Walking past many vendors, Mina looked at the assortment of items they sold. "Hmm, maybe I should get this for my darling?" She was looking at a beautiful ring with a ruby on top. "If I'm going to be married to him, I'll need to get another one as well." Approaching the vendor, she asks the prices on the rings. "May I know the prices of these?"
"They're two gold each."
Mina's eyebrow twitched, and her scarlet gaze intensified. The mere one silver in her gold pouch that she saved for lunch barely scratched the surface of that price. "These monsters getting in the way of my future marriage with my beloved! Those prices are ridiculous!" Knowing she had only one silver for lunch, she had to think of a Plan B. "I have an idea! This is for love! Anything for love!"
Summoning out Sorrow, she hid it under her tabarro with intentions to strike. She had a buildup of malice before outputting a devastating attack, hoping to snatch the rings and scurry off right after. But before she could swiftly kill the vendor, Harold arrived. "Yo, Mina, any progress on finding Ryan yet?"
She let out a shriek of surprise, not expecting Harold to show up. Seeing her timid squeal, he let out a small chuckle. "Oh, sorry for scaring you! I was just checking up on you." He held Mina by the hand. "Come on, we need to catch up with Kin now. She wanted us all to meet her." Flustered by the handholding of Harold, she submitted immediately, calling off her dark desires in the heat of the moment. "O-Oh, okay..."
Harold took the both of them to Kin, where she stood in a more secluded area. Kin wiped her precious bird mask with the back of her hand. "We've been searching for hours, yet, no progress."
Mina sighed; her only desires were to spend more time with Harold by herself. "Hmph, it's not like that troublesome boy mattered."
"Don't say that about your fellow classmates!" Kin says, waving her fist at Mina.
While they bickered, Harold observed his surroundings carefully. Moments before, he felt an eerie presence watching him, as if it gave him complete malice under its gaze. "Who was that?"
The underground colosseum roared with excitement. The announcer's voice echoed in the enclosed city, and cheers of the masses crept into their very bodies. "What's going on in there?" Kin asked, pointing at the colosseum.
"That's my favorite underground monster fight ring. I usually come here just to watch the battles." Harold replied, reminiscing on the fun times he had betting on who would win. Mina pounced on Harold's arm, a hyper grip clutching onto him. "Then let's check it out; I'd be ecstatic to view such a thrilling show!" She says, her crimson eyes shimmering.
"What do you say, Kin? Maybe Ryan has also been going there as well!" He turned his head over to Kin, but something was off to him. Kin's body language was defensive, and she had her hand over her sheath. Adding on top of that, the area was completely silent. Looking around, it was like the city was abandoned in mere seconds. Cars were empty, railcars stopped mid-drive, and the casual echo of announcers in the colosseum was gone.
Clang!
Sorrow vibrated in Mina's grasp, seemingly to have blocked a thrown dagger moments prior. "We're being ambushed!" Kin screamed. Men in dark uniforms with face coverings came from the shadows. They rushed in unison toward the group, attempting to take them out. Harold quickly summoned his Artifact and used divine light to clear an entire mob in front of him. Then, feeling malicious intent behind him, he whipped his arm back with his trusty frying pan gripped in his hand. Smashing it against his attacker, he could hear his neck audibly crack before he fell.
Kin took out smoke bombs from her pocket and slammed them on the ground, creating a mass effect of smoke in the vicinity. Then, snatching up Mina and Harold with rope, she used incredible parkour skills to hop out of there. Hopping into the window of a faraway building, she lets them go. "Right now, it seems that we've been trapped in a Mimicry World." Kin says, watching out the window.
"What's a Mimicry World?" Mina asks.
"Mimicry Worlds are made with unique inscriptions used by ninjas like me. It places its targets into an alternate world by forming a veil of Rysen to manipulate the space around them. This space traps them and secludes them in this world, so it allows for easier assassinations."
"How do we escape this world then?" Harold asks, thinking critically about how to escape this situation.
"We'd have to do either of two things. Destroy the inscription, or wait until the inscription runs out of Rysen."
