One's True Color

The moment she heard the count down utter zero, Lyrica grabbed the female assassin's hands as fast as she could. However, she wasn't able to completely stop her attack.

Quelch!!

"Agck!!"

The short sword struck her right shoulder, deep enough to cause blood sprayed out of Lyrica. But it was not over. The other assassins are just a meter away from her.

"Die!"

"Tch... How troublesome."

Bracing herself on their attack, Lyrica closed her eyes shut. And then, she heard the sound of flesh being pierced by a knife or a sharp object.

"Gaah...!"

"W-What?!" The female assassin broke into a shock.

"...!"

Lyrica slowly opened her eyes, and right then, Lyrica realized she was not the one who got stabbed. Rather, it was one of the two assassins who were about to attack her.

"You bastard! Who are you?!"

Realizing that the female assassin's attention was no longer on her, Lyrica used that opening to grab the short sword. And then...

Clang!!

Lyrica forcefully destroyed it with her bare hands.

"M-My sword! Ah...!"

"Haa!"

Before she could react at all, Lyrica sent the female assassin away with a powerful left straight, hitting her on her guts. However, the female assassin still managed to stand back up and stop herself from crashing to the surface.

Right after that, Lyrica jumped back and distance herself from the assassins. And then, she glanced at the unknown person.

"..."

Lyrica thought she was done for, but thanks to the person in a seemingly worn brown robe, she was able to get out of that dangerous situation. However, a question suddenly boggled Lyrica's mind.

"Who are you?" Lyrica uttered her thoughts towards the individual.

"Lady Lyrica Ley Rael, an individual from another world, but isn't one of the four heroes, I'm glad I was able to arrive just in time." The individual with a deep, but youthful voice and a formal manner of speaking had spoken.

"Lady...?" Lyrica furrowed her brows in response to the person's polite way of speaking.

But right then, the individual took the robe he was wearing and threw it off the ground, revealing his short white hair that looked like caramel icing, as well as his handsome face that made Lyrica's cheeks grow somewhat pinkish.

"My name is Kael Numbra, one of Reilaea's Malayas as well as Prinsepe Aran's personal guard and attendant."

"Malayas?"

Lyrica carefully observes Kael's image, and sure enough, although he's not fully covered in armor, the pieces that cover his body parts like his elbows truly resembled the white armors of the Malayas she saw back in the Forest of No Return.

"I have quite a few questions for you and I know I'm a total stranger so it might be confusing, however with the current situation, I think it's best if you could join me on my way back to Reilaea so we can have further discussions along with Prinsepe Aran and Mahal na Reyna Amaya."

"W-Wait," Lyrica stuttered. "You just came out of nowhere and now you're talking a bit too fast! I need to process everything."

"Understood," Kael lowered his head as a sign of expressing his apologies. "To summarize things very quickly: I don't know who summoned you, but whoever did it, the reason could be related to the reason we, Reilaea, have called forth the four heroes, although they are not in our custody at the moment."

"Say what?"

Lyrica's assumption about Reilaea actually being the one who summoned the four heroes just turned out to be true. At the same time, she was reminded of a question that boggled her mind before she arrived in Kruule.

'The reason behind their summoning, huh...'

They're called "heroes" for a reason, but just what does this world of Alteria need heroes for? The answer to that lies in the Reilaea kingdom.

Blink!

"Hey, you! Are you two forgetting that we're still here?!"

Out of a sudden, the female assassin appeared behind Kael. The assassin tried to strike Kael.

"Watch out!" Lyrica shouted towards Kael.

"There's no need to worry, Lady Lyrica."

Swiish!

Claang!

In a mere blink of an eye, Kael stopped the female assassin's short sword with his weapon.

'A rapier!'

And just like that, Kael shoved the female assassin. Afterward, he told the assassin:

"Cease your futile assassination attempts and instead tend to your fatally wounded comrade."

The female assassin warily looked back to see her fellow assassin checking up on the other who got stabbed by Kael's rapier.

"He's bleeding out!" The assassin mouthed frantically as he looked at the female assassin with concern. "We don't have a healing potion, if we don't go back, he'll die!"

