Ch. 9- Threeway Begins

Hikaru pushed himself up, his ribs aching with every breath. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining the golden sand beneath him.

Standing before him was Kota, his once-brother in arms, now an enemy under Heaven's command. His posture was rigid, arms crossed over his chest, but his golden eyes held no warmth—only cold detachment.

"Kota…" Hikaru whispered, gripping Durandal tighter.

A tense silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken memories.

"Hand over Durandal, and I'll take you in alive."

Hikaru shook his head. "You must see the corruption, Kota. Earth needs our help."

Kota's expression didn't waver.

"None of this matters. We have orders—to bring you in, dead or alive."

Hikaru exhaled, raising Durandal into a defensive stance. The celestial blade pulsed, as if sensing his turmoil.

"I won't let you take this."

Kota smirked, reaching for his weapon.

"Then let's see if you can keep it."

---

Amidst the raging battle, the hulking angel Belthus loomed over Suimin, one massive hand gripping the queen's throat.

"Surrender, or I'll kill her."

The queen struggled, her voice barely above a whisper. "Suimin… please… stop fighting…"

Suimin did not react.

The angel gritted his teeth, shaking her violently. "Are you even listening?!"

Suimin tilted his head slightly.

A soft snore.

The angel's patience snapped.

"You little punk!"

Then—SNAP.

The battlefield froze.

A dark aura exploded outward from Suimin. The air around him warped, electricity sparking through his fingertips.

His amber eyes slowly opened—glowing with rage.

"You snapped my mother's neck… so loudly… that you woke me up."

The angel hesitated, sweat forming on his brow.

"Wait—what?"

Suimin clenched his golden Arnis sticks, the air crackling with building energy.

"Nothing is more important to me than my sleep."

He stepped forward.

"And you took that away from me."

---

In the midst of the desolate battlefield, the air crackled with tension. Three separate clashes loomed in the distance, their fates intertwined but not yet sealed. The moment before chaos consumed the arena, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Hikaru stood in the center, Durandal gripped tightly in his hands, its blade gleaming in the fading light. His figure was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, yet his expression was dark, like a storm gathering on the horizon. His eyes, sharp and filled with both regret and resolve, never left the figure standing across from him—Kota, his long-lost brother, the weight of their shared history hanging heavy between them.

Kota's presence was imposing, his arms crossed in a defiant, almost casual manner. His posture exuded the authority of one who had long since accepted his fate. A faint glimmer of recognition flickered in his cold eyes, but there was no hint of hesitation. The space between them crackled with memories—a lifetime of bond and betrayal, the chasm between them now a gaping abyss that neither could cross.

---

To the right, Kurai stood tall, her form shrouded in darkness, her scythe gleaming with malice. She had always been the unpredictable force of nature, the one who acted without hesitation, the one who never feared to dive into the heart of the storm. And yet now, as she faced her old foe, Mono, there was a subtle shift in her demeanor.

Mono, ever the composed one, smiled with a cold smirk—a knowing, superior grin that spoke of the battles they'd once fought, the choices she had made, and the line they now stood upon. The red scars of their past seemed to linger, visible only to them, as the weight of their history settled in the space between them.

Kurai's hands tightened around the handle of her scythe, her jaw clenched. Her eyes, burning with fury, were fixed firmly on Mono.

---

And then, to the left, Suimin stood amidst the battle-scarred earth, his tall, commanding figure encased in an aura of unshakable calm. His hair, dark as the void, fell untamed around his face, and his crimson eyes gleamed, an eerie reflection of the anger brewing beneath his surface.

In front of him, the hulking figure of Belthus, an angel of imposing size, towered with his weapon raised, his eyes locked onto Suimin with a mix of arrogance and annoyance. His hands were wrapped tightly around the queen's throat, but it was Suimin's gaze that held the true weight of the moment.

The Jinn prince remained eerily still, his posture loose but infinitely dangerous, as if he were simply waiting for the right moment to explode. His expression was one of barely contained rage—not at the angel before him, but at the audacity of having his peace disturbed.

---

In the span of a single heartbeat, the battlefield became a cauldron of tension, each pair standing at the edge of a precipice. Three battles, three destinies, all bound together by fate, yet separated by the deep chasms of personal conflict.

Hikaru's eyes narrowed in silent defiance as he squared off against his brother, the ghost of their shared past playing across the air between them. Kurai's lips curled into a wicked smirk, her grip on her scythe tightening as she readied herself to face the one person who knew her best. And Suimin, ever the enigma, stood silent in the face of a kingdom's destruction, his own war brewing within him as the last whispers of his mother's death hung in the air.

