105 The World On His Shoulders

"I'm open to listening, but only after you've given me Astrid," said Reed.

The fact that they had not immediately tried to threaten him with her was a sign of hope for him. He preferred to not fight his way through to her, especially given how many of them there were.

It was doable with the Holy Pope because he'd been alone but he did not want to take any chances this time. Still, he wasn't too worried. As much as it exasperated him, Lu'um was in a class of her own when it came to fighting and manipulating Anima.

She had battle experience and skill in spades — which only served to bolster her prodigious affinity with Anima. Reed had no doubt that if Lu'um wanted to, she could tear the Twilight Children into pieces with her bare hands — even without the assistance of Anima.