Whistle!
Thud!
"Augh!" A sharp grunt of pain rang out as something sliced through the air—fast, precise, deadly—and slammed into Fred, knocking him to the ground. The force of the impact sent dust spiraling up around him, and his limbs sprawled out in an awkward heap. The sudden silence that followed was heavy.
I didn't even need to look to find out what had happened. Relying on my hearing and mana sense, I instinctively shifted the orbit of my spinning chakrams, moving them in a protective arc close to Sammy and Wendy. The blades floated in tight, controlled spirals, intercepting anything aimed at their upper bodies. They weren't perfect shields, but they were enough to keep them from dying immediately while I focused on the real threat.
Another sound—a whistle!
Clung!
Cling!
A volley of projectiles cut through the air, but I parried or blocked what I could with fast, precise movements. My chakrams sang as they collided with metal. Some of the hits were glancing, but others made sharp clangs that reverberated through the night.
After about a dozen shots, the barrage stopped. The night air turned still again, as if the battlefield were holding its breath.
"To think you would be able to block so many shots, Fox. Alas, you didn't block everything," a voice said, calm yet mocking.
The speaker strode into view confidently. He was a man with an air of arrogant leisure, someone who clearly believed the battle was already over. His boots crunched on the gravel as he approached, his black panda onesie flapping gently with each step.
I glanced down. Sure enough—five daggers were lodged in my legs and torso. Blood dripped slowly, staining the ground beneath me. Pain radiated from each wound, sharp and persistent, but manageable.
"Heh, why does that matter? Whaha." I started to speak seriously but then broke into a fit of laughter at the absurdity of what I was seeing. I couldn't help it.
"What are you laughing at?" the man asked, frowning, genuinely confused.
I pointed at him with a bloody finger, still grinning. "I'm laughing at you. Who the fuck wears that on a night raid?"
The panda onesie. The fully black-and-white furry monstrosity. Complete with ears and a tail.
'He seems confident enough to kill, that's for sure,' I thought, sizing him up while keeping my chakrams slowly spinning in defensive loops. 'No mask, no visible weapon. He's not worried. Probably because Kayda and Grandenzil are still occupied on the wall. He must be a high-level assassin. But even so… none of them are fast enough to kill me before Kayda shows up.'
I scanned the rest of the battlefield quickly.
Twelve more figures stepped forward out of the shadows, also dressed in black panda onesies.
"You dare laugh at our lord's dressing code!" One of them barked, offended.
"Dress code?" I echoed the question while looking around, my eyes wide with exaggerated disbelief. Seeing them all in matching black pandas broke what little composure I had left.
I doubled over laughing. "Whahahaha! Your lord has some style."
I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. A lord with this much confidence has to be a reincarnator. No other explanation.'
"If you think you can distract us with laughter long enough to complete your spell, you're sorely mistaken," the lead panda growled, stepping forward. He thrust his hand forward, releasing a wave of fire that burst across the ground, scorching the very earth beneath our feet.
The flames struck the ground beneath me and disrupted the spell I'd been secretly weaving underground.
"Aah, you noticed," I admitted with a slight shrug. "Still, you all look ridiculous."
I crouched down and yanked one of the daggers from my leg with a grunt. Blood spurted briefly before I sealed it with mana.
"Don't you feel any pain?" one of the pandas asked, genuinely confused.
"Fuck yes, I feel pain!" I snapped. "It's irritating. But unfortunately for you, I have such a high pain tolerance that the discomfort just feels like a shark bite."
"Shark... bite?" The person mumbled, clearly thrown off.
My grin widened. "You people are adorable."
He narrowed his eyes. "You still look so relaxed… even though you know you're going to die."
"Die?" I tilted my head. "Nah. That's not on my to-do list tonight."
Without another word, I turned and calmly walked toward Sammy and Wendy, both still lying injured on the ground. The panda guy shouted in alarm.
"Stand still, bitch!" he yelled, pulling his sword out from a sheath I hadn't even noticed. The steel gleamed under the moonlight.
"Shut up. We've got injured people here," I said, ignoring him as I crouched next to Sammy and began assessing her injuries.
Sammy looked like she'd been grazed. One dagger was lodged deep in her thigh, but otherwise, she was okay. I turned to Wendy—and my expression darkened. She had three daggers embedded in her: two in her legs and one dangerously close to her liver. Blood pooled beneath her.
"Did I not say—stand still!" the man roared, swinging his sword down at my back.
Clung!
There was a metallic clang as the blade rebounded harmlessly off my back. His eyes widened in shock as the impact vibrated through his arms.
"What?!"
'I used most of my mana to create that one-time-use shield,' I thought, annoyed. 'Was saving it for Grandenzil, but nooo, this guy just had to be annoying.'
"Did you really think I'm dumb enough to turn my back on an enemy without precautions?" I asked flatly. My tail shot out, wrapping around his ankle.
"What the—?!"
I yanked hard, spinning and flinging him across the field like a rag doll. He screamed the whole way.
