The Plan's Razor Edge
The pirate inlet felt electric with tension. Hayate, Neshuda, and The Sea Witch had returned from the Prisoner Gambit with a victory, but the cost was high. Hayate's physical strength was depleted, and the reflected strain of lifting the portcullis still lingered as a deep ache in his muscles.
"We created chaos in the Citadel," Hayate summarized, standing before his makeshift army of pirates and loyalists. "Now, we starve the snake. Qalvetta's power is built on gold and the loyalty of the greedy nobles. We take the gold, and his support collapses."
The target was the Aurekawa Citadel's main treasury—the thickest, most heavily guarded vault in the capital.
The Sea Witch looked at Hayate with fierce respect. "A King who acts like a pirate. I like it. But this isn't stealth, Your Majesty. This is a siege. We need to hit them hard and fast before they can call for reinforcements."
Neshuda, however, was already focused on the inevitable counterattack. Hayate felt the reflected intense concentration and surgical, strategic determination of his Anchor.
"A frontal assault on the treasury is suicide," Neshuda stated, tracing lines on the map. "Qalvetta will expect us to go after the money. We use the chaos Henudra created. The Citadel's main force will be scrambling to contain the freed officials and catch Henudra himself. We use that distraction to attack the soft targets first, then isolate the treasury."
The Three Blades Strategy
Neshuda proposed a three-pronged attack, dividing their small, crucial force:
The Distraction (The Sea Witch):The Sea Witch and half the pirates would launch a loud, terrifying raid on the capital's docks and the outer gates. Their goal: create maximum panic and pull the Royal Guard away from the central district.
The Knife (Neshuda and Hayate): Neshuda and Hayate, supported by a small group of the master of stealth pirates, would use the chaos to infiltrate the central banking district through the city's old, forgotten sewer lines. Their goal: reach the treasury vaults unseen.
The Voice (The Freed Officials): The loyal officials Hayate had freed would spread rumors that Henudra himself was leading the pirate attack, driving Qalvetta's forces into confusion and distrust.
Hayate felt the reflected stress of the plan's complexity from Neshuda, but also the deep satisfaction of having a brilliant strategy.
"We go now," Hayate commanded. "If we wait, Qalvetta stabilizes the chaos. We cannot give him a moment's peace."
The City on Fire
As night fell, the chaos began. The Sea Witch and her pirates burst into the capital's outer docks, setting fire to Qalvetta's new supply barges and raising a terrifying clamor. The sound of shouting and panic echoed across the capital.
Meanwhile, Neshuda led Hayate into the narrow, stinking tunnels beneath the city. Hayate, the Angelic bloodline King, was crawling through sewage and darkness, his expensive cloak ruined, but his resolve firm.
Hayate's Angelic senses were working overtime. He felt the city above them—a terrifying symphony of panic: the shrill fear of the citizens, the loud, aggressive anger of the Royal Guard rushing toward the docks, and the faint, cold smug satisfaction of Qalvetta, who was still hidden deep within the Citadel.
"He is not worried yet," Hayate whispered to Neshuda, wiping muck from his face. "He thinks this is just a rogue pirate attack."
"Good," Neshuda replied, his voice a low rumble. "He won't expect us to hit the Viper's Purse while the city burns."
The Treasury Vault
Neshuda and Hayate emerged from the tunnels directly into the heavily fortified banking district. The square was deserted, the guards pulled away by the dock raid.
They found the main treasury—a massive stone structure with a single, colossal steel door sealed by three interlocking magical locks.
"The locks are enchanted," Neshuda observed, running his hand over the cold steel. "It's a specific sequence of five tones. If we hit the wrong one, the alarm screams, and the Citadel is on us in minutes."
Hayate felt the reflected intense concentration of Neshuda trying to puzzle out the complex mechanism. But locks were Neshuda's skill.
"It's no good, Hayate," Neshuda whispered in frustration. "The key must be sensory. I cannot force it."
Hayate stepped forward, his pure-hearted resolve focused on the metal. He placed his hand on the cold steel. He closed his eyes and pushed his Angelic senses into the metal, not to fight the magic, but to read the emotion of the lock.
