Battle in the Concrete Canal
"What a mess."
Roque muttered as he floored the accelerator of the Black Knight. Far ahead in the concrete canal, trucks were racing toward them, guns blazing, while Kayla hid behind her vehicle. The hail of bullets had her pinned down, unable to even grip the wheel.
Then flames erupted across the Black Knight's hood with a thud-thud-thud. Roque's eyebrow twitched. The goons shooting at Kayla had spotted the oncoming Black Knight and swung their guns around without a second thought.
"These bastards..."
His expression darkened. They hadn't even bothered to check who he was before opening fire. Whether they were trying to chase him off or intended to leave no witnesses behind, it was clear they were insane.
And more importantly, they'd shot at his Black Knight.
"Roque mad?"
Elizabeth poked her head up from the back seat, her big dark eyes fixed on him innocently. Instead of answering, Roque pushed her head back down and tapped the Black Knight's terminal. The screen lit up with "Autopilot."
He punched in a few more commands, released the wheel and pedal, and rolled down the window. The Black Knight kept surging forward at the same speed.
In the next instant, he vaulted up onto the roof through the window. Ahead, enemies were piling out of their SUVs—six vehicles or so, disgorging thirty-odd soldiers in black combat gear, heavily armed. He'd seen their type before.
They leveled their guns at the charging Black Knight and unleashed a storm of bullets, just like they'd done to Kayla's truck.
Roque's awareness expanded in a flash. His will enveloped the space in front of the Black Knight.
"What the...?"
Kayla, watching from her cover, wondered if her cybernetic eyes were glitching. In her vision, the roaring Black Knight barreled toward them with Roque standing tall on top. Bullets streaked straight—then curved wildly at the last second, veering off into nowhere.
The shooters realized it too and froze. At the same moment, Roque leaped from the roof. Against the dark sky, a streak of gray light flared from his hand.
"Gray aura! It's him!"
"Fire! Everyone, fire!"
Panicking at the bending bullets and now the Aura Blade, they shouted desperately and raised their guns. But Roque dropped into their midst faster than they could aim.
"F-Fire!"
Someone barked another order. The well-trained soldiers reacted on instinct. But Roque's blade was a breath quicker.
He spun in place. In a blur, three soldiers' midsections were sliced clean through. Their multimillion-dollar body armor meant nothing against an Aura Blade.
Roque surged forward, swinging his lightsaber lightly to both sides. One soldier's torso split diagonally; another's neck and collarbone sheared off. A glowing yellow scar sizzled into the truck behind him.
"Shoot! Now!"
By then, the soldiers had Roque in their sights. He was so close some barrels wavered, but it was enough to pull the triggers.
Roque raised his left hand, grasping at thin air and yanking it toward himself.
"Gah!"
"What the hell?!"
The rifles of the soldiers in front of him flew from their hands, as if snagged by invisible fishing lines. Slipping into the gap, Roque used them as shields against the friendly fire from behind. His blade flashed, cutting them down as they staggered from their comrades' bullets.
"Cease fire! Stop shooting—friendly down!"
"Shut up! Keep firing!"
Some guns kept blazing; others hesitated. Spotting the opening, Roque leaped straight up, clearing the bullet storm and landing amid another cluster—four or five meters despite the stationary jump.
His blade traced shining arcs. Chaos erupted: screams, shouts, blind firing from lost targets. The confident soldiers devolved into a slaughterhouse in seconds.
"...Are all Aura Masters like that?"
Kayla muttered from behind her shredded truck, watching the carnage. She made a mental note not to piss him off. Then a short beep from a car horn sounded behind her.
She whirled, pistol raised—and saw the idling Black Knight, with Elizabeth peering out the passenger window.
"You?"
"Hi, Kayla."
Kayla stared blankly at the expressionless girl for a second, then lowered her gun and hurried over.
"You little rascal! Why'd you follow us here?"
"Elizabeth goes wherever Roque goes. And if Kayla's in danger, we both come running."
"What do you... Wait, how'd you even know I was here?"
A ring of light glowed in Elizabeth's black pupils.
"That's still a secret."
