章 63: I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [63]
"Please! At least let my child go!"
"Shut up! Get lost!"
A desperate mother, on her knees, pleaded with one of the thugs, begging for her child's release, only to be met with a brutal elbow to her face, sending her sprawling several meters back.
Stella's anger flared, but she forced herself to stay put, remembering Shizuku's words.
"Don't hurt my mom!"
The woman's young son, furious and defiant, hurled his ice cream straight at the thug's face before charging at him.
This only served to enrage the thug further. Without hesitation, he kicked the boy hard in the stomach.
The blow, delivered by a military boot and from a fully grown man, would be excruciating for any adult—let alone a small child.
But even that wasn't enough for the thug. With a cruel smile, he aimed the dark muzzle of his gun right at the boy's head.
Shizuku sighed. She knew that after witnessing this, there was no way the others could remain calm any longer.
Student knights needed permission to summon their spirit weapons, and thanks to the quick-thinking tourists who had already escaped, the academy had been notified of the hostage situation. Stella, Shizuku, and the others now had official clearance to use their powers.
Incidentally, Okita Souji's sword was also treated as a spirit weapon, as it could be spiritized, making it the perfect cover for a magically conjured weapon.
The mother crawled over, clutching her child tightly in her arms, but this only seemed to heighten the thug's twisted enjoyment as he fingered the trigger of his rifle. Meanwhile, the air around Stella began to grow increasingly hot.
And then, in a single instant—
A flash of snow-white streaked across everyone's vision, like a bolt of daylight slicing through the darkness.
In the ensuing silence, half of the thug's gun clattered to the floor, shattering into pieces.
The thug froze, his eyes wide as he stared at the half-gun in his hand. The clean cut gleamed, painfully bright to his shocked eyes.
"Who?! Who's there?!"
A cold chill crawled up his spine, piercing through his soul. His frantic shouting, rather than summoning courage, only served to deepen his terror.
"Was it you?!"
He pointed the severed gun at Stella, who had instinctively risen to shield the mother and child, still stunned from the flash of white that had sliced through.
"I…"
Stella found herself caught in a bind, like a bone caught in her throat—she couldn't deny it, yet she couldn't admit it either.
Her silence only convinced the thug that she was responsible. Yet it was clear he was already too frightened to think rationally, as he had failed to take the mother and child hostage. His terror had erased his sense of tactics.
"Shoot! Shoot her full of holes!"
In his panic, the thug had forgotten his orders to keep the hostages alive. Consumed by fear, his only thought was to kill the red-haired woman among them.
Shizuku's face paled. Her setup wasn't complete yet; if the thugs fired now, she, Ayase, and Stella would be fine, but they wouldn't be able to protect the civilians around them.
Stella clenched her fists, eyeing her surroundings, weighing whether she should make a quick escape from the crowd or use her flames to create a barrier.
But before she could decide, a sound drew everyone's attention.
Squelch!
It was the sickening sound of flesh being pierced, sliced, and torn apart.
Hot, fresh blood splattered across the walls, sprayed into the corners, and dripped down to the floor.
The stench of blood mixed with the lingering humidity, making stomachs churn and minds reel.
A thug in the far corner slumped to the ground, lifeless, his death so swift he hadn't even sensed it coming.
The silent steps of death moved unnoticed, its toll unending.
And the thug who fell was only the beginning.
Bodies shivered, souls quaked, yet the slaughter was only beginning.
Another blade sliced through flesh, and the thug holding the severed gun whipped around, only to see three of his companions collapse, their clothes soaked in blood, painting the shadows around them a horrifying red.
"Who?! Who's hiding in the shadows?!"
No one answered him. The killing continued.
Breath came slower, softer, as his mind clouded from lack of oxygen, his body growing colder with sweat.
"Is it you?! What did you do?!"
He aimed his half-broken gun at Stella, but what good was a destroyed weapon? It offered him only a pitiful shred of false courage.
"You're a Swordmaster, right? This is your ability, isn't it? Stop it! Or I'll kill you!"
His fear had shattered his sanity, leaving him babbling incoherently.
In his mind, the shadows around him sprouted blood-red eyes, sharp fangs, claws.
The creature of darkness watched him with its gleaming eyes, waiting to strike.
Whenever a thug tried to pull the trigger, the shadows swallowed him whole.
Whenever one turned to run, the shadows devoured him.
Finally, the thug holding the severed gun broke completely.
He turned to flee, dropping the useless gun as he stumbled away in disgrace.
Rounding a corner, he nearly collided with a robed figure he knew all too well.
"Master Smile! Master Smile!"
He scrambled to the figure's feet, his voice torn and desperate, like a worshipper in the presence of a miracle, like a seeker glimpsing the truth.
"Please! Master Smile, save me!"
But he didn't see his master reach out to help him. Reflected clearly in his eyes was only a flash of pristine white.
The thug's body hit the floor with a heavy thud, his head rolling away, his face frozen in fanatical awe.
Yet as his blood cooled and life slipped away, the robed figure and his followers remained unmoving.
Had anyone dared to come closer, they would have noticed a thin line on each of their necks, as if drawn by an immaculate blade. And they had all long since stopped breathing.
"Is that the last one?"
From the shadows emerged a figure, clad in black, her haori blending seamlessly with the surrounding darkness, her face hidden.
She twirled a long, snow-white blade before sheathing it with a resonant, musical click.
Then, with one graceful step, she vanished back into the shadows, leaving behind only a cool, quiet remark.
"Now, how am I going to explain my sudden disappearance…"
---
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