As the purple barrier dissipated, the romantic forest scenery melted away until all that remained was a fancy filth pit. Well, at least they had some smell-cancelling formations in place. Bas only noticed when he returned how fresh the air was here versus the rest of the sewer jungle of the metropolis.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he thought about what had happened with Beverly. He couldn't help but feel his heart flutter with the possibility of something more between them. He was no longer the naive, romantic boy of his past. He had lived for centuries and seen the world, but he wasn't too jaded to not recognize a spark when it was in front of him.
Only time could tell whether this spark would turn into a flame or fizzle out. But for now, Bas was content with the knowledge that he had made a friend and ally in Beverly, someone to trust in this cold, cruel world.
The platform was already empty when they returned. The other experts had obviously deemed it unnecessary to wait any longer. After all, they had more to do than average hunters.
Bas spent a little time with his fans, signing autographs, body parts, and the like. He felt the faith power pouring into his body by the second and relished in its warmth. After several rounds of pictures and uninteresting conversation, the crowd slowly dissipated. Bas bid Little Piggy farewell after the latter demanded he shares his communication rune. He then made his way towards Brenda.
He could see the exhaustion in her eyes as she looked at him, but there was also a hint of admiration.
"Congratulations on becoming the champion, Bas," Brenda said, offering him a small smile.
She liked the name 'Bas'; it felt better to say than Bazzy or Sebastian.
She smiled sweetly at him and said, "That was quite an awesome performance. Frederick Little may be only a quasi-Fourth Class opponent, but he has the strength and skill to put down experts. Even I couldn't defeat him so soundly. Turns out, I may not even be your match."
"Thank you, Brenda, but I'd never turn down a one-on-one with you," Bas replied, feeling a sudden surge of respect for the woman.
From her words, Bas could conclude that before Frederick, the previous champ was a paper tiger. Frederick was destined to become champion tonight. Maybe this was why so many experts were around.
Brenda may not be a compelling top expert, but she was instrumental in his rise. He valued her for this alone.
Brenda's face flushed scarlet when she heard those ambiguous-sounding words from Bas.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, her voice soft with concern.
"Yes, actually," Bas said, leaning closer. Brenda's heart raced as she noticed how tall this hunky boy was. "I'm looking for someone. Marcus. He was injured fighting Marsha. Do you know where he might be?"
Brenda nodded slowly, secretly excited. She would get to be with him for a bit longer, and this was to her liking.
"Yes, I do. He's in the infirmary down the street. I can take you there if you want, but we must return to the surface. My dad's escort team is leaving soon if you want to come with me..."
Bas considered momentarily because he was worried about what Beverly told him. If one of his cousins was in Kennesaw, his siblings could be in danger, especially Dazzal. The little hothead was technically a competitor for the Night Crown, even though he would never compete with Bas. He also wanted to train to reach the Fourth Class and use a mecha hand.
He needed a mecha-hand to contact Sable. But...wait.
Bas just realized he had been overlooking something important due to his missing clarity of mind. Ultimately, he agreed to accompany Brenda, asking her to help him purchase a mecha hand.
"Mechs are an expert hunter exclusive, so you definitely would have trouble getting one. We have a few in storage. My dad would give you one if you became a Bounty Hunter..."
"Bounty Hunter?" Bas asked curiously. He hadn't heard this term in this new life yet.
But before Brenda could elaborate, the cement above their heads collapsed in an explosion.
A black and purple rym barrier superimposed each other as Bas and Brenda quickly ducked for cover, their hearts racing as dust and debris rained down on them. Brenda's heart raced as she looked up at the chaos above. She could see smoke and dust billowing from the hole in the ceiling.
Bas quickly checked his surroundings, trying to assess the situation. He saw a group of men with weapons emerging from the newly created hole in the ceiling, and he immediately knew they were not there to make friends.
"Brenda, we need to move. Now," Bas said, his voice urgent.
But Brenda was still staring in shock at the unfolding chaos. She had just accepted her attraction to this youth and was ready to draw him to her side when the sky literally fell.
She was having trouble processing the scene.
"We have to go!" Bas shouted, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the exit. "The surface is compromised. We need to find another way out."
Brenda nodded, her mind racing. She knew the tunnels like the back of her hand but had never seen anything like this before. She heard shouting and gunfire in the distance, and she realized they were under attack.
How was Bas so clear-headed at this moment? Brenda got her mind together and quickly said, "Wait! The hunters and civilians! We have to do something to help."
Bas was a bit unwilling, but when he thought about all the faith power he had received from them, his will did a 180-degree flip.
"Fine. Let's go!" Bas shifted the direction he was running in and stopped using his silver token to hide their presence.
Brenda was stunned but pleased. She half-expected the young man to prioritize his own life over all else. It was already flattering that he would prioritize hers as well. But he barely hesitated when she asked him to risk their safety to save some strangers.
Brenda wasn't naive. She may have an obligation to help these people, but Bas did not.
But before they could make it far, one of the armed men caught up to them. He pointed his gun directly at them, his face twisted in a cruel expression.
"Stop right..."
But Bas had already withdrawn his butterfly knife and used death ryms to activate the switchblade function. Two additional blades flashed from each side — one made of cold steel and the other of pitch-black ryms.
Five blades flew toward his face and chest before the man even aimed his weapon correctly. The armed man felt like his heart had stopped, and his brain short-circuited before blades lacerated his flesh and made it a reality.
As Bas cut the man down, his ryms suddenly reacted violently.
[Goumen lavi ak lanmò ak lanmò ak lavi.]
[Lagè Li Pral]
"Get down!" he yelled to Brenda, pulling her behind a nearby pillar. They watched as several mercenaries fanned out, scanning the area with their weapons ready.
"What do we do?" Brenda whispered, her eyes wide with anxiety.
Two in one day? Who was invoking a Rym War and why? However, this thought suddenly made her look at Bas in shock. The rym war between him and Francis hadn't ended! So was Francis...
"We try to unite with the others," Bas said quietly, keeping his voice low to not alert the intruders. "They're looking for me but don't know what they're looking for. They'll first patrol the area they found their companion in so we have time to dash."
Brenda was impressed again, as she wasn't confident enough to believe in such a deduction independently. But Bas sounded certain of his words. His confidence infected her.
They sneaked out from the pillar in the opposite direction, dashing toward the sounds of gunfire and explosive impacts. As they ran, huge debris from above barreled down at unnatural speeds.