Chapter 181

[Third Person's PoV] 

After Zeta and Cid's recent activities, Zeta found some actual clothing to wear. She donned a cream-colored shirt with her shoulder exposed, paired with a black skirt, leggings, sneakers, and a baseball cap with holes she made for her cat ears to poke through.

(Image)

Cid, meanwhile, reverted to his usual attire of a black sweater and black pants.

As they walked through the ruined city, Zeta clung to Cid's back, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms draped over his shoulders, and her face nestled close to his.

"Uh, Master... Everyone from Shadow Garden didn't see us mating, right?" Zeta asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Cid chuckled in amusement. "No, Zeta. When I put them in my Shadow Realm, I adjusted the time dilation there. By the time they come out, it'll be as if they just left Oriana."

Zeta let out a sigh of relief. "That would have been embarrassing..." she mumbled.

Cid only laughed softly as Zeta began rubbing her face against his, purring contentedly while her tail swayed side to side.

"Hey, Zeta, should we decide on a single weapon to use during our little espionage?" Cid suddenly asked, growing a bit bored of walking in silence, though he didn't mind the stroll with Zeta.

"Hmm, okay... What weapon will you be using?" Zeta asked curiously, treating it as a little game for them to enjoy.

Cid extended his arms, and a stream of slime began running by his arm, slowly molding and solidifying into chains. At the end of each chain, thick blades formed. He started swinging the chains, causing the blades to twirl around him, cutting into the ground as he walked. "I call these the Blades of Chaos," Cid said with a smirk.

"In that case, I choose these..." Zeta replied, extending her hands and conjuring two sais. She thrust one forward, weaponizing the wind into a sharp, pointed gust that sliced through the air. Satisfied, she tucked the sais by her side.

Zeta then sniffed the air above Cid. "It smells of death... over there," she noted, motioning towards the distant horizon.

"Shall we then?" Cid asked with a smirk, to which Zeta responded with a matching smirk and a nod of agreement.

Zeta jumped off Cid's back and charged ahead, her sais at the ready. The ground beneath Cid cracked slightly as he followed after her. Up ahead, Zeta saw pig-nosed orcs with massive tusks surrounding a group of young Japanese people. They were huddled behind a girl with black hair tied in a small ponytail, while the rest fell loose. A sakura pin adorned the side of her hair, and she wore a white school uniform with black accents.

The girl gritted her teeth, desperately trying to protect everyone as the orcs, wielding large hammers, axes, and maces, surrounded them with lecherous expressions and sinister glares.

The girl held her katana in a fighting stance, enveloped in an aura of mana. The orc with the axe charged forward, his massive feet pounding the ground and shaking the earth with each step. Sweat and dirt streaked her face as she tightened her grip on the katana, her hands trembling. Despite the overwhelming presence of the orcs closing in, she refused to back down.

With a fierce cry, she lunged at the orc, her katana slicing through the air with deadly precision. The blade cut deep into the orc's thick hide, but the creature merely grunted and swung its axe down at her. She barely managed to sidestep the blow, the force sending shockwaves through the ground.

Emboldened by their comrade's attack, the other orcs moved in, surrounding her completely. She fought desperately, her katana a blur as she slashed and parried, but there were too many. One of the orcs caught her off guard, its mace smashing into her side. She gasped in pain, stumbling back as blood began to seep through her uniform.

Still, she fought on, her strength waning. Another orc swung its hammer at her, and she barely managed to block it, the impact sending her reeling. The orcs laughed, their cruel eyes gleaming as they closed in for the kill.

Just as the girl seemed about to be overwhelmed, a shadow fell over the orcs. They turned, snarling, only to freeze as they saw Cid and Zeta approaching.

Cid's smirk was cold, almost predatory. With a flick of his wrist, the chains began to whirl around him. The girl, bleeding and gasping for breath, looked up in disbelief as Cid and Zeta moved forward, cutting through the orcs with terrifying efficiency. The orcs, once filled with vile confidence, now found themselves being torn apart by the two new arrivals.

Cid's chains lashed out, the blades slicing through the orcs' thick hides as if they were paper. Each swing was followed by the sickening sound of flesh being torn apart, and within moments, the ground was littered with the bodies of the fallen orcs.

Zeta moved with grace and speed, her sais flashing in the dim light as she cut down orc after orc. Her strikes were precise, each one delivering a fatal blow. The orcs didn't stand a chance.

In a matter of moments, the battlefield fell silent. The girl, barely able to stand, looked around in shock at the carnage. The orcs that had nearly killed her and her friends were now nothing more than lifeless bodies scattered across the ground.

"Well, that's what I call a warm-up. Don't you agree, Zelda?" Cid said, his voice teasing as he stretched.

Zeta scoffed playfully. "They were too weak to be much of a challenge… Minoru…" she said, cringing slightly.

The girl's eyes widened at the name as she studied Cid's face more closely. "Could he be...?" she wondered. "I see the resemblance, but surely not... after all, he's dead."

"Are you alright?" Minoru asked, his smile charming as he looked at the injured Akane, who Cid had once known in a past life.

Akane struggled to stand, using her sword for support. "I'm just a bit injured…" she grunted in pain.

Minoru rolled his eyes, then surprised Akane by picking her up in a princess carry. "Ahh!" Akane exclaimed, taken aback.

"Come on. From the look of you, I don't doubt you have a base stationed somewhere close. And from what I saw, you were protecting these people, taking them there, am I wrong?"

Akane blushed at the position but nodded. "No, you're correct…"

Zelda looked at Akane with narrowed eyes, then scoffed before cleaning her sais and sheathing them.

"Then guide us," Minoru said, still smiling charmingly. "I doubt you'll be doing much protecting or walking in your condition."

Embarrassed, Akane pointed in a direction, wincing as she raised her arm. Once she provided Minoru with the general direction, she turned to the others. "Follow us. I'll take you to a secure facility where a large group of survivors is staying."

They nodded and followed closely behind Zelda and Minoru, heading towards the direction Akane had indicated.

Zelda gave Minoru a pointed look but remained silent.

**************************

patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3

Hey pookies just want to say that it's daddy birthday today and he's having an essential crisis since next year he would be considered a fully legal adult