(VALENTINE SPECIAL) Hana's Special Date III

I landed swiftly at the battlefield and unfused with Legion. The scene before us was catastrophic.

Daisetsuzan National Park—normally an expanse of untouched wilderness—was now a war zone. The ground, a mix of open plain and dense forest, was torn apart by battle. Trees had been splintered, and the air smelled of scorched earth and blood.

Around sixteen Monitors lay defeated on the ground, unconscious or barely clinging to awareness. Of the few still standing—only seven—one stood out: Arnold.

A visiting Monitor from Germany, Arnold was locked in a brutal fight against an unusually strong opponent—a female dragonewt. He was mid-tier crusader-class, but she was at least a 100-fold supernatural, putting her on par with an advanced-class Monitor. The difference was staggering. Yet, despite his bruised and battered state, Arnold held his ground.

Nearby, several Monitors from the Hokkaido branch were struggling against a pack of thirty werewolves. Eight of them were Alphas—Master-class threats.

Just one Alpha would be a problem for Arnold, yet here they were, surrounded, outnumbered, and utterly outmatched. The battlefield was a lopsided equation of power, and the Monitors were on the losing side.

A young-looking boy—a Dark Ghoul—stood guard near a man who barely acknowledged the chaos around him.

That man had medium-length dark hair and wore a violet coat over a crisp gray suit. He held a Black Box—the size of a football—hovering weightlessly above his palm, his eyes locked onto it with unnerving focus. His presence alone felt pressurizing, warping the very air.

Giaoni.

He'd found what he was looking for.

At least no one was dead—yet. But unfortunately, that also applied to the enemy.

Giaoni's presence was both giant and oni, but his build leaned more toward the giant side. A wall of muscle, but his aura carried the rage of an Oni.

His strength was bound to be monstrous—maybe even at the level of true Great Strength, the kind that could shake gods themselves.

Would I truly win?

Giant's Strength was dangerous. It wasn't just raw power—it was an evolutionary advantage, something that had been measured and categorized among divine-tier beings.

I might need to protect my face.

As I weighed my options, Legion stepped closer, his voice soft but firm.

What he said next sent a shockwave through my system.

"Hm... Judging by the amount of weaklings here, perhaps we'll finish on time..."

Then—his expression shifted. A faint blush dusted his cheeks, and his voice dropped into almost a whisper.

"I hope I don't lose heart to tell you something very important."

Oh, HELL no.

You are not backing out of that confession!

A pulse of energy erupted from me, my demigod aura bursting forth like a storm front. Pressure rippled across the battlefield, bending the air, sending leaves scattering. The sudden atmospheric shift demanded attention.

Monitors and Moonyrs alike froze.

Arnold, eyes wide with shock, snapped to attention. "C-Captain Takade!" He saluted instinctively.

Even Giaoni—who had barely paid anyone else any mind—finally looked up from his precious Black Box, his gaze meeting mine from across the battlefield. I stood about twenty-five feet away, on a higher elevation, looking down at him.

I exhaled slowly, steady.

"Unfortunately, there's something important I want to do after this," I stated, my voice calm but edged with finality.

"So I'll be doing this quickly."

Legion shifted his attention to the werewolves.

The Betas. Not fledglings, but still low-ranked enough that a single Crusader-class Monitor could handle them—aside from the Alphas.

Their hulking forms loomed like bear-sized, upright wolves, golden, cloudy eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"Fighting all of you at once will be a bit of a pain, so..."

The werewolves suddenly recoiled, muscles spasming as if resisting something unseen. Their claws raked at the air, jaws snapping in silent agony.

Until—

SPLURT!

They were shorn apart.

Sliced into perfect, clean segments, their bodies hovered in the air for a fraction of a second before wetly collapsing to the ground.

Legion turned his gaze toward the Alphas, the only ones still standing.

His feminine voice rang with quiet authority. "Oh? I held back amply." A small smile touched his lips. "But it is still a feat worthy of commendation to resist Mortal Trade."

Arnold and the other wounded Monitors stood frozen in place, wide-eyed.

"Fall back," Legion ordered them coolly. "You're in no condition to fight."

The Alphas bared their fangs, their blood-red eyes burning with fury.

Unlike the Betas, their transformation was less animalistic. More humanoid. Taller, their muscular bodies covered in thick hair, but with human-like faces—sharp, angular features framed by snarling lips.

"Accursed dragon!" one of them spat.

Legion tilted his head, amused. "Oh? You can tell?" His golden, slit pupils narrowed in interest. "I suppose I shouldn't bother hiding my nature, then."

As he spoke, his reindeer-like horns emerged, twisting upward from his crown. His golden eyes burned with draconic intensity. From behind, a deep blue, six-foot-long tail unfurled, its scales catching the faint ray of sunset.

"I'll end this swiftly, do not worry."

The Alphas exchanged wary glances—then charged in unison.

From a distance, the dragonewt observed, arms crossed, a giant sword hanging on her back, seemingly waiting for her moment.

