Chapter 4: The First Mission

That afternoon, the bitter cold pierced their bones in the snowy forest. The fir trees were covered in ice, and every step made a crunching sound. Kiryu, Selena, and Liliana walked on, following tracks left by previous adventurers. Reports had mentioned strange creatures—Yeti with terrifying claws and horns—but their current mission was just to clear the area of common monsters.

Suddenly, a dozen Snow Goblins emerged from behind the trees. They had icy blue skin, carried primitive axes, and their eyes glowed with hunger.

Selena drew her sword, her fiery aura clashing with the cold air. Liliana calmly prepared to cast a spell. Kiryu, on the other hand, only used his simple sword, deflecting the goblins' attacks with efficient and lethal movements. He didn't use any magic, only plain sword strikes.

Slowly, the goblins fell one by one. Kiryu deliberately kept his true power a secret, only using his ordinary swordsmanship.

Liliana: "Phew, they're all gone finally," Liliana said, wiping her forehead from exhaustion.

Selena, watching Kiryu's fighting style, remembered the incident in the village. The way he handled his sword and the way the strange blade was thrown, it all came back to her. She stared at Kiryu, her eyes filled with confusion.

Kiryu: "Selena, are you alright?" Kiryu asked, noticing her staring blankly.

Selena: "Hmm! I'm fine. The air is getting colder, I think we should hurry and return before night falls."

They all agreed. However, halfway through their journey, they found an adventurer lying in the snow, his body covered in wounds and shivering from hypothermia.

"What happened?" Selena asked, kneeling beside him.

The man, named Greg, flinched. "A monster... a bear monster... it's behind us... a Shadow Bear..." He coughed, blood spraying from his mouth. "It possessed... the bear... with red eyes and a horn on its nose..."

Kiryu's face grew serious. He knew it wasn't an ordinary bear. It was a Dark Shadow possessing an animal's body.

Suddenly, from within the forest, they heard a scream. "Help! Mimika!"

Greg: "That... that must be Mimika! Our team's healer!"

Kiryu: "I'll go. You all stay here," Kiryu commanded, preparing to run.

Selena: "What are you doing?! I won't let you fight alone!"

Liliana remained silent, calmly sucking on a piece of candy as if nothing was happening.

Kiryu took advantage of Selena's momentary distraction, a glance away, and sprinted off.

Selena: "Kiryu, you idiot!" she yelled in frustration.

Just as Greg had said, a gigantic bear made of shadows and with a horn on its nose was about to tear apart Mimika and the rest of the adventurer's team. Its roar shook the trees.

WHAM!

Suddenly, a powerful kick struck the bear's side, sending it flying back slightly. The bear growled, startled.

Kiryu: "Are you all right?" Kiryu asked, standing in front of them.

Mimika: "Yes, we are! The most important thing is the monster in front of us!"

Kiryu sighed. "Trinity Radiance," he muttered. In an instant, blue, red, and white light flowed from his body. The Tri-Aspect Armor appeared, covering his body. In his hand, a silver-glowing spear, the Lumina Staff, materialized. Kiryu charged at the bear, his spear piercing its shadowy chest.

The bear exploded into fragments of light. However, its final, pained roar echoed through the forest, summoning more monsters. From all directions, dozens of Shadow Yetis and more bears emerged, surrounding them.

Kiryu realized he couldn't handle them all with a single attack.

Kiryu: "Miracle Breaker!"

The Lumina Staff in his hand transformed into a sword, the Photon Arc Blade, which radiated with a pure white light. His armor evolved, expanding to cover his entire body in a magnificent new suit of armor. The three power modes—Flash, Miracle, Strong—were etched on his helmet.

Kiryu: "Flash Mode, activate!"

In a flash, Kiryu vanished. Only blurs of light were visible among the monsters, and in seconds, dozens of them fell. He moved at lightning speed, leaving a trail of destruction behind him.

Kiryu: "Miracle Mode, activate!"

He swung his sword towards a large Shadow Yeti, and the yeti didn't split in half; instead, it disintegrated into light dust, vanishing without a trace.

Kiryu: "Strong Mode, activate!"

His blade now trembled, and he unleashed a single, powerful slash. A wave of pure white energy shot forward, obliterating all the remaining monsters in a single attack. The entire area became silent, with only the snow now stained with black dust.

Mimika and her team were stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief. They had never seen magic like this before.

Shortly after, Selena, Liliana, and a healed Greg arrived. Greg was incredibly grateful, and he offered all the crystals they had gathered to Kiryu.

Kiryu: "No. You deserve these more," Kiryu said, "You sacrificed yourself for your friends."

Greg could only express his gratitude. He felt that the true hero was Kiryu.

Liliana: "Well, I don't know who you are, Kiryu. But what I do know is that I'm interested in adventuring with you," Liliana said, pointing her sword at him, her purple eyes filled with deep curiosity.

Selena: "Wait! You can't just force him to do that!"

Liliana: "Relax. My goal is the same as yours, Kiryu: to get to Avalon. I know a shortcut without high costs. Besides, a team of three is better than two."

Selena was surprised, as was Kiryu. They agreed. The next day, after Kiryu reported the incident to Caldio, who promised to begin an investigation, the three of them started their journey to Avalon.