Living in the City of Spades taught her that playing ‘hero’ was a one-way ticket to hell. Cannibals in fact preferred the flesh of the determined to break free from the system. S7 was the second criminal dumping ground of the Nex Megalopolis.

… so…

Ara knew exactly what was running through the mind of the healer. Because at one point, she was in the same exact position. She looked down at her fist and saw it clench as the magical aberration of a violin and its bow hovered before her.

… why is my body so damned restless? I don’t have to care. There’s no way I’m going to win in a fight. I just need to find Alice.

“Stop… ouch! Don’t touch me like that!” The healer screamed.

“Boss. I like her face.”

“Keep it in until we’re back in the City of Diamonds.” Another woman hummed, dressed in non-discrete clothing compared to the suits her henchmen wore. “Buyers are waiting in line. To think Grandis still hasn’t moved on like the rest of the world.”

… Am I really going to get myself into this shit?

Ara’s heart raced. It jumped from her chest to her throat as they began to drag the poor healer away. Suddenly, before the healer could raise her voice, the heavy thud of a fist meeting with the back of the healer’s head caused her blood to boil.

If that was Alice… Fuck. I’ll be damned if someone else in my position didn’t at least try to help! In this situation – in this kind of city –!

The violin transformed into a giant, shoulder-mounted tuba. She deeply inhaled, immediately notifying them of her position as she blew into the mouthpiece with everything she had.

*Bwooooooooooom!*

The tuba mimicked the sound of a trumpet. In fact, it was indistinguishable from an Augerist’s trumpet call. She blew exactly five times as the group across the canal were momentarily confused.

Even the healer, which was supposed to be knocked out, couldn’t help but to flinch in response.

If there was one thing people would respond to, then it was the Augrists. With the Ateliers close by then the response was bound to be immediate. Suddenly, she heard splashing from behind her as she jumped from her cover.

A blade embedded itself right where her neck was just a split second ago.

“Didn’t think someone would be close by!” A hairless man swiftly removed his blade from the pillar, striking Ara with the blunt side of his katana.

Ara was able to partially block it with a bass violin.

It emitted a shockwave at the stroke of its strings, throwing her backwards as she skidded clumsily along her heels. The violin exploded into magical particles, emitting a violent cacophony of unharmonized strings.

“And I didn’t think there’d be anyone stupid enough to mess with the healers!” Ara was about to lift her hand defensively, however –

Broken…!? No way. Is this body really this fucking weak!? Is the mana capacity all it’s good for!?

– Indeed. Her right arm was bent at an irregular angle. A small protrusion could be seen near the elbow. Even breaking caused the exposed bone to brush against the fabric. She vomited again, the pain and exhaustion overwhelming her as she held a conducting wand in her other hand.

“A Syndicate posting up in H5 of all places… you must be out of your mind.” She croaked, maintaining her demeanor as the man ahead brandished his blade, this time with the sharpened edge facing her.

… I’ve gone and done it now. Fuck me for pushing my luck at every opportunity. First there was me bothering the ARU people which got me locked up. Then there was Cer egging me on to join the Moons. Now this… fuck. I’m still drunk…

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“I think it’s the perfect storm to get business done.” Their boss hummed again, unfazed by the noise of her tuba. “Five blows. You’ve ordered an evacuation. No one’s foolish enough to come just yet.”

Suddenly, she raised three fingers, causing the man in front of her to sheath his blade.

“As you wish.” The man approached her nonchalantly, intending to capture her. What they saw wasn’t a human being or a threat, but a fruit ripe for the picking. Ara was frighteningly aware of the situation she brought herself into.

Her eyes moved to the other side where the remaining four watched on. Two went to scout their surroundings as another threw down a coffin that was decorated like a fruit container.

“It’ll be a tight fit.” He said, throwing the healer into it with no regard for her body.

Even with the Anti-healing stone inside of her, a healer could naturally regrow a limb if given enough time.

