"You filthy little rat!" the giant goat headed demon shouts and blazes his spirit core, causing his skin to flush an angry red. With a powerful swing of both his arms, the demon sends a massive iron club swinging in my direction. I quickly duck and roll, barely managing to evade the attack and summon my spirit sword, just as Irene had taught me.

I focus my own power and slash at my opponent, who raises his club to block. Sparks erupt from the clash and a large iron chunk from the demon's weapon is gouged off. The demon is sent skidding backwards and he slams into the wall, breathing heavily. I give a reassuring nod to Celeste who sits bound against a chair in the corner of the room, tears running down her eyes.

When Sera had told me that Celeste had been kidnapped on her way home from the Academy and that it was likely carried out by the Legion, my heart sank with the knowledge that this incident was probably all my fault. Celeste had done nothing to provoke the Legion, so the only reason for her kidnapping would have been her connection with me. My guess was that the Legion intended to use Celeste to force me into forfeiting the duel with Nicholas. That was something I could not do though, not with Rose's future riding on my shoulders.

When SOPO got back to Sera with several possible locations at both Dreaming Spires and Six Trees the kidnappers could be hiding at, I insisted to accompany the teams being sent out to rescue Celeste. Rose demanded to come along as well as she felt that abandoning Celeste after the trouble we had dragged her into would be completely unconscionable.

Inspector Hartley, the SOPO officer leading the investigation reluctantly agreed to our selfish request and allowed us to accompany the pair of assembled SOPO rescue teams. Irene and Rose would be paired together with the Dreaming Spires team, while Sera and I would head off with the others. As the team Sera and I were in would be responsible for searching locations in Six Trees, I had also asked Ken to come along as well since he knew the lay of the land.

After the incident at the building site, Ken had become estranged from his father and the family had stopped listening to him. He jumped at my request to accompany us, probably to take his mind off his own troubles. While Ken's father still provides him with an allowance, its clear that Ken has been pretty much cut off from the family as a whole. The once guaranteed future he had as the clan heir is very much in doubt. Which is another reason why I cannot forfeit the fight for my inheritance. Ken got into this mess because of me, and getting my inheritance is the only way I can take care of him and make things right.

I will not abandon Ken, just as I will not abandon Celeste. Or Rose.

It was nerve wracking travelling through Six Trees. SOPO had no authority there, and people knew it. Wherever we went to investigate, sneers were the first response we received. It was only because Ken was there with us that people finally began to talk and a trail began to emerge. A trail that led to a rundown tenement that was originally meant for demolition under the Host's housing development scheme.

And that's where we are right now. Legion troops rushed us the moment the rescue team got here. Sera, Ken and myself managed to break through the defenders and make it to the apartment where Celeste was being held. Now we just need to deal with the deal with the welcoming committee.

...

I focus my spirit and my sword spirit blazes ferociously. The goat man shakes his head and charges at me again, with the iron club raised high. Closing my eyes, I recall the lessons that Irene had taught me. Instinct takes over and the flat of the sword intercepts the demon's club, releasing a shock wave of energy as it blocks the attack. The shock wave flings the demon's arms to the side from the impact. My eyes snap open and see the demon left wide open to my counter attack. Without a second thought, my arm swings downwards, sending the spirit sword cleaving through my opponent's body.

As the bloody corpse hits the ground with a wet noise, I take the opportunity to survey how my friends are doing. Sera dances gracefully around her opponent, a hyena man dual wielding daggers. The hyena man's daggers flash menacingly as thrust towards Sera, but she easily evades the attacks and ripostes with her saber, opening several small, bleeding wounds all over the demon's body. As the hyena man pauses to take a painful breath, Sera's form blurs towards his rear and the saber slashes cleanly through the tendons of her opponent's legs. With an ear piercing shriek of pain, the demon topples to the ground like a rotted through tree, all the fight gone out of him.

Ken snarls angrily as the claws from a hawk man rake his face. He lashes out with his fists, but the hawk demon bobs and weaves through the attack, The claws fly out again, tearing a nasty wound in Ken's gut. As Ken is doubled over in pain, hawk man slams his foot into Ken's head with a vicious hatchet kick, slamming Ken into the floor.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

No. None of you will hurt my friends today.

In a well practiced motion, I send a blast of energy tearing towards hawk man from my spirit sword. Hawk man turns around in alarm and focuses his spirit as he raises both arms in a block. The wave of destruction crashes against the magically fortified arms of the demon, yielding a thin trickle of blood flowing down hawk man's sleeves. At that moment Ken flies through the air, and his fist careens into hawk man's face with the force of a freight train. The demon's eyes take on a glassy look and Ken finishes it off with an uppercut.

