Adama got up immediately, startling the ladies nearly as much as the explosions had. Perhaps it was a little irrational, but he had a sinking feeling that the explosions had something to do with him. He didn’t know how, yet, but trouble always seemed to come knocking on his door one way or the other. And even if they had nothing to do with him, it was still wise to check them out. Before anyone else could get their bearings, Adama was already barking out orders, “Emily, put up a barrier. Everyone, stay here.”

  Then, in a blur of green, he was out the door, jumping up to a nearby rooftop and dashing towards the source of the noise. Adama’s eyes narrowed as he recognized that the explosions were coming from the “pleasure” district. How did a bunch of brothels suddenly turn into a warzone? As he grew closer, Adama could more clearly make out the voices rising above the din of battle, and he realized he recognized their owners.

  “Is that Take Famailia?”, the swordsman thought to himself, his puzzlement only growing as he reached a rooftop overlooking the battle. Adama’s eyebrows shot up as he leaned over to gaze down at all the chaos.

  Half of a building had collapsed due to Mikoto’s magic. She was keeping several Amazon warriors locked down with Futsunomitama while the rest of Take Familia were trying to fight their way out of an encirclement of more Amazon warriors. Asuka was carrying a fox girl, dressed in a crimson kimono, over one shoulder as she dueled with an attacker trying to get closer to Mikoto. Pedestrians had already fled from the scene, and the street was pockmarked with small, smoldering craters all around the Familia’s perimeter. Adama watched as Ouka pulled out a crimson sphere and tossed it toward several of the approaching enemies. It exploded on contact, creating a blanket of fire that halted the Amazons’ advance. The boy’s body also glowed with an uncanny, mystical yellow light, and his attacks were coming out far faster and stronger than usual.

  Adama realized that Ouka’s Firestones and his stat boost (had he learned a new magic that could buff his own abilities?) were the only reasons Take Familia hadn’t been overwhelmed already. However, their party was on the brink of demise anyway. Adama spotted a duo of Level 3s amongst the Amazons, and his friends were badly outnumbered.

  That was, until Adama intervened.

  He leapt into the fray after a millisecond of observation, jumping into the middle of the Amazons and throwing his weight around. Or rather, throwing their weight around. Adama reached out and grabbed the women by their arms, or their hair, or their clothes, before tossing them away from the embattled group. Some of the warriors landed inside nearby buildings, while others tumbled down the street, all of them yelping in surprise and fear. Some tried to turn their weapons on Adama, yet he outclassed them totally. The swordmen slipped around or deflected their attacks with childish ease. He didn’t break a sweat as he shattered several metal weapons with his palms, deliberately fighting to disable or injure rather than kill. Adama didn’t have any context for this whole situation, after all, and he didn’t want to do anything he couldn’t take back.

  Eventually, the Amazons got the message, choosing to stand back rather than throw themselves at Adama. The swordsmen whistled as he strolled over to his friends, examining them thoughtfully. They had taken several nasty-looking wounds, so he tossed them a few potions. Adama barked commandingly, “Bet my soul against a rat’s tail you four didn’t pick a fight for no reason. Explain.”

  Rather than the members of Take Familia, one of the Amazons shouted out in response, “These four have kidnapped an important member of our Familia-“

  Adama interrupted her by rapidly tilting his head to look at her, eyes glowing with hostility. He dropped his hand to Hearthblade’s hilt, growling softly, “Didn’t ask you, did I?”

  Rather than blanch in fear, the Amazoness turned bright red, her eyes suddenly flitting away from the swordsman. He barely had a moment to be surprised before Mikoto called out, “Haruhime-dono doesn’t want to be in your Familia anymore. Allow her to leave immediately.”

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  The girl released her gravity magic, allowing the Amazons to retreat, as she couldn’t keep it going indefinitely. However, her voice didn’t betray any weakness as she elaborated, “Haruhime-dono is an old friend. She shouldn’t be forced to stay in a Familia she doesn’t want to be in.”

  Asuka had set down the fox girl, and she looked around nervously at the warriors, ears twitching with anxiety. Yet when Adama turned to look at her, she courageously fought to meet his gaze.

  “This true?” Adama asked, his voice softening slightly. There was a long pause as Haruhime shivered, then looked away, yet she eventually managed to gather herself, close her eyes, and nod twice. Adama turned back to the warriors, his resolve solidifying as he spoke, “There you have it, then.”

