an accident?" he yelled. "A wealking like you being caught up in such a mess is so unbelievable! And to think that an Echelon ordered a Sentinel just to Annihilate your existence!" "But now that I've got you dying in my hands, I don't think Kazuto will be needed anymore."

Amidst the struggle, Rine had a chance to respond. "W-What are you implying t-to?"

Ryuunosuke replied; grinning. "That guy wasn't just a normal Holder, but one of the Heralds!"

Now fueled by his own delusions, Ryuunosuke's grip began to tighten. "So Even if you escape from me, You won't be able to defeat him anyway!"

Crushing his throat, He exclaimed. "I will kill you, and take all the glory away from him. By that, I will be acknowledged and be ascended as one of the Heralds!"

Rine began scuffling away to avoid the impending death. He grabbed his arms and tries to pull away agressively with full strength. While doing so, he is still able to speak out.

"Not yet."

Ryuunosuke's thoughts shuffled. "---Huh?"

Unnoticed, both of Rine's legs already bent out as it is ready to vault, thus talked once again.

"Not yet!"

With a heavy strikes from both of his legs into the chest, Ryuunosuke's grip collapsed as it weighed down which lead him out of composure. Rine on the other hand, broke free; recollecting his consciousness and breathing as he grovel into the ground due to the severe injuries he recieved.

Seconds after his takedown, Ryuunosuke arose anew, regaining his footing. "Bastard!"

From the ground; still huffing, Rine answered. "The desire isn't easy as you thought..." then a ragged cough cutted him off.

As Ryuunosuke stood up, he continued. "Those Holders who bears that sobriquet is far more superior than your being."

"---So what?? Its just a mere title they are showing! There's nothing special about them! All of them are flukes!" the Audacious Delusional replied.

Now slightly recovered from a near death, Rine struggled to stand up. He keeps stumbling because of his bruises and the lack of force due to the bleeding of his palms.

He then gently murmured."Maybe a little spoiler will convince you."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Ryuunosuke suddenly got alarmed. Another horde of leeches stormed into his arm forming a drill-like object as he rushes while Rine's on his knees.

He vexed. "What are you whisphering about---"

but when he is about to deal his final blow, an impaling smite penetrated right through the center of his physique.

His composured once again crumbled as he falls down; unconcious.

"Just what happened? I couldn't see it coming!" he thought.

He didn't even had a chance to react a single flinch, nor his eye caught a glimpse of it. His eyes were focused at the objective directly, but never seen him budge a finger. Though at unknown means, he fainted, slamming into the ground, only looking Rine at the last the thing he has gazed before losing it.

But at his last moment, a whispher from Rine reached his ears.

"----Because I am already tired of hiding this." and so he blacked out; powerless.

Nearly out of steam, Rine's knees are about to collapse but still strived to take rise up. Somehow, he avoided death by that astray smite of light which took the self-centered man's sentience out of him. Though Rine keeps silent after all that occurred, that single hit surmised to be he, himself whom unleashed that amassed power.

Completely frail, yet continued saunter with his lowered elbows and legs, he got out from the front door by leaning against the walls.

His weakened voice whisphered to himself"I have to hurry..."

Face turning sour as his wounds openly exposed into the air, Rine tries to settle his groaning noises queitly as he could. Even so, he moved forward regardless of his status, thus arrived at a certain which has a clear viewpoint of the plaza.

From the same spot, a nearby crossing lies to its rightmost part of the place. However the condition isnt clear enough to see through the blinding fumes at the moment, and so let his decision from taking the road straightly from this point.

The Fog of war Progresses from the deserted city as he gies further from the No man's plaza. The noises of buildings collapsing each by each due to the violent shakes and booming noises of irrelevant Explosions from cars filled the whole place amidst his venture. Blood continued to leak from his cheeks and his palms, yet he never stopped to take a rest.

"Kk!"

Dust blew towards his body, stucking inside his open wounds as it festers at the middle of his walk. Though it made him groan, it wasn't able to stop him from going.

Reaching the center of the plaza, the fountain at the middle was already bathed into dust, even a single drop of water couldn't be generated anymore. The Stores surrounding the fountain are also succumbed by emptiness and Ruination. Aware of the setting, All was ignored just to focus on his objective to salvage what is important, and so it is granted seconds after.

