A sharp whistle pierced the air as a kunai-shaped flying blade shot from the dark passage's end.
Charles instinctively raised his sword to block, but the blade grazed the edge and pierced his shoulder.
"Fuck! It's inflated!"
He yanked out the blade and grabbed the alchemical potion on the ground—condensed from his own blood. Before his wounds could recover, a small pink afterimage darted into his arms at lightning speed.
Ding—
The fist blade and cursed sword collided. This time, Charles didn't miss.
Before him stood a fierce-eyed girl from Palum, her fluffy pink hair unmistakable. She swung her fist blade with grim determination.
"Level 2?!"
The strength boost from Charles' near-death state paled in comparison, but the opponent was Palum — still manageable.
His gaze locked on her familiar face, Charles hesitated.
"You're… [Cunning Rat]!"
"Oh? Famous now? Getting close to her won't do you any good!"
Lyra blocked Charles' sword, seized his moment of surprise, and delivered a harsh kick to his chest.
Boom—
Charles staggered back, then four flying knives shot his way.
Puff—
He shielded his vital points as blood splattered, collapsing to the ground.
"Hey, you okay?"
Lyra squatted beside the [Hyena], checking his injuries.
Blood foamed at Hyena's lips as he stared at Lyra, furious.
Humiliation? Even after death? Ridiculous!
His last breath faded—Hyena stopped breathing.
"Why do you look familiar?" Lyra squinted, unable to make out his face in the dim light.
Meanwhile, Charles struggled up, pulled a throwing knife from his body, and tossed it onto the ground with a clang.
He hadn't expected his chance at life to be ruined by himself.
At first resentful, he soon understood Lyra's actions.
Wearing the Dark Faction's uniform, he was a villain to her.
"You're not dead yet?" Lyra eyed Charles warily.
"I'm not—"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Before he could explain, Lyra reappeared, fist blade spinning into a spiral. Charles raised his sword, panicked.
"Too tender, little boy."
Her fist blade shredded Charles' defenses, raining blows relentlessly.
Blood blossomed around Charles.
Hmm?
After a brief skirmish, Lyra grew suspicious.
"Hey, bastard! Are you unkillable?"
Charles tried to speak, but a swift kick cut him off.
"Hmm—"
Lyra stepped back, then a series of gurgling sounds came from the ground.
"Let's see if you survive this!"
Charles looked down—several round explosives flashed red at his feet.
"Fuck, I have a Fire Stone on me!"
The Fire Stone was a terrifying relic, capable of blowing apart a level 3 monster. It was made from the body tissue of a level 40 lava monster.
"I don't want to be torn apart!"
Though [Crispy College Student] was tough, being blown to pieces might be fatal.
Charles snatched the Fire Stone and hurled it at Lyra, then leapt back.
Boom—
A massive explosion rocked the alley.
Charles rolled out of the smoke. Falling rocks temporarily blinded him.
"Ahem, God's justice!"
Grimacing through pain, Charles staggered back. Facing more Astraea family members now would be suicide.
…
Elsewhere, pyro powder floated in the air.
A beautiful woman in a Far Eastern kimono approached swiftly, katana in hand.
"Hey, are you okay, Lyra?"
"Sorry, Kaguya. I got caught."
Lyra leaned against the rock wall, blood leaking from her mouth, her insides shaken.
Charles' Fire Stone blast had nearly blocked her retreat; she'd been forced into her own Bohmb's blast radius. Using her knowledge, she dodged most damage but was still badly hurt.
"I didn't expect our think tank to suffer a setback. Is the opponent strong?" Kaguya scanned the battlefield.
"It's not strength—it's just strange. Really hard to kill."
Lyra gave a bitter smile. "I got fooled. That guy said he had a Fire Stone and threw it at me."
Kaguya blinked. "Are you stupid? Who would announce a sneak attack?"
Lyra shrugged helplessly. "My fault."
She'd felt something was off but blindly followed him. Now she saw how foolish she'd been.
"No."
Another voice cut in.
A red-haired girl, her body flickering with flames, stroked her chin.
"There really is a Fire Stone here."
As she bent to pick it up—
"Stupid, idiot—Alise! Magic! Your magic, ahhhhhhh!"
From behind, a golden-haired elf girl with a mask swooped in, knocking Alise to the ground.
"What are you doing, Lyon? If you want to get close to me—the city's most beautiful girl—you have to go back to your family."
"You idiot, Alise! That's a Fire Stone! Do you want to get us all killed?"
Ryuu Lyon shook Alise's collar violently.
"Ah? Ahaha!" Alise scratched her head sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot."
Kaguya covered her face. "I'm impressed."
Lyra blinked. "That thing's real?"
But why remind herself? Could the stupid rule Alise joked about—"You have to shout move names in battle"—actually be true?
"Hehe~~"
After dispelling her magic, Alise picked up the Fire Stone and raised her head.
"Let me tell you what happened."
"There were two bodies. With your testimony, Lyra, the suspect must have warned you and tossed the Fire Stone somewhere safe—so it didn't explode. That's why it was a dud."
Lyra stared blankly.
"So why are the Dark Faction people so kind?"
Alise pushed up her glasses. Dramatic music played in her head.
"Humph. There's only one truth."
"The real criminal? The one lying on the ground!"
"Huh? Why?"
Lyra didn't believe her brain could be outsmarted by the stupid leader, but out of respect, she listened.
Kaguya squatted beside the corpse and flipped him over.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Alise is right."
She pointed at Hyena's exposed back.
"This man… is the captain of the Alecto clan, the [Hyena]."
Lyra's face went pale.
"Did… I kill a good guy?"