Lyra had already stood up, her calm smile cutting through the tension.
"Ethan," she said, holding out her hand. "Smoke bomb."
Ethan blinked. "You're going to…"
She plucked the bomb from his hand, pulled the pin, and tossed it straight out the window, not at the enemy, but into their own formation of guards.
White smoke exploded instantly.
Outside, the soldiers coughed, stumbling in confusion. "It's enemy magic! We're under spell attack!"
Inside, Lyra smirked. "Good. Now I can let loose without anyone seeing. Your Majesty," she said with a graceful bow, "I leave the kids' safety to you, your majesty."
Seraphina just waved her hand.
Before anyone could stop her, Lyra opened the door and leapt out, her cloak flaring behind her.
A voice from the woods jeered, "Look at that! A noble lady! Might fetch a high price after a little fun…."
The man never finished.
Lyra raised her bare hand and drew a line through the air. A droplet of water shimmered at her fingertip, then flew.
The droplet moved faster than sight.
For an instant, nothing happened. Then the bandit's face split apart cleanly, sliding away in silence. His body fell a second later.
The forest went still.
Lyra brushed her hair back, her eyes glowing faintly blue with a flicker of reddish light circling the pupils.
"Let's dance," she whispered, and the night air trembled as the water molecules in the mist began to move.
Ethan and Kael had already been hardened by their encounter with the hooded intruder back at the Vale household. Blood was no longer a shock to them.
But Temari, seeing so much blood flowing like fountains for the first time, broke into complete terror. Her eyes widened, her voice died in her throat, and she clung to Kael like a Koala.
Lyra, however, paid no mind to the panic. She shifted into motion, her eyes seeking her next target.
Two bandits knocked flaming arrows and drew their bows. They released at the same moment. Lyra raised her left hand, fire spiraling around her wrist and shaping into a blazing whip. With a single, fluid crack, she snatched both arrows out of the air.
She hurled them back with such force that they tore through tree trunks and impaled the archers who thought themselves safely concealed.
A sharp windblade whistled from behind. Lyra did not even stop. She only tilted her body forward, letting the slicing air shave off a few strands of her blue hair.
Without a glance, her right hand condensed water into a gleaming spear. She flung it back. It skewered the wind mage attempting to cast again, then continued through two more men standing behind him, dissolving into a red mist behind them into the fog.
Ethan let out a strained breath.
"Damn, it is like watching a superhero movie from Earth, but with all the extra gore still present."
Aimi's voice echoed in his mind, far too cheerful for the scene before them.
"Yes, Host. Your mother's combat instincts far surpass ordinary standards. And the most amusing part is that magic is not even her strongest suit."
Ethan almost pitied the mercenaries. Almost.
He glanced to his left and nearly choked. Empress Seraphina sat inside the carriage, elegantly sipping tea and pondering which cookie to sample next.
Who was the idiot who thought they could overwhelm the Vales with sheer numbers? Sending cannon fodders in a zerg tactic to tire Lyra will take hours, and even if they succeed so what?
A literal nuke will be waiting for them next.
It had been less than a minute. Already more than fifty men had lost their heads. Those were the fortunate ones. Others lay screaming, holding half-burned bodies or desperately trying to push entrails back into their own bellies.
Ethan gagged and turned away, requesting Aimi to deliver tactical reports directly into his interface instead of forcing him to absorb any more of the violence.
The bandits finally halted their reckless charge. They scrambled into cover among the trees, forming a shaky defensive line in a last attempt at survival.
"It seems they have learned their lesson, Host," Aimi said. "The leader should reveal himself now."
Right on cue, a figure stepped from the shadows of the forest.
A tall man with a long mohawk and armor so polished it gleamed like a mirror. Ethan wondered how he had failed to notice such a glaring presence earlier.
The man gave a theatrical bow.
"I am Raikor Vance. Noble Lady, it appears you have reached Rank B. Not to mention you have an artifact for fire attacks. However, I stand at the peak of Rank B. You have enjoyed slaughtering the rabble long enough. Become my concubine and I will spare you further humiliation."
Lyra did not answer. A spear of fire flew from her fingertips, streaking toward him.
Raikor's armor shifted instantly, stretching into a shield that scattered the flames harmlessly. He smirked, then gestured toward the carriage.
"Seize them. Take the passengers hostage," he ordered his remaining men, while he strolled confidently toward Lyra.
Lyra frowned. She had no desire to drag this on. Too much noise could attract troublesome attention.
Two more water spears spun from her hand. Raikor answered with another fluid shift of his armor, blocking both.
