A boy wanted to protect those weaker than him. 

He was a child who admired his father.

Though the 'Shadow Overlord' was called an evil entity by outsiders, Shane believed his father was much more. In a world where those who were of a different species were dehumanised to a degree.

All that boy ever wanted to become just like him.

However, reality was far too cruel to him.

"Don't go spreading around your our son. You'll only taint your father's name." His mother’s tone would change when her husband wasn't looking, Always bringing up his talent. The boy’s lack of skills.

And how his younger sister gobbled them all up.

In his particular Mortal Realm, people were born with inclinations towards their particular ‘Affinity’ to the concepts. Their powers depending on both their innate 'Magical Talent' and 'Affinity' towards a certain Attribute. What they one day will grow into.

His little sister was an ‘A Rank’ Magical Talent with a Water and Dark Affinity. She was a true prodigy of the deep blue. As for Shane himself, he was literally nothing in comparison. Being a so-called 'Failure' in everyone’s eyes. With little magical prowess.

With an ‘F Rank’ Magical Talent of the Fire and Dark Affinity along with his frail body, it was no wonder he was called that... Someone like him could never protect anyone. They could only be protected...

It was later that despite knowing his lack of personal strength, he lead his little sister to be a run away from home. There was also a researcher their ‘cult’ had captured that ran away with them.

He had assisted Judetta Darby in her escape.

And she to him.

They hadn't known each other for long, but Shane remembered clinging to her and begging. The only thing he knew about her at the time was that everyone coveted her skills and research material.

"Please... Help me become stronger." Shane spoke to her seriously. His deep blue eyes containing the inability to accept his fate. The woman, Judetta, was hesitant. She knew quite well about the severe detriments her 'augmentations' to a young body.

Still, she couldn't deny it when he was insistent.

Judetta carved out his eyes emotionlessly… then gave a new ones in their place. Promising he'd see a new world one day. That she would continue to research to make sure he wouldn’t lose his vision.

However, such a thing was never come to be...

Shane lost track of her hand while they were on the run from his mother. The new eyes she'd given had yet to settle in enough. His vision was pitch black for months, but he learned to survive on his own. 

That's when he met his guiding light...

He'd already lived a rough life trying to get a handle on his newfound strength, and could hardly protect himself in the vast world. The power he had was unstable. There was no way to live without help.

Simon was an existence he was reluctant to follow.

Even when Shane regained his sight and was accepted by people despite the look of his eyes, he was still reluctant. Deep in his heart, that desire never went away. Wanting to have his ‘freedom’.

He trained hard under his master's guidance exactly because that reason. Just like his father, he too wanted to protect others. Wanting to be a protector that would be a tree for people to rely on.

Shane believed he was no longer a child.  

That being a dimensional traveller matured him.

He only felt hopeful.

Oh how ignorant he'd been...

Due to unavoidable circumstances, Shane was separated from his master in one particular dimension. There, he came to know the harshness of reality. The average mortal despised his lizard eyes.

"Monster...!"

"Look at those freaky eyes!"

"He must be a devil!"

"Kill him!"

Because he'd never known true alienation before, he had never been aware how frightening his inhuman eyes were. As well as how strange his appearance looked. After obtaining 'Dragon Eyes', his once black hair had reddened. His body infused with vigour.

Despite being a young child at the time, Shane had become far more physically adept for his age. This also reflected in his appearance. It allowed him to be safe despite being a simple, smarter-than-usual kid.

Unfortunately, having strength didn't matter in the Earthland Domain of ‘Old Faustus’. Many people had rejected him. Under the oppression of the Frozen Heart DUST Company, he started to live as a mining slave. ‘FH DUST’ was written everywhere.

Their brand burnt into his face for good measure.

So that he'd never forget who was his owner.

At first, he grew stronger for the sake of getting his revenge. Even making his weapon from scratch. His blade made specifically to kill his enemies, but after Shane had assimilated with the 'Beastkin', his thoughts had changed. His motives became pure.

That was how he was reborn as a ‘freedom fighter’.

Shane remembered the day he initiated himself into becoming a 'Beastkin'... using a secret the Frozen Heart DUST Company kept hidden from the world at large. That day, over time… he became 'himself'.

The current 'Bull Beastkin' with Dragon Eyes and the power of Black Lightning was his own making. He'd given up on his humanity to obtain strength, but he'd never forget the one who'd given him that strength in the first place. The one was by his side.

