Chapter 37

Artemis cursed after the projectiles hit the roof where she is. She hides before pulling the three arrows and aiming them at the armed gang men. The hunter released her arrow and run on the top of the roof. She didn't even mind if she fell on the ground, the most important thing right now for her is to put those gangsters down.

"Hiro don't risk yourself!" Trance yelled at her brother as both of them run towards another batch of goons that entered the University.

"You too! Don't risk yourself! You're not damn titanium to catch all of those fucking bullets!" Hiro yelled back before he throws the weighted part of his chains then let it wrap around the three muscular men's bodies, causing them to try to escape from the chains. Hiro pulled out his gun and mercilessly shoot them.

"It's part of the job! This is also one of the reasons why I accepted it in the first place!" She answered back as she used another edge of her sword to whack those men. Trance wiped the blood on her cheek and give the man who aimed the gun at her an uppercut. Trance can feel that her body went numb because of tiredness and pain. The girl hissed after she dodges the bullet yet it leaves a cut on her shoulder. Hiro shoots the goon with a punk hairstyle who attacks Trance, "My doctor will be rich after I attended another session of his."

Trance got punched by the big man who grinned after, causing her to accidentally let go of the katana from her grasp. "Is that all you got, pretty girl?" He asked Trance who smirked after wiping the blood from her lips. Trance motioned Hiro to mind his own business before she looked at the big man.

"No, who said that we're done?" Trance asked him with a blank expression. She eyed the muscular man before she tied her hair. The man smirked and put himself into a fighting stance. Trance picked her katana on the ground and put it back from its sheath.

"This past few days, I'm looking for a sparring partner." He said. The girl runs towards him and is about to attack the man but she got caught by him and holds her arm then throws her to the ground.

"Not so fast, pretty girl. I thought I can fight with a good opponent." Trance winced in pain when her ankle hit the pavement yet, her grip on the covered blade didn't loosen. The man is about to get close to her but a bullet flies in his direction.

"Stand up, Trance! The fight is not over!" Kai screamed before he dodges the bullet that flies in his direction. A smirk crept into her lips as she stood up. She recklessly pulled the black cloth on her left pocket and throw it to the man in from of her before Trance sliced his gut deeply although her shoulder ached. The man screamed in agony while Trance kicked him on his private part, causing him to crouch and Trance hit the back of his head using her throbbing ankle.

"Fight is not over," Trance mumbled after the man lay on the ground as his life drained out of him. She blinked thrice just to ignore the tiredness and sleepiness that she feels, "I'm sleepy."

Hiro and the two other males rushed towards her after they got surrounded by six armed men and another batch of men who are aiming their guns at them. Trance and the three males' backs are facing each other. Four of them are trying to stand up and fight even tiredness and pain are invading their systems.

["Artemis is on the line. Guard the safe place"]

["This is Hera, there are some men who tried to enter here too."]

["This is Demeter, I and the ghost are encountering the same too."]

"The notorious Nine," A small smirk formed under Nine's mask as the wind blows and made her long hair dance gracefully. Her expression remained unbothered despite both of them being under the sun and the sound of guns in the background.

"So you know me. It's kind of surprising since I'm the unknown amongst the falcon." She retorted, raising both of her hands after armed men surrounds both of them. Martin's antagonistic laugh can be heard from the background. Trance and the others stopped from fighting, witnessing how half of them surrounds the blonde. Using the earpiece, they heard their conversation.

"She's having fun there." Trance chuckled before slashing someone's head then throwing it in Nine's direction, not minding the head's weight. Nine steal a glance in their direction, smiling through the excitement of a monster waking up and arising from the depths below. Martin pulled out a cigar stick and lit it up.

"She's for all of you to handle, with pain or pleasure."

"So you're into games huh? We should be fair here, shall we? I heard you like it when the greater the number, the merrier you've got."

"Well said, invite that someone here."

"Hey, do you trust me?" Nine asked on the other line while looking at Trance.

"I trust you, why?"

"Ellreign, come here." In just a sole call, Trance faced her other comrades with a smile and held a katana while blood drips on it. Hiro and Kai bid her goodbye before she jumped on the stairs on her way to Nine. The tension between everyone as she took a step forward, joining Nine. She pulled out her golden gun

"What do you mean by Ellreign? You're probably joking." The man laughs, "That Ellreign you're talking about is just a story that happened years ago."

"What? Afraid if Ellreign created another mayhem until this whole region was destroyed?" Nine asked, visibly noticing how some of them lose their cool.

"I changed my mind, kill them," Martin commanded in a wavering tone. However, he puffed out the cigar smoke out of his mouth to conceal the sudden fear that tranquil him. Trance brace the sword's handle and like an unseen mist, she slashed their bodies with the aid of Nine who shoots Trance's attackers from behind.

"I did that for fairness, how dare you to mock me?"

Trance swiftly runs towards him while Nine distracts him by shooting him to his leg. The happenings are very fast, like how Artemis shoots the armed men who tried to enter the University and how Demeter, Hera, and Yen defend the place. The usurper leader meets his fate in Trance's sword.

"Your first mission is not easy like what I am thinking." Yen sneers before he punched the goon on his neck. Yue remained silenced while fighting the remaining on the other side using her gou. She used the curved edge to use it as a hook that punctured on the gangster's shoulder. The goon screamed in pain before she jumped high to prevent the bullet to hit her. Demeter successfully landed on her feet and used the goon to catch all of those bullets that fly in her direction.

"This is easy if we're complete and there are no innocent people are going to involve," Demeter replied as she used the gun on the ground to shoot the others.

Students screamed in panic after Hera accidentally kicked the bloody and dead man in their direction. Her weapon gleamed as the sun ray's hit the blade who's covered with blood, dripping on its way to the edge.

["The leader is dead, I repeat, the leader is dead."]

Hera's grip on her khopesh got tightened as she charged at those remaining men who's on their way to her. The elegant lady made all of the students and the rest of the teachers watch her in awe yet they still got frightened by the current situation. She swings the bloody sword in full of gracefully at those men, slashing their bodies, making her clothes and face soaked in blood. Hera catches her breath after the last goon fell on the ground.

"That big man's punch does hurt." Trance commented while gripping her sword and keeping up alert.

"They're so many. I didn't expect our first mission will be like this." Kai sneers.

"This scenario is not new for us, remember?" Raiden asked him with a playful smile on his face.

"Way back on Germany? Of course, who doesn't?" Hiro laughed.

"Punish the enemies and don't spare anyone."

Four of them are about to attack the six men that surround them but their co-members shoot them. They all looked at each other in confusion while trying to figure out what is happening.

"What is happening?" Trance asked the three but they are all shrugged as they replied.

Artemis puts down her bow and arrow when another man is wearing black and formal clothing standing in front of the building while shooting those goons that she's attacking earlier. A man wearing formal clothing looked at her and bowed after they eliminate the last enemy.

Hera raised her blade, ready to behead those who planned to attack her but a male raised a white cloth that halts her. "We are not here to harm all of you." He declared.

Demeter and Yen narrowed their eyes at those newcomers who rushed to both of them. She puts herself in a fighting stance while her gou is pointed at them as they attempt to take another step. Yen aimed them at the gun he was holding. "Take another step and all of you will end up like your comrades," Yen warned.

Nine scowled at them as they walk closer to her. She aimed her golden gun on their feet and pulled the trigger without any words, causing them to almost dance just to dodge the bullets. "Stop, don't get close to me."

"Geez, doesn't get any chill as always."

"You did your job excellently, go back to the headquarters now."

"Dude, who are they?"

"You didn't recognize? They're from the headquarters."