  He turned back to Take Familia, “Let’s go.”

  None of the Amazons tried to stop them as they dashed away, with Ouka picking up Haruhime this time and carrying her over his shoulder. Adama’s mind worked furiously on a solution to the sudden conundrum, the swordsman quickly finding himself struck with inspiration. With a few orders, he steered the group toward Orario’s center, toward Babel, and the Dungeon below that. Unfortunately, as they were running, Adama’s enhanced senses picked up the sounds of another pursuer. They were far away but moving fast. Thinking on his feet again, he pulled out a piece of paper from a breast pocket and tossed it to Ouka, saying, “Follow those directions. Tell them Adama sent you.”

  Confusion bloomed on the man’s face as he read, though Ouka quickly quashed it and tucked the paper away. He looked up and nodded at Adama, and the swordsman proceeded to stop and turn around, leaving Take Familia to go on ahead. The girls were also confused, yet Ouka kept them moving along. Adama drew Hearthblade and held it in a ready stance, watching as a new figure approached at lightning speed from the other end of the street. It stopped as it drew closer to Adama, kicking up a big cloud of dust and cracking the stone tiles below with the sudden halt of momentum. With a low-pitched whistle, a massive cleaver emerged from the dust cloud in a swift horizontal strike.

  It wasn’t close to Adama, so the strike simply kicked up the air and dispersed the dust cloud, revealing an imposing warrior. She was dressed much like the other Amazons, in a tight purple top and short khaki pants, though she was conspicuously taller than any of them. She dwarfed Adama himself by several inches and wielded a blade nearly as long as he was tall. Her figure was athletic, though well-muscled, with abs and arms that could have been chiseled by a master sculptor. Ebony eyes fixed Adama with a cautious glare, the warrior sizing the swordsman up deliberately before she spoke, “Return the renart to us, immediately. There is no need for us to be mortal enemies.”

  Her voice was rich and deep, her cadence imperious as she made her demand of Adama with the dignity of a warrior queen. The swordsman merely responded with a sardonic half-smile, “Don’t see any renart around here. What makes you think I have her? You think I’m hiding her in my robe?”

  The Amazon warrior cocked an eyebrow in displeasure, “Your manners are pathetic for such a weak adventurer. A Level 3 shouldn’t talk back to their betters. Or did your Guild advisor not teach you that, Sword Saint?”

  Adama’s sarcastic half-smile turned into a full grin at the statement, eyes gleaming with thinly hidden menace, “Your info’s old, Scion of Hippolyta. I’m Level 4 now.”

  Adama normally didn’t talk this much with people he was about to fight, but he was stalling for time. He knew this woman’s alias and her status as a Level 6, since it behooved all the city’s adventurers to keep tabs on the other notable fighters. Refraining from doing so was a fast way to end up dead, and anyone with half a brain knew about Alura, Scion of Hippolyta and Beloved of Ishtar. The fact that she knew Adama’s own Level and alias was a tacit indication that he had become a notable figure among the city’s adventurer population, even if her knowledge was outdated. The mistake caused the woman to furrow her brow, clicking her tongue in irritation before biting back, “Very impressive. You grow quickly. All the more reason for me to squash you here before you become a nuisance in the future.”

  “Then why haven’t you yet?” Adama shot back, grin growing wider as he goaded, “You had all the momentum. Why stop running? A dash attack might’ve put me on my heels.”

  Alura’s frown grew deeper as she scrutinized him further, allowing a pause to stretch onward before finally responding, “…you would’ve countered. A sprinting attack with all my momentum going forward would have left me vulnerable if it had missed.”

  Technically correct, though that didn’t stop Adama from making fun of her, “So, you didn’t attack because you were afraid a measly little Level 3 would counter? Looks like I can rest easy, knowing your reputation isn’t worth a barrel of straw.”

  Adama’s grin turned feral as he watched Alura take several, heaving breaths, the fire of anger kindling steadily within her gaze. It looked like the rumors of the woman’s short temper were accurate. Now, he just had to avoid the other rumors, which said that everyone who provoked that temper had a knack for winding up dead.

  Alura gnashed her teeth and pointed her cleaver directly at him, angrily grunting, “Prepare yourself.”

  Without waiting, Adama attacked