Claude rushed down from the top of a small, three-story office building, readying a full-force slash over his shoulder. Aided by the pull of gravity and a boost from specialized platform spells under his feet, the speed and power of his attack was even greater than normal.

  Wildcard was slower than him even without their use, so even with her head-start, the pursuit had reached a point in which only their vertical positioning made the difference. There was no time for her to run more, at least not enough to get out of his sword’s range.

  Or at least, that’s how the situation looked at one moment, only to completely change by the next.

  There was no real move by the Unmasked. No gesture, no verbal command, and the surrounding prana did not behave strangely. She was continuing her escape just as before, but an abnormal phenomenon below Claude’s step forced him to prioritize evasion, in the form of jumping off the concrete, over his chase.

  The prana on the building’s wall went wild for an instant, then rapidly structured itself into something concrete. A blade, much like his own, but around three meters in length and covered in bolts akin to an electrical discharge.

  This time, Claude attacked the blade itself as an impromptu parry. Sparks from friction flew as his slash connected, but those around Wildcard’s trap remained. Tinged with an unusual pink color, they instead streamed forward, flowing into his weapon.

  He let go immediately, allowing it to fall down on the street alongside Wildcard’s spell. Claude frowned, however, once he became aware of the setup.

  Another trap sprung forth from the blades crashing on the floor; a pillar of blue flame like a waterfall in reverse, covering a width over two meters. He was already in midair, so running away was not an option.

  Fortunately, Claude had more options than just that available.

  He extended his hand and a sorcery circle flashed momentarily. There was no need for a different spell, so with only a few tweaks to barely delay it, another glass blade materialized. This time, even after reaching the previous one’s size of ninety centimeters, it continued to extend past triple that length.

  The sword grew well beyond what would normally be considered usable, and then more. It hit the spot on the building Claude had just jumped from, and then grew more, burying its tip several centimeters within the concrete, but not any more. Claude turned the blade on purpose, having no use in piercing through the building.

  Instead, the maneuver had quickly pushed him farther away than his initial jump, with only part of the overlong blade caught in the azure conflagration. The intense heat reached the sword’s handle almost instantly, threatening to burn Claude’s hand from even that meager exposure. As for the section of the blade in direct contact with the fire, it would prove all the more useful for it.

  Having some leverage now, Claude placed his other hand on the sword’s handle, gripping it tightly before ‘throwing’ himself in a backward flip. The glass-like material broke away as a result, leaving a jagged end that had just been touching the flame until recently.

  An end that Claude wielded as he was flung back, right above where Wildcard now stood. He caught a glimpse of panicked hazel eyes for a split second until they were covered by his slash.

  He barely missed, her run still fast enough to outdo his awkward jump by a small amount. His broken sword stopped just short of the floor, ready to be brought back up in a show of unconventional swordsmanship. Even if the first attack was dodged, she would be caught by the second one and—

  Blinding light out the corner of his left eye instantly monopolized Claude’s attention.

  His attempt at offense had to promptly take the place of defense; half parrying, half slicing the incoming threat without enough time to fully assess it. The plasma-like sphere was bent and partially split, deflected above and past Claude, but not before the superheated air left in its wake burned four of his right hand’s fingers, one of them left insensate.

  Claude let out a slow exhale as he turned, looking for Wildcard. Even such a surprise attack would not buy her much time, but he still expected a bit of a harder time finding her.

  That spell… It came from my blind spot, but how did I not even hear it?

  He pondered as he looked over his enemy, cross-armed and laying her back on a light post about ten meters away, on the same sidewalk as a closed convenience store. If she was so calm, there had to be more traps in between them.

  “Shit, you’re quick. More than the ponytail bitch, even. I thought I’d at least take an arm there.” Wildcard said, with a hint of honesty amidst the ocean of condescension.

  It did nothing but irritate Claude, however slightly.

  “I’ve almost killed you twice now. You’re really going to stop for a chat?” He replied, allowing his eyes to wander for whatever time he had been allowed.

  He took note of the places he could step on ahead of time, planning another approach, as well as an evasion route just in case.

  It was possible the searing shot from earlier was a fluke, due to him being overly focused on Wildcard herself, but what if it was not?

  If he got taken by surprise again, there were no guarantees he would retain the strength to prevail.

