Chapter 40: No Guts

Caldasia can destroy a city with her own power. She can melt buildings with a fireball, a display of overwhelming destructive force; she can also burn humans with that same fireball yet leave them unharmed except for a faint smoky scent, a testament to her immense control. She can demolish structures and show mercy to her foes in the same assault. Sounds utterly unreasonable? That is precisely right! The white-coated scientists from Central United University would offer their typical response: superpowers are forces that defy logic.

Does Red Lion truly require assistance from others? She can dispatch these lowlifes single-handedly. Rushing in to help would only distract her, would it not?

Yet someone holds a different view.

The Flame Hat burns brightly in the air, visible to all in the central district, including the emblem of the Red Lion.

This includes a certain young lady selecting gifts half a block away.

—She must hurry to lend support to Caldasia.

The instant she notices the hat signal, Qin Qianbo reaches a conclusion.

"I'm terribly sorry, but this shop is temporarily closed. You should evacuate as well."

"Uh, okay."

She silently sets aside the gift she was about to purchase. The clerks in the game shop swiftly make their way to the emergency exit, in an orderly fashion. She pushes against the stream of people and exits the front door. Amid the chaotic retreat stands a bald man in black, one of the trio who had appeared in the building earlier that morning, with six burly men following close behind.

"Sorry to interrupt. Everyone knows how close you are to Demon Lord Brother. We're just small fry trying to make a living, not daring to cross you."

The bald man rubs his hands together, smiling awkwardly.

"Requesting your kindness, don't get involved in this mess, would you?"

"No."

Qin Qianbo continues forward, ignoring him.

The bald man's face sours. He draws his double-section sticks.

"You really don't have to."

The tips of the sticks dart like vipers' tongues toward the girl's back. Qin Qianbo whirls suddenly, a flash of her jet-black blade, and the nunchaku disintegrate into smooth, severed iron scraps!

A plastic water bottle rolls across the ground. She grips her usual long-handled black blade and speaks as she always does.

"I have a good relationship with Caldasia too."

The bald man sneers, as if anticipating it. With a clatter, the nunchaku fall as scrap. The man produces two daggers from his pocket.

"Western Union Kulenqia, B-rank ranger, Dake Wal."

The Western Union Kulenqia Ranger Guild is a premier organization that has nurtured countless renowned martial artists! Dake is merely introducing himself. This is the basic courtesy before a martial artist confrontation. In such duels, one may conceal one's name, engage in group combat, employ modern weaponry, use poison, or employ any other means... However!

One cannot falsely report one's origins. Concealing the school that imparts one's techniques is a dishonorable act that only those who have lost all dignity would commit.

"Using the advantage of numbers to bully the weak, forgive me." The ranger wields his double-edged blades, and the six subordinates shout in unison, "You think you can just do as you please!" "Don't look down on us!" "If you don't listen, you'll die!" The burly men draw their weapons: spears, pistols, grenades, brass knuckles, great swords, flamethrowers! The seven encircle the girl, activating their powers and launching simultaneous attacks.

The girl under siege appears no different from her usual self, silently lowering her long blade.

A second passes, and the seven weapons are severed into fragments, the six subordinates flying backward. The girl closes in, her blade tip stabbing straight for the ranger's chest!

The bald man releases his unbladed handle, scraping his left foot back, turning his body halfway around. A concealed dagger hidden in his black clothes is launched with dark energy, slashing at the long blade, barely snatching a thread of life!

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Only now do the six who were sent flying manage to let out their wretched screams.

The girl swings her black blade, her expression blank as she regards the headless subordinates.

"Imperial Capital Qin Clan, Qin Qianbo."

The ranger inhales sharply.

The conflict reignites, blades clashing with metallic clamor!

On high, sixteen bundles of black light remain, the flame lion still arrogantly hovering behind its master.

"Cut."

The Flame Hat woman discards her half-melted mechanical arm to the side, another "feather" shrieking as it falls. She doesn't resign, shaking her arms twice; the hands dotted with purple-black light remain motionless like frozen. The right hand is temporarily useless, likely due to grazing "death collision". It looks like a super strength attack, yet the effect is weakening post-impact. One can't help but think this person selected by the headless... is indeed not righteous in their subordinates.

Caldasia converts her right arm into a stationary fire. At least this provides some intimidation, appearing ready to unleash a powerful move.

"Sigh, reacted a beat late." The lion turns its head and bites, dispatching another sneak attacker. Being ambushed by an unfamiliar ability is one thing... Forget excuses. Honestly, the state is too poor. Just recovered from a rampage and now facing a prepared encirclement, anyone would be unstable.

Clang clang, feet slip, boiling asphalt surges like tentacles toward her.

"No imagination."

