Lillith stepped forward, silently blocking the path.
She didn't say a word at first. Just stood there—elegant, calm, with her umbrella resting on her shoulder and that unreadable expression on her face.
Yet beneath that stillness was something colder, heavier. It was as if her presence alone were enough to freeze the air.
The group stopped instantly.
Sara moved ahead, her body tense, stepping in front of Zayden and the others."Go," she said, her tone sharp and unwavering. "I'll hold her off."
Zayden stepped beside her without hesitation.
Shion gave a short nod and sprinted off.
Eriska followed, glancing back once—not at Lillith, but at Kajin's fading trail. Her face tightened with worry.
As she ran, Lillith's eyes shifted just slightly, catching the tension in Eriska's expression. She didn't react. Not outwardly.
But the faintest pressure coiled beneath her calm surface, like something hidden waiting to be unleashed.
Zayden exhaled sharply, arms loose at his sides."Well then," he muttered. "No one left to throw themselves in your way. How are you planning to fight now?"
Lillith's eyes turned back to them, slow and steady."…You really are brainless, aren't you, low-life?"
She tilted her umbrella slightly, letting a ray of light pass over her face."I allowed my pets to play because it was faster. Efficient. But after watching that last battle…" Her gaze sharpened, though her expression remained calm."…I've changed my mind."
She took a step forward, heels tapping softly against the cracked forest floor."I think I'll toy with you myself."
Sara took a quiet breath and stepped forward, her eyes locked onto Lillith.Her voice was steady. Controlled."Don't interfere," she said without looking back.
Zayden raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. He slipped his hands into his pockets and took a light hop back, landing a few paces behind."Got it," he said simply, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
The forest air tensed again—between two figures, both calm on the surface… but one of them wasn't human.
Lillith stood poised, umbrella still resting on her shoulder, watching Sara approach.No emotion crossed her face.No shift in posture.Just that same quiet composure that somehow felt far more dangerous than rage ever could.
Sara narrowed her eyes, stepping forward without hesitation."You're going to regret messing with us," she said, voice cool but laced with steel.
Lillith's expression didn't change. Calm. Unreadable.But beneath her placid gaze, something stirred—mockery, perhaps. Or something colder."Such bold words…" she said softly, shifting the umbrella slightly over her shoulder."From a little insect like you."
She took one step forward."Let's see who regrets it first."
Sara lunged forward.
Her foot slammed the ground, body twisting with perfect form as she closed the distance in an instant.
Her fist shot toward Lillith's face.But—
With the faintest motion, Lillith tilted her wrist.
Clink.
The polished canopy of her umbrella snapped into place, deflecting the blow like a shield.No strain. No change in expression.
Only silence—and a low gust of wind rolling past their feet.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest.
Ito ran—limping, off-balance, but pushing forward. Each ragged breath burned his lungs. His knee throbbed with every step, but he never let go of the flag.
Every so often, he'd stumble—intentionally. Knock over a branch. Leave behind a scrap of cloth snagged on a twig. Each movement was deliberate, orchestrated.
High above, hidden in the canopy, Reginald followed."Tch... You're making it too obvious," he muttered with a sneer. "Crude bait… you're not even trying to hide it."
But the longer he followed, the more… off it felt.
The trail veered too sharply at times. Some signs were real—others faint.
Deliberately smudged. A footprint that started, but didn't end. A snapped branch with no path beyond it.
Still, the flag was in sight, fluttering from Ito's belt. His injury? Real. His weakness? Palpable.
So why did it feel like he was the one being hunted?
"…No," Reginald whispered, crouching low on a thick branch. "Don't overthink. He's just desperate."
Still, something itched in his mind. The sounds were inconsistent.
Sometimes Ito was close. Sometimes far. Then close again. The spacing was… wrong.
Reginald paused and threw a stone—not at Ito, but behind him.
The forest remained still. No birds, no shout, no reaction.
"Hmph… thought so. Not a clone. Not an illusion either. Just reckless."
He moved forward again—then abruptly stopped.