  “Funny to hear that from you of all people.” Wildcard continued, not missing a beat despite Claude’s threats. “It’d be one thing if you were just some knight scrub, but with the way you move, I’d have expected you to ignore all this and simply go for my neck again.”

  Her words were somehow concerning. Claude did not reply, not even to ask for clarification, but he felt an instinctive understanding from her address.

  “Quite far away from Blue Book territory, aren’t you~?”

  He threw his sword not one second after Wildcard spoke, perfectly aimed at her face. But an emerald-green bolt, shot from the light post, cut it off three quarters into its path.

  “Okay, see? That’s more like it. So which one are you? Enforcer? Spy or tracker?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Claude lied, in a way he himself immediately knew was below his par.

  The Blue Book Order. When talking about private sorcerer associations, their name was sure to come up when discussing the major ones, and not in a flattering manner. About as expected, when the organization saw Nox and its demons which had caused so much misery around the whole world as scientific wonders not just to be studied, but also embraced as hints of future potential.

  Claude recalled logs and files extending without any apparent end, almost lifeless children unable to act without a command, preserved specimens exposed to all kinds of treatment... Then, he drew a blank.

  A vivid, connected stream of memories, abruptly cut unlike any other time. On this topic, he was used to it.

  Wildcard looked at him with unusual attention, as if noticing something abnormal from his mere expression.

  “I’ll go on a limb and say enforcer. Your moves are definitely theirs, but just a fragment, or else I’d already be dead. And that stupid face of yours… Did the ‘bleaching’ go wrong or something~?”

  “What does any of this matter to you?” Claude finally replied, with a stronger voice than he thought would come out. “Whatever this whole thing is about, isn’t it just the past? Both for you and me, it has nothing to do with the ‘now’. Think drawing on cheap sympathy will make me let you go?”

  “Pfft. Is that what you think our situation’s like? The way I see it, you’re the only one who’s gotten clipped here, and that should still be the least of your worries.”

  … Claude did not respond. He knew that, at least for the moment, Wildcard indeed held the upper hand.

  From her earlier response to his thrown weapon, he now knew she could activate her traps at will, rather than wait for the opponent to trigger them. Even worse, she was well outside his optimal range, requiring him to move and approach again. He was at risk of both her active attacks and whatever she had set up in their surroundings.

  And yet, it was not such a concern that made him remain silent. No clash with her traps, no matter how close a call it may have been, had come close to what her mention of the Blue Book Order did to him.

  He wanted to know more. And as problematic as Wildcard was, she did seem to want to share more.

  “I’m also a Blue Book product. Even if not really the same as you, I know what it’s like to get away from them. There aren’t many people who have managed it, but one thing’s for sure, no matter who I hear about… They always catch back up, sooner or later.”

  Her anger was obvious, palpable almost as if it tinged the air, and incomparable to even her words about Tatyana. But the look she sent his way was somehow worse, conveying a cold interest instead.

  “I think you’d make for a perfect diversion, however. A former enforcer turning right on them? A scandal like that should give me a great chance to escape their watch again, let alone considering the damage you could do.”

  “… Is this really your angle? A partnership against Blue Book?”

  Claude’s question seemed to surprise Wildcard, her hazel eyes widening, then blinking before she let out a chuckle.

  “Oh no, not at all. I’m telling you to be my meat shield, that’s it. Best case scenario, you’ll die fighting them, nice and easy. If you don’t want that, I can always just use you as a bargaining chip after beating you down; a token of peace for Blue Book to do as they please with, so long as they lay off me for some more time. I don’t think you’d disagree that this would be way worse for you than just getting killed.”

  An icy smirk, a voice like a blizzard. The Unmasked’s look made it more than clear she would do anything to keep one step ahead of the Blue Book Order.

  Claude met that powerful gaze without faltering, unable to blame her at all for such priorities. Her arrogance was nothing less than infuriating, but it was also not unfounded by any means. Their exchange was enough to let him know she was as capable of killing him as he was of doing the same. Breaking away from a fight in which one small mistake could spell one’s doom was nothing if not enticing.

