Ayuka's effort to protect Tomomi and hide her from the population of Castlemania's people was caught off surprise when she arrived to the Sanguine Rose ship, which had been attacked from the shadows by a group of 'Sun Soldiers.' She was met with a difficult situation in which Kou had become stuck on the ship amid tremendous pounding seas. Someone hit Ayuka with a blade from the shadows, while she had been hoping to come in clutch and freeze the water with her 'Ice Release.'
Ayuka stood in the fight's range, her arm moving in front of Kizu's attack as they stared each other down. Kizu's sword was pressed against Ayuka's frozen arm, which was holding a sharp sword and shivering from the pressure. Kizu hurriedly unleashed additional energy into his sword, sending Ayuka slamming into the raging water, where the waves smashed across her feet.
"Look at that, someone actually managed to defend themselves against my Golden Flash. You don't see these people very often, which means I have more time to brutalize your entire body."
Ayuka continued to return a stunned expression with strained and troubled eyes, sweating in silence and keeping her body on high alert. She was holding Tomomi's body, which was too heavy for her to fight with adequate strength.
"I saw you earlier in Harventona Town. Did you come this way on your own or did you follow me here?"
The rest of the 'Sun Soldiers', Bow and Trap, emerged from the shadows and stood behind Kizu, each with their own unique look. "I saw the two of you as well..."
"We've been on the lookout for a woman with white hair, blue eyes, and red clothing. We've been told to bring you inside the castle to meet Empress Oriyana and our Leader, Garuda, because you filled out all of the information we were provided. We're a trio of 'Sun Soldiers' who are bringing justice to this island's unmet needs and attributes. We do not advise you to struggle and instead return with us without any aggression, as we will be obliged to do so as a result."
"I don't get it; I've been maintaining a low profile here at Castlemania, so it doesn't make sense for you to presume I'm the female you're looking for; I don't even know what I did to make you wind up on a hunt."
"Is it possible for you to be quiet? You know why we're hunting you down and what you did to earn it. Allowing oneself to disturb Empress Oriyana when she was getting ready to bathe and relax is a high-priced rule infringement. We don't put up with a lot of commotion."
"Look, I'm saying it like it is. I was nowhere near Empress Oriyana when you mentioned her, so don't bother me and leave me alone. I need to relocate the ship before it sinks, and one of my friends is trapped on board."
"That is not a concern of ours. One final word of caution before we resort to force. Come with us or be tarnished by the 'Sun's Order'!"
"Don't you see that I'm carrying an injured girl on my back? You must quit bothering me and allow me to return her to the ship, where she will be secure! I need to assist her as well as the boy who is currently stranded on the ship!"
"It's a problem that has nothing to do with us. We have no motive to stick around and keep an eye on you if your buddies die. We can't allow this woman get away, Kizu, Trap; we have to bring her under Garuda's grasp. Make careful to injure her body to the point of blood if necessary."
Kizu leaned forward on his knees and sprinted forward, a golden flash trailing behind him. He sped across the ground toward Ayuka, spinning to the point of tossing his blades around in a vortex, which Ayuka dodged by sidestepping and hopping out of the way. Trap quickly touched the ground and released a golden line over the sand behind Ayuka's moving body as she rotated her body to face Kizu and dropped her heels onto the ground and slid across the saturated sand.
When she got close enough, a golden bear trap shaped and captured Ayuka's left foot, knocking her over and causing pain in the bottom of her ankles. Bow swiftly made an arrow out of the golden light and fitted it to his bow, which he then pointed at Ayuka. He fired the arrow into her face, which she saw and managed to avoid by flinging her body to the side, allowing the arrow to cut through her left sleeve, and attempting to keep Tomomi's body safe.
Kizu was able to dash behind Ayuka's body and punch her in the stomach with enough force to knock her unconscious on the spot. He pushed her higher and then rammed his sole into her chest, where she still had the wound from being stabbed, causing her to release go of Tomomi, who ended up sinking in the water.
"Tomomi!"
She jumped after her, but she was seized by the wrist and pushed back at Kizu's chest before she could reach her. Her back was crushed against him, and his arms tightened over her, rendering her body incapable of reacting or getting away.
