Kuroshi eyed the stranger warily, skepticism etched into her features. "How can I trust you?"
"Do I look like a person that would hurt you?" the stranger countered, his voice calm and steady.
"Yeah... You look like you'd strangle me to death with that scarf of yours," Kuroshi retorted, her tone tinged with suspicion.
"This scarf is meant for fashion purposes," the stranger insisted, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.
"Sure it is. What's up with your entire aesthetic anyway? Are you hiding something?" Kuroshi pressed, her curiosity piqued.
"No. I just like to dress this way," the stranger replied nonchalantly.
"Sure..." Kuroshi muttered skeptically.
"Stop judging my fashion," the stranger admonished, a touch of defensiveness in his tone.
"Why are you here anyway?" Kuroshi inquired, her curiosity still lingering.
"Funny story, actually. I was out touching grass, breathing air, and this guy had come up to me and... kidnapped me," the stranger explained, his voice tinged with resignation.
"Kidnapped you?" Kuroshi echoed, surprise evident in her voice.
"Yeah," the stranger confirmed with a sigh.
"That's believable since this isn't actually a prison. You wouldn't be here because you got arrested for a crime," Kuroshi remarked, her tone thoughtful.
"Yep. I want to escape, but these magical handcuffs prevent me from using any type of magic I can think of, and they take away the ability for me to use my hands and—" the stranger began, his words tumbling out in a rush.
"Okay, I get it," Kuroshi interrupted, her patience wearing thin. "What's your name, by the way?"
"Why are you asking?" the stranger countered, a hint of suspicion in his voice.
"If I'm going to break out of here with you, I at least want to know your name," Kuroshi replied, her tone firm.
"Ah, okay. My name is Kachiro," the stranger introduced himself.
"Okay, Kachiro. My name is Kuroshi," Kuroshi responded, a sense of camaraderie blossoming between them.
"Nice, nice, nice. My plan is to—" Kachiro began, only to be interrupted by Kuroshi's sudden actions.
Kuroshi started kicking the cell bars in frustration. "Why isn't this working? These are steel bars, right? I should be able to easily break through steel."
"Yeeeeeaaaaah, trying to use brute force to break out isn't going to work. These handcuffs take away all gained strength, so it pretty much reverts your body back into a... fetus," Kachiro explained, a note of disbelief in his voice.
"Because we aren't reverted back to fetuses! Our strength is the only thing reverted, so we don't break out. The only thing you need to break anything is enough speed and strength, but for humans or in fact any living thing, you need strength for speed," Kuroshi clarified, her frustration evident.
"Okay, Ms. I spent 30 minutes here," Kachiro quipped sarcastically.
"What's your plan?" Kuroshi inquired, her curiosity reignited.
"Simple. We trick one of those guards into breaking our cuffs, and we escape," Kachiro explained confidently.
"How so?" Kuroshi pressed, her skepticism lingering.
"When I first got captured, I rushed towards the cell bars and managed to get my hands out of the cell. The guards immediately tried to cut off my hands with their giant axes. I'm thinking that we should try to stick our hands out of the cell and trick them into cutting the cuffs," Kachiro elaborated.
"Okay, but are the guards really going to fall for that?" Kuroshi questioned, her doubt evident.
"Yeah, they're dumb as hell because they have no brains! They are literally just giant suits of armor with magic in them, and their only objective is to chop in half whoever isn't in their cell," Kachiro assured her.
"Hm, okay, let's try it. But if this doesn't work, I'll never believe a word you say again," Kuroshi warned, her determination clear.
"Mark my words. Let me show you if it works or not," Kachiro declared confidently.
With determination in her eyes, Kachiro approached the cell bars and stuck both of her hands out. A guard rushed forward, sword raised, but just before the strike landed, Kachiro deftly adjusted her handcuffs, causing the guard to hit the chains instead, and miraculously, it worked.
Kachiro's swift incantation filled the air. "Magical weapon, Nokogiri no yoyo."
In response, a light blue yoyo materialized in Kachiro's hand, its glow illuminating the dim confines of their cell.
"Skill 1: Blade Spinner," Kachiro commanded, determination etched on his face.
The string of the yoyo transformed into a sharp, spinning, blue-glowing saw. With precision, Kachiro swung the yoyo at Kuroshi's handcuffs, the blade tearing through the metal with ease.
"Yume No Ju skill 1: Light bullet," Kuroshi called out, her voice resolute.
As she charged up a potent light bullet, she issued a terse command. "Move."
Kachiro quickly complied, stepping aside just in time. With a flick of her wrist, Kuroshi unleashed the charged light bullet, a brilliant beam of energy pulsating with power.
The projectile smashed through the steel bars of their cell, piercing through the guard's chest with a deafening impact. As the guard staggered back, its mechanical movements betrayed no hint of pain or distress.
The guard, now aware of the breach in the cell, tore through the remaining barrier with brute force. With mechanical precision, it advanced towards Kuroshi, its massive axe poised to strike.
Dodging the deadly swing, Kuroshi retaliated, firing two precise shots that punctured holes in the guard's head.
"Why isn't it dead?" Kuroshi exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice.
"Because these things don't feel pain, they don't breathe, they can't even see! They can only attack and walk. We need to immobilize it," Kachiro explained urgently, his eyes scanning their surroundings for a solution.
Kuroshi wasted no time, calling upon her second skill with swift precision. "Skill 2: Blade."
She darted toward the incapacitated guard, her movements fluid and practiced. With precise strikes, she severed both its arms and legs, rendering it immobile.
Kachiro nodded approvingly. "Yeah, like that. Let's go deal with the rest."
