The town had grown quieter.
Not peaceful—
But unaware.
Ayame's hands trembled.
Not from fear—
But from exhaustion.
The glow around her palms flickered unevenly as she continued channeling healing magic into Odion's battered body.
"…Almost…"
She whispered.
"…Just a little more…"
Odion gritted his teeth.
His HP bar had risen—
But not enough.
Not nearly enough.
"…You need to stop…"
His voice was weak.
"…You'll run out of mana…"
Ayame shook her head.
"…I'm fine."
A lie.
An obvious one.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her shoulders heavy.
Her mana pool—
Nearly empty.
And that was when—
The air shifted.
Subtle.
Barely noticeable.
But enough.
Ayame's eyes widened slightly.
"…Someone's—"
Too late.
Figures dropped from above.
Silent.
Fast.
Precise.
Eight of them.
Black-clad.
Faces hidden.
Weapons drawn.
Assassins.
Before Ayame could react—
Hands grabbed her.
"…Ah—!"
One pinned her arms.
Another forced her down.
Odion's eyes widened.
"…No—!"
He tried to move.
Tried to stand—
His body failed him.
"…Damn it—!"
He forced himself forward anyway.
Collapsed.
Caught himself.
Then lunged—
A dagger struck the ground beside him.
Warning.
"Stay down."
One of the assassins spoke.
Cold.
Flat.
Odion clenched his teeth.
"…Let her go…!"
Ignored.
Ayame struggled.
"…S-Stop…!"
Another assassin raised their blade.
Positioning it near her throat.
"…Don't resist."
Her breath hitched.
Eight of them.
Surrounding her.
No escape.
No strength left.
"…Help…"
Her voice trembled.
Barely above a whisper.
"…Someone…"
The blade moved closer.
"…Please—"
Crack.
Silence.
The assassin froze.
"…What—?"
CRACK.
The dagger—
Shattered.
Pieces fell.
Metal fragments hitting the ground.
One by one—
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Every blade.
Every weapon.
Shattered.
The assassins froze.
Confusion.
Shock.
"…What did you—"
They didn't finish.
Because in the next second—
Their bodies dropped.
One by one.
Eight figures—
Collapsed.
Unconscious.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Ayame blinked.
Her breath shaky.
"…What… just…"
Odion stared.
Eyes wide.
"…No way…"
A presence.
Subtle.
But overwhelming.
Standing just beyond them.
Unseen.
Unannounced.
And yet—
Undeniable.
High Plains
The ground exploded beneath them.
Fayzan and Magumo clashed again.
A punch—
Met with a block.
A kick—
Intercepted.
Every movement faster than the last.
Fayzan's flames roared violently now.
No longer controlled.
No longer measured.
"…MOVE!"
He surged forward—
[Warrior Skill: Blazing Dash]
A streak of fire cut across the battlefield—
Magumo stepped in.
Intercepting.
Their collision sent a shockwave outward.
Dust erupting into the air.
"…You're getting desperate."
Magumo grinned.
Fayzan didn't respond.
Another strike.
This time—
He broke through.
A punch landed.
Magumo's head snapped slightly to the side.
Silence.
Then—
He laughed.
"…That's more like it."
His aura shifted.
He stepped forward.
And this time—
He attacked.
A heavy swing—
Fayzan blocked—
But the force—
Sent him sliding back.
The ground tore beneath his feet.
Magumo followed instantly.
A barrage of blows—
Each one heavier than the last.
Fayzan gritted his teeth.
Blocking.
Deflecting.
Enduring.
But his mind—
Was elsewhere.
Ayame.
Another hit.
She's alone.
Another.
Rio…
He clenched his jaw.
"…You planned this."
Magumo smirked.
"…Of course I did."
A punch—
Fayzan dodged this time.
Then countered—
A flaming strike—
It landed.
Magumo staggered slightly.
But didn't fall.
"…You're strong."
He admitted.
"…But strength isn't everything."
A pause.
Then—
"…Timing is."
