Forty-Three

A tail lashed out as the flames smacked into it. Lilias felt a scorching sensation, her body skidded back, but her extra limb did not quiver or shake.

An arrow came and a burning sword broke it apart. Rose moved her body, dodging several more as Fieth jumped back. The battle had started on both sides, Elsa lept at Reed and the man brought his left foot up to block her punch, his body quaked, he brought his sword down—she dodged and punched him in the face with her left fist. He almost flew back and she was quick to drag him closer to her as she delivered a kick to his stomach, knocking the air out of him.

A thin layer of mana covered him; her attacks pummeled his shield. The sword in his arm spun and he kicked.

"What the fuck--?"

She tried to dodge that only to look down as ropes of mana entangled her feet. Her body flew and landed against asphalt, slamming into the ground.

Three weapons scrapped each other. Rose found her blade stuck in between Lilias's crossed swords pulsing with mana.

"I thought I could trust you all," She said, her expression more somber than angered. It was a mistake. Her eyes shifted, Reed and Elsa were entangled in fighting and Nicholas seemed to be eying her specifically. Her core hummed, and she wondered at her stupidity as her weapon pushed farther.

Lilias jumped back and the tip of her left blade pointed forward.

"You're a product. An object to be sold. I don't see why I should hold your delusional wishes up for you."

There was a shudder and a vroom much louder than any she had ever heard. A blue ray pierced forward, vibrating its intense light, and Rose hurried to dodge but the speed was faster than any she had faced before.

Blood flew and the ray tore through her abdomen, advancing even farther back and breaking through shacks as voices filled her surroundings. Her body shook, quaking as she fell to her knees. Her lips opened, sputtering red onto the road.

"If this were the streets of Trea, there would be no hesitation." A crimson blade shook before her as Lilias looked her down. "Here, however, I need you alive. I need to enter Alos. Please, give up,"

"I see," Rose replied.

Smoke lept from her sword.

There was red upon her lips.

"I'll have no qualms killing you, then."

The girl's expression did not change, but Rose thought it was the first time she truly felt like killing someone. Lux had been a happenstance, and the lives—beast or human—she had taken till that point were merely obstacles in her way. This girl before her, who looked down on her with eyes that questioned her person, was one she wanted to kill.

It was a desire that burned her blade.

She took her sword and pointed forward as she shakingly stood, blood spilling from her side.

'Blow her away, <Igris>'

"!!"

A red haze burned under the morning sky and an explosion separated the two. The streets of the slums blasted with fire and the two were flung to each end.

Blood sucked into her lips as she stood, mana rolling within her body. Yet, when she turned to look, her eyes widened at the sight of a tail coming down to reveal the healing face of Lilias.

"??"

"I'm Half-Dragonian," The girl said, her right sword slashed out. "We're born with mana orbs."

The crimson blade broke apart, opening up like a wild snake as blue waves of mana kept the parts intact. Rose jumped back, her body moving against the wild arcs of the weapon that sweeped the streets.

She took a step forward, finding an opening in Lilia's swings.

Yet, at that moment.

"Fire!"

A command fell on her ears as rays of blue flew through the streets and both sides stopped to dodge. A man fell down on top of the dead body of his son, a hole in his head as the sound of pulses filled the streets and blue rays danced over.

"Wha—what! He's too fast!"

Several screams to the right brought her attention over.

'Samuel?'

Her instructor leaped between the group at the other end. A sword left its sheath, mana vibrated and blades of blue brought about blood. Another came out and he slashed, a wave struck horizontally and bisected two men. He flipped within the air, dropping down with calm eyes as two blades impaled a man before pulses could even pelt him, his legs blurred, spluttering blood, and he slashed out—lopping the head off of another. In no time at all, the turret at the end of the street had turned towards him and released its might as the ground broke apart.

A click forced Rose to look down on a metallic slab of an object. Ropes of mana spiraled out like a net and bound her body in quick succession. She raised her weapon to rip it apart but an arrow came.

Flames spiraled out from her front, but the attack split into five, then ten, then twenty, and shot into her. She moved her head, quickly shielding her skull, but one of the arrows was unlike the others. It shot past her head, Fieth pulled his hand back, and it pierced into her mind.

"Rose!"

She blinked her eyes, finding her vision suddenly go dark as her body began to fall.

Elsa's distraction brought a sword slashing out, her torso traced a line of blood as she quivered to dodge. She gritted her teeth, looked left to her collapsed companion. A kick met her face and her head crashed onto the ground. Looking up, she saw the face of Reed staring her down with a sword at her neck, a leg upon her stomach, and Nicholas having made his way over.

The male at the side of the blonde unhooked a pulse pistol and pointed it down.

"Finally, sheesh. Stand down, Elsa, let the homunculus go." He smiled. "Or I'll pay you back for those punches."

In fact, he was begging for any reason to pull the trigger.

Elsa squinted her eyes, she looked to the collapsed Rose, then back at the two men, a hand reached into her satchel and pulled out a ball.

"Fuck you."

A kick cracked into her nose and a shot rang, piercing into her leg as her scream fell. The ball clinked against the floor, rolling until it met Lilias's boots, who turned her head at the sound. She looked over the situation and narrowed her eyes at the bleeding girl.

"I thought I said not to hurt her? What are you doing?"

"This is why I hate those stuck ups from cities," Nicholas tched.

Reed replied to the girl, fatigue on his face, "Come on, Lilias, you can't expect us to allow the mana bomb to explode?"

His body was covered in bruises, the metallic shoe once on his left foot had shattered, and his face was swollen, blood leaking out of both his lips and nose. Elsa squirmed under his foot, her head was pinned to the ground, and only her gargles escaped her lips. The only thought in her mind at that point was the pain.

The dragonian walked closer and stood before the man.

"You were too weak to take her down gently?"

The blonde smiled. "Where was your companionship with the homunculus? Isn't she passed out right there with a hole on her side?"

He turned to his companion, "Nicholas, cripple her."

Two shots rang. Each blocked by a crimson blade.

"I don't care about a puppet," Lilias's voice fell and she stared at the men, "I came for the homunculus, not to cripple a companion. That's a fate worse than death in the slums."

"Stand aside, Lilias."

"I refuse."

"Fieth."

Lilias looked behind to see a bow pointed towards her.

"Sorry."

She looked forward to see a pulse pistol pointed to her face. Nicholas shrugged. A sword rose and Reed spoke.

"Step aside, Lilias."

"Are you pointing your weapons at me?"

"Sorry."

The hum of a core overflowed a body as mana spiraled. Heads turned and Nicholas widened his eyes.

"What the fuck—why the hell does she have the Sol. Series healing function?!"

Rose stood, Mana running through her as her charge fell rapidly. She blinked her eyes, overlooking the situation, a sword clutched in one hand and the mana orb that was once at her hip clutched in the other.

She ignored the world. She ignored the desert storm on the horizon. She ignored the fighting far right. She ignored the streets around her. She ignored the injuries her body sustained and the nakedness she felt with her clothes all but ripped. She ignored it all as her blade burned crimson flames and smoke rose into the air.

"Let. Elsa. Go."

The asphalt road beneath her feet began to melt under the intense heat.