Yukio stood in the middle of a narrow alley, staring blankly at the reflection in the window glass. The glass was slightly dusty, distorting his image. But even with the imperfections, one thing was clear.
The person staring back at him was a stranger.
'Who the hell is this?' he thought. His eyes narrowed as he took in the unfamiliar face, his fingers instinctively twitching at his sides. 'Wait—wrong question. Why do I look like this?! And what's with this sword... Could it be? Did I finally get teleported to another world?'
His reflection revealed a young man with sharp, angular features, hair as white as fresh snow cascading down to his shoulders, and piercing sky-blue eyes. Then his gaze fell on his ears.
Long. Pointed.
Elf ears.
'So it's more like I got dropped into a different body...' His expression darkened. That was an even stranger thought than simple teleportation. If he wasn't in his own body, then whose was this? Was it an empty vessel, or had someone else been here before him? The more he thought about it, the more questions piled up.
Pushing aside the confusion, he examined his attire. Brown leather armor, clung to his frame. Over it, a dark green hooded cloak hung to his waist. He shifted slightly, and the weight at his waist became more noticeable. His fingers brushed over the hilt of the sword resting against his hip.
'Anyway... where even is this place?'
No matter how much he looked around, nothing really stood out.
But before he could dwell on it too much, his curiosity got the better of him. His hand went back to his sword.
Slowly, he drew it from its sheath.
The black handle felt perfect in his grip, the weight balanced just right. The handguard was shaped like a lion's head, its mouth open. Extending from it was the blade—sleek, polished, and completely black.
'This is so cool.'
For a good minute or two, he just admired the weapon, turning it slightly to watch the way the dim light reflected off the blade's dark surface.
Reluctantly, he slid it back into its sheath. There would be plenty of time to admire it later. Right now, he had more pressing concerns—like figuring out where he was and what exactly had happened to him.
He was just about to step out of the alley when movement caught his attention.
Three people walked in, blocking the exit. Two men and... a kid?
"Cough up whatever you got, kid," one of them said.
"Yeah, And we might just let you go without a beating." the second one said and cracked his knuckles.
The smallest of the three, a scrawny-looking boy who looked clearly younger than the other two, hesitated. He leaned closer to the bigger one and whispered something, though Yukio's sharp ears picked it up clearly.
"He's got a fancy sword. Plus, he looks rich. I don't think we should mess with him."
"He's right," the big one muttered, "I don't wanna die today."
"Hah?! You two scared already?" the middle one snapped, "Look at him — he's just standing there! I bet he doesn't even know how to use that thing."
'Fuck, He found out!'
Judging from the words of the two thugs he thought they would run away, But one of them actually had a brain!
"Heh! You scared already? I fucking knew it! Get him!"
Before Yukio could even think about running, the leader lunged forward, pulling out two daggers in one swift motion.
'Maybe I can actually fight them off with my sword...? I do feel way stronger and faster now. Maybe it's that main character buff.'
He swiftly took out his sword preparing for battle, One thing he noticed was the fact that this motion seemed to be quite familiar to him, Even though it was his second time taking it out.
'Is this the muscle memory of this body? Was there someone here before me? If so, why don't I have their memories?'
There wasn't time to think about that now. The thugs were still standing there, but even though they were talking big earlier, the middle one holding the daggers looked a lot less confident now. Maybe he was second-guessing himself?
Yukio saw their hesitation and decided to make the first move.
He shot forward, closing the gap between them almost instantly. It surprised him just as much as it did them, Taking advantage of their shock, he punched the dagger guy square in the stomach. The man went flying backwards, landing hard on the ground as his daggers clattered onto the stone.
That left only the big guy and the smaller one. Figuring the big guy would be more trouble, Yukio suddenly remembered a video he watched about Muay Thai. He never practiced it properly, but he remembered a segment of that video which said to kick low.
He kicked the big guy's leg out from under him, and the thug collapsed to the ground with barely any resistance. Before he could get back up, Yukio pressed his sword against the man's neck, the cold steel far too close for comfort.
"Leave," Yukio said, trying to sound coo- as cold and intimidating as possible. "I don't want to deal with you guys right now."
The words, combined with everything they'd just seen, worked perfectly. The three of them scrambled to their feet and ran out of the alley.
Once they were gone, Yukio let out a deep breath.
'That actually went better than I expected...'
.
.
Yukio sighed. He'd been doing that a lot lately.
Ever since he arrived in this strange world, confusion had become his closest companion. Lugunica—that was the name of the kingdom, as he had learned from listening in on conversations and reading the signs posted around the city. He wasn't sure how he ended up here, but he had quickly realized that standing still and waiting for answers wouldn't get him anywhere.
