"Mom… Mom!" Kira shook her body. There was no response.
He looked around.
Everyone inside Malaya Bank was the same—stiff like statues—except for him, the red-haired girl, and the armed robbers.
"…Meeting an Engill's representative on our first trial in Konets Steva. Interesting," said the leader in the blank-faced clown mask.
"Boss, I want to kill that arrogant brat!" one of his men snapped impatiently.
"Say the activation phrase…."
"Sub promisiuena diavolului! Zandayaraka!"
The moment the words were shouted, black flames burst across their bodies. Strangely, none of them screamed in pain. The fire grew, swallowing them whole.
A few minutes later, the flames died out.
They had transformed into fully armored knights, each wielding a different weapon: a sword, a shield, a bow, and a mace. They advanced slowly toward the red-haired girl.
The archer knight immediately loosed a volley.
"Sunt un reprezentant de Aliniere!" the girl shouted.
Blue fire crawled over her body. For a split second, the flame formed the silhouette of a man—then vanished. There was no drastic change to her physique, but the blue embers condensed into her palms, forming black gloves patterned with a purple moon-and-star design. Her sneakers morphed into black combat boots.
She stomped once.
Several tiles of the floor rose up into a makeshift barrier, intercepting the arrows.
Then she slammed her hand into the lifted slab—sending it skidding toward the knights.
CRACK!
The slab shattered against one knight's shield.
And then she disappeared from their sight.
Above them!
Kira saw her leap nearly three meters into the air, hoisting a massive blue fireball the size of an exercise ball over her head.
"She's above us!" one of the knights yelled.
She drove the blue fireball downward.
An explosion roared, blue flames surging outward. Even from about twenty meters away, Kira felt the heat sting his skin.
A crater five meters wide opened in the floor. The archer knight didn't make it out in time—his armor melted along with his body, breaking down into black sand.
The girl locked onto the remaining knights with a murderous gaze.
They still advanced: shield in front, mace in the middle, sword behind.
The girl jumped low and hovered, circling them. Her movement traced a ring of blue fire—tightening, closing in, trapping the knights inside.
The blue flames swelled, the heat almost unreal.
"…Easy. I told you—I'm strong," she said, brushing her bangs back.
Without realizing it, Kira stood.
The girl turned toward him, visibly confused. "You… you're here? Are you an Engill's representative too?"
"Huh?" Kira froze.
The blue flames imprisoning the knights vanished instantly. The knights—who should've been melting—looked exhausted, but…
They were still alive.
Half of the shield knight's body had already melted into black sand. The mace knight forced himself upright and charged the girl.
"Behind you!" Kira shouted.
She spun, panicked, stomping to raise the ground as a shield—too late.
THUD!
The mace smashed through her defense and launched her about four meters. Her arm twisted—dislocated or sprained—and she hissed in pain.
The sword knight was already in front of her, raising his blade to cut her down.
She thrust her left hand forward. Instantly, her body shot backward as if a giant gust had shoved her away. The sword strike missed.
But the force of her retreat…
It was heading straight for Kira.
Kira couldn't move freely—his stiff mother was still in his arms.
THUD!
Kira and the girl slammed into the wall.
She forced herself back up. "What are you going to do?"
"I… I have to save my mother and everyone else who's frozen!" Kira's voice trembled.
"Don't interfere! My power alone is enough!"
"Are you blind to your condition? Their numbers increased by two. Your blue fire vanished—one of them can erase your ability!" Kira pointed at two new knights who had appeared. He guessed they were the two men who had gone to the vault earlier.
"Two more… five more… a hundred more—I'll take them all!" the girl snapped, rising into the air and lunging forward.
"Take another step and I'll cut this one down!" the sword knight threatened, pressing his blade toward Kira's mother.
The girl froze.
"W-wait! Don't kill my mom!" Kira shouted, frantic.
The girl finally landed, extinguishing her blue embers—forced to.
The mace knight approached, looming. "Before I kill her, I want to teach you a lesson…"
A brutal punch slammed into the girl's stomach. She folded, choking. A hard kick struck her chest.
Her scream was raw, painful to hear.
Kira stood helpless, crushed by how powerless he was.
Then—a whisper slid into his ear.
"Sir Kira…."
Kira stiffened. That voice—the mysterious woman.
"Do you need my power…?"
He wanted to answer yes with everything he had.
"Steady your heart… and speak my name…."
"Hey! Wait a second!" the sword knight barked at his companion.
"What now?! I want to kill her already!"
"Calm down… I want them to see this…."
The sword plunged into Kira's mother's left chest.
Kira felt something drop out of his own heart.
His mother's stiff body suddenly became "normal" again—then pale, weak. She collapsed face-first. From her body, a green sphere of light shot out and streaked toward the colossal eye beyond the dome.
Kira rejected what he'd just seen.
"NO! MOOOM!" he screamed, hysterical.
His knees gave out. He dropped to the floor. His head rang. His chest felt like it had been caved in.
The red-haired girl snarled, shaking with rage. "Bastards… cowards!"
No.
This wasn't Kira's fault.
It was theirs.
They had to die.
The woman's presence felt right behind him now—like arms wrapping around him, whispering a name directly into his ear.
"…Aigis."
"…Eigill Aigis."
Kira lifted his head, eyes wet, fury blazing.
"EIGILL AIGIS! I AM YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!" he roared—like the words weren't coming from his mind, but from something guiding his tongue.
Red fire raced across his body. It didn't burn—yet the warmth was suffocating. His body felt lighter. Stronger.
"With your current level of power… you can use this weapon…."
Two massive blades appeared in Kira's hands. Their edges were wide—like axe heads. Yet they felt almost weightless, as if they were part of his arms.
"…Valiant Blade. The blades of the brave. Use them to subdue your enemies, Sir."
Kira stared at the knights—his gaze no longer human.
"Subdue?" His voice was ice. "Aigis… with blades this big, I want to chop them to pieces while they're still alive."
The mace knight stepped back, suddenly afraid.
"Idiot! Why are you standing there?! Kill the girl first!" the sword knight shouted.
The red-haired girl was still injured. She couldn't move properly.
"You won't make it in time, brat! You're too far!" the mace knight mocked.
The distance was about ten meters.
Kira didn't care.
He hurled the Valiant Blade in his right hand.
It pierced clean through.
The mace knight's chest was impaled. Black blood burst out. The force of the throw launched him almost three meters.
Kira surged forward.
One horizontal slash—
Decapitation.
The mace knight's head separated. His body unraveled into black sand.
No mercy.
The sword knight rushed in with rapid strikes. Kira blocked with both Valiant Blades.
"CLANG! CLANG!"
Kira's left shoulder nearly got clipped. He ducked under a horizontal swing, throwing the knight off balance.
Kira countered—two blades sweeping across the waist.
The sword knight's body split in two. Black blood spilled out.
And yet… he was still alive.
Kira moved to finish him—
A scorching heat slammed into him.
Black fireballs, each as big as a basketball, shot toward his face. Kira deflected them, but the impact shoved him backward.
The source: a knight in a purple robe—who seemed able to erase the red-haired girl's blue flames.
Another knight, holding a silver staff, slammed his hands to the ground. A star-shaped sigil formed. Black fire rose from it, wrapping around the bisected sword knight.
And…
His body fused back together.
Kira sucked in a sharp breath. If they could regenerate like that, this fight would become hell.
He turned to the red-haired girl beside him.
"Hey… what's your name?"
"…Niezalezny."