"I have to stop her!!" Miura shouts as Eroica lunges toward Liah.
"If I can't kill him, I'll go for the next person in my line of sight," Eroica says coldly as she slips into another shadow. Liah shuts her eyes tightly, her face frozen in horror.
Miura pushes his body to its limit and intercepts her mid-transition.
"How!!" Eroica shouts, her voice filled with shock as Miura's kick lands cleanly, sending her flying. Her back slams hard against the wall, the impact echoing through the kitchen before she collapses, unconscious.
"Come on!!" Miura shouts as he grabs Liah's hand and pulls her along, both of them sprinting out of the kitchen.
"He… he saved me," Liah murmurs, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looks at their joined hands while running.
"How was I able to move that fast… could it be adrenaline?" Miura thinks, still trying to process what just happened. Even so, he forces out an awkward laugh. "This building is kind of confusing… do you know where the entrance is?"
"Keep running, I'll direct you," Liah replies, managing a small smile as she keeps pace with him.
They continue down the hallway at full speed.
Elsewhere, the clash between Slayde and Anyachi continues without pause, their movements sharp and relentless as steel meets force again and again.
Anyachi surges forward with full force, her blade cutting through the air. Slayde meets her attack head-on, pushing back with raw strength.
"That's not all!!" Anyachi shouts.
A powerful gust of wind erupts from her sword, blasting forward and slamming into Slayde, sending him jamming to the wall, with no visible damage to it—but he straightens almost immediately, brushing it off as if it were nothing.
"That wind testament of yours is pretty strong," Slayde says, casually cracking his neck.
"He hasn't shown any ability yet… could he just be a regular?" Anyachi thinks, her eyes narrowing.
"How were you able to find this place?" she asks, keeping her stance as Slayde slowly paces across the room.
"Curious child, aren't you… fine, there's no harm in telling you, seeing as you're already going to die," Slayde says, rolling up his upper garment.
"Uhh…" Anyachi lets out as her eyes fall on the massive scar running from his hip all the way up to his chest.
"Huge, right? It was a gift—from your greatest hero," Slayde says with a grin.
"My greatest hero…? You don't mean—" she starts—
"Yes," Slayde cuts in, his expression darkening. "It was Vante Redborne who gave me this scar. That bastard scarred me for life… and had the guts to disappear without me getting my revenge!!"
"So he fought the last hero… he must be really old then," Anyachi thinks, her grip tightening on her sword.
"So I thought to myself—if I can't get my revenge anymore, I'll just take his most prized possession and offer it to my lord… as proof of my loyalty." Slayde's grin widens. "To my lord… the HOMONCULUS."
"So he works for the Homonculus," Anyachi realizes, her expression hardening.
"That's all nice and dramatic, but it still doesn't explain how you found this place. Not even the people of Estalcia know where the Summoning Hall is," she says firmly.
"Patience is a virtue, child. Kids these days…" Slayde sighs, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "When your hero scarred me, my ability locked onto what made contact with my skin. No matter where it is, I can find it." He smirks. "It's called 'Tag.'"
"So he does have an ability… Tag. That's how he tracked this place," Anyachi concludes.
"That's enough questions," Slayde says, loosening his shoulders as he removes his upper garment completely. He clenches his fists and settles into a stance. "I'm getting bored."
Anyachi exhales slowly, her expression turning deadly serious as she adjusts her grip and lowers into a sword-drawing stance.
"Now that I know he survived an encounter with the previous hero… I can't hold back anymore," she thinks. "I was trying to take him alive… but now—"
Her eyes sharpen.
"It's kill or be killed."