Yeah, this really is the kind of thing that my mother lives for.

By which I mean the whole "instilling in bandits the same sense of impending dread and horror that they've inflicted on their countless victims" thing.

I do have to wonder, though... do these bastards even possess enough self-awareness to realize that this is exactly what they've been subjecting others to? That they never would've had anything to fear from someone like myself if they hadn't spent their miserable lives victimizing innocents?

...no, probably not.

Fuckers like these never bother to reflect on their actions. Instead, they're the types to cry "what did I ever do to deserve this?" while never actually bothering to think about what they did to deserve this.

God, I hate them.

I hate them so much.

And that's why I am very much enjoying myself right now.

By which I mean this whole "slaying bandits" thing.

Making them experience even an iota of the suffering that they've inflicted onto others.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I love it.

Because failure or not, I'm still my mother's daughter.

...but with that in mind, I do recognize that deriving enjoyment from the taking of lives, no matter how deserving they might be, isn't the most wholesome of vices to have.

Why, some might even consider it rather psychotic.

Which is why I make it a point never to take extermination requests or actively pursue bounties.

Now it is true that the reason my Rank got as high as it did in the short time I've been an Adventurer is because of the rather... high number of bounties that I've turned in. I mean, you blow up enough raiding parties and people can't help but acknowledge it.

But I never went out looking for them, they all came to me.

And since simply chasing them off to go victimize someone weaker is clearly out of the question, it fell unto me as someone with the power to do what was necessary to, well... do what was necessary.

"And do what was necessary I shall."

While darting my gaze across the sixteen bandits who are still left breathing, I shift my free hand's stabilizing arpeggio to a wider tempo that sends my Silhouette Orchestra circling around me in a low wave about a yard's radius from my feet.

This sudden change in the shadows that have already slaughtered nearly half their initial number sets the bandits on even higher guard, and their efforts in backing away from me become considerably more... energetic.

"Gwah-"

And then one of them slips on the wet (with blood) grass and falls flat on his ass.

So of course I take this opportunity to direct a wave of shadows to bisect this easy pr-

"!!!"

A quick twist of my arm pulls my shadows back just in time to block an axe blade careening towards my face.

THUD

"Shit-"

With his sneak attack having failed, the enterprising bandit who pulled this stunt falters for a splitsecond.

"C'mon, back me up!" he yells at his comrades as he struggles to regain his footing.

And so, inspired by the bravery of the single one of these bastards with the sense to take advantage of the opening that I so carelessly left, a handful of the remaining bandits ready their weapons and charge me.

Three... five... six. Six bandits, all desperately trying to break through my Silhouette Orchestra's defenses while at the same time even more desperately trying to fend off my own return attacks.

It's almost cute how they finally seem to have learned some semblance of tactics.

One guy tries a spear thrust, I flick my shadows over to block it, another guy takes advantage of the opening created by said shadows moving to try and get in an attack of his own, and so on.

At a time like this, my mother would probably be throwing snappy remarks to piss them off... but witty banter requires a certain level of interpersonal skills that I am decidedly lacking.

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So instead, I just keep my mouth shut and my expression blank and enjoy the terror in their eyes as their every move is rendered useless by my overwhelming might.

But together with the dread of imminent death, I also notice the tiniest glimmer of hope. One I've seen plenty of times before, a belief that somehow they'll manage to turn this around with strategy instead of brute force.

Unfortunately for them, I'm fully aware that they're trying to steer me into creating an opening in my defenses wide enough for the guy who's staying inside my blind spot to sneak in and stab me in the back.

Oh look, he's starting to make his move.

Not yet...

Just a little bit closer...

Aaaand n-

"!?"

I dart my eyes back just in time to find a certain brown lightning girl executing a masterfully-executed heel drop atop the skull of the bandit who I was two seconds from impaling myself.

THOK

And then her heel sinks in every so slightly as the man's lifeless body crumples to the ground and she pushes off it to do a little backflip and it takes a couple of seconds for my brain to fully process what just happened dear God that was the single most beautiful kick I've ever seen in my l-

shit shit shit what the fuck am I doing I almost dropped my spell

"That thing," Yahanaseara practically spits, "meant to attack your blind spot."

"Yeah, I baited him in," I reply, quickly pulling myself together. "I was just about to skewer him when you popped up."

"Eh?"

"You know, like this."

A wide sweep of my arm and my thumb, index finger and pinky all at 90-degree angles from each other causes the calming shadow current to leap into a ring of spikes that stabs out all around us.

Sadly, it incurs no fatalities.

Stupid wary bandits.

Stupid careless Brigitte.

