The Floating Plague (2)
A chilling wind blows through the night. The tall clock tower, symbol of Silverflower Village, is about to chime twelve times, announcing midnight. At that moment, the city's pigeons will return to their nests, and only then will the streets fully drown in perfect silence.
The spire pierces the sky like a needle, standing alone in lonely vigil, while the massive clock hands below point toward the village just beginning to slumber. Aside from the black clouds drifting across the heavens, nothing moves.
Except for one thing.
"...Is that it?"
Atop the sharply pointed roof, where the entire nighttime panorama of the city unfolds in a dizzying vista, stands a woman. Despite the fierce wind, she doesn't budge an inch. Even balanced on the needle-like peak, she maintains an elegant, mysterious poise. Her long, straight white hair flows freely. A black tights suit clings tightly to her body. She looks to be in her late teens. Her voluptuous figure is adorned with daggers and explosives hanging from every slim contour. A rope coiled tightly around one leg bristles with hooks, giving her a rather menacing silhouette.
Her name is Levitia. She's one of the infamous female thieves, known as much for her stunning beauty as for the ruthless brutality that overshadows it. She's the subject of urban legends whispered across the continent—not so much by her real name, Levitia, but by her moniker, the Phantom Thief Levit (rabbit).
Rumors in the underworld say that if you tallied up all the jewels, antiques, and artworks that have vanished into her hands, you could buy a whole kingdom. Of course, these are just tall tales circulated among thieves like legends, so no one in polite society truly believes them.
In any case, she's a living urban legend, an elusive master thief. So why has a thief of her caliber come to this rural backwater, Silverflower Village?
Only she knows the answer.
"I've been hired to spread the plague in this village elder's house, that's why I'm here."
Levitia has a habit of muttering to herself. As always, before diving into her mission, she's mulling over her thoughts.
"But I'm the greatest phantom thief of this era. Spreading some stupid disease isn't my line of work. It kinda hurts my pride. Man, did I become a thief just for this? Kinda makes me feel pathetic and miserable..."
After hesitating for a while, she nods firmly, as if she's made up her mind.
"Eh, whining won't get me anywhere. Let's just get it over with and go."
Levitia pulls a small glass vial glowing pink from her pocket. As her client said, after testing it on villagers these past few days, she can confirm the effects are potent. Now she just needs to toss it into Elder Austin's mansion, her original target.
"Here goes. Good luck."
Levitia holds the vial and silently prays toward Austin's mansion window.
That's when.
"You're under arrest."
A head pops up from the rooftop of the mansion on the opposite side. Pink hair that stands out even in the dark night. It's Cliche.
Why is a boy Cliche's age wandering rooftops in the dead of night, dressed in pajamas? Any normal person might question it, but not Levitia.
"Oh? A cute boy? Hi there~?"
Levitia pauses mid-throw and winks at Cliche.
"You're shockingly adorable, you know? If I weren't so busy, I'd chat longer. Too bad. Let's meet again—with smiles next time."
With that, Levitia turns back to Elder Austin's house and prepares to hurl the pink vial.
The moment she does.
Boom—
A massive thud erupts beside her. Crackle-crack! An enormous vibration shakes the tiles beneath her feet. Roof tiles shattering.
"...?"
Levitia turns her head, and Cliche's face is right there, inches away.
"...Huh?"
Levitia tilts her head in confusion. What the—?
She glances back to where Cliche had been. It's about thirty meters away—on a pretty high vantage point, too. How did he close that distance in an instant?
Teleportation?
Levitia suspects magic for a moment. But if it were, she'd have sensed it. No mana fluctuations at all.
Then.
"...?"
She looks down at Cliche's feet. The roof where he's standing is smashed and cratered. It was teleportation, alright. Physical teleportation.
He jumped all the way here?
Levitia tilts her head again. Even a superhuman who's mastered mana to the limit—could they leap that far?
