The atmosphere plummeted to an icy silence with those words.
Meryl’s face darkened. “You want to trade Akiko’s life for the White Bloodsource?”
“Exactly.” Sean smiled and nodded. “A desperate move, yes—but necessary. You outnumber us.”
“If you willingly surrender the White Bloodsource,” he continued smoothly, “we’ll release Miss Akiko with a sincere apology. A clean win for everyone. What do you say?”
“Cut the crap!” Kael snarled, eyes locked on Sean. “Free Akiko now, or the Liberation Syndicate will hunt you to the ends of the earth!”
“Try me.” Sean’s smile vanished, ice flooding his tone.
Behind him, Mia complied instantly—applying slight pressure. A deep crimson line bloomed on Akiko’s neck.
“Mmph.” Akiko let out a stifled gasp.
“Wait!” Meryl cried urgently. “We can still talk!”
“Then negotiate properly,” Sean said coldly. “Don’t send a dog out to bark.”
“You—!” Kael surged forward, but Meryl cut him off sharply. “Enough, Kael! Don’t provoke him further.”
Nearby, Jin Xuanwen smirked. “Boss, I’m genuinely curious—who *is* this Sean? To dare challenge the Liberation Syndicate?”
“Sean,” Meryl replied flatly. “S Class Corruptor. A ruthless outlaw who’ll do anything to survive.”
“His infamy runs deep. Hunted like a rat by Shatterborn across continents, until the Saint Paul Kingdom in South America took him in. He’s been doing their dirty work ever since.”
“Before I joined the East Asia Branch, I crossed paths with him overseas.”
“The woman is Mia. She’s followed Sean on the run for years—Class-A Corruptor, at minimum.”
“As for the boy—”
“Li Xiaoming,” Bailian interjected calmly. “S Class. Southern Li Clan prodigy. Fought him once. Not weak.”
A ripple of shock passed through the group.
Two S Class. One Class-A. No wonder they dared confront Loki Squad.
And these were true desperados—capable of carrying out a threat without blinking.
“State your terms,” Meryl said.
“Simple,” Sean said. “Hand over the White Bloodsource. A helicopter waits five hundred meters north. Once we board, Akiko walks free.”
Meryl’s brow furrowed. Her squad held overwhelming combat advantage. Without Akiko as a shield, they wouldn’t dare fight head-on.
But was it worth gambling Akiko’s life?
Since Loki Squad’s founding, they’d fought side by side through countless life-or-death battles. To Meryl, a teammate’s life outweighed any artifact.
Could they rescue her?
Nearly impossible.
Mia was a bloodstained Class-A Corruptor. At the slightest movement, that dagger would slit Akiko’s throat.
Desperation clawed at her.
Abandon the mission? Let Loki Squad’s hard-won prize be stolen while the culprits walked away smugly? Unthinkable.
Time ticked. Tension thickened. All eyes waited on Meryl.
Then—Akiko spoke.
“Captain,” she said, voice steady despite the blade at her throat, “I don’t believe my life compares to the White Bloodsource.”
“What are you saying? I would never—” Meryl began.
“Of course the White Bloodsource matters,” Akiko interrupted, eyes blazing. “But something matters *more*—the dignity of Loki Squad! The dignity of the Liberation Syndicate!”
Even Mia blinked in surprise. *Is she planning to die?*
“Akiko! Don’t do anything foolish!” Meryl cried.
Akiko shook her head, calm returning. “I won’t die. None of us will. Only Sean’s group will fall.”
“Captain—we are Loki Squad! No enemy has broken us. No mission has defeated us. Will three cowards make us retreat?”
Confusion flickered across Sean’s face. Meryl felt it too. *Where is this confidence coming from?*
Akiko held Meryl’s gaze. “Captain… will you trust me?”
Seeing the unwavering light in her eyes, Meryl’s doubts melted. *If I can’t trust my teammate, what am I even leading?*
She gave a slow, firm nod.
A sunbeam-like smile bloomed on Akiko’s lips.
Sean’s instincts screamed. “Don’t try anything!” he snarled. “One move, and you die!”
Akiko ignored him. “We only need one second. The moment Mia’s blade leaves me—even for a heartbeat—Loki Squad has countless ways to save me.”
“My blade won’t leave you. Not for a second,” Mia hissed.
“True,” Akiko whispered, smile widening. “So where do I find that second? I suppose… I must beg God for it.”
“My God,” she murmured softly, “grant me one second.”
In the next heartbeat—a chill shot down Mia’s spine.
Not from ahead.
*Behind her.*
Before she could react, a black flash erupted from the shadows, striking her dagger hand. Pain flared—her grip broke.
*Now!*
Jin Xuanwen’s Shadow Glyph Wheel sliced through Mia’s waist from the darkness. Strength drained from her limbs. Panicked, she lashed a palm strike toward Akiko—
—but Kael was already there. He swept Akiko to safety with one arm, his fist slamming into Mia’s strike.
Simultaneously, Bailian, Capel, and Kevin surged toward Sean and Li Xiaoming, cutting off rescue.
The reversal happened in a breath. Sean’s group hadn’t even drawn their Corruption Artifacts.
Flawless. Instant. One mind.
This was Loki Squad.
