"Huh-ugh!?"
Before he could react, I swung my scythe in a clean horizontal arc, and his head flew from his shoulders.
Thud!
"IAN! DIE!"
The remaining three shouted, their expressions twisted in rage as they launched themselves at me recklessly.
"Idiots," I sighed, stepping into their path. My scythe blurred again in a sideways sweep, cleaving all three of them cleanly in half.
Thud!
"...Just jumping in like that. Were they even trained?" I crouched next to the bodies and inspected one of their hands, noticing a ring on the middle finger.
Pulling it off, I narrowed my eyes. "This looks a lot like what Sammy described their rings to be."
'Whatever. I'm pretty certain it's the Crimson Bandits anyway.'
I pocketed the ring, slipping it into my dimensional storage, then took off south, leaping across rooftops with practiced ease.
After I had crossed a few rooftops, two more figures appeared on either side of me, running in parallel with my movement.
So they're leading me to their ambush? How helpful. "I was headed this way anyway," I thought dryly.
I glanced to the right and smirked.
"But that doesn't mean I have to take all of you on at once."
I disappeared.
A heartbeat later, I reappeared behind both of them, bringing my katanas down in twin arcs toward their heads.
"Dodge-ugh!" One of them managed to cry out before his skull split open.
The other twisted away just in time, losing an arm in the process.
"Ugh!" he grunted, stumbling back with blood spraying from the stump, trying to put distance between us.
"Naha, you're too slow to get away from me," I whispered directly into his ear from behind, enjoying the sudden stiffening of his spine.
"What!?"
He turned-just in time to see my grin. "Thanks for the shield," I added, grabbing him by the collar.
I hurled him toward a bright fireball arcing through the sky.
Boom!
The explosion knocked me back slightly, but I stayed on my feet, blades drawn.
"That bitch! Where is she?!" The mage who'd cast the fireball screamed in frustration, looking around.
"Behind you, miss," I whispered, appearing behind her and cleaving her head off in a single slash.
Thud!
"Now, what will you do, Grandenzil?" I murmured, turning my eyes to a distant watchtower a couple of kilometers away.
My gaze flicked skyward.
Kayda floated above us, her wings spreading a long shadow over the rooftops, watching the situation unfold with unreadable eyes.
"And you... What the hell are you thinking?" I muttered.
'Whatever. She won't let me die. At least there's that.'
I continued running south, but it didn't take long before another group of seven appeared behind me, emerging from alleyways and rooftops.
"More?" I muttered, glancing back in annoyance.
"Grandenzil gave the kill order. We're giving up on capturing her for Sammy," the leader barked to the rest.
"Yes, sir!" they all chorused.
"I really wanted to take this outside the city," I muttered.
I flash-stepped.
Crack!
My hand gripped the leader's throat before he could react, lifting him off the ground.
"Ugh!" he choked, his hands gripping my wrist with crushing strength.
"You're stronger than the rest," I noted, feeling pressure around my wrist, my bones creaking under the strain. "That's rare."
I glanced at his subordinates, who froze at the sight of their commander dangling helplessly.
"Let's take this outside the walls."
"Let go of the leader!" one shouted.
"Okay. See you on the other side," I said, then hurled the man over the city walls with enough force to whistle in the air.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Leader!"
"Sir!!"
"Cheers," I said, using their panic as a distraction to flash-step away.
Moments later, I landed on top of the southern wall-just in time to see Kayda waiting for me.
"So," she said with narrowed eyes, "have you figured out who they are?"
"You already knew; I knew from the start, didn't you?" I replied, exasperated.
Kayda crossed her arms. "I knew you had an idea, but I don't actually know who they are."
"It's the Crimson Bandits. Remember how I told you to wear that coat I bought for you?"
"Yeah, right after our swim."
"There was a reason for that. I wanted to see if Grandenzil was hunting for Alice after what I did to Sammy."
Kayda raised an eyebrow. "Oh. So that's why."
She stepped closer.
Slap!
The hit came out of nowhere. My cheek stung instantly.
"Next time, tell me when you're planning things like this," she said sternly. "We're partners now. Think ahead-for both our sakes."
"Ow, that hurt," I said, rubbing my cheek with a wince.
"Kitsuna, did you even listen to what I just said?" Her voice dropped low, dangerous.
I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back. "I heard you loud and clear."
Before she could respond, three figures leapt up onto the wall-Grandenzil and two masked allies.