The one who'd gave that child a new leash on life... 

He'd never forget her for the rest of his life. 

That's why he was here.

That’s why he couldn’t leave.

Despite the odds stacked against him, Shane was still here. His hand holding the ‘Red Steel’ chokutÅ tightly... There might be two opponents, but the one he was most cautious of was the enigmatic 'Hope'.

Going back to the present: Shane was fighting the combination synergy of Duke Bryan and his newly returned daughter, Clara Arcadia. The lady who had been gifted the title of the empire’s current ‘hope’.

While it was true that the queen was still alive, it didn’t stop the people of this world from betting on two people. Clara also seemed deserving of her reputation. Holding off Shane with swordsmanship.

It kept him from being able to break through.

The information Shane obtained hadn't said much about what this woman was capable was. Despite that, she shouldn't have been this strong of a sword user. Her Class SHOULD be a magic type...

Shane instantly understood that the longer he dragged this out, the worse things would get. Clara Arcadia seemed too good with her Spirit Essence, it didn't seem like she was inexperienced in battle.

This had limited his options even further.

After their initial clash, the mysterious but strong daughter was the first to charge in his direction in front of Duke Bryan. Maybe because they lacked chemistry, her action forced the Duke to stop the magic he was casting. Opting to stay out of the way.

They definitely weren't used to fighting together.

Normally, this wouldn't have mattered. They were both individually strong enough to compensate for their weakness. However, Shane wasn't one to waste opportunities. He hand tightly held the trigger on his collapsed ‘Black Steel’ Rifle Sheath. Ready to shoot.

His fingers wrapped around the red blade's handle.

He waited for the right moment to strike...

Clara lifted her ‘Sword Cane’ Spirit Essence and enhanced it with her Light Mana. A bright energy radiating from it. A masterful slash cut through the air. And from the looks of the end result, it seemed like the Shane couldn't dodge her attack due to a miscalculation. He was rooted on the spot. It was a situation his opponent had grasped herself, as it was hard finding anyone else like her in Pandorica.

While the 'Darkening' Enhancement used by most fighters of this nation focused on strength, the type of 'Lightening' Enhancement she used focused on speed instead. Making the edge faster.

The result turning out like this was expected.

It’d take only a second more for him to die.

Her blade would behead him.

There was no time or room to manoeuvre.

However, in that millisecond when the blade cut into Shane's body... a counter slash was drawn! His speed had surpassed light. Clashing into her blade almost like he had reversed time itself to move his chÅkuto.

"This time, I'll be the one protecting..." Shane’s draconic eyes, hidden inside the mask, burned with a raging passion. A ripple of magical energy occurred on his body... Some might overlook such a small phenomenon, but Clara took notice immediately.

Within that ripple of magical enhancement…

…that current which ran through his body... 

…was the might of his full power!

A surge of electricity bloomed out of his body.

Defying physics and common sense.

It was different from normal enhancement methods Clara knew. In fact, her methods were crude in comparison to this spectacular technique- No, it was likely no one in Pandorica could match him.

Regular people imitated Beasts when enhancing their bodies. There was only one change in their methods: They'd apply the power ‘outwardly to inwardly’. It was because enhancing from the ‘inside to outside’ respectively caused stress on the body. 

The strain was enough to cause internal injuries.

It was similar to the difference between 'exploding' the enhancement from within, to letting it seep in front the outside. The former needed a body that could withstand the impact, while the latter didn't.

However, she wouldn't have been surprised if it was only this much. Such a thing meant nothing. Clara had slain many Beasts and Humans alike.  A small boost in the potency and speed of his magical enhancement didn't make a difference.

And that's where the 'ripple' came into play...

By shortening the duration of his physical enhancement, the potency increased further… and so did the strain it put on Shane's body. The slick samurai immediately bursted with heavy injuries afterwards, and her blade was adding to the damage.

In that split second, her sword had yet to be deflected from his body. Only the intent to do so had remained in the air. The sword in Clara’s hand continued to sink into his body without stopping.

Would his head be lopped off before he could act?

What was he waiting for?

Where was he looking…?

It was then Clara noticed something was wrong.

Shane finally attacked with all his might!

A silent roar erupted from his mouth, and he ignored the attack threatening to cut his body. Pulling the trigger of his Rifle Sheath, the Red Steel blade was launched out at speed faster than vision.