Three consecutive fire blasts flip and explode the ruined road, another "feather" erupts from the ground, becoming a fire person. At that moment, an anomaly strikes! Blue lights leap from the damaged asphalt tentacles; Caldasia's attire glows with purple luster; a green-haired giant bird screeches as it dives; a red leaf emblazoned with "kill" emerges from the flames! Taking advantage of Red Lion's distraction, the four superhumans attack simultaneously!

"Many fresh faces? Fine, creativity isn't bad." Caldasia sighs helplessly, "Wait, you idiot skull—"

The lion lunges at the bird first, her voice smothered by the bird's piercing cries.

"In a bit, I'll turn you to ashes."

Far away.

At the wavy shore, a hearing-augmented ability user repeats the lion's provocation to the boss.

"Sigh..."

The headless gazes toward the flames, his ugly breathing carrying an inscrutable laugh.

"I await you, Red Lion."

"Boss, regarding the target..." the hearing user whispers to the leader.

"Fire indiscriminately after warning until the target appears."

"...All members?"

The messenger soldier trembles subtly.

"All, the rest leave to the lab women."

The headless issues the order without hesitation.

Another bundle of black light vanishes, another Death Wing elite falls. The headless's subordinates look excited, faces filled with fanaticism. Soon, once all the feathers disappear, the Death Wings of the headless will come.

"Move! Move!!"

Qi Luo didn't run far at all.

To be precise, she never even considered "running"—Caldasia's "friend assistance" had flung her two streets away.

The idol girl sits on the ground, rubbing her bottom, looking up at the sea of red fire rising in the distance, and immediately replaces the words about to spill from her mouth—"my bottom"—with "my god."

The edge of the fire sea is at the opposite end of the street; Caldasia's wide-area sweep didn't reach her. Intentional or not, she must quickly escape and do something.

She finds herself in danger because of herself.

The girl with twin tails anxiously fiddles with her phone: "Why can't she move... are all signals blocked!"

Her own voice rings again in her mind: The Death Wings' signature move, I've heard of it before—once they lock on, even wings can't fly away.

"Oh god, I need to quickly come up with a way to help her."

Red Lion is part of this city, she doesn't need any help at all—

Qi Luo excitedly retorts: "What nonsense, how can one let a girl face an encirclement by so many people! Besides, the headless is one of the strongest ability users too!"

...

The voice in her heart falls silent. Qi Luo angrily pounds the phone twice on the ground, deciding to do something based on intuition.

The disturbance in the small shop sparks inspiration. She begins to sing, like her usual vocal exercises, emitting monotonous tones repeatedly.

"??~"

The sound waves, carrying electrical waves, spread in all directions. Singing isn't the point, but a method to concentrate her mind. She needs full focus to actively invoke her "nature," the ability to control information.

A portion of the "self" integrates into the sound waves, leaping at an indescribable speed through streets and alleys, projecting countless images into her vision, until it collides with something like a fish in the sea ensnared in a net.

"—Ugh! It hurts."

Qi Luo utters a soft cry. In that experience akin to an out-of-body sensation, she sees many things: the distribution of the Death Wings, the position of the "net," Caldasia being besieged by four...

Must act quickly! Find a way to resolve the "net," use ability for support, tell Caldasia the positions of these enemies! This is the way it should be—even for herself, there are things she can accomplish!

The long-quiet common sense asks again: "Net" surrounding hiding many people. How will you resolve those tall, sturdy, fully equipped superhumans? Rely on your fists?

Qi Luo hesitates, picking up a half-broken brick from the ground.

"Use, use this, okay—ah!"

A terrifying noise erupts nearby, hot bullet casings rolling along the road. A black-clad man in the center of the road opens fire indiscriminately with a heavy machine gun, bullets striking the glass windows beside the road; stray bullets whip past Qi Luo's hair, making her scream.

"Either come out, or I'll shoot you dead by stray bullets!" the burly black-clad man bellows, "The unlucky sod who dies because of this gets it on your head, hahaha!"

Too shameless, how could it be so outrageous, violent, evil... Even such words couldn't come out. Qi Luo's hand trembles uncontrollably; she can barely grip the brick.

The voice in her heart laughs secretly: Sneak up to him, circle behind, sneak attack, knock him unconscious, then grab the gun and go to the "net," just like those female stars in action movies! Hurry! I want to help my friend, why am I hesitating now?

At worst, it's just a scratch, worst case get a high-tech prosthetic limb, dead is dead, nothing to say. Go! Go! Why aren't you moving, Qi Luo?

"Ugh..."

The girl collapses sitting by the roadside, groaning softly, overwhelmed.

The excitement before like a hallucination vanishes, leaving only the cold, ruthless reality in her heart.

—She can't do it.

You are a genius, remember in one second: Red Ganquan: