Zero Langham - One Minute Prior
Everything had happened exactly the way I'd hoped.
Long before the trolley ever left Scarface's hands, I'd already noticed Terra.
She wasn't standing outside the battle anymore. Sometime during the confusion, she'd disappeared from the street entirely. Most people would have assumed she'd been pulled deeper into another fight, but every now and then, while exchanging blows with Scarface, I'd catch the faintest glimpse of silver hair moving across the rooftops above the marketplace.
At first, I couldn't understand why she refused to join the fight. There had already been several opportunities where the two of us could have cornered Scarface together, yet she never committed. Instead, she continued following us from above, moving from rooftop to rooftop with remarkable patience.
Then it clicked. She wasn't waiting for an opening. She was waiting for me to create one. The realization settled my nerves more than I expected. For the first time since the battle began, I wasn't fighting alone.
Scarface twisted his body and planted both hands against the side of a wooden trolley loaded with empty crates. With a grunt, he shoved it forward. The heavy cart bounced violently over the uneven cobblestones as it barreled toward me, its wheels splintering beneath the force.
Behind me, civilians scattered in every direction. The only thing that stood between them and the oncoming disaster was me.
Gathering Pure Essence throughout my body, I lowered my center of gravity and met the trolley head-on. The impact jarred both of my arms, but I held firm, my boots grinding against the stone as I absorbed the momentum. Before the cart could force me backward another inch, I shifted my weight and swung my hips.
The trolley lurched sideways. Using its own momentum, I hurled it straight back toward Scarface.
He reacted instinctively, throwing both hands forward to catch the heavy frame before it crushed him. The force drove him backward several steps, every muscle in his arms straining to stop the trolley from toppling over him.
This is it... my opportunity.
I threw up my sword with my right hand. My left hand quickly stretched out to catch it before returning to its original position. I then extended two fingers toward him. My left hand subconsciously tightened its grip on the hilt of my sword.
Light Essence immediately answered my call.
Golden particles drifted from the afternoon sunlight surrounding us, gathering between my fingertips until they condensed into a sphere no larger than a marble. Despite its size, the tiny orb pulsed with astonishing brilliance, its light growing more concentrated with every passing heartbeat.
Blinding Node.
It was a simple spell taught in Essence Theory class. It carried little destructive power, but its purpose was to create a disadvantage for your opponent. Its blinding effect could be replicated through other forms of Essence; however, Light Essence held the best effect. My affinity for Light Essence made this perfect.
I'm always hesitant to use big, flashy spells because the opportunity for them arises so very little. Whenever I sneak out alongside Toho for our excursions, the use of spells at all increases our chances of getting caught tenfold. Nonetheless, this was an actual mission provided by the Academy. We were given authority to use the tools we have at our disposal. Therefore, I had no more hesitation.
As I shot off my spell, my lips instinctively parted, whispering the words: "Blinding Node"
Scarface finally managed to shove the trolley aside. By the time he could focus his gaze back on me, it was too late to notice the tiny spell moving towards him.
His expression changed as he was stuck in a predicament. He had no clue what this spell could do, and for all he knew, it could explode like a bomb. His weight shifted to his right foot as he prepared to lunge out of the way. Before he could, the orb stopped less than a foot in front of his face before erupting into a brilliant flash.
White light flooded the marketplace.
Even from where I stood, I instinctively narrowed my eyes against the intensity. Every nearby window reflected the burst like polished mirrors, and for the briefest instant, it felt as though a second sun had appeared between us.
Scarface staggered backward, both hands flying to his face.
"Agh—!"
He stumbled blindly across the cobblestones, cursing as he fought to regain his bearings.
I didn't waste the opportunity. My legs exploded forward as I sprinted; I didn't bother glancing upward to find Terra. I had faith in her that she'd recognize this chance.
Her figure launched from the rooftop almost the exact moment the light detonated. The afternoon wind caught the edges of her Academy coat as she descended, her silver hair trailing behind her like a banner.
I lowered my shoulder and closed the remaining distance in an instant. Scarface was still swinging wildly through the fading light, unable to tell where I was approaching from. He heard my footsteps only a fraction of a second before I reached him.
His blade came up on instinct, and so did mine. The difference being I wasn't using the blade of my sword to cut through him and risk him bleeding out to death. Instead, I drove the steel hilt of my sword forward with every ounce of strength I could gather.
The pommel slammed directly into his chest; a loud, dull crack echoed between us.