"D-Damn it! Let me go! Tomomi!"
Kizu laughed and grabbed Ayuka even tighter in response to her pleading, causing her to struggle for oxygen. Her body was quickly losing power and vitality as her vision became fuzzy. "On foot, it appears that I am a little faster than you. Tell you what, we'll do our best to look after you back at the castle, so don't worry too much. Hopefully, Empress Oriyana will not become upset and hostile as a result of your acts."
When Kou noticed Tomomi sinking under the waves, his eyes shook. His willpower and drive to save her were at an all-time high. "Tomomi! Stay strong, I'm coming!" With everyone's eyes quickly shaking in response to witnessing Kou jump into the surging ocean, he hopped over the ship's fence. When he dipped his head into the water, he splashed and instantly held his breath to avoid breathing underwater. Tomomi was slowly sinking and being flung in the ocean around the sea when he discovered it.
"K-Kou! A-Are you insane?! It's a storm!"
Ayuka tried to yell for him, but he couldn't hear her, and as she screamed, she was gripped more harder, to the point where her body went numb, all the while Kou dove deeper and deeper under the ocean in his desperate attempt to save Tomomi.
Kou's body was flailing about like a fish, with insufficient strength to control his movements. He could even feel the pressure of the water against his body and mouth, placing him at risk of drowning.
He kept swimming, but he was losing power at this point, and he spotted that Tomomi's body was caught in an underwater vortex, which completely surprised and terrified him. He inhaled one of his bubbles for oxygen and immediately began swimming deeper and toward the vortex, willing to incur the danger of drowning there.
("That vortex is powerful, not even a ship could withstand it!")
He covered his mouth with his right palm, then his nose, and blew a few bubbles, reducing the time he had before drowning. He began to swim faster and deeper into the vortex, where he was able to grip Tomomi's arm and drag her out, but despite his efforts, his strength was ineffective and was easily offset by the vortex's own force. He began to be dragged inside as he seized Tomomi with both hands and began flapping his legs at a breakneck speed, his mouth releasing more and more bubbles.
Kizu laughed as he watched the bubbles rise from the water, while Trap and Bow stared at him intently, waiting for his next words.
"Your pal is a moron. He genuinely believed he could have saved your friend in such a storm? What a complete moron. Even a whale wouldn't be able to handle such an ordeal; it's far too much for a single boy to handle."
"Let go of me! I have to help them!"
When Ayuka pleaded for mercy and said she wanted to save Kou and Tomomi, she was seized by the neck and pressed even harder, to the point that she became disoriented and couldn't breathe. "Kizu, we don't want to kill her. If you don't want your head hacked off, give her some breathing room."
"Bow, don't be scared. I'm only going to turn her off for a few seconds. In the following three seconds, she should be knocked out... Three... Two... One..."
Ayuka was ready to lose consciousness, but at that one moment somebody came leaping out of the woods, with blonde hair and black eyes, dressed into a black suit and an expensive suit. "Long-Spike Kick!"
Ralphie appeared out of nowhere, just in time. He dropped down behind Kizu's back and stretched his right foot forward, ramming his soles into Kizu's cheek, who was pushed away and Ayuka was liberated from the torture. Kizu landed on his back, but used his strength to swivel his body into a handstand and then leap back into a backflip. He landed on the sand and was sliding when he came into contact with Ralphie's solemn expression and a cigarette in his mouth.
Ayuka was apprehended by Ralphie, who assisted her in regaining her breath before checking on her. "Please accept my apologies for keeping you waiting. I felt suspicious and had to track him down and return to the ship. You hadn't returned in a long time, Ayuka-dear."
Ayuka smiled warmly as she looked Ralphie in the eyes. "Thank you so much. You came through in a big way right then."
Ralphie's eyes filled with pink hearts and he was on the verge of collapsing. "Can you stand?" He let her go and stood in front, exchanging an intimidating expression with Kizu after getting serious and confirming Ayuka's condition.
"You shouldn't put your hands on a lovely lady without asking first. I can't allow you to escape unharmed, so I'll show you just how to treat people who harm a woman."
To be continued...