Lyra seized that moment. She appeared behind him in a burst of speed and struck with a clenched fist.
His armor sprouted spiked barbs to counter her. Forced to hold back to avoid harming her own guards and the carriage, her punch slowed just slightly. A thorn-like edge tore her sleeve, exposing smooth jade skin beneath.
Raikor gave a low, appreciative whistle.
"Oh, a wildcat, are you? I like spirited women. Did I scratch your hand? Allow me to apply some of my remedy. Scars on a noble lady would ruin the beauty. You will be my woman soon enough."
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
The metal manipulation already countered her flame and water attacks. That's frustrating enough.
To add more, the uncouth mouth finally snapped her patience.
She removed her black gloves with calm precision.
"You want my hand," she said. "Then take it."
Only then did Raikor's expression shift. He had finally realized his mistake. This woman was not a common Rank B. She was something far beyond his reach.
He reacted too late.
Lyra vanished. She reappeared directly before him, her fist already driving into his chest.
Raikor never had the chance to scream. His body burst apart into a cloud of blood. His once-grand armor shattered into metallic fragments that embedded themselves into soil and wood.
The battlefield fell silent.
The bandits stared in frozen horror. The guards, who were still fighting remnants of the enemy through smoke and confusion, suddenly stopped and looked around. When the silence lingered unnaturally long, someone finally called out.
"What happened? Why is it so quiet?"
One surviving bandit screamed first.
"Run! That is a monster. An A Rank beast!"
Panic tore through the enemy ranks like wildfire. Hardened criminals who delighted in torture and murder now dropped weapons and fled with terror twisting their faces.
Seraphina did not let many escape. She took control of the magitech crossbow mounted within the carriage and fired massive bolts. A few agile mercenaries dodged behind their allies or trees, but Seraphina calmly guided the bolts with telekinesis. No sluggish criminal mind could fool an S Rank super.
Lyra did not chase. She stepped back into the carriage and stretched her hands, satisfaction flickering in her eyes.
"Finally. I was itching for someone foolish enough to come knocking for a beating. How generous of them."
Ethan swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. For the first time since reincarnation, he truly understood:
Earth's rules no longer applied.
Strength ruled this world.
Either he climbed high enough to crush his enemies, or he would be the one crushed.
Temari's breathing slowly steadied as Kael held her hand. Though still trembling, she found a spark of determination after witnessing Lyra's fierce battle.
The guards emerged from the smoke. They froze at the scene. Corpses scattered like shredded dolls. Blood everywhere.
"What in the heavens? Did a wild beast attack the bandits before they could reach us?"
Lyra allowed the misunderstanding to settle. No one here knew she wielded both fire and water, and she preferred to keep certain cards hidden for now.
Far away on the main road, Duke Marcellus Vauntir received a report that the Vale carriage had fallen behind and taken a lesser-known forest path.
He snorted.
"Hmph. The misers probably failed to secure proper seedlings this year. They could have simply asked me for more resources instead of hiding in the shadows with their useless pride."
Still, a tiny part of him wondered if the Vales had fallen so far that he would need to send troops to guard the borders.
Nearby, Lady Irenia Aurelian overheard the gossip. She remained silent, but a faint gleam of curiosity danced in her eyes.
The loudest reaction came from Lord Valen Dravencourt.
"I knew it. That Dareth woman hides something. She did not even spit curses at me this time."
His daughter, Ruth Dravencourt, pretended not to hear. She wished to distance herself from her father as much as possible.
Lord Dravencourt rubbed his chin.
"Is it a new weapon they found in some ancient ruin? No, that woman would have hurled it at me immediately. It must be something else. Something she cannot use against me. Or someone she cannot command. Hmph. Perhaps a spy from the enemy kingdoms..."
The gossip grew wilder with time.
Fans fluttered as nobles leaned closer, hungry for scandal.
"I heard Lady Lyra went off the road to meet her long-lost lover," one whispered. "A werewolf from the Silverfang Woods. Wild. Muscular. Moonlit devotion. How delicious."
Another noble gasped. "No, no. It was a vampire lord she once saved during the Crimson Purge. Pale skin. Eternal passion. Forbidden bites in the dark."
Lady Merinholt smirked behind her hand. "And what of Duke Arione Vale? Does he know his perfect wife prefers fangs and claws?"
"Hush. They say the Duke himself is not human either. Some nights, when the moon is high…"
She leaned in.
"People hear howling from the Vale manor. And other things. Softer things. Breathless things."
Eyes widened. Imaginations ignited.....