"I don't mind disposing of you two as well, but I'm not fond of killing people who are indeed good people deep down, so I suggest we stop the fight and minimize our losses," Kael said in a calm, yet threatening manner. "We don't have much time, so what will it be?"

After a brief silence, the female assassin scoffed at Kael.

"Although we were forced to take on this job at the beginning, we all know that we're gonna share the same fate like those we have killed." The female assassin stated as she pointed her short sword onto Lyrica and Kael. "We chased her down and tried to kill her, knowing that we might get killed as well. It just happened that today's the day for him, so he has to accept it."

The female assassin's short sword began emitting the aura like before.

"Once we got our eyes on someone, we will not stop until our blades are through their necks," She declared. "Even if we fail now, someone else will eventually step in to finish the job."

"I see, so that's your verdict," Kael replied as his rapier began manifesting the same energy the female assassin's short sword have. "In that case, I shall eliminate you very quickly so I can dispose of the other and get out of here."

Kael was raring to attack with his battle stance, and so is the female assassin. But before they could go for each other's throats...

"Wait."

Lyrica stepped in between the two.

"You?"

"Lady Lyrica?"

"I appreciate you coming to save me, but I still cannot trust you yet," Lyrica informed Kael. "But again, they came after me and not you, so it's my fight, get it?"

"I see, so you wish to get rid of them yourself?" Kael lowered his head in respect to Lyrica. "Very well, as I am a total stranger like you mentioned, I have no say to what you want to do and what not."

"I never said you're a stranger, I just cannot trust you yet, that's all." Lyrica let out a short sigh as she averted her gaze from Kael to the female assassin. "Anyway, are you sure you want to die here? Because when I go, it'll end in just 10 seconds."

"Are you threatening me? Just try it!"

The female assassin charged at Lyrica.

"You're a troublesome one." A troubled sigh escaped Lyrica's mouth. "Die."

While saying that in a cold tone, Lyrica dashed forward, and as she did, Kael started counting the ten seconds in his mind.

'Isa...'

In a blink of an eye, the two found themselves face-to-face. The female assassin attacked first, but Lyrica avoided her short sword with her Breaking.

'Dalawa...'

After that, Lyrica flawlessly dodged the following attacks.

"Damn you!"

"My turn."

'Tatlo...'

Lyrica threw a hard left punch onto the female assassin's face, her hood fell off in the process.

"Guagh!"

Grab!"

"Ah...!"

'Apat...'

Before the female assassin lost her balance and fall to the ground, Lyrica grasped her face so tight that she's having a hard time breathing. Right then, she gave the female assassin another hard left punch through her stomach. Lyrica released the female assassin from her tight grasp, at the same time, she coughed out blood.

'It's over...'

Kael thought Lyrica would actually need ten seconds to put the assassin in crumbling to the surface of Alteria. He was rather impressed. In truth, he even thought maybe she could have survived against their pincer attack even without his interference. But in any case, it was over. Or was it?

Kael observed Lyrica getting a hold of the assassin's short sword, that's when he realized it wasn't finished.

'It seems she's made up her mind into stopping the assassin's breathing.'

Kael used words to threaten his enemies, making them think he's after their lives, but he doesn't commit such a thing unless it was truly necessary. Looking at Lyrica as she pointed the tip of the short sword directed onto the female assassin's heart made Kael think:

'It's a pity that I am only just a stranger who cannot tell Lady Lyrica what to do, but this is the consequence of facing the wrong opponent, you poor Miss Assassin.'

"Sorry, but I can't have people like you in a world I desire."

"Urgh...!"

Following Lyrica's statement towards the female assassin, Kael thought:

'She seemed like a merciless and unapproachable woman when I first saw her take the life of the high commander back in Kabba, but this time, she seemed like a calm yet serious person who's willing to give her enemies a chance, although it doesn't change the fact she's willing to take someone's life if she finds it necessary.'

"May you rest in peace in the other world."

Kael quietly watched Lyrica about to strike the female assassin's heart. On the other hand, the female assassin closed her eyes as she accepted her death, just like she said she and the others would.

'Lady Lyrica's change of personality and unwavering decisiveness makes her strange and unpredictable, and that fact alone is why she's terrifying.'