*Yuuko POV*

Hinami is fighting. She is fighting right at the front line while I am here to just to protect myself or cover her. No, I doubt that she even needs my help. I am the one she is protecting.

Why am I still so weak? Why can't I fight like her? Is my training not enough?

Strength. I need Strength. I need more Strength. Without strength, I can't protect anyone. My life is meaningless if I can't protect what is important for me.

I intensely watch the back standing in front of the fire. It is a back of a normal girl, but to me, hers is as big as my brother's. Being protected by her makes me remember that sense of powerlessness.

"Do you seek further strength?" A man voice echoes in her mind.

"Yes." I answer.

"Then let us meet." That voice says flatly.

A hazy sensation comes to my head but I do not resist. I close my eyes and let myself sink into that feeling.

When I wake up, I find myself standing in a smithing workshop. The sound of hammer striking iron vibrates the air as an old man swings his arm. He is wearing a blacksmith outfit with the protection mask hang on top of the head. In his other hand, a katana is glowing red.

Just with the first look, I become attached to it. For unknown reason, I know that that katana belongs to me. It is not because of desire for its quality that I think so. There is a connection between us that tells me so.

I just stand there waiting for the old man to finish. The forging is already near the final stage. He cools down red blade with the mysterious cold air and the weapon is ready. Holding the finished product, he finally turns his face to me.

"You yourself is a crazy person after all." The old man suddently judges me.

"..." I don't understand why he says so but decides to keep silent.

"Originally, this place was a dojo. However, the outside world has made the owner of this place change it to a smithing workshop." The old man continues while looking at his product "I myself should not be allowed here but the owner forces me to come by force and create this. Although it was against my will, I still ended up working on it until the end and realized that it was not a bad experience after all. Hahaha."

",,,"

"The owner here is very unique, you know. So unique that out of all the persons who seek strength, only she alone stands as one category. She said it very clearly. "True power only comes from oneself and grows by oneself. Strengths coming from the other ways are just borrowed things."" He reminisces his encouter "But yet, she also realized her own limitation as a human being. In front of such dilenma, do you know what she did?"

"I don't know." I answer while looking at the katana.

"She decided to offer herself for the creation of this thing. Her bones, her skin, her blood, and her flesh. All of them were used to create this katana. Isn't that insane?" The old man then laughs in ecstacy. "It was such an marvelous request that I decided not turn down. And luckily, I did not fail to meet her expectation. I should have to thank you and her. If not for that, I would not be able to create this marvelous master piece."

The katana blade shines in his hand. A film of memory plays inside my head: the day I knew the history of my family, the day when I first practiced real combat, and the day when my brother passed away. The feelings in the past all surface at one but then calm down in a few seconds. And then the memory of the encounter with this old man plays.

A woman in white dougi appeared. She has the same appearance as me but looks older, probably a version of me 10 years later. In a dojo, she had a conversation with the old man then the scene changes. The place became the current workshop but there was an altar at the center. The me in white dougi was lying on top but not in one piece. She was dismembered into many parts yet her face did not show painfulness or suffering, there was only resolution. Although it was another me being dissected, I don't feel any remorse for her. The feeling that I have for her is only respect. For the other's sake, no, it was my sake, she sacrificed herself for me to have the power I need. The blacksmith made some kind of rituals and the altar was set ablaze by a white flame. After the fire was extinguished, a big ingot of white metal was on the ground. The memory comes to an end.

Seeing my face, the old man makes a sincere smile this time and offers the katana "There is still one final step. You should know what to do."

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I nod and accept it in my hand.

*Swoosh* The sound of cutting enters my ears.

The long hair I cut with the blade flies in the air and then gets absorbed by the katana. It starts shining brightly, telling that it accepts me as the owner.

The blacksmith smiles satisfily "My job is finally done here. I hope we can meet again, samurai girl." and vanishes in the air.

My consciouness becomes hazy and drifts away again.

*At the school gate*

Knocking out the leader, Yuuko and Hinami now stand in front of the army of masked women. They are all holding knives and scissors high in the air with bloodlust in their eyes, demonstrating the horror they gave to their victims. However, such intimidation is useless for the two girls in front of them.

"Makoto, take care of Hinami for me. I will handle this." Yuuko says to Makoto.

"Un, I got it. Be careful, Yuuko."

"No problem." Yuuko makes a confident smile.

White flame engulfs her body, similar to what happened with Hinami. Takagi and his followers widen their eyes while his sister group look in confusion.

"We can really survive this." Takagi says in excitement.