  And as averse as he was to think on the matter, despite the hazy nature of his memories… He knew very well that falling back into Blue Book’s clutches was the worst fate he could imagine for himself. Despite guaranteeing his demise no matter what, Wildcard had somehow made an interesting offer, the way only someone who personally knew the Order could.

  He could have thought things over for an entire day, but the correct answer would likely remain just as obvious.

  “… You’re kind of late.”

  “Ah?”

  Wildcard’s eyes went wide, her surprise obvious. Understandable, as Claude’s specific choice of words did not fit either end of her offer. He continued without concern.

  “I’ll stand against Blue Book when the time comes, with someone who’ll help me win against them. When I have him, why should I do anything for someone as bad as the Order itself?”

  “… Mind your words, you fucking midget.”

  Wildcard’s tone suddenly became something entirely different. Her voice itself was the same, but the inflection of it was such that Claude himself, for a moment, struggled with the thought he may have made a mistake. Still, it was but a mere moment.

  “Quit the delusion. You manipulate people with fear, hurt people who don’t deserve it, spread grief as far as it benefits you. You can justify things and say you need to fight poison with poison, but it’s bullshit to think you’re that different.”

  After all, his own rage was probably on par. The fact someone of Wildcard’s talents had just given up, resigned to simply buying time on the run from Blue Book, not even planning to ever fight back… It all revolted him to his core.

  The sheer cowardice of the act, the memories she had dug up without a care, just thinking of what the Thorns were attempting today, let alone during the whole lifespan of the gang. The repulsive mesh of thoughts almost made him forget why he had even chased her in the first place.

  Not that it was an issue. After all, the fact someone affected by Blue Book’s atrocities had fallen so low only strengthened the conviction already present within him; to bring Blue Book down, and to do away with a pathetic criminal whose eyes now seemed about to burn right through him.

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  Wildcard’s smile had now disappeared, with the electric blue prana sparking around her offering more insight into her emotions instead.

  “… One of a kind indeed. Worse than the bitch from before, by far. You… I’m done.”

  Her murderous words were the only warning for the next attack.

  A lance of dense, luminous crystal. Giant blobs of blazing magma. White gas with some sort of corrosive effect, even on the nearby concrete.

  On the lookout this time, both from reading Wildcard’s aggression and due to the previous close call, Claude saw each of them coming this time. But once more, and even more obviously now that they were in sight, he noticed the lack of sound and air shaking that would be expected from such intense spells.

  So it wasn’t a mistake last time.

  Claude materialized a new sword, but knew he would not be able to block all three attacks. Stepping to the right, he came closest to the crystal projectile, an apparent solid that could be more readily parried.

  His arms trembled from the impact, even when relying on an unusual two-handed grip, but the crystal spear was deflected just enough to allow his retreat to continue. He could not approach Wildcard carelessly, but knew of two other safe spots where traps had already been triggered.

  Claude leapt as soon as his prana platforms were formed, avoiding the heavy magma and gas covering the place he previously stood at. Landing at the spot where the blue flame from before had gushed from, he turned to check on Wildcard’s own possible retreat—

  And couldn’t even catch a glimpse of her.

  A sweltering explosion did away with any such attempts as soon as he stepped on the place that should have been safe, blowing gravel and what felt like serrated nails into him. Claude quickly brought his free arm before his face to at least avoid being blinded, and would have jumped promptly to avoid more damage, but the glimmer of light he managed to see through the dust threw any such plans out the window.

  Another one’s coming!

  Claude frantically made a half turn, stretching his sword arm in the direction of that barely perceptible glow. He violently pierced the concrete with the glass-like blade and poured prana within it to an excruciating degree, forcing his weapon to grow more and more, as large and dense as possible…

  … Until the impact finally came.

  Wind and darkness blew around him like a concentrated storm, with even more shards ripping through his body. Cuts, burns, sheer concussive force that almost knocked him right on his back. For a second, Claude felt like the top left of his body was no longer there.

  His hearing was numb, ringing at both sides even if much worse on his left ear. Despite that, he could hear Wildcard’s laughter from the start, and increasingly more as his surroundings gradually became clearer.

  “How’s that, you fucking roach!? Oooohh, now that’s an arm I like to look at! Should I bet on the number of splits~?”

  She stood there just like before, mocking him in total conceit. The kind that would earn more than one person a bullet to the temple. But Claude did not attack, or so much as reply to her. He gave his arm a passing glance, and that was enough.

