Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend

At one of the tallest buildings in the town, a large Kaoslith shimmered as it caught the dim sunlight. Rain fell steadily, sliding down its slick surface and cascading toward the ground below.

Azul stood before the Kaoslith, holding his mask in his right hand. His eyes were fixed on the figure encased within, a woman frozen in a horrific pose, with crystals jutting from her abdomen and head. Her eyes were wide open, a silent scream forever etched on her face. A death sealed in pure terror.

"Looks like the smaller one isn't as potent as the other two. I'll need to adjust the preparation for smaller bodies in the future," he muttered to himself.

As he was lost in thought, a robed figure landed silently beside him. Leaning close, the figure whispered into Azul's ear.

"She is coming."

A slow smile crept across Azul's lips.

"Let her come. Just let me handle her," he ordered calmly.

The robed figure bowed and leapt away, vanishing into the shadows.

Moments later, Cynthia emerged from the stairwell. As she reached the final step, her breath hitched at the sight of the glowing Kaoslith before her.

She walked toward it slowly, pain tightening her chest. Memories came flooding back. The night everything changed.

As she drew closer, she saw the figure trapped inside. A fresh wound reopened in her heart. She remembered how her parents looked that night, ten years ago. Just as grotesque. Just as tragic.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a male voice suddenly echoed from near the Kaoslith.

Cynthia reacted instantly. Her black sword and shield manifested in her hands as she jumped back, eyes narrowing.

A robed figure stepped out from behind the Kaoslith.

He wore a white mask, featureless except for two eye holes. And through them, she saw two chilling, violet pupils staring straight at her.

'I can't even sense his presence at all. This man is dangerous.' Cynthia's senses heightened as her instincts screamed at the imminent threat. She steadied herself into a battle stance, sword raised and ready to strike at any moment.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Azul continued circling the Kaoslith, ignoring her question. He ran his fingers gently across the surface of the glowing crystal. "What do you think of this? Isn't it gorgeous? Our Lord is truly gracious… blessing us with such magnificent art."

"That's not art. It's a calamity!" Cynthia snapped. "Thousands have died because of that thing!"

"Why are you so angry?" Azul said mockingly, his voice calm and deliberate. "Ah… I nearly forgot. Your parents were also turned into this beautiful sculpture, weren't they?"

It hit her like a thunderclap.

Cynthia's breathing grew erratic. Her muscles tensed. Her eyes burned with fury. Anyone who insulted her parents deserved only one thing.

Death.

"How dare you!"

With a furious scream, she lunged forward, thrusting her Eclipsion blade straight at him.

"So easy to provoke," Azul murmured.

He leapt to meet her attack, their clash imminent.

"Yaaah!" Cynthia shouted, channeling all her dark aura into her sword.

Whoosh!

She aimed directly at his chest, hoping to pierce his heart. But Azul was quick.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Azul was standing on her blade, perfectly balanced, violet eyes staring at her with an eerie playfulness.

Cynthia snarled and swung her sword upward, forcing Azul to leap back. Without giving him a moment to breathe, she charged forward and unleashed a flurry of rapid, high-speed slashes.

But not a single strike hit its mark, Azul effortlessly evaded every one of Cynthia's attacks with minimal movement.

"Yaaawn."

Azul exaggerated a yawn, clearly mocking her. Cynthia slashed sideways in frustration, but he ducked fluidly, hands still calmly tucked behind his back, as if he were strolling rather than fighting.

Gritting her teeth, Cynthia took a step back and cast her most powerful skill.

"Oblivion Destruction!"

She plunged her sword into the ground. A complex magical array surged to life beneath Azul's feet.

He leapt into the air with almost casual grace. But the moment he landed, another array activated directly below him.

"Uh-oh."

Whumm!

A massive black sword materialized and crashed down, engulfing Azul in its shadow. Cynthia lowered her weapon slightly, panting. She had been fighting nonstop since arriving in this ruined town, and exhaustion was beginning to take its toll. But surely, no one had ever survived Oblivion Destruction before.

Or so she believed.

"Pheww. That was dangerous. One second later, and I'd be minced meat."

His voice rang out behind her.

Cynthia's eyes widened. Impossible.

She spun around and slashed instinctively.

Swoosh!

But Azul stepped back smoothly, his body gliding as though gravity barely applied to him. His hands remained behind his back the entire time, his posture almost mocking.

The message was clear: he didn't consider her a threat worth drawing his weapon for.

Cynthia clenched her teeth. This was the first time she had felt so powerless. The one she was facing now was too strong. It looked like she had to go all out if she wanted to gain the upper hand in this battle.

She then raised her shield on her left arm. Its single eye shut tightly on its surface. This was her trump card. An absolute-win skill.

Azul's eyes shifted from playful to serious.

"Are you really going to use that?" he asked. He didn't need to think twice about what was coming.

It was the strongest skill of the Dark Knight.

"Fatamorgana!" Cynthia shouted.

The eye opened, staring directly into Azul's.

Cynthia's figure turned black before vanishing entirely.

Azul didn't panic. He stood up straight, hands by his side.

"So this is the Dark Knight's illusion skill... It really is amazing," he said as he experienced the technique for the first time. From long ago, it had been said that once someone was caught by this skill, their death was absolute.

He then raised one hand, a purple aura starting to gather in his palm.

"But to think that countless people could fall for this kind of low-class illusion... it makes me sick."

He turned to his right, then suddenly thrust his hand forward.

Immediately, Cynthia's body began to reform as her illusion was canceled. She was completely stunned. The fact that someone could easily see through her illusion was something she couldn't believe.

She looked down at her abdomen, Azul's hand was piercing through her.

Azul then pulled his hand out, forcing Cynthia's body to lurch forward as blood began pouring from her wound.

The pain and blood loss made her dizzy. Her balance gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

Azul looked at the blood on his hand, then gave a simple order to the robed figures who had been standing by.

They moved forward and engulfed Cynthia in shadows.

Her final sight was of the masked man in front of her, before everything went completely dark.