At that moment, Cliche extends a pale palm tinged pink toward her.
"Hand it over."
"...?"
Levitia can't find words for the small, cute demand and just tilts her head.
Cliche adds, annoyed, "That vial. Hand it over."
Finally grasping the situation, Levitia pinches her brow.
Damn, I've been letting my guard down too much. Being pretty and cute causes problems like this.
She shakes her head and flashes a bright smile.
"Kiddo. Do you know who I am? I'm the famous—"
But Cliche has no patience for her introduction.
"Hand it over."
He doesn't just say it. Whoosh— His hand swings through the air. But it's no longer the small, cute hand from before.
Whoa—
To Levitia's eyes, it looks like a massive monster's palm. A huge grip blending red and white—get caught in that, and you're done for, smashed to death for sure.
It's not magic. It's the phantom thief's honed instinct, near-prophetic intuition.
"Eek!?"
Levitia yelps and arches her back. Cliche's hand grazes the tips of her breasts and nose by a hair's breadth.
Fast!
A chilling shiver races up her spine. She realizes from that near-miss graze: this boy in front of her is no ordinary kid.
"Wh-what are you!? How are you so...!"
Levitia wants to say "fast and strong?" next. But she can't get the words out. No time to even roll her tongue.
Slash!
Cliche's other hand follows up. The first one swings back too.
"Kyaa!?"
Levitia tries to dodge, but.
Crack-crack!
An ice wall blocks her escape. Bam! Crumble-crunch! Cliche's palm grazes her scalp and shatters the thick ice wall.
Take a direct hit from that, and a human skull would shatter like sand grains, no doubt.
"Kyaa! Crazy! What is this!? A monster!"
Levitia kicks off with all her might.
"...Hm?"
This time, Cliche's the one surprised. Levitia's retreat speed is insane. Heels and all, her mobility is unreal. He's never seen a living thing move that fast. Maybe only fully awakened Kubelin Hotse? Or Unicef in her old Slaughter Ghost days?
"...I'm slow at running."
Cliche frowns. Fast-moving targets are a headache in every way.
Huuuh!
He takes a deep breath and channels power into both hands. Grrrumble! Crack-crack! Flames and ice whirl from his palms.
No choice. If going to her is a hassle, make her come here.
Shwaaa! Boiling fire and razor-sharp ice spread in a net across the sky. Her back alternates hot and cold; sensing something off, Levitia glances behind.
"...!"
Her eyes bulge wide. She's so shocked her heart nearly leaps out her throat. Her back is a wall of fire and ice. No gap to slip through.
"Hiiiik!? What the hell is all this!? What kind of village has this crap!?"
Levitia twists her waist in panic. Miraculously, with godlike agility, she threads through the net's mesh.
Normally she'd evade and return to her spot, but even amid chaos, she exploits the firewall's tiniest gaps. A move worthy of the world's top phantom thief.
"Whoa..."
Even Cliche is impressed by her agility. So fast and flexible! If there's one thing she's world-class at, it's running away.
Tap-tap—
Levitia scrambles out and leaps onto a nearby mansion chimney. Her clothes are in tatters. Her long white hair is now frizzy, smeared with soot like a rat's nest in spots.
"You fucking bastard!"
Atop the chimney, she checks her hair, then bellows at Cliche far away.
"You asshole! Watch your back at night! I'll get revenge for this...!"
Levitia can't finish yelling. Cliche crouches again, prepping another leap. Physical teleport incoming.
"Just you wait, you bastard! Ugh, my hair! How am I supposed to style this!? Phantom thieves have straight hair—frizzy ruins the mystique! Argh!"
Frizzy-haired Levitia spins and flees in a frenzy, grinding her teeth.
"..."
Cliche scowls at the distant night sky. No way even he can catch her when she's dead set on escaping. He's slow on foot, after all.
"Can't be helped."
Cliche rummages in his pajama pocket and pulls something out. A small pink-glowing object.