Kayla couldn't hide her unease at those eyes. This kid had secrets, no doubt. It made sense—who'd put a normal child into cryo-sleep for a century?
A stray bullet pinged off the Black Knight's hood from the fight. Kayla ducked and yelled inside.
"Window up, Elizabeth! Stay put!"
Elizabeth obediently raised the window and ducked into the back. The Black Knight even reversed on its own, gliding away smoothly.
"Fancy autopilot you've got there..."
Kayla murmured as the car retreated. With Elizabeth safe, she pressed against her truck and scanned the scene.
The mystery soldiers—thirty heavies—were being butchered by Roque. She winced at the bodies dropping in chunks. She'd seen plenty of merc fights, but nothing like this one-man melee.
"...Is an Aura Blade even a melee weapon?"
She tilted her head at the sudden thought. Then she spotted someone slinking away from the fray—someone who'd stayed on the periphery from the start. Kayla grinned. Gotcha.
The figure bolted across the concrete canal. Her pistol snapped up.
Bang.
Roque glanced back at the shot. He saw Kayla aiming—and farther off, a body flopping to the concrete. Probably her contact. Her satisfied smirk said it all.
Turning back, Roque faced the last three soldiers aiming shaky guns at him.
The middle one lowered his pistol suddenly. Roque wondered if he was surrendering.
"Wait. Let's talk. We don't even know each other's—"
Roque yanked with his left hand. Two rifles and the pistol hurtled past his shoulder like hooked fish.
"N-No...!"
"Shit!"
The two fumbled for thigh holsters. But gray flashes beat them to it.
Roque turned to the last one, who was lunging with a right hook—probably a hidden weapon implant. Roque sidestepped the line and closed in.
Then their eyes met through the black helmet. An ominous alarm blared in Roque's mind.
The man's gauntlet exploded open, revealing a silver ring on his index finger. It pulsed with mysterious power, glowing fiercely.
"Take this! The dragon's—"
But the ring's light never burst. Roque's blade sliced the wrist first.
"...Huh?"
The man gaped at his severed hand and ring tumbling away. Something blurred past again. His vision tilted, inverted—his wrist hit the ground first, then his ring, then his body flopped down.
Blackness.
"Close call."
Roque swished his Aura Blade through the air. A cannon implant would've been predictable; this eerie ring set his instincts on edge, so he'd overreacted. He'd meant to spare the apparent leader.
He dismissed the blade, crouched, and eyed the now-dull ring beside the wrist.
"What is this?"
He picked up the hand for a closer look. The thick silver band bore intricate engravings—like a dragon in flight, wings spread. He touched it.
Flash. A yellow, blazing eye glared at him.
Fierce enough to scorch the world. A conqueror's gaze demanding prostration. From on high, imperious. Any normal person would've crumpled.
But Roque met it head-on, unflinching. Simple reason: that world-burning heat burned in him too. Gray light flashed in his black eyes.
The gaze vanished.
Roque blinked, piecing it together.
"Not sure how to thank you for that."
He turned to see Kayla approaching with a grin. The encounter had been split-second; she hadn't noticed. He touched the ring again—nothing.
"...Hey? You hit somewhere?"
No response. Kayla tilted her head. Roque stood, pocketing the ring after sliding it off the severed hand.
"What's that?"
"A ring."
"...I can see that."
Roque glanced at the distant Black Knight. Elizabeth's face pressed to the passenger window, watching him.
After a moment's eye contact, he pocketed the ring and said to Kayla,
"The guy who ran."
"Huh? Oh, Levi?"
"Dead?"
Kayla shook her head.
"Nah. Look—he's crawling, desperate to live."
Sure enough, amid the corpse-strewn chaos, a figure dragged itself away, leaving a bloody trail on the gray concrete. The one Kayla had shot. They exchanged looks. Kayla smirked.
"Ahh. Payback time."
Their steps followed the crimson rail. Levi crawled faster at the footsteps but couldn't outpace walking legs.
He rolled over at the shoes by his face, ears drooping pathetically.
"P-Please... spare me. I-I'll pay."
Roque grabbed the middle-aged elf's collar and hoisted him up.