"Which you'll never do!"
A familiar voice breached the room. Sitting on the window's ledge was Jet, twirling a pistol in his hand. He got off from the window and stood before them. "You're trapped from here on out, Harold."
Harold got up in a defensive stance. "What do you want from me?" he asks. A sinister laugh left Jet's mouth at the question as if his words were nonsense. "I want EVERYTHING from you! The stuff that I rightfully deserve!"
In the midst of their conversation, Kin threw a kunai at Jet, which caught him by surprise. It was fast and inched toward him bit by bit. But something even greater had deflected it at the last moment. It was a figure in tattered black armor that had fractures of green neon. What covered its face was a helmet that glared at them with a green light. The movement of its arms was sharp, filled with deadly precision in every movement. Harold called out his Artifact right away. This mysterious person emerged out of the blue, and he was not going to take any chances. "How did-"
"Astonished, right? This is the product of our amazing tests with the Jinshi group." Jet says, boasting proudly as he pats the armored figure on the back.
Kin was taken aback by the name. "The Jinshi group? You mean the ones who rule over the Lurian District?!"
"Yes, indeed. I've partnered with them to get an amazing weapon like this bad boy! The perfect vessel for the one to take in this special Artifact, one where it only soulbinds with the one it chooses. It's the ultimate weapon that I always wanted!"
Mina called out Sorrow and Ruin, aiming Sorrow at the mysterious figure. "And? Why should this so-called 'special weapon' of yours matter to us in particular? We'll just cut it down alongside you."
Jet smirked. "That's because you know him very well! I doubt you'd want to kill him!" Kin gasped at the realization of his words. "Wait, don't tell me, is that Ryan?!" Jet cheered, laughing maniacally. "Bingo!"
Harold swooped in with a furious lunge, causing a shockwave to pulse throughout the entire vicinity. His attack was directed toward Jet, but Ryan's swift precision blocked the attack immediately. Glaring directly at Jet, he spoke in a furious tone. "Now you've taken it too far."
Jet licked his lips, enjoying the view of Harold's frustration. "Good... I like what I'm seeing!" Pointing his pistol at Harold, he prepared to fire. But Harold's quick thinking saves him as he charges up a huge gathering of Divine Light. Releasing it all at once, he blasts it toward Jet and Ryan.
Flying back, they crash into a multitude of buildings. Ryan clutched Jet tightly, taking in all the damage instead of Jet. In the aftermath of the blast, Harold leapt down the building and walked toward the two. As many assassins came from the shadows, they gathered around Harold with their weapons drawn. "Tsk, get out of my way!"
Kin slashes through them all in an instant. Her katana flourished with a string of light as she sliced past them all. "Harold, I'll deal with these Jinshi guys; you figure out how to bring Ryan back to normal and beat up that loser!" she says, pointing at Jet. Harold nodded at Kin's plan. "Right, I'll beat this guy and save Ryan!"
He ran ahead into the debris-ridden area. The aftermath of his attack was immense, almost as if his rage amplified the output. Standing tall in the far distance were Ryan and Jet. As expected, Ryan's Artifact was able to protect them both, even from an attack like that. "I'll have to play it safe. So far, his Artifact has shown to give him super speed and durability." As the moments before battle heated up, Ryan wasted no time in going on the offensive. He charged at Harold, every step making a loud thud against the dirt floor. Harold swung his Artifact at Ryan, who retaliated with an attack of his own. Punching against his blade, they made a powerful shockwave that made a huge gust of wind. "It seems it gives him super strength as well!"
Ryan began sidestepping around Harold, throwing a multitude of jabs at Harold. The jabs were like bullets, fast and powerful, leaving no room for an opening. The whiffing sound combined with the immense air pressure of each strike made Harold break a sweat. Only able to deflect the multitude of jabs with his blade, Harold decided the best course of action was to take a big leap backwards. But to Harold's surprise, he underestimated the intensity of Ryan's capabilities. With his backwards leap, Ryan followed suit, dashing up to him as soon as Harold made distance.
