The Cunning Hares' sudden intervention flipped the situation once again.
It wasn't much of a turnaround, but at least Hoshimi Miyabi's life was no longer in immediate danger.
"Let go of that idiot fox! Or we won't go easy on you!"
Nicole raised her Ether Cannon high, aiming it straight at Sarah Floren, and bellowed at her with full force.
"Oh? And how exactly do you plan to not go easy on me?"
Sarah smiled faintly, though anger simmered beneath it — she despised this kind of unplanned variable.
But before she could act, Zhu Yuan's ambush came first.
"Hyah!" A kick shot toward her, and Sarah instinctively twisted aside to dodge — forgetting her foot was still pinned under Miyabi's grip. She stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
At the same moment, Anby, who had been lying in wait in a corner, sprang out to form a pincer with Zhu Yuan.
"Got her!" Just as the thought flashed through both their minds, a cold glint flashed — and Anby and Zhu Yuan were sent flying backward in an instant.
"What? That's impossible?!"
Zhu Yuan steadied herself and looked back at Sarah, her face going slack with shock.
Because in Sarah's hand now was an unsheathed blade — Tailless.
"That's impossible. That sword — only Miyabi should be able to draw it!"
Zhu Yuan's shock was understandable. This blade was a treasure passed down through generations of the Hoshimi family. Powerful as it was, that same power made it nearly impossible to control, and it inflicted terrible harm on whoever wielded it.
To suppress the demonic blade's power, and to keep it from turning on its own master—
—the Hoshimi family had crafted a special sheath for it, one meant to protect its wielder. That sheath had been keyed to Miyabi's own biometric data; no one but her could unlock it and draw Tailless out.
"You're right. Which is why I made a few preparations beforehand." As she spoke, Sarah rolled up her sleeve, and the arm revealed beneath it left Zhu Yuan and the others frozen in place.
Sarah's gloved right arm wasn't the pale color of a normal human's. Instead, it had taken on the same eerie gray as a Sacrifice — twisted, grotesque.
"Human strength has its limits. To wield power this great, one must pay a price to match."
And this arm was the sacrifice she had made.
She had obtained Miyabi's biometric data beforehand — through Thousand Faces — which let her unlock Tailless's sheath. Then, through bodily modification, she'd transformed her own arm into that of a Sacrifice, drawing on the Progenitor's power to wield a demonic blade that was meant to slay Ethereals.
"Now, you've already lost."
Sarah, Tailless in hand, let the corner of her mouth curl upward. A light swing of the blade sent out a wave of raw pressure.
"Ngh!" The gust forced Zhu Yuan's eyes shut. When she could open them again, Sarah's figure had already vanished from the hall, leaving behind only a deep gash carved by the blade's edge.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I won't stay and play. From here, I'll let my subordinates keep you entertained."
Sarah's voice echoed through the hall, and within moments it too was gone without a trace, leaving Zhu Yuan and the Cunning Hares standing there, utterly dumbfounded.
"She actually ran? Why— wait, no! Miyabi! Are you all right?!"
Zhu Yuan, who had instinctively begun wondering why Sarah would choose to flee, suddenly remembered there was still a wounded person waiting for her help.
When she turned to look, she found someone had already beaten her to Miyabi's side.
Anby and Nicole were fumbling to stop the bleeding and get Miyabi bandaged — out in the field, it paid to carry a few first-aid supplies.
As for Billy, to avoid any awkward suspicion, he stood watch off to the side. When he saw Zhu Yuan approach, he only gave a silent nod.
"Is Miyabi all right?"
"She's fine. She hasn't lost much blood, and it's already stopped. No vital organs seem to be hurt. A few bones are broken, but nothing to worry too much about."
Hearing Anby's answer, Zhu Yuan finally let out a breath of relief.
If something had happened to Miyabi here, she'd have carried the guilt for the rest of her life.
But there was no time for self-blame now. Sarah might have left, but the trouble she'd left behind hadn't gone with her.
The massive Sacrifice that had been floating in midair suddenly seemed to regain its senses. Its eyeball began spinning restlessly, and it started swooping back and forth through the air, leaving everyone present momentarily baffled.
"What's wrong with this thing? Sure, it's good that it's not attacking us, but this is way too weird."
Billy watched the circling Sacrifice with unease. It wasn't the enemy having a plan that scared him — it was the enemy not following any plan at all. That was exactly how he and the others felt right now.
"Not sure, but right now's the best chance we'll get to pull out. Let's get out of here first and figure out the rest later."
The current situation didn't allow for further entanglement — retreat was the better option.
With that, Nicole lifted Miyabi up, ready to call for Zhu Yuan to leave with them.
But Zhu Yuan showed no intention of leaving at all. Instead, she stood rigidly, gun in hand, staring at the Sacrifice not far off, lost in thought.
"Come on! What are you standing around for?!"
"Take her and go. I'll stay behind to cover the rear."
"What kind of hero act is this, now of all times?! While that monster's busy doing whatever it's doing, we need to retreat, fast!"
"I can't just abandon my subordinates!"
Nicole froze. Only then did she remember that Zhu Yuan hadn't come here alone with Miyabi. She turned to look — the Sheriffs who had been locked in fierce combat with the Rebel Soldiers were now either dead or wounded; barely any of them were still standing.
Could Zhu Yuan leave? Of course she could. But what about everyone left behind? Was she just supposed to leave them here as Sacrifice fodder?
"Protecting citizens is a Sheriff's duty. Protecting my subordinates is my responsibility as their commanding officer."
As a Sheriff, Zhu Yuan held to her convictions.
Protect everyone worth protecting — that was the creed Zhu Yuan had held to all along.
Back when she was rescued from a Hollow all those years ago, that small seed had already begun to quietly take root.
Now, it was her turn to protect others.
"Ugh, I can't stand this! I hate this kind of scene the most!"
Nicole scratched at her hair in irritation, then made up her mind.
"We're leaving this idiot fox to you guys! We're going to go help your commander!"
Nicole handed the unconscious Miyabi over to whichever Sheriffs could still move, then headed toward Zhu Yuan with Anby and Billy in tow.
"You.."
"This isn't how you're supposed to steal the spotlight! Remember to get me some kind of 'Heroic Citizen' award for this later!"
"Got it. Thank you, everyone, for your help. Now then, let's take them... home!"
____
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