"Alright. Let's get 'em!" Kenny shouted as he shot forward.
CRACK! The asphalt beneath his feet fractured as he launched himself like a cannonball.
His acceleration was so explosive that several civilians fleeing the area only caught a brief green blur flashing past the corners of their eyes.
A split second later, brilliant green light engulfed his body.
SUUUUSH! Metallic armor formed around him in a blur, assembling from foot to head faster than the eye could follow.
Plates locked into place with a series of sharp mechanical clicks.
Chest armor, shoulder guards, arm guards.
And then, with a metallic snap, two massive curved blades unfolded from his forearms.
They resembled the scythes of a giant praying mantis, their silver-green edges gleaming beneath the sunlight.
Astuce, Kenny's Praying Mantis Armor.
The two Lamia immediately reacted. RAAAARGH! Their monstrous roars shook the street as they lunged forward.
Despite their size, they moved frighteningly fast.
Black claws rose overhead, ready to tear apart anything in their path.
Kenny let out a sigh. "Oh, come on." He pointed one blade at them. "We literally just got here." His expression turned sympathetic. "Did somebody skip lunch or something?"
SWOOOSH! A claw swung straight for his head.
The attack carried enough force to bisect an ordinary person.
Kenny simply tilted his head.
The black claws missed by mere centimeters,
the gust from the swing ruffled the tips of his blond hair.
"Whoa." Kenny blinked. "That was close." He immediately checked his face with one hand. "What if you scratched something important? My handsome face is national asset."
Kenny folded his arms and considered that statement carefully. "Actually, it might be a world asset!"
The Lamia roared again.
Kenny moved first.
FWISH! Green light flashed. The right scythe disappeared from sight. The slash was so fast it barely seemed to exist.
The Lamia froze.
For a brief moment, nothing happened, then a thin line appeared.
Starting at its left shoulder, ending at its right hip.
The next instant, SHRAAAK! The creature split cleanly in two.
THUD! Black fluid burst into the air as both halves crashed onto the asphalt.
The second Lamia attacked immediately, its claws came tearing in from Kenny's blind side.
Kenny barely moved. He pivoted lightly, almost as though dancing.
The claws swept past him.
He twisted his waist. And , WHAM! His kick slammed into the Lamia's abdomen.
The two-meter monster left the ground entirely.
WUUUSH! It shot backward like a missile.
KRAAAAK! The creature crashed through a roadside tree. The trunk snapped in half instantly, leaves exploded into the air.
"Hmm ...," Kenny glanced at the remains of the first Lamia. "still not quite there."
He folded his arms. "Looks like I still can't control both Astuce blades perfectly." Tilting his head, he examined the corpse as though judging artwork. "As for that slash ...."
A thoughtful pause.
"Six out of ten."
Several civilians hiding behind overturned vehicles immediately cheered.
The fight had lasted only seconds.
A little boy sitting in his father's arms pointed excitedly toward Kenny. "Dad! Look! It's an ARMOR Knight! He's awesome!"
More civilians emerged from cover.
Phones appeared, camera flashes began popping from every direction.
Some even stepped out farther just to get a better angle.
Kenny noticed immediately, his eyes lit up. Far brighter than they had during the battle. "Oh?" He brushed his bangs aside. "People are taking pictures of me?"
His grin widened. "Wow. Excellent taste." And then immediately turned sideways and struck a pose. "Right side, please." He raised a finger. "The left side's a little dangerous."
One civilian actually adjusted his camera. "Really?"
"Absolutely." Kenny nodded with complete seriousness. "If you take it from the left, I'll look way too handsome." He sighed dramatically. "I'm not sure your camera can handle that much beauty."
Several civilians burst out laughing.
The tension that had gripped the street moments ago began to ease.
"Over here!"
"Do another pose!"
"You're awesome!"
Kenny instantly raised both scythes into a giant V. "V for Victory!"
Flash! Flash! Flash! More photos followed.
"Good." Kenny nodded approvingly. "Very good." Then he pointed at the crowd. "Send those to me later."
"WE DON'T HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFO!" the civilians shouted back in unison.
"Ah." Kenny folded his arms. "What a tragic flaw in our relationship."
Directly behind him, the second Lamia that had been sent flying earlier had not been fully defeated after all.
The pitch-black creature rose with a rough movement. The dark muscles throughout its body tightened.
Its jaw opened wide, revealing rows of jagged fangs before a long roar shook the street.
Several civilians who had been busy taking pictures immediately screamed in panic.
The Lamia kicked off the asphalt hard enough to crack it and shot forward, its target was Kenny.
Yet Kenny's expression did not change in the slightest, he still stood there casually, one hand resting on his hip.
Even as the Lamia's shadow drew closer, the corner of his lips remained lifted in an almost irritatingly confident smile.
And only when the giant claw was about to touch his face did Kenny finally move, just one small step to the side.
As simple as avoiding a puddle on the road.
The Lamia's claw missed his face by mere centimeters.
His eyes calmly followed the monster's movement, then his body spun lightly.
