The noble district of Amberheart was shrouded in chaos. The once-pristine cobblestone streets, usually lined with horses and carriages, were now strewn with shattered stone, overturned wagons, and the lifeless forms of soldiers and the nobles caught in the fray. Blood trickled along the cracks of the cobbles, pooling in dark rivulets that reflected the flickering orange glow of distant fires. The noble façades, with their polished white stone and gilded details, now bore scars of violent eruptions, splintered windows, and scorched walls as the echoes of combat rattled the city’s quiet core.
An unsettling quiet settled briefly over one street as smoke drifted from the rubble of a once-stately manor, its upper floors reduced to smouldering rubble. A moment later, the remnants of the building erupted in a blast, sending chunks of debris and an unfortunate figure hurtling through the air. The figure—a dishevelled man in a broken armour—was launched like a cannonball, his body twisting midair before slamming into the adjacent building. The walls shuddered, cracks spidering across the stone, and the man’s limp form slid to the ground in a cloud of dust.
It was Commander Julius Osborne. Blood seeped from cuts and bruises scattered across his face and body, and his armour, once a polished display of power, was dented, cracked and splattered in a grim testament to his futile struggle. Dazed, he staggered, his movements sluggish as he struggled to orient himself, his vision blurred by the relentless assault. Just as he found his footing, a sudden blur of movement caught his attention.
The masked Kaede landed beside him with a heavy thud, her body crackling with the faint sheen of a spirit infusion. She wasted no time, her dual daggers glinted dimly in her hands as she darted forward, moving with a lethal elegance that was as mesmerising as it was deadly. The blades danced across his exposed skin, leaving behind shallow but insidious cuts designed to weaken rather than kill outright. Julius snarled and stumbled back, attempting to dodge her strikes, but his balance faltered as he fought to escape her relentless assault.
In the split second he tried to create distance, another figure appeared at his side—Kie, a dark gleam present in her eyes beneath her mask. She smirked, and her eyes flashed dangerously before delivering a brutal kick to his side. The force of the spirit infused strike rattled Julius’s bones and cracked a couple of his ribs. Then he was sent flying across the street, his body crashing through the walls of several evacuated buildings. The ornate facade behind him crumbled with his impact, another casualty of the night’s siege. Stone and dust rained down around him as he landed in a broken heap, coughing and groaning, his spirit as bruised as his battered frame.
Julius panted, his breath wheezing as he staggered forward, spitting blood and glaring defiantly at them both. “You… won’t get away with this,” he hissed. Each shallow breath was a battle for him, but he refused to kneel, even as blood darkened his vision. He was a stubborn man at least, if not a respectable or a trustworthy one.
“Oh, please,” Kie sneered, sidestepping him with a casual grace. “Spare us the threats, old fogey. At your age, I’d be worried about snapping something.” She laughed, a chilling sound that echoed against the ruined buildings, taunting him further.
Kaede rolled her eyes, her tone as dry as dust. “That’s rich coming from you. I’d watch that hip of yours, considering how old you are.” Her voice was low but laced with wry amusement.
Kie shot her a withering glance. “Y-You’re just as old as me, you hag. Why the hell will I break a hip, I’m so youthful and a Tier 4 Soulweaver!”
Ignoring them both, Julius tried to gather his strength and charged.
Then a striking ‘Pop’ rang out as Kie intercepted him with a ruthless spirit infused slap on his face. The power of the blow sent him reeling once again as he crashed through the street.
Julius tried to stand up but failed, crumpling down to the floor and his blood pooling beneath him.
Kie stepped forward, her smile thin and mocking. “Giving up already? Thought you’d have more fight in you, old man.” She closed in, her blade glinting wickedly as she sliced across his chest with calculated cruelty.
Julius dropped to his knees, hands clutching his wounds as blood trickled through his fingers. He looked up, defiant to the end, but the light in his eyes was dimming. As he opened his mouth to speak, Kie crouched down, her eyes narrowing as she grasped his neck, forcing his head up. Julius choked, his breath shallow, his face pale, and his eyes glazing. His chest heaved, blood bubbling at his lips.
“Seems you don’t have much fight left in you,” Kie murmured, her grip tightening as she watched him struggle for breath. “It’s pathetic, really, that a man like you—who brought so much pain—couldn’t even put up a fight.”
Julius’s body slumped, barely able to hold himself upright. Kie’s voice was cold and final as she raised her blade. “Oh, by the way, this is revenge for what you scum did to Lord Solaire Remington and Lord Tannin Raet… Just letting you know.”
Just as realisation dawned in Julius’s wide eyes, Kie plunged her blade deep into his chest, watching as the light drained from his gaze, leaving only a hollow, blood-soaked shell behind.
She dropped him unceremoniously to the ground, wiping her blade clean with a look of mild distaste. Turning to Kaede, she smirked at her with an outstretched hand. “So, about that hundred gold, you had wagered?”
Kaede scoffed, dismissing her with a wave of her hand. “I never agreed to that wager. You’re wasting your breath.”
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Kie sighed dramatically, slipping her blade back into its sheath. “Figures. I should’ve known better than to wager with a miser.”
Kaede simply shook her head, retrieving her bow from where it lay, as they turned to look at the rest of their Soulweaver allies, who were still fighting.
Kie sighed and said, “They’ll manage… But we should head to the Royal Palace.”
Kaede nodded and they quickly dashed in the direction of the enormous fire.
☪︎ ･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆･ﾟ ･ﾟ·:｡･ﾟﾟ･❂
On the other side of the noble district, the battle was much more intense, maybe because all three major combatants were Tier 3 Soulweavers, unlike Kie and Kaede, who were Tier 4 and simply oppressed their enemy.
