“Jack'ole Tern at your service, blah.”

Posing his feet widely apart and his tongue out while pulling down on his face, the man who arrived showed nothing but a crazed face.

His hair was a weird variant of a mohawk, but with only three spikes, the back of his head was shaved.

Behind him was a gang that wore green headbands to imply that they were from the organization Viper's Venom.

“——Looks like you didn't learn your lesson last time.”

From the smoke caused by the explosion, Violet and Bahamut would come out unscathed, protected by the barrier Violet had set before.

Magi and Cian were also inside it, but Magi had already cast an inner barrier only for the two of them if the barrier were not enough.

Both of them had also begun to wear their masks as other people appeared. It wouldn't be wise to reveal themselves too easily.

“My! Explosions never do the trick, eh? They always raise a flag that it doesn't work somehow.”

Jack'ole would take one step forward as he proceeded with his idle chat, followed by the ranks behind him.

“Whatever. Today, I prepared an ambush. I don't care how cowardly you call it but, revenge is revenge!”

Jack'ole would slowly pull out what seems to be a chain and at the end of it were spikes that were dripping some kind of green liquid.

It was clear that it was Poison as the armed men behind him wielded blades and bows that had the same liquid applied to their weapons and arrows.

“——Shit. We aren't supposed to be here.”

With Magi attempting to pull out of the battle with Cian, they were intercepted by another line of armed men from the other direction, outnumbering them by a hundred.

“Let us go! We don't have anything to do with this war between organizations! We're just mercenaries.”

“Y-Yeah! That's right!”

Magi shouted out to the crazed man, and without time to spare he wanted to get out of this whole ordeal.

This was supposed to be just a simple delivery job, Magi thought.

“Huh? Is that right? Well, then. We don't have any grudges against you guys so, you can go.”

As opposed to his appearance, the twins were easily let go as the armed men that intercepted them quickly made way for them to pass by.

However...

“You believed him? I never expected our comrades to be such good actors and traitors at the same time!”

“———?!”

Screaming at the top of her lungs, Violet deliberately lied. Magi and Cian were quickly pushed back along with Violet and Bahamut, shocked at what just had happened.

“——What are you scheming?!”

Cian would be the one to grab Violet by the shoulders, angrily shouting at her for being thrown back by Bahamut who had his cane aimed at him, transforming into a spear.

It was a Grant, a circular weapon powered by what seemed to be combined Wind and Earth magic.

“Ah! Do you fuckers think you can mess with me? I changed my mind. Just kill them all! Leave no trace! Swallow them whole!”

Following Jack'ole's commands, the armed men would begin to swarm and rush the four of them.

“Humph! Let's make a deal, you two! Help us out of here, and we'll reward you handsomely.”

Offering but another deal, Violet tried to make terms with the situation now that the enemy had seen them both in the same team. It was Violet's fault, but it left the twin in the same boat as them, at least increasing their odds.

“After that stunt you made? You must be presumptuous enough to——”

“Magi! Whether you like it or not, we're gonna have to fight those guys now. So, we might at least get this deal before handling such pain in the asses!”

Before Magi could refuse in such a roundabout way, Cian interrupted him and accepted the offer in his stead. It was better than refusing and having to fight them anyways.

“Alright! Let's get started!”

Tapping into her digitalizer, Violet's Gauntlet was instantly equipped on her hands, pounding it as the enemies closed in.

[«Breaker» Equipped.]

[«Power Accumulation» is at 20%. Continuous use will increase it.]

It didn't look like a normal Grant or a lesser Grant. It felt like it was an S Grade Grant as Magi heard it accumulate 20% of its power when equipped.

Power Accumulation was something that changes the Grant's destructive output. The more accumulation it has, the more power it will release.

Power Accumulation is usually gained through Mana Stone Synthesis where they would have to extract Mana Stone to the Grant and gain a percentage of that Power Accumulation.

But for Violet's case, continuous use of her Grant would instead increase its «Power Accumulation», increasing its power over time before resetting back to zero after it is left unused for a minute.

“Come at me, you bastards!”

Violet would only pass through the crowds with her large gauntlets, punching and lifting men left and right as she overpowered them, however, with their blades being covered in poison, she was being careful not to be grazed even by the slightest.

“——There's too many of them!”

Violet shouted as she was overwhelmed by numbers regardless of her power.

“——!”

There was imminent danger from behind her before she could turn, but as soon as she did, she was already saved by Cian who was gunning down the men as he tumbled around.

“——Flare Blast!”

Putting his pistols together, Cian can fire a large blast with the output of his pistols joined together into one point.

It was able to create an explosion that threw most of its enemies.

“One, two, three, four...”

Firing away with one pistol, each bullet that Magi had in his gun had to be saved. Each one would hit the enemy by the head, creating ice around his target's head.

His pistols could only store up to 15 bullets, but regardless, he could still make up many ways to use his Ice Bullet.

“Ice Palace.”