The green scythe on his right arm drew a line of light. SWING! A burst of green sparks exploded.
One of the Lamia's arms instantly detached from its shoulder, thick black blood sprayed into the air.
But before the first drop touched the ground, Kenny had already moved again, shooting low like a hunter.
The pair of scythes on his arms flashed repeatedly. FWISH! FWISH! FWISH! A rapid barrage of slashes created intersecting trails of green light across the air.
For a moment, everything seemed still.
The Lamia remained standing, still appearing intact.
Then dozens of thin lines emerged all over the monster's body.
Its head fell off, followed by its shoulders, chest, and waist.
The massive body was cut into countless pieces before collapsing together onto the asphalt. THUD!
A thin wave of dust spread in all directions.
Kenny immediately broke into a wide grin and stretched his body with a satisfied expression. "All done!"
***
Rafka swallowed hard, his left hand trembled ever so slightly.
Ayu glanced at him. "What are you waiting for?" She stepped forward. "They're only Walpurgis-class." She spread her white wings. "They're no match for our Mythical Armor."
A faint smile touched Ayu's lips. "I'm right here." She met his eyes. "I'll always be by your side."
Rafka stared at her for a moment, then he nodded. "Yeah." Flames flickered between the gaps of his crimson armor. A smile slowly formed on his face. "Let's do this."
The next second, BOOM! They shot forward side by side.
From a distance, they looked like twin streaks of red and white light cutting across the battlefield.
The remaining four Lamia reacted instantly.
Two lunged toward Ayu and the other two charged straight for Rafka.
The pair split apart mid-run.
Ayu skimmed low over the ground while Rafka rushed in from the opposite direction.
Scarlet flames erupted in his palm. WHOOSH! Agni's sword materialized in a burst of fire.
Rafka swung, the blazing blade carved through the nearest Lamia.
Flames exploded across the creature's body. It let out a distorted roar before collapsing onto the pavement.
But the second Lamia was already there, its claws came crashing toward his head.
Too fast.
Rafka's eyes widened.
CLANG! A flash of white streaked between them.
Ayu's sword intercepted the attack. Sparks scattered through the air. "Focus." That was all she said before darting past him.
At the same moment, another Lamia lunged.
Its massive arms wrapped around Ayu's body.
A nearby civilian screamed. "She got caught!"
Then, FWOOSH! White flames erupted outward.
The Lamia's arms blackened instantly.
Burned, charred, totally destroyed.
The creature released her with a howl of pain.
Ayu landed gracefully a few steps away. She brushed a bit of ash from her sleeve. "How rude." She dusted the ash from her clothes. "At least, ask first."
She looked at the Lamia as if it were the unreasonable one. "Did nobody teach you basic manners? Touching a beautiful girl without permission is punishable by death."
Rafka, who had been about to rush over and help, slowly came to a stop. He looked at the Lamia, then at Ayu, then back at the Lamia. "Woah."
A brief pause.
"Sometimes I wonder who's actually supposed to be the monster here," Rafka muttered, unconsciously shivering a little.
"Did you say something?" Ayu appeared beside him.
Rafka nearly jumped. "No! Nothing!"
Ayu stared at him for a second. Then a tiny smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "Rafka." She raised her sword. "Let's finish this."
Rafka nodded. "Let's end this." He lifted Agni's sword and angled it toward hers. "Together ... right?"
CLINK. The two blades touched lightly.
They moved simultaneously. FWOOSH! Red and white flames erupted across the street.
Two slashes crossed in midair. A brilliant blaze swept through the battlefield.
For a brief instant, everything seemed frozen.
Then the final two Lamia split apart.
Their bodies were consumed by fire and reduced to ash before the remains scattered into the wind.
Silence fell over the street.
Then, cheers erupted from every direction, applause followed.
Then, cheers erupted from every direction, applause followed.
"Are those the new Mythical Knights?"
"They're amazing!"
"So that's the power of two Mythical Armors?"
"They're strong!"
A few people pointed at Rafka and Ayu standing side by side.
"Don't they look cute together?"
"They totally look like a couple."
"I know, right? They totally look like a couple."
Ayu's ears twitched slightly. She glanced toward the civilians who had made the comment.
A faint smile immediately appeared at the corners of her lips, a trace of pink slowly crept onto her cheeks. Do we really look like a couple?
Her gaze briefly drifted toward Rafka. The smile on her face grew a little wider. That makes me surprisingly happy!
Rafka exhaled heavily. Sweat rolled down the side of his face. "Man ...,"He wiped his forehead. "that was more tiring than I expected."
Ayu immediately stepped closer. "Are you hurt?" She held out her hand. "Need help standing? Or you could hold my hand."
Rafka stared at her, then at the offered hand, then back at her face. "I'm fine."
Ayu looked mildly disappointed.
In the distance, Kenny finally approached while casually throwing victory poses at the civilians still taking pictures.
"Alright." He pointed at himself with both thumbs. "Let's settle this." A confident grin spread across his face. "Who was the coolest out there?"
Ayu immediately put her hands on her hips. "Me," she answered without a second of hesitation.