The bandit leader's lips curled into a sneer, but her grip on her weapon tightened—knuckles white, muscles coiled. She wasn't used to being challenged, especially not by some lone girl with an axe and a death wish.
"Cute," she spat. "But I don't take orders from children."
Yui's pink eyes didn't waver. The water spiraling around her axe pulsed, as if in time with her heartbeat. Then—she moved.
The bandit barely had time to raise her sword before Yui was on her, a whirlwind of controlled fury. Steel met steel in a shower of sparks, but Yui's strength was unnatural—each strike sent shockwaves up the bandit's arms.
And then, with a twist of her wrist, Yui's axe hooked the woman's blade and wrenched it aside, leaving her wide open.
Without wasting a second the bandit tossed her body to the side, dodging the destructive collision that befell the earth. The other bandits rushed in, as the boss watched.
The other bandits surged forward, weapons drawn—a mix of rusted swords, jagged daggers, and one wiry archer nocking an arrow in the shadows.
Yui didn't flinch.The first bandit lunged, sword swinging wild. Yui pivoted, her axe still lodged in the earth—and with a brutal yank, she ripped it free in an upward arc.
The flat of the blade caught him under the chin, sending him sprawling.The second came from behind. Yui didn't even turn.Water erupted from the ground in a whip-like tendril, lashing around the bandit's ankle and yanking him off-balance. He face-planted into the moss with a grunt.The archer lost his arrow.
Her free hand flicked up—a surge of water spiraled from her axe, intercepting the projectile midair. It hung there, suspended in liquid, before clattering harmlessly to the ground.The bandit leader's smirk faded.
Yui's eyes turned to her, her tail dragging behind her with each step. The Bandit leader stepped back for a moment, gritting her teeth before she drew her blade to the child once more.
"Last chance…" She offered. "Leave n—"
Her words were cut off at a high pitched whistle, her eyes quickly darting to the side of her as she swung her axe skyward with practiced ease. The sound of a metal clang hits her axe once more as another arrow bounced off the steel, the arrow falling to the floor once more.
"Tch…" Yui clicked her tongue in annoyance, walking forward to where the archer was hiding, only to be stopped by a swing of the bandit leader's steel blade. It blurred in nothing but an arch moonlight shimmer. Yui barely dodged the blow by the skin of her teeth.
She stepped back, her axe raised and a blade pointed towards her, as the enemy archer nocked another bow.
"Well? Don't just lay there, get up!" The boss roared, and at her command they all started to groan and pushed themselves to their feet. Everyone rustled in the back of their pocket, pulling out something she couldn't quite see in the dark.
They brought it to their mouths, everyone swallowing in unison.
The forest air grew thick with the sound of cracking joints and ragged breathing. Before Yui's eyes, the bandits' bodies began twisting - muscles swelling against fabric, veins bulging like dark roots beneath their skin. One let out a wet, gurgling scream as his jaw unhinged unnaturally wide.
The first transformed bandit charged with terrifying speed, his rusted sword now swinging with monstrous strength. Yui barely raised her axe in time - the impact sent shockwaves through her arms, forcing her back a step. The second came from her blind spot, a dagger aimed at her ribs. She twisted away, but not fast enough - the blade grazed her side, drawing first blood.
Her eyes shot to her wound then to another bandit, his axe swinging down upon her. She barely managed to block it.
Her boots dug into the mud as she was sent backwards from the sheer force of it. Her eyes narrowed with effort. The other's wasted no time, an arrow came flying from the trees, sticking into her leg in one sudden blow.
Her leg buckled under the weight, her sharp teeth gritting harder and harder together.
she reached down and snapped the arrow shaft in her leg with a sharp jerk, leaving the head embedded. Blood trickled down her calf, but she forced her weight onto it, ignoring the fire spreading through her muscles.
The first brute charged again, his sword a blur. Yui ducked low, water erupting from the earth in a sudden geyser, slamming into his chest and sending him crashing into a tree. The second came from her left, dagger flashing. She pivoted, her axe meeting his wrist with a sickening crack. He howled, his weapon falling into the mud.
But the third—the archer—was already drawing again.
Yui's free hand flicked upward, and the water clinging to her axe surged outward in a spiraling whip. It lashed through the trees, wrapping around the archer's bow and yanking it from his grip. Before he could react, she twisted her wrist—the water coiled around his throat and slammed him face-first into the dirt.
The bandit leader's smirk vanished.
The earth shuddered as she shot forward, her axe carving a crescent of water and steel. The bandit leader barely raised her sword in time—but this time, Yui wasn't holding back.
The impact sent the woman skidding back, her boots tearing furrows in the mud. Yui didn't let up. Strike after strike, each one heavier than the last, each one driving the bandit leader closer to the treeline. The woman's arms trembled under the force, her breath ragged.
Then—Yui feinted left.
The bandit leader fell for it, swinging wildly to block a blow that never came. Yui twisted, her axe hooking the woman's ankle, and yanked.
The bandit leader hit the ground hard, her sword flying from her grasp. Before she could scramble up, Yui's boot pressed down on her chest, the edge of her axe resting against the woman's throat.
"Tell them to stand down," She demanded, her blade pressing harder against her throat, forcing her head up.