Chapter 3: Old Cruel World

Yamza and Rosetta have been fighting for some time, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Their fight, which started in the arena, has spread as far as the centre of the city causing widespread panic. Necron and I use this to our advantage, breaking out of the arena but the soldiers quickly catch on and give chase.

Necron: Get to safety. I'll handle them.

He turns, cutting down the closest soldier causing the others to halt and reevaluate the situation. His brother and I also stop, not wanting to leave him behind.

Necron: Shaun! Protect her for me!

Shaun: But brother!

Necron: Go! I'll catch up to you soon!

Necron turns and gives his brother a thumbs up before charging at the soldiers who seemingly still hadn't recovered from seeing one of their own getting cut down. Shaun curses but complies with his brother's request and soon we are running through back alleys once more. Up above, purple and blue lights continue to flash as Rosetta's battle continues but I have no idea where the flashes are coming from.

Shaun: We need to get out of the city! This way!

Shaun makes a sharp right turn which catches me off guard. I miss the turn completely and suddenly find myself facing a dead end. Behind me, the sound of metallic boots clattering against the paved alleyway grows louder and louder. Turning, I see three of the soldiers stop in front of a young lady as the rest continue down the path Shaun took, somehow not seeing me. Looking down, I notice that in the shadows, my mostly black outfit is practically invisible.

Soldier1: Well well...look what we have here.

Soldier2: Hehe, the boss will want this one alive but I say we have a little fun first.

Soldier1: Yeah. That's right.

Looking back up shows the men drawing closer and closer to the young lady. She's backed against the wall now, completely boxed in. She's definitely afraid of what might happen next. My anger riles. I have always hated people like this. Even before dying and being reincarnated here I always protected women I saw being treated poorly. Stepping out of the shadows, I decide to intervene.

Me: HEY!

They all look at me, clearly annoyed that someone's interrupting their plans but when they see me, their eyes fill with glee. The looks they cast my way is nothing short of sickening. It makes my blood boil.

Soldiers1: Well now. Don't tell me you want to join in.

Soldiers3: This one is mine!

Soldiers2: Ha! No way. This cutie is all mine!

As they continue debating who will go first Shaun appears between us. When he sees what's happening he shouts to get their attention. They see him and take a few steps away from the woman who tries to flee. She doesn't get far, however, before a fourth steps outs of the shadows and grabs a hold of her arms. This one I recognize. I believe Necron called him-

Shaun: Markus! You're the one behind the assaults?

Markus looks at Shaun with disgust before pushing the woman back to the three men and stepping forward. Looking around, I can tell this isn't a good place to fight but I also can't leave that woman behind. Still, Shaun doesn't look like he is in any shape to fight. He's covered in blood and has a wound to his side. He must have fought through the soldiers that ran past the woman and down the path he took to get back to me.

Markus: You are no match for me boy! I-

Shaun: I will not let you harm this lady! She spared my brother's life and saved mine!

Markus: So you're suddenly a hero now? You, the coward who abandoned his own father to the wolves? You, the pathetic half-brother of the great warrior Necron? HA HA HA!

Shaun stumbles backwards. He's still holding his sword but his hands are now trembling. I don't know what Markus is talking about but it's clearly having a strong effect on him. What's more, the men have seemingly decided who should go first and have thrown the woman down. I have to act now if I want to save them both.

Me: That's enough!

Everyone stops and looks at me. For a split second, the woman's eyes and mine lock and she mouthes, please. That's all I need but before I can act, a white light separates us from them. When it clears, Necron's standing there, blade in hand.

Necron: Well done Shaun. You've become a man! Now, let-

Necron pauses as he spots the woman on the ground behind Markus. She's still somewhat clothed but the three men around her are a dead giveaway as to what was about to happen. His fingers clench around his sword's grip.

Necron: So it's true then.

Markus: Now, now. Don't act so surprised. You have long known this city to be vile.

Necron: Here I thought you were my trusted friend yet you were doing these sorts of things behind my back.

Markus: I am merely upholding the law of the land. It is our lord's wish that all his possessions be broken by whatever means necessary.

Necron: She's not one. You more than know that she doesn't have the branding.

Markus: Oh? My bad then. I didn't know we'd have other tourists in these parts besides your new master and her pet. Still, who am I to pass up such a fine specimen? If she's not one of Lord Clayman's sla-

Necron: I will not allow even one of you to lay another hand on her.

