Chapter 97: Alley Clash (2)
Roana sighed as she stared at the man with long black hair who was good-looking and wearing a black suit. She quickly figured out the man’s Beast Spirit was a Succubus, granting him supernatural allure and charm abilities.
She saw the light pink light in his black eyes, and the chill crawling up on her arms, it was annoying.
"Your beauty is wasted in violence." The long-haired man said, his voice carrying layers of supernatural persuasion. Each word was honeyed, designed to bypass logical thought and speak directly to primal desires. "Why don’t we discuss this like civilized people?"
Roana tilted her head slightly, leading the man’s smile to grow, and then he shivered at the coldness in Roana’s eyes.
Then the temperature dropped twenty degrees in an instant.
Ice crystals materialized from the moisture in the air, forming a dozen floating shards around Roana. Each one was perfectly formed, looking more like crystal art than weapons, and they orbited her slowly.
"You talk too much. We can talk after you’re suppressed." Roana says bluntly.
The shards launched forward in a barrage. The man’s eyes widened before he dove to the side, rolling behind a dumpster as ice shards embedded themselves in the metal with sharp tinkling sounds.
Roana’s eyes glance to the side to see him peek out, trying to reestablish eye contact. So she waved her hand, leading to another shard to shoot out and nearly took his eye out, forcing him back into cover.
More ice was forming now, spreading across the ground from where Roana stood, turning the alley into a frozen wasteland.
The man tried to circle around, keeping obstacles between them while attempting to find an angle that would allow his charm to work.
Grand Scan.
A blue ripple spread out under Roana’s feet and through the area. Then Roana no longer cared about looking at the man as she closed her eyes, tracking his movement perfectly with the blue ripples while ice shards launched with pinpoint accuracy every time he showed himself.
Desperation made the man reckless as he rushed forward, but it was useless as the ground beneath his feet instantly froze, and he found himself sliding uncontrollably forward. His arms moved around crazily as he tried to maintain balance.
Roana’s hand rose, and an ice pillar erupted from the frozen ground directly in his path. He slammed into it face-first, bouncing back and landing flat on the ice. Before he could recover, more ice was forming around his legs and creeping up his body.
He tried to break free, but the ice was already at his waist, his chest, and pinning his arms. Within seconds, he was encased from neck to toe in a prison of ice, only his head free.
"The charm of a Succubus." Roana observed softly. "It is ultimately a form of mental manipulation. It requires the target to process the input emotionally." She placed a hand on the ice encasing him, and he shivered as the cold penetrated even deeper. "I processed it logically instead. Your defeat was inevitable, now be silent for now."
...
Joseph had positioned himself at the mouth of the alley, arms crossed as he watched the battles conclude one by one. His role was simple, ensuring none of the ambushers escaped to potentially return with reinforcements.
But as each fight ended, it became clear his vigil was unnecessary, and none of the attackers were in any condition to flee.
The entire confrontation had lasted perhaps four minutes from Marie’s initial time dilation to the last attacker falling.
The alley and street had cracked pavement, shattered windows, and destroyed property, yet no city guards had arrived. The team’s efficiency had kept the noise just below the threshold that would trigger an official response.
Or maybe Phineas bribes the guards to not come over. Marie thought as she dismissed Longnius in glittering lights. She stepped over the unconscious basilisk user, brushing stone dust from her clothes.
Scath dragged the unconscious Nemean user back to the group by his collar, his scaled form leaving grooves in the pavement. She dumped him unceremoniously with the others, creating a pile of defeated ambushers.
"Amateurs!" Scratch declared, dismissing her spear. "I was hoping those hired by the Sinners would have been better. Especially if they plan to keep Maire and Joseph in the city."
"It’s obvious their purpose was just to follow them." Roana said, ice crystals still dancing around her fingers as she maintained the frozen prison holding the Succubus user. "Even if they got caught, it wouldn’t mean anything. But I am confused as to why they would stay in the fight instead of escaping?"
Gran adjusted his glasses, the golden glow fading from his eyes as he returned to his normal state. "We should interrogate them once they wake up. While I doubt they know much, it’s possible they know a hidden base or two of the Sinners. Or they at least be used to help us find out where Phineas goes."
