In the broken hall of the Goddess’ Lair, an unworldly spectacle unfolded as the deceased souls began to stir. The remnants of Joker's icy magic, which had once claimed their lives, shattered and fell to the ground as shards of frost. And from that icy wreckage, the fallen arose, their once motionless forms now animated with an eerie glow. Each figure emanated a dark red light that pulsed with an unsettling energy.

Screeching like a banshee, one of the risen dead lunged at the showman from behind. Swiftly, the showman sensed the intruder's presence and pivoted, executing a flawless single leg takedown. He then wrapped his arms around the assailant's leg and propelled him skyward, crashing him into the ceiling above. In a surge of dark red light, another adversary soared through the air, wielding a dagger. The showman deftly leaned away, allowing the attacker to pass, but seized the opportunity to grab his ankle and wield him as a weapon, swiftly squashing another opponent that materialized.

Using the makeshift human hammer, the showman proceeded to unleash a torrent of blows upon the glowing men and women who relentlessly attacked. The resounding impacts echoed through the hall as bodies crumpled under the force of his strikes. However, the rigors of battle took their toll, and soon the wielded man's foot detached, prompting the showman to discard him and acquire a fresh replacement.

“Still as animalistic as ever,” Van scoffed, watching the showman work as they fought throngs of red glowing bodies. The swordsman’s image blurred as he sped around the hall, cutting and slicing revived gang members into clean cut pieces, none bleeding until hitting the floor with how precise his technique was. “Can you see my speed, Red?” Van taunted, maneuvering around bodies like river water flowing around rocks, all the while slicing away deftly like a practiced butcher. “If you hadn’t broken my ankle when we fought, this speed was what you would’ve had to deal with. You know in your heart I deserve that rematch.”

The showman hadn’t heard a single word, upset that he had gained no fans from his wrestling, and forced to beat down the crowd he had attempted in wooing as they somehow became possessed the same way as Tatters had before.

Both the showman and Van wreaked havoc across the hall and before they knew it, ended up back to back with the three members of the Royal Suit, surrounded by enemies. Ace of Clubs used his metal studded clubs to drum away, mashing bodies left and right, emitting thunderous thuds. Jack of Spades pierced the heads of the gang members with accurate shots of arrows, never missing once. Joker the Blind Witch froze bodies and pierced heads with ice spikes, her magic filling the space with a chilling cold.

“From once enemies to now allies, aye?” Jack prompted the showman and Van with a grin. He was the type of man who would try to seem charming in the middle of a storm.

“I want more fans,” the showman complained as he choke slammed a body, creating a seismic wave that unbalanced surrounding enemies.

“The Feather Talon swords style is wasted on this bunch,” Van remarked, his sword easily cutting through bodies as if they were liquid.

Jack smiled warily, unsure how their responses in any way coincided with what he had said.

“Don’t mind them, Jack. Those young men aren’t normal,” Joker remarked, her white eyes wandering as her sage symbols grew in and out of existence, with each formation, erupting ice magic in different directions. The enemies destroyed started to revive, a few managing to somehow reattach dismembered body parts to become whole again, each red glowing form whispering and shouting threats of “consume” or “kill”.

The strange mana is what had woken her up. Joker muttered, “These gang members aren’t normal either…”

“Ace think bad men use bad magic,” Ace commented with his almost inhuman voice, his clubs continually flattening foes like kneaded dough.

"It could be something far more sinister..." Joker responded, her "Mana All-Sense" detecting an unfamiliar mana emanating from an unknown source within each body surrounding them.

Beams of blue light shot in straight lines, blasting gang member heads accurately as Nasset charged through the hall’s entrance, her face tattoo aglow. Rose leapt past her and clashed her silver sword and shield together, sending a vibration of mana throughout the hall, a common tactic used by Frontline Defenders of the Hunter’s Guild. The vibration mimicked the strong pulse of rich mana that attracted most beasts seeking to supplement their mana cores with other sources of energy. Unsure of its effect on what she perceived as maddened individuals, she decided to try it on them.

Instantly, the gang members halted in their steps and fixated their animalistic gaze on her, their expressions void of humanity.

“What have you done, princess?” Nasset grumbled from behind Rose, her eyes widening at the sight of over a hundred glowing bodies staring hungrily in their direction.

“Don't call me princess!” Rose exclaimed, her face paling, as she swiftly retreated the way she had come, with Nasset close behind her.

