Mina didn't answer. She leapt from the moving carriage, and jumped towards the igniods. Her scythe sliced cleanly through the neck of one Igniod, the creature's body collapsing into the dirt. The others didn't even glance at their fallen comrade, they kept pursuing.
"Igniods," Mina muttered as she landed. "Six legs. Thick flesh. Mouths where their faces should be. Always hungry… and always stupid. Ugh I hate seeing their ugly faces."
She darted forward, her body moving in a flash. Within seconds, she caught up to the pack and struck, clean, swift slashes that turned monsters into chopped meat. When the last fell, she twirled her scythe making the blood come of it and kt glowed before melting into liquid and sinking back into her skin.
With a small hop, Mina landed gracefully atop the carriage roof. She twisted midair and dropped through the window back into her seat, startling the boy inside.
"A-are you… an immortal or something?" he stammered.
"You flatter me," Mina replied with a soft smile. "But I'm nothing of the sort."
The sunlight streaming through the window revealed a long scar cutting across her beautiful face. Beneath her robe, the faint glint of armor peeked through.
"I've taken care of the monsters. Let's head to Lulu," Mina said.
"Yes, ma'am!" the driver called back.
"If you can run that fast," the boy asked timidly, "why even bother with a carriage?"
Mina chuckled. "It's part of the experience of life."
By the time Mina reached Lulu City, night had fallen. Lanterns lit the streets in soft golden hues. She waved the driver goodbye and walked off into the shadows of an alley.
Then, in a flash, her body vanished.
She reappeared in a dimly lit room. At the center sat a fair-skinned blonde man, dressed in luxurious robes. A single card lay before him, a joker, painted entirely in black.
Everyone in the room stiffened the instant Mina appeared.
"P-please… are you the Black Joker?" the man asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I am," Mina answered coldly, stepping closer. "So… who do you want me to kill?"
The man scoffed, though unease still lingered in his eyes. "To think the infamous Joker is a woman."
"Do not underestimate my work," Mina warned, her dull purple eyes narrowing. "Mock me again, and I'll take your head."
The man flinched. 'Damn it… she's the real deal,' he thought, feeling her killing intent press down on him like a weight.
"Forgive me," he said quickly, lowering his head.
"Because of that," Mina said evenly, "it'll cost you an extra five hundred thousand gold coins."
"Understood," he replied without hesitation.
"Now," she said, folding her arms, "who's my target?"
"He's the current clan elder of the Scarlet Lily Sect. In a few days, he'll be in Mariaho City, where an inheritance ground is set to appear. His name is Bei Sing. I want him dead. No matter what."
"Why do you want him dead?" Mina asked.
"That's not something the hired should ask the client," he said sharply, glaring at her.
"Then I'll refuse the job," Mina said coldly, her eyes narrowing. "And I doubt you'll find another assassin willing to take it."
The man's composure broke. His hands trembled. "He killed my sister," he finally admitted, voice cracking. "I want him dead! They rule her death as suicide but it's bullshit. When I saw her body she had wound marks on her. Bruises she was clearly abused before her death. And all my leads have led me to him. Apparently I managed to find one victim whom was alive. That elder his name is Bei Sing. He apparently sexually assaulted female cultivators joining his sect and tortured then with other sect males. If I knew of this I would have never let my sister join that damn sect. He must pay!"
Tears streamed down his face.
Mina's expression softened slightly. "I'll kill him. Don't worry." She vanished before the man could reply.
"Are you alright, young master?" a servant asked.
"Yes," he murmured, staring out the window at the moonlit sky. "I just hope she succeeds."
____
"If I want to kill him, I'll have to strike before his people reach the inheritance ground," Mina thought as she flew beneath a massive airship, her massive black bat-like wings gliding silently through the night.
"Now then, how should I approach them, Kagura?" she asked, glancing at the metal knuckle bracers on her hands, the same material as her scythe.
"Probably being flashy is the way to go," she muttered, smirking.
Mina shot upward, crashing onto the ship's deck with a loud boom, cracking the wooden surface beneath her boots.
"INTRUDER!!" someone shouted.
"Oh my, not even treating me as a guest?" Mina teased, brushing dust off her cloak.
"No guest does that!" a youth yelled, drawing his sword.
"Guess you're right," Mina said with a smirk. "Give me Bei Sing, and I might let you live."
"Is she stupid?" one of them laughed mockingly, until a black tentacle shot from Mina's back, crushing him instantly. His body hit the deck with a sickening cracking sound.