Seeing the mercenary getting increasingly out of line, Lou Lin couldn't hold herself back anymore. She took a step forward, intending to confront the mercenary.
Cipher, who was watching, stepped in before she could say anything.
"And what are you even supposed to be?"
"Nani?" The mercenary froze, seemingly not understanding what she was hinting at.
"I said, what are you even supposed to be? A mad dog that barks at anyone on sight, unneutered, still in heat?"
"Did you just call me a mad dog? You! You're asking for it!" The mercenary's anger flared.
"What's this? Your tongue's been soaked in alcohol and now you can't even speak properly? Or does your squad share only one language, where all you do is bark, bark, and bark like a mad dog?"
Cipher didn't give the mercenary a chance to reply before she carried on with her tirade.
"Hmph, you keep calling women trash… If that's the case, why are you still here drinking instead of being out there on a mission? Judging by your looks, you don't seem to be the type who makes bank either. I mean, have you ever looked at yourself in front of a mirror? With everything said and done, you're stuck at the same table as other women, aren't you?"
"And do you seriously think your fists mean anything? How big are your fists exactly? You talk so big, yet if you had the ability, why not talk smack to people who has real authority instead?"
Cipher put her palm on her chin and seemed to think for a second before appearing to discover something.
"Oh, I get it! Maybe because you're trash yourself~"
"You're just yap, strutting around with bravado and all, just to show off how tiny that ego you have. Oh, please. Pause for a second and think about it, those who bark the loudest are usually the weakest of the litter~"
"Like this maybe? Woof, woof, woof," she spoke, miming a dog snapping its jaws with her hands while adding a playful "woof" with each chomp.
The mercenary's face burned crimson—not the rich red of a fine apple, but the mottled, bruised hue of a rotting one. His grip on his glass tightened until it trembled, spilling cheap alcohol onto the floor without him noticing.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
Seeing the mercenary remain silent, Cipher quickly lost interest. She expected a proper verbal sparring partner, someone who could match even a fraction of her peak trash-talking skills honed from her past life.
But this?
What a letdown.
"Ugh. Waited all this time for a decent comeback… and you can't even think of one. How boring."
Cipher yawned, then bent down, staring directly into the mercenary's eyes with her blue pupils.
"That's why I told you from the start…"
As she spoke, she supported herself with her left hand, while the other pointed directly at his face.
Once done, Cipher enunciated each word clearly.
"What—do—you—think—you—are?"
And with each word, her golden-painted fingernail poked at his nose.
"That's it! You're asking for death!"
Finally, the humiliation of being pointed at seemed to be what broke the camel's back. Blinded by rage, he swung his fist at Cipher.
"Watch out!"
Lou Lin immediately warned, rushing to intercept.
However, Cipher seemed to have already anticipated the outburst. She sidestepped effortlessly, the blow whistling through empty air.
"Oh my~!" she gasped, clasping her hands over her chest while pretending to be afraid. "The mad dog's got rabies and wants to bite! So scary~"
Meanwhile, her expression betrayed nothing but amusement as she watched him seethe.
The mercenary didn't bother to respond—he simply went for another strike, eyes turned bloodshot.
Watching as the event unfold, Lou Lin drew out her staff and prepared to step in. But for the third time already, Cipher lightly pushed her out of harm's way, distancing her from the scuffle.
Lou Lin, confused, looked at her in turn, not understanding why she kept preventing her from intervening.
Cipher, still casually dodging the mercenary's attacks, slowly explained it to her. "Don't worry... He can't hurt me; I'm just toying with him."
'Besides,' she thought. 'I'm using this as an opportunity to get used to this body. It won't even hurt on the off chance I do get hit.'
Seeing Cipher chatting so casually on top of dodging his frantic attacks, the mercenary finally realized with mounting frustration that, even while distracted, he couldn't seem to land a single hit on her.
"You filthy bitch!" He snapped. "Your mouth was so full of it earlier, but all you do is dodge?! If you have the guts, stop running away!"
Cipher rolled her eyes, then took a step back, putting more distance between herself and him.
"With that filthy mouth, I can tell you're not clean. Must've been licking things you shouldn't have back when you were still on all fours."
"But since you're so eager..."
She trailed off—then vanished.
The bystanders watching from the sidelines could only see a flash of gold and purple lightning, and in the next instant, she stood right in front of the mercenary.
"Let me help you." She whispered, arching backward—and in one fluid motion, the sharp tip of her golden stiletto slammed into his chin.
Then, with everyone watching, mouth agape… the mercenary touched the heavens (ceiling), soaring nearly five meters high into the air before crashing back down into his chair with a loud crack.
Splinters, beer foam, and droplets of alcohol exploded outward in a messy splatter of red and white.
As for Cipher, she performed a backflip mid-air and landed gracefully on the ground.
After patting the nonexistent dust off her hands, she proudly lifted her head and turned toward Lou Lin.
"See? I told you I'm strong."
★ ★ ★
T/N: I did a lot of editing for this chapter. Do let me know if something is amiss.