Elira walked slowly, lifting her legs one by one from the thick mud. Her breath was heavy, forming clouds in the freezing air.

  "Move your fucking legs faster, can't you? You little bitch!"

  Elira rolled her eyes.

  "Look who is talking. You are not even as tall as me."

  "Fucking bitch! I am twice your age!"

  "Yeah, yeah, Grandma."

  "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

  Nyx, the woman who looked like a child but swore like a sailor, threw a tantrum. She lunged at Elira, her daggers flashing.

  “Hey, hey, ladies. How about a little rest?”

  Oren sighed. He stepped in between them, holding Nyx back by the collar of her oversized coat. She flailed like an angry cat, her curses echoing off the ruined stone walls.

  Elira, Nyx, and Oren were assigned border patrol duty.

  However, their route was different from the normal patrol.

  Between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, there used to be a small neutral kingdom. Now, the only thing left was ruin. Broken towers, scorched fields, and ghosts.

  Their mission was to dive deep into this ruin to find any trace of the Holy Kingdom army. It was a suicide mission. Walking in the middle of a dead zone, hunting for an army that would outnumber them a thousand to one.

  Only disposable assets like them got missions like this.

  They had been walking for hours. Elira was clearly not trained for long-distance marches. She sat down on a boulder, patting her burning thighs. If not for Oren's quiet encouragement, she might have collapsed miles ago.

  Elira glanced at the man.

  The struggle had stopped. Nyx sat on the ground, arms crossed, glaring at Elira. Oren checked his lute, which had swung dangerously during the scuffle.

  He ran his fingers over the wood. No cracks.

  Satisfied, Oren started strumming.

  The tension eased instantly.

  The song was simple. A folk tune from a country that no longer existed. Elira didn't know the name, but she couldn't help nodding along with the melody. The fatigue in her legs seemed to melt away, replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling.

  "Tch."

  Nyx stood up, grumbling something under her breath. She picked a boulder further away and sat down, her eyes looking at the horizon. But her foot tapped along to the rhythm.

  Oren's music could influence the mind. It sounded like magic, but he claimed it was just "good vibrations." It had minimal effect on strong-minded people or mages with Brand Magic, but it made the unbearable silence of the ruins bearable.

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  They enjoyed the music for a few minutes.

  Then, it stopped.

  Twang.

  Oren raised an eyebrow. His head turned to the east.

  Nyx’s eyes snapped open. She looked east too.

  Thirty seconds later, Elira felt it.

  The ground trembled. Dust fell from the broken arches around them. It felt like a small earthquake.

  Elira looked east.

  A white line appeared on the horizon. It grew thicker. A sea of white armor reflecting the gray sky.

  Nyx took out a metal badge from her pocket. She poured mana into it. The badge fizzled, static crackling. She slapped it against her palm.

  "Testing. Baldy? Can you hear me?"

  "...Any report?"

  Elira recognized Major Viktor’s voice. It sounded tinny and distorted.

  Nyx smirked.

  "Hey, Baldy. The fanatics are coming again. A whole battalion this time. Maybe two."

  "Affirmative. Your group will engage and slow their movement. The other disposable assets will come in aid soon after, and later the main army."

  "Sure, sure, Baldy."

  Nyx tossed the badge back into her pocket before Viktor could reprimand her for the nickname.

  The three of them looked at the incoming shining army.

  Thousands of knights. Mages. War machines.

  None of the three showed any sign of fear.

  The enemy still needed a few minutes to reach them. Oren resumed his song, a faster, sharper tune this time. Nyx stood up and stretched, popping her neck. Elira massaged her thigh, wincing.

  Elira doubted they could kill her.

  Honestly, she would be grateful if they could. But they simply couldn't. Not with her power. Not with Nyx and Oren beside her.

  Nyx and Oren had a reputation among the "Imperial Slaves," the disposable assets. They were criminals the Empire couldn't execute because they were too valuable. Nyx the Assassin. Oren the Siren. They were monsters no one dared to mess with.

  And Elira?

  After her performance in the war a few days ago, she was categorized right alongside them. In fact, rumors said she was the most dangerous of them all.

  Soon, the song had to stop again. The army had finally come close enough to notice the three figures standing in their path.

  A squad of vanguard knights charged on horseback, lances lowered, screaming prayers.

  Nyx grinned.

  "Mine."

  She vanished.

  She reappeared in the middle of the charging knights.

  Slash.

  Heads rolled. Horses collapsed, their legs severed mid-gallop.

  Nyx moved like a storm. The winds around her turn into blades as she goes, cutting soldiers into pieces. She laughed loud and manic as the blood sprayed over her, turning her child-like face into a crimson mask.

  "Come at me, you fucking creeps! Your God won't save you from me!"

  The soldiers screamed, charging at the three monsters.

  Oren, on the other hand, was much less bloody.

  He played a different song.

  It wasn't a melody. Just... noise.

  Discordant. Screeching. Confusing.

  Everywhere the sound waves traveled, soldiers collapsed. Their bodies twisted in unnatural angles. Their mouths opened wide in silent screams.

  And then, from their open mouths, Oren’s song echoed out, amplifying the noise. An unnerving choir of the dying.

  The scene was less bloody than Nyx's carnage, but infinitely more disturbing.

  And Elira?

  She still sat on the boulder.

  She reached into her pocket and took out a cigar. She flicked her finger, lighting it with a small spark of flame she had practiced.

  She kicked her feet leisurely, watching the army rush toward her.

  None of the soldiers could get close. Not even their scream.