“Whatever you do, don’t open the door until we come back, okay?” 

Spitz knelt down and spoke to two children peeking by the door. They both nodded at the masked lady and closed the door behind us. Cellars were pretty common on the houses of Subtramuros. Since they were built underneath houses, they served as efficient hiding spots, which serve well as safe havens. At least, that’s what I hope for those children.

We both walked up the stairs leading to the main floor, right before another explosion echoed from outside. I lost my footing and held onto the railing to keep myself balanced, while Spitz kept a stable posture. She turned to look at me and nodded. I nodded back and we both moved further above the stairs.

What was up with all the explosions? Is it an attack from the Cer or Be gang? Why are they being so reckless? Destroying infrastructure without a second thought, why can’t they think about how people worked hard to build all of this in the first place? Whoever it may be, we need to stop them as soon as possible.

After reaching the end of the stairs, we rushed towards the front windows of the house and took a peek. My jaw dropped at the sight of what was coming our way. The rumbling of wheels could be heard from outside, spinning against the floor as it drew closer to the house. I always knew that it had armored metal exterior walls and guns sticking out, but seeing the Wagon House in action made my body stiffen like a rock.

“I know you’re hiding him here!” a lady’s voice reverberated from the vehicle’s speakers. “Let the swordsman go or I’ll blow this place up to smithereens!”

A large cannon fired from the front of the wagon, blowing up the cobblestone floor in front of the house. 

Spitz massaged the top part of her mask. “I’m guessing that’s your friend.”

“Yeah. I’ll handle it.”

I walked over to the entrance door, then placed my hand on the door knob. One deep breath, and I made my way outside, accompanied by the sound of creaking made by the door as it opened.  I dashed my way through the shattered cobblestone floor and stood in front of the cannon with my arms extended.

“Hephy, stop! It’s fine! I’m okay!”

“You won’t be okay once I blast this cannon on your face!” Hephy’s voice blasted.

A hint of terror struck into my chest. My life flashed before my eyes.  “H-Huh?! Why?!”

The sound of a hum growing louder brought shivers through my spine. I realized that she was being serious. The cannon was definitely charging up for another blow.

“Wait! Why are you shooting me?!”

“You’ve gone over to the enemy’s side haven’t you?! No wonder Scarlet got captured! This is all your fault! You traitor!”

“Why would I do that?! Don't you trust me?”

“Well, I was an idiot to think I could trust you then!”

“Please, Hephy! I’m not a traitor!”

“Then explain why that masked dog is on your side! My drones caught him carrying you to another place! You really think I wouldn’t catch that?!”

“She’s a girl!”

……………

Hephy fell silent for a short while.

“You playboy!” she accused.

I ignored her last statement.

“You’re misunderstanding things! Spitz is on our side! She isn’t like the rest of the gangsters!”

“And why should I believe you?!”

“Stop this at once.”

I turned to see Spitz outside of the house. She walked towards me and raised her hands in front of the cannon. Even with the mask on her face, I could tell that she gave off not an expression of fear, but that of resolution. If she was afraid, it didn’t show, as her body was completely still unlike mine.

“Greetings, I am Spitz.

“I understand that you’re angry,

But can’t you be a little classy?

A friend of yours, I saved,

Yet this is how I get paid?”

I’m not sure if I should be impressed or disappointed at her ability to make rhymes in this situation.

“Give me a reason not to blow your house into smithereens, you masked dog poet freak.”

“The children.”

“Ha?”

“Big Sis, I’m scared!” another voice came into the scene.

A child ran out of the door and wrapped his arms around Spitz, hugging her tightly in tears.

“H-Hey. I thought I told you to stay inside.” Spitz patted his head. “Don’t worry, it's fine. This Big Bro and I can handle it, so please don’t be afraid.”

Since when was I a ‘Big Bro’?

“Fine! You got me!” Hephy said. “I’ll stop, all right! My apologies!”

A sigh of relief left my lungs. I expected it to be a lot worse, given Hephy’s hothead, but luckily Spitz was able to deescalate the situation. Things have finally calmed down-

“There! That’s where the noise came from!” a man’s voice yelled from a distance.

Spitz clicked her tongue. “Damn, we attracted some unwanted visitors!”

The man brought a large group of gangsters with him, all armed with guns and magic. They approached us with smiles on their faces. I detested their looks, as they appeared clearly excited to shed some blood.

Spitz carried the child in her arms and started running back into the house. “You guys handle them! I’ll just drop him back into safety! 

“They’re all yours, Lars,” Hephy said.

“What?!” I looked at the group of men coming our way. There were around twenty of them in total.

A force field of ice blue energy formed around the Wagon House, blocking all of the incoming bullets. I was left out in the open, so I ran behind the Wagon house for protection.

“You seriously think I can take on all of them by myself?”

“Well, I can’t afford to let the Wagon House take any damage, so I’m activating its defense mechanism! Besides, you’re a former Enforcer aren’t you? You should be able to handle these lowly thugs on your own!”

“Even a single Enforcer can’t handle that many.”

Oh, but, you can do it, Lars. If you used Black for once, fufufu!

Tsk, fine!

“White!”

The shimmering blade manifested on my hand.

I’ve been looking at things the wrong way. This is exactly what I should have been waiting for. The perfect opportunity to show Hephy that it’s possible to resolve anything without murder. I’m going to defeat all of them using White. If I pull it off, she’ll definitely understand my resolve! I have to do it!

I just have to wait for the best time to strike!

