The Invitation of the Abyss.

The last bastion of the Kanto region burned. Yokota Air Base had become a cauldron of chaos. The roars of Oni clashed against machine-gun fire, and the ground trembled with the fury of a war that would decide Kanto's fate. But amidst all that noise, one question hung in the air, heavy and toxic as the ash: Where was the Regent? The General of Kanto, the monster who had started it all, had vanished from the board.

On the eastern flank, Natasha was a whirlwind. Her katana moved faster than the human eye could follow. With a horizontal slash, she split the torso of an insectoid creature trying to scale the wall. Without stopping, she spun and beheaded another. Her breathing was ragged, but her technique was impeccable.

Yet, something made her stop. A chill that had nothing to do with the cold rain. Natasha looked up, gazing beyond the walls toward the dead city surrounding the base.

There she was. About two hundred meters away, standing on an exposed steel beam of a ruined building, was a silhouette. She wore a kimono that gleamed beneath the darkness. Her long, purple hair waved violently, whipped by the wind and the black rain. The girl with the blindfold. The Regent's right hand.

She was completely still, ignoring the battle raging at her feet. Her covered face was pointed directly at Natasha. Natasha felt a knot in her stomach. It wasn't fear, it was... discomfort. A slimy feeling of déjà vu. "Why...?" whispered Natasha, tightening her grip on her sword's hilt. "Why do I feel like I know you?"

Her mind tried to process that familiarity, searching her memories, but nothing fit. It was something instinctive, something her blood recognized before her brain did.

The girl on the beam tilted her head slightly, as if greeting her. Then, with a fluid motion, she turned halfway and leaped into the darkness of the destroyed city, deliberately moving away from the main battle, deeper into the concrete labyrinth.

Natasha watched, confused. Is she running away? she thought. No... the Regent and she are in control of this battle... Is this an invitation?

Natasha knew it was a trap. She knew separating from the group was suicide. But the urge to follow her was stronger than her training. She needed to know who she was. She needed to understand why her heart ached so painfully at the sight of her.

Natasha brought her hand to her ear, activating her communicator. "Kaori, I'm going after the target with the fans. She's heading into the city."

Kaori's response was immediate and full of static. "Negative, Natasha! That's a direct order! I need you on the East Wall, we're losing ground! It's a trap to divide our elite forces! Do not leave the base!"

Natasha heard Kaori's shouts, but her eyes remained fixed on the spot where the girl had disappeared. "I'm sorry, Kaori," Natasha said in a calm, almost sad voice. "But I have to handle this myself. Do not intervene."

"Natasha, wait! If you go out there I won't be able to cover you with the artill...!"

CRACK. Natasha tore the device from her ear and crushed it in her hand, cutting off her commander's voice. She let the pieces fall to the ground and looked toward the city. "It's just you and me now," she murmured.

In the Command Room, Kaori slammed the console in frustration. "Damn it!" she shouted, frightening the operators. "That idiot!"

"Ma'am, should we send Squad 7 to bring her back?" asked a nervous lieutenant.

Kaori took a deep breath, forcing her brain to take control over her anger. She looked at the tactical map. Natasha was Class S; sending normal soldiers after her would be a death sentence. And if Natasha had decided to leave, no one could stop her. "No," Kaori said gravely. "It would be useless. We'd lose more men and time. If she wants to play the lone wolf, let her. We'll have to trust she knows what she's doing." Kaori turned back to the screens. "Forget Natasha! Restructure the defense of the Eastern Flank! Move the Vulcan turrets to cover her absence! Now!"

Natasha jumped the outer wall and landed on the wet asphalt with a heavy splash. She started to run. The black rain fell heavily, turning the world into a blurry painting. The water mixed with ash, creating a mud that clung to her boots.

She ventured into the streets of the forgotten city. Buildings rose on both sides like the ribs of a dead giant. Rusted cars from years past blocked the avenues. As she ran, Natasha noticed something unsettling. There were no creatures. Not a single Oni. Not a single lesser beast. The path the girl had taken was completely clear, as if the way had been opened for her. It was clear the enemy general had ordered her subjects not to interfere. She wants a duel... Natasha deduced, quickening her pace.

She ran for several minutes, guided by the residual trail of purple energy the girl left behind, a trail only another user of Kijin Essence could see.

Finally, she arrived at a wide intersection, what was once a commercial district. Natasha skidded to a halt.

There she was.

In the middle of the street, under the torrential downpour, the blindfolded girl was waiting. She stood on the sunken roof of an overturned bus, her closed Tessen war fans in her hands. The water slid over her pale skin and soaked her kimono, but she didn't seem to feel the cold.

Natasha stopped running. She straightened her back and walked slowly toward her, her unsheathed katana pointing at the ground. The sound of her footsteps splashing in puddles was the only thing that competed with the noise of the rain.

Ten meters. Five meters.

They stopped. They were so close that Natasha could see the water droplets hanging from the fabric of the blindfold covering her opponent's eyes. Neither spoke a word. The air between them vibrated with an electric tension. Natasha clenched her teeth, feeling that discomfort in her chest grow until it became unbearable. She was facing the enemy, but her instinct wasn't screaming at her to kill her; it was screaming questions.

The blindfolded girl tilted her head, and a nearly imperceptible smile, both sad and cruel, formed on her lips. The battle was about to begin.