Watch From the Cheap Seats

Seriously, what the hell was going on?

I sprinted through the midnight streets of the Royal Capital, my red hair fluttering behind me like some dramatic cape. The first report I’d heard was so ridiculous I practically rolled my eyes. Buildings being sliced? Give me a break. But as I hauled ass toward the scene, the updates kept rolling in, each more absurd than the last.

A massive, simultaneous attack was tearing the Royal Capital apart.

It didn't take a genius to figure that out. The weird part? There was zero logic to the targets. A merchant guild here, a warehouse there, a random restaurant, some noble’s private villa... It was definitely a coordinated hit, but the motive? Totally MIA.

Regardless of the "why," the city was in a full-blown panic.

The Knight Order was out in force, and the VIPs were being ushered to bunkers. Even though it was the middle of the night, half the citizens were peeking through their shutters, and more than a few idiots were actually heading toward the chaos to get a better look.

"Go home if you want to keep your heads!" I shouted at the loitering crowds as I hurried past.

Something was definitely up.

This isn't your average Tuesday night crime spree, my intuition whispered. I’ve learned to trust my gut.

Just then, a scream cut through the air.

"A-Abomination! We need backup! Now!"

That was one of my knights. And he sounded terrified.

I pulled a sharp u-turn and sprinted toward the noise. I cleared a corner, darted through a back alley, and burst onto the main street to find the thing waiting for me.

It was a hideous, hulking Abomination.

The creature was swinging a bloated, blood-slicked right claw, turning my knights into literal piles of ground beef.

"Well, that’s disgusting," I muttered, already mid-stride.

"Get back!" I barked.

In one fluid motion, I drew my sword. My blade flashed like a streak of white lightning through the dark, passing clean through the Abomination’s torso.

Bisection.

I sliced that oversized freak right in half with a single swing. I’m just that good, I thought, not even bothering to look as the two halves started to slide apart.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked the survivors.

"It’s Lady Iris! We’re saved!"

"Holy crap, did you see that? One hit! She took that Abomination down in one hit!"

The knights still standing were mostly unscathed. Keyword: standing.

"Eight men down, ma'am," someone reported.

Every single one of them had been killed instantly. I looked at the gruesome remains, and my wine-red eyes stung with a flash of grief. Dammit.

"Recover the bodies and fall back," I ordered. "Report to the captain and—"

"Lady Iris, look out!"

I heard the knight scream, and I saw the others pointing behind me with faces full of pure horror.

"What...?"

I spun around, my sword already moving in a desperate arc.

CLANG.

My blade collided with the Abomination’s right arm.

"Ngh...!"

For a split second, the sheer weight of the blow almost buckled my knees. I didn't have time to wonder how a bisected corpse was hitting me, so I just flooded my limbs with a massive surge of Magic Power and shoved the heavy arm back.

I dove into the creature's guard, shredded its legs, and then danced out of range before it could swat me. A split second later, that massive claw whistled through the air I’d just occupied, clipping a few strands of my hair.

"It’s regenerating?" I blurted out.

The torso I’d just cut in half was perfectly fine. Even the leg wounds I’d just inflicted were already knitting back together.

"No way... it’s healing even after Lady Iris cut it in half?"

"We're doomed..."

"Back off!" I snapped at the trembling knights. I stepped up to meet the Abomination’s next rush.

The thing was fast, strong, and hit like a falling boulder. But its pattern? Mind-numbingly basic.

"You’re just a brainless monster after all," I sighed.

I stopped playing nice. I minced its arms, severed its legs, and lopped off its head. I unleashed a flurry of strikes that said, 'Go ahead, try regenerating through this.' I didn't give it a second to breathe; I just turned it into a one-sided carving session.

But even then...

"Are you serious? Still regenerating?"

The Abomination was a tank. It found a tiny opening in my combo, shoved me back with a swing of its arm, and regained its footing.

Then, it threw its head back and let out a shrill, ear-piercing roar.

As if the world was responding to its tantrum, rain started falling from the moonless sky. It started as a light drizzle but quickly turned into a downpour. When the water hit the Abomination’s blood, it hissed and gave off thick plumes of white smoke.

"Fine. This might take a minute," I conceded.

I gave up on the "quick and easy" victory and settled into a combat stance. I wasn't worried about losing—I’ve literally never lost a fight in my life—but this was turning into a major time-sink.

I leveled my sword and charged the fully-healed monster.

Then, everything went sideways.

With a high-pitched ping, my sword was suddenly batted aside. The impact was so violent it sent a numbing shock all the way up my arm.

I watched my favorite sword spin away into the darkness, and I glared at the person who had just crashed my fight.

The intruder glared right back.

The stranger was the one to break the silence.

"Don't you realize you're just dragging out its suffering?"

It was a woman wrapped in a Jet-black Bodysuit. I couldn't see her face, but she sounded young.

"Who are you?" I demanded, keeping one eye on this Jet-black Woman and the other on the monster.

"Alpha."

She dropped the name like it was supposed to mean something, then immediately turned her back on me as if I were a mere distraction.

"Hold it! What do you think you're doing? If you intend to interfere with the Knight Order, I won't be—"

"Hostile...?"

Alpha cut me off, laughing into the rain without even looking back. It was a low, mocking chuckle that really got under my skin.

"What’s so funny?" I hissed.

"Hostile... honestly, could you be any more ridiculous? It is the height of arrogance for a fool who knows nothing to speak of 'hostility' to us."

"You...!"

My Magic Power flared. It poured out of me in a massive wave, literally blowing the rain away and kicking up a localized gale. But Alpha didn't even flinch. She kept her back turned, her voice cold and dismissive.

"Spectators should act like spectators and just watch the stage from the cheap seats. Don't get in our way."

With that, she just... walked toward the monster. She didn't have a care in the world. It was like I didn't even exist to her.

"A spectator...?"

I clenched my numb fist and glared at her retreating back.

"You poor thing. That must have hurt," Alpha said, her voice oddly gentle as she addressed the Abomination. "Don't worry. The pain is almost over. You don't have to be sad anymore."

A Jet-black Blade extended from her hand. It was impossibly long, taller than she was.

"So, please... stop crying."

Then, she just took a step forward. It was the most natural thing in the world, like she was going for a stroll. And then the Abomination was in two pieces.

None of us saw it. Not me, not the monster—nobody. We all just stood there and watched it happen, unable to even process the movement. It wasn't an attack fueled by bloodlust; it was just a natural conclusion. The thing was there, and then it was cut.

The Abomination’s massive body slumped to the ground. It shriveled up amidst clouds of white smoke until it was no larger than a young girl. As the smoke cleared, a dagger tumbled from its left arm.

It was a dagger set with a brilliant red gem.

‘To my beloved daughter, Milia.’

The words were engraved right there on the hilt.

"I hope... that in your next life, you find peace," Alpha whispered. Then she vanished into the mist.

A crack of thunder echoed in the distance.

I just stood there, paralyzed. The rain soaked through my hair and ran down my face in cold streaks. My hands were shaking. I didn't know why. I didn't want to know why.

"Alexia..." I whispered.

My gut was screaming at me again. My sister was at the very heart of this disaster.

"Alexia, please tell me you're okay..."

I scrambled to pick up my sword and started running again.

The rain showed no signs of stopping.