The lock felt old, cold, and utterly dedicated to absolute loyalty—it was designed only to respond to the King's genuine authority.
It doesn't need a key. It needs my voice, Hayate realized.
Hayate took a breath and, using his charisma, whispered to the lock: "I am the King. I command you to open. The kingdom needs this gold. I swear I use it for the good of the people."
Click! Clack! Thunk!
With a satisfying, heavy sound, all three locks disengaged instantly. The massive steel door swung inward, revealing a cavern filled with gleaming piles of gold, jewels, and ancient artifacts.
Neshuda stared, his dark eyes wide. Hayate felt the reflected awe and overwhelming devotion of his Anchor.
"Your Majesty," Neshuda breathed, "your charisma is more powerful than any weapon I possess."
The Final Defense
As the pirate detail rushed into the vault, scooping up the crucial gold and the treasury ledgers (the final proof of Qalvetta's embezzlement), the inevitable happened.
The alarm.
Qalvetta, realizing the dock raid was a decoy, finally put two and two together.
The front of the treasury was immediately sealed by a wall of Royal Guards—thirty highly trained soldiers led by Qalvetta himself, who stood there in pristine armor, a cold smile on his face.
"Traitors!" Qalvetta yelled, his voice echoing in the square. "I knew you would come for the money, you greedy stray! And look! You brought the King, the simple fool, with you!"
Hayate pushed Neshuda forward. "Take the gold and the ledgers! Get them out the back! I will hold the front!"
Neshuda, however, shook his head, refusing to move. Hayate felt the reflection of Neshuda's absolute loyalty and protective rage.
"You are not holding anything, Hayate. I will deal with Qalvetta's dogs. You are the King, your survival is paramount."
Neshuda drew his sword. The blade caught the moonlight, shining with deadly precision.
The Reflective Duel
The battle was brief and brutal. Neshuda moved with superhuman speed and grace—the true master of sword and stealth. He didn't kill; he disarmed, disabled, and confused the guards, clearing a path for the pirates who were now rushing out with the treasure.
But Neshuda was surrounded. He took a painful hit to the thigh from a guard's polearm, a solid blow that sent a spike of searing agony directly into Hayate.
Hayate screamed, clutching his own thigh, the Curse of Reflection burning him.
Neshuda immediately locked down the physical pain, focusing on his determination. Hayate felt the pain fade into a dull throb, confirming the reflection.
Qalvetta saw it all. He saw the King collapse when the Guardian was struck. He finally understood the full, lethal danger of their bond.
"Shoot the Guardian!" Qalvetta shrieked, his composure broken. "Bring him down! If he bleeds, the King dies!"
The remaining guards raised their crossbows.
Neshuda realized his mistake: he could not win this fight and survive the curse. He was about to be riddled with bolts, and Hayate would die from the reflected wounds.
The King's Final Charm
Hayate, leaning against the treasury wall, pushed every ounce of his Angelic bloodline power into one final, desperate move. He aimed his charisma not at the guards, but at Qalvetta himself.
"Qalvetta!" Hayate yelled, his voice echoing, filled with compelling, righteous anger and pure-hearted disappointment. "You stole the kingdom! You poisoned my people! You are nothing but a thief! Your treason is exposed! Do you really want to be known as the man who murdered his King just to steal gold?"
Qalvetta flinched. The King's charisma was overwhelming, cutting through the general chaos. It struck Qalvetta's last sliver of political self-preservation. Killing the King in the treasury, in full view of the guards, would turn him from a powerful tyrant into a desperate murderer.
"The gold is more important!" Qalvetta screamed, changing his command. "Secure the treasure! Let the Shadow escape! We must retrieve the gold!"
The guards hesitated, dropping their crossbows and rushing toward the escaping pirates and the treasure wagons.
Neshuda, seizing the opening, grabbed Hayate and pulled him back into the shadows.
"You won, Hayate!" Neshuda gasped, rushing them toward the tunnels. "Your charm saved my life! And yours!"
As they slipped back into the sewage tunnels, Hayate looked back. Qalvetta stood in the doorway of the treasury, surrounded by his confused, defeated guards. The Viper's Purse was empty.
Hayate smiled weakly. "We broke him, Neshuda. Now we just have to wait for him to come to us."