The bar was a scene of utter chaos, engulfed in flames and destruction. Bottles were ablaze, spilling fiery streams across the floor, while the ceiling creaked ominously, threatening to cave in. Amidst the turmoil, Mischa Chikae stood confidently, completely unscathed.
The golden glow from her umbrella mingled with the flickering embers around her. A gentle, pleased smile played on her lips.
"Well," she remarked, casually brushing a bit of dust from her maid apron, "that was… quite the show."
Her hazel eyes swept over the devastation, glancing past the broken tables until they settled on Taura, who was bruised and kneeling, gripping her glowing blade tightly.
"You were entertaining," Mischa continued, her voice as serene as if they had just enjoyed a cup of tea together. "But the fun's over. I have something to collect."
Taura's eyes widened in realization. "The cases…"
Mischa tilted her head slightly, a glimmer of amusement dancing in her gaze. "Clever girl."
Before Taura could respond, Mischa's figure shimmered, the air around her warping like a heat haze, and in an instant, she vanished. There was no sound, no trace left behind only the faint scent of gunpowder and roses lingered in the air.
"W–What the hell…?" Taura stammered, scrambling to her feet. She lowered her knife, allowing the fiery energy to dissipate. The massive lion-faced blade shrank back into a simple, curved form.
"Damn it," she cursed, sliding the knife back into her belt. "If she gets those cases, Shuren's gonna lose it."
Without wasting another moment, she dashed through the wreckage, weaving around falling debris and flaming furniture, her boots thudding against the cracked tiles.
Assad was already sprinting at full speed. The two female guards dashed ahead of him, their stolen briefcases shimmering under the flickering neon lights of the narrow street.
"Hey! Stop!" he shouted, his lungs on fire. "Those aren't yours!"
The guards didn't even glance back. One of them let out a short, mocking laugh, breathless and taunting. "Maybe not, but they sure aren't yours either!"
Assad clenched his jaw. "Oh, I'm really gonna regret this…"
He pushed himself harder, leaping over a dumpster and nearly losing his footing on the slick pavement. Sparks erupted from a broken sign overhead, illuminating the alley in flashes of electric blue.
"Give me those f*cking cases before I—"
A gunshot interrupted him. A bullet zipped past his face, so close it grazed his cheek.
The one with the scarred arm turned around, her pistol still smoking. "Back off, pretty boy. You're not cut out for this."
"I'm through with this," he replied through gritted teeth.
Assad quickened his pace, each step sharper and echoing against the slick concrete. Gunfire erupted behind him, bullets whizzing past his shoulder and arm, but he didn't even flinch. He danced through the shots like a shadow.
"Tch, why isn't he going down?!" one of the female guards cursed, firing again, her voice shaking with frustration.
The other guard sneered, still pulling the trigger. "We should keep m-moving."
Assad's gaze caught a rusted metal pipe lying on the ground. In one fluid motion, he snatched it up mid-stride. The instant his fingers closed around it, the air thickened, heavy with a humming energy.
Red and black energy began to swirl around the pipe, veins of power snaking along its length. His silver eyes ignited with a golden glow, piercing through the darkness.
He twisted his body, harnessing the momentum of his sprint, and launched the pipe like a spear.
The sound that followed was anything but ordinary it screeched through the air, slicing the wind like a bolt of lightning.
When it hit the ground between the two women, the earth erupted. A shockwave of red flame burst forth, curling upward and solidifying into a prison of black fire, its spikes embedding into the concrete and trapping the guards inside.
"W–Wait, what is this?!" one of the guards screamed, dropping her gun and clutching her briefcase tightly. The heat was unbearable each breath felt like fire.
"Shit… no way he's a K1LAA too?!" the other guard hissed, gritting her teeth as the inferno closed in.
Assad halted just a few meters away, his golden eyes dimming a bit as the flames roared behind him. He let out a breath, the air around him still buzzing with leftover energy. As he got closer to the blazing cage, Assad slowed down. The black fire twisted in a strange way, pulling inward faster than it should have.
The air crackled, alive with a hungry energy.
"…No. It's closing too quickly."
He muttered a curse under his breath and sprinted forward, shielding his face from the intense heat. Inside, the two female guards screamed, clutching their briefcases like they were lifelines.
For a fleeting moment, Assad hesitated. His instincts screamed at him not to go in. It was fire his own fire burning hotter than anything a human should ever endure.
Then… a voice slithered into his mind. Deep. Cold. Mocking.
"That hesitation… that weakness. That's not how you were made."
His breath hitched. What was that? The voice felt ancient, familiar, like something buried deep within his blood. But there was no time to ponder it.
Assad clenched his teeth. "To hell with it." He stepped straight into the flames.
The world roared around him, yet he felt nothing. No pain. No burns. Just heat that caressed his skin as if it recognized him.
He exhaled sharply, eyes wide. "...It doesn't hurt."
Then he moved, hands outstretched, trying to push the flames apart. Sparks erupted from his palms, but the prison wouldn't budge it was like trying to hold back a storm.
"Damn it! It's not stopping!" he shouted, forcing his body against the pressure. "You two you have to get out! Even if you get burned, you'll survive!"
The terrified guard fell to her knees, shaking so violently that the briefcase slipped from her grip. "I—I can't! I can't move!"
The other guard clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with defiance. "Like hell we're running! You just want the briefcases, don't you?!" Her voice cracked from the heat and fury. "Without these, we can't save our families!"
Assad froze. For a moment, her words cut through the chaos. The prison's walls shuddered, the spikes trembling.