Just at the side of the structures, two forces clashed between two different auras--- One looks warm and scorches to dominate, One is darkens the surface, but appears thinner unlike the opposition.

Rine gulped. "Rei..." hence without thinking twice when he rushed back from where the previous crossing is.

Suddenly, adrenaline coursed through his body that it made him ignored every damages he is enduring a while ago. Through that, his legs immediately became productive thus went into that location.

"That aura... I'm sure its from her." he murmured to himself. "I have to take her away from this mess before things turn more worse."

Talking to his persona, it was late for him to notice the crashing Poles just in front of him. He will be ground the exact moment he stepped into that spot as he won't reach the other side at the right time, but his legs won't cease from running.

HeMoving his legs shifting left and right without tilting his head a bit, he doubled his speed even it worsens his condition. Thinking that it might he be too late if he takes another way, this is his only choice to do so.

Each second passes was full of intensity as he tries to get through. The rain of death is right in front which makes it more struggling to look at, knowing that his steps isn't enough to deliver him from beyond. However, this certain feeling of determination Rine has within him disregarded all of the masses.

Only a single thing revolves in his mind"Faster... I have to be faster before its too late!"

Thus the moment truth came up in seconds. The stage is already set to reveal the results between them.

Time suddenly slowed down. Rine's footsteps rings into his ears as it slowly slams against the ground as he looks ahead, Ignoring all things except his existence. The solid rubble is just an inch far between his head and is only a matter of nanosecond before he'll be crushed under. But at that spur of time, it was his luck prevailed.

Hastedly escaping the Poles crashing just above, Rine was safe and sound as he ran non stop into the streets regardless of his state.

"Almost there..." He is panting so hard, but he never thought to take a break. His eyes are already half open which in the verge of passing out similar to his legs willing to collapse. Rine is getting weaker and slower every step, yet insisted to move on. And just like he said, the distance of this place is no distant anymore.

Just Two Hundred meters away. the wreckage resides in crossing displayed. Two guises moves in the shadows which coexisted with the sounds of sliding footsteps and a bladecutting forth. Through the Big chunk of rubble, the underhanded Reika eluded Kazuto's direct onslaught. His long blade tries to carve a wound into the girl's body as he went onward from each Debris to be minced. Only his left hand holds the sword, yet Kazuto could still induce swift attacks as if its just thin branch.

"Oh god, This is bad news!" Rine thought.

A hundred meters got cut off between the distance as Rine gets closer and closer from them. Thought he kept being unnoticed due to the lack of emmission of his aura, the two left undisturbed, hence progressed more further into the ruined setting. Leaping away from the obastacles while evading every swing of the steel sword, the area's condition kept Reika hanging to devise a plan. Such a great way to stall time before Rine's arrival.

Now just fifty meters left for him to take over, Rine attempted to sped up. However, at the middle of the haste, a sudden breakdown crawl into both of his legs, thus stumbled down; powerless.

His body slammed whole into the ground. Every limb of his appears pulsating with a bare amount of energy left. He lifted his head to gaze at them once again, but even if he stays unnoticed, this restraints will not let him do anything but to watch.

From the dust sitting into his right hand balled in denial as he tries to pull himself out of the ground. "I cannot stop now! Not this time!" but kept going back to square one after slipping back down every time.

He lifted his face again for another time, enduring the pain while he lifts himself. Catching his breath, he looked ahead to see them once again, but is shocked from the further events.

He whispered. "No...." hence the second response became a loud bellow.

"Stop!"

The one he saw the exact thing, but it is sure about its outcome. He foreseen Reika's plan fail as the moment she retaliate from the last diversion will be a dead end. Just like they said, Kazuto isn't just a normal Holders, and so that future came up no far identical from reality.

Reflected from his eyes, Reika leaped forward while lowering her upper half to place his palm into Kazuto's abdomen, assuming to strike it with a bloom of Shards of Darkness. But as Rine anticipated, she lost the bet.