"What do you mean, brother?" Meiya asks him.

"Watch carefully, Meiya. Another heroine is going to be born before your eyes." Takagi replies her sister while not moving a gaze from Yuuko.

The white flame extends to the wooden sword in her hand and also covers it. The fire suddenly intensities then a second later, a real katana replaces it. It is 1 meter long and hits the concrete surface. Yuuko raises it with two hands and hold horizontaly on her at her eye level.

"I offer my bones to be the steel of my blade." The girl says her chant.

"My flesh for the armor." A gray samurai armor warps her body.

"Skin for the scabbard." A black scabbard hangs on her waist.

"Blood to paint them all." The blood red color pains over her armour.

"And hair for the contract. I am - the miko of my own sword." White flame surrounding Yuuko erupts like a volcano and then gathers on her katana. A strong gale blows the area where she stands and the person herself disappears from everyone's eyes.

*Splurt* x6

Blood splashes out as six heads fly in the air. In just a blink of eye, Yuuko dashed toward those women and beheaded six of them. The headless bodies fall on the ground and turn into white ash by the flame.

Realizing what happened, the women all raise angry scream and charge at Yuuko. The samurai girl sneers at their actions then puts her katana back in the scabbard. The monsters surround her and just as they are going to swing down their knives, Yuuko draws out her blade in a 240 degree arc. The katana slices through their stomach, separating two halfves of the bodies.  Flame again surrounds her area as those body halves burn in the air.

*Splash* *Splash* The sound of blade cutting flesh fills the area. Yuuko slashes her enemies with her katana without mercy. Arms, legs, heads are separated from the bodie with each swing she makes. Different from Hinami, her fighting scene is much more violent accompanying with gore. The corpses do not vanish immediately but stay chopped for a few seconds before set in blaze, while splattered blood remains on her armor and the ground.

In a few minutes, the women have all turned to dust and only a big pool of blood remains. Yuuko leans on her katana which pierces on the ground. Red blood has covered her body entirely and with the shape of the samurai armor,  she looks like a bloody demon. The intimidation from her comes from the fear of absolute power, different from pressure of those who stand above of the military uniform Hinami. The students, including Makoto, are also afraid of her.

Noticing their gazes, Yuuko stands up and creates flame on her body. The blood evaporates. leaving an image of a mighty warrior instead of a demon.

"Sorry for looking like that" Yuuko apologizes to everybody "There is only one left now and we can finally escape here." She readies her weapon and approaches the lying leader but something unexpected happens.

A sound of big wave suddenly comes. The black river blocking the school gate suddenly moves violently and flows in direction to the knocked out masked woman. Realizing the danger, all of the students get out of the way and watch the black wave hits the woman body. However, the wave does not hit the body but gets absorbed instead. Like a drain hole, the woman absorbs the black liquid river like nothing. The amount that is enough to isolate the school from outside is now completely drained by a human body yet there is no change to the body at all.

In the next moment, sound of explosions comes from the school building and the whole place is now in flame. The free path to outside now is blocked by a fire wall that is 4 meter high and black smoke starts filling the area.

Yuuko prepares her stance as she stares at the masked woman lying on the ground.

"Hahahahaha" A sudden evil laugh comes from her.

The next second, the woman disappears. Yuuko raises the katana behind her neck and blocks the incoming blade. She looks back and sees the true form of the woman behind her.

The mask is removed and a mouth slit from ear to ear appears. Lines of teeth are fully visible even she is smiling with her lips closed. The eyes filled with terror and killing turns yellow. A lot of hair disappears, leaving many bald spots on her head. The beautiful sicko now turns into an ugly monster. The knife in her hand is pressing hard on Yuuko's blade.

"Let us settle this somewhere else, little girl." The monster smiles wickedly at Yuuko.

Two of them suddenly disappear from the place. The rest of the students do not know where and how they vanish from their eyes. Makoto, who is supporting the sleeping Hinami, frowns her eyes at the sight in front of her. A big build man comes out from the fire. In his hand is the machete that is glowing red from the surrounding heat. His body is also in flame yet he walks normally. On the head, parts of the bandage is burnt, revealing the face suffered from burnt injuries. It is the bandage man they have encountered.

"No way, there is another one!?" Someone mutters those words in fear.

"What are we going to do now, Makoto-san?" Takagi asks Makoto.

"Please take care of Hinami." Makoto moves Hinami's arm on his back. "Because it is time for me to be on the stage." She says when the white flames surrounds her body

"Cloak up."