“So be it. Our carriage is not that far away. All surveillance systems are gone. The Nex Megalopolis will be as much of a Syndicate breeding ground as Emvita soon enough.”

What are my options? I can buy some more time with my magic. My only hope now is to wait for help.

Ara’s grip on her conducting wand tightened as she held it out towards the man’s face. He dropped his guard. Ara was nothing compared to her. She was small, exhausted, and broken.

… but if no one ends up coming…

She grit her teeth, muttering something to herself. She faked chanting a spell, causing the man to rush to shut her up. But the moment his hand touched her lips, she swiftly jammed the conducting wand into his throat.

“Gh – Ghaugh –!?”

Then it’s back to Spade street tactics!

At the same time, she created a wall of giant drums to cover her as she dragged the man straight into the canal, shoving it far enough where she could grab the other end and begin twisting.

She held her breath, dropping the drums into the water to create as much turbulence as possible as her legs wrapped around the man’s waist. With one last twist, his spine muffledly snapped.

Rule one. There’s no such thing as an easy target.

Even children in S7 were seasoned killers. Ara may have gotten the longer stick in her stay in S7, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have to fight for her life at every passing hour.

If his ATT DEF stat turned out to be higher than I thought, then I would’ve been screwed. Chances are that the others are at the same level. But that woman is probably higher –!?

Blades thrusted through the crimson cloud above, nearly slicing her face open as she sluggishly brought the man’s corpse over her shoulder. Using the ridges along the sides of the canal, she threw herself up, using him as a meat shield.

“That’s not her –!?”

“Slippery bitch –!”

“She’s – AAAAAAAAAGH! AAAAAAAAA!”

She jumped from the water, grabbing onto the hand of one as she shoved the conducting wand into his genitals. There was no such thing as playing dirty in a fight. All vitals and organs were valid targets. Honor meant nothing when one’s life was on the line.

Ara disappeared into the water again, summoning more drums to shield herself. Every strike they made on the drums only caused further commotion. Someone at the very least had to be curious enough to see what was going on.

… I can hide down here for a minute. Two down… three more to go. That’s if I can even touch them. They haven’t used magic either…

“Get the – Get the healer to – no wait… fuck…” The henchwoman rushed to his side, dragging him like a mop towards the healer before realizing their mistake. “Boss –!”

“Cut our losses. Go. Take the healer immediately! As for you – all you have to do is watch the water. Do whatever you want with that thing. Come in five minutes.”

“As you wish.” One henchman remained, waiting for Ara to resurface.

That healer… I can’t swim that far to the left or right or I’m fucked. The canal has grates for some fucking reason.

Indeed. A wire mesh was installed every five meters along the canal to catch waste. She rummaged through them finding nothing of use.

Not even a bottle. I fucking hate using my magic like a weapon… Hellen wouldn’t want me using it like that too. But if the healer’s gone, then I think I can do something. I just need…

Past the red clouds, and as her vision waned, she summoned a ring of violins to surround the figure above. The bows of the violins screeched as a reflection of her deteriorating mental state. Suddenly, the bows were drawn against the strings like arrows.

… to know what his MAG DEF is like!

The problem with composers was that accuracy was impossible to fine tune. Using a single instrument would alleviate that, but a composer’s power came from the fact that they could wield multiple instruments at once.

One could imagine how powerful an archer capable of wielding dozens of bows simultaneously would be. As a result, they were highly useful in largescale combat. However, those that could use it offensively like this were far too few in between.

But to use it like this? To use the instruments themselves as a weapon rather than the music? This was unique to her as the granddaughter of the Green Composer.

… moment of truth…

She rapidly threw herself to the surface, brandishing her conducting wand. Her heart dropped the moment she penetrated through the red clouds.

They’re still there!?

She flew out of the water like a shark, ready to fight for her life but to her surprise –

“Kid.”

– someone had arrived.