  To begin with, a fair amount of his sleeve had been ripped by the nails from before, but now much of it was just gone, burnt away. Most of the visible skin had darkened to a reddish color, growing blisters even within his worsened cuts. But perhaps worst of all was the fact he could barely move his limping arm, any attempt being far from what he wanted and accompanied by a very characteristic and intense pain.

  He had expected an outcome of that sort, and had taken a stance that would only subject one end of his body to such injuries if the incoming attack was strong enough, but that did not change the fact this was worrying. Extremely so.

  The same ends of his forehead and cheek ached considerably as well, and he almost thought his left eye might have gone the same way his arm did. Still, the annoyingly slow, but constant pace at which normal vision returned to it proved to be some sort of saving grace. For the time being.

  And it was not the only one.

  A new spell trap set without me even noticing, the abnormal lack of sound in her attacks; they’re connected. She has some special power to mess with perception, to ‘hide’ her prana in a strange way that makes me confuse it for the normal environment.

  He had gained information about Wildcard’s ability. Very crucial information at that.

  He instinctively frowned upon acknowledging he was still far from a countermeasure, but something to start off of was undeniably valuable.

  Wildcard had stopped laughing since a few seconds ago, but it was only now that her delighted expression changed. She glared like one might at pests that refused to go away; arrogant, but knowing it was no time for carelessness.

  “That’s an obvious ‘planning face’ if I’ve ever seen one. You’ve got no place to go, can’t even block with two hands, and you still think you have a chance? … Alright then. I’ll show you just how fucked you really are.”

  The electric prana around her condensed into a smoother flow, then began to recede as it was brought back under control.

  Claude materialized yet another blade as quickly as he could, preparing himself for whatever spell would come next. Parrying was much more difficult now, with only one arm available. But evasion was no more enticing, with the entire surroundings potentially plagued by spell traps like landmines. Did an actual countermeasure even exist?

  Still, Wildcard did not attack just yet.

  “What…?” Rather, she did something strange enough that Claude let out a voice without thinking.

  He did not get to see her eyes again, with only her smirk remaining for half a second more. From the crown of her head and the bottom of her feet, Wildcard’s body began to disappear. As if a digital drawing was being erased.

  Within maybe one full second, his offensive options became as crippled as his defensive ones. Now, he lacked even a target to attack. All he could see now were the many spells heading his way, numbering seven, and each one more than lethal enough.

  Needless to say, there was no way he could afford to parry something like that. One-handed, he would struggle with only one, and the six others would ravage him into nothing.

  … But I’ve reacted to her traps. Even when stepping on them, they’re fast to activate but not instant. At least for a few minutes, I might be able to outrun them…?

  The brief possibility running through his mind allowed Claude to finally make a decision. He could die by taking the gamble, but would that be any different from trying to face the attacks head-on?

  Evasion it will be!

  Claude rushed off without a second thought, feeling searing heat, crippling cold, violent gusts and gravel almost catching up behind him after the impact.

  He formed a new boosting platform under every hurried stride, dashing at his very top speed with minimal regard for where he went. So long as he could avoid obstacles and the devastating spells prepared all across the area, he could not ask for more.

  The former was no problem, and many times the ‘obstacles’ in question proved to be an advantage, allowing him to jump and move in different ways to survive the onslaught from not only the traps he triggered, but also those Wildcard continued to direct his way. It was the latter issue that was much easier said than done.

  He was certainly fast enough to avoid a direct hit so long as he kept running, but the unpredictable effects held within the traps still piled up damage on every occasional graze and slightest error in his footing. And even though Wildcard was no match for his speed, she continued to do an excellent job in reading his movements, with the traps she actively sent out precisely targeting the openings and blind spots created by those he ran over. All the while Claude lacked not only a countermeasure, but a target of his own.

  Still, it was that drastic move from her that gave him the most information yet.

  That wasn’t teleportation, or even what Phantom can do. The prana around her acted just like that from her silent attacks, so she must have merely ‘hidden’ herself.

