"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.
"I know Grandenzil isn't your real mother. You two don't look alike at all."
"..."
She stared at the ground, visibly shaken.
"You know she's not a good person, right? She's raising child soldiers for her selfish cause. That organization you serve kills, rapes, and traffics people. All for coin."
Sammy and Fred froze for a split second, glancing at Wendy.
'I don't actually know if all of that is true,' I thought. 'But hey, they are bandits.'
"I know that," Wendy whispered.
"So what are you going to do?" I asked, lowering my hand. "Stay with your abusive fake mother, or join me... a fox?"
'Gods, that sounded cooler in my head.'
"A fox? Whahaha! Who'd follow a fox like you!" Sammy burst out.
"What? But I'm a friendly fox," I replied sweetly, giving her the brightest smile I could manage.
"Hah!? Then what the hell do you call what you did to me!?" Sammy pointed at her half-scarred face, rage twisting her expression.
"Nice foxes can still be ruthless to their enemies," I said casually. "That night, you were an enemy."
"What about my team? You didn't need to go that far," Fred growled.
"You attacked first."
"It was you who struck first!"
"Oh… Right. That's true. My bad." I scratched my cheek, awkward.
"You made one of my teammates kill her husband by accident before offing herself!" Fred shouted.
"Ohh… the fireball guy." I nodded. "That one's on me."
"The worst part? You just tried to make me betray my mother!" Wendy shouted, eyes blazing.
"Everything I said was true," I said calmly. "And she's done it for years. What did these two whine about? That was me in a week—and it was self-defense."
"...You still hurt them."
"Obviously. I never denied that." I crossed my arms. "Unlike you lot. Crimson Bandits always act like victims."
"They're our family," Fred snapped.
"Yeah. A family that rapes and kills people."
'Cough. Like I'm one to talk, I added in my mind, hiding a smirk.
"They're still family," Wendy said quietly.
"Wendy... have you seen someone who was raped?" I asked softly.
"...No."
"Then you don't know what they look like. What it does to them." I said, my voice sharper now.
"How would you know?! It's not like you were ever—"
"No. I wasn't." I cut Fred off. "But I've seen plenty of victims."
I met Wendy's eyes, voice steady.
"Just imagine it. Imagine if a group of men forced you to sleep with them—again and again."
"..."
"Why the fuck are we even talking about this!" Sammy yelled.
"I don't know. This monologue's been running a while," I shrugged.
"...How are you so casual about all this?" Wendy asked, bewildered.
'Casual? You see it often enough; you have to be, I thought grimly.
Then I smiled.
"Because I'm not stalling," I said, watching her closely. "I'm waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
Wheeeeeengh—
A blinding green light exploded behind us, leaving deep shadows across the field.
'Guess they're here.'
I closed my eyes… and listened.