The woman in question is still on the ground. The soldiers had stopped and drawn their weapons when Necron appeared but she hasn't run off or anything. I'm not even sure if she's still alive. She seems so dead inside, so traumatized. It makes my blood boil once more. To think there's an entire nation where people are treated like this. The thought angers me right down to my very core and then it hits me. The people in the arena, the citizens. They are all like this. They came there not to see a fight but to see an execution. They enjoy cruel acts like this. The realisation hits me like a truck and for a moment I am suffocated by all the rage that comes soaring into me.

As I fall to my knees, my memory flashes back to my time before coming to this world. I see my younger sister being cornered just like this by some boys at our high school when we were younger. I remember the anger that filled me and I remember letting it all out.

NO!

A loud bang causes me to return to reality. Opening my eyes, I find that I am on my knees with my hands on the ground. There's a rune circle drawn around them, around me, with black smoke rising from its lines. As I continue staring at it in disbelief, more form around it. The minute they finish, a bright light obscures my vision. When it finally clears, the circles and runes are gone and everyone's staring at me.

Markus: What did you just do, witch!

As if to answer him, the ground rumbles and a loud boom echoes above the city. Looking up, the same circles have appeared over the city. They expand until their edges disappear behind the roofs of the buildings enclosing us in this alleyway. For a moment there's silence. It sounds as if even the fight between Rosetta and Yanza has stopped. Markus uses the distraction to attack Necron and manages to run his weapon right through his stomach but as he does there's a low rumbling sound once more, this time seemingly coming from everywhere and before we know it, a barrier visibly appears above the city, seemingly cutting it off from the rest of the world.

This must be the skill Rosetta told me about when she was explaining things to me. I think she called it Seven Seals but why is it now active? My train of thoughts are interrupted as Necron falls to the ground, bleeding out. Markus smiles as he pulls out his sword but all my eyes seemingly register is the blood.

Markus: You should have killed me when you had the chance. Now you'll watch as I kill you brother and take your saviour right before your very eyes. HA HA HA!

Markus steps forward and it's as though that one step reignited all the anger I had felt moments prior and I suddenly know what I have to do. Raising my right hand, I point towards him. All the memories of all that happened prior come rushing back in like a tidal wave and for a moment, I falter. However, when he takes another step forward and raises his sword to cut Shaun down, all the doubt leaves my mind.

Me: I will not allow you or anyone to hurt them or anyone else anymore.

A bloodred rune circle forms around my hand. The same appears over Markus' head and the soldiers still standing behind him as well. In my mind, the memory of all those who had gathered to watch Rosetta and I get killed also runs fresh and in an instant, my path is clear. They must die!

The red runes shine brighter as my anger grows. The soldiers behind Markus scream as they fall to the ground writhing in pain. Markus stands there frozen, terror filling his eyes. A similar look of terror washes onto the woman's face who cowers against the nearby wall in fear.

Markus: No! It can't be!

One by one, the heads of the men behind him burst open sending blood flying in every direction. The minute the last one dies, I shift my attention back to Markus who has shifted to begging for his life but another glance at Shaun now sprawled out beside his dying brother, completely unconscious, removes any mercy my heart may have had left.

The red rune still floating above Markus' head dissipates and he falls to his knees. He foolishly thinks I am going to spare him. Instead, I decide to test another skill of mine. My hand is temporarily engulfed in flame as a ball of black fire forms in it. Once it's ready, I toss it at him and watch it set him ablaze. His screams fill the air, sating my bloodlust.

The flames leave nothing behind, not even his skeleton. I'm shocked by its effectiveness but also pleased that I have managed to use my skills without much difficulty. Still, looking up reveals that the barrier is still up. Sighing, I walk towards the lady who, after realising my eyes are now on her, begins pleading for mercy and chanting all sorts of prayers.

Me: I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now.

Even with my words spoken, she doesn't calm down until I offer her a hand and a smile. She takes it and I help her to stand. Looking her over, I'm suddenly aware of her current state. Her clothing is torn in various places and her skin's all dirty from the mud. Still, even through the mess, I can tell she's not your average citizen. Necron did say something about her not being one of Clayman's playthings.

When she realises that I'm staring at her, she blushes and covers herself, however, in doing so she brings her lack of coverage in certain areas to my attention. Averting my gaze, I untie my cloak and place it around her shoulders. She's surprised by this and protests that it's far too clean for her to dirty it but ultimately I still manage to complete my task.

Me: What's your name?

????: Amelia...

Me: Well Amelia, it's nice to officially meet you. I'm Mas-... no Myra.

