THOOM— A massive golden blast rolls out like a molten sun. It sweeps up everything nearby, swallowing hundreds of soldiers. The shock kills them outright.

After unleashing her Magic Breaker, Cecilia stands in sunbright armor. High boots climb to her knees. A gleaming gold skirt can’t hide those long jade legs, pale light spilling below.

Her hands, pale as lotus stems, rest inside regal, gleaming gauntlets. Her gold-whip ponytail flicks in the blastwind. Her face stays grave, with no thrill of success.

Several Bloodhand Gang thugs lunge after catching their breath. Cecilia drives a single punch. Tough armor means nothing. Bodies launch ten meters, bowling through dozens before skidding to a stop.

One man’s skeleton shatters completely. He lies limp, twisted into something grotesque. Blood wells from inside, gurgling out, soaking dark into the soil.

“Kill!” The Iron Cavalry Legion doesn’t hesitate. They launch the charge. Iron hooves thunder in from all sides. Lancers bunch up, bodies low, stabbing forward like drawn blades.

Cecilia stays calm. Her body flickers, then her iron fists crash. Each strike hits like a thousand-pound weight. Man and horse alike go airborne, the impact brutal.

In a packed melee, a backward-falling warhorse in full plate is a collapsing mountain. In a blink, bodies and saddles tumble. The dead and dying pile up.

Rage floods Gill. “You damned animals! Where was that swagger when you killed my brother, huh?!” He cuts through a knight’s hoof with one stroke. The horse wails, then crumples. Its rider goes flying and gets hacked apart, while the fall crushes several more soldiers.

With Gill and Cecilia in the fray, the Iron Cavalry Legion flips to defense. They try to run. A tide of Kuso Guild members surges in, encircling them. Nearly three thousand troops and riders become trapped prey.

“Don’t push us too far! Raaah—” The cavalry commander’s pheasant plumes flare. His eyes kindle with alien red light. His voice roughens to a growl. A thick black miasma pours off him.

“Hm?! Same as me— a ‘demonization’ type Magic Breaker?!” Haywood feels the kinship of power, and it’s stronger than his.

He likely held back, afraid his own men would trigger it. Now, ringed on all sides, he’ll fight like a cornered beast.

“Hmph! Fall back! Let’s see if that iron shell can take my wrath!” Gill hurls the Bloodsword toward Jade atop the wall. Jade is locked with the City Guard Captain, then breaks away in a blink to catch that crimson blade.

“Oh... you’re in big trouble, dear Captain.” Jade slides her katana into its sheath and strokes the blood-jade longsword like a lover.

...

The Captain glances to the far wall. Iling’s command outstrips his imagination. She’s awakened some racial gift; around her, every arrow gains ferocity.

The Dusk Legion’s quality is rare in his life. Their overall strength is startling. They weave through battle with effortless dodges, then counter with bow and bolt. Up close, they’re brutally strong.

Hard armor can’t stop their cunning angles. Each strike looks wild, yet it’s ruthlessly precise, aimed at the softest, least defensible parts of a human. Plain in form, cruel in intent, terrifying in effect.

The demon-masked fighter before him moves like a ghost. Her swordwork hunts “points,” either hammering one spot or targeting his weapon. After a grueling clash, his custom greatsword is chewed up, its edges chipped to gravel.

“At this rate, collapse is only a matter of time... I take back what I said. You are, indeed, fearsome foes. Especially Medith— her mind and methods are far nastier than rumor. But... can your main battlefield look this smooth? Are you close to winning there as well?” He throws words like darts, fishing for a crack in Jade.

No luck. Jade’s mask hides her face, and her body stays taut, sealed like a smooth egg. There’s nowhere to bite.

Jade lets out a cold chuckle. He picked the wrong target. If it were Sais and the others, maybe he’d draw a slip. But she—

In this world, nothing matters beyond her goal. Not even her life.

“Worry about yourself. The fight behind you ends soon. You are strong. In the first wave, you should’ve been wiped out— pity... You could’ve had a quick death.” Jade’s last line turns coy. Confusion flickers in the Captain. Jade spins the Bloodsword and flashes past his body.

“Flash: Ghosts Everywhere.” Jade pulls with both hands. The expected bite doesn’t come. The Bloodsword comes away with a chipped corner.

“Ah... so it becomes this kind of fight after all.” Jade meets the Captain’s killing gaze. Her form begins to flicker. She shakes her head and sighs.