The air burst from his lungs as his body folded forward, his feet lifting from the ground under the force of the impact.
Terra descended from above with impressive precision, twisting gracefully through the air before driving her heel into the side of Scarface's jaw. The crack of the kick rang almost as loud as the collision with my sword.
Scarface's entire body spun sideways, lifted completely off balance by the combined blows. He crashed across the marketplace, skidding over the cobblestones before slamming shoulder-first into the base of a stone fountain. Dust drifted into the air around him as loose pieces of masonry rolled across the street.
Thank you, Terra
For the first time since this battle had begun, the smile had disappeared from his face.
Terra landed lightly a few feet ahead of me, one hand touching the ground to steady herself before she rose back to her feet. The breeze surrounding her Innate Technique still circled gently around her ankles, barely stirring the dust.
As Scarface slowly pulled himself upright, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze shifted from me, then Terra, and back to me.
The amusement in his eyes was gone. What took its place was something much colder.
Scarface spat a mouthful of blood onto the cobblestones before rolling his shoulders. His fingers tightened around the curved blade still clutched in his right hand. Although the strike had clearly shaken him, it hadn't been enough to put him down.
"So..." he muttered between slow breaths. "...that's why you kept hiding."
Terra didn't answer.
She simply shifted into a lower stance, one foot sliding back as another current of wind circled around her ankles. The breeze lifted a few loose strands of her silver hair before carrying them behind her shoulders. Her expression remained calm, almost unreadable, but there was a sharpness in her eyes I hadn't seen before.
Scarface chuckled, though it sounded more irritated than amused.
"A support Sorcerer pretending she's an assassin."
"I'm not pretending-" Terra replied quietly.
Without letting Terra finish, he thrusted forward.
His speed surprised me yet again. Instead of attacking either of us directly, he drove between us, forcing us apart before spinning toward Terra. His curved blade swept horizontally toward her ribs.
She was already gone.
She carried herself several feet backward with barely a sound. The sword sliced through empty air before I stepped into the opening she'd created.
Steel rang throughout the marketplace.
Scarface blocked my slash, but the impact forced him to plant both feet. Before he could counter, another gust swept past my shoulder.
Terra wasn't attacking from predictable angles anymore. Every movement flowed naturally into the next, using the momentum she'd gained instead of brute strength. She appeared beside Scarface's left shoulder, driving her elbow toward the side of his neck.
He barely managed to duck beneath it. I didn't let him recover. Our attacks began overlapping almost instinctively. Whenever Scarface committed to blocking me, Terra punished his blind side. Whenever he turned toward Terra, I stepped into the opening he exposed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught brief glimpses of the rest of the battlefield. Julius had trapped another thief beneath a lattice of enormous roots that burst through the street like the limbs of an ancient tree, while Gia's threads crisscrossed between market stalls, binding anyone reckless enough to charge through them. Nearby, Toho moved through the chaos with uncanny precision, slipping past attacks a heartbeat before they happened and knocking another thief unconscious with a clean strike to the temple.
His breathing grew heavier with each exchange. The confidence that had carried him through the beginning of the fight slowly gave way to frustration. Every escape route he created was cut off. Every action was countered.
Eventually, he leaped backward, his weight still on one foot in case he had to dodge. Scarface clicked his tongue.
"Tch..."
Putting several yards between us, he raised two fingers to his lips. A sharp whistle echoed across the marketplace. Every remaining thief stopped fighting. The change was so abrupt that even my team hesitated during their attacks.
Following the whistle, the thieves dispersed throughout the street, heading straight for the crowd. My eyebrows furrowed; as an extension, my whole body tensed up.
They're escaping...
Those were my first thoughts; however, I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of disappearing into the crowd, they grabbed the children they were seemingly working with. Most of the young kids wore ripped clothing, with a few exceptions who wore semi-decent clothing
I watched one masked thief snatch a frightened boy beneath the arms before lifting him in front of himself like a shield. Another grabbed two younger girls and shoved them toward Julius's advancing roots. A third disappeared into an alley with three children desperately trying to keep up behind him, terrified of being left behind.
The marketplace was already in panic, but this relaunched another wave. One that was just as bad.
My head snapped all over the street, keeping track of every thief's position and how many children they took. My attention shifted to the children instead of the ringleader. That was until I heard his laugh echo from the few yards he was standing back.
I turned to face him again at the loud burst of his laughter. He spread his arms mockingly. His smile widened.
"Well, what's wrong? Go on... little heroes."