Enemy of My Enemy

"What's there to discuss?!" Ayukawa and Rosseaulyn asked simultaneously.

"I'm barely catching my breath... So, do both of you agree to make a deal with me?" the assassin inquired, his words struggling to escape Ayukawa's grip.

Ayukawa and Rosseaulyn exchanged glances, hesitating momentarily before Ayukawa released her hands from around the assassin's throat. However, they remained silent, their faces revealing their deep mistrust of the assassin.

"I was at death's door... Well, if I may ask one thing – was the girl with long black hair and white dresses the one who got killed?" the assassin inquired.

Rosseaulyn and Ayukawa didn't respond, their expressions filled with anger and rage. The assassin, perceptive to their unspoken answer, continued.

"Ah, I see... She was a good girl, I can tell. I deeply regret her death. How about this? I'll capture Dialla alive and hand him over to both of you! You can use your dagger, your M79 Sawed Off, or any other method you prefer! You know? To make him pay his debts..."

"Do you honestly believe we can capture him alive just because the two of us join the battle?" Rosseaulyn retorted.

"Yeah! You two are monsters! Just like me! Hahahahaha!"

"Sorry for interrupting again!" Angelina interjected.

"What's wrong now, Princess?" the assassin responded impatiently.

"I'm not talking to you, skinny man! Lieutenant, did you really see the corpse of your beloved comrade?" Angelina inquired.

"No... But the entire building was obliterated, nothing left..." Rosseaulyn replied.

"Well, I have a friend who experienced something similar. Her dog was inside her house when her village was attacked. She wasn't there that day, and when she returned, her house was burnt to the ground. Surprisingly, her dog survived the blaze, albeit injured."

"I understand what you're trying to say, but the chance of such a miracle is relatively small and nearly impossible!"

"Hey! You should not give up, no matter how small the chances are, okay?! Look! Even at the age of twenty-one, I'm already planning to overthrow my father and become the President of Kothern! Do you know how slim the chance is for me to achieve this?!"

"Rosseaulyn! She's right! Just like me! I have been looking for my long-lost sister for eight years... I won't give up until I really find her! I almost believed Vermilion is dead… No worries, she's strong." Ayukawa added.

"Let me take a deep breath… Phew… My mind was full of rage and retribution. Now a little calmer. I shouldn't give up so easily; she could have escaped already."

"Don't forget she's not an ordinary individual!"

"You are right, Ms. Ayukawa."

"Hey, walking corpse! This is the mess you created in the first place! You better clean this up! I will find that Dialla and squeeze him to death for the sake of Vermilion, not you! Remember that!"

"I got you! So, we are in the same boat! How about you, officer? I believe your evacuation is going well right now. Want to stop Dialla with us?! Hahahahaha!!"

"I will stop him, no matter what! But my reason is the same as Ms. Ayukawa's! It's for the sake of the people in the slum and Ms. Yeleona!"

"Hahahahaha!! Whatever! As long as we can make him pay! Ayukawa! I trust you! You don't look like someone who will break the deal. Here is your dagger! No worries, no scratches, and it is in good condition!"

Ayukawa took back her dagger from the assassin. She examined it closely, scrutinizing every detail from the hilt to the blade. As she held the dagger with her sharp, enraged eyes, an air of fear enveloped those present, as if the god of death himself lurked nearby.

"Hahahahaha!! What a beautiful stance, just like the goddess of death… The moment you hold your dagger, it sends a chill down my spine!" the assassin remarked.

"Final warning, walking corpse! Don't try to push your luck again… No tricks and no lies… Or else, your head is going to fly away!" Ayukawa issued her warning with menace.

"So scary… Hahahahaha!! I have to go and help the rest! I will excuse myself first! I won't run away, no worry!" The assassin said and left the unit afterward.

"What a maniac! He sees himself as a savior figure for the slum, but he's the one who disrupts the peace of the people here!" Ayukawa mocked.

"Ms. Ayukawa… Actually, the military has been planning to take down this place for a long time. It just has some complicated issues and never really took action. It's just a matter of time before the people here will be killed by them someday..." Rosseaulyn explained.

"Them?! You have distanced yourself from the Kothern military already?!"

"Yes! It's just not official yet! After this, I will teach them some lessons!"

"Let's not talk about the future if we can't survive today. Where is their current location right now?!"

"They are heading here, and they will be here anytime soon… Ms. Angelina! No matter what you are doing, you must retreat with us at once!"

"Alright, alright! I will just go and look for my cameraman instead of waiting and dying here."

"How about you, Ms. Ayukawa? Are you going to slash those soldiers now?"

"No… Not now… Also, I won't kill them anymore; I will simply crush them with the back of my dagger! But Dialla will be another story!"

"I hope you could hand him over to me, if you really manage to take him down. I will make him pay for everything!"

"Then you better pray that I won't lose control when I meet him. I do hope you can deal with them without my help! I really don't want to engage with them anymore!"

"I understand your difficulties! I also don't want to drag an outsider into this!"

"Outsider... The sound of the tanks… They are here! We must leave here right now! Let's meet again in the center east later! I will go and look for Vermilion first and will assist in evacuating anyone I see along my way!"

"I got it! Ms. Angelina, please come with me! Let's get to a safer place first!"

"Alright!"