Snap.
A single wire-thin vine, left dangling across a low branch, had brushed his boot. Not a trap—just bait.
He narrowed his eyes."They're layering distractions now," he muttered. "A trail within a trail. But that means—"
Thunk!
A small rock flew past his cheek, narrowly missing. Reginald snapped his head toward it—only to see nothing but a bush.
"Trying to draw my aim off with bad angles… Hmph. How pathetic."
But the delay had worked.
By the time he turned back, Ito was gone.
Reginald's eyes darted wildly across the forest."No way. That speed—he was limping. I was right behind him."
He dropped to the forest floor, crouching."They're messing with distance perception. Sounds. Misdirection."
Then it hit him."It's not just him."
Too late.
A branch cracked behind him. He spun around, arm already reaching for a stone in his pouch—
—but it wasn't there.
He stared. His pouch strap had been cut.
Somewhere between the leap and landing, a thin, near-invisible thread had sliced it clean.
"Damn it—!"
"Found it."
Gakurei's voice. Calm.
Emerging from the bushes, not with a shout, but with quiet precision.
Reginald lunged back, almost slipping on a pile of dry leaves that had been intentionally arranged—another delay.
A flicker of movement behind him—
Ito burst from the undergrowth, holding a stick like a short baton, using it to bat Reginald's hand aside just as it reached for a backup pouch.
The hit connected—not hard, but enough.
Reginald spun with rage, grabbing Ito's collar to throw him down—
Only to realize—
That wasn't Ito.
A cloak. A cloth mask. Same outfit.
It was one of their extra flags, tied around the shoulder to mimic his look.
The real Ito tackled from the side, not with strength—but with dead weight.
One good leg drove into Reginald's thigh, throwing his balance off.
Reginald fell—right into Gakurei's lock.
They hit the ground hard. Dirt kicked up.
Reginald's glasses flew to the side. He gritted his teeth, elbowing Gakurei in the ribs—
But Gakurei didn't budge. His hold tightened, arms locked around Reginald's, legs pinning him.
Ito rolled up, dropping the fake disguise and panting hard.
Reginald's glare shot to both of them."…So that's it. You made me chase a double, dragged me through false trails, weakened me with distractions…"
His voice dropped to a hiss."…And I walked right into it."
Gakurei's eyes didn't leave him. Calm. Sharp."It wasn't about outsmarting you."
He leaned in slightly."We just had to keep you moving long enough to trip over your own confidence."
Reginald sat on his knees, dirt smudging his coat and blood trailing from his mouth.
He glanced up at Ito, who stood—wounded but firm—with the flag still in hand.
"…Now what?" Reginald said quietly, eyes locked with his. "You gonna take my flag?"
Gakurei stepped forward, eyes narrowing slightly."So? What do you want to do with him?"
Ito's fingers tightened around the fabric, his voice steady."…Let's not take it further than this."
Gakurei tilted his head, a bit thrown off. "Huh?"
Ito looked down at Reginald—not with anger, but a calm, measured gaze."He's already lost. That's enough."
He paused, the breeze shifting the leaves above them."I don't think that justifies doing the same thing back. Not like this."
Reginald blinked slowly. The fight in him had faded."…Thanks," he muttered.
Gakurei let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck."Alright. I'll leave it at that."
Then—without a hint of hesitation—he delivered a swift kick straight to Reginald's face.
The boy toppled backward with a grunt, blood trickling from his nose.
Gakurei casually dusted off his pants."But I still had a score to settle. Now we're even."
Reginald groaned on the ground, too stunned to speak.
Ito didn't comment. He simply shifted the flag in his hand and turned toward the forest ahead."…Let's go."
Gakurei stepped up beside him, a faint smirk playing on his lips."Yeah. Time to wrap this up."
The two of them moved forward—leaving Reginald behind, alone in the quiet clearing.
Reginald pressed a hand to his bloodied nose, breathing heavily.
"Sorry…" he muttered, voice weary and low.
"I wasn't able to do one little thing you asked for, Lillith."