Shane was trading a life for a life!

“Scary bastard…!” The girl jumped in horror.

Clara, despite focusing on agility, couldn't see the blade that almost cut through her body. It sent her flying. A shockwave pushed her body and caused an eruption… one that could be heard by sensitive ears.

The woman's eyes only looking at her bloodied clothes in disbelief while falling powerlessly. Her expression was enough to make the former freedom fighter resolutely change targets. He won the battle.

Now for the next target.

Duke Bryan's face was livid when he saw his precious ‘future experimental subject’ get injured like this. He conjured up many attacks in retaliation at Shane. Like a conductor of death, the duke manifested countless Poison Lances and Paralysis Spikes around his body. It was an entrapment.

His magic coming at Shane from all directions.

And this magic was retaliated in kind.

The red blade instantly returned to his sheath, but Shane didn't fight specifically in the form of an Iaido style user. His martial arts seemed free flowing between various forms- No, he used 'forms' to be formless! Showing a highly versatile personality.

The 'half-sword' style of Mordhau to use his blade's handle to pommel incoming magic directly, and followed it up half-drawing his blade to act an irregular guard. His feet added for good measure.

There seemed to be something distinctly 'aggressive' about Shane’s particular style of Iaido. He charged towards through all that blackened, spiked rain of attacks to make his way to the duke, but was cut off.

A fence of black swords blocked his path...

“…Doesn’t matter.” Shane did not pursue further. 

Although he had temporarily defeated Clara, the intruding Bull Beastkin believed she wouldn't go down easily. He needed to end this fight quick as well. That way, he could fight on a one-on-one basis.

Shane once again got into his favourite stance and watched the opponent carefully. Pain making his senses sharp. This wasn't his first time getting injured. It also wasn't his first time abusing his blade by attacking magic head-on. It was the same before.

The only difference now was his enemy...

After his trip to 'that realm', Shane had cultivated the pain and alienation he'd felt as an Innate Gift of his own. Different from a regular ability, this power was highly tethered to his ideals and emotions.

Which was why it took on a special form…

Rather than feeling annoyed by the distance between him and the Wizard waving his wand, the strong feelings he cultivated in that world started to envelop his heart. His ability started manifesting.

The damage done to his red blade started to vanish at that moment, and he started to glow. As a non-combatant that wasn’t experienced in battle, the duke was not able to capitalise on the opportunity.

A moonlight silver radiance covered Shane’s body...

"What the...?" Bryan spoke aloud and could sense a sudden spike of Shane’s dark magical energy at that moment. The black lightning turned silver across his red blade. The significant change was ominous.

There was no way the Duke could dodge this...!

That's why used his only Spell Slot to manifest the strongest defence he could possibly conjure up. A thick black barrier surrounded Bryan's body out of instinct. However, that was useless towards his foe.

The pain that had been inflicted on him... Shane used his ability to turn that into power. Hostility followed once the damage done to his blade was converted into a one-time enhancement.

Like a red moon gazing down in the silent night, his blade carved through the darkness and cut all that harmed him. Pain was inflicted. Animosity within his heart had been been released into the world.

Therefore, his retaliation was justified!

"Your life ends here." This was the last thing the duke heard before the sword wave cut into him. The barrier he conjured ripped apart like paper... Shane didn't care what kind of thoughts the man had when he saw his feet falling to the wrong side.

Evil was eradicated. 

Justice was served.

And anyone who hurt caused him pain was nothing less than the incarnation of wickedness. When the light shining on him vanished, the corridor once again became dark and morbid. It was all silent.

He became a guest of the shadows...

...all until a light illuminated the darkness.

“…” Clara watched this scene.

Like an immortal fairy, her wounds healed up.

Her gestures showing she risked a lot in doing so.

If he was indeed justice, then who was this woman that paraded around her radiance in the depths of shadows? Was she an actually fallen angel, or a false prophet? Regardless, only women and kids could stay his sword once his power had been unleashed.

Not creatures that feigned divinity...

Those who'd never known weakness and pretended they'd help the weak with sincerity. He hated those kind of people the most. Shane watched to see if she would fight or run. This would decide what he would do. How he would decide the fate of his opponent. 

When Shane saw how Clara callously ignored her father's corpse to crack her neck, he frowned.

Her one, single action decided her fate.