...
"Ah, the army... I think it might be a bit early..."
Ruby instinctively shrank back, her small hands pressed together in front of her chest, tapping them nervously. Her gaze drifted, and just like that, her earlier arrogance vanished.
Phaga heard her and turned his head slightly. After a glance, he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.
Ignoring her, Phaga lifted his blade and advanced toward Razor.
One step, two steps...
As if marching to a steady drumbeat, the closer he moved, the more the dense Ether concentration radiating from Kunmutu became impossible to conceal. His aura thickened to the point of substance, wrapping Phaga in a brilliant purple glow.
Razor instinctively stepped back, his heart pounding as the overwhelming Ether pressure bore down on him, making it hard to breathe.
He... He has Ether crystals forming beneath his feet. Can't he feel it?
With such terrifying Ether concentration, isn't he afraid of turning into an Ethereal?
Snap, snap—
A faint sound broke through the tension.
Seeing Phaga's attention wasn't on her, the secretary frantically rummaged through her pockets for parts. Drawing on decades of tinkering experience, she pieced together a device with lightning speed.
Within moments, she had transformed her pistol into a hand cannon. Without a second to celebrate, she raised it, aimed at Phaga, and fired.
Boom!
The massive recoil sent the secretary tumbling backward. Her office attire tore open with several sharp rips, her back covered in dust, and her once-neat hair now a tangled mess.
By the time she struggled to her feet, forcing herself up through the pain, the elegant city woman she once was had vanished. All that remained was a furious woman, eyes wild, glaring at the thick cloud of dust not far away.
Directly ahead of the smoke, Razor swept his hand to clear the air before him and stepped closer, eager to see the result for himself.
That kid had appeared out of nowhere, with no visible equipment on him. There was no way he could have blocked an attack from a hand cannon.
If he wasn't dead, he had to be crippled.
I'll go check myself. If he's dead, I'll tear him apart. If he's alive, I'll punch him once more—and then tear him apart.
But just as Razor swept another wave of dust aside, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed out of the haze.
Razor's heart lurched. His reaction came half a beat too slow.
From within the smoke, a blade flashed — piercing straight through his abdomen.
Thud!
The impact drove the air from his lungs. Razor staggered backward, clutching at the wound, disbelief flooding his eyes.
But Phaga had no intention of letting him fall away. The haze couldn't hide Razor's heat signature from his Vampiric Vision — in his sight, the man blazed like a torch in the dark.
Thud!
Phaga surged forward, driving a powerful kick into Kunmutu's hilt. The sword sank deeper, its violet glow turning blood-red as it burst from Razor's back.
"H-how... how could this be..." Razor rasped, voice trembling between shock and rage.
Just one strike.
Just one exchange.
His knees buckled.
Thud.
Razor collapsed, the light fading from his eyes.
Phaga strode forward and pulled Kunmutu free. Blood surged out in torrents, gushing endlessly. Within seconds, a circle of crimson spread around Razor's collapsed form.
"Help him bandage up. You can handle that, right?"
Phaga lowered his head, glancing at Jane watching nearby before turning his gaze to the secretary.
Sensing danger, the secretary snapped the heel off her high-heeled shoe and bolted.
But Jane only lowered her lashes, smiling faintly.
"Hey, little boy. Don't lump me in with your hyper girlfriend—I'm out of juice and still hurting all over."
Hearing that, Phaga nearly stumbled mid-step. He whipped his head around, eyes widening.
"Girlfriend? Who?"
"The one with the shark tail, of course. Didn't you notice her eyes? The short-haired blonde beside her looks up to you, sure—but that gentle look in Shark Tail's eyes? Only someone really close would show that."
"That's because we're family."
"Is that so? You got married that young? Wait—are you even of legal age, little boy?"
Jane shifted her weight, trying to push herself up from the ground, only for a sharp twinge to pull at her face.
Sure enough, her body still hurt all over.
Even so, she could probably manage to bandage Razor.
A moment later, she sighed. "Well, it's none of my business anyway. Let the civil affairs bureau deal with it."
"Alright, alright, don't look at me like that. Go chase down that pretty woman who ran off. Sigh, I must be cursed—injured and still working."
"Some girls just have all the luck, huh? Families to spoil them."
"Tsk."
Phaga clicked his tongue, peeled off his outer butler jacket, flung it into the air, spread his wings wide, and took flight.
Before disappearing into the sky, he shouted, "Ellen! Help this old lady out!"
Jane wasn't to be outdone. Even through the pain, she waved and called after him, "Good boy! Lady's here waiting for you to bring that pretty woman back!"
Ellen approached, her face dark and eyes narrowed. The seductive charm of the twin beauty marks beneath her eyes was lost beneath her obvious hostility.
Crouching beside Jane, she glared coldly. "What do you need help with?"
Phaga had told her to assist, so even if this woman was insufferable, she'd just have to bear it.
Jane, however, seemed entirely unfazed by Ellen's glare. She smiled softly. "Little girl, you've got excellent taste in boyfriends."
Ellen froze, her heart struck like a bell.
Boom.
A metaphorical hammer smashed through her fragile composure, and a deep blush rushed to her cheeks.
"Boy... boyfriend? That's family!"
Ellen stammered, her fingers fumbling as she wrapped the bandages around Razor's chest. Her grip tightened too much, making the man beneath them twitch in pain, his hand spasming reflexively.
"Of course I know. Everyone who falls in love wants to become family someday."
Jane glanced down at Razor, who was starting to stir. She picked up her eagle claw and smacked it against his helmet.
The armor didn't break, but the force made his head reel. Razor groaned and fainted again.
"No, no! That's not it! We're already family! Not that awful boyfriend-girlfriend thing!"
Ellen panicked, her shark tail thrashing wildly behind her.
Several swings struck Razor's chest squarely. Ruby stared in horror as his chest visibly caved in — his ribs must've been shattered.
The agony jolted Razor awake — only for Jane to knock him out again with another blow.
Jane covered her mouth, giggling until her eyes narrowed to slits. "Marriage before love, huh? Kids these days sure know how to live."
"That's not it! We're not even married!"
"Hmm? But I remember the only non-blood relative in your family is that one, right?"
"We're... a special case!"
"A special case? How intriguing. Come on, tell me more about your family."
"I..."
"You two!!!"
Ruby suddenly shouted.
Both Ellen and Jane turned toward her as she yelled, "Hurry up and bandage him already! Stop talking nonsense! This gangster uncle is dying!"