Yahanaseara's dynamic entry was the perfect opportunity to finish off the whole lot of them in a single go, but I was too caught up in admiring those beautifully-sculpted-

what the fuck me now is not the time for that it is NEVER the time for that

"Haaaa..."

A long exhale to push out all the distracting thoughts.

"Don't worry about me and fall back," I say, keeping my gaze focused on the fifteen surviving bandits. "I won't be long."

"But it is dangerous-" Yahanaseara stammers.

"For them, sure," I reply with a smirk. "But for me, bandit hunting is therapeutic."

My fingers writhe and contort into all sorts of positions, and my Silhouette Orchestra follows its conductor in turn. Before I was just playing freely, but the sudden appearance of this audience of one has set my soul ablaze with the desire to truly perform.

Alas, most of my original composition requires the usage of both arms in full... but I am still able to offer an abridged selection with limited instrumentation.

The only issue now is where to begin...

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Instead of standing aside and politely granting me enough time to make up my mind regarding the ideal method to take in murdering them all, the lead(?) bandit lets out a loud rage-filled cry and charges me head-on.

My shadows still at the ready, I motion with my staff for Yahanaseara to get behind me as I coalesce them into a shadow claw to finally crush this fucker once and for all-

WHAM

...which is then fucking shoulder-checked out of the way by another bandit just before it reaches its target, God damn it. Not one to waste an opportunity, I clench my fist and send the claw collapsing into the impact point where it was deflected, completely engulfing the would-be defender in a crushing abyss.

"Fourteen."

C'mon now, you guys gotta do better than that if you don't all want to die miserably!

"FUCK YOU!"

...whoops, did I say that out loud?

"Oh well," I grin.

With a snap of my fingers, the lifeless body of the bandit I just killed is released from its shadowy prison.

And by "released," I mean that that the bloody mangled corpse is spat out into the closest bandit, throwing him flat on his back and in prime potion for a followup attack.

Clearly not having forgotten the value of teamwork, a few of his comrades come racing to his aid, but their efforts in doing so only serve to open themselves up instead...

"Brigitte!!"

Yahanaseara darts out from behind me, leaping in the air as if to-

clink clink clink

...as if to catch the arrow that was just flying towards my face.

But at the exact same time, a cluster of crimson feathers materializes around said arrow and intercepts it before she can.

"...wha?"

A murmur of surprise as she gracefully lands.

"Uh-"

A second to regain my brain function.

"Pinpoint Pinion," I say once my thinking starts working good again. "It deflects projectiles."

And then those same feathers drop the arrow and speed off in the direction from whence it came, followed by a piercing death cry a few seconds later.

"...and automatically counterattacks," I finish explaining.

"Wait, that spell you cast when we were in the..."

A pained look of realization.

"Yup," I nod.

"So you never were in any real danger..." she mumbles. "...so I was only getting in the way..."

Great, and now I feel like an asshole.

"H- hey," I stammer, reaching out to pat her h-

FUCK I DROPPED MY SPELL

"Silhouette Or-"

But before the invocation phrase can fully pass through my lips, my staff is violently yanked from my hand.

By a bandit.

The same bandit who led the past few charges.

And then he immediately braces it in front of himself, stopping Yahanaseara dead in her tracks before she can murder him.

"Y- you need this to cast your bullshit," he stammers while cautiously backing away from the incensed Elemental Spirit. "And I'm sure you don't want the tiny bitch to break it trying to get me, right?"

"You dare..." Yahanaseara growls.

"Yyyeah, I do dare!" he taunts, his balls seemingly becoming more functional the further away he gets from me. "The fuck you gonna do, huh!? Try killing me and risk wrecking your boyfriend's fancy toy in the process?"

Gritting her teeth, she shoots the bandit a dirty look.

And then she tugs on my sleeve.

"Brigitte, I am so sorry..." she mumbles. "...the only thing my actions accomplished was distracting you from the battle."

"'sfine."

My gaze is glued onto the miserable waste of life who's holding my staff.

"get behind me."

"..."

Yahanaseara immediately does as she's told.

"You. Bandit."

There is no life in my voice, but it carries clearly.

"One chance. You get one chance."

I open and close my hands to get the blood flowing back into them.

"Put that down and I don't kill you."

"Ha!" He shouts back. "Like I'm dumb enough to fall for that shit!"

Good.

I gave him one chance and he rejected it.

Now I don't have to be a liar when I end his fucking life.

Come to my aid

Oh beast of steel.

Place within my hand

The spear of kings

And let us rend asunder

All that stands before us

Fragment Lancer.