War Hammer

Vahari and Amara walked up to the street and they were greeted by the biting chill. The morning light struggled to cut through the haze clinging to the city, a dull glow against the towering skyscrapers. Neon signs still flickered from the night before, their colours muted in the rising sunlight.

A steady stream of people manoeuvred through each other—each on their way to earn their daily wages. Surveillance drones weaved silently above, their blinking lights casting faint reflections on the damp pavement.

Amara was mostly enthralled by the digital billboards on the buildings that shifted and pulsed, advertising different products. One billboard in particular pulsed and displayed an ad starring the Revenant she was with. In the ad, Vahari was smiling unnaturally whilst completing miscellaneous tasks.

Even though Amara had only been acquainted with her for five minutes, she could already tell that kind of facial expression was foreign to Vahari. Then text appeared below the ad:

Echo Persona: Revenant Edition—Historys' strongest warriors at your beck and call, brought to you by Wayne Company.

"So it was one of those automated holographic assistants?" Amara thought to herself.

Vahari, noticing Amara trailing behind, glanced at her and saw her eyes fixed on the advertisement.

"Work hard enough and you're gonna see yourself up there one day," said Vahari without any hint of emotion.

"Wh-what? No, I was just admiring the billboards! You don't really see things like this where I'm from." Amara sputtered. "I'm not even sure why I was invited here in the first place. I don't have the power to save people like you."

"I have no idea why either so I hope you aren't looking to me for answers."

Amara's gaze dropped to the pavement, frustration creeping into her expression.

"But don't get the wrong idea," Vahari continued, "Revenants aren't here to save people. We eliminate threats—wherever they may come from. If some people happen to be saved, that's just a side effect."

Vahari's statement sent a chill down Amara's spine, but before she could reply an alert came in through Vahari's earpiece. She touched it lightly and listened before relaying the message to Amara:

"A Class 2 Brute just appeared about eight kilometres from here, let's move"

Amara tensed, "I'm coming with you?"

Vahari didn't hesitate. "You'll be fine—just stick close to me."

The city blurred into a streak of light and sound as Amara was whisked through air, her breath stolen by the sheer speed as she clung to Vahari. The sudden stop was a violent snap back to reality as Amara toppled over, her legs weak from the sudden stop.

"You could've warned me," she muttered, clutching her head as she was fighting off nausea.

Vahari smirked slightly but said nothing. Her attention was already fixed ahead.

Sirens wailed, the military police shouted orders and the few remaining civilians left were being ushered away from the burning wreck that used to be a street. An officer—covered in dust and tense—approached, rifle gripped tight.

"Situation's bad," he said without preamble, eyes flicking to Vahari with recognition. "Eight-foot Brute, insane strength and durability. One Revenant engaged but barely holding on." He grimaced. "We're losing this fight."

A deep guttural roar split the air. Then—

Crash!

A monstrous shape exploded through a shattered storefront, sending chunks of debris flying. In its enormous maw, a mangled Revenant dangled lifelessly. The beast—a hulking mass of gnarled muscle, obsidian hide, and eyes devoid of any signs of humanity left—tilted its head before biting down with a sickening crunch.

Amara stumbled back, eyes wide with horror. "Oh, hell no—"

Vahari stepped forward, voice smooth as silk. "Stay here, don't run"

Then, she casually walked toward the Marauder. It shifted its focus to Vahari, nostrils flaring as it tasted the air. Then, it roared—deep and primal, shaking the earth beneath them.

It lunged, its massive fist tearing through the air, aiming to turn her into paste.

Vahari sidestepped effortlessly. The sheer force of the strike shattered the pavement where she had stood. The beast was fast for its size, but she was faster. It swung again—she weaved, dancing out of reach.

She struck. Just a single blow, a precise jab to its ribs. The Marauder barely flinched.

A smirk tugged at Vahari's lips. "Tough one."

The brute snarled, spinning with a backhand swipe. This time, she blocked—catching its wrist mid-swing. The ground beneath her cracked from the force, she budged slightly and grunted.

That actually hurt.

Vahari exhaled and twisted its arm.

Snap!

The brute howled in agony as its shoulder dislocated grotesquely. It staggered back, eyes now filled with pure survival instinct.

It roared, charging wildly, ignoring its wounded arm. Its claws slashed through the air, leaving deep gashes in concrete. It moved with desperation now, its primal mind recognizing a threat.

Vahari dodged with immense speed, her movements becoming unnaturally fluid. At times, she wasn't even stepping—she shifted, a flicker in reality, her form slipping out of phase for split seconds before reappearing somewhere else.

Amara's stomach tightened.

It was the first time she witnessed anything of this magnitude. It was like watching a scene from a shounen anime!

The brute tried again—grabbing, swiping and howling in frustration. It couldn't touch Vahari.

Then, Vahari struck.

A kick—lightning-fast, hitting with the force of a war hammer—sent the monster flying into a burning wreck. The impact created a shockwave, shattering nearby windows.

The marauder rose, dazed.

Vahari unsheathed her blade, the air around it shimmered, dark energy coiling around it and ancient sounding murmurs exuding from it. The crescent rune-like tattoo on her neck pulsed, glowing a deep, molten amber. The universe itself seemed to blend around her presence.

Sensing death, the brute let out a guttural roar and lunged one last time out of pure desperation, full force and then—

The temperature dropped.

The world fell silent, as if it had inhaled and refused to exhale

Only one word shattered the silence, uttered by Vahari, reverberating through the atmosphere.

"Ase."

Vahari met the brute mid-air, touching its chest with only the tip of her blade. What followed was an explosion of dark energy that tore through the marauder accompanied by a cacophony of voices—lamenting and wailing in an ancient, long forgotten tongue.

The impact was colossal, sending the military police officers and Amara hurtling back with a shockwave that tore through the street.

With a final, thunderous crash, the monster crashed back on the ground, lifeless. Vahari made her landing atop its corpse, blade still humming.

To Amara, it was like watching a god descend.

The lamenting voices that had echoed through the explosion of power faded, dissolving into the wind, leaving an eerie silence

Silence.

The officers and Amara could only stare, panting and disbelieving.

A sharp chime rang out, breaking through the silence.

All around, the massive billboards flickered to life, their bright displays illuminating the ruined street. They all showed the same thing —a ranking table with five names, each accompanied by shifting statistics. In bold letters, one change stood out: Wayne Company had overtaken Helios for the top spot.

The new Company Ranking read:

 Wayne Company 

Helios 

Titan 

Angel Company 

Federal Guardian Authority

One officer exhaled sharply, lowering his rifle. "…Well, damn."

The others murmured among themselves, glancing between the billboards and the wreckage left in Vahari's wake. But she wasn't even looking.

Her gaze was onto the mangled remains of the fallen Revenant that fought the brute before her—and lost. A flicker of frustration crossed her face, but only for a moment. With a small sigh, she turned away while dusting off her hands and spoke flatly.

"Next time, tell them to send someone who can actually fight." 

The officers exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to be insulted or relieved.

Amara, however, was watching Vahari carefully. There was no victory in her stance. No satisfaction. Just an unspoken irritation, as if she had lost something. Is that what it's like to have so much power? Will I reach that level someday?

Before Amara could dwell on it, Vahari's wrist device let out a low ping. She pressed on her earpiece and began speaking to someone. Then, without warning, she turned to Amara.

"Hey, you aren't close to the guy from the subway right?

"No, we're strangers. We met on the train and barely spoke before—"

"Yeah, he's dead," Vahari spoke with an eerie finality.

The words hit like a hammer.

Amara exclaimed, "What?!"