Taku groggily opened his eyes. His body swayed and an odd pressure jabbed into his stomach. He squinted, attempting to ward off the strong winds pelting his face and noticed he was being carried. The feeling in his stomach was someone's shoulder which he had been thrown over. The powerful breeze washed away any traces of sleep left on his body, sobering him up instantly.

"What the fu-" Before Taku could finish, a feminine voice cut him off.

"Don't whine like a bitch. I just saved your ass." He could tell what his current position was, and thousands of questions plagued his mind. He had no idea where to start and before he got the chance, his body jerked forward. They had come to a halt

Taku hit the ground, rolled, and came up with a face full of dirt. It wasn't graceful but it would do. He ended up in a kneeling position and instantly locked on to his captor. His eyes raked her from head to toe. It was a girl dressed in unusually long robes that fit her tremendously well. A slit ran across one of her legs. The outfit did little to hide her incredibly curvaceous body. The slit teased at Taku's desires but his mind immediately drifted to Maka. The woman's explosive figure was the epitome of beauty but couldn't quite compare. There were few parts where the words little or tiny could be applied and fortunately, they were the right places.

Her skin looked flawless and her sharp eyes had an intense gaze that would put many a warrior to shame. Her whole being exuded an aura that was incredibly sharp, giving Taku the impression that she was the personification of a sword. Born and made for battle. In contrast to her aura, she had a beautiful face and incredibly short hair.

Few Gutu women chose to have short hair, and she was clearly one of the leaders of the pack. On Earth, she would undoubtedly become a famous supermodel. Her proportions were insane.

"Who are you?"

"The person that just saved your life you retard." She snorted as she put her hands on her devilish hips. Taku stood up as he started to recall what had previously happened. Indeed he was no longer in a cage. Instead, he stood at the base of a mountain, having just traversed the pass.

Taku wanted to ask her why she had saved him, but shouts from the mountain caught his attention.

"Here." She tossed him a small red ball. Taku caught it and carefully looked it over. It was a small, red bead-like object that gave off a sweet aroma. Taku's face turned grim, he knew what it was.

The girl looked toward the mountain. "I have a message from my master. He said, 'You'll never walk alone. Red or dead.' Whatever that means."

Taku's eyes dilated as soon as he heard those words. He was shocked to his core. He never expected to hear that phrase in this world. There was no doubt about it. Her master had a connection to Earth.

"Take it. This one takes time to kick in so you should take it if you want to survive that." Taku looked to where she pointed, his expression contorting even further. There was only one way Taku could describe it. A flame tsunami!

A massive inferno covered the mountain range in front of them. It blanketed their vision, making the surroundings hot. The Imperial Nether Flame, something Taku was all too familiar with. The flame descended, seemingly headed straight for Taku and the girl. Without hesitation, Taku swallowed the red pill.

It was called a burning power pill, designed to give the user a temporary boost in power, at a terrible cost. The first being that it drained the user's life force while in effect. Second, being the user would be unable to use zesa for quite a few months after the effects wore off. Once the effects disappeared, one's ability to sense zesa would become even weaker. The third being weak users would go berserk. Taku was as weak as they come, so the odds were not in his favor.

Taku didn't want to take the pill, he was all too familiar with the side effects, but he had no choice. The flame tsunami approaching was without a doubt from his sister. It was an area of effect skill that indiscriminately burned everything in its path.

Taku braced himself as the flames approached. That's when his peripheral vision caught something. The young woman had taken a sword from within her robe. It was something Taku was all too familiar with.

A long, slightly curved blade with only one sharp edge. It had a round-like guard, with a delicate design. Its grip decorated with triangular shapes in a variety of colors.

"A katana!"

This was without a doubt a katana, also known as a samurai sword. A Gutu woman holding a katana facing a flaming tsunami. There was something about the moment that made Taku feel out of place. It was definitely something he would never forget.

When the flame was only a few meters away, Taku started distressing. The pill he had taken had not yet kicked in. He knew he had no way of surviving such an attack.