Harold gave an anxious grin. "Faster than I expected!" Ryan threw a right cross toward Harold with the momentum he built from his dash. Seeing the devastating blow near him, he came up with a counter in the mere seconds he had left before impact. He planted his feet on the floor firmly, killing his momentum. He then went in for a thrust into Ryan's stomach with his blade, infusing Divine Light into his Artifact as he did. His blade impacted Ryan's stomach, while Ryan's cross merely grazed Harold's hair. The exchange blew away the large dust cloud they fought in, bringing clearance to the area.
Ryan stumbled back, holding onto his waist. His Artifact armor had cracked, causing some of it to crumble in the palm of his hand. "Ryan, are you okay? This is clearly not like you."
A response came, but not from Ryan. "You're right, it's not him." Jet spoke from behind Harold. He didn't hear, nor notice Jet's presence amidst the battle, so the sudden words bewildered him. Before he could react, Harold felt a powerful blow to his side, pushing him away. Looking to where the blow came, he sees Jet lowering his leg that lingered traces of Rysen. "Did you know, his Artifact is quite special? One that is so powerful, not even the user can resist its control."
Harold pointed his Artifact at Jet. "Did you force him to take such a dangerous Artifact?!"
"Nope, he willingly took it."
"What?"
"He came down here looking for a way to get stronger, so I gladly handed it to him. I mean, I didn't lie. I just never told him the drawbacks of his Artifact."
Harold had a powerful intuition screaming at him. Jerking around, it was Ryan who snuck behind him and attempted to grab him. His mighty grip hurled toward his neck, a blow that would definitely be fatal to him. At the same time, Jet darted across with fists roaring with Rysen. "Die!" Jet swung his fist at Harold, the Rysen in his fist coursing throughout the air in a dense blaze.
The situation seemed unavoidable to many as he was getting attacked on both sides. But Harold's quick thinking created a ray of possibility in this tense moment. He weaved his body with a ferocious motion, avoiding both attacks at once. With the avoidance, Jet and Ryan exchanged blows instead of hurting Harold.
Whoosh!
Ryan whiffed his grab that held a terrifying amount of force behind it. Who knows what would've happened if Harold were to get caught in it. Jet continued his punch, smashing it into Ryan's face. "This useless tool!" Anger seeped into his blow, riling up by the second as he acknowledged he missed the mark entirely. Then, punching with all his might, he sends Ryan flying back into a building made of hardened steel. Fragments of his Artifact armor scattered in the air, and what could only be seen as Ryan's legs protruded from the debris of the destroyed building. Feeling his rage water down, Jet took a deep breath before coming to understanding of his destruction. "I guess I'll need to find another host for FortifiedMight. I doubt that guy would've been able to go far with that Artifact anyway."
"R-Ryan!" Harold rushed to the debris that covered Ryan. He quickly began digging through the debris. Finally getting to Ryan, he sees that his face covering was smashed wide open. Seeing the state of his bloodied and broken face, Harold decided to use his last healing potion on him. "It won't make your face any prettier, but it'll at least stop the bleeding..." he dumped the potion on his face, the potion trickling down his neck in a wave of desperation. "Come on, you moron, I can't have you dying!"
Jet reloaded his pistol. The empty magazine dropped to the ground, and a small clicking sound was heard as he inserted a new one in. "Oh? You managed to save him even after the pathetic display he showed?"
Harold turned to face Jet, standing tall right across from him. "Why are you doing all of this?"
"What do you mean? I don't see myself doing anything wrong." Jet says, wiping his gun with a cloth.
The nonchalant attitude ticked Harold. He usually tries his best to keep his cool in battle, but Jet was really getting on his nerves in the heat of the moment. "Trying to kill us, hurting and making Ryan suffer—if you have a problem with me, don't involve my friends!"
"You're right about one thing. I do have a problem with you. One that can only be fixed with your blood." He aimed his gun at Harold, taking a deep breath to focus.
Harold got into stance with his Artifact. "I still don't know who you are."