Kazuto's lower half elevated before her palm makes contact. His chest and abdomen goes behind as his head goes forward which avoided the attack, thus he lifted his newly incinerated right leg from the back to perform a reverse tumble by the lower half. The complexity keeps up mid air with his right leg veered, aiming from Reika's nape. It is already a dead end for her, since the momentum will end up into her movement being unstoppable anymore, and there is no way out now.

Time became slower once again. Kazuto's ankle is just above Reika's nape, almost crushing it down to the ground. Rine is frozen in his own spot, waiting for that to happen.

Eyes enwidened, both hands balled in failure.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't protect you."

His effigy muttered...

And a sudden beacon of light descended, hence bestowed a halt into the middle of their duel. Cheeks bleeding matched with his trembling knees while his two arms rebuffed the wheel-like kick, the unanticipated arrival of Rine amidst dealt a great amount of shock from both. Kneeling his one knee on the ground as soon as he took a hint of the current events, thus he realized that his left eyeglass shattered the moment it hit.

Kazuto immediately withdrew his foot, alarmed.

His thoughts baffled. "That surge of power... Does it came from him?" but immediately declined. "No, That unpowered bastard cannot generate that spike."

On the same spot, just thirty meters away, Matsuo arrived passing into when he noticed racket aside of him. The reposed body of Rine is the first thing caught his eye, thus approached it, yelling at him.

"Rine---"

But halfway, Matsuo's vision felt distressed and confused. "Wait a minute..."

The one lying and the one standing ahead of Reika cannot be mistaken as possessing similar attributes. From the dirtier white polo to his torn off jeans, the two persons are utterly identical.

"Why are there two of you in here!?" Matsuo's baffled yell.

Heed Reika, she was out of composure when shifting her gaze. He saw Matsuo from the same direction, and then the odd looking fellow on the ground.

Her lips stuttered as she got shocked from it. "T-Two Rins!?"

Kazuto then followed their sights from the spot, and also surprised from the thing.

"What kind of illusion is this!?" he shouted.

The subject of the astonishment played silent as his wounds opened more wider due to the pressure he received from the b,lazing kick. Voice ragged, he called Matsuo by the signs.

In a bad condition, he tried to speak. "Matsuo... Take her away from here."

Uncertain, Matsuo noticed his call and fastly ran from the two.

He questioned Rine."Hey, Tell me what is going on here? Why are there two of you existing in this place!?"

Rine avoided the question. "There is no time for me to explain everything right now..." he then got interrupted by a cough of blood. "H-Hurry, Take her and get out of here!"

Reika revolted with a fret"No... Y-You're not planning to fight him all by himself r-right?" she said. "Y-You're not thinking of sacrificing yourself... right?"

Her voice feels like it's about to bawl, but Rine had already decided everything and looked at her. Soon as he gazed directly into her eyes, it was already drowning from unnoticed tears flowing down on her cheeks.

Sadness consumes her whole. To think of losing him again after this recent meeting became the fuel for her grief to come out as her eyes expressed all of her emotions.

Rine, still looking at her, she grabbed tightly into his dead arms. Those raindrops from her eyes shed down onto his shoulder.

She locked her waist by her right hand, hence clinged; emotionally. "No! I will not let you!"

"Now that I've met you for years of searching for your whereabouts, I became so happy that sometimes I couldn't control my cheerfulness. This past three days... We just got together for three days, And I still wanted to make memories with for longer! " she continued.

Her feelings reached his ringing ears as he constantly loses balance. He felt a soft touch from his heart which stopped him from shaking, hence made him smile in the verge of tearing up.

He replied, but refrained from looking back. Instead, he bowed with closed eyes and prevented himself from weeping. "Take her now, Matsuo."

Matsuo disagreed. "But---"

"Just do it!" Rine yelled back as his fretful look comes out of his expression. "I could feel it. Her mana is extremely detoriating every time he uses the power of her own Procure, and now her energy is falling out. I knew it from that start that she couldn't beat him at any angle, nor even a combination of you two, yet I still ran away... "

He then grinned bitterly. "Just please... Go..." then paused for a send, hence continued. "This is my fault that you got into such a great mess anyway..."

Matsuo was In a state of denial, yet what Rine said is a factual thing that made him turn ways and Carried Reika by his shoulders. Reika flailed against, yet Matsuo tightened his grip to prevent her escape.

