[Kayda POV]
"Ah, I want one of these." The bunny girl, named Nix, said brightly, almost bouncing on her heels as she inspected the jagged ice bars of the jail cell Kitsu had made. Her long ears flicked curiously as she tapped a knuckle against the wall, listening to the dull, crystalline ring it gave back. "So clean. So solid. And it sparkles in the torchlight too. Practical and pretty. I want one for myself."
"I don't know about that," I replied, tilting my head as I looked at the seamless way the wall rose from the ground. The cell looked more permanent than temporary, more fortress-like than a makeshift cage. "You'd probably just end up freezing your own tail off in one of these."
"Oh, come on. It is made out of magic! Can't she just make one for the military as well?" Nix whined, stepping forward and pressing up into my space. Her bright eyes gleamed with unrestrained enthusiasm, and her nose twitched in a way that reminded me uncomfortably of a real rabbit.
"You'll need to ask her," I said, stepping back before she could crowd me any further. I jabbed a thumb toward the tower of ice above us, where Kitsu stood like some ominous guardian, railgun humming behind her.
"Hmm," Nix hummed, tilting her head, ears swaying lazily. "That structure up there looks dangerous. Maybe I'll save my questions for later. Don't want to get blasted into ash for nagging." She smiled as if the idea amused her rather than scared her, then cheerfully went back to tying the prisoners inside the cell.
The one she was working on snarled, his voice venomous. "Bitch, you're hurting me." He twisted against the chains, trying to spit at her.
Nix froze for just a fraction of a second, her ears going stiff, before she turned her crimson glare on him. "Oh? Says the one who raped a teenager to death. Shut up." Her tone was flat, like stone grinding.
The man smirked, defiant even in chains. "She loved it, and you know it. Don't you remember her face? Ah, you know what? I'll forgive you if we—augh!" His words cut off into a gurgle as Nix's hand snapped out, ripping his jaw free in one smooth, brutal motion.
Blood spattered the frostbitten ground. His jaw hit the ice with a sickening clack.
"I guess you die first," Nix said coldly. Without ceremony, she smashed his head against the ground, cracking his skull like an eggshell. The body went limp instantly.
I let out a slow breath, my lips quirking into a wry smile despite myself. "Hmm, you've got a temperament on you. But try not to kill more. We might need them."
She didn't answer at first, her hand still pressed against the corpse, fingers twitching. Then, finally, she stood, brushing her gauntlets clean. "I am not like the other rabbit demis. I don't take shit lying down." Her glare lingered on the broken body.
"That's not as rare as you think," I said, shrugging. "I've met a few rabbit demis with just as much bite as you."
Her head snapped toward me, ears perked, eyes wide. "...You have?"
"Yes. Kitsu actually has one in her personal squad right now. Though she's too weak to be of much use at the moment." I tilted my head thoughtfully, remembering how Kitsu had dragged Nekro back, half-dead, and how stubbornly the girl had clung to life.
"How interesting," Nix hummed, eyes sparkling with fresh curiosity. "A fox who collects strays. And a rabbit among them too. I want to meet her."
Her expression made me uneasy—like a child discovering a new toy she wanted to pull apart. I turned away, unwilling to indulge her. "Well, anyway, let's get this started, shall we?" I strode out of the cell, leaving her and the corpse behind.
"Finally. I was getting bored just standing here and watching," one of the adventurers muttered off to the side, leaning against the tower's base.
"Hmm, Jerry?" The guild master appeared like a shadow, his massive hand descending to smack the man over the head. "Are you so eager to get killed?"
"Ha-ha, come on, guild master, is it wrong to make some jokes? Every one of us is nervous. That black fire is as eerie as it gets, you know." Jerry rubbed the new lump on his head and jogged away, laughter a little too sharp, too hollow. Fear bled through his attempt at humor.
"That brat," the guild master growled under his breath, grinding his teeth.
"Let him be. Even I'm nervous," I admitted, shrugging. My chest felt tight, my wings restless. It wasn't a lie. This would be my first time facing devils directly, not just creatures tainted by their power. I'd seen horrors before, but this… this was something else.
"Sigh. True. We all are nervous," Nix said, stepping up beside me, voice oddly calm.
"Well, send them in then," I said, jerking my chin toward the prisoners.
"Okay!" Nix's face lit up like a child being handed candy. Her ears wiggled in excitement.
"You sound a little too happy about this," I muttered, my skin crawling at her enthusiasm.
"...I'm interested in how it will happen," Nix said softly, her gaze locked on the fortress. The black flames licked the air like living shadows, waiting. She wanted to see the moment their souls were torn free.
I said nothing, just nodded. She went back into the cell and soon returned, dragging a prisoner by the chains, her gauntleted hand firm around his collar.
"Same here," I mumbled under my breath, then bent and picked up another criminal by the scruff. With one beat of my wings, I launched into the air.
The fortress loomed below, cloaked in black fire, its twisted towers barely holding their shape. The heat was unnatural—more like a psychic pressure than physical warmth.
"I am getting tired of waiting," I said, halting above it.
"I agree. I just wish this day would end," the man in my grip said suddenly, shoulders slumping. His voice carried no fear.