"There's more than just them involved," I said to Kayda, not taking my eyes off the newcomers.
"Who?" she asked, her voice sharp.
"I'm not sure yet. But I know that keeping them alive will be useful.
"What are you whispering about?" Grandenzil sneered. "And I was pretty sure I killed you."
"What can I say? I'm hard to kill," I said, forming a glowing white mask in my hand.
Her eyes narrowed. "You're... Alice?"
"Not quite my name. Just a mask for safety," I said, shrugging.
"In that case... thanks for the demon rock you gave me."
She raised her right arm-now made entirely of demon rock.
Kayda blinked. "Nova... did you-"
"I didn't think it through, okay!" I said quickly.
Kayda groaned. "You dumb fox."
Whack!
She smacked the top of my head.
"Ow! You're really grumpy today."
"If you two are done," Grandenzil growled, "can we fight already?"
"Yeah, yeah. But your underlings and I are taking this outside the wall," I said, stepping toward the edge. I looked back at Kayda. "I'll help you out, though."
"How?"
I smirked.
Szzzzz.
Bang!
A bolt of lightning surged past Grandenzil's guard and struck her arm. She screamed as the demon rock crumbled away.
"Ma'am!"
"Mom!"
Both masked figures shouted in horror.
"Oooh, you heard that," I said, grinning. "Well, your fight just got easier."
Then I jumped off the wall.
As I fell, I summoned my chakrams and used them like stepping stones, each one catching my foot and slowing my descent.
Boom!
I still made a crater when I landed.
"Huh. Still made a crater even though I slowed myself down that much," I said, waving the dust away and cracking my knuckles. "Let's dance."
Sleepy Kayda = Grumpy Kayda
How do you feel if someone wakes you up in the middle of the night? I get irritated.
TheRealSkolliecreators' thoughts
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Chapter 108:
"So, you finally come on down, huh," I said, spinning my chakrams once before calmly storing them away in my dimensional space. My gaze landed on the two figures who had just slid down the wall and landed with smooth precision a few meters in front of me.
"Bitch, I will kill you for what you did!" the one on the right hissed, fury laced in every word. Her mana pulsed uncontrollably, leaking out in waves that shook the air around her.
"Whatever you say, Sammy," I replied with a dismissive wave, not even bothering to look at her for more than a second. My attention drifted to the other figure-more composed, calculating. Her aura was colder, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. "So Grandenzil is your mother?"
She didn't answer. Her silence hung in the air like a blade, tension thick enough to choke on.
"..."
Still nothing.
Instead, she slipped her hands beneath her long coat and smoothly pulled out two chakrams, one in each hand. The curved edges shimmered with enchantment, the metal etched with faint, ancient runes that pulsed in rhythm with her mana.
"Not going to say anything?" I asked, cracking my neck once and stepping forward. "Whatever. I'll take your silence as confirmation."
With a casual flick of my wrist, a spear materialized in my right hand. It formed from a web of white-hot energy, crystallizing into a solid shape with a satisfying hum.
"You said your main weapon is magic?" Grandenzil's daughter asked finally, her green eyes narrowing with a faint edge of suspicion.
"In a way, it's my main weapon, yeah," I replied, spinning the spear once before letting it rest lazily at my side.
"Then why do you have a spear now?"
"Hmm, didn't I tell you I know how to use all the weapons in the world?" I tilted my head slightly, the spear bouncing lightly in my grip. "Versatility is key in my line of work."
"Grrr, you're getting too arrogant!" Sammy growled, her killing intent flaring like a wildfire as she snapped into a combat stance.
"Fine, fine. Before we start, take off those masks," I said, pointing casually-not just at them, but also at the seven other people standing behind them who had followed me all the way here.
"That's fine, but why do you want to see our faces?" Grandenzil's daughter asked her question while still keeping her guard up.
As she spoke, she removed her mask in a smooth motion, revealing a surprisingly soft face-almost delicate. She couldn't have been older than Apricot. Green eyes, pale skin, and white-blond hair framed her youthful features. She looked far too innocent to be standing on a battlefield like this.
"I want to know the faces of the people that will be under me," I said, a slow, confident smirk spreading across my lips.
"YOU!" Sammy shrieked, only half-removing her mask. She stopped at the halfway point, deliberately covering the mangled, skinned portion of her face.
"Oh, don't be like that," I said sweetly, offering her a kind smile that probably only pissed her off more. "I'll heal you properly when the time comes. I promise."
