Chapter 46: Uninvited Guests
“Die!!!”
Zero’s hoarse scream carried the force to topple a skyscraper as her fist aimed for Reida’s head.
Reida’s pupils shrank. Too late for defensive spells or dodging, she instinctively halted her spell, collapsing the Osmanthus Sword back into its solid form, raising it to meet Zero’s devastating fist.
The sky of golden petals vanished, unsupported by magic, as the ornate sword reformed, a golden phantom against Zero’s wrathful strike.
Fist met sword in a raw clash!
But no earth-shaking recoil or screeching metal came.
Instead, a crisp crack—the Osmanthus Sword, still glowing with holy light, shattered under Zero’s all-out, rage-fueled punch!
Golden fragments sprayed outward, but Zero’s momentum didn’t stop. The punch’s remnant force slammed into Reida’s helmet!
A dull thud followed. Reida’s vision blanked, unbearable pain exploding from her forehead, nearly knocking her out. Her golden helmet groaned, spiderweb cracks spreading.
In that same instant, Reida’s knightly instincts drove her to slash the broken sword across Zero’s unprotected right arm.
Shing!
The blade cut flesh, carving a deep, bone-exposing gash.
“Ha… ha… it’s over,” Zero gasped, collapsing to one knee. Her uninjured left hand propped her battered body, her breaths ragged. She looked at Reida, helmet cracked, exposing a pale forehead, lying motionless.
Blood from Zero’s arm dripped, forming three vivid, tragic flowers on the cement.
She staggered up, swaying but steadying.
“I win, Knight.”
Zero stumbled to Reida, picking up the half-broken sword, its faint golden glow flickering. Raising it over Reida’s defenseless heart, her eyes flashed with cold, resolute killing intent.
“—Goodbye!”
Zero blinked, expecting the dull sensation of piercing flesh. But nothing came.
The broken sword was buried deep in the cold cement, smooth as cutting tofu, but Reida’s body had vanished. Only Zero’s blood pool grew, new crimson flowers blooming inexplicably.
Zero’s eyes widened in shock. Following a faint bloody scent, she spun to see, at the plaza’s edge near the burning ruins, Reida—supposedly dead—cradled in a princess carry by a tall, mysterious figure.
“Sorry to interrupt the ladies’ duel,” the figure said, voice low and raspy, oddly archaic. “But I can’t let you kill this child yet. A young Dragon-class shouldn’t fall here.”
“Spouting nonsense? Then die with her!” Zero roared, ignoring her arm’s pain, hurling the broken sword at the figure’s throat with a piercing whistle.
But with another blink, the blade, capable of tearing through concrete, passed through nothing, embedding in a distant wall, not even ruffling the figure’s clothes.
Zero’s peripheral vision caught her blood pool growing larger, inexplicably.
“What—!?”
Her heart jolted. What magic was this? Why did her attack fail? Why hadn’t she noticed the blood pool’s expansion? Those few seconds—
Before she could process, the faceless figure vanished like a ghost, the blood pool swelling again.
A bone-chilling dread hit from behind. Zero spun, mustering her remaining strength, throwing a punch.
But the figure was faster. A white-wrapped, bony hand caught her fist like a vice. Then, a brutal punch slammed into Zero’s bloodless abdomen.
“Pfft—!”
Blood sprayed from her mouth, a shattering pain exploding in her gut. Her vision blacked out, and when it cleared, she was sprawled ten meters away.
Agony stabbed her nerves a second later. She curled up, clutching her spasming abdomen, struggling to breathe.
A polished black shoe crushed her mangled right arm, nearly snapping the bone.
“—Aaaah!”
Her scream pierced the silent night.
“Sorry,” the man said, his gentle tone chilling. “Living this long, killing a pretty girl like you still feels… regrettable.”
His shoe twisted, grinding her bloody arm, savoring her uncontrollable wails and trembling.
“How about this,” he said slowly. “Cut off your limbs, and I’ll spare your life. Come with me. The ‘children’ will love you.”
Zero bit down, fighting the consuming pain, and glared up at the man.
In the firelight and faint moonlight, she saw—a blank, eerie Noh mask, its mocking smirk sickening.
“Go to hell!” She spat blood at the nauseating mask.
“…Fine, I’ll dispose of you.” The masked man’s tone stayed flat, as if discussing something trivial, his eyes treating her like a dull toy.
[Claw Core, Activate]
A piercing whistle screamed from behind him!
The masked man reacted impossibly fast, as if foreseeing the attack. Without turning, he flickered, reappearing atop a two-story building where he’d placed Reida. The claw strike missed, carving three deep gashes in the ground.
He steadied, turning slowly, the pale Noh mask eerie under the moonlight.
“Well, well, Shura.”