I blinked, surprised. "Well, it's close to being night, but you won't be seeing it."
"True. Cheers, dragon woman," he said. And then I let him go. His body tumbled, small against the enormity of the flames, vanishing into the black maw.
"Sigh. Strange he didn't show fear," I murmured, folding my arms. "Well, whatever. Nothing to worry about."
Then it began.
"Raaaaooorrr!!!"
The roar tore through the air like a storm given voice, inhuman and primal. My bones rattled. My heart skipped. Terror flooded me, cold and sharp. All across the field, adventurers froze, their spines rigid.
"Shit, that scared the hell out of me!" I shouted, beating my wings hard to fling myself backward, putting distance between me and the fortress.
"Get ready, everyone! It's starting!!" The guild master roared, his voice cracking but commanding.
"Sreeeeek!!"
"Sreekk!!"
The shrieks rose like a chorus from hell itself. Transparent black hands clawed up from the earth around the fortress, dragging themselves into being. Their forms were vague, humanoid shadows, their eyes empty voids.
"So those are devil thralls?" I muttered. There had to be more than a hundred already, crawling out in seconds. Weak, yes—but sheer numbers made them horrifying.
"Well, let's see how easy they are to kill." I cracked my knuckles, readying a spell—
Zap!
The sound split the air, sharp and sizzling. My eyes widened. Down below, the fence Kitsu had made glowed as lightning crackled through its wires. Any thrall that came within a meter convulsed violently, their shadows unraveling like smoke before disintegrating.
It was almost comical—the way they reached out, only to crumple and vanish the instant they touched the barrier.
"Hmm. It seems the adventurers already realized how effective the fence is," I said, noting how none of them had lifted a finger yet. They were just staring, wide-eyed, hands idle at their sides.
"That's not good. The thralls might wear down the durability of the fence," I frowned.
"Oi, you fucking shitbags!"! Start using your fucking magic! My fence isn't going to do all your fucking work!!" Kitsu's voice thundered across the field.
"Wow," I muttered, genuinely startled. "Didn't think she could yell that loud."
"Pah, like she can—Boom!"
The adventurer beside me didn't finish his sentence before Kitsu fired her railgun. The thunderous blast shook the ground as the fortress shuddered, another section ripped apart in a violent explosion of black lightning.
"I am fucking watching you!!" she bellowed.
"She sounds pissed," I muttered, lips twitching. I conjured four scorch balls around me, each floating and glowing faintly, then set them firing thin beams of heat into the thralls. Small lasers cut through them cleanly, each hit making a shadow collapse.
"Skreeek!!"
Another cry echoed from the fortress.
"...Wow, what is—"
Boom!
"Dead." I finished my own question, watching as a larger thrall—something like a shrieker—was obliterated instantly by Kitsu's railgun. Nothing remained but twisted ash.
"Oi, fucking dog, get your people to carry their weight! I am not working for free!!" Kitsu screamed again, her voice sharp as a blade.
"What is going on over there to make her so angry?" I muttered, flying sideways to get a better view. My stomach twisted when I saw it—the thralls were pouring out thicker on her side, swarming the fence faster than ours.
"Weird. Is it because that side has—"
Boom!
"Has more firepower?" I guessed aloud, watching her blast another shrieker into oblivion.
"Brat! Call me "dog" again, and I'll rip—"
Bang!
"Argh!!!" The guild master yelped, a gunshot grazing his ear, blood spraying.
"Shut the fuck up and work!" Kitsu snarled from her tower, still aiming her gun at him.
My scroll vibrated suddenly.
"Kayda—"
"Don't even think about dragging me into this. Just get your adventurers to work properly, and all is good, okay?" I interrupted the guild master before ending the call, my patience gone.
I glanced at the far fence again and frowned. The glow was weakening, the magic fuzzing in and out. They weren't feeding it enough mana.
"Sigh. Guess I have to help." I muttered, disappointed, and began flying to each mana conductor. I pressed energy into each, enough to stabilize them, my body prickling from the constant drain.
"Kayda!"
I turned. Kitsu's sharp eyes were on me.
"Yo, something wrong?" I landed beside her tower.
"A lot. But… are you sure you're fine using your mana like this? You still have scorch balls active on the other side, and now you're fueling these too. Do you need to rest? I can take over for you, at least for a while." Her tone was softer, worry lacing every word.
For a moment, I just looked at her. The fierce, snappy fox glaring at everyone else was looking at me with real concern. My heart fluttered despite the battlefield roaring around us.
"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses. I'm fine. My mana regeneration can handle this much," I said with a smile.
"Yeah, but this might go on for hours," she pressed.
"True. Then I'll tell you when I need rest, okay?"
"Uh… please do," Kitsu said, finally nodding, her gaze shifting back to the battle.
I couldn't help it—I pressed a hand to my cheek, grinning like a fool as I looked at her back. She's so worried about me. And so damn cute.
"Well, see you later," I said, patting her shoulder before spreading my wings again.
"Be careful."
"Same to you," I smiled and soared back to my side of the field, heart a little lighter despite the chaos.