"Like I'll allow you to get close to Sammy again!" the girl next to her-Grandenzil's supposed daughter-shouted, suddenly flinging both chakrams toward me with impressive speed.
"Tsk tsk, aren't you a bit too emotional?" I said, lowering my stance.
She infused them with mana, but... there's no element. That's odd. She's only using raw mana to boost their speed and rotation.' I noted internally as the chakrams cut through the air.
I moved swiftly, redirecting both chakrams downward with a clean strike from the butt of my spear.
Clung
Clung
The weapons bounced off the stone ground beside me.
"What?" Her eyes widened in disbelief, clearly not expecting me to deflect them so easily.
"Don't you have an element?" I asked, eyeing the fallen chakrams again. There was no trace of fire, wind, or lightning-nothing at all.
"Of course, she has one!" Sammy interrupted from behind, lunging toward me with a flurry of dagger strikes.
"You're faster than before," I admitted, quickly blocking her arms with the shaft of my spear.
"Attack now!" Sammy yelled, her voice sharp and commanding. The seven warriors behind her immediately sprang into motion.
"You heard her, men!" their leader shouted, taking the front as they all closed in.
"Yes, sir!" the rest echoed, charging toward me like a pack of wild dogs.
"Hmm," I said, letting out a quiet breath, "didn't I say you guys were too slow to fight me?"
I shoved Sammy back and twisted, planting the spear into the ground.
Clack
A ripple of mana surged from my feet.
Seven chains erupted from the earth, moving like snakes under my command. Each one darted up, piercing straight through the skulls of the attackers.
Schlk-Schlk-Schlk
The bodies dropped in perfect sync, limp and silent.
All except the leader, who barely dodged the chain meant for him.
"Ugh..." he grunted, catching himself on one knee, blood spattered across his face as he looked at his fallen comrades.
"You bitch! Raaagh!" He roared, eyes red with rage as he turned his fury on me.
"I told you to leave the killing to us," Grandenzil's daughter snapped, stepping between me and the man, grabbing him by the shoulder.
"Young miss, I truly don't care anymore," he said, his voice tight with emotion. "She's killed my entire team tonight. I want revenge-for them."
"You won't get revenge. You'll only join them," I said, catching Sammy's next strike with the tip of my spear.
"Damn you, bitch!" The man snarled, fists trembling with restraint.
"Fine. We'll work together to kill her," the girl-Wendy, I assumed-finally declared, giving him a firm nod.
'This is really getting annoying,' I thought, squinting at the leader again. Why do all of them have blockers? I'd love to know their levels and classes. Especially that guy. He's fast.'
"Thank you. We'll go with your plan, young miss," the man-Fred, apparently-said solemnly.
Crap, I wasn't listening to their plan. Might have made my fight harder...' I realized, sighing internally.
Without another word, I swapped to my combat outfit in a blink of light. A tailored coat snapped into place, fitting snug over my armor. I dispelled the spear and summoned six chakrams again, floating them in a slow orbit around me as I pulled out both katanas.
"I guess we can get serious now," I said with a grin.
"You're right," Wendy said, slipping off her coat and revealing twin chakrams hung on either side of her waist.
"Sammy and Fred, go in close. I'll support from range-and please keep in mind the plan," she whispered to them.
"Yes, young miss," Fred replied.
"Whatever you say, Wendy," Sammy said with a nod.
"Oh, so your names are Fred and Wendy," I mused aloud, nodding once to myself. "Thanks for confirming."
"Go!" Wendy barked.
Both Fred and Sammy charged toward me while Wendy hurled her chakrams again, this time in sync with their approach.
"Chakrams aren't really made for support," I said, matching her throws with mine in a clean clash midair.
Clink-Clink-Clang!
"How are you doing that!?" Wendy cried out, wide-eyed, as my chakrams redirected her own without me touching them.
"Magic, Wendy. Magic," I said dryly, before catching Fred mid-sprint with a sharp kick to the stomach.
Thud!
He skidded back, groaning.
'They're definitely stronger than my squad,' I thought as I deflected Sammy's strikes. 'If they were just a little faster, I'd be overwhelmed.'
"What do you mean by magic?" Wendy asked, recovering her chakrams and spinning them in her hands.
"I can explain it too-if you leave everyone behind and join me," I said, blocking Sammy's blow before extending a half-open hand to Wendy. My katana was still resting in my other hand.
