"My dear children, wandering outside at night is not a good habit…"
"And naughty children…"
"…must be punished."
Hearing this, Ji Ran immediately got up from Kiana and pulled out his enhanced metal bat from storage, his guard fully raised.
The man hidden in the shadows stepped into the moonlight—
revealing a twisted smile.
"Oh? I didn't see any weapons on you earlier."
"So what is this… are you '同行' (one of my kind)?"
After observing Ji Ran's stance, the man quickly shook his head.
"No, no… if you were 'one of my kind,' you wouldn't look this amateurish."
"Your stance is full of openings. Even a beginner wouldn't stand like that."
"Ji Ran, you—!"
Kiana suddenly shouted:
"You're bleeding!"
"Just a scratch. Not a big deal… but this guy…"
Ji Ran exhaled deeply, staring at the blades in the man's hands.
"…He's trouble."
"Running into an Imperial Arms user right away… we're really unlucky."
"Ahh… how delightful."
"I didn't expect you to recognize me as an Imperial Arms user immediately."
Zank the Beheader.
One of the hidden "bosses" of the Imperial Capital.
At least—for Ji Ran right now.
He used to be an executioner for the Empire.
But after years of killing, his mind twisted.
Unsatisfied with killing only prisoners—
he began slaughtering people on the streets.
That's why the capital was so quiet at night.
Because of him—
no one dared to go outside.
Realizing this, Ji Ran finally understood the killing intent that had locked onto them earlier.
Zank's previous strike had narrowly grazed Ji Ran's neck.
Even though his clothes were enhanced to D-rank Noble Phantasm level—
they only protected what they covered.
If Zank targeted exposed skin—
he could still deal damage.
And now…
"Let me see…"
Zank grinned at Kiana, who had also taken out her bat.
"Miss, I suggest you don't move."
"Trying to attack me from both sides?"
"That's not something a good child should do—bullying with numbers."
"…!"
Kiana frowned.
She had planned to circle around and attack from the side or back—
But before she even moved—
he had already seen through her plan.
"Be careful. This guy can read minds."
Ji Ran stomped forward and swung his bat.
"So forget tactics—"
"The best strategy is to face him head-on!"
"Oh? You seem to know quite a bit about my Imperial Arm."
Zank dodged effortlessly—
and countered with a slash at Ji Ran's arm.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Zank's blade—
was chipped.
"…I see."
While dodging Ji Ran's attacks, Zank glanced at his damaged weapon.
"No wonder you didn't even think about dodging."
"Your clothes have incredible defense."
"But—"
He smiled wider.
"Doesn't that mean…"
"…as long as I avoid your clothes, I can still kill you?"
"And you, miss—please stay still."
"At first, I wanted to have a nice chat with you…"
"But now…"
He stepped back, widening the distance.
"…this young man seems like a much more interesting conversation partner."
At that moment—
Kiana had already leapt into the air, preparing a downward strike.
Zank activated his Imperial Arm:
[Five Sights Omnipotent: Spectator] — Illusion Sight
This ability allowed him to create illusions in his target's mind.
And his favorite use of it—
was to make his victims see the person most important to them.
(…to be continued)