Ambush

"Why are you here?"

The man in the white robe appeared without warning. His sharp, hoarse voice carried a chill that seemed to cut through any deception and pierce directly into the heart, exposing whatever secrets were buried there.

"They are nearby."

Inaya's tone was equally devoid of emotion.

The man glanced warily around at her words but saw nothing. Just as he was about to press further, Inaya raised a hand and pointed toward the platoon's hiding spot.

"What the hell is she doing?!"

Otto's voice was tight with tension. He instantly cursed himself for trusting Inaya so easily.

Following the direction of her finger, the white-robed soldier of the Judgment Cell spotted the Fourth Squad concealed in the undergrowth. With a signal, five more white-robed figures materialized around the truck.

"Where's the rest of your unit?"

As the Judgment Cell assembled and assumed battle formation, the first man to appear continued questioning her with a dark expression.

"Dead."

Every word from Inaya was as concise as it was calculated. Maybe the persona she was impersonating wasn't meant to be this terse, but she left it to them to fill in the blanks themselves. And then—

A flash of light slit across the throat of the Lexomancer at the rear of the group. He staggered back in confusion, only realizing what had happened when he saw blood splatter the ground. Pain followed a moment later.

"Wh—!"

The Lexomancers had neither the reflexes nor the awareness of front-line warriors. Before the remaining two could even understand what had transpired, they too collapsed in succession—without so much as a scream or flicker of fear in their eyes.

"You!"

The warrior who had spoken with Inaya turned, stunned, only to see her charging forward with a dagger. He recovered quickly from the shock and twisted aside, dodging her stabbing thrust before countering with a sweeping slash of his longsword. Inaya narrowly avoided the blade, retreating swiftly to widen the gap. She knew she couldn't take a Judgment Cell warrior head-on.

But he wasn't letting her go. He lunged after her—only to be stopped in his tracks by a burst of gunfire. A bullet struck his calf, forcing him to stumble, and Inaya escaped.

"He's all yours~"

She reverted to her usual appearance and trotted toward the rear of the platoon. As she passed Otto, she gave his shoulder a pat.

"Next time, let us know your plan first, will you..."

Otto grumbled, but Inaya was already gone.

"Open fire!"

Three Judgment Cell warriors now stood before them. This time, however, the Night Knights had experience on their side. It wouldn't be the slaughter it was before.

Yet the three warriors showed no fear, despite being outnumbered. Moving like wraiths, they evaded bullets with uncanny speed and flanked from both sides.

"Prepare for melee!"

Within moments, three or four Night Knights on the flanks were down. Only Shatiel's side held firm, engaging the enemy in close combat and stalling their advance. The rest of the platoon quickly regrouped, isolating each enemy and attacking one by one.

"You should stay back. They're too strong. You can't help."

The words were meant for Sennia, and she couldn't argue. Reluctantly, she followed Nordhausen's orders and withdrew from the front.

"You're back again?"

Inaya's tone was teasing, though it was hard to tell if she was mocking or just acting.

"..."

Sennia found herself speechless and fuming.

"If you want to get stronger, come to me. I'll teach you magic. Just talk it over with your commander."

Inaya smiled sweetly, clearly up to something. But Sennia had an idea.

"If you want to run, why not do it now? I can't stop you."

"..."

That threw Inaya off entirely.

"I—I could leave right now, you know..."

"Go ahead."

Sennia waved, looking entirely indifferent.

"I mean it... I'm leaving..."

Even as she slowly walked away, Sennia didn't move to stop her.

"You little... fine, you win."

Grumbling, Inaya returned, arms crossed, and sat down in a huff.

Over the past few days, Sennia had realized Inaya was trying to get along with the platoon. Maybe she was unfamiliar with the South, or maybe she just liked having regular meals. Either way, she wasn't trying to leave just yet. That "deal" of hers was clearly meant to raise her value and possibly earn future freedom—a clever plan.

"Don't be mad. You'll get your chance..."

Satisfied from scoring a win, Sennia patted Inaya's head.

"This is too much..."

"Come on, cats are meant to be petted..."

Sennia could feel the irritation radiating off Inaya, but kept going.

"You little brat..."

Like an agitated feline, Inaya lunged, pinning Sennia down and sitting on her waist, one arm hooked tightly around her neck.

"Okay, okay! I surrender... I give up!"

Sennia's flexibility spared her any real pain, but she couldn't breathe with Inaya's grip locked around her throat. She flailed in surrender.

Not far away, the real battle was coming to an end.

Shatiel and three other Night Knights had taken down the warrior attacking the right flank and were now reinforcing the others. Of the two remaining enemies, one broke through and fled into the woods. Nordhausen and several Night Knights gave chase.

The last warrior, overwhelmed by Otto and Edwin, was on the brink of defeat. As Edwin prepared to strike the final blow, Inaya stepped in.

"What is it?"

Edwin looked at her, confused.

"Take his necklace off. That's what triggers their self-destruction."

She ripped the metal chain from the wounded man's neck. He collapsed, too injured to fight. Otto and Edwin quickly tied him up.

"Is he going to live?"

Edwin frowned at the many wounds covering the man's body. He doubted the enemy would survive, though if the man had magic like Inaya, he might have some trick left.

"Hard to say. I'll stabilize him, keep him half-dead."

Inaya knelt and began her healing.

Just then, Nordhausen returned with the others.

"How did it go?"

Otto met them halfway.

"Handled."

Nordhausen, one hand on his submachine gun, the other hanging limp, was clearly wounded. Shatiel, on the other hand, was drenched in blood—but none of it hers.

"Get some rest."

Otto patted Nordhausen's back as he passed. As for Shatiel... ever since Andre dumped her in his platoon under strange circumstances, Otto had suspected she wasn't ordinary. Her combat ability today confirmed it. And with Sennia in the squad, the surprises just kept coming.

"Pack up. We're moving out. This place is no longer safe."

Otto gave the final order. The platoon quickly boarded the truck and drove away from the perilous forest.