"Am I going to die?"

That's when it happened.

Swoosh!

Boom!

Within a fraction of a second, the roaring flames dispersed, as if they never existed. Only the charred ground beneath and the smokey remnants were evidence that they had ever been there.

Taku was gobsmacked! With a wave of her sword, the woman had blasted the tsunami to oblivion! Taku slapped his cheeks to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Considering his history, Taku should have been immune to surprises of this kind. There was something wrong here! This was his sister's flame tsunami! How could it be waved away with a mere sword! And by a teenager! Not to mention there wasn't even the slightest zesa fluctuation.

Suddenly, figures appeared in the sky and landed on the ground in quick succession. Everywhere they landed, small craters were created. It was clear that they had jumped from behind the mountains. His sister and her suicide squad, they had arrived.

Kufa crossed her arms on her developing chest. "So, you are the whore who stole my brother?" As soon as Nhamo and the soldiers heard Kufa speak, they felt like digging a hole and burying themselves.

The girl had attacked like lighting. She destroyed the cage, stole Taku, then bolted across the pass. Nhamo quickly summoned Kufa while in pursuit. Luckily, Kufa was focused on the task otherwise he would be dead.

"Whore is the wrong word. I like to think of myself as being sexually charitable." Kufa laughed at the girl's words. "You indeed have a pair on you. I like that."

The girl shrugged. "Look princess, it's clear that you and I are in a completely different league. Neither of us wants Taku dead, so how about we take our fight somewhere else and let these boys take care of themselves?"

Kufa was surprised. This arrangement seemed disadvantageous to the girl. Yet she proposed it herself. Kufa couldn't resist the urge to battle the girl. Someone who could snuff out her flame tsunami with a simple wave of a sword was definitely worth fighting. There was a greater value to the girl because she also looked to be around 14 or so.

"Interesting. Very well. Nhamo!"

"Yes princess!"

"I expect you to take care of my brother. This is a simple task. If you fail again..." Kufa moved her finger across her neck with a feral glint in her eyes. Knowing her abilities, Nhamo gulped and saluted.

"Yes, your highness!"

"Whore, let's go." Kufa looked toward the girl. "After you princess." The girl signaled for Kufa to go first. "Hmph!"

Kufa jumped and the girl followed suit. Both of them disappeared into the skies. Their jumps created shockwaves that shook the ground. Nhamo and co could not help but marvel.

"Argh!"

Taku cried then landed on the ground, clutching his chest in pain. The soldiers had no idea what was happening but they decided to not waste any time.

"Surround him!"

"Yes sir!"

The group encircled Taku, ensuring he had no escape. This wasn't necessary considering how weak Taku was, but they couldn't take any chances. Kufa's threat made them tremble.

Nhamo stood outside the encirclement with his arms crossed across his muscular chest. "Hhmm?"

Nhamo was the first to feel the abnormal zesa fluctuations around Taku. It took a few seconds, but a tornado made out of zesa started gathering as he kept screaming. Most of the soldiers were not sure what was happening, but Nhamo had a rough idea. "What, don't tell me?"

He quickly realized what was happening, but it was a bit too late. It was at that moment that the entire zesa body was sucked into Taku. He knelt, covering his face in his hands as he slowly rise from the ground.

"Aaaaargh!" A scream completely unlike the other came out of Taku's mouth, along with an immense amount of energy. Nhamo looked on, baffled, he had never seen anything like it. Taku's right side was completely red with a purple-black hue, while his left was completely blue with a hint of white sparks here and there.

The two colors split the boy's body straight down the middle.

"Retreat!" Nhamo's order came a second too late, as Taku's hands could no longer cover his face as he faced the sky, screaming once more.

"Aaaaaàaaaaaaaaaargh!"

This time the energy erupted from his body. A blazing inferno erupted from his right side while a thunderous light boomed from his left. Completely engulfing everyone and everything!