Kael’s body was marred by a few shallow wounds. He held his longsword low, its edge glinting in readiness. His grip was relaxed but resolute—a stance honed over the years. Kael hadn’t been lazing around when he wasn’t teaching Silas. He sparred with Lian Chen and even had one intense training session with Sullivan himself. Kael’s every step was measured, and his footwork was precise and fluid, a testament to a lifetime of training.
Across from him, Quinton wasn’t faring any better. Blood dripped from the few wounds his body had accumulated, the aura of his two King Spirits flaring around him. Though Kael had recently ascended to Tier 3, he had just one King Spirit to Quinton’s two, making him the underdog in sheer spirit power.
Hidden in the darkness of one of the alleys, Bai Lanhua observed with a nearly unreadable calm. In her hand was her unique weapon—a small blade affixed to a nearly invisible thread that glinted with spirit energy whenever she swung it. She watched Quinton’s movements intently, occasionally sending her blade arcing out with silent precision, like a serpent striking from the shadows. Her attacks were infrequent, forcing Quinton to divert his attention, if only briefly, while Kael bore down on him with relentless skill.
Quinton resumed the fight with a Soul Bind, tendrils of spirit energy stretching from his hand to snare Kael’s limbs. The binding sapped Kael’s strength, but Kael deftly countered by channelling his own Spirit Infusion into his muscles, his power swelling as he broke free. Each swing of his sword was infused with this heightened spirit energy, the blade’s impact driving Quinton back with every blow.
“You think you fight me alone?” Quinton growled, his voice edged with fatigue. He then sneered, “I don’t think you’ll be able to bridge the gap of a King Spirit with just your skills.”
Quinton’s provocation aimed to get Bai Lanhua directly involved in the fight so that he wouldn’t need to be wary of attacks from the dark.
Kael didn’t respond with words, only a mocking grin that mirrored his opponent’s sneer. He closed the distance with a nimble sidestep, catching Quinton off guard and slashing across his arm. The cut wasn’t deep, but it was enough to enrage Quinton, who immediately retaliated with Soul Shackles, thick chains of spirit energy springing from the ground to wrap around Kael’s legs.
But Bai Lanhua was already moving. With a flick of her wrist, her blade shot out, the invisible string wrapping around one of the shackles and cutting clean through it. Quinton barely had time to glance her way before Kael had freed himself, pressing forward with a flurry of strikes. His form was impeccable, each swing blending with the next in a seamless flow, keeping Quinton on the defensive. Kael’s movements were swift, and his attacks were relentless, evidence of his disciplined training with Lian Chen and Sullivan.
Quinton roared, desperately using Soul Drain, aiming to sap Kael’s vitality directly from his soul. Kael staggered as he felt his strength waning, but he gritted his teeth, meeting Quinton’s eyes with a fierce glare. Just as Quinton’s power intensified, Bai Lanhua’s blade struck again, grazing his side and disrupting his focus. The invisible thread wound around his ankle, yanking his leg out from under him.
Quinton, forced to his knee, hissed with fury as Kael bore down on him, closing in before he could recover. With a quick motion, he used his Soul Vision, his heightened senses zeroing in on Bai Lanhua’s hidden thread. He reached for it, intending to sever it with his sword, but Kael was already upon him. A swift, crushing blow from Kael’s longsword forced Quinton to block, leaving him open to Bai Lanhua’s final move.
She flicked her wrist, the thread winding up around Quinton’s neck like a whisper of death. His eyes widened in shock, his hand clutching at his throat, but it was too late. The nearly invisible wire cut deeper, and with one last, desperate gasp, Quinton fell silent. His eyes closed, a faint, almost peaceful smile settling over his face.
Bai Lanhua watched him fall, her voice soft but respectful. “You fought bravely,” she murmured.
Kael, breathing heavily, turned to her, the admiration in his gaze unmistakable. “That weapon of yours…” he began, awe colouring his tone. “What the hell is it?”
Bai Lanhua’s eyes gleamed with a hint of pride behind her mask. “It’s a kunai—a traditional weapon from Ryukami,” she explained, twirling it lightly. “Usually, they don’t have a string. I added this one myself. I’ll have you know that the thread... It was once the hair of a Tier 2 arcane beast!”
Kael blinked, scratching his head in bafflement. “Right… obviously. Makes perfect sense,” he replied, nodding along while internally thinking, ‘What the hell is an arcane beast?’
Bai Lanhua’s laugh broke his thoughts. Her shoulders and her bountiful bosom shook with mirth as she threw her head back at his response.
Kael’s eyes involuntarily drifted downward, caught by the graceful rise and fall of her form. She noticed his stare but only chuckled, eyes glinting with mischievous amusement behind the mask, clearly unbothered by his momentary lapse.
Kael frowned, bewildered. “What’s so funny? Did you hit your head or something?”
“I’m laughing at you, moron. Quit bullshitting me will you? You can’t possibly know what an arcane beast is.”
Kael smiled awkwardly, “Ah... Well, you got me there.”
As he opened his mouth to ask more, Bai Lanhua held up a hand, her demeanour shifting to one of purpose. “We’re wasting time,” she said. Although, the mischievous grin beneath her mask told a different story. “Let’s go. The royal palace isn’t far.”
Kael watched her for a moment, mentally sighing. ‘Damn! This woman is just like her mother,’ he thought ruefully, but with a small, reluctant smile, he fell in step beside her. Together, they strode toward the burning palace, the remnants of their brutal battle fading behind them.