A whistle.
* * *
How far did she run? Levitia emerges in a quiet forest.
"Huff! Gah! Hack!"
Leaning against a pine trunk, she gasps for air. Pine sap coats her back, but she hasn't time to care. Her lungs feel like bursting bags.
Mystery and aloof image be damned. Drool streams from both mouth corners.
"...What the hell was that guy?"
The shock lingers in her mind. That pink-haired boy who'd seemed just cute. Who knew he hid such monstrous power?
"Pure 'strength,' right? No mana from the fire or ice. Definitely not magic. What is he?"
Levitia clutches her head, nothing but questions.
"Damn. Me, one of the continent's eight great villains and a 'head' of the evil organization Hydra... taken down by some punk kid..."
She's muttering explanations to herself. But...?
Something drops from above her head, leaned against the tree.
"...Huh? A spider?"
Sensing oddity, Levitia looks up.
"...!"
A black something looms right in her face. A blade!
Kwa-boom!
The sound follows late.
"Heok!?"
Faster than sound, the blade closes in; Levitia swallows a gasp and dodges.
Crack!
The massive pine she leaned on splits diagonally in a blink.
"Shh... you... dodged... my... iron... club?"
Soon, amid shattered wood and flying sap, a woman appears. Dazzling beauty. And a thick, grating dialect.
Kubelin Hotse.
"Ho ho ho! Why chop a healthy tree? Sorry, tree. Standing makes legs hurt—lie down from now on."
Burning red hair and a body blacker than shadow. Unicef emerges too.
"Beep! Destination reached. Ending route guidance."
AlphaGo appears before Levitia, eyes flashing.
"Heh heh! Hey, thief—or Night Gentleman? Won't you invite me into this deep darkness? Of course, even without an invite, I'll find.you. Anyway."
Diablo cackles, riding on AlphaGo's body.
"...Ha? What are you idiots?"
Levitia crosses her arms over her hips in disbelief. Hotse steps forward.
"Hand... over... the... Floating... Drug~~~"
"What’s with that speech? Total cringe."
Levitia stuffs the pink vial in her pocket and glares.
"Now I get it. You're that infamous idiot knight order, right? Pink lizard or something? Eel?"
"Ho ho ho. Dragon, actually. Despite appearances."
Unicef retorts; Levitia snorts.
"Yeah, you paper knights, the so-called 1st Knight Order in name only. I heard you caught Phantom Thief Kid, one of Hydra's eight heads. Though who really did it, who knows."
Phantom Thief Kid? That name ring a bell?
The Pink Dragon Knights members slowly recall the past.
Oh yeah.
Right after the sports festival to make Roin queen, the assassin sent to kill her—nabbed by Cliche. So easily caught he barely registered.
As realization dawns on their faces, Levitia bursts out laughing.
"You lot look shocked. Makes sense. Hearing 'Phantom Thief Kid' must terrify you, dredging up that nightmare. But get this? He was the weakest of Hydra's eight heads! As for me...!"
As Levitia starts her intro.
"Beep! Ah, your segment's too long."
AlphaGo steps forward, extending a G-shaped metal gadget.
Drip-drip—
Brown liquid trickles from it. AlphaGo hooks a finger, yanks, and taps the top.
Zzzzt!
Something electric erupts, sticking to Levitia.
"Kiiiyaaaaah!"
Casual after no mana sense, Levitia shrieks in shock.
"Beep! Wet taser gun actually works? RIP to the deceased. Action beam."
AlphaGo strokes the gadget sympathetically.
"Ex-excessive force! Excessive force!"
Levitia flails, trembling; AlphaGo finally cuts the shock.
Thud—
Freed, Levitia slumps unconscious.
"...Didn't expect her to go down this quick."
Cliche emerges late from the brush, scratching his head.
Truly, a rather anticlimactic end for the world's slipperiest phantom thief.