While being shrouded in darkness, Liohime Kitagami bit down hard on his molars as he bore the pain.

Pulling out the blade from his back, he exhaled with forced heavy breathing.

Thank goodness the blade wasn't as deep into my back than I thought.

Feeling the trickle of blood leaking from the small wound, he clicked his tongue in frustration.

I was too careless, and now my uniform is gonna be stained a bit, he thought with annoyance, not giving heed to the bigger problem which was his injury.

He sat upright and scanned his surroundings while holding on tightly to his left shoulder, noticing the beautifully thick overlap of vines that completely blocked out any sunlight.

He had been shielded by Shihon's split-second decision to block his body from the raining terrors above, and so were the rest of the Hallory Circuit group.

With that being said…

S-Shit.

He had been dazed for a few seconds, laying silently for nearly a minute while being downed. However, now that his body was active again, his thoughts also went wild.

Shihon! Is she all right!? And what about everyone else, even Yariko!? He was shot in the shoulder! Fuck!

He tried to hoist himself to stand but the heat that permeated his upper back stunned him. Nevertheless, he could not slack off now.

I need to keep moving!

He painfully stood up, and placed both of his palms onto the circular wall that faced him. The thickness of the foliage made Shihon's shield now seem like a prison, but if Liohime could simply muscle his way through, then he would have a chance.

Would it be the right choice to make a move right now would be the question that made him hesitate.

There were still snipers positioned by the tower's apex. He could not afford to be careless and lose his life over a mistake.

He gulped, and the strength in his arms began to weaken as he reconsidered what his main priority was.

Maybe I just need to activate my Mental Link and find out where Shihon is-

A loud, muffled grunt from a few feet away had halted his thoughts, and Liohime paused with his hairs rising from the pores in his skin.

…..Yariko.

Liohime's strength returned as his instincts took over.

There was no reason to try to save this guy, or to help him.

Yet…

I gotta ensure that my allies are okay.

…He would bear his own pain in order to aid his compatriots, for the sake of completing the mission. After all, there was no way that they could be crushed by the first real obstacle that they would face.

Thus, Liohime would use his final trump card, one that could help him reach his companions while managing to endure the assault that would descend upon him once out of Shihon's vine barrier.

((

Contract Abilities: The Owner may receive distinct forms of the Magical Beast's abilities and summon the Magical Beast at any given time, as well as give out Special Orders that the Magical Beast must obey under any circumstance.

))

Remembering that translucent holographic screen that displayed Shihon's contract information when he had first met her, he decided to attempt his new ability for the first time ever.

"[Receive Abilities]."

***

"Two aces on the river? Yeah, you guys are fucking toast, man."

"Like hell! You bluff harder than your girl riding my dick in bed."

"Oh, so you got some jokes now, huh!? Shit won't be funny soon, though, you can count on that!"

".....You two. You do know that poker doesn't usually involve loud chatter like this, right?"

With the seven backup watchtower guards heavily involved in a game of poker while seated closely near the middle floors of the Paradisus Legion Tower, discord and banter were abundant as they all remained situated around the poker table, tensely keeping their eyes peeled as the game continued to unfold, until-

"Wait, hasn't it been a pretty good while since the battalion left to take on whatever threat was present?" one buff man said, while playfully flipping and shuffling his poker chips.

"So?"

"So they should be back by now, right? I haven't heard much from anybody downstairs."

"Eh, maybe they finally met a worthy intruder for once," another yapped with a cocky grin. "There's nothing to be worried about, if that's what you're really asking. We haven't had a successful break in like, so many years bro."

"Y-Yeah, you're right. Shit, it's my turn to play right? I call."

"Calling who? Your shitty barber? There's no calling when you're the first to bet, dumbass."

"Fuck."

A roar of laughter emerged from the group, but it was almost instantly interrupted by an explosion from the nearby wall that riveted the entire room.

Large chunks of debris flew from the impact, smashing into the chest of one spectator as the body was flung aside, and a dusty smoke arose while everyone else in the room were met with the powerful shockwave that immediately followed.

"W-WHAT'S HAPPENING!"

"-HK, SHIT!!"

"IS EVERYONE ALL RIGHT!?"

Pandemonium broke out as all members of the backup watchtower soldiers who were off duty stared fearfully at the wreckage, and Hibono, who had now arrived from the stairs above, looked on at the catastrophic scene with absolute horror.

From the gap that protruded from the ruin, a human hand emerged from below, gripping the edge with a superhuman-like force, cracking the stone as the iron nails sunk into solid rock with ease.

Then, the body of the young woman rose, and the bloodied face with her glowing, white eyes hauntingly stared straight at him with a menacing glare, while her other palm was closed into a closed fist.

The battle stance had been formed. The woman with majestically long, white hair that stuck out in a multitude of sharpened blades stooped low as if she were an animal, a beast with an intent to kill and kill alone.

With everyone completely frozen, she cocked her head to the side, keeping the narrowed gaze intently focused before those words escaped her lips:

"One minute left."

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