They ran down the stairs at full speed. The echo of their footsteps thundered through the building as the tension in the air grew heavier.
"It appeared in the eastern district of the city," Alice said, visibly agitated.
The crow with the red feather on its head nded on her shoulder, watching the group with its bck eyes.
"It's fine. I'll go ahead," Kael said as he shoved the exit door open roughly.
He stepped outside first… but suddenly stopped.
In the distance, the bells of a church began to ring loudly.
DONG.
DONG.
DONG.
It was the city's arm. They were under attack.
"What are you doing, Kael? We need to pri—"
"Quiet."
His voice was sharp, cutting Mira off. The rest of the group stopped behind him.
In the sky, something moved between the rooftops. A crow was flying toward them at full speed.
"That can't be…" Alice murmured.
The bird dove down and nded on her other shoulder. On its head was a green feather.
"That's the signal from the northern district…"
Lyra frowned.
"A false arm?"
"No," Alice replied firmly. "The order was clear. I was to be warned if there was major danger in the area."
For a few seconds, both crows remained perched on her shoulders. Then she formed a few hand signs, and both birds vanished, leaving behind small puffs of red and green smoke.
Kael crossed his arms, thinking.
"Alright. We'll split up. I'll go east. You all go north."
But just as they were about to move, a caw and the beating of wings cut through the air.
Another crow appeared from high in the sky.
This one carried a blue feather.
"West," Alice said with concern. "That's the crow from the western district."
Kael clicked his tongue.
"How many are left?"
"One with a yellow feather… it's watching the south."
"We don't have time."
Kael turned quickly.
"I'll go east. If I don't find anything, I'll head south."
Then he pointed at Mira and Darik.
"You two go west. If the situation gets complicated, send a signal."
Mira nodded.
Alice spoke immediately after.
"Alright. We'll go north. I'll send a signal too if we find it."
That was how the group split up.
Kael ran toward the east. Mira and Darik disappeared into the western streets. Finally, Alice, Lyra, and Theoder headed north.
Alice took the lead.
"Move quickly. We need to prevent any deaths."
Lyra ran just behind her.
"What will we do if we run into the Dark Knight?"
"We need to… buy time," Theoder said from the back, breathing heavily.
His breathing was boured.
Alice gnced at him from the corner of her eye. He was clearly slower than them.
'Damn it… how can they move so fast…'
Theoder clenched his teeth.
'I was one of the fastest pyers on my football team.'
The closer they got to the area, the emptier the streets became.
Doors and windows were shut tight. The citizens had hidden themselves.
A few streets ahead, they began to see smoke. The smell of iron filled the air. On the ground, several bodies y covered in blood.
Theoder swallowed.
It was the first time he had seen so much blood.
Then they saw him.
A man completely covered in bck armour stood in the middle of the street.
In his hand he held a massive dark sword, and a bck aura flowed from his body like smoke.
"It's him…" Alice murmured.
"The Dark Knight."
The creature slowly turned its head. Its eyes locked onto Alice, and instantly it lunged toward her.
The bck sword descended violently—
But before it could reach the blonde girl…
CLANG!
Lyra appeared in front of her. The force of the impact pushed her several steps back.
"Send the signal, Alice!"
She reacted immediately. She formed several hand signs while the shadows on the ground began to move.
"Beast Manifestation… Shadow Crow."
From the ground beneath her feet, a crow emerged with a red feather on its head.
The bird shot into the sky.
A few minutes earlier, east of Doletto.
Fire spread across several houses. The fmes illuminated the empty streets, and people ran in the opposite direction from where Kael was advancing.
His eyes scanned every corner.
"Where are you? Damn it…"
Suddenly, a sword shot out from the darkness.
Kael barely had time to react and quickly ducked. The bde whistled over his head before embedding itself into a wall behind him.
Kael looked up.
A figure emerged from the shadows. It wore bck armour and carried a dark aura.
The figure extended its hand.
The sword vibrated and shot out of the wall, returning to its hand.
"So I finally found you…" Kael said as he unsheathed his sword.
He took a combat stance.
"Alright. Let's begin."
Kael lunged forward, swinging his sword downward.
His bde descended at incredible speed.
CLANG!
The Dark Knight blocked the attack. The shockwave made the street tremble.
Kael smiled. He crouched low and swept the enemy's legs with a kick.
The knight jumped back, avoiding the attack.
But Kael was already on him.
Another csh of bdes.
CLANG!
The Dark Knight counterattacked with a kick to the abdomen that forced Kael to step back.
"This strength…" Kael let out a small ugh. "You're not even Css 3, you damn impostor."
Kael took his stance again. Suddenly, his sword began to glow, and Kael's eyes started to shine faintly.
"Let's see if you can handle this."
With a swift motion, Kael unched his attack.
With a single ssh, the bde cut through the armour as if it were paper. The body of the false Dark Knight split in two.
Kael shook the blood off his sword.
"You're just wasting my time…" he said as he sheathed his weapon.
He looked to the sky for a signal.
But there was nothing.
"Then I should go check the south…"
He turned to leave—
But at that moment, the sky lit up.
An explosion appeared in the north, leaving behind a cloud of red smoke. A crow had burst in the air.
A second fsh appeared in the west. A firework arrow streaked across the sky, leaving a red trail behind it.
Kael looked up.
"Heh… two danger signals…"
He sighed.
"This has to be a joke."