Fayzan's eyes burned.
"…If anything happens to her—"
Magumo cut him off.
"…It already has."
Silence.
Then—
Fayzan's flames erupted.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
"…I'll kill you."
For the first time—
Magumo's grin widened.
"…Now that…"
He cracked his neck.
"…sounds like a real fight."
The battlefield trembled.
Because the fight—
Was no longer about winning.
It was about time.
And time—
Was already running out.
The battlefield burned.
Not metaphorically—
But literally.
Flames carved across the plains, scattering embers into the night sky as Fayzan drove forward with relentless force.
Each step cracked the ground.
Each strike carried weight.
Intent.
Rage.
Magumo met him head-on.
Unshaken.
Unbothered.
A punch—
Blocked.
A kick—
Deflected.
A follow-up strike—
Barely avoided.
The clash of strength echoed endlessly across the empty plains.
Fayzan pressed harder.
Faster.
More aggressive.
But his mind—
Was fractured.
Ayame.
Another strike.
She's alone.
Another clash.
I need to end this—
"Your attacks are getting sloppy."
Magumo's voice cut through the chaos.
Fayzan didn't respond.
But he knew.
His focus wasn't complete.
And that—
Was enough.
Magumo stepped in.
A heavy punch—
Fayzan blocked—
But the impact forced him back.
Dust exploded beneath his feet as he skidded across the ground.
"…Tch."
Magumo rolled his shoulders.
Calm.
Relaxed.
"…You're in a hurry."
Fayzan steadied himself.
Flames flickering violently around him.
"…Move."
Magumo smiled.
"…Make me."
Silence.
Then—
Fayzan moved again.
[Warrior Skill: Blazing Dash]
A streak of fire tore forward—
Magumo stepped in—
Intercept—
CLANG
The impact rang louder than before.
Stronger.
Heavier.
The two locked.
Force against force.
Then—
Clink.
A small sound.
Out of place.
Something metallic hit the ground.
Both of them froze.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then—
Another.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
Pieces of metal scattered across the battlefield.
Broken.
Shattered.
Daggers.
Magumo's eyes shifted slightly.
Fayzan noticed.
And then—
A voice.
Calm.
Cold.
"…Your people dropped these."
Both of them turned.
Standing behind them—
Rio.
Unharmed.
Unshaken.
Her white hair moved gently with the wind.
Her eyes—
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
In her hand—
Another broken blade.
She let it fall.
Clink.
"…I thought I'd return them."
Silence.
The weight of her words settled instantly.
Fayzan's eyes widened slightly.
"…You—"
Magumo didn't move.
Didn't speak.
But his expression—
Changed.
For the first time since the fight began—
His grin faded.
"…Impossible."
He muttered it.
Quietly.
Rio tilted her head slightly.
"…Eight assassins."
A pause.
"…Poor coordination."
Another.
"…Worse execution."
Her gaze locked onto him.
"…If that was your plan…"
A step forward.
"…You overestimated them."
The air shifted.
Magumo's eyes narrowed.
"…Where's the healer."
Rio didn't break eye contact.
"…Alive."
A beat.
"…Unlike your men."
Silence.
Fayzan exhaled.
Just slightly.
Relief.
Hidden.
But there.
Magumo let out a low chuckle.
"…I see."
His grin slowly returned.
"…So you're the one."
Rio didn't respond.
But the way she stood—
Calm.
Unmoving.
Said enough.
Magumo cracked his neck slightly.
"…Interesting."
His gaze shifted between the two of them.
Fayzan.
Rio.
"…Looks like this just got complicated."
Rio stepped forward.
Stopping beside Fayzan.
Her voice—
Flat.
"…No."
A pause.
"…It got simpler."
Silence.
Then—
Fayzan's flames flared again.
Stronger.
Sharper.
This time—
He wasn't alone.
And Magumo—
Knew it.
The battlefield shifted.
Because what stood before him now—
Wasn't just a fight.
It was a mistake.
And he had just realized it.