Nikki laughed before nodding as she gave a thumbs-up to everyone. She hadn’t even needed to fight, the others had handled the situation before she could pick a target.
Roana turned back towards the Succubus user, but then she paused, and her eyes widened as the person’s face turned purple. Then he opened his mouth, leading her to see a glowing purple ball that began to grow.
And it wasn’t just him, but all the other captured one opened their mouths, even the ones knocked unconscious.
Everyone’s expression shifted, but Marie instantly tapped into Harold Marker and used Drasil Step, leading time to slow down extremely.
Marie quickly moved, grabbing Gran and Nikki before hurling them both towards the roof. Then she rushed towards Roana and Scath’s shoulder before swinging them and throwing them towards the roof.
And then she finally rushed towards Joseph as two seconds passed. Marie quickly grasped onto Joseph and threw him upwards before beginning to rush up the wall and then leaping over the edge.
As time returned to normal, her feet landed on the wall, and she began rushing upwards as an ear-splitting purple cloud blasted out.
Marie swiftly tapped into Harold Marker and used Wind Drift to delay the purple smoke reaching the wall and pushing it to the side. Then Marie hurled herself upwards, climbing up the walls and over the ledge just as the purple smoke swirled around the open area below.
Marie lay on her back, staring up at the sky and saying. "That was close... But I was expecting an explosion, not a cloud."
"That shouldn’t be something you should focus on Marie." Roana says as she holds out a hand and pulls Marie up.
Marie grabbed it and let Roana pull her to her feet.
"Still," Gran said, pushing his glasses up, his eyes faintly glowing from the remnants of his power. "Good reaction time, Marie. We’d all be affected by whatever that was if it weren’t for you."
Scath let out a low whistle, crossing her arms. "I’ll give her that, but I am kind of curious about the effects of the blast."
"Can you not be." Grans glared at Scath, who laughed.
Marie chuckles as she brushes dust from her coat. "No problem!"
Nikki stretched her arms behind her head. "I’m surprised they would do this. I thought Phineas wanted you all alive?"
"He does, I don’t think he knows about this part." Marie says softly as she turns to the edge of the roof and moves over.
"This might have been Phineas’ other partners he mentioned to us before." Joseph says as he heads to the edge with the others following.
The night air blew past them, and Marie narrowed her eyes as she saw the alleyway glowed faintly violet where the smoke began to fade.
What was left behind made everyone freeze.
The cobblestone street, the walls, and the broken crates were all empty. Not a single body or even blood had remained.
Roana’s eyes widened before she frowned and said. "There’s no way. None of them were in a position to run, but somehow they were gone."
Gran adjusted his glasses again as he said. "If they tried, we would’ve noticed it. There’s no trail or noise..."
Marie leaned forward a bit, peering into the empty space, and saw faint purple stains across the stone like burns. "So they’re just... Gone? Did someone take them away?"
Roana shakes her head and says. "I think I recall hearing Professor Rosaria talking about this once. That purple cloud and previous people captured from being a part of the Sinners...Meaning those Beasts Masters may have been under the Sinners instead of paid people."
Nikki’s smirk faded, and she stepped closer to the ledge. "You mean..."
Roana met her eyes and nodded. "The purple cloud destroys their body and any evidence of blood around."
For a long moment, nobody spoke.
Scath narrowed her eyes. "They’re brutal, I’ll give them that, but it makes sense. Criminals like the Sinners don’t leave loose ends." She turned her head, her scaled cheek catching the dim light. "Even their own people."
Nikki nodded with a small hum before glancing over her shoulder. "Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’d rather not be here when the City Guards arrive. They’ll have questions."
Scath gave a half-snort before turning around. "Agreed. Let’s move before they start swarming the area."
Roana looked back one last time at the alley, her eyes narrowing as the final wisps of purple smoke disappeared into the air. Her expression was calm on the surface, but Marie could see the tension in her jaw, the faint tremor in her hand.
Roana turned away. "Let’s go."
They began to move across the rooftops, their footsteps soft against the stone.
Marie followed last as she glanced back one more time.
The alley below was quiet again.