" It's not what you think "

Fidri blurted out without thinking.

" And what exactly are we supposed to think? "

A tall woman with long brown hair, lightly dressed, held a whip. She cracked it through the air, creating a shockwave as sharp as a sword.

Fidri swallowed hard.

He recognized the woman as the one who had launched the missile and quickly noticed the sheer amount of ether radiating from her.

(" An Intermediate… what rotten luck, ") he complained inwardly, praying that Elizir would play along.

To his relief, Elizir was already kneeling, hands pressed obediently to the ground.

(" If it's about playing along, he's really going all in, ") Fidri thought.

He calmly surveyed the situation. They were surrounded by several non-awakened soldiers, each aiming their weapons at them. And if that wasn't bad enough, there was an Intermediate among them.

" If you want to keep your head, you'd better answer me. "

The woman cracked her whip again. It slashed past Fidri's face, cutting his cheek slightly.

Without time to think, Fidri improvised.

" We're from the ORDER.

We were sent to investigate a serum smuggling case. "

The moment he confirmed what everyone had suspected from their distinctive cloaks, the men's attitude grew more hostile.

Fidri, now the center of attention, had to give them a reason not to kill them.

" My superiors aren't sure if this supposed smuggling operation is real or not. They're waiting for our report before taking action. "

The whip-wielding woman seemed to think it over.

" And what would you write in that report? " she asked.

" That there was never any smuggling, that all of this was just a false rumor, " Fidri promised.

The men of the Mercury clan seemed more reassured upon hearing that.

One of them asked the woman:

" Sasha, do we let them go? "

Elizir lifted his head slightly at that, while Fidri took care to hide his hands… or rather, what he was secretly clutching in his palm.

But Sasha as she seemed to be called still had doubts.

" No. Lock them up somewhere. I'll interrogate them myself later. "

Her expression promised nothing good more like a slow torture session she would relish.

" Damn it! " Fidri cursed.

He opened his palms and threw a blinding powder into the air.

As the Mercury clan men were dazzled, Fidri grabbed Elizir, hoisted him over his shoulder, and ran as fast as he could.

" I thought you said you could fight! " he shouted.

" Yes, in theory… but I haven't had the chance yet, " Elizir defended himself.

" Are you kidding me ? "

Fidri didn't have time to complain further.

His ears nearly burst as he dove to the ground, barely dodging a whip strike.

" So, my sweet little mice, you think you can escape? "

Sasha was already standing in front of them, the others rushing back behind her.

Fidri swore.

" It's time , if you can really fight! "

He pulled out a deck of red cards from his jacket and adjusted his hat, which had miraculously stayed on his head despite the chase.

" Yeah… let me show you what I've got " Elizir promised.

This time he wasn't trembling… or rather, only his feet still shook.

He brought his hands together, focused, and a faint golden light shone from him before he aimed his clasped fingers at Sasha.

<< Light Cannon >>

A concentrated beam of light shot from his hands, streaking absurdly fast toward Sasha.

She instantly sensed the danger and reacted in a split second.

<< Coating >>

She covered her body in ether, but didn't dare take the hit directly. She barely dodged the beam grazed her arm, slicing it open and drawing a stream of blood.

The beam continued on and exploded against a nearby mortar, setting off a blast that sent the men operating it flying.

Fidri gawked, nearly swallowing a bug in shock. Sasha, meanwhile, stared at the young man with a strange look.

Elizir, however, was perfectly calm. His feet had even stopped trembling.

The three stood frozen until the sound of galloping horses broke their stupor.

---

Arnaud rode at the front, leading the knights as well as the women and children behind him.

As soon as he reached one of the Mercury clan men, he drew his sword and beheaded him, then immediately struck down another. Their goal was simple: destroy as many weapons as possible before being spotted and targeted by enemy fire.

Arnaud and his knights focused on cutting down enemies, while the rest of the group worked to sabotage the mortars.

" Forward! " Arnaud shouted, cutting down foes one after another. Some had time to fire, but he deflected their bullets with nothing but his blade.

His prowess inspired his companions, who charged into battle with renewed fury.

Victory seemed within reach… until a whip cracked through the air, leaving a deep scar in the ground.

Arnaud immediately noticed Sasha.

(She had abandoned her pursuit of Elizir and Fidri to deal with a more pressing threat.)

He instantly sensed she was far above his level. Yet he tightened his grip on his sword and spurred his horse forward.

" Tsk, fool… " Sasha felt insulted.

How dare a mere Initiate challenge her alone?

<< Coating >>

This time, she coated her whip with ether before striking. Arnaud had no time to react his horse was sliced in half.

He crashed heavily to the ground. The knights tried to help him, but he barked:

" Continue the charge without me, I'll deal with her! "

They hesitated, but Arnaud insisted, his tone leaving no room for objection.

" Go "

At his order, they resumed their mission.

" As if I'd let you " Sasha sneered.

She lashed out with her whip, aiming to cut down a knight but Arnaud leapt in front, his sword absorbing the blow.

He was hurled backward, spat blood, his hands numb, but he stood his ground.

" I won't let you… Your opponent is me. "

" Tsk. " Sasha clicked her tongue, dodging a sudden beam of light that flashed where she had just been.

" Them again… " she growled.

Elizir had reappeared, this time more confident.

Cards whistled through the air, but Sasha swatted them aside with a flick of her whip.

Fidri, at his side, opened his mouth wide and shoved in his hand.

Strings shot out of his throat as if by magic, weaving into a mystical staff in his grasp. (In truth, just a cheap trinket he'd bought for next to nothing.)

" Who are you? " asked Arnaud.

From their cloaks, he doubted they belonged to the Mercury clan.

" Allies! " Elizir replied proudly.

" I don't need any. I'll handle her alone, " Arnaud retorted.

" You couldn't possibly… " Elizir shot back.

" A knight fights with honor. This is a duel you must not interfere. "

As Elizir searched for a comeback, the whip cracked again, forcing them to dodge.

" You can argue later. For now, we've got a cat to whip, " Fidri quipped.

He pulled out another deck of cards from his jacket this time, black ones.

---

Elsewhere…

Lucy and Gracia were having a rough time.

They were caught in the middle of the clash between Orion's knights and the awakened of the Mercury clan.

And to both sides, they were nothing but enemies.

Lucy shot a Mercury clan soldier, hitting his shoulder.

But before she could finish him, she had to dodge a knight's blade.

" We're on your side! " she shouted.

The knight didn't believe her for a second and attacked again.

Fortunately, a block of ice rose up, intercepting the blow.

" There's no point in convincing them.

For now, let's take down as many of these bandits as possible.

We'll prove our goodwill once the battle is won, " Gracia said.

Lucy nodded reluctantly.

She put away her rifle, drew two revolvers, and unleashed hell.

---

A little farther away, a man who could only be described as a pig forced his way through the battlefield. His massive belly looked as if it concealed a hog, his greasy skin and huge teeth only added to the image.

Yet when he hurled himself at the knights, crushing their armor and ribs with his bare hands, he looked more like a butcher.

This man was none other than Stoneheart, one of Iko's right-hand men.

As he lifted a knight to throw him at the others, he noticed two stunning young women wreaking havoc in the middle of the battlefield.

He paid no attention to their distinctive cloaks. No what caught his interest as he looked at them was simple:

" Fresh meat… tender and juicy. "

He brushed aside a knight's sword with a sweep of his arm. His skin hardened into stone, shielding him from injury. Without another thought, he turned his back on his foes. Now, his sights were locked on much more appetizing prey.

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