And yet, for all the tension, for all the fury, the world held its breath.

The silence was broken only by the faint, lingering sound of battle in the distance, a distant, faint reminder of the war that was about to unfold. In this moment, everything was still—suspended, as if the universe itself was waiting for the inevitable clash that would set the stage for a war that none of them could escape.The battlefield crackled with tension. Three battles, three inevitable clashes.

Hikaru and Kota stood unmoving, the weight of their past pressing down on them like a storm.

Kurai and Mono stared each other down, a battle of manipulation and deceit brewing beneath their locked gazes.

And Suimin—the unpredictable force—stood poised to strike, his drowsy exterior shattered by the wrath simmering beneath his skin.

For a moment, the world paused.

Then—it began.

---

The sound of metal against metal rang through the battlefield as Durandal clashed with Kota's spear.

Hikaru was holding back—his attacks lacked the intent to kill, his hesitation a weakness Kota could exploit.

"You're still hesitating, Hikaru." Kota grinned, driving his spear forward. "That's why you'll lose."

A sharp pain shot through Hikaru's shoulder as Kota's spear pierced his flesh, sending him stumbling back.

Kota smirked in triumph.

"That's your problem. You think you can save everyone."

---

Kurai moved first, her scythe slicing through the air with deadly precision.

Mono dodged effortlessly, her blade countering with fluid grace.

"Still predictable, Kurai," Mono sighed. "You never were one to think ahead."

Kurai ignored the taunt, her strikes becoming more vicious. At first, she dominated the fight, forcing Mono to defend—

But then, she glanced away.

Her eyes flickered toward Hikaru's battle, concern evident.

That was all Mono needed.

A hard kick struck Kurai in the ribs, launching her into the ground.

She let out a sharp scream, her scythe clattering beside her.

Mono laughed, stepping over her.

"Pathetic. I expected more."

Kurai trembled, her breathing ragged.

"Damn it…" she whispered, her hands twitching against the dirt.

Then, she went still.

Mono smirked. "Too easy."

But she didn't see the smirk playing at Kurai's lips.

---

Hikaru heard Kurai's scream.

His head snapped to the side, seeing her broken body lying motionless.

His eyes widened in horror.

"No…"

A single thought rushed through his mind.

"I can't keep holding back… otherwise, those close to me will die."

His grip tightened on Durandal.

Hikaru turned back to Kota, his expression hardening.

"I'm going to end this."

Kota's smirk faltered.

Then—Hikaru vanished.

A blinding arc of golden light split the battlefield.

Durandal flashed, its holy flames igniting the sky.

Kota's eyes widened.

Blood sprayed across the sand.

His body collapsed, lifeless.

Hikaru stood still, the golden glow of Durandal flickering in his grip.

"Forgive me, my brother."

---

As Hikaru finished Kota, Kurai grinned through the pain.

"Hook. Line. And sinker."

Mono's eyes widened in realization—too late.

Kurai's fingers wrapped around her scythe, twisting it upward.

With a swift, brutal motion, she drove the blade through Mono's chest.

Mono choked, blood dripping from her lips.

Kurai smirked up at her, crimson eyes glowing.

"Did you really think I was that weak?"

Mono's body collapsed.

Kurai sat up, dusting herself off.

"Idiots are so easy to manipulate."

---

Belthus threw Suimin back—straight into his room.

Suimin crashed through his desk, his PC monitor shattering on impact.

A long silence.

Then—Suimin exhaled slowly.

His crimson eyes flared, golden electricity surging through his Arnis sticks.

Belthus smirked. "Finally taking me seriously?"

Suimin looked at his ruined gaming setup.

"Not only my sleep… but now my setup?"

His jaw tightened.

"You die for that."

In a blur of motion, Suimin crushed Belthus's skull between his Arnis sticks.

Blood splattered the walls.

Suimin yawned.

"Tch. So much work."

---

The remaining angels fled.

Kurai and Hikaru approached Suimin, their shadows stretching across the battlefield.

Suimin grinned. "I haven't had that much fun in ages."

Hikaru smirked. "A battle to be remembered."

Kurai winked at Suimin.

"If you thought that was fun, stick with us."

Suimin chuckled.

"Sure. Why not?"

Thus—the Order of Anarchy was formed.

---

~Meanwhile in an unknown location~

A voice chuckled.

"You can join my circus… forever."

A scream rang out as a Joker playing card fell into a pool of blood…