She smiles and pulls the cloak tighter, clearly enjoying how comforting it feels. Smiling, I turn back to Necron and his brother, both now certainly dead. I'm still not certain which one of my skills allowed me to return Shaun earlier in the arena but I suspect it's Genesis. With that in mind, I try focusing on bring them both back at the same time. If nothing else, this will help me practice without needing to worry about killing anyone. After all, they're already dead.

It takes some trying but eventually, I get it right and the blood returns to their body before they both open their eyes. Necron instinctively reaches for his side but the wound has already sealed and now all that remains is a faint green glow as the damage on the inside is repaired. Amelia gasps from behind me, pulling Necron's attention to her. Seeing him looking directly at her frightens her however and she ducks behind me as a result.

Me: It's ok Amelia. They are with me.

Still wary, she peeks out as they both stand. Necron offers her a smile and it seems to do the trick, at least enough to get her to step out from behind me but she still takes shelter in the cloak as though it can protect her if they attack. Necron notices and decides not to press her any further instead turning his attention back to me.

Necron: You have saved us again. Thank you.

Me: Let's not make a habit out of it though. You really should be more careful.

Necron: Haha. I'll keep it in mind though looking around at the dead bodies and that burn mark, I'd say you didn't need protecting after all. My apologies for thinking otherwise.

Me: No matter. I-

BOOOOOM

That's right, Rosetta's still fighting Yamza. Taking Amelia's hand, I run towards the open street. To my surprise, she doesn't resist, instead freely coming with me. I'm not even sure why I grabbed her hand myself. After all, we are heading towards danger but she doesn't seem bothered by this. In fact, she seems to only be looking at me. Necron and Shaun chase after us after they've healed up some more thus allowing us all to reach the main street at the same time.

Another explosion to our right pulls our attention towards the city centre where we see Yamza leap backwards out of a cloud of dust. The dust parts revealing Rosetta leaping towards him. From where we stand it seems black smoke spirals up into the air from the ground from whence she lept forth.

Rose: You're finished!

Yamza blocks with his bade but it's no use. Rosetta's blade, now glowing cuts through his like a knife through butter and doesn't stop until it passes clean through his body and hit's the ground.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Necron rushes in front of us and erects a magical barrier in the form of a dome around us. Even with the barrier in place, though, Amelia buries her face as deep as possible into my chest seemingly trying to hide from the purple light now rushing towards us at a terrifying pace. It catches me off guard, especially since it arouses a feeling I've never felt before having never had breasts to worry about but I wrap my hands around her and whisper in her ear that we'll be fine.

Right before the wave hits, however, I lose all faith in Necron's barrier. There's no way a wave of destruction that destroys buildings in its path will be stopped by a meagre barrier thus I will with all my strength to fly and before I know it, we're all off the ground though my only intention was to save myself and by extension, Amelia who grips on even tighter when she realizes we're no longer on the ground.

Necron: What's happening? How-

The spot we were standing in gets engulfed by the expanding purple light which continues spreading closer and closer to us despite us now floating in the air. Why did Rosetta go to these lengths? Was the fight really so difficult that she'd resort to destroying the whole city just to defeat her opponent? I mean, it sounds silly now that I think about it since I was willing to kill everyone for far less but still!

Me: We need to go higher!

The minute the words leave my mouth, we blast off flying at incredible speeds until we reach my barrier. As I draw closer, an opening forms allowing us to pass through and not a moment too soon. The minute it closes, there's silence, followed by a massive explosion which causes the barrier to shudder but it doesn't break. Instead, for a brief moment, it glows bright blue before a wave of exhaustion hits me.

I barely manage to bring us down to the ground safely before my body seemingly loses the will to stay upright on its own. The minute my feet touch the ground, I find myself leaning partially on Amelia just to stay standing. The barrier flickers before dispelling completely. As it does, the smoke and dust also clear giving us a direct line of sight to Rosetta who's looking at the damage done. When she sees me, however, she rushes towards us.

Rose: Are you well, mistress?

Me: That's some sword you have.

Rose: Yes, well...I may have gone a bit overboard but when I saw the barrier go up I thought the worst and just had to make my way to you as quickly as possible but he wouldn't relent.

Me: It's no matter. We can just...

My eyes flutter shut and before I know it I'm falling but I never hit the ground. Instead, I fall into the arms of someone. Even half-asleep, I'm fully aware of the soft cushiony surface I've fallen on but even so, my weariness overcomes me and I lose consciousness.