Both monsters froze in panic.
Neither knew who this terrifying figure was—the demon who could casually redirect their attacks like they were nothing. The towering lizard let out a low, guttural rumble. It wasn't a threat. It was communication—one that only an Ashbourne could understand.
Being one herself, Kaine understood it instantly.
She smirked. "Oh? You're willing to serve me? Interesting."
Her gaze shifted to the gorilla. Upon meeting her cold, emotionless eyes, it twitched... and bowed its massive head in submission.
Kaine rolled her eyes, already finding the situation dull. "How boring," she muttered—but made no complaint.
[Would you like to bind these two Ashbournes, so they can serve you for eternity?]
"Yes, I do... Wait." Kaine's expression twitched. "This feels like some kind of wedding ceremony."
[The two Ashbournes have been successfully bound to you.]
"Hm." She nodded and turned her attention back to the towering beasts. "You there. What's your name?" she asked, pointing at the massive gorilla.
"M-My lord… My name is Kong," it rumbled.
Her brow twitched. She looked to the lizard. "And yours?"
"My name is Zilla."
"…Right." She gave a faint, amused smile. "Do you two rule Shibuya?"
"We do not," Kong answered.
"We've been fighting constantly to decide who should rule the east side," Zilla added.
[Host, the ASHFALL Fracture has caused elves, dragons, dwarves, and other magical races to appear on Earth.]
"I see…" Kaine muttered. That meant there were likely more territories—and more Ashbournes—scattered across the ruined city.
"What's the size of your armies?"
"I command two hundred Ashbournes," Kong said, puffing his chest. "Zilla has about the same."
"Good. Call every last one of them," Kaine said, rising slightly. "We're going on a raid."
"A raid, my lord?" Zilla asked, puzzled. "For what?" Kong questioned.
"…Clothes," Kaine muttered.
"…"
"…"
"What? Is that a problem?" The suffocating pressure from earlier returned in full force. Both monsters instantly dropped their heads, struggling to breathe.
"N-No, my lord!"
"Good." Kaine smiled faintly.
Kong and Zilla immediately sent brainwave pulses to summon every Ashbourne under their control.
Within minutes, the ground trembled.
From the ruined buildings and ash-covered forests of east Shibuya, creatures began to emerge—one after another. Their twisted forms took on nightmarish shapes: bone-thin giants, burning-eyed beasts, crawling horrors with too many legs. Some looked like wolves with human hands. Others slithered like snakes with screaming faces.
Four hundred Ashbournes—all answering the call.
The horde assembled in silence, split into two armies. On one side, Kong's legion. On the other, Zilla's.
One stepped forward. "Lord Kong, has something happened?"
The others growled and bared their fangs. The tension was thick—they expected a war. A final battle for dominance between Kong and Zilla.
Instead, Kong raised a hand.
"This is our new ruler."
Every Ashbourne turned their gaze toward Kaine.
She sat casually atop Zilla's crown, arms crossed, expression unreadable. And when her eyes met theirs—a deep, ancient fear struck them.
They knelt.
"Graaaahh!!!" the entire army roared in unison, shaking the city's ruins.
Kaine looked unmoved.
"…Oh right," she muttered. "What are Ashbournes, anyway?"
[Ashbournes are creatures born from prolonged exposure to the corrupted ash left behind by the ASHFALL Fracture. Over time, the ash mutates all life it touches into monstrous, near-unkillable forms.]
[Ashbournes reproduce through devouring. If one consumes another creature, it can mimic and evolve into a version of it.]
[They are nearly impossible to kill. Even a single surviving cell can regenerate. They are considered a plague on the world.]
"I see…" Kaine nodded, her tone flat. "Then what am I...?"
She didn't dwell on it. With a wave of her hand, she issued her first command.
"March."
Zilla lowered its head. Kaine took her place on the monster's crown like a queen on her throne.
Kong stomped forward.
And behind them, four hundred nightmares moved as one.
Crimson Branch War Room – Central Shibuya Outpost
The room was silent.
Holograms flickered. Drones streamed live footage. A single red dot on the map—marked with the designation KX-001: Ash Queen—was heading west with a wave of monsters in tow.
"You're telling me... four hundred Ashbournes are marching in formation?" Commander Renji Kurosawa, a hardened Grade 5 Awakener, slammed his palm on the table. His crimson aura flared, reacting to his fury.
"Yes, sir," the scout stammered. "Two Lord-class Ashbournes are leading them—code-named Kong and Zilla. But… they're not fighting anymore. They're… united."
"That's impossible," barked Lieutenant Sayaka Ren. "They've been slaughtering each other for weeks!"
"They submitted to a new leader," the tech whispered, zooming in on the feed. "A girl. She's riding Zilla's head. Her vitals are... not human."
Renji leaned forward. His voice lowered.
"She tamed both of them?"
"They bowed to her without resistance. She's directing the march... toward a mall."
Sayaka blinked. "A mall?"
"What, is she planning to loot sneakers?" someone muttered.
"Shut it," Renji growled. "I've seen this before. When a being powerful enough to unite monsters emerges, they start by testing boundaries. They raid, they gather resources, they build loyalty."
One of the scouts turned pale. "What should we call her, sir?"
Renji stared at the screen.
A girl with a hollow expression, sitting atop a monster, while an army of nightmares crawled behind her.
"…Mark her as Code red," he said grimly. "From this moment on, she is our top threat."
"And the mall?" Sayaka asked.
Renji narrowed his eyes.
"Evacuate the zone. Prep recon drones. Do not engage. If she's building an empire…"
He paused.
"…we're already too late."
...