Nighttime in the Northwestern section of the city.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” asked Shakti.
“Yup. A group of suspicious people were spotted around this place.” Said Ardi.
“Hm, I can smell the faint scent of sweat and blood.” Said Ai. “They must be using some item to hide their scent; I doubt even monsters from the upper floors could find them.”
“This place is also supposedly a storehouse where they keep a lot of their illegal merchandise.”
“It’s still surprising how quickly they started to gather money and resources.” Ai said. “Cirrus said they must have been planning this for a long time to quickly blind side us this fast and quickly.”
“With a place in the residential area I’m not surprised, they thought this through very thoroughly, all so it could end today.” Shakti said.
“Aren’t you going to use Moon to check out the abandoned church?” said Ardi. “From what I heard she’s pretty smart.”
“Hmm…I would but I’m worried they might accidently see it and take off.”
“She’s not wrong this pretty owl is feared as a harbinger, the moment they see her they start running.” Shakti said.
“Captain Shakti. We’re ready to fight at any time.” Said a Familia member coming up to her.
“Good. We’re going to end this quick and easy. Ready-attack!!!”
Shakti, Ardi, and Ai rushed through the front while the rest of the Familia surround the church and follow their captain.
“We’re here!! The church is surrounded!! Drop your weapons and…huh?”
They look to see several Evilus member’s beaten and bloody as well as the merchants.
“They’re all injured.”
As Ai looked at the bodies Nox brushed her wing to Ai’s face.
“Moon what--” she sees Nox point at a women coming up from the basement.
“--As always, this town is so noisy.”
“!?!?” Ai’s eye widen as the women has no scent; her dress was the same, but she now had a grey cloak covering her as well as her green brooch.
“Orario never changes it’s worse quality, always full of loud and troubling noises. Never a moment of silence to gently fall asleep. Now that I experienced true tranquility this town has gotten on my nerves.”
“You… Ardi!! Shakti!! Back up! She was the one who matched Cirrus back in December!”
“!!”
The two quickly put up their guard and took a step back.
“Moon don’t tell Cirrus just yet; I want to see how strong she is for myself.”
Nox looks at Ai for a short while before flying up to the broken window. Observing very intensely.
'Cirrus told me to give the same level of respect as I would him but... It's hard when she's fighting a unknown opponent. If it gets serious I will step in.'
“Ah… is that Kirin’s familiar? a very quiet, refined creature. But you what was your new name? Ah the Flashing Saint after your level up, known for your quick drawing skills. I must say when I saw you fight my partner I was very impressed by your speed breaking pass your level.”
“P-please! Help me!!” said one of the members.
“Shut up. I ought to turn your corpse into a puddle of blood for tainting this church my sister was fond of.”
“Ardi, Shakti get whoever is still alive out of here, don’t try and fight her.”
“Hm.”
The two slowly went and grabbed the beaten members.
“Oh? do you really wish to fight me?” she said as a slight grin grew on her face. “Fine, ill humor you in respect to high level at such a young age.” She then reached down and grabbed one of the swords off the Evilus members. “I’m ready when you are.”
Ai gets into her stance and takes a deep breath as she places her hands on her sword.
The tension in the air grew and when the lady took a step, the floor creaked and Ai kicked off the wooden floor.
“Quick!”
Before the lady, Ai within a fraction of a breath taken drew her sword.
The lady almost like natural instinct blocked the attack that was cut her down from her left hip to right shoulder.
In that brief moment she could see under her cloak, her eyes were closed.
“!!”
“You saw my face.” She then pushed Ai back to where she was before. “You have gotten faster, but your partner was still faster.”
“Of course he was, his deer armor makes him several times faster but for me?” Ai gets back into her stance again, sheathing her sword once more as an intense focus was directed at the woman. “I don’t need armor.”
She kicks off again.
“Stubborn child."
Ai closes in again and the lady already was moving to block the attack when under her breath Ai muttered.
“(When the bell tolls 108 times gather the eight serpents.
No offerings of sacrifice to the earth, wind, fire, water, thunder, poison, light, and darkness.
I offer you steel and the clear sky.) [Murakumogiri], Osukaze.”
All under one breath.
“!?”
In the draw Ai struck the sword with a burst of power sending the lady through the window.
The lady regained her footing, but the sword was now completely bent.
“…Well isn’t that something, she used the blunt side of the sword. did she not to kill me?” she could feel her chest start to hurt from the force of the attack.
“Freeze!” shouted the Ganesha Familia.
“Drop the weapon!”
“…noisy.”
As Ai jumped out the window the Ganesha Familia had surrounded her.
“No!! get away!!!”
“To late. (Gospel).”
And then everything went black.
“Ai! Ai! Get up!” shouted Ardi.
“Ugh…what happened?” she said touching her head.
“That lady got away, we let her go since she’s too powerful. Are you alright?”
Ardi helps Ai up.
“Yeah…” she looks around to find everyone else is alright. “Is no one hurt?”
“Not too seriously no.”
Ai clenched her sword.
“…Her magic is to strong.”
‘I thought it was more effective against magic, but I was wrong, ugh I feel like I got punched by 10 goliaths.’
“Hey, don’t be to down! We at least took down this storehouse and took in all the criminals!”
“…Make sure you search every inch of the church in case they hid illegal stuff in walls or under floorboards. I’m going back home to rest.”
“Hm! Alright!”
As Ai enters an alley Nox comes down and turns into her human form.
“You okay?”
“…A bit yes.”
“Is there anything to make you feel better?”
“…Can you tell Cirrus to make some Katsudon?”
“Alright, let’s get going!”
As Nox tells Cirrus, she remembers how the lady looked directly at her, her mismatched colored eyes looking up at her before she leaves.
6 days until the Great Feud-
"Moon don’t tell Cirrus just yet"
What level of stupid is this? And why would Nox actually agree to that?
“We’re here!! The church is surrounded!! Drop your weapons and…huh?”
I also don't get the point of this. Their enemy literally pretends to be civilians in distress then use suicide bombs. This should be an infiltration and kill on sight mission for anyone with even an ounce of common sense.
“Of course he was, his deer armor makes him several times faster but for me?”
Why would she confirm to their most dangerous enemy that it's only when he uses the deer armor that he's able to resist her attacks?
I like this novel but I really am too frustrated to keep reading much further. By all rights she should be dead after that encounter.
@Scarecro “We’re here!! The church is surrounded!! Drop your weapons and…huh?”
They will still need to capture some of them for information. If they just ordered to go in and kill everyone on sight they could lose valuable information.
“Of course he was, his deer armor makes him several times faster but for me?”
Well since Alfia has fought with Cirrus before while he was wearing his deer armor confirming has no real affect. Plus Cirrus has worn the armor for long enough and showed it off for Evilus to know more or less what it does. Whatever plan they have to deal with Cirrus is kinda thrown out since he is basically a swiss army knife in terms of what he can do.
"Moon don’t tell Cirrus just yet"
Why would Nox agree to it? Well because of the next part "... I want to see how strong she is for myself.” and in this chapter and in the previous one Cirrus has told Nox to give Ai the same level of respect as she would to him. Even if Nox doesn't like it she will do as he says unquestionably.
@NotOriginal still kinda dumb things to do almost as dumb as ai using the back of her sword to hit the 'mysterious woman'