“Five mages, ten gunmen and five melee users.” Hephy informed me. 

“Melee users?” I wondered. I thought I was the only one who used melee weapons. 

“Why are you surprised? Not everyone can afford guns and bullets here, this place is a constant battlefield, remember?”

“You have a point.”

“Anyways, the melee users are at the very front trying to smack on the shields, while the gunmen are behind them, not wasting their bullets. And of course, the mages are at the very back, keeping their distance.”

Pretty standard formation….it reminds me of the Enforcer Exams. His face popped out from my memories. That man…

I grasped on my sword.

Thinking of Marko made me lose my concentration, so I shook my head to freshen up my mind. Now was not the time to dwell on the past, I must stay focused here!

“What are you going to do, Lars?!” Hephy yelled on the comms. “You can’t sit around forever!”

“There’s only one way to do this.”

I came out of hiding and lifted my sword. 

“Hey!” I called them out.

They had successfully taken the bait, with all their attention directed towards me. Before they could launch their attacks on me, I raised the sword before their very eyes.

“Illuminate!”

The sword flashed its light. They had all been blinded, just as planned. Now was the right time to perform my next move.

I turned towards a certain direction and dashed away from the Wagon House, leaving Hephy behind.

“H-Hey! Why are you running away?!” she said.

“Don’t worry. This is all part of my plan.”

“Where did he go?!” I heard one of the men yell from a distance.

“Check behind the wagon!”

“Huh? He isn’t here!”

“Did he run away?!”

Not exactly.

I had decided to go around the houses on the sides of the battlefield. Since a direct confrontation was practically a death sentence, this was the only other option I could take. Sure, it took a lot of running, but at least I wouldn’t have to face them head on. And that leads to my next move.

Striking from the back.

I found myself right behind the five mages, with their backs open for the taking. Fortunately for me, they all had some distance with each other, so I could take them out one by one. I snuck up on the mage closest to me and swiftly wrapped my arm tightly around his neck and covered his mouth, taking the air out of his lungs. Then, I pulled him away from the open and hid his body inside the alleys. Same case for the second person, so I was able to take two of them out without anyone noticing. Or so I thought.

One of the mages had noticed two of their comrades were missing and called out everyone to check the back.

Tsk, I need to reposition somewhere else.

“Something’s fishy here!” a gunman said, flailing his weapon around.

“It’s the swordsman!” the mage said. “He didn’t run away! He’s tried to take us out from the back! Find him!”

The three mages decided to split up and search the surrounding alleys and streets, accompanied by a single gunman. The remaining twelve stayed put by the Wagon House.

“A mage and a gunman are heading your way, Lars. Get ready!” Hephy said.

I looked around the alley I was in and found a wagon full of hay to hide under. A sweet dusty smell came into my nostrils– the softness of the hay was enough to tempt me to fall asleep. I heard footsteps walking closer. Their voices were murmurs to my ears. But that was enough for me. All I had to do was wait, and……

I jumped out and struck the nearest person in sight, which just so happened to be the mage. The force of my strike was enough to send his body back towards the gunman, causing the both of them to fall down the floor. Before they could both recover, I finished them off with a slam to the head. Then, I shoved their bodies straight inside the wagon of hay.

That’s sixteen of them left to go.

“Better hurry up a bit, Lars! This shield ain’t gonna last forever!” Hephy complained.

“I’m trying!” I said.

This is way too much pressure. 

Now, where did the two other groups go?

I searched through the streets, only to hear a blood-curdling scream.

“Ahhhhh! He’s here! Spitz is here!”

Spitz….

I decided to run back to the battlefield. On my way there, I found two men on the floor with their heads in a daze. Another mage and gunman. They both groaned as they held their head in pain, as if something hard had hit through their skulls. I finished them off to make sure they couldn’t cause any more harm. 

When I made it back to the battlefield, my mind was in utter shock. Everyone was running away, their faces all warped with expressions of horror. The same men who were itching to have a fight. 

Gusts of wind zoomed everywhere, shooting down the retreating men on their heads with pinpoint accuracy. The scary part of it all, was that the sniper was nowhere to be found.

We’re lucky Spitz is on our side……

I let go of White and hung my head down.

I wasn’t able to prove my abilities to Hephy. Out of all the twenty men, I had only taken out four. Not even half of half. It was disappointing, things didn’t go exactly as planned. But, I guess this was for the best. 

If only I was more efficient, I could have taken them all out without killing….

Wait.

All those wind bullets….they didn’t kill anyone.

Is Spitz…..sparing their lives?

I didn’t think another idiot like you existed to be honest with you. You should consider marrying her, fufufu!

I came across a man crawling on the floor. He noticed me and tried to reach out for his gun, but I kicked it away and grabbed his forehead.

“Y-You’ll regret messing with the Be Gang! Kangal’s gonna bring you down!” he said as he cried desperately.

“Be Gang…..Kangal….”

I just had an idea.

“Tell me where Kangal’s hideout is.”

He spat on my face. I took a deep breath and wiped the saliva off with my cloak.

“Don’t you see who has the advantage here?” I tried talking with him rationally.

“I don’t even know where his hideout is. And even if I did, I would never tell you!”

What a loyal servant. You should just give up on it Lars. I know you don’t have the heart for torture, so don’t even bother trying.

“It’s useless asking him.”

Spitz appeared from the shadows with a sniper on her arms. She struck the man on the head with her gunstock and he passed out.

“Kangal doesn’t trust anyone.”