Dodeka heard a loud boom coming from the direction of the story above them.

  She skidded to a stop instantly; whipping her head around just in time to see a massive explosion rip through the second floor windows, sending glass shards raining everywhere.

  Dodeka cursed under her breath immediately upon seeing it happen, yanking Trixie back hard by her arm before barking sharply:

  “MOVE!”

  Another blast followed shortly after that one, this one closer than last and shaking the ground beneath them.

  "She's here," Dodeka whispered.

  "Who's here?" Trixie asked lowly.

  "The Xerosi assassin."

  Trixie's eyes widened upon hearing about the Xerosi Clan. The most elite and deadly assassin organization that ever existed. Their only loyalty was to money...and they were famous for their stealth and efficiency.

  If they were in the building, that could only mean one thing: the princess's kidnapping wasn't just any random act...it was a hit.

  Trixie went pale just thinking about it: "How could they get in here?”

  Dodeka's jaw tightened, her eyes scanning the area warily as she muttered back:

  "...They don't just 'get in.' They vanish into places like shadows."

  Then, without warning? A flicker of movement caught her eye near one of the exhibit cases, Trixie barely even had time to react before Dodeka shoved her behind a pillar with surprising force.

  THUNK.

  A knife embedded itself into marble where Trixie's head had been seconds prior.

  Dodeka didn’t waste another second, already yanking her pistol from its holster while spinning around toward the threat…only for something to grab her wrist and twist it painfully hard instead.

  CRACK!

  Her gun clattered to the ground uselessly as a masked figure emerged from darkness nearby, his grip ironclad while pressing blade against her throat:

  "Don’t move."

  Trixie let out a strangled gasp at sight but froze completely.

  This wasn't going well at all.

  Dodeka didn't hesitate, throwing her elbow back into the man's ribs with brutal force.

  The man grunted, grip loosening just enough for Dodeka to wrench herself free and pivot, only to come face-to-face with another masked figure already moving toward them.

  Trixie let out a sharp cry, scrambling for Dodeka’s discarded gun but finding it snatched away by a third figure before she could even touch it.

  They were surrounded.

  The first attacker straightened up now, wiping blood from his split lip as he glared at both women while muttering coldly:

  "...You should've stayed out of this."

  A beat passed where the three guards said nothing, their tension almost palpable now as they waited to see what would happen next.

  Then…?

  A cold, flat voice echoed through museum hall, carrying with it a subtle hint of amusement too:

  "Looking for me?"

  Trixie and Dodeka turned around and saw the Xerosi assassin for themselves.

  The voice belonged to a woman dressed in traditional ōkuninushinese attire, white haori and hakama with pink and blue accents, along with two short, golden hairpins sticking out of a bun. Her pale face was half-covered by an intricate lace mask of the same colors, so they couldn't see any other details other than her cold, calculating gaze.

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  The Xerosi assassin tilted her head slightly, her mask hiding any expression, but the air around her practically vibrated with quiet, deadly intent.

  "I was sent to retrieve them," she replied smoothly, voice like ice wrapped in silk. "And yet...here you are." Her golden eyes flicked toward the three guards now too before adding: "...Interfering."

  One of them swallowed hard at that, hand twitching near his weapon again while another muttered under breath:

  "Fuckin' hell..."

  Dodeka didn't move, just stood there watching the exchange unfold silently while gripping her pistol tighter...

  This wasn't over yet by long shot.

  Not even close.

  The Xerosi assassin's smile widened slightly, almost as if she knew that all too well.

  "Oh, but you're so predictable," she taunted coolly. "Always have to play the role of heroes, don't you?"

  She took a step forward, the heel of one slipper clacking loudly as it hit the hard floor beneath too.

  "Always rushing in like some kind of white knight…" she mused almost casually. "...Always so self-righteous."

  The three guards stiffened visibly at that, clearly hit where it hurts as their grips on their weapons tightened further.

  "...Shut up," one all but snarled through gritted teeth.

  The Xerosi assassin only laughed lightly at that, shaking her head in almost disappointment.

  "...Still can't handle the truth, I see." her voice was still cool, but there was an unmistakable edge there now too.

  "How...pathetic. Your little 'white empire' is crumbling before your eyes, and all you can do is watch."

  That really hit a nerve it seemed, because the three guards bristled visibly upon hearing that.

  "...Shut your whore mouth!" one of them snapped back furiously.

  The Xerosi assassin seemed unfazed by the insult, just chuckling softly as if she found it amusing how easily provoked they were.

  "Is that so," she said lightly, taking another step closer now too. "Then by all means…make me. Show me the might of the 'superior' white race."

  The guards' faces twisted into pure rage at that, one of them lunging forward with a snarl, his pistol raised and aimed directly at her head.

  "I'LL SHOW YA SUPERIORITY YOU FILTHY, RICE-GUZZLING RAT!" he roared.

  The insult only made the Xerosi woman's smile widen further, her head tilting slightly as if studying him as one would an interesting specimen.

  "...How typical," she remarked coolly. "Resorting to racism when you have nothing else. Truly the mark of a great man." Her golden eyes flicked towards his gun now too, voice lowering as well: "...Put that away, now. It isn't going to help you here."

  The guard’s finger twitched on the trigger, his face red with fury as he snarled back:

  "YOU WANNA DIE THAT BADLY?!"

  Then, BANG!

  A gunshot rang out, shattering a nearby display case in an explosion of glass. The Xerosi assassin moved faster than humanly possible, already spinning away from the gunshot while her own blade flashed toward the man's wrist like silver lightning.

  CRACK!

  His pistol clattered to the ground, hand now bleeding heavily from where she'd sliced through tendons cleanly.

  She didn't stop there, driving a knee up into his groin next before kicking him backward hard enough to send him stumbling into other two guards who were just staring at the scene unfolding in stunned silence.

  Dodeka watched it all unfold silently beside Trixie…her grip tightening around the pistol still aimed straight forward.

  The guard meanwhile howled in pain, dropping to his knees while clutching his bleeding hand and aching groin.

  The other two guards snapped out of their stupor at that, both leaping at the Xerosi woman while shouting angrily.

  They never got close, the woman twisting out of way as if avoiding their attacks was as natural to her as breathing. She moved like a shadow, quickly ducking under their blows and countering with brutal force.

  The Xerosi assassin moved, blade flashing in a silver arc as she drove it straight through the guard's gut.

  He gasped, eyes widening in shock before choking on his own blood, his knees buckling as he collapsed to the floor now too…

  The other two guards froze for a split second at sight of their comrade bleeding out right before them, faces paling slightly while staring down at the body still twitching weakly beneath her boot.

  Then? One of them let out a strangled cry between rage and horror:

  "...You bitch!"

  They both lunged forward, this time with murderous intent clear across their expressions.

  But the Xerosi woman didn’t dodge or block…she met them head-on.

  The two guards roared, weapons swinging wildly in frantic attempts to strike.

  The Xerosi woman dodged the attacks, ducking and twisting out of the way as if avoiding them was effortless.

  But they weren’t giving up, both swinging again and again, their attacks becoming more desperate and vicious as time went on.

  They had to know that they couldn't win, they were clearly outmatched by the assassin dancing around them like a shadow…until...

  The woman narrowly dodged an unseen aura blast from above. The assassin's head snapped toward the voice, her body going rigid for a split second before she whirled around with terrifying speed.

  And there, standing in the middle of the stairway now?

  Courtney.

  Her crimson eyes burned like molten lava as they locked onto the assassin's, her expression unreadable.

  "You." Courtney's voice was low and deadly calm as it cut through the air like a blade. "Leave the hostages alone if you value your life."