Nana’s face was etched with concern as she watched Ty being hurled into the distance, the eyepatch-wearing man in close pursuit.
Todd, sensing her worry, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don’t worry, I’m sure he can handle himself," he said, trying to infuse confidence into his voice.
Nana nodded slightly, anxiety tight in her shoulders. "Yeah, but what about that issue he mentioned? The one with the voice in his head?"
Her words reflected a deeper fear for Ty’s well-being, beyond just the physical dangers he faced.
Todd remained calm, his voice steady. "If that happens, we’ll deal with it. But for now--" His sentence was cut short as a cloaked figure lunged at them with blinding speed, brandishing a sword with a distinctive red-tinted blade.
Todd pulled Nana out of harm’s way and intercepted the attack with his open palm.
The blade struck with a clang against his skin and recoiled, the force of the impact sending the assailant skidding across the dirt.
Above them, the moon hung in the sky, casting a pale light over the scene, highlighting the sudden and unexpected skirmish that had unfolded.
Nana’s attention shifted rapidly as the battle escalated around her. Lady Amaris changed in front of her, worry and dread hardening into resolve.
Lady Amaris conjured a dark blue katana-like blade into her hand in a motion that seemed to defy reality.
The weapon, with its black hilt and twin steel, edges jutting out from the end, glinted ominously in the moonlight as she lunged at one of the cloaked figures bearing a distinctive clover patch.
More cloaked assailants rushed past in the chaos. Nana, reacting instinctively, snapped her fingers in their direction.
The darkness of the night obscured her view, making it difficult to target them accurately in their cloaks.
However, one of her attacks found its mark, sending an assailant crashing to the ground, while another narrowly evaded before continuing towards the cathedral.
General Mattison halted that assailant’s advance, intercepting him with a blade of his own.
Meanwhile, another cloaked figure, brandishing a deck of cards, caught Nana off guard.
Her focus stayed on the cathedral until the attack reached her. Two cards sliced through the air, cutting her cheeks and drawing blood.
Nana, feeling the sting of the cuts on her cheek and the warmth of the blood trickling down, quickly shifted from defense to offense.
Frustrated and determined, she snapped her fingers rapidly towards the smirking, cloaked man.
His dark smile was chillingly distinct against the backdrop of the night, even as the explosions she triggered sent billows of dark smoke into the sky, and the acrid scent of burning filled the air.
Yet, the cloaked man, undeterred by the chaos, continued to advance through the smoke, his smirk unchanging.
He closed the distance and drove a punch directly into Nana’s gut. Caught off guard by his speed, she skidded across the ground and barely stayed on one knee.
As he prepared a follow-up strike aimed for her face, Nana raised her ruby-red hand and met the threat.
She snapped her fingers, a technique that had proven effective in the past.
The cloaked man, undeterred by his previous encounter with her abilities, continued his assault, his smirk still evident through the dissipating smoke.
His fist was mere inches from Nana’s face when she activated her power.
The explosions erupted almost simultaneously at ten different points on his body, targeting his vital areas.
The carefully timed detonations were a display of her precise control.
As Nana’s assailant was thrown backward by the force of her explosive counterattack, the chaotic scene around her continued to unfold.
She remained on one knee, the pain from the gut punch still lingering, but her focus never wavered.
The echoes of the blasts reverberated through the night, lighting up the battlefield with brief firelight.
In the midst of this turmoil, Todd was engaged in his own battle.
With expert timing, he used his staff to intercept another cloaked figure’s blade, cleverly catching it and slamming it into the ground.
Seizing the moment of surprise, he dropped his staff and allowed the blade to graze his shoulder, then tapped the sides of the assailant’s head.
The cloaked man’s reaction was immediate; blood began to seep from his mouth as he faltered, dropping to one knee and then collapsing face-first into the ground.
With one threat neutralized, Todd turned his attention to Nana. He rushed to her side, his concern evident as he asked, "Are you okay?"
Nana, looking up at him, nodded slightly. "Yeah, I’m fine," she replied, relief and frustration both clear in her voice.
"He’s just faster than I expected. And my explosions... they aren’t working very well against him."
Her confusion showed in the pause after her words. These opponents were tougher than the quick answer she had expected.
Nana, still grappling with the speed and resilience of her opponent, was trying to settle on her next move when the situation escalated.
A barrage of cards came whizzing through the air towards them.
Todd, reacting quickly, pushed Nana out of the way, putting himself in the line of fire.
He raised his hands in an attempt to deflect or block the incoming cards, but these were no ordinary cards.
To his surprise and pain, they exploded upon contact, leaving cuts and wounds from which blood began to spill.
Confusion and frustration were evident in Todd’s curse as he tried to make sense of what just happened.
Out of the smoke and chaos of the explosions, a figure emerged.
The man’s cloak was almost entirely burnt off, revealing his strong physique and an orange-colored beard that stood out starkly in the night.
Approaching Todd, the man placed a single coin on Todd’s chest with a taunting gesture.
"How is your luck?" he asked, his voice laced with mockery. The simple act of placing the coin felt heavy, hinting at a deeper intent behind his actions.
Todd’s skin crawled beneath the coin. It was too small to matter by weight, yet every instinct in him screamed that the fight had changed the second it touched him.