Dwindle and his fellow dwarves who were about to rush into the hall, abruptly stopped in their tracks at the sight of so many stampeding enemies, each dwarf tumbling over one another like cabbages spilling from a cart.

“Dwindle, you always get us into the worst trouble since we were babes!” one of Dwindle’s cousins under the pile of dwarves, Lorbrite, shouted in panic.

Recognizing that the dwarves were in no state to fight back or retreat, Rose found herself compelled to pivot and confront the oncoming threat. Taking advantage of the hall's entrance, she positioned herself to funnel the assailants through the narrow path. Adopting a wide stance, she raised her gleaming silver shield as a barrier, readying herself for the imminent clash.

“I am Rose Verdinant, a Hunter of the Hunter's Guild!” she bellowed, forcefully striking her sword against the shield, the resounding metallic reverberation filling the air. She felt someone behind her and could see beams of light shooting over her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Nasset with her face tattoo blazing white.

“Badland is my land!” Nasset roared, her hands orchestrating swift motions that released Mana Hardening, manifesting as radiant beams of light from her palms.

Simultaneously, Dwindle emerged at Rose's other side, wielding a crossbow and firing bolts as quick as his stubby hands could reload and shoot.

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“You two need to flee!” Rose shouted urgently. “I won’t be able to hold them for long.”

“With me, you can,” Glick grunted, joining their ranks and tapping his coat. A protective barrier of luminous facets enveloped them, sealing any potential areas their adversaries may breach past. Rose remained at the center, fortified by Glick's ingenious sage symbol invention.

“Glick, you've enhanced your sage symbol barrier!” Dwindle exclaimed with elation. Glick, brimming with pride, absentmindedly rubbed his nose.

In that instant, the glowing gang members collided against the barrier, causing cracks to spiderweb across the facets. Rose grunted heavily, bearing the weight of the impact.

“Uh, maybe I should’ve put more effort in substance than in style,” Glick muttered anxiously, his concern evident.

Within the hall, the showman and the others observed the unfolding chaos as their enemies fled to join the assault at the entrance. Jack's voice carried a sense of foreboding as he remarked, “Those at the entrance will meet their demise facing such concentrated numbers attacking at once.”

Suddenly, Joker's attention was piqued, and she exclaimed, “Hammer and anvil!”

Understanding her meaning, Jack nodded and charged forward alongside Ace. The showman and Van exchanged a brief glance, shrugged, and decidedly joined the advancing group.

Noticing their perplexed expressions, Jack offered a quick explanation, “It's a tactic employed by our Hunter's Guild. The Frontline Defender acts as the anvil, drawing enemies in, while the other members, particularly the Skilled Subjugators, become the hammer that strikes them down, crushing them against the anvil.”

The atmosphere intensified as Ace, brandishing his clubs high, bellowed, “For the Royal Suit!”

His familiar war cry stirred nostalgic emotions within Joker, causing her eyes to sting with bittersweet memories. In her mind's eye, she could still envision the radiant sun shining upon them as the members of the Royal Suit ventured through the woods together, accompanied by her best friend, the late Queen of Hearts, who had been by their side in those days. It was a period when they had attained worldwide fame for their heroic act of saving a major city, with their name on the lips of both commoners and ruling nobles alike. During that time, it felt as if nothing could bring them down. However, those pleasant memories now seemed like distant dreams, forever out of reach without Marian.

Turning her gaze to Jack and Ace, Joker drew strength from their presence. She wiped away the tears and resolutely echoed, “For the Royal Suit!”

“For the Hunter's Guild!” Jack's voice rang out, his hand a blur as he released golden streaks of light, arrow after arrow from his bow.

Van's voice was filled with quiet confidence as he declared, “My sword is unmatched,” unleashing crescent-shaped silver light with each swing of his blade.

The showman seized the moment, his voice exclaiming with exuberance, “Showtime!” He propelled himself into the air, executing an elbow drop that shook the very floor upon landing.

On the other side of the entrance, Dwindle and the dwarves pressed against Rose's back, providing support as she held her ground. Meanwhile, Nasset unleashed beams of light through the holes that emerged in Glick's breaking barrier.

Rose imbued as much mana as she could to stave off the onslaught, her face pale. “We won’t last…” she grunted, straining to keep her shield steady. Her burdens suddenly alleviated as the bodies of gang members began to explode upward from a force attacking them from behind.

