In the distant sky of Shibuya, a large crack appeared.
Ash fell from it like snow.
In this apocalypse, people knew—when ash fell from the sky, catastrophe followed.
"This place feels... a little different."
Kaine casually dropped through the crack upside down, her mischievous eyes scanning the city below with amused curiosity. She landed atop a towering skyscraper, crouching like a cat.
The rift in the sky quickly sealed shut—as if it never existed.
Sitting on the edge of the building, one leg dangling and the other tucked in, Kaine surveyed the broken city.
ROARRRR!
From between the shattered buildings rose two monstrous shapes. One was scaled like a volcano-baked lizard, its molten eyes burning with fury. The other was covered in obsidian fur and fused concrete, its gorilla-like arms smashing cars as it roared back in challenge.
The lizard lunged forward, slamming the gorilla-Ashbourne into a neighboring skyscraper. Debris burst upward like dying fireworks.
Kaine winced, brushing ash from her shoulder.
"Okay... rude. That almost touched me."
Below, the two Grade 4 Ashbournes—massive, towering monsters—clashed violently.
"Godzilla and King Kong, huh?" Kaine mused. "No one told me the apocalypse came with entertainment."
She popped a blackened berry she'd conveniently found into her mouth, chewing slowly.
"Honestly... no one ever tells me when the main event starts. I would've brought popcorn."
The gorilla got its footing, fists glowing red. It charged. The lizard inhaled—then unleashed a pillar of black flame from its jaws.
Kaine stood up, the wind tugging at her coat like invisible fingers.
"Still no popcorn? What a scam."
Hours passed. Both monsters collapsed, breathing heavily. Their battle ended in a draw. This had been going on for weeks—fighting for the right to rule the eastern side of Shibuya.
As they began to part ways, a childish voice echoed from above.
"Bravo, bravo. Truly a spectacle."
Both beasts turned. A small human girl stood atop a nearby skyscraper, clapping her hands, laughing.
They stared at each other—then at her. "Grrrrr..." The gorilla, impatient, launched a punch at the skyscraper with brutal force.
"Dang, let's talk about this first—"
The punch curved in midair. Gracefully. Elegantly.
And smashed into the gorilla's own face.
...
It stood dumbfounded, stumbling back into a nearby building. Kaine cackled, her Doloréa Eyes flickering beneath her blindfold.
"Are you stupid?" The lizard stared at its rival, baffled. "What sort of nonsense is this?"
Enraged, the gorilla got up and charged again—both fists raised.
WHAM. WHAM.
Both fists curved... and smashed into its own cheek. The gorilla was launched like a ragdoll, crashing through several buildings. Kaine was now laughing so hard she nearly fell over.
The lizard blinked. Again?
Realizing something was very wrong, it opened its mouth wide, black fire spiraling toward Kaine.
"Eh?"
She stopped laughing. Her Doloréa Eyes flickered.
The flames froze in midair.
Then reversed course.
The lizard tried to dodge—too late. The flames hugged it tightly, lovingly... destructively.
It crashed through buildings, roaring in agony.
"Pffffft—HAHAHAHA!" Kaine howled with laughter, genuinely entertained.
---
[A few fragments have been found. Healing the host's mental state...]
"Eh?" Kaine blinked. A familiar robotic voice echoed in her head. She glanced down, distracted, not noticing the two giant monsters creeping closer.
The gorilla and lizard locked eyes. Nodded.
Then attacked together.
Two fists thundered toward Kaine—who remained still. Her expression unreadable beneath her bangs.
SWISH.
Both monsters froze.
A suffocating pressure engulfed them—an overwhelming sense of death.
Kaine's blindfold drifted away on the wind.
She raised her head.
Two lifeless red eyes glowed beneath her bangs—haunted, sad, and mad all at once.
"You two... are annoying."
Her voice changed—cold, robotic. The pressure intensified. Both monsters fell to their knees. Nearby skyscrapers cracked and collapsed. Shibuya trembled.
---
[WELCOME BACK, HOST]
"Oh, it's you," Kaine said flatly. "Thanks for that. So, tell me—what's all this?"
[Due to experiencing 10,000 lifetimes inside the ASHFALL fracture, you slept for two months. Upon awakening, realizing those lifetimes may have been fake... you developed a personality disorder.]
"Hmm. Interesting. And Alice? Is she still going by that name?"
[Unknown. You'll have to find out.]
"I see. Doesn't matter. Show me my status panel."
[LOADING...]
---
[STATUS PANEL]
Titles: Ashborn Queen, Fractured Star, Doll of Ruin
Race: Ashbourne (Post-Human Entity)
Core: None
Eyes: Doloréa Eyes
Gravity manipulation
Telekinesis
Trajectory control
Abilities:
Cancel or redirect visible attacks
Control mass and pressure
Telekinetic dominance over matter and enemies
Limitation: Energy burns rapidly under sunlight
---
"Interesting indeed." Kaine smirked, turning her gaze back toward Godzi—ahem—the lizard... and the gorilla.
She cracked her neck.
"Time to deal with you two"