"No! Let me down! I'm not gonna leave him alone!" She tried to break free as she reach her from the distant him.

Rine slightly tilted his head behind as he utter the words. "It's alright." "I will come back."

and reading his lips, Reika slowly refrained moving, leaving her vision stuck focused into him only. Their distances went more farther and farther each step taken, but she never shifted her look. Even so, she smiled beyond that mourning eyes as a small beacon of hope pierced through her despairing heart.

Moments after, both sides cannot be seen each presences anymore. The two successfully left unscathed, yet Rine decided to leave and handle this by himself.

While his head bent down, he vaguely grinned. "They left..."

Kazuto which already drew back his sword at rest, sauntered forward on a Small distance. His expression turned wry in the process, thus subsequently had his chance to talk.

Keeping his chin up, Kazuto looked down at Rine's frail state. "Done of the drama eh?"

Rine remained bowed down and nodded as the reply. Legs powerless matched with his slow breathing, he struggled hard to stand. Successfully arisen, he tried his best to Keep balanced despite the severe damage he received from the previous encounter.

Disgusted from what he is seeing, Kazuto averted on the other persona lying on ground, but the moment he looked the way, it disappeared in no trace.

"All of us saw it a while ago. That duplicate of yourself... Was that your doing."

By the time he said it, an emanating glow originated from his neck which a necklace glows up. Soon the shining light followed by a sudden efflux of aura bursted into that small shard necklace, as if its about to overthrow the aura of his being. A power that is threefold of Kazuto's resides into that fragment of sorts which lead his mind blown.

On that initial looks, he could already recognize it. "A Shard of the Origin Gem! Why do you posses that Crucial artifact!?" then followed by a question. "Is that the source of your overwhelming power?"

Rine disregarded his shock, on the contrary, spoke in a stoic mood.

"This thing... This thing is nothing to be awed. Nor this is my powerhouse to begin with."

He then lifted his head from glancing at the ground. "Look more closely." and by that same moment, his broken eyeglasses fell down from his head.

Kazuto was left in shock once more. Another presence of the strong overlapped the Intimidating Aura revolving around the the shard. It is vaguely visible in both sheer and a Holder's vision, but is dense enough to distinguish the scorching flames from a wood plank, twenty meters away from their spot. It appears to be thinner, but still conquered the embers residing Kazuto at the same time.

"These past months... I've been passive for these past months without letting my trace escape in my grasp. To think that hiding from this matters forever is existent and live my whole life without worrying much about anything involved in this Holders thingy. But it seems to be impossible after all."

Rine's stoical narration have come to a conclusion...

" I guess I've been hiding for too long now."

With his eyeglasses gone, Rine's eyes was emphasized. Those golden Pupils he possess emitted radiance that took the spotlight from everything else. Together with his hair in utter white waves, a mole beside his left eye appeared behind those strands. The recognized mark of a person that once known amongst the mighty and the skilled.

Stunned with his stupefying revelation, Kazuto was out of words to describe this surprising appearance.

He is stuttering for a second "T-This unexpected power spike..." but so a sudden change of mood occured.

Shaking, but smiles wildly, Kazuto's expression became twisted.

"No, I cannot be wavered right now!"

He drew his blade for another time, but with vigilance on his stead. Still smiling, He eventually obtained his cool back, hence introduced himself once more in the process:

"Crimson. One of the two 12th Sentinel. Codename: Flame Sunderer, One of the Heralds. I Kazuto Suzumoto, will take you down as ordered by the Upper Echelons no matter what!"

He continued. "I am still at the middle of the unknown about your identity, yet this is a command I must succeed."

A stereotypical response comes out of Rine's mouth. "Alias huh... Should I still be using mine?"

Both duelists braced themselves. About to unsheathe his blade, while the other's body slightly shivers, the dog of war thickens once again.

And so another duel is about spring off between the battlefield. Both sides had their guards up as the each blow of winds passes by at the middle of their pauses.

Auras pushes against the other which even reach the outskirts of the city, and also alarmed every entities present into the ruined place including the ones which rules the winds in their order.

A storming gale and a humming hurricane is brewing on each ends, but who among them will make its first blow???