Legion barely reacted. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent out lazily fired beams of blue, starry light—each one detonating like collapsing nebulae.

The battle was no longer my concern.

I turned to my opponent.

Giaoni.

"Your presence here interrupted a very special evening," I said flatly. "Tell me—what's that Black Box about?"

Hm?

For some reason, I wasn't as tense as I should have been.

Was it the morale boost from Legion? Or was I underestimating Giaoni?

The man barely acknowledged my words. He remained seated on a stone, the Black Box still hovering near him, orbiting like a pet pixie.

"Oh, you're a strong one." His voice was oddly nonchalant, his gaze analyzing me rather than challenging me. "You have attained such loftiness through intense pain and countless near-death experiences. Your power is worthy of respect."

His presence alone was suffocating.

And yet, he spoke as if he were completely unbothered.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, his violet coat shifting with the movement.

"But I too have great power," he continued. "Polished by centuries of battle. If we fought earnestly, I would eventually emerge victorious."

He still hadn't answered my question. Not that I'd expected him to.

His eyes flickered toward the Black Box, and he exhaled softly.

"For eight centuries, I have sought a way to free my god from her shackles." He gestured to the hovering object. "This is one of those means—an artifact from Pandora's Box of Evil. A tool that should, hopefully, provide the power necessary to begin her unsealing ceremony."

I frowned.

"What?"

That meant—

No.

He was talking about the Evil Moon God.

He nodded solemnly. "I beg of you—allow me to leave this place. If we fight, this piece may be destroyed. And with it, yet another strategy to free my god will be lost."

His expression was resolute.

He truly believed this.

He was delusional.

"Are you being serious, Giaoni?" My voice was firm, unyielding. "Do you not understand that one of the very reasons the Monitors exist is to prevent the freedom of your god? Why then do you ask me to let you leave?"

He sighed, as if disappointed. "I thought you, of all people, would understand me." His voice was maddeningly calm. "My god, whom I love so dearly, was taken from me centuries ago. I only wish to free her—that is all."

"Impossible." My fingers curled into fists. "I cannot let you leave with that box."

"Tsk. A shame, truly." He exhaled. "Then I will have to destroy you quickly and return to my base."

He took a step forward, and for the first time, his expression shifted. Something about it felt different. More certain. More final.

"But one thing... My name is Gihon, of the Four Rays of Moonlight. I am not Giaoni, as I have been mistakenly known for all these years."

Gihon...?

As in—one of Kaguya's four generals?

Our intelligence had been wrong about him.

It didn't matter. I would defeat him all the same.

Before he could make his move, I called out.

"My blade, Legion!"

Legion immediately stopped tormenting the Alphas.

His golden eyes gleamed as he opened his mouth—then, with terrifying grace, blue fire erupted from his throat, engulfing the remaining werewolves in an explosion of pure violence.

In the same breath, he bolted to my side, extending his hand. From within his palm, my katana emerged—as if he were creating it rather than merely returning it to me.

I grasped the hilt and drew it out. The blade gleamed red and black, its surface pulsing with something unnatural.

Forged from Cronos' severed arm—his very flesh and bone.

The Blade of Gluttony.

A weapon that devoured anything it touched.

With this, I would at least land a few slashes to weaken him.

Legion, as always, was unaffected by the blade's presence within him. His energy was simply too vast, too absolute, for its hunger to gnaw at him.

"Lord Gihon, allow me to handle her," a voice rasped. "You need not trouble yourself with the likes of—"

?!?

The dark ghoul at Gihon's side never finished his sentence.

Legion was already there.

Yabai! He was so fast my eyes barely tracked his movement!

"ARGH!!" The ghoul screamed as Legion rammed his claws into his dark eyes, mercilessly drilling into them.

Legion's voice dripped with disdain. "And who do you think you are to casually challenge my master, vermin?"

A sudden, dull thud reverberated through the park. A shockwave rippled out as an attack was launched at Legion's back—

The dragonewt had finally moved.

"I can't believe you forgot about me, dragon-sama." Her tone lacked excitement, but her stance was predatory.

I tensed. Seeing her up close again...

She was strong.

Even for a Dragonewt.

Yet Legion remained unmoved. He had casually blocked her giant sword strike with his armored tail.

The metal edge trembled against his scales but failed to bite.

With fluid precision, Legion lunged, his claws aiming for the soft, exposed skin of her stomach.

She barely dodged, leaping back in a swift, calculated retreat.

At the same time, the dark ghoul—his gouged-out eyes already regenerating—moved away as well.

And yet...

Gihon remained utterly unfazed.

He stood still, watching. Not amused. Not threatened. Not really interested.

And strangely, Legion—standing inches from him—acted as though he wasn't even there.

Legion flicked his gaze toward me. "Hana, I'll keep these mutts at bay." His voice was calm, assured. But his glare, when it returned to Gihon, hardened. "You can kill this man all by yourself, I believe?"