"Aaah! What are you guys doing?! Get her!" he yelled mid-flight.
"Kayda! You finally made it!" I called out with a bright smile, looking skyward.
A fiery presence appeared overhead—Kayda, majestic and calm, descending like a goddess of destruction.
"Shit, we need to run—it's Kayda the Sage!" one of the pandas screamed in panic.
"And how could you forget about me?" Grandenzil's voice echoed coldly as she appeared behind another panicking panda, her sword gleaming in the dark.
"Shit! I thought they wouldn't interfere!" another man yelped, backing away.
"They wouldn't have," I said casually, letting go of the limp guy I'd just flung. He hit the ground hard and didn't move.
"I only inspired you guys to attack," I added with a smile. Looking down at him, I clicked my tongue. "Passed out after just a few spins. Are the rest of you stronger or weaker than him?"
"...Run!" one of them screamed.
Ignoring me completely, the remaining pandas turned and tried to flee.
"Tch. Remember—I want information," I said sharply, giving Grandenzil a pointed glance.
"And who are you to give me an order?" She snapped back, her eyes gleaming.
I didn't answer. Instead, I summoned a katana, letting it materialize in my hand with a crackle of magic, and pointed it at Wendy's bleeding body.
Grandenzil froze.
"No… Wendy…" she whispered.
"I'm the only one here who can save her," I said coldly. "So go get my information."
"You better save her," she growled, vanishing in a flash as she chased down the retreating pandas.
I let out a shaky sigh. "She really is a scary woman."
"You really are daring," Kayda said, landing beside me. Her eyes flicked to Wendy. "Can you really save her?"
"Yes," I said, crouching beside the girl. "But I need you to keep something a secret."
Kayda nodded immediately. "Of course."
"You too, Sammy," I added without looking.
Sammy, still breathing heavily, sat up with a wince. "Why would I do that?"
"Because otherwise I'll knock you out," I replied calmly.
"Fine. I'll keep your damn secret."
'Not that you'll be able to tell anyone after tonight anyway,' I thought grimly.
I formed a knife from my mana and sliced my palm clean open. Blood welled up, dark and rich. I channeled my regeneration skill into it—condensing it, enhancing it.
I brought the glowing blood to Wendy's wound.
Drop. Drop. Drip.
"Ugh!" Wendy grunted, her whole body seizing up.
"Wendy!" Sammy shouted, leaning over her.
"I never thought you could do that," Kayda murmured in amazement.
"It's difficult. I only learned it after watching Sirone's healing skill up close," I said, swaying slightly. "But I wouldn't recommend it. Not… often."
My vision blurred. My balance wavered.
"Nova, are you alright?" Kayda asked, stepping forward.
"Nope. Not at all," I admitted, collapsing backward.
Kayda caught me quickly. "Lie down. You've drained too much."
"This is the first time I've run this low on mana." "Ha-ha," I laughed weakly, face pale. "Only four points left. I checked."
"If it's mana, I can share mine," Kayda offered, her hand glowing as she reached for me.
"No. Let me recover naturally. It's safer," I said, swatting her hand away.
"But—"
"Don't worry so much. You already know this won't kill me." I smiled weakly. "Just… make sure those two don't run off. And bind that person who fainted."
Kayda sighed deeply. "Half-dead and still giving orders."
"Orders? I'm asking nicely," I said, grinning faintly.
"Yes, you're so nice," Kayda said dryly. "Let me tell you just how nice—"
[20 minutes of lecturing later]
"Kayda, you're so mean," I whined, sitting cross-legged and staring up at her with a pout.
"Shut up. I'm still lecturing you for your reckless behavior," she scolded.
"But look!" I gestured. "Grandenzil's back with everyone who attacked us."
Grandenzil marched toward us, thirteen bound pandas behind her.
"How long has it been?" she asked, eyes flicking to Wendy.
"About twenty minutes."
"They'll wake up any minute. These guys won't stay unconscious forever."
"Nova. Restrain them properly before we continue," Kayda said.
"Can't we just stop now? And how do you know I have enough restraints?"
"You cleared out your mom's torture storage," Kayda said flatly.
"How do you know that?! It's not my fault they begged me to stop her!"
"You enabled it."
Groaning, I summoned all the restraints. "This is going to take time."
"I'll help," Wendy said, walking over.
[20 minutes of more lectures]
"Okay, can you two stop now? It's almost sunrise," Grandenzil grumbled, stepping between us.
"Tch. Fine," Kayda muttered.
"You're a lifesaver, Grandenzil," I said, standing up—only for my legs to lock up with sharp pain.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. I just need to wake up my legs.
"How many are awake now?" I asked.
"All of them," Wendy replied.
"Good. Then we start with someone random."
"What do you mean?"
"My interrogation, of course."
"So… You're going to do what you did to me… to them?" Sammy asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
"You're healed already? Whatever. Yes. But worse." I smiled. "Much worse."