  It was obvious enough to make her own feeling of invincibility all the more apparent. But if that was the case, then why had she not turned her attacks invisible as well? Maybe the size difference had something to do with it? Or the amount of movement? … No. Not all her attacks had been larger than her, and she had also hidden the prana reforming her traps in the same way…

  … Or did she? Raw prana was not strictly visible to begin with, so maybe—

  Another attack suddenly came too close, snapping Claude out of his thoughts. A black chain covered in crimson flame whipped around, forcing him to fall back from the building wall he had been climbing. It kept going through the structure, tearing through its foundations a few meters below the roof. Claude only saw part of the attack hitting the same section from the other side, and noticed he had been forced into a terrible mistake.

  The building top cracked and broke away, pushed out of its intended place and causing its fragments to rain down upon him. They were nowhere near as threatening as Wildcard’s traps, but they dangerously restricted his movement and field of vision.

  He ran down the wall, batting aside some of the debris building with his sword, while trying to dodge the rest. Only one needed to reach him, however, and that it did. His broken arm was struck and he was briefly stunned, allowing a split portion of the chain’s flames to singe his lower back.

  “—!”

  Claude struggled to not scream. Another hit, and another way in which his movements were compromised. Even before it, his stamina was beginning to give out, and the pain from forcing his arm to endure such high speed movements only made things worse.

  He could maybe last a minute more. After that, another mistake would be inevitable, and one more mistake meant…

  … No. He would not let that happen. Not now, when he finally figured out a plan of attack. One that would only take him a little over thirty seconds.

  More attacks came in the meantime, dodged by increasingly precarious breadth each time. At this point, one out of each five managed to graze him, but Claude still found the time to make another sword, while increasing the size of the one already at hand.

  He leapt back to the street, kicking the freshly made blade and throwing the one in his hand at the same time. The reflecting swords clashed and ricocheted in midair, landing far from each other at spots where traps had already been triggered.

  Naturally, the new traps in their place burst out as they pierced the pavement, causing smoke, dust and gravel to rise.

  Claude heard Wildcard’s laughter, echoing with a strange effect that made it impossible to tell where it came from, just as rattling no matter where he ran. But this time, the annoyance he felt only made his anticipation grow further.

  Seeing his two blades still sticking from their landing spots once the dust cleared up, hardly damaged, made a brutal smirk appear on his face.

  It’s only reasonable. Traps made in the moment have nowhere near the punch of those she placed ahead of time!

  It was all the confirmation he needed to kick production into high gear. Many more swords were made, then thrown, kicked or otherwise hit away in a similar manner. Some were used to throw off Wildcard’s attacks and others were simply swallowed up by the powerful spells, but the majority ended up piercing the street, sidewalks, building walls and much more. All places where traps had previously been, with the new spells set to detonate failing to dislodge or damage the blades much.

  Well over a dozen of the large swords now jutted out of all kinds of surfaces, as if Claude’s own claimed territory. Two more spells had grazed him in the meantime, ripping at his hip and burning his nape, but they were not enough to limit his top speed yet.

  Claude prepared one more sword, but this one he did not throw. Instead, he followed his most recent dodge with a sudden turn, sprinting with his full might toward the forest of swords he had constructed.

  Readying his right arm for a thrust, only one place remained in full detail amidst the high-speed blurs at the sides of his vision. A certain light post now practically framed by his blades.

  The same light post that Wildcard had been resting at when she disappeared.

  Claude’s eyes went wide in concentration that was almost inhuman, and he thrust his sword forward with all his strength. It pierced the light post with utmost ease, almost cleaving it in half right there. But the target of Claude’s focus was further down, having dodged his attack by such a small breadth that horror was still fresh on her face.

  Unfortunately for Wildcard, Claude was ready to follow up. Not wasting a single bit of his charge’s momentum, he raised his leg toward the vulnerable enemy. A knee carrying with it the speed and power of his max speed sprint hit her torso cleanly, no doubt cracking more than one rib.

  Wildcard was smashed into the light post with enough strength to make it tremble, but Claude continued his assault even then. Spinning with the same movement from his knee strike, he brought out an outstretched leg that promptly dug into the criminal’s chest.

  Compounding onto the earlier hit and the even earlier stab from his sword, the light post finally gave out and broke, its upper three fourths falling to the side as Wildcard was knocked further away, into the wall of the convenience store.