They swiftly departed from the cell, only to be met with a daunting sight: twelve more guards heading their way.
"Ice magic: Ice grenade!" Kuroshi shouted, hurling twelve icy projectiles with uncanny accuracy. The grenades struck their targets, encasing the guards in frozen prisons.
"Wow, perfect! The only ice magic move I know works really well with that. Ice magic: Ice pressure," Kachiro declared, his voice resonating with power.
A surge of magical energy pulsed through the air as the frozen guards were subjected to immense pressure, their bodies crushed into small steel balls.
"Okay, let's go," Kachiro urged, his gaze fixed on their next destination.
As they traversed the prison corridors, they encountered a motley assortment of creatures—goblins, skeletons, humans, elves, and even vampires—reaching out from behind the bars.
"Creeps," Kuroshi muttered under her breath as they pressed onward.
Exiting the prison, they entered a dimly lit hallway, tension palpable in the air.
"Alright, almost out," Kachiro whispered, his senses on high alert.
"Wait, shh, I see a shadow," Kuroshi interjected, her voice hushed.
Kachiro tensed, bracing himself for what was to come.
"Yeah," he replied tersely as the shadow loomed closer.
And then, to their surprise, the shadow revealed itself to be none other than Toruri.
"Oh, it's you..." Kuroshi breathed a sigh of relief.
Toruri greeted them casually. "Oh hey, Kuroshi! Who is this?"
Kuroshi hesitated, unsure of how to introduce Kachiro. "Someone..."
Toruri glanced at the figure on his shoulder. "Oh, it's Heunae. I totally kicked his ass."
Heunae grumbled indignantly, but Kachiro remained focused on the interaction. "Kuroshi, who is he?" he inquired, his curiosity piqued.
"He's one of my colleagues," Kuroshi explained, choosing her words carefully.
Toruri interjected with a sly grin. "Oh damn... that's one way to put it, I guess."
Kachiro extended a hand in greeting. "Aye, what's your name?"
"Toruri," came the reply.
"Kachiro," Kachiro introduced himself.
"Alright, alright," Toruri acknowledged with a nod.
Kuroshi cut in, redirecting the conversation. "Why are you going towards the prison?"
Toruri hesitated, then offered an explanation. "Well, you see, I got lost—"
"He got scared by a painting and had a second thought about facing my god," Heunae interjected dryly.
Kachiro's interest was piqued. "Your god?"
"Yeah, my god," Heunae confirmed.
"Uh, yeah... I'm going to hightail it out of here now. Bye," Kachiro announced, swiftly making his exit.
Toruri turned back to Kuroshi. "Should we fight that vampire dude now? Or—"
"Yes, right now would be the perfect time to do so. We don't have time to wait for Ryoshi," Kuroshi declared with determination.
"I guess you're right. Let's do it!" Toruri agreed, his resolve matching hers.
With their resolve renewed, they exited the hallway and entered the main lobby, ready to face whatever challenges awaited them.
Toruri glanced around the dimly lit throne room, a sense of unease settling over him.
"So the throne room is in the—" he began, only to be cut off by Heunae.
"Middle hallway," Heunae interjected, his voice terse.
"Thanks," Toruri acknowledged, grateful for the guidance.
As they entered the middle hallway, Toruri couldn't shake the feeling of trepidation gnawing at him.
"Kuroshi... are you scared too?" he asked tentatively.
"No," Kuroshi replied, her voice steady.
"Th-Then, hurry up!" Toruri urged, his tone betraying a hint of urgency.
Together, they pressed on, navigating the darkened corridors until they reached the imposing throne room.
"I can't see a thing," Toruri muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
Suddenly, bright lights flooded the room, illuminating their surroundings and revealing a startling sight: they were encased within a large circular cage, surrounded by a horde of vampires.
"Welcome," a voice echoed through the chamber.
Toruri and Kuroshi exchanged a puzzled glance. "What?"
The source of the voice revealed herself—a tall woman named June, the same individual who had captured Kuroshi previously.
"Welcome to the food arena," June announced, her tone dripping with malice.
Heunae chimed in, offering an explanation. "Oh yeah, right. There's this thing before my god's throne room."
Kuroshi's suspicions grew as she recognized June's voice. "This voice sounds familiar."
June continued, unperturbed by their confusion. "I am June, the host of this game. The food arena is where our champions kill prisoners from the prison, and I give them to the people—the vampire people, that is."
Toruri scoffed defiantly. "Hah, I'm not from the prison!"
June shot him a withering look. "You're still human."
Toruri's retort faltered, uncertainty creeping into his expression. "Not completely?"
Ignoring his protest, June turned her attention to Heunae. "Why are you here?"
Heunae's response was resigned. "This scum defeated me."
June's lips curled into a smirk. "Now you're easier to kill. Lord Atanasius only kept you around for your blood."
Heunae's expression darkened at the revelation. "Really?"
"Yeah," June confirmed, her tone laced with cruelty. "And now that you have no use at all, he'll drink you like a shot of alcohol. After this, that is."
Heunae fell silent, his thoughts racing as he processed the grim reality of his situation.
Toruri, however, remained undeterred. "Well, there's no turning that down."
June's gaze shifted back to Toruri and Kuroshi. "By the way, all of the champions were killed. They burned to death in the sun, meaning that someone destroyed our sun relic. So, I'll be the one fighting today."
Toruri's lips curled into a smirk. "I like the sound of that. Two on one... and a half action."
Kuroshi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Sounds good."
June signaled for the fight to begin, and the vampires surrounding the cage erupted into cheers, their excitement palpable as they eagerly awaited the spectacle about to unfold.