Nero looked down at the cultists, her eyes carrying a look that said it all. She didn’t care for them. To her, they were less than nothing. Her blade tore through the air in a clean arc and through the heads of three cultists. Her feet pressed on the roof soon after as she spun around into another slash that cleaved two cultists in two. Her gaze locked on that mage all through, not once did it even leave the mage.

They attacked harder, thrusting their swords deeper and faster, but she parried and countered. Each stroke left blood and cries in the air until finally she was through, and behind her were more than ten bodies, their blood seeping down the sides of the roofs, thick, their crimson redness very quickly turning dark.

The mage stared at Nero, his fear evident from behind the mask, his body trembling. He gripped the staff in his hands, trying his best to be steady, and even then the staff barely held. The magical circle turned on and then off due to the shaking. He drew a sharp breath and calmed himself.

The magical circle came alive and the spell was about to be cast. The mage puffed up in confidence, sure that this would be enough to handle the situation, but as his gaze met the empty air in front of him, he was immediately stunned. Nero was no longer there. A shadow suddenly fell over him, he felt it before he saw it, her presence from above like that of a Siberian tiger, oppressive and extremely powerful. It pressed down on him so hard that he could not breathe.

He mustered his strength, the same way you give your all to do something because if you did not, it would mean your very destruction. He unleashed the flames, a twisting shape of fire that was as thick as a human. Its glow filled the air, a beautiful mix of orange and deep red. It burned even the air around it.

Nero kept her gaze steady, like she did not care for the attack that was headed her way. She did not even bother to block the attack, rather she spun her body to the side, evading it midair, something that should not be possible. She gripped her sword and then stabbed into the side of the flames as she came down. Her sword was coated with her mana, and it very quickly started to dispel the flames from the attack.

The mage looked up, and despite the fact that his face could not be seen, his fear oozed out of him. He trembled as he watched her descend, his body frozen still. All it could do was tremble in place as his mouth made the sound of a dumb fellow that could barely speak. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Nero landed on the roof with a bang. The tiles scattered, the frame cracked, the entire house trembled under her small frame. She looked at the mage, who was frozen. She lifted her blade and made one slash. She did not need to get close. The head of the mage flew into the air, the mask lifting off his face for a moment and revealing the face underneath. The eyes of the mage were stuck wide open, and the mouth as well. The experience of horror was evident and heavy, he was scared until the moment of his death.

After she was done, she sheathed her sword and, with calm composure, took a cold deep breath and then turned around. She did not go after any single cultist anymore. She leapt off the top of the roof and landed on the ground between the knights and the men that were locked in combat. This caused both sides to be shocked and step back. They all paused, wondering what she would do next, only for her to walk past toward the carriage again.

She looked at Sir Ross, who had been struck down. He was now getting back to his feet. His suit was made of a very special material, and so even sneak attacks did little to hurt him. He looked at Nero, then nodded at her before rushing to the carriage that had been knocked back. He opened the door and looked inside.

The princess and the two children of the dukes were seated calmly, as though everything that was happening here had nothing to do with them.

The princess turned and looked at Ross. "Are we getting out of here soon?"

"Sorry, Your Highness, I presume you know that we are under attack. It’s from the Red Sun Cult."

Her face shifted the moment he said that, and she got on her feet to get out, but Ross refused to leave the door. "I’m sorry, I can’t allow you to attack them, Your Highness. You are probably the reason for the attack," he said.

"Step out of my way, Sir Ross. These bastards are the ones that took him from me. I’ll not allow them to walk away," she said, her normally calm face shifting into one of rage.

"You should understand Sir Ross," Kira said and got to his feet. "There is no way we will sit still when the Red Suns are here. He was my friend as well, and they took him." He rose to his feet as he spoke. The three of them had decided that they would fight the Red Sun, and it was not up for debate.

[.....]

At that very same time, Ken, who had been watching the rest of the fight, felt something. He turned around fast, his eyes darting every which way. He felt it, he could tell something was coming, and it wasn’t small.

Then suddenly the ground began to tremble, small rocks and pebbles dancing on the floor. That was all Ken needed. He darted and grabbed Luna.

"Come with me." He pulled her right into the alley. Leo saw them and was confused, but seeing the way Ken looked, he decided to follow, managing to escape at the last moment before it came.