  “G-Ghh…! Y-You—”

  Wildcard groaned dizzily, trying her utmost to hold back bile, blood and anything else that may be coming up her throat. Claude ignored her reactions, and merely threw his sword at her, then two newly made ones which he kicked in quick succession.

  Right shoulder, left forearm and right foot were pierced and nailed to the wall and floor respectively, making Wildcard scream immediately.

  Claude formed a final sword as he approached and pressed it right below her chin as he panted, aching and exhausted.

  “Now it’s done.”

  Wildcard’s eyes, briefly shut from the pain, opened almost immediately. In other circumstances, the speed at which she recovered her presence of mind could have been praiseworthy, even if all it allowed for her now was panic.

  “Y-You just…! How!? So many… You saved up illusion spells until now!?”

  “No way I can do something like that. You really thought my blades look like that just for show?”

  Claude scoffed. No doubt she was referring to his trick with the sword marks.

  Had she thought them to be footholds? Attempts to hit her at random? Either way, she clearly had not expected him to play with reflection instead. With the many swords mirroring his approaching image from various angles, it was natural to hesitate and doubt the direction he was coming from.

  With a simple direct approach or throwing swords at her, she would have surely dodged with much more space to spare, possibly enabling an escape to recover her range, with the added knowledge that he could find her. A checkmate in the whole opposite direction…

  … No, just a check. He still would have found another way to get her. Probably.

  Wildcard’s tenacity seemed similarly untouched, however. Even with a blade to her neck, she glared at Claude with the same intensity as before. Nothing changed even as he pressed it further, enough to draw a trail of blood.

  “How’d you even know I was here!?”

  “Your power’s not nearly as subtle as you think it is. You made yourself invisible, but none of your attacks were affected beyond lesser effects like loss of sound or hiding them from prana sensing. The prana for your traps is a different thing as it’s naturally invisible, but anything else becomes harder to hide the more it moves. Maybe you have to manually keep the particles stuck to whatever you’re hiding? And invisibility takes many more?”

  Claude asked, somewhat rhetorically. Wildcard’s lack of response was still disappointing, however.

  “Whatever. This all meant you couldn’t afford to move much, with a single mistake risking me figuring the whole thing out. I figured there wasn’t any other place you could be at.”

  “… Then just kill me. What are you even waiting for?”

  She did not seem to be talking disingenuously. Her last attacks had impacted and missed Claude right before he approached enough for Wildcard to be in the blast zone, and he could not notice any others being set off afterward.

  Surely she was still looking for any opening to turn the tables or make her escape, but for the moment, Wildcard had accepted her defeat. He doubted she was goading him, and fear of death was still obvious from her gaze. Her question instead seemed out of a rather genuine curiosity, confusion at solid expectations being betrayed.

  … He felt conflicted.

  “There’s no point in killing you when you can’t fight back anymore. I can simply wait here until the police arrive, ready to take you in. Besides, what you said earlier… is not worthless. More targets for Blue Book to distract themselves with is always good.”

  “… Pfft. So that’s it?”

  Claude was the one to glare this time, instinctively. Wildcard chuckled, smirked and narrowed her eyes mockingly. It somehow did not feel like a bluff, despite her position.

  “I think you’re just a little bitch, afraid of how this guy who you say will toootally help you out would react to you murdering me just like that. So, who is it? Mister Mask, probably~?”

  “Keep being an annoying piece of shit if you want away with your throat that badly.”

  Claude uttered with a low voice as his blade pressed even harder to Wildcard’s neck, his vision appearing to blur, and not due to his exhaustion.

  But Wildcard’s smirk did not recede in the slightest, her voice as arrogant as it had ever been.

  “Does he even know how many you’ve actually killed? Oh, what am I asking~? If you were bleached, even you can’t know for sure! Still… A boy scout like that, all chummy with a former Blue Book enforcer? Just thinking of when he figures out what he’s gotten into, the kind of person he’s supporting... How exciting~.”

  Claude did not respond anymore. He also did not finish Wildcard off, allowing her to mock as much as she wished. The wish to finally end that was as enticing as it was downright revolting.

  To be expected, though no less frustrating for it, his thoughts turned to Edmond, his… ‘best friend’, heading toward a battle of the same sort as his, and a nameless dread awoke within him.