The showman and the others attacked relentlessly from the opposite end, hammering with unstoppable force upon the maddened gang members, up against Rose who acted as the anvil. When one would defeat a foe, another would devastate them into pieces, making sure they didn’t revive afterwards. They transformed into a storm, ripping across the battlefield with the fury of a natural disaster.

Glick’s barrier fell as Dwindle waved his cousins onward, each wielding the power of their sage symbol inventions, burning, electrocuting, and disintegrating what they could land their attacks on. Nasset concentrated her power into one beam, wiping out those too weak to withstand it. Rose clambered forward as she wielded her sword and shield, dispatching those she could with skill trained into her by the best teachers a noble could buy and what she learned living life as a Hunter.

Before long, the victors emerged triumphant. The showman, the dwarves, Nasset, and the Royal Suit erupted in shouts of victory, reveling in their hard-fought win. However, amidst the jubilation, there was one individual who couldn't help but display nothing but contempt: Rose.

In the midst of the loud celebration, Rose approached Joker and raised her blade up to the Blind Witch’s throat. The sudden tension drew the attention of Ace, who brandished his metal-studded clubs high, ready to bash Rose’s skull to pieces.

“Bad girl try to hurt Joker!” Ace accused. Jack also responded with his bow ready to pierce Rose’s head with an arrow.

“Why?” Rose questioned, her blue eyes locking onto Joker's white ones. “Why did you bring death upon so many? You've jeopardized the guild's presence here in Soalde.”

“I regret nothing,” Joker responded tonelessly. “I’d kill them again if I could.” She then tilted her head and pursed her lips in a mock cute fashion. “Oh, wait. I just did that too. Killed them once, and then killed them again.”

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret,” Jack threatened Rose, his bow taut, nocked with a golden arrow.

Rose withdrew her silver sword and spoke with remorse, “You’ve ruined my dreams of becoming a Hunter, Joker. You’ve ruined my life of being my own woman.”

It took a few moments for Joker to grasp the significance of Rose's situation. As the daughter of the Verdinant House, Rose was bound by familial ties and expectations that prevented her from leaving Soalde to pursue a life as a Hunter elsewhere. Joker's realization deepened as she understood that Rose must have harbored a strong desire to break free from her family's influence and carve her own path.

“Even if you had climbed the ranks of the Hunter's Guild," Joker stated plainly, understanding Rose's attempt to escape an arranged marriage through the guild, "it wouldn't have made a difference. Trying to prevent a union between the wealthiest Verdinant family and the most powerful Royal Fore family would be like trying to stop the sun from rising.”

“I'll never know now, will I?" Rose's voice carried a sense of desolation. “You've altered the trajectory of my life, along with everyone else associated with the guild. Can you live with that?"

“As long as every man and woman claiming allegiance to a gang is no more, I can bear it,” Joker replied.

“And what about your friend, the one you're so desperately trying to avenge? Would she have abided by your actions? Would she have allowed you to destroy so many dreams in her name?”

Joker fell silent. Marian had been kind, too kind for her own good. They had once been in an argument that lasted weeks because Joker had made a guild member cry with her jokes. Marian was upset not only about Joker hurting someone's feelings but also about Joker's indifference to it. Unable to withstand being ignored by her best friend, Joker had eventually relented and apologized.

If the Queen of Hearts was still alive, she would not be speaking to Joker after what Joker had done. Joker bit her lip as she contemplated this realization.

Rose observed the guilt mounting within Joker, but she herself couldn't afford to stay here, as her life was about to take a turn for the worse. She turned to the showman and the others, who were waiting, and let out a sigh. She beckoned them to follow her to her carriage. They still needed assistance in finding their companion, and as her last act as a party leader for the Hunter’s Guild, she would help them do just that.

As they turned to depart, they noticed the Soalde guards huddled within the hall, too afraid to confront the Royal Suit. It was easier for them to fight when their leader's demise fueled their emotions and sense of duty. Now that the dust had settled and the might of the Royal Suit had been witnessed, it became increasingly difficult for them to summon enough courage to fight.

As their temporary allies departed, the Royal Suit stood by and watched in silence. Jack was about to launch into a harsh reprimand of Joker about her recent actions when a sudden impact shook the cobbled street beneath them. The moonlight illuminated a figure clad in white, the pale of the moon seeming intertwined with the figure’s aura. It was a knight, clad in white armor that appeared to be a second layer of skin, so perfectly molded to their body that it seemed to move as if it were a part of them.

Without warning, the knight lunged forward and plunged their blade into Joker's body.