Wandering through the bustling streets, he took note of a few important things.
First, and perhaps the most relieving, was that he had money.
A quick check of his pouch revealed 30 holy coins, 2 gold coins, 9 silver coins, and 11 copper coins. From observing transactions around him, he had already figured out the basics of the currency system.
Copper coins were the lowest in value, typically used for everyday purchases—a loaf of bread, for example, cost 5 copper. Silver coins had more purchasing power, likely used for better meals, temporary lodging, or more expensive services. Gold coins were rarer, and from what he had seen, most commoners didn't even carry them. As for holy coins... he hadn't seen anyone use them yet, which meant they were either highly valuable or had a special purpose.2
He would have to be careful with his spending. Money didn't last forever.
The next thing he had noticed was significantly more troublesome.
He had been ignoring it for a while, pushing it to the back of his mind, but he could no longer deny it.
People were staring at him.
It wasn't just humans either. Even some demi-humans—were casting wary glances his way. The reactions varied. Some were subtle, like a quick whisper behind a cupped hand, while others were more obvious, with individuals outright scowling at him as he passed by.
It wasn't overwhelming—maybe one in twenty people—but it was enough to be irritating.
The only explanation he could think of was his appearance. More specifically, the fact that he was a half-elf.
Well, that was just one more thing to add to the list of problems.
On the brighter side, he had discovered something rather convenient.
Even though the language of this world was clearly different, he could read it perfectly. The signs, the notices posted on boards, even the labels on items in the market. He wasn't sure why, but he wasn't about to complain.
At least he wouldn't have to deal with the frustration of illiteracy on top of everything else.
Still, night was approaching, and he had more pressing concerns.
He needed to find a place to sleep and something to eat before it got too late.
.
.
Yukio blinked.
He saw a red haired women in front of him, He was clearly confused as he had never seen her before.
A brilliant light radiated from the dragon sword in her grasp.
Yukio's own blade was wreathed in dark energy, a swirling mist that devoured the surrounding mana.
Thersia unleashed a sweeping, curved slash, a crescent of pure light racing toward Yukio
As it came closure its effect and power started to lessen, The domain that Yukio created had acted upon its anti magic properties and the attack was so much weaker that with a single slice of his sword Yukio effectively destroyed her attack.
He closed the gap between them in an instant.
Theresia's sword met his just in time, steel clashing against steel in a fierce exchange.
Quick exchanges of their blade went on for a couple more moments, Thersia could barely keep up with Yukio's mastery of the blade and his physical attributes, But the spirits aiding her in battle could easily close any slice she received from his blade.
Yukio suddenly leapt back, As his mission was over.
The remnants of the Demi-Human Army had successfully retreated, and Theresia had been unable to inflict the heavy casualties she was meant to.
With the use of his mastery over wind, earth and yang magic Yukio flew away at high speeds surpassing those of even the flying dragons.
.
.
The room which was filled with council members assisting the King of lugunica stayed silent as a one of the members spoke up.
"Had the Sword Saint not been deployed to that battlefield, our losses would have been catastrophic."
A murmur of agreement spread through the chamber.
"Indeed," another official said grimly. "At present, Theresia van Astrea is the only one capable of fighting him on equal footing."
Kaeya.
A masked half-elf who had appeared from nowhere during the Demi-Human War.
Very little was known about him, yet his presence alone was enough to terrify his enemies.
He was a mage capable of wielding all six elements.
And then there was his strange ability—the one that nullified spells and weakened divine protections.
If he had not intervened in this battle, the outcome would have been decided long ago.
But because of him, the Sword Saint—the kingdom's greatest weapon—had been kept occupied.
.
.
The scene changed, Yukio gazed towards the ground and saw a red haired girl below him being chased by mabeasts, They were closing in fast!
He flew towards her at high speeds and using two folds magic he combined Ul fura and Ul Goa to burn away all the mabeasts.
Yukio landed in front of the girl. A few mabeasts were still standing. He lifted his fingers and cast Jiwald.
A burst of light shot out, and it wiped out the rest.
After dealing with the beasts, He turned around and looked at the girl.
Seeing his gaze on her caused the girl to flinch.
"W-Who are you?" She asked hesitantly.
"Just a passerby, I saw you getting attacked by these mabeasts, so i came to help."
He saw some bruises on her and approached, This caused the girl to instinctively shrink back.
"I am just trying to heal those wounds you have." He said trying to explain his actions.
She hesitated but eventually nodded accepting his help. There was no point in resisting, if he wanted to hurt her, He could do it even with her resistance.
He started to use Healing magic, The wounds she had on her limbs and neck started to disappear and he tried to lighten the mood by speaking up.
"My name is Kaeya, What about you? Why are you out here all alone?"