"Wake up, sleepyhead," I said, leaning over Kayda, my voice low but teasing as I stared down at her sprawled across the bed.
Her deep, steady breathing told me she was still out cold, completely dead to the world. Her crimson wings draped over the blankets like velvet curtains, fanned out and occupying nearly every inch of the bed's width.
'In the end, I still didn't sleep on the bed,' I thought dryly, rubbing my stiff neck with a small sigh. I'd given up halfway through the night and curled up near the window, propped against the wall. Not the worst place I've slept in, but not the best either.
Kayda let out a faint hum, a soft, almost kitten-like sound, and I watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She blinked a few times, groggy, before focusing on my face above her.
"We need to go now," I said, my tone sharpening with quiet urgency. I straightened slightly, the playfulness leaving my voice.
Kayda groaned, rubbing her eyes lazily. "Why? The sun isn't even up yet," she mumbled, her voice scratchy with sleep. She rolled onto her side and squinted up at me, confused.
"Someone's here for us." I shifted my eyes toward the closed windows.
Kayda's brows furrowed. "Who the hell would be looking for us this early?" she asked, her head lifting off the pillow as she sat up, the sheets sliding off her shoulders.
"I don't know," I replied casually, though my gaze stayed fixed on the faint movement outside the window. "But they brought a full team."
In truth, I did know who. The moment I felt their mana signatures out there, my gut screamed it. But she didn't need to know that—at least not right now.
I tilted my head slightly, scanning the rooftops beyond the frosted windowpane. Four shadows perched in crouched stillness, ninja-like silhouettes just visible through the morning fog.
"Ugh, so annoying," Kayda groaned, throwing the blanket off herself and rising to her full height in one smooth motion. Her wings tucked slightly behind her as she stretched. She turned to the window and squinted at the distant shadows. "Did you go and piss off people while I was sleeping?"
My eye twitched. "No," I said, a bit sharper than intended. "I was sleeping the entire night before I felt them."
'Not that I could sleep with you in the room,' I added silently, glancing at her long legs, bare shoulders, and the way her hair tumbled in wild waves from sleep. It was… distracting, to say the least.
Kayda gave me a skeptical look, her arms crossed under her chest. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, I was here the entire night, Kayda." My tone flattened.
She arched an eyebrow, as if still deciding whether to press me further, then let it go with a shrug. "Just making sure. So what's the plan?"
"For now, they're just watching. Not moving yet. So… want to take this outside the city?" I asked, turning to meet her gaze again.
"Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin. Her crimson eyes searched mine, still looking slightly doubtful. "Fine. We can take it outside the city."
"Okay. Are we running?" I asked, already moving toward the window.
"Of course, we're running," she said, lifting her hand and pointing at the window like it had personally offended her.
A second later, she fired a scorch beam that blasted through the wall with an earth-shaking boom.
Chunks of brick and wood exploded outward, the noise echoing through the silent streets like a cannon shot.
"Let's move to the south," she added over her shoulder—and then vanished in a blur of flames.
"...Damn it," I muttered, hopping up onto the windowsill. "She definitely knows this has something to do with me pissing people off."
I used a flash step to reach the rooftop, landing silently in front of one of the shadowy figures. His eyes widened in confusion.
"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."