Even until that moment, these assassins hadn't figured out what exactly they'd tried to assassinate.
For them, only one thing was worth considering…
In the countdown of their lives, how many grains of sand were left?
Very soon, the Red Mist and her E.G.O would give them the answer—
Less than five seconds.
In a flash, E.G.O manifested; a blood-red coat draped itself upon the Red Mist. Kali raised her Mimicry, crimson flames erupting from the blade.
In the next instant, Kali's feet shifted, her blade flickered—and several bodies without intact corpses collapsed headless onto the ground.
Crimson mist spread; corpses littered the street.
Two seconds had passed.
The surviving assassins finally realized something was terribly wrong. Just as one prepared to flee, a sharp blade pierced through her heart from behind.
She turned her head with difficulty, only to see a crimson eye gleaming behind the cold black helmet…
With a flick of her Mimicry, Kali's figure vanished once more. Several quick slashes extinguished the lives of the remaining assassins.
Facing their bodies, Kali let out a long breath, slowly retracting her Mimicry. Her manifested E.G.O gradually dissipated. Gazing down at the corpses, Kali murmured softly:
"So then… who exactly gave you the courage to try something like this?"
Then she shook her head. Dead men tell no tales.
"Kali… were you afraid just now?"
At some point, Da'at had walked to Kali's side, gently touching Kali's blood-smeared cheek, softly asking. Kali was startled for a moment, instinctively shrinking back slightly, saying:
"Don't touch, it's dirty…"
"Oh come on, it's fine. Besides, you haven't answered my question yet."
Da'at revealed a radiant smile, waved her hand dismissively, and spoke with such calm ease—as if she hadn't just been targeted by assassins moments ago…
"…Yes, a little."
Slowly falling silent, Kali sighed and quietly answered:
"For a moment there, I was worried about what would happen if something really did happen to you…"
"And then… anger. An anger that surged up suddenly, rage at them for daring to do such a thing. An… uncontrollable fury."
"Worried about me?"
Da'at's smile brightened even further, her eyes narrowing into slender crescents. She bent forward slightly, hands clasped behind her back, looking up at Kali with that bright, glowing face.
"Uh… yes."
Kali's gaze shifted slightly aside, and in the end, she answered truthfully.
Da'at straightened herself, observing the scene in front of them for a long moment. She exhaled softly, turning back towards the way they came.
"Well then, let's head back. This outing wasn't as fun as it could have been; what a pity… Next time, when we return to the City, let's come out again together, Kali?"
Walking away, Da'at smiled as she spoke. Kali hesitated briefly, then immediately caught up to Da'at's pace.
When Kali reached Da'at's side, she heard Da'at whisper softly:
"Next time… you don't need to worry about me like that, Kali. Though it makes me very happy, of course…"
"Ahem… anyway, speaking of this sudden ambush, do you have any clues who might be behind it?"
Kali coughed lightly, awkwardly changing the subject. Da'at placed a finger against her lips, gently biting it as if deep in thought, then raised her finger slightly and quietly replied:
"Hmm… I do have a guess or two."
"It could very well be the Saluzzo family… Right now, the Wolf most likely is there. Thinking carefully, he must have already noticed our arrival. If that's the case, preventing us from containing him is a natural instinctive response."
"In that case, perhaps he already has enough standing to order the Saluzzo family to act…"
Da'at spoke casually, but Kali's eyes gradually sharpened.
The Saluzzo family… and the Wolf, huh?
Then, just wait. The moment an opportunity arose… this matter would definitely not end like this.
Kali silently resolved this in her heart, quickening her pace to remain close behind Da'at.
...
Meanwhile, Hugh sat in the Thumb's headquarters, exhaling gently after confirming Da'at's condition.
"Now that Signora Sicilia has confirmed Kali's publicly displayed strength, she probably won't act rashly."
Then, Hugh fell into thought, muttering quietly to himself.
In fact, according to his analysis, that last group was probably dispatched by Signora Sicilia to test their strength… Recently, Hugh's group had already caused quite a stir in Siracusa, and coupled with the Venezia family's recent disaster, it would've been strange if she had remained passive.
But after this first attempt, Signora Sicilia would likely observe cautiously before making further moves… Thus, for the moment, there was a safe period free from interference…
During this interval, Hugh was completely secure. And by the time Signora Sicilia finished observing and began acting again, Hugh's objective would already have been achieved.
By then, T Corp. and L Corp. would have already withdrawn completely unscathed.
Events would unfold at lightning speed. Signora Sicilia would probably miss her chance and have no part in this matter.
Hugh made this assessment clearly in his mind.
Actually, Da'at's earlier words were partly intended to muddy the waters. Fundamentally, it was to inflame Kali's anger.
Since someone had kindly handed him such a convenient knife… there was certainly no reason not to use it.
Although Signora Sicilia's blade didn't land directly on him, it had now indirectly stabbed into the Saluzzo family's back.
Silently mourning for a few seconds for the Saluzzo family, who had inexplicably shouldered the blame, Hugh lay back on the bed, watching the gradually darkening sky with a faint smile curving at the corners of his mouth.
"Well then… Next, let's prepare to get started."
"Before the main course arrives, I should properly enjoy some appetizing snacks first…"
...
Time quickly slipped into the next day. Early the next morning, Kali immediately went to Da'at's room, remaining by Da'at's side inseparably, as if fearing that yesterday's events might repeat themselves.
Aside from Kali's protective actions, the Thumb's movements seemed considerably larger in comparison…
At the first light of dawn that same day, the Thumb fired the opening shot. Immediately after this shot echoed out, the Thumb mobilized in full force.
The conflict to consolidate control over the surrounding gangs had officially begun.
---
T/N: I DONT THINK ANY OF YOU READS THE THOUGHTS SECTION SO IM GONNA JUST TRY POSTING IT HERE
...
"GrrrRAAAAH… gkhhh—rrnnnh."
"Gyaaaooorrrh… translator says… patreon.com/wisetl… optional support… early access bonus… rrrhhnnn."
"KHHH—shaaah… discord.gg/wisetl… come join… hrrrhh."
"Grrrk—RAAH… Every 100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter… 100ps one… 200ps two… 300ps three… gyaaahhh."
"Rrrnnnhhh… grrraaah… thank you for reading… hhhhaaahhh."
say thank you to Girantina for that thoughtful message