Magi would fire his pistol on the ground, and as the bullet comes in contact with any kind of surface, the ice would explode and scatter to create a slippery floor whereas Magi was the least affected.

This made it easier for him to hit the moving enemies and reload his gun as they were slowed down by that slippery surface.

He had already taken down a measly number of twenty men, and as he looked over to his side, Magi could see Bahamut fighting his own battles.

Bahamut had only a simple weapon, a cane that could turn into any weapon that is the same length and mass as the cane. It was a part of nanotech mixed with magic.

Despite it being such a versatile weapon, that kind of weapon relied on the user's combat skill, being able to adjust and adapt to the weapon he will use next.

“Dread cut them!”

Shouting, Bahamut would turn his Grant into an S-shaped blade that he would throw, spinning around him as it sliced the enemies it had encountered.

It was a weapon incapable of being ledged into an enemy's body and will return to the user's hand at will.

Those were no normal Grants. They were at least S Grade Grants, Magi thought to himself.

“Very nice. You've defeated my disposable pawns well.”

Clapping by the sidelines, Jack'ole chuckled and walked towards them as they slowly finished up.

The others who survived were able to go back behind Jack, still wielding their weapon.

“You've lost again. You should just go home before we bash your head in.”

Violet said with confidence, showing her gauntlets off.

[«Power Accumulation» at 100%. Maximum Output reached. 1 minute before reset.]

Violet's gauntlets had just reached their maximum power, and if Jack would still want to fight her, his chance to win would be lower than hers now that the difference in strength was clear.

“I've lost? I haven't shown you my trump card yet.”

Suddenly, Jack would smile at them menacingly, and soon enough there a large metal pole was thrown from the distance, hitting Violet's Gauntlets.

“——Keough?!”

The force was enough to chatter that Mana Stone that was exposed, and with it gone, one of Violet's Gauntlet was unusable.

[Warning! Dual Gauntlets are dysfunctional. The Right Gauntlet is unresponsive. Please re-calibrate.]

“——Violet!”

Bahamut would quickly catch her as she was thrown back by the force of the metal pole that was thrown at her.

A part of her ribs was broken, and her right hand was shattered by the force. It was a power that she never had dealt with before.

“——K-Kid!”

Cian also moved unconsciously towards Violet out of habit. He was able to observe her state, slowly losing consciousness as Bahamut held her closely.

“M-Magi! Get us out of here! You can use that skill!”

Cian quickly clung to Magi who only stood there and watched. He was referring to a skill that would somehow get them out of that situation, perhaps a teleport skill, yet Magi didn't pay any attention to his requests.

“Cian. I can't. I can only teleport one person out with me.”

Magi only responded coldly, looking at the young girl whose light in her eyes was slowly fading away.

“——Then teleport with her! This guy and I will just distract them while you bring her to a hospital!”

Pointing at Bahamut, Cian was ready to face the enemies in their stead, wanting to save a simple stranger who had only screwed them up before.

“Are you an idiot?! Why would I choose her instead of you!? You're my brother, so put yourself together!”

Pulling Cian by his collar, Magi looked at him intensely as emotions exploded.

Cian's face was on the verge of crying, pitiful of Violet.

He was just so weak against children. Magi couldn't change Cian's kindness. He would be always like that, he had thought to himself.

“F-Fuck. I got messed up, pretty badly.”

“———!!”

Somehow, Violet was able to regain consciousness, surprising the three as they looked at her.

“Y-You. You're too kind for your good. I just screwed you over and now you're crying for my sake. You won't get a woman at that rate.”

“You can teach me when we are successful in getting you out here! Make that a part of the deal!”

Cian shouted, acting all close and all despite meeting just a few hours ago. He was too gullible and nosy, Violet thought.

But he was not bad.

Violet would point and chuckle at Cian lightly as blood came out of her mouth, coughing it out as she barely stood.

“Once we get out? That's impossible. I didn't expect them to bring their big guns out here.”

As Violet mentioned, all of them would look at the side where Jack stood, waiting for them to end their little drama.

“Time's up, Violet. Time to die.”

Jack would only shout, standing in front of a tall, dark-skinned woman whose whole body was partly covered by technology, breathing in through a mask connected to tubes.

“It's a damned Brainless.”

Violet held her right arm as she stood, laughing it out.

“A Brainless?!”

Cian reacted, uncertain of what they were.

“Bahamut!”

Suddenly, Violet would call him out, looking at him with determined eyes.

Bahamut knew what those eyes mean, and in that instance he knew what to do, nodding in response.

And at that moment, the Brainless and Violet dashed at each other.

“DIEEEEE! YOU BRAT!”

“AHAHAH!!”

Jack would only scream out of anger against her, but Violet, only laughed loudly as she winded up her left hand preparing to hit the Brainless.

[«Power Accumulation» is unstable in one Gauntlet! Warning! Excessive use will result in an unstable crash!]

The gauntlet would then give its warning right at the most critical moment.

But the only words that could leave Violet were: “Thank you.”

An explosion would follow.