Its over. We did it.

I rush over to Celeste and untie her from the chair. Weak from the stress and exhaustion, Celeste collapses into my arms, sobbing.

....

"Legion black ops." Sera says as she drags both the handcuffed hawk and hyena demons along the corridor, "We need to take them back to SOPO HQ for questioning."

I nod, "The sounds from the fighting outside have stopped and no one came to reinforce the guys in the apartment. Hopefully there will be more people for you to question." I support Ken with my shoulder as blood drips from the wound he suffered while my other arm holds Celeste tightly.

As we are about to emerge from the building, what strikes me is the complete silence outside. Sera stops dead in her tracks, causing me to almost bump into her. What gives? Isn't the fight over? Our little procession halts and I take cover behind a broken window and cautiously take a gander at what's happening outside. Sera watches over our friends while menacing the prisoners with her saber.

The fight is over. But not in the way I expected. Both the SOPO officers and the Legion black ops team are huddled together in a loose mass, completely silent. And before them is a line of ORPO personnel fully kitted out in armor, bearing rifles. The ORPO officers are completely silent as well, their meaning clear with the rifles leveled evenly at the crowd. Towering over the line of riflemen are several boxy looking mech suits painted in the stark white and bearing ORPO's crest. I hear the whine of servo motors as the mech suit pilots posture threateningly with the massive axes wielded by their machines.

I remember reading about those mechs in some magazine before. The P5 developed them to allow mundanes to battle mages in open combat. From what I can tell, the mechs bear hardly any magical enhancements, relying purely on composite armor for protection and their servos for strength. The axes are a different matter though, glowing with a crude enchantment meant to increase strike impact. All signs pointing to early generation models. This equipment must have been surplus gifted to ORPO when the P5 decided to show up.

An amplified bark comes from one of the mechs, likely the leader of the ORPO unit, "SOPO task force, you have caused a disturbance in Six Trees and have overstepped your authority. Explain yourselves."

A random SOPO officer steps forward and addresses the ORPO leader, "We are in the middle of a rescue operation. A girl had been kidnapped and we believe that she is being held within this building."

The ORPO leader barks in reply, "You are acting outside of your jurisdiction and everyone here shall be detained pending further questioning. The search of the building will be carried out by us."

With a gesture from the commander, a number ORPO officers step forward with handcuffs at the ready. The SOPO task force bristles and looks ready to fight back, but get the message when the rifles are raised back up to firing position. Both SOPO and the demons get on their knees with their hands on their heads as instructed with no further delay. The mechs stay behind to keep watch over their prisoners while a large group of ORPO officers breaks off from the contingent and heads towards the building.

Sera curses under her breath, "ORPO is doing this to show who is in charge. Tensei, we can't allow ourselves to be found by them. Who knows how long we will spend in the lockup."

How are we going to get out of this? Celeste and Ken need medical treatment. We don't have the time to play games with ORPO. I feel like tearing my hair out in frustration.

The hawk demon chooses this moment to speak up, "Secret passage back at the apartment. Its how we smuggled in your friend without ORPO noticing. Will show it to you, but you have to promise to help me escape. Deal?"

I look at Ken bleeding out. There's no time to use the secret passage, he needs help now. If I surrender myself, could I persuade ORPO to send Ken to a hospital?

The hawk demon, guessing whats on my mind, quickly says, "Friend is Matsui boy, correct? Father allied with ORPO, they will not hurt him. Safe to leave him behind. Now hurry!"

Sera points at the hyena demon and asks the hawk, "What about him? He can't walk."

The hawk rolls its eyes and hisses urgently, "He needs hospital as well. Can try going with Matsui boy. Knew the risks when we signed up. Professionals."

The hyena nods silently at this statement. Ken groans in pain and adds his two cents, "I'll take care of Celeste. She won't be able to run far in the condition she is in anyway."

I look at Sera, her body tightly wound like a spring. If ORPO catches her, she will be in a world of trouble. The option of surrendering is not open to her. And her only means of escape is someone we just arrested. Leaving her alone with the hawk demon is pure foolishness.

Alright its decided then, I will accompany Sera in her escape attempt. Celeste tightens her grip on me and refuses to let go, begging me to take her with us. But this is for the best, by taking her with me, I'll just be exposing her to more danger. I gently pat Celeste on the head and pry her off me.

I clasp Ken's hand hard. We will all see each other again soon. I'm sure of it.

I turn to the hawk and order, "Lead on."