Tough Lady

The Lawless City was a total wreck by the time I finally rolled out of bed.

Even though it was supposed to be dawn, the sky remained choked in darkness. A Crimson Moon hung high above the streets where Ghouls were currently throwing a massive riot.

Whoa.

Is this... could it be...?

"The 'Frenzy,' huh..." I muttered to the empty room.

That was the big-shot keyword that girl Milia had mentioned. Looks like her prophecy actually hit the mark.

Word around the base was that they were holding some emergency meeting to figure out a response. Naturally, I slipped out, climbed onto the roof of a tall building, and threw on my Jet-black Garb.

"Finally, the time has come...!"

There was no doubt about it. This was... the real deal.

A legit, big-time vampire event was popping off!

I let my Jet-black Longcoat flutter dramatically as I flashed a deep, meaningful smile behind my mask.

The keywords were 'Red Moon,' 'Frenzy,' and 'Queen of Blood,' right?

Oh, and I couldn't forget the 'Oldest Vampire Hunter' guy. I definitely needed to make contact with him while the event was still live.

It was going to be tricky, but I had to construct the most entertaining route possible.

Given the current flow, the final boss had to be the 'Queen of Blood.'

That meant my best bet was a "looting while the building's on fire" plan at the 'Crimson Tower'—kill two birds with one stone. After that, I’d just maintain a high level of flexibility and play the rest by ear.

My sister still hadn't come back, but she was a tough lady, so I was sure she'd be fine.

Now then, I suppose I should start hunting Ghouls while making sure everyone knows the event has started.

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The Magic Swordsman Association was lagging behind.

Despite pulling together a group of first-class Spellswords to handle the Ghouls’ frenzy, they were being forced into a pathetic retreat. Between the Ghouls being buffed by the 'Red Moon' and their sheer, overwhelming numbers, the association didn't stand a chance.

"'Great Arm' Glen’s been hit!! Fall back for now!"

"You total moron! This is your post!! Who the hell's gonna cover it!?"

"Screw that!! We've got wounded! You want us to just stay here and die!?"

Out on the main street, the Spellswords were surrounded. They tried to resist, but they were being ground down as the Ghouls surged in like an endless tide.

"Everyone! Please, stop acting on your own!"

Claudia—an elite staff member of the Magic Swordsman Association and the one supposedly in charge of the Queen of Blood Subjugation Operation—screamed until her throat was raw. It didn't matter. Morale was in the gutter, and total collapse was only a matter of time.

The street was becoming paved with Ghoul corpses.

To be fair, the association had actually gathered some decent talent; individually, the Spellswords were stronger than the Ghouls.

However, no one had expected this kind of volume.

This wasn't some random riot. It was likely a calculated move prepared over years of planning.

Even with all these Spellswords, they couldn't even reach the base of the 'Crimson Tower.' This was the true power of the 'Queen of Blood,' the woman who ruled a full third of the Lawless City.

There was an old saying back at the Magic Swordsman Association: "Do not lay a hand on the Lawless City." Claudia finally understood what that meant, and she cursed the idiots in upper management who had ignored it.

"Those damn old geezers," she spat.

Claudia let out a string of curses she’d never dare utter in public. There was the sexual harassment geezer who always tried to feel her up, the pervy geezer who wouldn't stop staring at her chest, the senile geezer who wouldn't stop asking her out at night... honestly, the list was endless.

She decided right then to ignore her orders and call for a retreat. If they demoted her for it, she’d just punch the old farts and quit.

The problem was, they were currently stranded in the middle of a Ghoul swarm.

Getting out wasn't going to be easy.

"Too little, too late, huh..." she whispered, mocking herself.

She could have made this call much earlier. She had hesitated to protect her own career, and now she felt like the biggest fool in the world.

Claudia drew her sword and steeled her resolve.

She had zero intention of dying for the shitty old men at the association, and honestly, she didn't give a damn about these selfish, muscle-brained swordsmen either.

But she’d delayed the decision, and she was going to take responsibility for it.

"We're retreating! I'll take the rear guard!"

She had worked her way up from the rank-and-file, after all. She might not have looked it, but she was damn good with a blade.

"Hell yeah! She said retreat!!"

"Rear guard's all yours! Catch ya later!"

The Spellswords scrambled away, one after another.

As Claudia hacked through Ghouls, she couldn't help but think: Would it have killed just one of you to stay and help?!

The Ghouls surged. The Spellswords vanished. Claudia fought like a demon, trying to fall back while keeping the pressure off the others.

But the burden of holding the rear alone was too much. She hit her limit fast.

Her foot slipped on a patch of blood, and the Ghouls lunged for the kill.

That was when the Jet-black Spellsword descended.

"Annihilate... 'Jet-black Whirlwind'."

The katana in his hand seemed to stretch several times its length. Or at least, that’s what it looked like before a literal whirlwind of darkness erupted.

It shredded every Ghoul in the vicinity, wiping out the entire swarm in a single heartbeat.

"N-no way..."

Claudia stared up at the Jet-black Spellsword from the ground, her jaw practically hitting the pavement.

This was move-breaking, logic-defying power. He had just erased a horde that an entire squad of elites couldn't handle.

Because Claudia was a top-tier Spellsword herself, she could tell just how far out of her league he was.

Even the swordsmen who had been busy running for their lives stopped and stared, eyes wide with terror and awe.

"The Frenzy has begun... You lot are in over your heads."

His voice sounded like it was echoing from the bottom of an abyss. He turned his back to them.

"W-wait! Who are you...?" Claudia called out to his retreating figure.

"My name is Shadow... I lurk in the shadows to hunt the shadows..."

With that, he walked off across the carpet of blood, his jet-black coat fluttering behind him. Claudia could only watch him go, completely stunned.

"So that... is Shadow."

A shiver ran through everyone present.

They’d heard the rumors. The guy who attacked the academy, nuked the Sanctuary, and supposedly took on both Princess Iris and the Bushin at the same time.

But no one in this line of work was naive enough to believe all that.

They knew something had happened, sure, but the details felt like tall tales. After all, who would actually believe a single human could overwhelm Iris and the Bushin simultaneously?

Claudia hadn't bought it either. As a professional within the Magic Swordsman Association, she’d dismissed it as exaggeration for the masses.

But after seeing him with her own eyes? She couldn't deny the rumors anymore. If it was this guy, "overwhelming" them sounded perfectly reasonable.

Still, why was he here in the Lawless City?

And why save people from the association?

The Magic Swordsman Association had Shadow and Shadow Garden at the top of their most-wanted list. He had absolutely zero reason to help them.

Maybe he has a motive we don't know about. Maybe there's more to those incidents than the reports say.

She needed to look into this.

"Shadow... I'll find a way to repay this debt," Claudia murmured to his shrinking silhouette.

Tap. Tap. The sound of his footsteps faded into the distance.

In the direction he was heading, the 'Crimson Tower' loomed large, standing tall beneath the radiance of the Crimson Moon.