Ayukawa and Rosseaulyn separated their ways, with Ayukawa heading back to the center north of the slum, while Rosseaulyn continued her evacuation efforts in the east. As Rosseaulyn and Angelina were on their way to the east, a man suddenly appeared behind them, chasing after them.

"Heyy!! Princess!!"

"What's wrong with that guy? Is he calling you, Ms. Angelina?" Rosseaulyn asked.

"Oh! It's my cameraman! Finally, he's back! Give me a minute!"

"Phew… I'm not good at running, Princess… Here is the camera! I have taken as many photos as I can! As promised, you must pay for it!" The man said breathlessly.

"Yeah sure! You are risking your life to take all these photos for me! Here's the five hundred dollars, as I promised earlier!"

"Oh my goodness! Two years of my salary... It's my honor to serve you, Princess!"

"Cut the crap! You still have to keep running to the east entrance or else you might die here anytime!"

"What?! East entrance?!"

"I heard the police are evacuating people to the east…"

"I got it! If there is anything you want me to do in the future, you could always come and look for me!"

"Yeah, yeah! Get lost now!"

"See ya!"

"Ms. Angelina, what's inside?"

"Some sweet and sour evidence about the truth of this violent battle!"

"You are truly serious about ruining your father's career, aren't you?!"

"I have told you I am very serious all the time! My mission is done here! Let me lend you a hand and help evacuate people too! Don't keep telling me about how dangerous it is, or I should take care of my own safety and blah blah blah!"

"Understood! Thanks in advance! This way, follow me, please!"

Meanwhile, the assassin regrouped with all his fellow followers in the center east and discussed their final action to stop Dialla. However, the number of his followers was obviously less than a thousand.

"Fellas! What happened to the rest?! I remember we had a thousand men fighting in this war!" The assassin asked in shock.

"Leader! Some of them were not able to make it in time! We were doing fine since the war began until now, but some of them have sacrificed… It's not your fault! Your plan is going perfectly!" said one of the followers.

"How is that possible!? My escape route for each of the teams should have no problem…"

"Erhmm… Leader, when we were escaping just now, we got intercepted by the soldiers a couple of times, but we were lucky to be able to run away from them! They seem to be able to detect where we are…" a follower exclaimed.

"Interesting! I doubt if Kothern's technology has really that advanced in the world… I should have asked the Lieutenant just now…"

"Leader, the current situation seems like victory is not on our side…" Another follower added.

"Hahahahaha!! I have plan B! Nothing to worry about at all! I just persuaded two monsters to join us against those cowards!"

"Really!? Who are they? And where are they?"

"It's a little complicated… But when we need their help, I believe they will show themselves! Their enemy happens to be the coward commander! That's why they agreed to help us! Hahahahaha!!"

"Then, what shall we do right now?"

"Darn it… Everything went smoothly besides my delivery… My 'parcels' still haven't shown up yet!"

"Are those 'parcels' really that important?"

"Yeah! They can help us take them down!"

"I see…"

"Fellas! Get yourselves prepared and ready! This time we won't play any mind games with them! Let's kick their asses out of this slum!! Hahahahaha!!"

"YEAH!!!"

On the other side, Ayukawa was wandering through the alleys as she was heading her way back to the house. On her way, a group of soldiers spotted her and immediately began firing at her. Her swift actions and responses not only caused physical wounds to those soldiers but also psychological trauma. Ayukawa's unusual sharp eyes, fixed on every soldier, sent a terrorizing nightmare that nobody would ever forget.

In just a mere second, all the soldiers were laying down on the ground. Though they were still alive, they had lost their ability to move and even to speak. A man was peeking at this brutal scene from afar while hiding, but he was immediately revealed by Ayukawa as well.

"How long are you going to hide behind the wall?! You thought I didn't see you from this far?! Show yourself! Or I won't let you walk out of this alley alive!"

"I… I just…"

"Get your ass up here!"

"Alright…"

The man revealed himself, and it was Sergeant Whitlock. His whole body was trembling, nerves pulsating with nervous energy, as he had never witnessed anyone display such monstrous combat skills before. He raised both his hands while approaching Ayukawa. As he got closer, he soon recognized her.

"You… I saw you before! I happened to see you having a meeting with Ma'am on that night! I remember there was another girl in there too! A black long hair girl…" Whitlock said.

Ayukawa put her dagger down and stared fiercely at Whitlock. "I don't remember you at all! Are you a commander of Rosseaulyn?!"

"Yes! I am Sergeant who serves under Second Lieutenant Winton! You are…?"

"Her temporary comrade, I guess. But are these guys laying on the ground her men?!"

"No… No! They are Dialla's men! You saved me… You saved me from killing those innocent lives…"

"Innocent lives… So, you are the one who is in charge of killing all the people here!"

"No! I… I… I was so afraid… I don't know what I should do… I don't know how I should go against them!"

"Sighed… Another weakling… At least Lyon was better than you… He would protect the others..." Ayukawa muttered.

"I was so scared…"

"Enough! Just do whatever you want then! Don't block my way! And don't forget! All the sin that you have to bear with you for the rest of your life!"

"How can you… Do you know how painful it is? Deep down in my heart…"

"I said out of my way! Don't appear in my sight again! Weakling!" Ayukawa said angrily and disappeared from Whitlock's sight.