🌐 Language / 言語
🇺🇸 [English Edition]
🇯🇵 [日本語版]
Deep within the darkened woods, the shadows of the trees stretched like long fingers as twilight thickened, obstructing the path of any who dared to wander. Lily, a young girl who had ventured into the forest to gather medicinal herbs for her grandmother, trembled in terror, having lost her way back home.
A second sound began to mingle with her own footsteps—a low, earth-shaking growl. She spun around to find a monstrous, wolf-like beast glaring at her, its eyes burning with a predatory light. Lily gasped, her legs frozen in place.
“Help me…”
She whispered in a frail voice. In the next heartbeat, the beast lunged. The girl’s scream echoed through the forest—only to be cut short by the thunderous clang of striking metal.
The beast’s razor-sharp fangs had been halted by a massive, thick shield that had suddenly interceded.
“You’re safe now.”
Holding the shield was a girl with golden braids that swayed as she moved. She offered Lily a gentle smile—a smile possessed of a warmth that seemed to melt away all anxiety in an instant.
This was the Holy Maiden, Izdayl. Bracing her massive shield, she stood as an immovable wall in front of Lily.
Infuriated, the beast attacked again, only to be swatted away by Izdayl’s shield. Lily pressed herself against that dependable back, her racing heart finally beginning to steady.
“Stay hidden behind me. Let’s leave the rest to the scary lady up there.”
Izdayl patted Lily’s head tenderly.
“I can hear you, you know.”
A woman’s voice drifted down from above, accompanied by the whistling of the wind. Looking up, they saw a Saint soaring through the air, her magnificent golden hair streaming behind her.
It was Vyzoa, the Sovereign who commanded the Holy Maidens of the Kingdom.
A blinding radiance began to converge within the massive cannon she cradled—the divine armament known as a ‘Blitz.’ It possessed an overwhelming destructive power akin to a bolt of lightning. The released flash struck the beast directly, reducing its form to ash in a single breath.
“Begone!”
The torrent of light illuminated the forest, leaving the other beasts lurking in the dark with nowhere to hide as they scattered in fear. Both Lily and Izdayl could only watch in silent awe at the sheer magnitude of her power.
As the battle subsided, silence returned to the woods. Izdayl placed a soft hand on Lily’s shoulder and smiled once more.
“It was frightening, wasn’t it? But you’re safe now. I’ll escort you back to town.”
Tears overflowed as Lily flung herself into Izdayl’s arms.
“Thank you, big sister… thank you so much…!”
Vyzoa offered a quiet smile and a nod.
“Come. Let us go home.”
Clasping Lily’s small hand in hers, Izdayl began to walk. Their mission would continue—all for the sake of the people they were sworn to protect.
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