Scarlet moved through the ruined city, the unconscious Juliana slung over her shoulder. The girl was strangely resistant to the infection, a curiosity Scarlet couldn't wait to explore further—or maybe the boss would know what made her special.
She glanced back, ensuring Fin wasn't following, then refocused on the looming tower ahead.
Suddenly, a blast of fire erupted nearby, missing her by inches and scorching the cracked pavement where she'd been a second before. The heat washed over her face.
She stopped, annoyance flickering in her eyes. She looked down from her rooftop perch. Standing in the street below was a group of Hunters. Four serious-looking A-ranks, their gear practical and worn, and leading them, a petite woman radiating calm authority. The Guildmaster from the Hunters Guild.
"Tch. This is inconvenient," Scarlet muttered. Her orders were clear: don't kill the main Hunter teams if possible, just let them walk into the trap. But these weren't weaklings she could just outrun.
She leaped down, landing lightly on the street a good distance away. Carefully, she propped Juliana against the base of a crumbling building wall, making sure she wouldn't fall.
Then, she turned to face the Hunters. A vibrant pink aura flared around her, shimmering in the dull light. Her fingernails elongated, darkening into sharp claws. A wide, predatory smirk stretched across her face.
"Well now," she purred, her voice laced with excitement. "Looks like playtime came early. Guess I have no choice."
The Guildmaster remained still, her eyes sharp and assessing, taking in Scarlet's transformation. The A-rank Hunters tensed, weapons ready.
Scarlet giggled, a manic sound that echoed eerily between the buildings. Before anyone could react, she vanished. In the next instant, she reappeared right in the middle of the A-rank Hunters. Her claws flashed out.
One of the Hunters gasped, eyes wide with shock, before collapsing to the ground, a dark stain spreading across their chest.
The remaining three Hunters instinctively fell back, forming a tighter defensive circle around their Guildmaster.
The Guildmaster's expression didn't change, her gaze locked onto Scarlet, tracking the impossibly fast movements. As Scarlet lunged again, aiming for another Hunter, the Guildmaster moved.
Instead of dodging, the Guildmaster met the attack head-on. Her hand shot out, intercepting Scarlet's clawed wrist with surprising strength. Scarlet's eyes widened fractionally in surprise.
With a smooth, powerful motion that belied her size, the Guildmaster twisted Scarlet's arm and drove a fist into her stomach. The blow connected with solid force. Scarlet flew backward, crashing through the already weakened wall of a nearby shopfront with a sound like splintering wood and shattering glass.
Dust billowed from the opening.
The Guildmaster lowered her fist, her eyes cold.
"You carry a foul mana," she stated, her voice clear and steady in the sudden silence. "The stench of corruption. You must be an underling of that 'man'."
Dust and debris shifted. A low chuckle echoed from the ruined shopfront, growing louder into a full-throated laugh. Scarlet stepped out of the rubble, brushing plaster dust from her shoulder.
A thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes gleamed with manic energy.
"So," she said, wiping her lip with the back of her hand, her smirk returning. "You know my Master, huh? Interesting. Makes this more fun."
Her pink aura flared brightly again, and she shot forward like a bullet, claws aimed at the Guildmaster's throat. The Guildmaster sidestepped, moving with fluid grace, her hand blurring as she deflected the strike.
They exchanged blows in a flurry of motion. Claws met open palms, pink energy clashed against unseen force. For a moment, they seemed evenly matched—Scarlet's wild speed against the Guildmaster's precise defense.
The remaining A-rank Hunters watched, unable to find an opening to intervene without getting in the way.
Then, the Guildmaster shifted her stance slightly. With a whisper of movement, a sword appeared in her hand. It wasn't large or ornate, just a simple, elegant blade that seemed to hum with contained power.
The instant the sword materialized, Scarlet recoiled, her manic grin vanishing. She leaped backward, putting distance between them, pure, instinctual fear flashing in her eyes.
But the Guildmaster gave her no room to breathe. She closed the distance instantly, the sword becoming a silver streak aimed directly at Scarlet's face.
'Oh crap,' she thought, panic seizing her. 'I'm going to die!' The sword tip seemed to fill her vision.
CLANG!
A heavy metallic sound rang out. The Guildmaster's sword stopped millimeters from Scarlet's nose, blocked by a thick, tattooed arm covered in shifting, defensive runes. A second figure, scarred and stocky, appeared beside the first, his own weapon deflecting the sword's path slightly.
Rhan stood protectively in front of Scarlet, his knuckles white where he gripped the Guildmaster's blade with his augmented arm. Tony was beside him, breathing heavily.
"Having fun without us?" Rhan growled, his eyes locked on the Guildmaster. Without waiting for an answer, he shoved the sword away and lashed out with a powerful kick aimed at the Guildmaster's chest.
She reacted instantly, raising her forearms to block. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, but she held her ground, sliding back only a few feet on the cracked stone, her expression hardening.
She stood firm, her sword held steady, eyes flicking between the three opponents now facing her. Rhan, the leader. Tony, the brute and Scarlet, momentarily sidelined but still dangerous.
'Three of them now,' she thought, her grip tightening on her sword hilt. 'One, I could handle. But three of this caliber... this could get ugly fast.'
Rhan cracked his knuckles, his gaze fixed on the Guildmaster. "Scarlet, stand back. Let us handle this."
Tony nodded beside him. "Yeah, take a breather. We got this."
Scarlet bristled, stepping forward slightly. "No way! This is my fight! She—"
Rhan shot her a sideways glance. It wasn't loud or aggressive, just a cold, sharp look that cut off her protest instantly. A shiver traced its way down her spine.
"Tch, fine," she muttered, reluctantly stepping back towards the wall where Juliana lay unconscious. She crossed her arms, sulking but obedient.
With Scarlet out of the immediate fray, Rhan and Tony turned their full attention back to the Guildmaster. They looked at each other casually.
"Want to take her on?" Tony asked, sounding almost bored, like they were discussing lunch options.
Rhan shrugged, flexing his arm. "Eh, not really. Seems like a lot of effort. Bit boring, don't you think?"
The Guildmaster's eyes narrowed dangerously. Their dismissive tone, the utter lack of respect—it ignited a cold fury within her. 'Are they truly looking down on me?' she thought, the question a low growl in her mind. 'The Guildmaster of the hunters guild?'
A palpable pressure began to emanate from her. The air grew heavy. A faint, crimson aura started to leak from her body, swirling around her like smoke, staining the dull grey light with an ominous red hue.
The ground beneath her feet seemed to subtly vibrate with restrained power.
The shift was immediate.
Rhan and Tony's casual demeanor vanished. Their eyes snapped to her, focus sharpened, bodies tensing. The lazy boredom was replaced with wary attention. They felt the change—the raw, potent anger radiating from the small woman before them.
This was no longer boring.