Three Currents

CRIMSON

"Lord Crimson, the sacrifices are ready for the ceremony."

"I see..."

I spent a moment staring down at the Lawless City before shifting my gaze to the moon hanging in the night sky. I made sure to look the part—refined features, wine-red hair swept stylishly to the side. Total villain vibes.

"The Red Moon... it’s not quite there yet..."

The moon was definitely stained red, but it wasn't enough. If I wanted this to go off without a hitch, I’d have to wait a little longer for the atmosphere to peak.

"How’s the city-wide takeover progressing?" I asked.

"Everything is moving according to plan, sir. Except... well..."

"Except what?"

I turned around and leveled a heavy stare at my subordinate, who was currently choking on his own words. He started trembling under my gaze before finally squeaking out the rest.

"There’s been some... unexpectedly stiff resistance in a few sectors."

"The Magic Swordsman Association?"

"No, they’re not even a factor. The resistance is coming from three specific individuals. One is Yukime, the 'Spirit Fox.' Another is Juggernaut, the 'Tyrant.'"

"Those two, huh..."

I scowled as I looked back down at the Lawless City. My Ghoul swarms were supposed to be sweeping the streets, but there were three distinct currents pushing back against the tide, moving in total defiance of the plan.

Yukime, the ruler of the White Tower. Juggernaut, the ruler of the Black Tower. Those two had made me eat dirt more times than I cared to count. It sucked to admit it, but in terms of raw power, I was still one step behind them.

But that ended today.

The Red Moon had arrived. Once the Queen was resurrected, those two would be nothing more than stains in a sea of blood.

"Heh... let them play," I chuckled, walking toward the coffin sitting in the center of the room. "They’ll never make it this far anyway. As long as the Queen of Blood returns to us, victory is ours..."

I gave the coffin a little stroke. My dear, sweet Queen... soon, the world will be ours.

Then, a thought occurred to me.

"Wait, you said there were three. Who’s the last one?"

As far as I knew, only those two had the guts to stand against us during a Red Moon event.

"W-well, we haven’t identified him yet. But he’s single-handedly wiped out a massive number of Ghouls. Even the Vampires we sent as reinforcements were completely shredded."

"Excuse me?"

"His name is Shadow. Honestly, sir? We think he might be the biggest threat of them all..."

"Shadow..." I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

JUGGERNAUT & YUKIME

Three currents were currently making a beeline for the Crimson Tower.

The first was the 'Tyrant' on a rampage.

The man was a massive, brown-skinned beast of a human. He was swinging a slab of iron that looked more like a giant meat cleaver than a sword, hacking through Ghouls with nothing but raw, meatheaded strength. Nobody could get near him; the second you entered his swing radius, you were basically turned into instant mincemeat.

The second was the dancing 'Spirit Fox.'

She was a silver-haired Fox-kin with a bewitching kind of beauty. Her nine tails—super rare, by the way—shimmered against the dark sky. She moved through the Ghouls like she was performing a traditional dance, slicing them to ribbons with the iron fans in her hands. If you got distracted by the flashes of skin peeking through her kimono, it was game over. You’d be dead before you even realized you were looking.

After slaughtering a small army of Ghouls, these two currents finally collided.

"Drop dead, you skank!"

"Honestly, you are such a tedious man."

Yukime parried Juggernaut’s massive cleaver with practiced ease. The iron slab slammed into the ground, sending a massive cloud of dust into the air.

"Been a while, Spirit Fox," Juggernaut growled, his face twisted into a nasty grin.

"I was really hoping I'd never see you again," Yukime sighed, looking genuinely annoyed.

"I’m just here to exterminate some blood-sucking bats. Might as well add you to the pile while I'm at it."

Juggernaut hoisted that massive cleaver over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.

"I’ve always hated persistent men..." Yukime muttered, snapping her fans open.

But just as they were about to go at it, the third current arrived.

SHADOW

A man clad in a Jet-black Longcoat descended silently from the night sky.

Before he even landed, he had already diced the three Vampires chasing him into tiny, bite-sized pieces.

Juggernaut actually looked stunned by the guy’s movement. The sheer fluidity, the explosive speed, and the overwhelming power hidden behind it—it was the kind of high-level play that even a brute like the 'Tyrant' had to respect.

Yukime was equally impressed, but for different reasons. The beauty of his sword path and the absolute lack of wasted motion was something she’d never seen in all her years. It wasn't just combat; it was a sword dance that had been elevated to an art form. It was enough to make her catch her breath.

"Who the hell are you...?" Juggernaut demanded.

"And you would be...?" Yukime asked.

The Jet-black Man turned around, gave his blade a sharp flick to clear the blood, and let it settle.

"My name is Shadow. I lurk in the shadows, and hunt the shadows..."

And just like that, the three currents finally met.