Gihon neither smirked nor scowled.

There was no malice in his expression. No arrogance.

No bloodlust.

But that only made him feel far more dangerous.

He simply watched Legion.

A predator studying another predator.

"Yes," I responded, shifting my grip on the blade. "If I need your help, I'll call for you."

Legion nodded. As he began to move, the dark ghoul and Dragonewt wasted no time, launching themselves at him.

Their battle erupted in a flurry of violence.

And just like that, I was alone with Gihon.

I exhaled, lowering my stance, raising the Blade of Gluttony above my eyes. A duelist's posture.

Gihon? He merely clenched his fists.

So—he was a hand-to-hand fighter.

But something was off. His mystic energy… it moved strangely, erratically. No doubt he was reinforcing himself with it. If his strikes landed, they'd feel harder than concrete.

No more hesitation.

We bolted at each other.

I swung the blade with inhuman speed, each strike meant to carve through him.

But he was fast.

Too fast.

I barely found an opening.

His fists—reinforced with that mystic energy—were almost impervious to my blade. Before the sword could devour enough of his energy, he always managed to strike back.

Was his energy that vast?

This sword could kill a goblin or a human in seconds just by grazing them.

Yet here he was—deflecting it, countering with ease.

And worse—landing hits on me.

A blow to my side.

A sharp strike to my shoulder.

He was stronger than Kaliyah, no doubt.

If I had faced him last year, I'd already be dead.

No choice.

I activated Defense Deadlock.

The moment it took effect, my body moved automatically, analyzing and predicting his attacks—mirroring his fighting style to defend against every blow.

It was the ultimate defensive technique—as long as my opponent didn't switch styles mid-battle.

This gave me a brief window. My mind calmed, strategizing the next move. I had less than a minute before he realized I was merely mimicking him.

I spared a glance at Legion's fight.

The Dragonewt was giving him the most trouble.

The dark ghoul was bleeding from the torso, struggling to regenerate. Meanwhile, Legion and the Dragonewt speedily circled each other, their movements precise, deadly.

They struck and countered like two warring dragons—tails whipping, claws slashing, fangs bared.

For someone to last this long against Legion… that Dragonewt was abnormal.

Tsk!

Gihon was already changing his fighting style. Not even forty seconds in, and he had already caught on?!

I snapped back to control.

Without hesitation, I slashed for his eyes.

But he leaned back—so smoothly, so effortlessly—it was as if he had anticipated it.

Damn it.

I leaped several feet away, catching my breath.

I couldn't beat him like this.

He wasn't even trying yet.

Fine.

If he wasn't using his full strength… then I would.

I would merge with Legion.

Legion sensed it immediately. His golden eyes flicked toward me.

"It was a pleasure exchanging blows with you, oh powerful Dragonewt," he praised his opponent. "But I'm afraid it ends here—with your life." He paused, then added, "At least tell me your name."

The Dragonewt was panting, out of breath. But she grinned.

"Riot. I'm Riot, from the Black Dragon Tribe. You're pretty awesome yourself! What kind of dragon are you?"

Legion answered without hesitation.

"I was once a Red Dragon. But now, I am of divine nature—a [Divine Infinity Beast]."

Riot's eyes widened slightly. "Ah, so you're a god? That explains things."

She was smiling.

She was having fun.

Did she not realize?

Legion was an emotionless killing machine.

He would erase her from existence in the next moment—without hesitation.

Before anything else could happen, the ghoul suddenly bolted in front of Legion, locking eyes with him.

…Nothing.

I narrowed my gaze. He had probably just attempted [Coerce]—a desperate move. A gamble to trap Legion in a subconscious state.

The ghoul's body trembled. Blood streamed from his eyes, proof of the power he was pouring into the attempt.

Legion's response?

"That was petty."

Cold. Unmoved.

With effortless ease, he fisted the ghoul's hair, yanking him closer. His golden eyes bore into the creature's very soul.

"This," Legion said, voice devoid of warmth, "is how you mentally attack your opponent."

The light vanished from the ghoul's eyes.

His body collapsed, convulsing. Blood still poured from his sockets, his mouth slack, drool pooling beneath him. His mind—shattered.

"Uwah! I don't want that kind of fate!" Riot exclaimed. She turned back to Legion, grinning despite the looming end. "Hey, Dragon God, give me a beautiful death, okay?"

Then she turned to Gihon.

For the first time, her eyes softened.

"I've had my fair share of fun, but I'm satisfied now. Thanks for taking me in, Lord Gihon."

Gihon gave a slow, acknowledging nod. "Your service to the cause of the Moonyrs is well recognized. If you seek to travel to the realm of the dead, where your siblings are… I will not stop you."

A strange pang twisted in my chest.

I almost felt bad.

"Legion, wai—!"

WHOOOSHHH!

Before I could even finish, blue flaming roses erupted around Riot, swallowing her whole.

Not even ash remained.